Pop Genres 2020

Week 10 response – Leo Ballantyne

1. On what grounds does Mountfort (2018) dispute Williams’ (1990) view that the I Ching does not figure in the novel aside from a few oracle consultations?

As stated within the question itself, Paul Williams’ “The Author and the Oracle” (1990) suggests that the I Ching is a narrative device of limited importance to the overall themes and narrative of the acclaimed alt-history novel The Man in the High Castle. Mountfort on the other hand, claims this oracle is core to constructing thematic complexity throughout the text as a whole as well as enabling an appropriate reading of the text’s ambiguous conclusion. Central to this claim is the presented idea that the I Ching’s role in the text facilitates the exploration of the philosophical notion of Synchronicity and postmodernism as a framework. The I Ching can best be described as a divination text developed in the Western Zhou period of ancient China to both predict the future and suggest appropriate courses of action to the reader. Multiple times throughout The Man in the High Castle, characters seek the guidance of the I Ching, which in turn informs their course of actions and instigates many of the plot points within the novel. The ongoing prescience of the I Ching in the narrative showcases that at least within this literary setting, there is a level of Synchronicity which dictates the future.

Unlike the common conception of that events occur due to the interplay of many different observable systems and earlier events the precede them in time, Synchronicity as a theory suggests that events occur instead due to unfathomable connections between all things in the universe, and are not in fact random, but dictated by a ‘universal unconscious’ (Radford, 2014). By presenting the I Ching as a means to comprehend reality in an alt-history context, Dick explores the postmodern notion that the reality of this fictional world, and by extension our own, is not necessarily determined by western notions of linear causality or the ‘diachronic’. The I Ching is further used to explore this concept via structural parallels between characters in the text, especially in reference to their use of this oracle. Many of the characters use the I Ching in order to seek answers throughout the text, with the oracle repeatedly providing similar answers to those in similar circumstances, leading to an unknowable connection between these actors both in regards to the events of the story as well as through their shared experiences with the I Ching. These narrative parallels further explore the philosophy that events and individuals are connected by irrational mechanisms, almost as if driven by larger unknowable cosmic cycles. Mountfort posits that without the centrality of the I Ching to these obscured connections, the novel would be unable to function as it does, and therefore this device plays an important role in both the stylistic and thematic choices made in the creation of the text.

Dick also seemingly utilizes the I Ching to underline similarities between our world and that of the text. In The Man in the High Castle, the titular character of the text is an alt-reality version of Dick, who has written his own alt-reality novel which depicts a world roughly similar to ours using the I Ching, much like Dick used the I Ching to plan his novel. Mountfort claims that the intentional mirroring between the two, enabled once more by the I Ching, acts to question whether our reality is any more real than the reality depicted within the novel, adding a postmodern, metafictional element to the novel. This metafictional element is the crux of the conclusion, where the I Ching reveals to the protagonists that the reality constructed by Hawthorne Abendsen also exists in some capacity. Here the I Ching is used once more to enhance the postmodern trend of deconstructing the frameworks we use to understand our reality. Dick uses this conclusion to establish an intertextual interplay between the novel, the internal novel, and our reality, at the centre of which is the I Ching and the philosophies carried with it. With Mountfort highlighting the various narrative and thematic explorations provided by the I Ching, it becomes abundantly clear that Williams’ interpretation of the device is limited at best.

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. Science Fiction Studies, 43(2), 287-309. https://doi:10.5621/sciefictstud.43.2.0287

Williams, P. (1990, December). The author and the oracle. PKDS Newsletter, (25), 1-10.

Radford, B. (2014). Synchronicity: Definition & Meaning. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/43105-synchronicity-definition-meaning.html

Week 5 response – Leo Ballantyne

Looking at Napier and Cavallaro (2006), discuss how anime is culturally ‘located’ – in the East or West, or somewhere else?

It would be impossible to deny the uniquely Japanese roots of Anime. As described by Napier (2005), anime as a medium has evolved from a complex interplay of Japanese cultural traditions, including Woodblock painting and later Manga, amongst others. This translates to many of the conventions and design elements present within anime being wholly Japanese in origin. That being said, we exist in an increasingly globalised word where there is an ongoing exchange of ideas, technical knowledge and creative products. As both Napier and Cavallaro (2006) showcase in their respective texts, this exchange has caused a metamorphosis, where anime’s identity is no longer solely Japanese in character, being derived from a combination eastern and western cultural influences. While Napier explores on a wider scale how anime has been influenced by the pervading globalization of the 20th and 21st centuries, causing this previously mentioned shift in identity, Cavallaro highlights this transformation through the exploration of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated filmography.

