LondonFog

LondonFog

A fangirl who grew up and developed a taste for writing critically. • LGBT issues • pop culture • media • feminism • visual rhetoric • fandom •

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    Latest Articles

    Latest Topics

    2
    Pending

    Kpop's rise to fame amongst "western" audiences.

    Kpop is perhaps the most popular non-English music genre amongst western audiences. What makes it so popular amongst western audiences? Is the music composition and style similar to western music? Why are their music videos so popular on Youtube, a predominantly English-speaking site? How is their image construction similar or different to popular western boy and girl bands? Look at the factors that make kpop as popular as it is and it’s history abroad (maybe even extending to other Asian countries where it is popular, like Japan).

      5

      A reflection on (Netflix) television reboots

      With a Gilmore Girls and Fuller House reboot on the horizon and a continuation of Arrested Development already completed… it is worth looking into Netflix (or arguably other network’s) choices to reboot old shows.

      Does this have any connection with the countless rebooted movies (or Disney’s rebooted classics)? Is this a general trend in popular media? Why is Netflix perfectly placed to bring back old shows? Is there a market for this sort of television/does it generate enough money to keep warranting it? Also does this trend erode the need for original works? What about nostalgia pandering or nostalgia marketing?

      There is a lot you could tackle with this subject and you could easily expand it into the general culture of reboots or focus it in on one Netflix reboot show. Either way, examine the place of these reboots in our social and economic climate.

      • Certainly a worthwhile topic. Something interesting to address on this subject: this tendency is parodied in season three of BoJack Horseman (which happens to be a Netflix original series) with "Ethan Around" as a clear surrogate for "Fuller House." This coy self-awareness on Netflix's part merit's a place in this discussion. – ProtoCanon 7 years ago
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      • This is a great topic in that Netflix has hit the reboot market. Today there is much more creative license than in the past so it makes sense that these successful ideas can be recreated with a fresh updated look. Who was who said there are only 7 stories anyway? Everything is just a variation on the same themes. – Munjeera 7 years ago
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      • I think the reboots are a good marketing strategy, I'm sure they're looking at what age groups are now adults that had those shows and movies as children. It's to profit off of nostalgia while also trying to dissuade people from thinking it's childish and old (obvious because now it's new, rebooted and "more mature" most must tell themselves). Honestly I'm sure there's a trend going on right now where if production companies don't tie in to something older and make something completely new the demographic is smaller and less profitable. It'd be neat to see the success of reboots over originals in this climate. – Slaidey 7 years ago
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      • Perhaps also exploring the requirements for something to be rebooted, would be helpful for this topic. How successful did a show have to be in it's primed to be considered? What are the parameters for a reboot? I love this idea, particularly as it's so relevant with the reboots that are coming up or rumoured to be coming up. Good luck! – Abby Wilson 7 years ago
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      • Interesting topic. In terms of reboots, I believe that they can be a hit or a miss. I think the big reason why there are so many reboots is because people and Hollywood have simply run out of ideas. This will be an interesting article for whoever goes through with it. – CreativeDreamer 7 years ago
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      • Must be a good crop of member-berries this winter... Putting out a reboot is a safe option financially - it's a proven method to attract an already loyal audience and possibly bring in a new one as a bonus. However, I think that Netflix has shown that there is an appetite for clever original works. I know that they don't release them, but it would be really interesting to see what the viewing figures are for the service to see if my claims are justified. – SightUnsound 7 years ago
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      • Great topic! IMHO, reboots are shameless nostalgia pandering, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We loved the old shows, and keep retuning to them, because they're good. I feel like the reboots might cause TV network execs to say to themselves, "Okay, what did those shows do correctly, that we aren't doing anymore?" Reboots don't erode the need for original work, either. If anything they're a jump-off point for new shows that embrace the conventions people like. – Stephanie M. 7 years ago
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      • Interesting topic. You might also consider how/why Netflix television shows have become more popular than Netflix movies. Each year, the number of movies on Netflix decreases because less and less people are watching them. Clearly, there is a market for TV shows and perhaps their high demand has something to do with these reboots. – JadeMV 7 years ago
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      The shift from past to present tense in amateur writing.

      The standard tense that most novels are written in appears to be past tense but more recently, especially in amateur writing like fanfiction, there is a shift towards writing in present tense. Why is it shifting?

      Perhaps it is due to the immediacy and the ability to better characterize in the moment that lends itself well to the fast-paced, character-driven structure of fanfiction.

      It would be interesting to look at this shift and see if it enhances the writing, if these stories tend to be more popular, and then perhaps compare fanfiction to its published counterpart. Is this same trend happening in novels? If so, why? Does it say anything about the current media-consuming generation’s predilections and preferences in story telling?

      • You need to be very careful with this topic not to fall too much into personalised opinion! It is a difficult subject as writers might just choose their tense for style or by preference - there might not be enough behind it to build a whole article! But definitely worth exploring :) – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun 8 years ago
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      • I hate (present tense, ongoing) reading present tense and, even worse, listening to present tense. "So then he goes..." is just a cheap way to try to make a story interesting. It's either worth telling or it's not and present tense sets off my bs detector that someone's trying far too hard to get me on board. I'll pass. – Tigey 8 years ago
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      • It's interesting you bring this up and I suppose I've noticed this too in fanfic vs non. I believe you're right, when it comes to fanfic it's the immediacy, people want to put themselves in the moment. It's less exciting when everything is in past tense so the reader looking for a thrill knows everything is already resolved. Does the tense matter to people and on that note, does the perspective? I recently started writing a novel and am playing with tenses. First person present tense is most engaging and probably easy for amateur writers but does third person present-tense work the same way? Do we care about first person past-tense unless it's an autobiography of someone famous we already care about, would that get boring? Finding a published paper on the popularity of published work and which tense/perspective they used would be very insightful. – Slaidey 7 years ago
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      The static format and single location filming of web series

      With web series like Carmilla and the Lizzie Bennet Diaries both being very successful, what does it say about how these shows are visually created? These stories are usually told from one room, looking into a camera. By directly addressing the audience and only being able to retell events occurring outside of the room does it enhance the story telling or hinder it? How does it shape how the stories are told? Why are they so popular?

