We next want to address concerns about the project itself. The main concern that has been brought to our attention is funding and the involvement of the minors in the community. We want to make this very clear so there is no misunderstanding: We asked minors not to donate money to the project. We understand how the foundation of this concern lies in the average age range of the fandom, but the aim of The Rise of The Order is and always has been to create a positive, non-toxic and enjoyable addition to the fandom content. As such, everyone has been focused on being thorough and diligent. TikToks on the account of the project still hold traces of how we asked for minors to refrain from donating, and the stories made on Instagram from various members specify this point.
As for the funding itself, we have worked closely with people from the cinema industry who estimated that, made professionally, the project would have required at least a hundred thousand dollars. As it is a fan made project, we worked hard to reduce these costs as much as possible. Also, as it is a fan-made project; no members of the project are receiving any remuneration.
In order to create more transparency regarding how funds are being use, the budget sheet will be accessible to all on our website. Once again, we want to emphasise that all the members of the project have not and will not gain any money from this project. We cannot stress enough how happy we are to make this project happen with the help and presence of the community.
I also want to address the concerns of the project itself, including its seriousness, quality and relevance. We take pride in being apart of a fandom mostly composed of supportive and kind people. The story of the Marauders is mainly made up of fanon collective ideas, which has made this whole world a safe space for many.
The Rise of the Order plot line is canon compliant, but features multiple popular fanon aspects such as Dorlene, Pandora being close friend with Regulus, and James being of Indian descent. We also made some decisions to not include some fanon aspects, such as the Rosekiller pairing. Whilst also creating something for the community we still want to create a meaningful story; a story that reflects the world we live in so that our audience can see themselves in the characters and the struggles that they face.
This does mean that some characters will need to be evil, as they are in canon. While this means that some characters say and do awful stuff, this doesn’t mean in any way that the team, be it writers, actors or directors share their views. To be able to have characters fight for what is right we need to have characters to do wrong.The main goal of TROTO has always been to bring an addition to the fandom as it has evolved and grown in inclusivity. This addition aims to help people to see themselves represented in a story they love, which is easier to do compared to past years, thanks to the growth of the Marauders fandom and the new ideas that appeared in it. Diversity was always important to us.
An extract of a conversation held in DMs about diversity, between our director and a fan has been rightly discussed. Our director, Yas, failed to accurately communicate the mindset held by our project. She deeply understands the importance of how she expresses herself and takes full responsibility over this misunderstanding. TROTO has been and always will be inclusive and diverse, as season one will show. Season two will aim for the same goal if we get the chance and privilege to make it.
Finally, regarding the relevance of TROTO, we don't see it as a comparison that's to be held with other content but as a joy that even more is being created and shared, for everyone that holds the marauders community dear. Just as TikToks are a joy to watch and a source of comfort, we hope and aim at making something that'll positively contribute to this community. From what we've had time to shoot, we are quite happy with how it is looking so far. Working on set with higher quality equipment handled by advanced film students is an interesting experience for our actors who are primarily used to shooting TikTok videos with phone cameras. The quality comes with the professionalism our crew members show and how our cast works tirelessly to bring our beloved characters to life.
