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So I downloaded the ROTK trailer (weeeee!) and my friends page has been full of PoA pictures. The pictures, in particular, seem to have caused a lot of angsting in the fandom: people don't like 'em, people don't like that people don't like 'em, people don't like that people don't like that people don't like 'em. I was reading some of links on F_W about the uproar and while I everything everyone was saying was true about people getting all bunged up about photographs and declaring the destruction of the series I sort of thought...isn't that the point of fandom, though? This, to me, is not so much Fandom_Wank as Fandom, period.
I mean, I don't think I've gotten into much of a twist over these things but my main reactions to these spoilers were pretty wanky, regardless.
( These were my reactions, cutting for spoilers of the trailer and the pictures etc. )
Really, when people react (or overreact, most of the time) to spoilers, pictures and rumors they're just taking an opportunity to talk about their obsession and give their own thoughts on it. I've argued with lots of people over, say, Faramir's portrayal in TTT, with me defending PJ's choices. I may disagree with what a lot of Purists say about the book or the movies, but I'd never think to tell them they were being ridiculous to care so much about how Faramir's portrayed because it's the caring that puts them in the fandom to begin with. I like discussing it with them even if we disagree.
Now, when you get into people personally insulting the people involved in the movie or (even wankier) talking like we should all just take their word for it that if they made a movie it would be so much better or writing angry letters to the director or starting petitions then yeah, let the smackdown begin. Also it's irritating when someone mistakes their personal interpretation for canon. But if somebody is bothered by Gary Oldman as Sirius and wants to quote canon and explain why they think he's wrong for the character I say, blab away! If the Draco-obsessed are disappointed that he's got less screentime well, that's what they're supposed to do, really. (God knows I love him to have all the screentime he can, even if I can ultimately see why his scenes are cut.) That's part of what's fun about every fandom, even as it drives me crazy. Sometimes you watch something and you can just hear how the different factions of fans are going to react.
It brings me back to the old X-file days. With new episodes coming regularly one of the most amusing things about the fandom was the way people would pounce on a bit of script or a rumor and go off on dramatic rants about how awful it was. The funniest thing was if the episode aired and the thing didn't happen it's not like anybody took back their previous ranting or even said, "Phew, glad Mulder didn't end up watching Scully have sex through a hole in the wall like we thought!" In fact sometimes people seemed to hold on to the anger and resent 1013 for things they never actually did (as if there wasn't enough reason to be angry at them for the stuff they did do--honestly!). I've never been much good at getting emotional about spoilers etc. because I'm just too aware of how little I know. But hey, a 30-second trailer or a still in a magazine is just as good a jumping off point for an obsessive essay on characterization as any, right?
I mean, I don't think I've gotten into much of a twist over these things but my main reactions to these spoilers were pretty wanky, regardless.
( These were my reactions, cutting for spoilers of the trailer and the pictures etc. )
Really, when people react (or overreact, most of the time) to spoilers, pictures and rumors they're just taking an opportunity to talk about their obsession and give their own thoughts on it. I've argued with lots of people over, say, Faramir's portrayal in TTT, with me defending PJ's choices. I may disagree with what a lot of Purists say about the book or the movies, but I'd never think to tell them they were being ridiculous to care so much about how Faramir's portrayed because it's the caring that puts them in the fandom to begin with. I like discussing it with them even if we disagree.
Now, when you get into people personally insulting the people involved in the movie or (even wankier) talking like we should all just take their word for it that if they made a movie it would be so much better or writing angry letters to the director or starting petitions then yeah, let the smackdown begin. Also it's irritating when someone mistakes their personal interpretation for canon. But if somebody is bothered by Gary Oldman as Sirius and wants to quote canon and explain why they think he's wrong for the character I say, blab away! If the Draco-obsessed are disappointed that he's got less screentime well, that's what they're supposed to do, really. (God knows I love him to have all the screentime he can, even if I can ultimately see why his scenes are cut.) That's part of what's fun about every fandom, even as it drives me crazy. Sometimes you watch something and you can just hear how the different factions of fans are going to react.
It brings me back to the old X-file days. With new episodes coming regularly one of the most amusing things about the fandom was the way people would pounce on a bit of script or a rumor and go off on dramatic rants about how awful it was. The funniest thing was if the episode aired and the thing didn't happen it's not like anybody took back their previous ranting or even said, "Phew, glad Mulder didn't end up watching Scully have sex through a hole in the wall like we thought!" In fact sometimes people seemed to hold on to the anger and resent 1013 for things they never actually did (as if there wasn't enough reason to be angry at them for the stuff they did do--honestly!). I've never been much good at getting emotional about spoilers etc. because I'm just too aware of how little I know. But hey, a 30-second trailer or a still in a magazine is just as good a jumping off point for an obsessive essay on characterization as any, right?