      • This is a great question as it focuses on how much money is spent on glitz and glamour in media. It shows how a read and authentic narrative trumps all that because these web series stars are connecting with people. – Munjeera 8 years ago
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      • I think there's a lot to work with here. From a filmmaking perspective, you get to compare and contrast the multi-camera and multi-location format with the fixed camera format of web series. I think that this form of storytelling has a lot in common with radio plays, which are making a comeback thanks to the popularity of podcasts and a comparison of those styles might help as well, though it's possible that would bloat the article. Obviously you'd want to reach out to the creator of a web series but it might also be good to talk to a film studies professor. – CoreyB 8 years ago
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      5

      The creative freedom of webcomics versus traditional comics.

      Look at the difference in subject matter between webcomics compared to traditional comics. Does the lack of payment and corporate censorship alter how webcomics stories and art are crafted? Do webcomics cover darker/more controversial content than traditional comics?

      A particularly interesting subsection of this would be to look at the racial/sexuality/gender representation in both webcomics and traditional comics.

      • Webcomics are not able to earn revenue in the traditional sense that traditional comics are able to, but I think webcomic artists ultimately have freedom of expression in how to tell their story and how it is crafted. Traditional comics may be looking for a number of things such as a particular style, topic, or issues the characters deal with and are allowed to deal with. Webcomics worry about none of those things, as the artist works as publisher and producer of the work in question and the only limitation is time and effort to make the comic. While they don't make money from "purchases" of the comic, ultimately there is a level of accessibility provided by being on the Web. Artists can also receive donations from fans who enjoy the work, or set up a system to receive money from viewed advertisements on whatever site the webcomic is published to. Good topic! Would be a nice topic for further research. – Nayr1230 8 years ago
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      • A big problem for webcomics is that they tend to be written by one person which can limit the point of view of the work. One person's biases and social ideas will vary heavily from others, and that includes what should or should not be censored. One artist can be just as conservative as boardroom of people, and in addition that person has even less reason to try something new. Many of the webcomics I've seen or read about that deal with "darker" content tend to be rather shallow. Just because you are allowed to portray limitless gore doesn't mean you'll be doing it in an interesting way. – Arca 8 years ago
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      Latest Comments

      LondonFog

      Loving that this sort of content is being researched. I’m also glad you used both queer and heterosexual examples!

      Relationship Entertainment: Navigating the Struggle between Romance and Friendship on TV
      LondonFog

      As someone who has studied the representation of female bodies in Game of Thrones your article was interesting to read. What was interesting in the previous seasons (season 5 I feel breaks away from the old formula) was that women visually were still being used as visual props. So while there were certainly strong female characters they were often off set by the overindulgent displays of female sexuality. There is a concept that Kress proposed where even if someone vocally conveys power, if the signs in the environment point to a certain power level they tend to override the words.

      It’s similar to the idea of body language composing of so much more of our ability to communicate than words alone. I feel like while many of the women in the show talk in a very feminist way, they are still being used and cued in their environment as sexual objects.

      I think season 5 broke away from this and did away with the overuse of sexuality (thankfully) due to complaints. It’s a very interesting topic to look at exploitative filming techniques versus a feminist veneer.

      How A Feminist Watches Game of Thrones: Power Is Power
      LondonFog

      Valid point! Though for the Stiles and Derek specific example it is more to demonstrate the “baiting” that goes on by creators because they know (a lot in part thanks to social media including Tumblr/Twitter) people want it. They then use social media to prop up these “couples” and make them seem valid and represented only to deny them.

      I totally agree that a large sect of these populations are cis females but validating queer experiences and then denying them does affect the LGBTQ sect of the fandoms, who do very much exist. Also in general its just in pretty bad taste. Would love to hear your thoughts.

      #Faninteraction: Social Media and Representation in Popular Television
      LondonFog

      Oh 100%. I think this form of interaction and power over media suffers from having to walk a fine line. On one end it is great for holding creators accountable but on the other end fans can be terrifying and what they desire is not always smart for a story.

      Social media is great for making diversity representation more transparent but that does not always mean it is great for storytelling. There are instances of creators caving to fan’s wishes and letting fanservice dictate aspects of the story… and that just muddles an otherwise great show.

      #Faninteraction: Social Media and Representation in Popular Television
      LondonFog

      This. Netflix and other streaming services means you don’t have to cater your life around how a network schedules. Shows like NBC’s Hannibal would have done much better on a streaming service without network restrictions and schedule shifting. Some shows are just meant for streaming!

      Online VS On TV: Is Cable Becoming Obsolete?
      LondonFog

      Adding my two cents about characters I’ve connected with. I really connected with the characters from Life is Strange on a deep level to the point that I’m still not really over the ending!

      Emotionally Investing in Games and Their Characters
      LondonFog

      Adding my two cents about character I’ve connected with. I really connected with the characters from Life is Strange on a deep level to the point that I’m still not really over the ending!

      Emotionally Investing in Games and Their Characters
      LondonFog

      Until Dawn was a solid game and I totally agree that it was sad that Josh didn’t have a happy ending. After all that boy went through that’s all I as a player wanted to give him.

      Until Dawn and Mental Health