Fans on Sets

Throughout the history of fannish culture, fans have visited film sets in their favorite media, whether alone or together, casually or highly managed. 
This has overlap with fans meeting actors and other people involved in producing their favorite media and fandoms in other venues, such as production studios, personal visits, and at conventions.
See Fan Testimonials: Interactions with the Actors, Writers, and Other Objects of Affection.
Another related activity is Fan Tourism. 
==Touring Sets and Meeting Actors and Other Workers==
Many, MANY reports of fans visiting and touring filming sets appear in zines and online spaces.
These descriptions were a way for fans to vicariously experience other fans' good fortunes. These visits sometimes included interviews.
Many fans enjoyed these reports:
And some did not:
 
Sometimes visits to sets resulted in disappointment. From a fan in early 1987 (about a 1986 visit to the set of Simon & Simon): a fan cautions and ponders: 
A fan scolds others for their behavior due to The Beauty and the Beast Wars and how this ceased set visits (and caused other problems): 
 
== Fan Reports About Visiting Filming Sets == 
===1960s===
* The Crewman's Log #1 (Star Trek: TOS) (September 1967)
* many issues of T-Negative (Star Trek: TOS) (1969-) 
===1970s===
* Despatch Collected (Here Comes the Brides) (early 1970s?)
* Memory Log (1973)
* The Propagator #21, #32 (Star Trek: TOS and Star Trek: TNG) (1976, 1987)
* Inside Star Trek #28 (Star Trek: TOS) (1978)
* Empire Star #3 (Battlestar Galactica (1978)) (1979)
===1980s===
* Star TreKon (1980)
* Horizon Newsletter #1, #3 (Blake's 7) (1980)
* Star TreKon (Star Trek: TOS) (1980)
* Frontier Worlds (unknown issue) (Blake's 7) (1981)
* Cloister Bell #12 (Doctor Who) (1985)
* MV #4 (Miami Vice) (1988)
* Revelations #9 (Doctor Who) (1989)
===1990s===
* Data Base #1 (Star Trek: TNG) (1992)
* GWD Round Table (Forever Knight) (1995)
* Chris Potter News (Kung Fu: The Legend Continues) (1998)
* CPAC TAPE TRANSCRIPT, a visit to the set described by "Regina Moore AKA Charlotte Frost" The Sentinel (1998)
* Homicide: Life on the Best Damn Set on Television: Set Visit (Homicide: Life on the Streets) (1998)
==Fans Filmed as Extras or Other Characters==
===Example: Fans in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture"===
In 1979, Gene Roddenberry recruited fans to be extras in a scene for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. 
These fans were required to be between 20 and 40 years of age and fulfill height and weight requirements: men from 5'8" to 6'2", sizes 40-42, and women from 5'6" to 5'8', sizes 8-10. In other words, no short, old, or fat people in space!
One fan described "the surprisingly good" catered lunch consisting of steak, mashed potatoes, peas, salads, watermelon, ice cream, and milk.
It was an opportunity to reward BNFS as well as to do personal favors for many TPTB. Some of those people were Bjo Trimble, Susan Sackett, Louise Stange, James Doohan's twin sons, Grace Lee Whitney's son, the director's wife, one of Roddenberry's secretaries, Leigh Strother-Vien (member of Los Angeles Science Fiction Society: LASFS), Kathleen Sky, David Gerrold, Bill Hickey, Walt Doty (co-president of ASTRA SF club), Randall Larson (worked at Federation Outpost), Paula Crist, and Steven Lance (also known as Steven L. Hersh). 
* The Star Trek Cattlecall, poem by Peggy Schwarz (August 1979)
* Dennis Fischer wrote about it in the article "Part of the Magic: The Experience of Being A Star Trek Extra", printed in Enterprise Incidents #7 (October 1979)
* Susan Sackett wrote about it in Starlog #20
* Walter Koenig wrote about it in his book, Chekov's Enterprise (1980)
* Bjo Trimble wrote about it in her book, On the Good Ship Enterprise (1982)
* (August 10, 2007)
* (May 10, 2013)
Image:RecDeckFans.png|"Star Trek" fans on the Rec Deck, 1978: Front row, from left: Marlene Willauer, Grace Lee Whitney's son Scott Dweck (as a Vulcan), Paula Crist (as Worene), Bjo Trimble, Grace Lee Whitney (as Janice Rand), Susan Sackett and Louise Stange. Next row, from left: Star Trek novelist, Kathleen Sky ("Vulcan!" and "Death's Angel"), Leigh Strother-Vien and the very tall Dennis Fischer. Writer David Gerrold ("The Trouble With Tribbles") is behind Grace Lee Whitney. 
===Example: Fans in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"===
In 1996, fan artist John Paul Lona won the opportunity to wear the alien RasiinianMemory Alpha (2024) makeup and ambassadorial costume that he had designed in a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season Four episode, The Muse. His character, Runepp, had neither lines nor screen credit. Lona was the winner of Playmates Toys' Design-an-Alien contest, which had been promoted on the backing cards of the Star Trek action figures.Star Trek: Communicator, issue #105 (Dec 1995/Jan 1996), p. 4.
Image:JohnPaulLona.jpeg|John Paul Lona's winning Design-an-Alien contest sketch (left) and Lona on the set at Paramount as Runepp the Rasiinian ambassador (right). (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).
===Example: Fans in "Star Trek: Picard"===
In July 2021, Production Designer Dave Blass requested via TwitterDave Blass, Twitter (2023) that fans send him photos of themselves in Star Trek cosplay. Non Disclosure Agreements (N.D.A.s) were signed. Ultimately, many of these contributed images were featured on the walls of Guinan's 10 Forward Avenue bar on Earth in the second and third seasons of Star Trek: Picard, in particular "Farewell", "Seventeen Seconds" and "No Win Scenario". 
Australian fan Ian McLean appeared on the wall, in numerous locations, as both Therin of AndorMemory Alpha (2023) and his USS Hood colleague, Grol of TellarMemory Alpha (2023). After the series wrapped production, the bar set was taken to various Los Angeles' locations and fans were able to pre-book time in this "pop-up" venue for photo opportunities and to purchase unique items from its gift shop. 
Image:PicardSeasonThree.jpeg|Actor Ed Speleers (Jack Crusher Jr.) with images of Therin of Andor (twice) and Grol of Tellar behind the holodeck recreation of the 10 Forward Avenue bar, Season Three (Star Trek: Picard).
==References==
Category:Fan Activities