The value and potential of fan films in relation to official productions from the perspective of participatory culture

• Main Author: Zeng, Qiuyue
• Other Authors: Ian Dixon
• Format: Thesis-Master by Research
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; Social Sciences; Fan films; Filmmaking; Participatory culture; Convergence culture
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180917
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

New media has greatly expanded convergence culture and transformed participatory culture. Although technology development facilitates more people’s cultural participation, cultural consumers still face restrictions due to policies imposed by professional media organizations. For example, the Chinese film and television industry’s policies towards fan films still waver between acceptance and rejection. Nevertheless, the emergence of an official TV series in 2023, An Ancient Love Song, which was adapted from a fan film of the same name, presents the feasibility for fan filmmakers and official film-television producers to cooperate in production. Through participatory observation of fan films and in-depth interviews with fan filmmakers and fan filmgoers, this study suggests why people create fan films and how fan movies influence their audience. By virtue of the discovery of fan filmmaking and fan film consumption, this article details research on the text poaching practices under participatory culture. Based on the findings about the value and potential of fan films, this thesis also tries to offer some insights into the collaboration between derivative movie creators and official film-television producers. However, as convergence culture evolves and participatory culture grows, the study of fan films needs to consider more stakeholders and technological advancements.