A fan is somebody who really loves a film, and they show it by making their own stuff (Jenkins)
People don’t just need to watch films anymore, they can make them! And film makers now use the same stuff to make a film as you do! (shirky)
Applying Shirky to George: Francophone
Shirky argues that the concept of audience has ended, as now everyone is a producer! Clearly we as the general public now have way more opportunities to produce, edit, and distribute media products. But Shirky goes one step further, and argues that media producers have now been shaped by this, and often adopt ‘amateurish’ elements to their products.
- George uses informal language and address. “Let’s go to the Ivory Coast”,
- The use of music to create an engrossing mode of address is easily accomplished with digital technology
- Pointing out parts of the song he particularly likes, creating an enthusiastic and unprofessional mode of address!
- Accent is not posh, and delivery is colloquial and unpolished
- Talking over the music: often music and dialogue overlap, sometimes making his dialogue indistinct
- This combination of ‘amateurish’ elements creates an authentic and engrossing mode of address for the target audience, which keeps them listening episode after episode. By selecting an artist who is authentic and connects with young people, the BBC desperately hope to attract audiences who otherwise wouldn’t listen to BBC sound (i.e. young people)
- Shirky argues that the concept of audience has ended, as now everyone is a producer! Clearly we as the general public now have way more opportunities to produce, edit, and distribute media products. But Shirky goes one step further, and argues that media producers have now been shaped by this, and often adopt ‘amateurish’ elements to their products.
- “Here it goes [music suddenly gets louder]. Such audio editing is made extremely simple due to digital technology
- Use of informal lexis: “Every time that beat drops, I wanna hear the whole song!”
- Admits his own ignorance “I thought this song was Congolese”
- Keeps cutting in and out, deliberately turning up the music
- “And he’s like ‘au revoir’ [laughs]
- Relaxed vocal delivery
- An unsophisticated, causal, and engaging mode of address for the target audience is constructed through the ‘amateurish’ mode of address and production values
Applying Jenkins - Ways in which fans can interact include...
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- Prompts for the audience to engage in the episodes themselves (“close your eyes”)
- Comment on youtube videos, for example “you’re an advocate for the people”
- Posting reviews on Reddit
- Creating a fan quiz
- Posting video responses
- Creating fan art (pickle George!)
- Flash cards…
- The HYHGP book!
- However, there is surprisingly little actual examples of actual fan engagement with the podcast suggest that a) the podcast attracts a niche audience, but also b) the podcast does not encourage active audience engagement
Issues with Shirky’s theory
- Simply saying ‘hey, everyone can make films now’ is technically true, but ultimately it’s a gross oversimplification. The media industries are still alarmingly unequal, and there are many aspects to stop people from achieving financial or critical success
- Assumes that everyone has the same level of education and skill. This is absolutely not true!
- Completely disregards professionals who have devoted their lives to making media
- Budget. The world is very unfair and unequal, and some people have significant advantages
- Nepotism! Certain people have advantages that other people don’t