Essay

Fan Films in the Digital Age – Essay Topic no.3

The emergence of new technologies such as non-linear editing software and video sharing websites has allowed the average computer user to produce and distribute film/video content which rivals that of professional practitioners. This has consequently led to a distinct rise in amateur filmmaking, with an increasing amount of short films and user-created content being made available to the world. This has yielded a number of benefits to the filmmaking community, however it also presents a variety of challenges to traditional filmmakers, whose work is being altered through the production of ‘fan films’ by internet users.

The proliferation of new digital technologies throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s has had a distinct effect on amateur filmmaking. As digital video cameras and editing software increased in quality and affordability, it allowed the average consumer to craft their own works by putting the tools of production into their hands, something which previously would not have been possible due to the cost and technical expertise required to use filmmaking equipment (Garrett 1997). It also spawned an effective method of distribution for such works, with the internet allowing for anyone to upload and share their creations with the online community (Veneruso 2003).

Indeed the internet was heralded as a vital tool to be exploited by filmmakers, as it broadened the potential audience of amateur works significantly (Thorburn & Jenkins 2004). Accordingly, this relatively new means for distributing content can be seen as providing a pathway through which amateur filmmakers can achieve greater recognition and success, as expressed by New York Times writer Marion Hart, who demonstrates the importance of the internet for sharing films: “The internet has the power to vault the best shorts and their directors out of film festival obscurity and onto your computer – and the computers of talent scouts searching for the next big thing” (Hart 2009).

This amateur filmmaking culture on the internet can be traced back to the unique subculture of ‘fan filmmaking’. Fan filmmaking involves the creation of new content from established source material, such as creating and shooting new stories involving the characters of a feature film, or editing sections of a film in such a way as to offer an original ‘spin’ on it (Gomez 2006). The internet facilitated such fan film production as it allowed for fans of a particular film or genre to converge around their shared interest in the subject matter, and thus offered a place where their creations may be shared and appreciated by like-minded people.

Kevin Rubio’s 1997 film Troops can perhaps be considered the earliest example of a truly successful internet-delivered short fan film. This ten minute video was a parody of the popular television show COPS, set amongst the universe created by the Star Wars film franchise. It is credited as being responsible for prompting the modern fan film movement, as it was one of the first such films to take advantage of the internet as a distribution method, and soon after its release, a number of websites dedicated specifically to showcasing fan films were established (DeRuvo 2002). The success and acclaim enjoyed by Troops illustrates the capability of the internet as an effective distribution method for such content, while also serving to highlight the benefits this means of sharing films provides. Prior to the release of this short, fan films were often overlooked by the professional filmmaking industry, however Star Wars creator George Lucas openly embraced Rubio’s homage-paying work (as evidenced in 2002 when the film was received the Pioneer Award at the inaugural Star Wars Fan Film Awards), eventually offering the independent director a professional position at Lucasfilm (Klinger 2006). Rubio’s achievements in this instance effectively gives further credence to the notion that the internet can act as a vehicle to benefit amateur filmmakers as it gives them the opportunity to establish themselves as filmmakers, and ultimately, get a foot in the door of Hollywood.

Although these new technologies have proved beneficial for amateur filmmakers, they have generated a variety of hurdles for the major film studios whose work is the inspiration for fan films. Most prominent among these issues is the perceived infringement on copyright that occurs when characters, storylines, and footage from particular films is used on websites and in fan films without the original author’s permission. Although technically this is a clear violation of copyright laws, many film producers (typically those of the science fiction genre as these types of films are most often the subject of fan films) have allowed the production of fan films based on their work, on the condition that the creators do not make a profit from them (Pavlik 2008).

Indeed studios have often struggled with this matter of allowing fans to rework their films, and as such have offered fans varying degrees of creative control. In some cases, it is evident that allowing fan films and fan communities to be established is advantageous in that it can help stir up interest in a particular film (generating more revenue for the producers), and regulating the activities of such a group too heavily is to be avoided as it may alienate the most loyal sector of their audience. Conversely, by affording fans too much creative freedom in appropriating their works they risk forfeiting rights to their intellectual property (Thompson & Bordwell 2003). This led to some professional filmmakers founding their own fan film sites where fans may interact with each other and upload videos they have filmed, while imposing restrictions on what content is suitable to be created.

