Posted by Wonder Girl at pppa59-resalecovina1-4r7276.saturn.bbn.com on June 19, 2000 at 20:42:42:
In Reply to: Allright I've got a question for the lot of you posted by Sam Stan on June 19, 2000 at 20:09:40:
: I'm an English film studies student and today was the exam, One of the questions was Discuss aspects of Fan behaviour and the effect it has on hollywood and films.
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: One of my main arguments was that directors build loyalty (and therefore fan base)with repeat characters, locations and things to spot (i.e the Hicks brothers on Kevin Smiths films) as well as tapping into other cults (such as Kevins comic book references, which personally I don't get (Comics are a minor market that I can't get into and would have a job getting hold of anything if I did)) Would you lot agree, and I sincerely hope you do otherwise thats another exam fucked up, the allure of beer and loose women is to big (which was true of at least two of the women as well.)
Your main argument seems right... sort of. It goes all the way back to such legendary directors as Alfred Hitchcock. People would go see his films in part to see which scene Hitch turns up in. But that wasn't the only reason. However, what brings people back to Spielberg's films or Kubrick's, for that matter? How did they build their respective fan bases? What brings people back to director's films is that in making consistently good films, the audience feels a rapport with the director. The same can't be said for all directors because I think you have to look at them individually. Plus, different people go back to certain movies for different reasons. People go see John Woo films because they know they'll get kickass action sequences. They see Woody Allen films because they enjoy that specific type of humor. People like Scorsese because he's innovative. Same with Stone and the late Kubrick. Amy Heckerling's movies have been mostly hits because teenagers can related to them. However, your argument that people like films that are more interactive and directors who have similar interests, which is what I think you were trying to say in part, is a pretty valid one. I think most people see films for that reason. Film addicts like me are more open-minded, for lack of a better word. But why listen to me? I'm just a stupid teenage girl. Plus, I probably didn't really answer your question. I'm just babbling. I do that a lot when it comes to movies. Good luck with your exam.
Jennifer