Anna Martin
Lancaster University, LICA(Lancaster Institute fro Contemporary Arts), Graduate Student
- Popular Culture, Creativity, Online Communities, Fan Theory and Culture, Fandom, Fan Studies, and 16 moreFan Cultures, Online Fandom, Media Studies, Critical Theory, Cultural Studies, Social Media, New Media, Queer Theory, Internet Studies, Gay And Lesbian Studies, Visual Communication, Internet & Society, Blogging, Celebrity Culture, Star Studies, and Literatureedit
- Independent scholaredit
“[Lord of the] Rings was made over a stretch of years in which new technologies were having a huge impact on the ways in which films are made and marketed and in the types of ancillary products tied to them. […] Not just as a film... more
“[Lord of the] Rings was made over a stretch of years in which new technologies were having a huge impact on the ways in which films are made and marketed and in the types of ancillary products tied to them. […] Not just as a film trilogy but as a larger phenomenon, Rings reveals a great deal about the changes going on in Hollywood in this transitional era of globalization and new media.” - Kristin Thompson, The Frodo Franchise.
DVD extras, such as movie commentaries, gag reels, behind-the-scenes peeks and production documentaries, have allowed fans unprecedented access to the production of a movie or TV show and to the stars themselves. This level of access brings a far greater perception of intimacy with the star; it could be argued that fans now feel closer to the “real person” behind the star façade.
The producers of Lord of the Rings communicated with fans to an unprecedented degree during filming of the movies. They produced a vast amount of behind-the-scenes material as extras on the theatrical release and Extended Edition DVDs. Director and actor commentaries provided fans with intimate details of the experience of the entire cast and crew working together making the movies. In communicating with fans, LOTR producers exploited new media to a degree beyond any other movie production at the time.
Fan production, including fanfiction and fanart, is a particularly useful way of thinking about the impact of this exploitation of new media. Incorporating Henry Jenkins’ theories of convergence culture and Richard Dyer’s star theory, as well as notions of textual polysemy, John Fiske’s “producerly” media text and elements of queer theory, this paper will explore the relationship between film and fanwork, with particular attention to the relationship between the development of new media and the growth of Lord of the Rings Real Person Fanfiction.
DVD extras, such as movie commentaries, gag reels, behind-the-scenes peeks and production documentaries, have allowed fans unprecedented access to the production of a movie or TV show and to the stars themselves. This level of access brings a far greater perception of intimacy with the star; it could be argued that fans now feel closer to the “real person” behind the star façade.
The producers of Lord of the Rings communicated with fans to an unprecedented degree during filming of the movies. They produced a vast amount of behind-the-scenes material as extras on the theatrical release and Extended Edition DVDs. Director and actor commentaries provided fans with intimate details of the experience of the entire cast and crew working together making the movies. In communicating with fans, LOTR producers exploited new media to a degree beyond any other movie production at the time.
Fan production, including fanfiction and fanart, is a particularly useful way of thinking about the impact of this exploitation of new media. Incorporating Henry Jenkins’ theories of convergence culture and Richard Dyer’s star theory, as well as notions of textual polysemy, John Fiske’s “producerly” media text and elements of queer theory, this paper will explore the relationship between film and fanwork, with particular attention to the relationship between the development of new media and the growth of Lord of the Rings Real Person Fanfiction.
This paper aims to do two things: firstly, to identify continuities between centuries-old practices of shared or communal journaling and the practices of communal journaling that take place online today, on sites such as LiveJournal.com;... more
This paper aims to do two things: firstly, to identify continuities between centuries-old practices of shared or communal journaling and the practices of communal journaling that take place online today, on sites such as LiveJournal.com; and secondly, to understand how practices of communal journaling afford the opportunity to (un)write the self.