Furthermore, due to the increasing quality of special effects and cinematography adopted by fan filmmakers, the line between the official product and user generated content is being blurred, as highlighted by Chris Albrecht (who oversaw the official star wars fan film competition) when he discussed the fan film ‘Star Wars: Revelations': “Up until the moment the actors spoke, you wouldn’t be able to tell whether that was a real Star Wars film or a fan creation because they special effects were so good...as the tools get better, there is bound to be confusion in the marketplace”(Jenkins 2006, p. 155). This highlights another issue faced by the studios in distinguishing their works as official, and supports the idea that some degree of regulation in fan filmmaking is needed.

It can be seen then that the development of digital technologies in the area of filmmaking has yielded benefits for both amateur and professional filmmakers. The arrival of these technologies has facilitated the proliferation of fan films, and although these have created a number of issues in how content is used and manipulated, fan films have ultimately proved to be beneficial for both amateur filmmakers, as they provide a way for amateurs to reach Hollywood, and the studios that produce feature films, by helping to create interest and expand the fan base of such productions.

References

DeRuvo, James 2002, Fan Films on the Web, http://www.videomaker.com/article/8947/

Garrett, Stephen 1997, Digital Filmmaking: The New Alternative?, http://www.indiewire.com/article/digital_filmmaking_the_new_alternative/

Gomez, Michael 2006, Fan Films, http://www.videomaker.com/article/12722/

Hart, Marion 2009, A Comeback for Short Films Is Linked to the Web, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/14/technology/14HART.html?pagewanted=1

Jenkins, Henry 2006, Convergence culture: where old and new media collide, NYU Press, New York.

Kilnger, Barbara 2006, Beyond the multiplex: cinema, new technologies, and the home, University of California Press, Los Angeles.

Pavlik, John Vernon 2008, Media in the digital age, Columbia University Press, New York.

Thompson, Kristin & Bordwell, David 2003, Film History: An Introduction, McGraw-Hill, New York.

Thorburn, David & Jenkins, Henry 2004, Rethinking media change: the aesthetics of transitionMedia in Transition, MIT Press, Cambridge.

Veneruso, Tara 2003, Filmmaking for New Technologies & the Internet, http://www.flamingangelfilms.com/handout.html

Week 10 Lecture

The lecture for week ten was all about video games, and the demographics who play them. It was interesting to learn that video games are now reaching a more mainstream audience, with new consoles such as the Wii, and the ability to play games on mobile phones facilitating this.

Week 10 Task

The task for this week is to upload to our blogs some form of art we have created. I don't consider myself much of an artist but I do enjoy photography, so check out these pics I took while in New Zealand (they have been altered using photoshop).

Essay Topic

The topic I have chosen for the essay is topic no.3, which is as follows:

3. Digital media put the tools of production into the hands of the everyday computer user making it incredibly easy to produce content. These creative skills used to be something that people worked to develop. Now it appears that amateurs can produce content of a fair standard within a relatively short period of time. Where does this leave 'professionals' and highly-skilled artists? Choose one area of creativity and discuss some of the challenges facing practitioners vs amateurs in producing digitalcontent.

In response to this, I will explore how the rise of video sharing websites such as youtube and the availability of new software programs has impacted filmmakers, and allowed the average computer user to have their video content seen around the world.

I intend to explain the history behind destributing video over the internet, it's benefits as a distribution method, how this new means of sharing film/video has affected traditional filmmakers (including the proliferation of 'fan films'), what benefits digital filmmaking has over traditional filmmaking, among many other such questions.

Some sources I will use include http://www.flamingangelfilms.com/handout.html, which provides some information about the internet as a distribution method for films, as well as several links to online videos and video sharing sites. Another website which may be useful is this one, which is an article describing the benefits of digital filmmaking. This site provides an interesting interview with online filmmakers.

iReport

Check out our iReport News Story, it's basically just a short news report about the dust storms which plagued the east coast of Australia recently, enjoy.

Week 8 Tutorial

The tutorial tasks for week 8 involve political interaction through the internet.

