Abstract
Abstract
This paper aims to develop a discourse circulating how and why contemporary cinephiles participate in collecting practices as ‘film fan collector’s’. Fans of cinema, who often build elements of their identity through their engagement with film, have been met with a dichotomy of wanting to physically engage with said fandom while being constrained by the implicit ethereal nature of film. A related and relevant strand of fan activity which potentially resolves an element of this conflict, circulates around the production, distribution, and collecting of Alternative Movie Posters (AMPs). The growth of this subfield over the past decade has likely been exacerbated by the parallel shift from physical media (which may have satisfied inclinations of tangible engagement via VHS, DVD, etc.) to accessible digital streaming services. The AMP community is centralized around a mutual fandom, choosing to demonstrate this through their collecting practice. This activity is strategized against expectations that AMPs are crafted relative to a stringent set of aesthetic production values which seek to celebrate and reinforce fan interests and identities. As a result, the ‘overengineering’ of these material objects fulfils desires of placing the ephemeral nature of film in the hands of a passionate modern audience.
This paper aims to develop a discourse circulating how and why contemporary cinephiles participate in collecting practices as ‘film fan collector’s’. Fans of cinema, who often build elements of their identity through their engagement with film, have been met with a dichotomy of wanting to physically engage with said fandom while being constrained by the implicit ethereal nature of film. A related and relevant strand of fan activity which potentially resolves an element of this conflict, circulates around the production, distribution, and collecting of Alternative Movie Posters (AMPs). The growth of this subfield over the past decade has likely been exacerbated by the parallel shift from physical media (which may have satisfied inclinations of tangible engagement via VHS, DVD, etc.) to accessible digital streaming services. The AMP community is centralized around a mutual fandom, choosing to demonstrate this through their collecting practice. This activity is strategized against expectations that AMPs are crafted relative to a stringent set of aesthetic production values which seek to celebrate and reinforce fan interests and identities. As a result, the ‘overengineering’ of these material objects fulfils desires of placing the ephemeral nature of film in the hands of a passionate modern audience.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2022 |
| Event | International Screen Studies Conference - Online Duration: 1 Jul 2022 → 3 Jul 2022 Conference number: 31 https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/screen/conference/ |
Conference
| Conference | International Screen Studies Conference |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | ISSC |
| Period | 1/07/22 → 3/07/22 |
| Internet address |