Module 2.1: Entertain me

This week's tutorial and readers were about blockbuster movies, fan fiction and vidding. Let's start by defining some terms.

• A blockbuster movie can be defined as a movie with high production costs and good returns
• A pre-sold identity is an actor who appears in a sequel and already has a huge following from their first movie
• Vidding is when people cut and paste images or video clips and add music to make their own creation, similar to remixes and mash-ups
• Fanfiction (or fanfic) is a work of fiction written by fans for fans, taking a source text or a famous person as a point of departure. It's shared online. Thousands are written daily
• Fandom is a community of similar people who interact in some way through discussions or their creative works
• Fanlore is a wiki—a multi-authored website—that any fan can contribute to. Our goal is to record both the history and current state of our fan communities—fan works, fan activities, fan terminology, individual fans and fannish-related events.

The reader by Henry Jenkins is about the video called Vidding. Vidding is described as an expression, a creative outlet, to give people something to say. Video makers (or Vidders) learn about themselves when making videos as it gives them an outlet for emotion. New vidders arrive on the scene every day, without any historical context or legal fears, and plunk their vids onto YouTube without a second thought. They post publicly and promote themselves enthusiastically, and why not? That's what everybody does on the Internet. (Jenkins, 2008).

The iLecture by Tama Leaver is about Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog - a short series never aired on TV, but released on the internet. The creator, Joss Whedon had created TV series like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Fireflies and already had a huge following, however his next project Dr Horrible obtained a large following even before it's release. Conversations, not just promotion portals; and participation, not just dissemination (Leaver, 2011). He goes on to talk about the shifting roles of actors into directing, producing or writing; and also the shift from zappers to loyals. Zappers watch TV, casuals commit to one or two shows, but loyals watch the whole series and buy promotional material. Australians download more television per capita than any other nation. (Leaver, 2011). This is because Australia doesn't get new US shows until weeks, sometimes months after the US launch date and Aussies want to keep up to date with the show's online communities.

Image courtesy of Richard Elzey via Flickr.com
Creative Commons Licence

The reader by Marco Cucco entitled The Promise is great: the blockbuster and the Hollywood economy was a very interesting read as I am an avid movie watcher. It tells the history of the blockbuster and the US film industry. From as far back as the 1950's Hollywood was experiencing a slum in movie sales due to people moving to the suburbs, buying houses and cars and having no time or money for the luxury of movies. The film executives, in response to this down-turn, decided to release fewer, but larger (big budget) movies per year and focussing on their promotion. Television had an impact on movie-goers with the release of the VCR. Steven Spielberg encompassed the idea of promoting his blockbuster movie, Jaws on television a week before it hit the cinemas. This defined the future of film promotion from there on in. Jaws was also the first movie to be released on the opening weekend at several cinemas setting in motion a strategy that is still used today. (Cucco, 2009).

Since the 1970's some genres have fallen by the wayside - musicals, westerns, biblical films, war films and films taken from literature. More popular are science fiction and adventure films. A blockbuster is not thought of as an artistic product, but a commercial one, meant to produce money and cover the expenses of those films that have not reached the break-even point as well as those projects that have been stopped during their development. (Cucco, 2009).

Stars are considered pre-sold identities or high concept as they draw in the fans from the original movie back into the cinema for the sequels. From an economic point of view, the star has 2 fundamental functions: to guarantee the movie access to the market and guarantee that the public will be attracted to the cinema. This is possible because stars have turned into brand products. (Cucco, 2009).

Discussion 1
What are some of the ways you participate as fan? Have you ever written fan fiction? Do you participate online in a fan forum somewhere? Why do you think we do this?

I had to think about this question for awhile because I immediately thought I wasn't a fan of anything. After gazing out the window for inspiration I could only come up with this response...

I love Super Mario Bros - and a big thanks to Carissa for the link to the cardboard box game, I loved it. lol I originally had the game on Nintendo 64 and finished all worlds. Then I bought it for my kids to play on their Nintendo DS' (well! for me to play!). Then I bought it for the Wii and finally I liked the Facebook page. That's as far as I go in regards to fandom I'm afraid :(

Discussion 2

Do you use any interactive media texts online? What are they, and what options do you have to interact on them?

The interactive online texts I use are Facebook, the Oasis site, my cooking blog and Best Recipes. I interact with Facebook everyday by posting status updates, commenting on my friends statuses and uploading photos for my friends and family to see.

I use Oasis nearly every day for uni learning, watching iLectures, reading suggested texts and posting in Blackboard. I find Oasis a user-friendly site and look forward to reading fellow student's messages.

When my husband and I renovated our kitchen last year I finally got a new kitchen after 19yrs. Since then I've developed a love of cooking. I joined Best Recipes after searching for a particular recipe. It is an Australian cooking site where recipes and tips are shared. I've uploaded pictures and recipes to the site, posted questions in the forums and have learned valuable cooking tips from the other members.

I also started my own cooking blog. I cook simple, quick and family-friendly meals. They are not gourmet, but they are very nice and great for busy people who don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Followers can post comments and questions and also print the recipes so they can try them out.

https://www.facebook.com/nell68crab
http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/forums/member.php?u=116758&tab=aboutme&simple=1
http://nellscookingblog.blogspot.com/

Discussion 3
How is the blockbuster film deemed to be different to other types of film? Cucco explains the blockbuster is a film which usually costs a lot of money to make, but also makes a lot of money in sales. They always have a major star and usually has exceptional special effects.(Cucco, 2009).

Are these differences meaningful?
They are meaningful because of the major star, special effects and the money spent on making the films. Cucco explains the reason why the blockbuster came about was because when people stopped going to the movies in the 1950's due to buying expensive commodities like houses and cars, major film companies reduced the number films released each year to focus on a major film (a blockbuster). They are also meaningful because the intent is that the blockbuster will make enough money to compensate for losses of movies which have poor sales and those which don't finish production. (Cucco, 2009) .

Why do you think we associate the blockbuster model with a drop of quality? (And what makes a film a 'quality' one?)
I disagree. I don't know anyone who associates a blockbuster with poor quality. I consider myself a movie buff and see hundreds every year...I must admit I look forward to Thursdays when new movies air at my local cinema. I think what makes a film a quality one is 3 things: a) the main actor(s); b) the special effects; and c) the Director. I will always go out of my way to see a film if I'm familiar with the actor(s), the Director and if I've enjoyed their previous films.

References
Cucco, M. (2009). The Promise is Great: The blockbuster and the Hollywood economy. Media Culture & Society, 31, 215-230. doi:10.1177/0163443708100315

Jenkins, H. (2008). Fan Vidding: A Labour of Love (part 2). Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2008/12/in_many_ways_the_emergence.html

Leaver, T. (2011). Entertain me [Lecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=599139&cnt=true&usr=not-indicated&name=not-indicated