The first such task was to sign an e-petition, so I chose to sign this one about preserving rainforests and protecting the environment.





I then went on to the task of discovering who my local state, and federal representatives are. Alex Douglas is the MP for Gaven and my local representative, Peter Lawlor is my state representative, and Steven Ciobo is the minister for Moncrieff and my federal representative.




The last time Alex Douglas spoke in parliament was on the 23 April 2009 about vegetation management, you can view the speech here.

Today Barack Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly about his "ambitious sweep of his foreign policy" (source). The video of his speech is below.



Apparently the Australian government has proposed that "Clean Feed" be used by Australian internet service providers. The system has been used for some time in the UK, and filters out content on the web deemed to be 'obscene', effectively censoring the internet. Implementing such a system in Australia, however, seems to contradict the rights inherent in a democratic society, most notably the right to free speech. Although the censorship won't go to the extreme extent that has been seen in countries like China and North Korea, it still limits the freedoms expected by the public and should therefore be discouraged. Furthermore, according to http://nocleanfeed.com/ this will slow down internet access and would prove very costly to establish.

Week 7 Lecture

The very enthusiastic Jason Nelson was the lecturer for week 7, and he discussed the benefits and problems of open source software. I was familiar with some of the torrent websites he mentioned, however I wasn't aware of http://www.portableapps.com/ which offers a variety of open source (and therefore completely free) software for portable devices. He also visited http://www.secrettechnology.com/ to show off some of the games and programs that he has made, most of which are quite unusual to say the least.

One of the freeware applications which I have used for some time is Audacity, an audio editing and recording program which offers a wide variety of features, while remaining very user friendly.

Week 6 Lecture

The Lecture for week 6 was all about mobile content, and how consumers are able to enjoy and produce entertainment on the go. The methods of delivering such entertainment were divided into two categories: "Big Screen" (being cinema, television, and personal computer), and "Small Screen" (compromised of more portable technologies such as the personal media player, iPod Touch, and mobile phones). Also discussed were the ways in which consumers can interact and create new content for the web, in some cases using their mobile phones. Check out www.fanfilms.net and http://www.thetrailermash.com/ for examples of user-made video.

Week 6 Tutorial

View Roadtrip in a larger map

Here is a map of a road trip I designed in Google Maps, it's quite the journey.

The website http://personas.media.mit.edu/personasWeb.html provides an interesting and somewhat artistic way of displaying search information, unfortunately though, it's not very accurate. This is what was it generated when I typed my name in:



www.sketchcast.com is a google-esque video sharing website, with all the videos featured being drawn by the contributors. Check http://www.sketchcast.com/view/MB7vBYR for my video (I didn't embed the video as for some reason it refuses to work in my blog).

Along with Sketch Cast, more and more creative spaces are emerging on the web, providing users with information presented through unique methods and new ways to interact with cyberspace. The following are just a few such websites.

http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/ highlights software which allows users to generate various personalised pictures, sayings, and even Phat Rap Names online.

"Mashable" is a "social media guide" which features websites that find niche uses for popular software/websites such as mapping filming locations of Doctor Who on Google Maps.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.phpis an online map which displays current biological, natural, and other disasters occurring around the world. This provides an effective visual representation of information, making it easy to be comprehended by the user.

http://www.speedtest.net/index.php?nojs=1 is a useful tool in checking the speed of a computer's internet connection.

www.polyvore.com is an example of a site which combines elements of online shopping, social networking, and art to create something unique.

Screen Shot Analysis

For this task I have chosen to analyse the first few scenes from the movie Wedding Crashers, which I only just watched a few days ago and found to be hilarious.

(Sorry about the subtitles in the screenshots by the way, it's not that easy to find good quality movie clips online for free)

The first shot of the movie (a Mid/Medium shot) fades in to reveal the main characters of the film (or the 'who'), played by Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.


Next a Medium Long Shot is used (along with the dialogue) to reveal that they are mediating a divorce, answering the question of 'what'.

Although it is not told explicitly to the audience, the 'when' can be determined by the decor of the scene and how the characters are dressed, as well as the dialogue of the characters. It is soon established that this is set in modern times, and during the day.