From a consumer perspective, anime is certainly no longer located in Japan alone, with a significant viewership having developed in the western world. When Napier published her book in 2005, she wrote about a growing anime following outside of japan, with works, such as Miyazaki’s films and Akira making notable splashes in the international box office. Since this time, Anime’s popularity has only continued to explode. Particularly popular shows such as Dragonball, Pokémon and One piece all made their way onto popular spots on broadcast television, and the transition to streaming services has meant many major providers such as Netflix and Hulu have added anime titles to their catalogue. Now anime exclusive streaming services, such as Crunchyroll, have established themselves as competitors to these western streaming giants (Laux, 2019). This major following not only suggests that anime studios undoubtedly feel a pressure to cater to non-Japanese audiences, but that anime has a fundamental ability to transcend cultural barriers that other eastern mediums may lack. Napier and Cavallaro both provide extensive explanations as to why this universality exists within anime.

Anime, even in the early days of the medium, was created predominantly by a younger Japanese generation who had been exposed to western art and entertainment caused by the lasting colonial chokehold of the global cultural marketplace. This exposure led to anime adopting many influences from western film, television and literature alongside its traditional Japanese roots. Creators would often design settings which weren’t entirely Japanese in nature, with many of Miyazaki’s films amongst other anime utilizing European iconography, mythos and environments, and others creating fictional, culturally non-specific settings that avoid or merge cultural elements from a multitude of societies. Even in settings which are clearly Japanese in nature, cultural barriers are often overcome by the exploration of themes which are universal in their message. Cavallaro particularly emphasises this point, discussing how many of Miyazaki’s works engage with themes of coming of age, environmental destruction, the dangers of unrestrained capitalism and the brutality of totalitarianism, all of which are themes western audiences and beyond can engage with. Similarly, films like Akira discuss the threat of rapid technological advancement, fear of nuclear apocalypse and degradation of community values. While many of these themes do originate from the lasting trauma inherited by the Japanese from the Second World War, their messages engage with fundamental aspects and fears of all human societies. Finally, both academics highlight many technical elements inherited from western cinema tradition. Anime is very much an adaptation of manga, adopting an art style and a mise-en-scene which is which is deeply reminiscent of this earlier medium, however in the process of transition from stage to screen, many studios, including studio Ghibli, opted to use a distinctly western use of cinematographic techniques, including westernised frame movement and shot transition, along with elements of western animation’s fluidity. The combination of these various elements acts to create narratives that western audiences can at least partially understand and relate to.

Through highlighting the sheer scale of interplay that occurs between Japanese and western discourse and texts within anime, both Napier (2005) and Cavallaro (2006) outline the fact that anime cannot be culturally located easily within Japan alone. Much like western cinema, which increasingly features a great many cultural influences, anime has become a product of the global community. Despite its undeniable ties to Japan, anime now operates in an ambiguous grey area between western and eastern, and as cultural boundaries continue to blur, this evolution will only exacerbate anime’s international identity.

Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp 5-28). Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers.

Laux, C. (2019). Is Japanese anime going mainstream? BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191127-the-spirited-world-of-japanese-anime

Week 9 Questions

1. What are the three main genres of cosphotography, and how did they historically develop?

According to Mountfort et al. (2018), cosphotography is a subgenre of photography which focuses on the capture and promotion of Cosers or Cosplay artists through visual mediums. Firstly, photographic practices are a major part of Cosplay culture. It allows for both public and private visual documentation of a cosers hard work by provided photos and videos of the finished product, the Cosplayer’s “final look”, but is also used to document the process of creating the costumes, often by hand, as well as the use of prosthetics, the application of make-up and the time of perfecting the Cosers “act” through poses and other motion captures and gestures (Mountfort et el., 2018). These photos and videos are also used promotionally and have become an avenue for financial gain, allowing for Cosers to receive capital for the work that they do as the images and clips are advertised across websites, social media platforms and other online and offline businesses (Mountfort et el., 2018). In this post I will be discussing the origins and the impacts of three genres of cosphotography, fashion shoot or runway cosphotography, studio portraiture, and hallway snapshots.

