Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 13, - Realism vs. Reality vs. Realization vs. Real Estate? (Quick, Come Up With Another Word!)

As we discussed yesterday, research is the key to getting everything right - or at least plausible - in your works.  But in all that, there's a question that should really be asked.

Why?

Or rather, does everything need to be true and accurate in all details?  Yes, it helps to know that the point end of the sword is not the part that you hold, and that the moon is not made of green cheese.  But what it if was?  What if ol' Luna were composed of Swiss? (sorry, couldn't come up with a gouda enough variety).  What if there was air in space?  What if we just threw the book out?

And, of course, it goes without saying that some things just don't mesh well in a realistic setting.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 27 - Pushin' Polycotton, Paper and Pixels

Well, in between the art, the writing, the rendering, the website coding, the font creation, three French hens, two turtledoves and a bottle of Advil in a pear tree, I spent time today talking with the folks over at my bank regarding the merchant account I'm going to need for the site store, as well as the API specifications required to get it to interact with the site.

Wait...what?  We haven't even launched and I'm already thinking of merchandise?  I'm sure all of you right about now are probably thinking the same thing:

Doing Japan, Part 1: Is A Trip to Japan For You?

Last month, I lived what is, for many, the fangirl dream: I visited Japan for two weeks. I'd been invited over by a friend who's in Canada's working holiday program for people ages 30 and under. During that time, I visited Tokyo and Kyoto - the essence of the old and new Japan - and gained a lot of insights into the country, some of which I never thought of before.

Now, granted, a fangirl/fanboy pilgrimage may not be the thing for everyone. But it has a lot to offer a variety of people - even those who aren't particularly into anime/manga fandoms and their related careers.

Frustration Friday: Not Everything Has To Be Everything

Frustration Friday: Not everything has to be everything

If its a book, it must be a movie.

if it's a movie, it could be a TV series.

if it's a comic, it could be a game.

Look, seriously World Media, I love adaptions.  I love media synergy.  I'm all for it - I mean come on, aren't I the one always pushing for more cross-media work?  Aren't I the guy always speculating on what new technology and media means, and how we should look to Japan for ideas of what to do?

But you know, I think we've got to ask ourselves if some of these media translations and crossovers and the like are a good idea.  I of course speak of things like The Last Airbender film, which is dismal.  And the A-Team film which really has no where else to go.  And The Last Airbender Film.  OK, you get my drift here.

The Last Failbender

OK, let me put it simply:

1. The Last Airbender film sounds like a dismal mess.
2. I haven't seen it, so my commentary is based more on the reactions I've seen and what I think they mean.
3. Whenever I do see it, I somehow doubt even if I enjoy it, it'll change much of #2.

So, let us ask, progeek and profan-wise, what the incredibly bad reviews and dismal reception for the Last Airbender film mean for future media endeavors.  This is a big enough flop, that I think it bears analysis.

So let's break this down into things I'm sure about and think are possible, and are unsure about.

Wither the Merchandise?

I've been pondering the future of enjoyable collectible stuff for fans.

You know what I'm talking about.  The plastic collectibles, plushies, bobbleheads, etc. 

I've been wondering what the economic future of these is, to be frank.  Little useless trinkets may be fun and collectible, but in a touch economy, I figure they're going to get less and less attention (and as I expect it to be years for the economy to recover, this could be awhile).  There's far more payoff in a rare video, a neat book, etc. than something that presents no other use than ownership.

So I wonder if the collectibles are going to take a hit in the geekonomy and the fannish economy.

This is a casual speculation, but these collectibles form the basis of some specialty stories, they're big at conventions, etc.  This would in turn affect the social experience of fans as stores close, change focus, etc.

Just some idle, geekonomic speculation.

- Steven Savage