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CHAPTERS

   Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER

Mainstream media content provides inspiration for amateurs efforts, the most successful of which are absorbed into mainstream media, and in turn advance popular culture in new directions. 

Why was it said that the creators of Star War sent mixed messages to consumers?

Which process gives rise to the inclusion of fan fiction in popular culture?

Why is convergence a “two way street”? 

Which term describes the creation of narratives based on stories from mass media content?

Grassroots convergence.

Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars: Grassroots Creativity Meets the Media Industry

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Explore the complex relationship between big media franchises and their fan culture.

Find out just how well Star Wars fanfic is doing. 

GLOSSARY

When private Internet usage became commonplace in the 1990’s, media companies recognized that interaction with their content has expanded, and tried their best to control and commodify it. They soon realized however that the Web is to become the site of experimentation and innovation, where consumers relate to media content in many unauthorized and unanticipated ways, and were forced to take into account the implications for their commercial interests. Media corporations wanted consumers to be involved with their brands, however encouraging interactivity is one thing, as its terms are determined by producers and by technological limitations; allowing full-on participation is quite another, since it is more open-ended and therefore more under consumers’ rather than producers’ control. As far as participatory culture goes, no matter what producers’ intentions were, once consumer creativity went public, producers could no more ignore it than they could control it. Fan culture growing from the Star Wars franchise is a case in point.

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The Star Wars (1977) mythology has sparked the imagination of a generation of amateur artists who grew up on the epic world of Darth Vader, Jedis and the Force. The many points of contact offered by the franchise creators, ranging from feature films to books, comics, TV series and video games, inspired fans to make the story their own by creating various forms of fan fiction. Most of the fan works were only good enough to engage a modest audience, but some were so good they entered popular culture themselves, consequently making profits from their association with the franchise. Such instances have been known to rub the creators of Star Wars the wrong way; they viewed the sharing of authorship with fans confusing, potentially damaging to the brand’s reputation and altogether a violation of intellectual property. Since they also appreciated and valued the affective relationships they had with consumers, and had no interest in completely alienating their fan community, they made attempts to create creative opportunities on their own terms, for instance involving modders in the development of the game Star Wars Galaxies (2002) and initiating an official Star Wars fan film contest (2003). Admirable efforts to embrace grassroots convergence aside, the mixed messages Star Wars producers sent their fans clearly stem from their inability to define what sort of relationship they wanted to have with them. Media corporations have been struggling with these definitions for a while.

The fact of the matter is, when it comes to popular franchises, the most successful fan fiction will inevitably be absorbed into mainstream media. But convergence is a two way street; mainstream media content provides inspiration for new amateurs efforts that in turn advance popular culture in new directions. In the words of Will Wright “Smart companies of the future would empower rather than constrain consumer participation and those who did not build stronger relations with consumers would be unable to compete.”

In the next chapter we will examine another case involving fan culture, focusing this time on the politics of participation from both a top-down and a bottom-up perspective.

Clinton, P. “Filmmakers Score with Lucas in Love”. CNN, June 24, 1999. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/SHOEBIZ/Movies/9906/24/movies.lucas.love.

Jenkins, H. (2008) Convergence Culture. Where Old and New Media Collide. U.S.A. New York: New York University Press.

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Facts & Figures

CREATIVE TEAM

Practice

Test your knowledge by answering these questions about Chapter 4

Because while they encouraged fans to create Star Wars inspired content on their own terms, they saw other independent projects as infringements of intellectual property. 

What is the difference between interactivity and participation?

THE AUTHOR & THE BOOK

The terms of interactivity are determined by technological limitations of a given medium and by producers’ design. Participation on the other hand is open-ended and is shaped by consumers rather than producers. 

Fan fiction

LITERATURE

George Lucas In Love, Star Wars fancic, actually sold more dvd's on Amazon than Star Wars Episode 1 did during opening weekend.