The 'where' of the scene can also be idetified from this shot, as the viewer can see that the scene takes place in an office, and a later Wide Shot/Establishing Shot reveals that they are in Washington D.C.

Although the 'why' of the scene isn't made as obvious through cinematography, a mid shot helps convey the anger of the wife and her hatred for her husband, showing the reason behind the divorce.

A big close up later in the film of the 'purple hearts' shows 'how' the two main characters plan on getting free drinks at the weddings they intend to crash.

Internet Delivered Short Films

During the 90's the potential for video sharing on the internet was starting to be realised. One notable short film designed for distribution in this manner is 1997's "Troops", a Cops parody which is set in the Star Wars universe. This can be credited with bringing 'fan films' into the digital age, and showing how these films may be distributed cheaply.



OK Go had been a relatively obscure band until the release of their now famous video for the song "Here It Goes Again". Shortly after it's release, the video went viral and the band's popularity skyrocketed. This displays the capacity for the internet to share videos with the world, and highlights it's importance as a means of distribution.

OK Go - Here It Goes Again


http://www.funnyordie.com/ was founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company in 2007. This website is unique in that it offers visitors a number of exclusive comdey videos from famous contributors such as Judd Apatow and Will Ferrell. It's establishment hence marks an important step in celebrities and producers (whose work would otherwise be reserved for the silver screen) recognising the internet as a powerful medium for distribution of original content.

Check out the site's first video, "The Landlord":

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Week 4 Lecture

The history of screen was the topic of the week 4 lecture. A lot of the stuff that was covered coincides with the topics discussed in my Screen History and Research class, but it was interesting to learn about some of the lesser-known 'advances' in film, such as "smellovision" in the 1960's. The lecturer then showed us a rather awesome short film made by Guy Ritchie as part of a BMW advertising campaign (see below).

Internet Scavenger Hunt

The task is to answer the following questions without using Google or getting all the answers from Wikipedia.

1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin? How long did it take to grow?

For this I will consult Bing, which has been touted as Googles biggest competitor.

Searching on this site leads me to http://www.pumpkinnook.com/giants/giantpumpkins.htm, which states that the record for the biggest pumpkin stands at 1689 pounds, grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island, in 2007.



2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Lilly Allen?

Well probably through Myspace/Facebook/Twitter, she's known to be partial to social networking sites like these.

3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?

http://www.yahoo.com.au/ was used to discover that a Giraffes tongue can be up to 22 Inches long. Click here for more info.

4. How would you define the word 'glycomics'? In your own words, what does it really mean? What does the term 'seagull manager' refer to?

Ask Jeeves tells me that... "The term “glycome” describes the complete repertoire of glycans and glycoconjugates that cells produce under specified conditions of time, space, and environment. 'Glycomics,' therefore, refers to studies that profile the glycome."

Basically its the study of the biological role of carbohydrates.

A seagull manager is "A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves". Source

5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film? Which of his films Had 'Blondie' in it?

A quick visit to http://www.imdb.com/ reveals his first feature film was "Shivers", made in 1975. "Videodrome" (1983) starred 'Blondie'.

6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?

http://www.dogpile.com/ leads me to http://www.mithral.com/~beberg/manifesto.html which says it was written on January 8, 1986.

7. Why do phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?

Consulting http://www.sensis.com.au/, I found this site which states that it is used in film so that individuals/businesses will not be harassed by members of the public trying out the numbers heard in films, as no persons phone number begins with 555.

8. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Sydney?

Logically, walking or riding a bike would be cheapest, but realistically I would say going by train.

9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?

Well I haven't used Wikipedia to find all the answers to this scavenger hunt but i did for this question, which claims it was "Help! / I'm Down" by The Beatles. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_number-one_singles_in_Australia_during_the_1960s

10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?

Apparently it's Black Assassins

Week 3 Lecture

Week three's lecture was all about screen (as in film and video). Having completed a film production course in high school, I was already aware of pretty much everything that was discussed. Basically the lecturer talked about shot sizes and how particular shots should convey the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' of the narrative being told.