According to Mountfort (2018) in 1939, Forrest J. Ackerman, financer of Ray Bradbury’s Future Fantasia zine, and Myrtle R. Jones, also known as Morojo, appeared in matching costumes for Worldcon. Together they wore “futuristic costumes” based on the feature film H.G. Wells’ Things to Come (1936). From that point onwards Worldcon began showcasing costumes with staged competitions, “originat[ing] in an annual Masquerade” (Mountfort et el., 2018). These Masquerades fashioned the first of the cosphotography genres, Fashion shoots or Fashion runways where costumers “posed for photographs”. In relation to Mountfort et el, Lamerichs (2018) mentions that these fashion shoots and runways have become organized as not only mainstream fashion culture, but also as professionally organized catwalks. These fashion shows are often combined with a narrative which the Coser’s costume or character is based, and the Coser is given either a stage platform or a literal runway to showcase their character and their accompanying costume (Lamerichs, N., 2018).

Second are the studio portraits or portraitures, introduced with the commercialization of cameras from 1925 and the release of the Kodak Retina I in 1934 which allowed for cameras to reach the wider mass population as well as the production and introduction of the Argus A in 1936 and the Argus C3 in 1939 (Mountfort et el., 2018). By the 1970s, studio portraiture became prominent, staging shots of fans modelling their costumes for both professional and amateur photographers. The studio portraits paved the way for today’s photography sessions, sometimes held during or after a fashion show, in which the Coser’s costumes become the highlight of the session. Photography sessions have become not only central to Cosers, but also to the photographers themselves, as a means of honing their photography skills and building photography portfolios (Lamerichs, N., 2018).

Lastly is the hallway snapshots, that unlike the above genres which are often well organized, orchestrated and formal, are considered informal and casual. While often initiated in conjunction with fashion shows hallway snapshots which during the Worldcon Masquerades were taken in less staged shoots such as from the sidelines of the competitions (Mountfort et el., 2018). Now in the modern age where almost every person owns a smartphone with a camera, hallway snapshots are classified as those photographs taken of Cosers by fans of the Coser or the character that the Coser plays. These photographs are often taken as something to be expected, and even as compliments (Lamerichs, N., 2018).

References

Lamerichs, N. (2018). Productive fandom: Intermediality and affective reception in fan cultures. Amsterdam University Press.

Mountfort, P., Peirson-Smith, A., & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Blackboard. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/

Week 4 response – Leo Ballantyne

2. Is anime a high or low cultural medium, according to Susan Napier (2005) and what are some of its subgenres?

As stated by Napier (2005), the nature of providing cultural value to any given text is often immensely mercurial – with factors such as time period, audience demographics and social-economic context all affecting whether various genres are considered ‘high’ or ‘low’ culture. With this in mind, Napier provides an argument as to why by the subjective standards of the time, many anime works could be considered high culture – with their ability to address complex sociological themes, expand upon cultural traditions and engage a wide range of audiences. While anime operates like any other medium in the sense that there is a wide variety of quality and complexity which is present within the genre, Napier suggests that specific texts provide similar thematic depth and cultural reflection to that of anime’s more traditional counterparts such as Manga, woodblock printing and live-action film.

Unlike western animation, which has only just recently managed to begin diversifying away from children’s entertainment and adult comedy, with shows such as Bojack Horseman and Midnight Gospel starting to explore mature themes of addiction, depression and mental health (Chow, 2019), Japanese animation has managed for some time to tell mixed stories in a wide range of mature and immature genres. Sci-fi, fantasy, horror, medieval drama, mystery and romance are among some of the narrative types which are present within anime, many of which are consumed by a wide range of demographics, from children to the elderly. This diversity in subgenre enables a diversity in theme which aids in anime’s ability to be considered a ‘high’ cultural medium. Anime is also intrinsically tied to, and informed by previous high cultural Japanese traditions. Japan has a rich pictographic tradition between the ancient woodblock printing responsible, and the deeply visual literature of manga which borrows from this earlier tradition. Anime’s art style is heavily inspired by these historical movements, and the narratives depicted are often directly borrowed from manga series, especially in televised anime shows which are more capable of depicting the content dense narratives of the manga they are adapting. This intrinsic link to Japan’s cultural heritage, according to Napier (2005) adds a further layer of legitimacy to anime as a high cultural medium.

