In a world where technology has made it possible to create realistic human beings, the question of what makes us human is becoming more and more difficult to answer.
LEVIATHAN is a band that was created in 2016. They are led by Randy Landers and they have been releasing music since then.
Since their initial release on March 9, 2016, the STARSHIP DEIMOS has been circling the fan film industry for more than five and a half years. It was released only four months after the premiere of the new fan series STARSHIP TRISTAN. Both were produced by the legendary POTEMKIN PICTURES, who had previously published thirty episodes of their first fan series, PROJECT: POTEMKIN, at that time.
Potemkin Pictures has now spawned SIX more Star Trek fan production teams, each with over two dozen episodes of their own. (Their website has links to all of the over 100 Potemkin fan films.) The most prolific outputs, however, came from the teams responsible for Tristan and Deimos. Tristan had just published their latest fan video (their 21st overall) in March, but Deimos had been quiet for almost a year…since last Halloween, to be exact.
That changed on September 24, 2021, when Deimos’ 17th fan creation, LEVIATHAN, was released. It’s a classic ship-in-danger-due-to-a-spatial-anomaly tale, and it’s well-acted. It was shot in Lexington, Kentucky on the new Potemkin Pictures sets. Take a look…
It’s time to quiz showrunner RANDY LANDERS…!
JONATHAN – I’m Jonathan, and I’m here to tell you When did you guys start shooting Leviathan?
RANDY – Saturday, May 22nd, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We had three live remotes going on throughout the shoot, so it was a normal one-day shot. The majority of the out-of-state cast arrived in Birmingham, AL and Tampa, FL on Friday. The cast members were from Kentucky and Indiana. As is customary, we served lunch. We also filmed a very short video for Deimos in addition to Leviathan.
Some people returned home when we finished. The others returned on Sunday.
JONATHAN – This episode had some especially excellent performances. Was there a larger number of seasoned performers in this ensemble than usual?
RANDY – The cast of Deimos has been working on this since 2015. The Butterfly Effect and Blood Crystals reunited VICTORIA AVALON, TUCK STEVENS, TOM HAGLE, LEE DREW, and TIM and RENDA CARRR in 2019. That, I believe, creates a sense of continuity among the actors and crew.
Tuck, Tom, and Lee are all seasoned Birmingham performers who have worked on stage and screen, while Victoria has been engaged with fan films since the days of STARSHIP FARRAGUT.
It is usually advantageous to have prior experience.
JONATHAN – I’m Jonathan, and I’m here to tell you This is Potemkin Pictures’ first new release in six months…which is a very long time for you guys. What was the reason of the “delay”?
RANDY – I’m RANDY. It was devastating to lose a major VFX and music contributor. Fortunately, DAN REYNOLDS (of WARP 66 STUDIOS / Wolfe/Reynolds Productions) stepped up to assist with the visual effects, and TONY LUNN came out of retirement to offer a fantastic soundtrack.
We also had VFX artist MARK BERGE return, and he’s now working on one of our other projects.
These men are a godsend to have around.
JONATHAN – Do any other Potemkin creative teams have episodes “in the can” that are being edited right now?
RANDY – I’m RANDY. Currently, three STARSHIP WEBSTER projects are under post-production. One Starship Deimos production is in post (and another will be shot on October 23rd). We have one PROJECT: POTEMKIN production in post (plus we filmed a few pickup shots in Americus, Georgia on October 2nd).
All three Webster projects are in post-production, and I’m working on them all since it’s more of a digital extension than space-based VFX. ROSS TROWBRIDGE, who continues to surprise us all with his brilliance, is handling the space visual effects.
Dan Reynolds is doing VFX on the Deimos film in post, and I’m continuing working on the edit.
Last weekend, the Potemkin film received a few pickup shots, and Mark Berge is working on the VFX for the picture.
I had wanted to have all three Websters out by now, but I think a release before the end of the year is a good bet. The Deimos film will be released in December. I believe the Potemkin film will be completed in 2022.
As a result, we’ve fallen behind on our digital work and are trying to catch up.
JONATHAN – I’m Jonathan, and I’m here to tell you How often are new episodes being filmed at the moment? Will you continue to release 10 or more albums each year like you have in the past?
RANDY – I’m RANDY. Considering COVID, I believe we’ve done an outstanding job of creating videos while adhering to and implementing safety procedures. Even yet, local production of the Webster films has been hampered by breakouts here and there.
I expect four more releases this year (for a total of seven in 2021), which is good. We’ve got a lot of projects in the pipeline. We hope everyone is looking forward to the next projects, especially the Project: Potemkin feature.
JONATHAN – I’m Jonathan, and I’m here to tell you Speaking of Webster, I saw you just said that there was a SECOND group in Kentucky who wanted to establish a new creative organization?
RANDY – Yes, we have two more groups in the works, one entirely local and the other a combination of Atlanta, Nashville, and local actors.
JONATHAN – Well, I suppose the Fleet still has a lot more ships!
RANDY – Without a doubt. In Birmingham, the same thing happened. We began with Tristan, but when more people arrived, we added Deimos, and as more people arrived, we continued to add ships. Unfortunately, many of the actors and crew from the later groups were unable to travel here to continue their participation. From Birmingham, it seems that just Deimos and Tristan will remain.
Potemkin may become a yearly production, depending on how things go. Webster seems to be sticking to a semiannual manufacturing schedule. And these two new groups will make up for the lull we had last summer.
You may also anticipate a “special film” from Birmingham every now and then. In reality, three Birmingham actors were shot for a crucial sequence in the forthcoming Project: Potemkin film: KIMBERLY WHITE of Tristan, TERRELL MANASCO of ENDEAVOUR, and SHELTON WALKER of TRITON.
JONATHAN – I’m Jonathan, and I’m here to tell you Well, I’m happy to see that Potemkin Pictures is still alive and kicking. Randy, go back to work on those fan videos!
RANDY – Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