Shots which can be utilised to express this include:

VLS/WS - Very Long Shot/Wide Shot (aka Establishing Shot)

LS - Long Shot

MLS - Medium Long Shot

MS - Mid Shot/Medium Shot

MCU - Medium Close Up

CU - Close Up

BCU - Big Close Up

ECU - Extreme Close Up

(Explanations of these can be found here)

Shot composition was also discussed, mainly focussing on the "rule of thirds", where the subject should ideally be positioned two thirds to the left or right of the screen, with their eyeline two thirds up from the bottom of the screen. Check the pic below for an example of this:

Language of the Screen

Discovering the definitions of the acronyms ECU, WS, and MS, takes some researching. Google is a great way to retrieve these, however, and they are easily found by simply typing "define:" followed by the term you wish to find. Ignoring the obviously incorrect results of Engine Control Unit, and European Currency, (as we know that the desired results are screen-related), I gathered that they mean:

ECU - Extreme Close Up - A shot wherein the subject fills the entire frame (Source)



WS - Wide Shot - A shot which displays a wide or panoramic view of the scene (Source)



MS - Mid/Medium Shot - A shot which is midway between a long shot and a close up (Source)



More info about these can be found here

Timeline of Computing and the Internet

Time line of computing

- Charles Babbage's Difference Engine (designed to calculate and print mathematical tables) is developed in the 19th Century

- Ada Byron conceives the first computer program

- Alan Turing devises the first working computer, The Bombe, during World War 2 to break German Enigma codes

- The first generation of computers are made available by IBM in the 1950's. These large machines are adopted primarily for government, business, and military use

- The first PC (personal computer) is made available in 1975. Bill Gates writes a programming language known as BASIC, and soon starts his own business, Microsoft

- The Apple computer (the Apple 1) is developed in the 1970's, costing $666.60

- IBM and Microsoft produce an operating system DOS 1.0, and eventually this partnership dominates the personal computer market

- Linux is developed in 1991

- Apple sees something of a resurgence in 1998 with the return of Steve Jobs



This info was gathered here.

A detailed history of the computer can be found here.

Internet Time line

- In the 1960's the RAND corporation develops the idea of a communication, command and control network that could survive nuclear war

- The US Department of Defence funds a program which eventually produces ARPANET in the late 1960's

- The World-Wide-Web is developed in the 1990's which uses internetworking and hyper text to make an easy to use but powerful system.

- Internet browsers such as Mosaic and Netscape are developed in the early 90's

- Instant messaging, p2p file sharing, VoIP/voice chat, and social networking sites like myspace/facebook come to prominence in the 2000's.

Info obtained from this site

More info about the history of the computer/internet can be found here

Lecture 2 - The history of computing

Another week, another 8am lecture. Week 2 was all about the history of computing - the rise of microsoft, IBM, and apple, as well as the birth of the internet, which has since become an integral part of modern life. It was interesting to learn how the computer developed over time from the huge, room-encompassing machines of the past, to the compact personal computers we know today. Ohh how wrong Professor Frink (from The Simpsons) was when he said:

"...I predict that within 100 years, computers will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings of Europe will own them."

Convergence Pics

Here is another example of an important convergence technology...

The hybrid car uses an electric and petrol engine to reduce emissions.

The same pic after photoshop...

Convergence Examples

These smartphones are a prime example of converging technology, as they serve as a camera, television, and computer...













Steve Jobs caused a revolution when he released the ever-popular iPod, allowing users to view pictures, listen to music, and watch movies on the go...



Another example of converging technologies is seen in the application of gps and computer sensors in cars that can park themselves...















Social networking sites such as Facebook, which allows users to share photos and communicate easily with other users, can perhaps be considered the most popular and influential of such technologies...
















More info on social networking can be found here

Video of the self-parking car...

Convergance

Google tells me that 'Convergance' is "the occurrence of two or more things coming together". This is evident in the technology realm with 'smart phones' like the iPhone, which can now do everything a computer can, becoming more and more popular.

First Week

First week of Uni for the semester is up and so far so good. Had the New Communication Tech lecture Thursday morning, gotta love those 8am classes. Anyway the lecturer basically just discussed what the course was about and explained what 'new commmunication technologies' are, citing computer-related forms of communicating like email and sms as being 'new', with radio and even television being classified as 'old'. Pretty simple really.

First Post

Blah blah blah first blog and that

In New Communication Technology.