Fanculture - Lord of the Rings

Q1. Who are these people (demographics: age, gender, subculture [geeks], sexuality?)

The Lord of the Rings franchise is seen now to appeal to groups of varying age and gender. It can be argued that there may be more elements of the film that are associated with men, such as the violence or increased amount of men over women in the film. Another aspects that makes the films appealing is the fantasy genre, providing the audience with the ability to escape from their everyday lives into a whole other fantasy world in its entirety, created by J. R. R. Tolkien. One of the largest fan base for Lord of the Rings however, came from those who has affiliation with the books in one way or another. They may have read the books before the films, segregating themselves from the mainstream hype of solely the movies alone. The fans may have been enticed into reading the other books after having seen the first film, therefore fuelling their desire to watch the next films that followed. In addition to this is the fans that just watched the films without reading the books, but still became part of the fanculture in support of the films.

       

Q2. What evidence can you find (forums etc) to show they affect the Production & Marketing of these films?

The fan base for the Lord of the Rings films is so large that it became one of the highest grossing film trilogies of all time; in addition to winning seventeen out of the thirty academy awards it was nominated for. These points reinforce the successful marketing and distribution of the films. In order to make the films more appealing, there is the incorporation of inaccurate adaptations from the books. For example, as a means to market the films more effectively, Frodo is portrayed as the youngest and youthful hobbit, approximately around the age of eighteen, whilst in the books he is a fifty year old middle aged hobbit, the oldest of the fellowship. This can be viewed as a marketing ploy on the grounds youthful actors are seen as more popular with modern audiences; in addition to closing the age gap with the other hobbits to establish a greater bonding between characters. The success was a culmination of the novels, the film techniques and the solid marketing strategy implemented by New Line Cinema. This started with film posters and trailers; later progressing to a range of products such as action figures and video games. 

Film adaptations that are different from the books: http://www.theonering.com/complete-list-of-film-changes   

Marketing Strategy: http://sbccfilmreviews.org/?p=22016

Q3. Comicon - how is this linked to Marketing & Distribution?

Comicon is an event that occurs approximately every year, taking place all around the world, the most famous being the Comicon in San Diego. In London, Comicon is set to take place at the Excel between the 23rd and 25th of May. This is a great way of promoting Lord of the Rings, along side some of the other well known fanculture films such as Starwars, Harry Potter and Marvel. Comicon can be seen as an event that fuels the popularity of the franchises in addition to allowing already existing fans to express their enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion for the films. At the event it is common practice to dress up as favourite characters and engage in activities and stands that relate to the films you enjoy. It can act as a social hub to those that enjoy the Lord of the Rings trilogy and share feelings towards new developments in the franchise such as the new Hobbit films that are being made; also an effective marketing strategy, increasing audience numbers from already existing Lord of the Rings fans.        

Q4. What type of pleasures are offered (subcultural identity, spectacle, ideologies/values, mirror stage fantasy?

The audience can use this fantasy world to escape to and determine what elements they prefer; finding solace in the variety of different character types in the films. This is on the basis that they may be able to relate to the vary character profiles such as men, dwarves, elves, wizards and so on. In selecting a favourite group and the characters we prefer, it helps in establishing a subcultural identity. Not only this, but the idea of being able to relate to characters can be found in the same way as other films, as it still captures the choices and experiences of the main characters, allowing us to draw parallels with ourselves, linking to the idea of alignment. Stemmed from this is the Mirror Stage, which is highly applicable to The Lord of the Rings World of Middle-Earth, granting the audience the ability to be all omniscient; switching between characters and scenarios that are occurring in many different areas of Middle Earth. At one moment we could be following the battle at Helms Deep, then shortly after being transported across the map, back to following the journey of Frodo and Sam.


A Swede constructed by fans : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pESgPT_g3Qs