Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Post Class 10/15



In my opinion, one of the more interesting ideas that we discussed in class was the newer marketing strategy from those of the past. The amateur movement of collectors is a clear representation of what has stemmed from fans involvement within the media. The General public has access to these commodity products, and people use their memorabilia and toys to create their own fantasies. Jenkins describes these commodities as much deeper cultural effects, explaining that “The action figures provided this generation with some of their earliest avatars, encouraging them to assume the role of a Jedi Knight or an intergalactic bounty hunter, enabling them to physically manipulate the characters and props in order to construct their own stories” (466).
In class, we touched upon how we are continuously looking for the virtual that represents a more appealing version of the real. This is a form of play and sense of playing around. The commercial products that are accessible introduce a newer sense of obtaining these fantasies by having certain products in their possession.
Looking back to Jenkins reading, Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars?, We learn how the mass marketing of Star Wars helped amateur filmmakers by “inadvertently providing many of the resources needed to support these productions” (465). They had access to the commercially available props, costumes, and music. “More broadly, the availability of these various ancillary products has encouraged these filmmakers, since childhood, to construct their own fantasies within the Star Wars universe” (Jenkins, 466).
Below I have included a clip from the movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno. This scene demonstrates amateur movie making, using narrative, props, costumes, and other intertexual elements from the Star Wars Movies.


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