Week 5: Framing

1. Jenkins argues that “this new production and distribution context profoundly alters our understanding of what amateur cinema is and how it intersects with the commercial film industry.” Ten years (I assume) after this article was written, however, has amateur filmmaking threatened the commercial film industry or just found a niche of its own, mostly separate from mainstream Hollywood?

1b. Jenkins points out that most fan fiction films are parodies. Is this just because parody is the easiest way for fans to express their fandom, or is a more conscious decision in terms of Copyright law, considering parody falls under ‘fair use’?

2. After almost three decades (or more) of the “entertainment supersystem model” of studios milking as much money as possible out of books, action figures, tee-shirts, video games, and other merchandise from films, are we as an audience more aware of how the gross commercialism outweighs the focus of the film? Do we care if a film was made to make money or made to be art?

3. Am I a gadget?

Tags: framing