Here’s a roundup of fandom celebration stories that might be of interest to fans:
- A South by Southwest (SXSW) panel with OTW connections has been proposed for inclusion at the event’s 2013 lineup. “Catching Fire? Or Not. Fans, Creativity & Fair Use” would include Joshua Wattles of deviantART, Inc., Flourish Klink of The Alchemists, Heidi Tandy of HP Education Fanon, Inc. (HPEF) and FAWC, Inc. and Lisa Bunker of the Pima County Public Library. “This panel will be a frank discussion about the laws that protect fan-creators of transformative works, the gray areas of copyright and fair use, why fan creativity is usually not infringement, and the issues that corporations will have when trying to capitalize on fan culture.” (Visitors must create an account to vote for the panel proposal).
- For a lot of fans, fandom doesn’t end with their death — at least not immediately. Filmmaker Errol Morris recently produced a short film titled Team Spirit about the funeral plans of hardcore fans. He probably should have included the obituary of baseball fan Marylou Belles. While acknowledging she was a fan of Stephen King, her loved ones noted “She was also a lifelong Mets fan, though surprisingly, that wasn’t what killed her.”
- Given the strife that occurs in some fandoms, death-by-fannishness might not be so farfetched, but at least one member of Fringe fandom took to the Huffington Post to declare how welcoming it was. “The support I received was overwhelming. I was the new kid on the block but I was met with an incredible welcome. I continue to post my reactions after each episode because I love interacting with the show’s fans. They have enriched my Fringe viewing experience. They shield me from spoilers and even created a Twitter hashtag (#HurryUpMary) to get me caught up by the season five premiere. How many fandoms treat their newbies like that?”
- Of course, sometimes when fannish work crosses over to pro, the result doesn’t make fans stand up and cheer. Such was the case with the Mortal Kombat fanfilm that became the officially sponsored web series “Legacy.” However, in the sixth episode, fan creator, Tancharoen, stated that he was now given sole creative control and that it was written in the original style he had first envisioned. The result? “It was 10-times better than the previous five that I had struggled to sit through,” said Jordan McCollam, writing for Gamebeat. McCollam then concluded, “I guess the main point I’m trying to make is this: Fan-made media is awesome, but it’s only awesome because it’s fan-made. Until making movies and television shows stops being about the money, and until studio heads stop feeling the need to pander to the lowest-common denominator, fan-made media will never have a home at major studios. Maybe we should just leave it alone, no matter how excited we are about a favorite franchise.”
If you’ve got things to celebrate about fandom, make sure they’re remembered with an entry in Fanlore. Contributions are welcome from all fans.
We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn’t guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn’t mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.