Popular Media Cultures: Writing in the Margins and Reading Between the Lines

March 3, 2012 by

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR:

Popular Media Cultures: Writing in the Margins and Reading Between the Lines

A One Day Symposium to be held at the Odeon Cinema, Covent Garden, London

Saturday 19th May 2012

Keynote Address by:

Prof. Henry Jenkins, University of Southern California

Popular Media Cultures seeks to explore the relationship between audiences and media texts, their paratexts and interconnected ephemera, and the related cultural practices that add to and expand the narrative worlds with which fans engage. How audiences make meaning out of established media texts will be discussed in connection with the new texts produced by fans. The symposium will focus on the cultural work done by media audiences, how they engage with new technologies and how convergence culture impacts on the strategies and activities of popular media fans.

With papers by: Stacey Abbott, Joanne Garde-Hansen & Kristyn Gorton, Matt Hills, Mark Jancovich, Roberta E. Pearson and Cornel Sandvoss.

Fees (including lunch and refreshments)*:
£50 Full rate
£25 Student reduced rate
*Delegates on the day will receive a 10% discount on purchases made at the Forbidden Planet Megastore on presentation of their symposium name badge.

For further details of how to register and attend the event go to the our website at: http://popularmediacultures.port.ac.uk/

The Symposium is supported by the Centre for Cultural and Creative Research at the University of Portsmouth. See: http://www.port.ac.uk/research/cccr/

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New book series from Intellect – Fan Phenomena

March 3, 2012 by

This new series is prompted by a growing appetite for books that tap into the fascination we have with what constitutes an iconic or cultish phenomenon and how a particular person, TV show or film character/film infiltrates their way into the public consciousness. We will look at particular examples of ‘fan culture’ and approach the subject in an accessible manner aimed at both fans and those interested in the cultural and social aspects of these fascinating – and often unusual – ‘universes’.

The concept of the book series is to address cult/fan culture within a specified gaze. Topics will range from mythic actors like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean to the long-lasting television series Buffy The Vampire Slayer to film juggernauts like Harry Potter, James Bond and Star Wars.

Each of the subjects we choose have massive visual appeal as they deal with fan fashion, memorabilia, (fan)homages, merchandising and branding that help to create the immersive world that extends beyond the phenomenon itself. The books will aim to exploit this visual aspect to align them with other Intellect book series such as the World Film Locations and Directory of World Cinema series that make good use of relevant collected imagery.

The series aims to ‘decode’ cult subjects in terms of the appeal and far reaching connections each of them have in becoming part of popular culture. We are fully aware that these are not meant to be comprehensive, weighty tomes on the subject – rather a series of ‘handy’ books that each include a fascinating collection of essays which explore a particular area or aspect of the subject’s ‘universe’ in each chapter.
Chapter headings include:

–    Fashion (Cosplay, high street fashion trends)
–    Language (eg. Slang, parlance, dialect;  words and phrases particular to each ‘phenomenon’)
–    Character/characterization
–    Fan Media (fan fiction, art, fan films)
–    The virtual (videogames, fan-films, role-play, blogs, fan forums)
–    Philosophies (cod-religions that have evolved from the source phenomena)
–    Economics (merchandise, branding, memorabilia)

A short list of proposed titles for the series include:

–    Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Star Trek / X-Files / James Bond / Harry Potter / Star Wars / Dr. Who / The Big Lebowski / Sherlock Holmes / Marilyn Monroe / Rocky Horror Picture Show / Lord of the Rings / The Matrix / Zombies / James Dean / Quentin Tarantino / Anime / Batman / Superman / Jane Austen / Disney

If you would like to contribute to any of the titles in the above list (or have suggestions of your own), are interested in an editorial role or are simply looking for further information about the book series, please send an email to Gabriel Solomons – series editor.

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Fan CULTure: An Examination of Participatory Fandom in the 21st Century

March 3, 2012 by

With the advent of new media technologies and social networking sites making communication faster and easier than ever, there exists a dearth of opportunity to see how fan cultures have evolved as a result. For example, fans can now have a direct impact on how some of their favorite TV shows are made and have influenced the storylines taking place. This type of “participatory” fandom has reached new heights in the 21st century as fans and creators become better connected. With this in mind, Dr. Kristin M. Barton and Dr. Jonathan M. Lampley are seeking proposals for an edited volume under consideration at McFarland titled Fan CULTure: An Examination of Participatory Fandom in the 21st Century. The question this volume will seek to address is: How are fans interacting with or participating in cultures associated with popular culture objects? Proposals should look at specific properties (media or non-media) and how fan culture intersects with them using new or modern techniques. Each essay will ideally focus on a different media vehicle or object. We expect to have essays that focus on some (if not all) of the following topics: Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Lord of the Rings, Joss Whedon’s creations, Game of Thrones, the Harry Potter franchise, and LEGOs, among others. Possible topics to explore with regard to these properties include (but are not limited to):
– Fan fiction
– Incorporating fans in DVD production/distribution/release
– Use of social media
– Fan involvement in helping create/steer storylines
– Fan films/Fan trailers/“Sweding”
– Theme parks/rides
– “Shipping” (fan fictionalization of characters in existing TV/film series)
– Fan participation within a property (fans as zombies in The Walking Dead)
– Costuming (Star Wars’ 501st Legion)
– Fan activism (Lady Gaga’s “Little Monsters” rallying for gay rights)

Again, the focus of the essays should be how these have been adopted into fan culture within a 21st century context.

The editors invite articles (5,000-6,000 words) that respond to the focus of the volume. Article abstracts (300-400 words) and a brief CV should be submitted by May 15, 2012 to Dr. Jonathan Lampley at jlampley@daltonstate.edu. Submissions with detailed outlines or in draft form will be given stronger consideration. Completed essays must be submitted by November 15, 2012. Brief queries are welcome should there be questions about appropriate submission topics. Selected authors will be notified by the end of May 2012, and please note that invitation to submit a full essay does not guarantee inclusion in the volume.

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