HEJ 231 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Semiotics, High Culture, Fine Brothers
30 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Journalism week 11: media franchises and world-building
Allows us to see some interesting ideas about the audience:
- who they are and what is interesting about them
- point to the need for new models to occur
- Example: franchise Avengers, marvel model
oMaking movies today is really distinct
oRadically intertexutal
oGrand narratives:
Characters re appearing
Something at the end of the scene that make us want to
consume more
oAmbiguity
Characters from all different genres
Melding into one franchise
Enormous modeling of intertextuality, multi-modal
Comic books, TV series, movies
Feeding narrative
Is the audience along for this ride? Is there a level of free time
and energy in engaging in all the plot holes and loose ends
Marvel has done so well; evidence suggesting that this is
successful for franchises attracting audiences
Template: elaborate narratives, how do we tell stories today is
radically reinvented through…
oDifferent industries:
Comics:
Mothership of comic book, take lots of risks
Trans media narrative
Issues of iron man connect with other characters in
other industries
Modes of delivery suited to comics (risks) has spread
into other areas too
Nerds is becoming visible
Social media fan pages: actively create conversation between
industry and audience
Heroes: games
Movies
TV series: agents of SHIELD
oConsumerism, capitalism: about making money
Franchise media is analysed in terms of this move
Moves were purely commercial
Failure od Disney to jump on existing characters and shows, eg.
The muppets, since buying marvel
- Feeding frenzy with concept of franchising
oWorld itself is what you are buying and engaging with
oEg. Ghostbusters: director talk of creating an entire universe
There is a world that people are interested in going in
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Type of geography, space that audiences are interested in going
into
oHarry potter:
New experiment to extend to media
Pottermore: social worlds
Subscribe to engage in games and narratives
Social media platform
Gated community to retain control of the world building
of the potterworld
Authority control of creation and spread, with enough
freedom that audiences feel they can engage and
involve with
Now reluctance of audiences engagement: making
characters etc.
- Are media franchise exploiting or empowering audiences:
oCratively bankrupt, make money from audiences
Not moving conversation forward productively
Need to account for function of this in new media
Characers are consumerist machines
oOthers believe: new creative controls geared toward
Exciting space
Trying to incorporated fan engagement
Transparent audience
More enriching space, reinvented
oDon’t judge culture as good or bad
oNeed to focus on both spectacular and regular examples
- Franchise: “something that creates value across multiple businesses and
territories over a long period of time”
oDisney’s Robert, 2009
oModel of franchise gets in the way of creativity
Eg. Lost: who owns the creative content in franchises?
Show writers
Script writers
Or ABC: who says where they go next
Top Gear Clarkson:
Clarkson owed Top Gear, sold it for a huge amount to
BBC
Rich space to explore the idea of a create talent who got
rich of their talent, sold it to media production, walked
away wealthy
This may be seen as a positive thing: can now
successfully create spin off etc.
oMoments where..?
Audiences complain and want a show back
Mostly never happens
Creative talent went straight to the audience to create budget
for a movie
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Allows us to see some interesting ideas about the audience: Who they are and what is interesting about them. Example: franchise avengers, marvel model point to the need for new models to occur: making movies today is really distinct, radically intertexutal, grand narratives: Something at the end of the scene that make us want to consume more: ambiguity. Is there a level of free time and energy in engaging in all the plot holes and loose ends. Marvel has done so well; evidence suggesting that this is successful for franchises attracting audiences. Template: elaborate narratives, how do we tell stories today is radically reinvented through : different industries: Mothership of comic book, take lots of risks. Issues of iron man connect with other characters in other industries. Modes of delivery suited to comics (risks) has spread into other areas too. Social media fan pages: actively create conversation between industry and audience.