Finally, Napier highlights that thematic complexity, which reflects, subverts and enhances Japanese cultural understandings is often presented within Anime movies and series using three major thematic modes which their creators use to construct meaning. The first mode is that of Apocalypse. In many apocalypse anime, society has experienced some form of collapse – whether it be via physical or ideological destruction – and a main cast of characters must attempt to traverse the world that is left behind. This mode is most frequently used as a vehicle to explore Japanese social anxieties regarding the decay of traditional values, the growing destructive scope of technology and environmental degradation. Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 anime Akira embodies this mode in a number of significant ways. Akira’s cyberpunk dystopia depicts a world where an apocalypse which caused mass death has facilitated the birth of a new society which lacks significant care for family and community and emphasises unrestrained individualism and greed. The multiple cataclysms that occur within the film are very much an analogy for the atomic bombings that decimated Nagasaki and Hiroshima, as well as a reflection of Japan’s newfound fear of rapid and irresponsible technological advancement. Similarly, the ideological apocalypse that has occurred within the world of Akira reflects the post-war anxiety that such widespread destruction, which tore many families apart, had dealt irreparable damage to the country’s entrenched social values (Schley, 2018). As represented here, the mode of apocalypse is capable of expressing complicated social understandings and exploring broad questions of human nature and cultural trauma. The second mode identified by Napier, carnival, is more so an expression of frustration at the current restrictive status quo, and a cathartic escape from these norms. In carnival, the absurd is embraced and traditional roles, which are often quite restrictive in japan, are reversed and upturned, if only momentarily, celebrating the taboo and unconventional. Finally, the mode Napier describes as elegy evokes a sense of loss and tragedy, where texts explore the impermanence of many of life’s pleasures, the loss of innocence, the lasting impacts of trauma and the passage of time – concepts core to the human experience. These modes, used together within Japan’s anime scene, have constructed a rich thematic tapestry which has facilitated impactful cultural discourse throughout both Japan and much of the globalised world. With this in mind, it can hardly be argued that anime doesn’t constitute a high cultural medium, if such a category should exist.

Napier, S. (2005). Why anime? In Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle (pp.3-34). Hampshire: Palgrave/ Macmillan.

Chow, A. (2019). Adult Animation Is Pushing New Boundaries. A Look Inside Its Evolution from The Simpsons to BoJack Horseman. Time. https://time.com/5752400/adult-animation-golden-age/

Schley, M. (2018). ‘Akira’: Looking back at the future. The Japan Times. https://features.japantimes.co.jp/akira-new/

Week 12: Sia Caldwell

Can reality tv still be thought of as a genre given the high level of hybridity that exists?

“The analysis of hybridized television has centred on changes in the status of reality” (Wood, 2004). Producers are mixing with fiction and non-fiction elements creating questionable authenticity. This has made it complex in categorizing TV shows into their home genre. Reality Television is presenting signs of hybridity, they are manipulating, distorting and editing videos to capture the attention of their audience. It is difficult to catergorize Reality TV as non-fiction, even though it insists it is ‘unscripted’ and ‘real’. The genuine amount of footage is unknown, thus viewers question if what they are viewing is authentic. Wood (2004) explains that hybridizations is “true stories” that bases the use of fiction upon fact or diversions that create entertaining content.

According to Wood (2004), television can be divided into four modes: Fact, fiction, entertainment and advertising. Factual programming presents shows such as ‘the news’, information that is factual and reliable to believe. Fiction programming consists of drama and films etc., things that are imaginary and not true. Entertainment programming includes game shows and talk shows etc., conveying a theatrical aspect. Advertisement programming comprises of commercials that are marketing to promote or sell. (Wood, 2004. p. 47).

Wood (2004) presents four characteristic hinges that turn the above modes upon each other: Re-enactment, diversion, absorption and infomercial. Re-enactments are defined as external world events, diversions portray displaying the individual as themselves, absorption refers to extreme situations combining facts and reality with fiction to create bigger impact, infomercials are programme long that advertise a product. Each of these use the four modes of television producing unique content.