While journals are often considered a means by which to remember one’s past, they also play a role in allowing one to forget. Often under the guise of maintaining privacy, users of LiveJournal—and similar online journaling sites—can obscure certain aspects of their lives, from such practical things as personal information and the names of friends or workplaces, to far more “private” things, such as strong emotions, embarrassments, foolishnesses and fears. As time passes, the journal then becomes an archive, but an archive full of lacunae. In rereading our own journal entries, how do we marry our memories and our written narratives? Do we remember what remained unwritten? In what ways does the unwritten haunt the writing of our selves?
Drawing on the work of Elspeth Probyn, Cinthia Gannett and Harriet Blodgett, among others, this paper will investigate how writers of shared journals navigate emotions, memory and writing the self.
While journals are often considered a means by which to remember one’s past, they also play a role in allowing one to forget. Often under the guise of maintaining privacy, users of LiveJournal—and similar online journaling sites—can obscure certain aspects of their lives, from such practical things as personal information and the names of friends or workplaces, to far more “private” things, such as strong emotions, embarrassments, foolishnesses and fears. As time passes, the journal then becomes an archive, but an archive full of lacunae. In rereading our own journal entries, how do we marry our memories and our written narratives? Do we remember what remained unwritten? In what ways does the unwritten haunt the writing of our selves?
Drawing on the work of Elspeth Probyn, Cinthia Gannett and Harriet Blodgett, among others, this paper will investigate how writers of shared journals navigate emotions, memory and writing the self.
This thesis investigates the star/fan relationship at our current cultural moment. Using Real Person Fanworks and the fan communities that produce them as a case study, I argue that New Media are employed by the entertainment industry to... more
This thesis investigates the star/fan relationship at our current cultural moment. Using Real Person Fanworks and the fan communities that produce them as a case study, I argue that New Media are employed by the entertainment industry to produce newly open star texts, and these texts invite the collaboration of fans in producing the star narrative.
Beginning with the fandom relating to The Lord of the Rings (Jackson 2001-2003), I argue that the star text as produced on New Media platforms invites viewers to engage with it and feel a sense of intimacy and familiarity with the star. Continuing to the Merlin fandom (Jones, Murphy, et al. 2008-2012), I argue that the response to this invitation results in the collaborative production of the mythologised star narrative. In the context of the Supernatural fandom (Kripke 2005-present), I argue that there is space enough in star texts to allow for the production of different and at times contradictory and disobedient star narratives. In the final chapter, I argue that in this system of production of star narratives, stardom and fandom are performative and mutually constitutive. The final case study is star Tom Hiddleston and his fandom. This chapter focuses on fandom as it is expressed on social platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr, with a particular focus on reports of star/fan encounters. These encounters make evident the fact that despite the promises entailed in New Media that stardom is now more accessible, more intimate and more democratic, the roles of star and fan are as clearly defined as ever.
The epilogue asks if is possible to resist consumer culture in the context of the constant recouping of fan spaces, concluding that though fandom works generally in the interests of the entertainment industry, there is space, now and then, to resist its imperatives.
Beginning with the fandom relating to The Lord of the Rings (Jackson 2001-2003), I argue that the star text as produced on New Media platforms invites viewers to engage with it and feel a sense of intimacy and familiarity with the star. Continuing to the Merlin fandom (Jones, Murphy, et al. 2008-2012), I argue that the response to this invitation results in the collaborative production of the mythologised star narrative. In the context of the Supernatural fandom (Kripke 2005-present), I argue that there is space enough in star texts to allow for the production of different and at times contradictory and disobedient star narratives. In the final chapter, I argue that in this system of production of star narratives, stardom and fandom are performative and mutually constitutive. The final case study is star Tom Hiddleston and his fandom. This chapter focuses on fandom as it is expressed on social platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr, with a particular focus on reports of star/fan encounters. These encounters make evident the fact that despite the promises entailed in New Media that stardom is now more accessible, more intimate and more democratic, the roles of star and fan are as clearly defined as ever.
The epilogue asks if is possible to resist consumer culture in the context of the constant recouping of fan spaces, concluding that though fandom works generally in the interests of the entertainment industry, there is space, now and then, to resist its imperatives.
