fans

How Joss Whedon Shows Class

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Joss Whedon is on top of the world.  He redefined horror, manned mega-hit the Avengers, and that’s just recently.  With The Avengers doing so well (and trust me, it is deserved), what does he do next?

Well he posts a rather rambly piece at his site that among many things thanks his fans (or “peeps”).

What doesn’t change is anything that matters. What doesn’t change is that I’ve had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of — I’m not even gonna say fans. I’m going with “peeps” — that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of. When almost no one was watching, when people probably should have STOPPED watching, I’ve had three constants: my family and friends, my collaborators (often the same), and y’all.

Yes, the man who is on top of the world (and apparently has Chris Hemsworth on speed dial), thanks his devoted fans.

This is how you do it.  This is class.  Artists are nothing without their audience and he takes the time to appreciate them.  It’s something we can all learn from.

In fact I want to take time, as we approach our four-year anniversary, to thank all of our fans – may we do well for you in the future.

– Steven Savage

Media and Fan Relationships: Zones Of Creativity

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A lot of us work in or want to produce media, including fiction.  For those of us writing fiction, or planning to film it, or whatever, there may be some concerns about how to deal with fanfic and the like.  Fans are why we're here and how we get paid, and their fanworks help promote our works and draw everyone into a community.  However fanworks can also accidentally "brand" your work, something creators don't always seek or like – as we've had discussed here by our own Rob Barba.

I'm pro-fanwork as long as there's mutual respect and understanding.  I also know some authors fear what happens when people begin "playing in their world," and it's not always irrational (i can immediately think of two series I avoided due to fanfic battles and fanwank that gave me the wrong impression).  For authors and creators who want the best of both worlds, I had an idea.

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Fans, Geeks, And Obligatory Support

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As I was reading different reactions to the Scott Pilgrim film, I saw the usual exhaustion in comments at io9 (http://io9.com/5600262/scott-pilgrim-is-an-epic-for-the-nintendo-generation).  Some people were annoyed, but there was also a sense by some that they were almost obligated to support a geeky film, even one that is a near geek-singularity.

That made me think about the recent idea that Geeks are pulling Hollywood's strings (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/129492-the-geeks-are-pulling-hollywoods-strings-right-now-and-thats-not-a-g/) – something I don't agree with, but I feel the author of this article has twigged on that something is up in the media.  There's some fusion of what is fannish/nerdy/geeky and Hollywood and major media companies that seems a bit . . . off.

Me, I think these two articles are related.  Why?  Because they they hit on the fact that there's this "current of support" for a lot of recent media ventures – a support that seems to be in some ways, obligatory.  I feel this sense of Obligatory Support is real, and is a factor that will affect us culturally and professionally.

Have you ever joked you're obligated to buy a game (I have – Final Fantasy XIII).  Have you ever watched a series because it was from a genre you supported?  Did you go to a Harry Potter release party . . . because?

You're starting to see where I'm going.

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