In a South Korean reality TV show called “I live alone” a lot of hybridity can be discovered. It is very unique as it is a reality TV show within another Reality TV show. The programme focuses on the lives of a multiple individuals that live alone. Then once the shooting and producing is done they all meet together in a room where cameras all set up and the watch the episode together. The video cuts back and forth to scenes of them living alone back to scenes where they are watching and commenting on the episode with the other individuals and also jumps into confessional footage cuts. Footage scenes are added, deleted, juggled around, and also re-explained. A lot of time and effort is taken editing to create an episode that will entertain the audience.

I think that reality TV can still be though of as genre. However, when referring to reality tv it would be useful if people used sub-genres like romance, crime, informational, reality-drama, competition/game, and talent to separate the different contents. By doing this, people will be able to decide what type of reality Tv they would like to watch and it will be easier for them to to distinguish authenticity and the level of hybridity used.

References:

Wood, B. (2004) A World in Retreat: The Reconfiguration of Hybridity in 20th-Century New Zealand Television. Media, Culture & Society, 26(1), 45-62. doi:10.1177/0163443704039709

Week 11: Sia Caldwell

How real is reality tv?

The Cambridge English dictionary defines reality television as television programmes that are filmed of real situations using ordinary people instead of actors.

Reality TV first emerged in the 1990’s and became a success in the early 2000s. (Sanneh, 2011). Reality TV is supposedly an unscripted form of television that films real events and situations in someone’s life. Some shows decide to use a host, and some use a narrator to set the events for the audience. Many people enjoy watching reality TV because they are able to see into the life of others or they are able to find a connection because they may relate to the people or the situation of the people being filmed.

Kilborn (1994) attempts to define reality TV and suggests that there are slice-of-life scenes but also fictional drama rooted scenes to please the audience’s attention. She further explains that the primary objective for reality TV producers is to produce a programme that highlights reality and people’s real experiences. Thankfully, due to the advancement in technology, there are many ways to film reality TV such as: camera team, hidden cameras, personal camcorders, cellphones, body cameras and microphones. If the individual or an amateur is in control of the camera then their shaky shots, focus and weird angles will contribute to the realness of the show.

Kilborn (1994) helps convey that ‘reality’ may not be the reality everyone believes it to be. A cruicial factot in Reality programming is the attempt to simulate drama amongst individuals and groups by over exaggerating the problem and editing in a clever and canny manner. The producers are able to accomplish this by cutting the footage and introducing a hybrid mix of presenter talk, other participants opinions, other footage and material and also forms of audience participation (Kilborn, 1994). This all results in manipulation and distorted footage to the point some viewers question what they are viewing and whether it is authentic.

It isn’t possible to distinguish how real reality television is with a set percentage, this is because there are hundreds of various shows with diverse topics that focus on different content and areas of life. Therefore, all the shows will vary in the amount of drama, people and alteration due to the different featured formats.

References:

Kilborn, K. (1994). `How real can you get?’: Recent developments in `reality’ television. European Journal of Communication, 9, 421-439. DOI: 10.1177/0267323194009004003

reality TV: meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reality-tv.

Sanneh, K. (2011). The Rise and Rise of Reality Television. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/09/the-reality-principle.

Week 10: Sia Caldwell

What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

Science fiction is a genre that is fiction based and focuses on imaginary technological or scientific advances. The genre also frequently uses social and environmental changes in its narrative. Some examples include: Time travel, Teleportation, Aliens, extraterrestrial lifeforms, and mutants, Space travel and exploration, Interplanetary warfare, Parallel universes, Fictional worlds etc.

Alternate history is a subgenre of science fiction, it emphases on the “what if” rather than science. Alternate history uses fictional worlds to present actions or events that took place in the past and at a certain time changing the result.

According to Shimmin (2019) There are three common elements of alternative history:

1. Background history the same as the real world,

2. A change at one critical point (the Point of Departure).

3. A story that explores the consequences of that change.

The second element, the point of departure is where the action or event at a particular time occurred differently in the alternative world and the real world resulting in the two worlds (two histories) being distinctly different. For instance, instead of myself moving to Auckland, I stayed in Dunedin which would create the starting point for a different world, leading to the flow in constant change thus an alternative history.

According to Ramson (2010) “the postmodern alternate history tends to be synchronicity narrative that include historical chaos.” (p. 263) Meaning, that the alternate history concentrations on historical changes that could result in chaos and thus, presenting a postmodern perspective.

