Thinking on fandom

[valarltd]

I asked this in vidding chat, and would like a broader sample.

Do people have trouble taking older SF fandoms seriously?

I've been told Battlestar Galactica could not possibly make a serious vid, that the prequels have destroyed any hope of taking Star Wars seriously, and that Star Trek as a whole is too cheesy for anything but comedy vids.

(I would refer the last person to "Old Friends, Bookends")

Is my sad devotion to an ancient religion doomed to get my vids laughed off the screen?

Am I an anachronism? An old fogey of fandom who can't jump on the Stargate/Enterprise/fandom du jour bandwagon, but prefers to stay with her comfortable old threadbare myths?

I'm starting to feel that way.

I'd love to make a slashy Starbuck/Apollo vid (I haven't found the right song yet) I want to do Spock/McCoy. For that matter, i still think I want to do a Millennium Falcon focus vid to "Rhiannon."

What destroys the earlier loves for you?
What makes the once-loved texts worthy only of mockery?

Enlighten me.

Comments

[destina.livejournal.com]

To me, song choice makes all the difference. shalott's Kid Fears vid, which is all about Luke and Leia, is phenomenal because the song matches so well. And because she's just good. *g* Killa and T. Jonesy's Closer Kirk/Spock vid could not in any way be considered to be funny, nervous/shocked giggles aside. But song choice is crucial to making me buy in to an older fandom vid; it has to fit. Also, the vid really needs to say something fresh, or something comfortably familiar, for it to be appealing to me.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

This probably makes me a philistine, but i didn't get "Kid Fears"

It was pretty to look at, but it never connected. The song didn't seem to fit anything. The tech side was gorgeous. But if there was a story, I missed it. Even after 3-4 viewings.

[dragon-lord.livejournal.com]

Do people have trouble taking older SF fandoms seriously?

Personally, I don't. I love the OT of SW as much as I love Stargate. Some older fandoms I can't get into but some of the newer ones I have the same trouble with.

I think it all depends on how you connect with something.

[spitefairy.livejournal.com]

I certainly don't have trouble taking them seriously, and I'm a bit of a youngin. I adore Battlestar Galactica (the original show) and don't see why it shouldn't be taken just as seriously as say, Farscape. But Original Star Trek is just a little too cheesy in my opinion. But if it's something you like then go for it, someone else's personal tastes shouldn't stand in your way.

I don't know that anything but my own changing tastes destroy earlier loves for me. Although the Special Edition and the later EU novels certainly did a number on my obsession. I had a hard time finding any new material or fans that would just stick with the "good stuff", and that was a bit discouraging. However, I do think you can mock your fandoms relentlessly and still love them.

[permetaform]

I've never really been in SW fandom but in relation to texts in general it's usually something like learning more about the text itself and finding holes in it's inner meaning or finding out something that destroys your own interpretation and you see the text as it is and is vaguely disillusioned because what you've loved about it is really flawed and like a facade.

[natlyn.livejournal.com]

I think it's harder for youngsters people who weren't around first run to get beyond the general state of technology/way of telling a story of older fandoms. Also, I think many people have seen so many funny or parody vids/fic and have become so removed from the original show/movie (if they ever were familiar with it) that they've forgotten it can be taken seriously.

It also seems that the older a fandom gets, the more humorous the vids become. Possibly because vidders feel everything serious has already been said. Possibly because vidders are aware that people are more likely to sit through a song vid of a fandom not their own if it makes them laugh. Which then makes it difficult for people who have never seen the source to take it seriously. B7 is notorious for its humorous vids and that coupled with its sad production values makes it an extremely difficult pimp.

[mirabella]

I think I would have a hard time taking a Battlestar Galactica vid seriously because of the unabashed cheese factor of the original series, and because I used to watch it when I was little and in a way it would be like someone trying to make a serious slashy Strawberry Shortcake vid. In a way I still think of it as a kids' show. Not so much with ST:TOS or the Star Wars trilogy, though; those I could totally take seriously, or would be able to if I were into any of the pairings.

[thefannishwaldo.livejournal.com]

I might have gone along with the idea that TOS was too cheesy to be taken seriously... until this last Vividcon.

Someone (I spologize for not knowing who off the top of my coffee-deprived head) did the Nine Inch Nails song ... damn, is the name "Fuck you like an animal"? If it's not, you know the song I mean.

Absolutely blew me out of the room. The concept was, "What if they hadn't made it to Vulcan on time in 'Amok Time'?" Certain effects combined with amazing cutting and editing made for a STUNNING vid. It's probably the first and only rape-fic in a vid I've ever seen. And it used nothing but original source.

Could I take a BSG vid seriously? Depends on how well you did it. It's not out of the realm of possibility, but my instinct is to say that you'd have to work pretty hard.

Waldo.

[elynross.livejournal.com]

I've been told Battlestar Galactica could not possibly make a serious vid, that the prequels have destroyed any hope of taking Star Wars seriously, and that Star Trek as a whole is too cheesy for anything but comedy vids.

Absolutely not! See Killa&TJonesy re: TOS, even beyond Closer. Yes, a lot of theirs are comedy, but Bleed to Love Her? Layla? As, The Man's Too Strong, Dante's Prayer -- even You're Too Vain, which has a comic start, but has poignancy, too, and uses footage entirely from the TV show, not the movies. And I'd really like to see a good BG vid, myself. It really depends, as others have said, on the song, as well as the composition and the audience. For some, yeah, it will never catch their interest, but I'd really love to see good new B7 vids, myself, and I don't think the prequels have done anything to the original SW. But then, I like the prequels, so. *g*

Anyway, I think you've been talking to the wrong people. I'm no guarantee that there'd be a wide positive response, but in general, and in my experience, it all depends on the vidder and the vid.