Recently, I watched a Korean drama called “The King: Eternal Monarch” this drama practices postmodern alternate history’ as it presents two worlds affected by the Japanese colonization and rule but both worlds take different paths. The worlds are represented at the same point in time through the drama. ‘Kingdom of Corea into the parallel world of the Republic of Korea’ Every single person has a doppelganger in the other world. The difference is that one world won the battle against Japan and one lost resulting in significant change. The 2020 South Korea we know today is portrayed with a democracy, but the other world is still led under the monarchy.

Uchrione is the French term to describe alternative history generes. (p. 66) According to Mountfort (2016) elaborates on the three subcategories of uchronie: “pure uchronia,” which is stated to consist of one alternative world; “plural uchronia,” in which two worlds exist in parallel, and “infinite uchronia,” with many worlds that can be many worlds including infinite parallel worlds (p. 306)

In conclusion, the genres I have listed above all involve the use of alternate world/worlds but differ in future outcomes due to altered timelines. The Synchronic or diachronic perspective in the narrative is important to take note of in order to determine genres.

Mountfort, P. (2018). Science fictional doubles: Technologization of the doppelganger and sinister science in serial science fiction TV. Journal of Science & Popular Culture, 1(1) 59-75. https://doi.org/10.1386/jspc.1.1.59_1

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. Science Fiction Studies.

Ransom, A. (2010). Warping Time: Alternate History, Historical Fantasy, and the Postmodern Uchronie Québécoise. Extrapolation.

Shimmin, G. (2019, May 7). What is Alternative History? Alternative History Defined. Graeme Shimmin, spy thriller and alternate history writer. http://graemeshimmin.com/what- is-alternative-history/.

Singles, K. (2013). Alternate history: playing with contingency and necessity. De Gruyter.

Week 9: Sia Caldwell

In what ways can cosphotography be understood as a form of “fan capital”?

Contemporary cosplay consists of many factors and features, but photography plays a fundamental part in capturing the final concepts and characters as well as the cosplay culture as a whole. According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) Cosphotography can be interpreted as ‘Cosplay photography’. They further explain that Cosphotography and Fan Capital’ are used to explore different photographic practices at cosplaying sites (p. 11).

The digital world has expanded, and the cosplay world is vast, thanks to fan conventions and the use of photographs and video, cosplay is not only reflected but shaped in the way cosplay is performed and assembled (Mountfort et al., p. 47, 2018). However, all things acquire a cost, assembling characters and gathering materials is no cheap task, therefore by being photographed and videoed cosplayers may be provided with “private value but fan capital that circulates within wider, largely online networks of exchange operating in the cosphere.” (Mountfort et al., p. 47, 2018).

Photographic images and videos are moments captured in time and they remain after the cosplay has come to an end, these are valued highly due to their possible use in ‘promotional media and documentary recordings’ (p. 57). Audience and spectators play a great deal in a cosplayers authenticity. Being photographed can be seen as recognition from the photographer, thus complimenting and acknowledging authenticity. Spectators upload the pictures on social media and on other online websites using hashtags as clickbait that circulate, and resurface, promoting cosplay throughout many platforms such as Instagram, facebook, tiktok, devianart,, tumblr and cosplay dedicated pages like Cure WorldCosplay and Cosplay (p. 57, p. 64). “For cosplayers, photographs and video can serve as tokens of exchange within an economy of desire that values subcultural capital or hipness rather than raw dollar value” (p.11).

Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) explain that cosplay performances are the main currency for fan capital and even though moving image media has grown incredibly large throughout the industry still images are still considered to influence the lead of currency and exchange in fan capital economics (p. 38).

References:

Mountfort, P., Peirson-Smith, A., & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Intellect

Week 8: Sia Caldwell

What does the terms détournement mean and how is it applicable to cosplay?

“Cosplay is simultaneously a détournement, a requisitioning of prefabricated materials in order to fashion new identities” (Mountfort et al., p. 35, 2018). According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) détournement means ‘to reroute’ or ‘to hijack’ and for situationists was linked to ‘ludic,’ (p. 24) In the urban dictionary (2003) the English translation is defined by the Situationist International movement of the 1960s as ‘diversion’ and that situationists used it as a way of method to express ‘artistic creation’. Détournement is applicable to cosplay because it is related to the situationists ‘ludic’ play and thus resulting is many people framing cosplay. According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) cosplayers add their own features or features from something else to create a product they are pleased with by create something new, this could be things such as parody, pastiche, satire, burlesque, and caricature (Mountfort et al., p. 24, 2018). Other cosplayers choose to edit media source materials instead of dressing up and acting a part, they mix, match and mash fanfiction and primary sources together to produce to their preference. To clarify, some people are so invested into cosplay that they use something that already exist to reshape and remake it into something else, thus ‘framing cosplay’

Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) claims “Détournement is useful for framing cosplay as not simply a form of fandom, but as a critical practice” (p. 24).

Cosplay is simply known as the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book, or video game which most people know, seen or done on Halloween. However, cosplay is so much more than dressing up on Halloween, it is a form of art that demonstrates and celebrates diversity, acceptance and expression. Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) mentions that in order for the cosplayer and the audience to successfully accomplish the character that the cosplay community recommend being familiar with the story world.

There is no limit to cosplay characters due to vast story worlds you can jump into and become a part of. is why so many fans enjoy dressing up. According to Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) in Cosplay representations of different race are possible if done so appropriately (p. 24). Mountfort, Peirson-Smith, Geczy (2018) also states “Cosplay also often subverts gender, as ‘crossplay” (p. 24).In Cosplay the change of gender appearance is openly accepted and done, men are able to dress as females and more commonly woman dress as females. However, do not confuse this with our stunning drag queens. Cosplay is becoming the character and drag is expression through gender, however there are drag queen cosplayers, who go the extra level to express themselves a little more through a character as well. Spectators may watch and think characters but the individuals in those costumes become their characters.

“détournement is key to understanding cosplay not just as fan-based consumerism but also as a critical practice” (Mountfort et al., p. 24, 2018).

References:

Mountfort, P., Peirson-Smith, A., & Geczy, A. (2018). Planet cosplay: Costume play, identity and global fandom. Intellect.

Sonic. (2003). Detournement. Urban Dictionary. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Detournement.

Week 7: Sia Caldwell

King’s (2010) three basic elements in reference to Korean horror film: Peninsula (2020)

Stephen King is a master mind behind horror fiction and one of his greatest abilities is that he can manifest the fear of the reader and create it into a work of fiction (Stobbart, 2017). King states in his book that “The good horror story about the Bad Place whispers that we are not locking the world out; we are locking ourselves in with them” (Rowe, 2019). King explained that there are three levels or elements known that produce a well written horror narrative in a novel or film that strikes fear in its audience. (Suderman, 2017).

The first level which is said to be the lowest of the three is the gross out. (Regal, 2019). This represents the parts of the narration that are gruesome, revolting and gag worthy when experienced by the audience/reader.

In the movie Peninsula (2020) The gross out is amongst the scene I identified as the Ship scene: South Korea is infested with a virus that creates zombies and so survivors escape to a large ship. One of the people are in infected in the lower cabins and kills, bites, infects the remaining people inside. People transform into zombies, their bones breaking back to front and they jump on others as if catching prey like a lion. The room is covered in blood, the snarls and sounds from the zombies and the way they look is terrifying.

The second level is the horror, initiating fear into the audience with something unbelievable or unnatural. (Regal, 2019). This could include sound, lighting, speed features or incredibly well thought camera angles within a film. This level is meant to put the audience in a mindset of struggle and make it difficult for them to comprehend what is going on. It looks for phobic pressure points. (Rowe, 2019).

In the movie Peninsula (2020) the horror I recognised was amongst the Arena scene:

A Korean man who was sent from Hong Kong to collect money from the zombie-invaded abandoned Korea is attacked by zombies and ambushed by unknown survivors. The man is taken to the base where the survivors are and is beaten, screamed at and treated like bait. The men write the number 61 on the front and back of his body in red spray paint and he is thrown into an arena with other captured men where they fight for their lives against zombies for 2 minutes. This scene was disgusting to watch as the men outside of the arena appeared to be animals, they were more hostile and threatening than the zombies.

Finally, the third and worst level is the terror, the reader or audience is provoked into using their own imagination to grasp what might happen and what is there. (Regal, 2019). Terror exploits the way the human mind in a physiological way. (Suderman, 2017).

This element gives the audience control to visualise what they believe the unknown is. This is the most terrifying as the individual will picture something that is truly petrifying to themselves. King states that terror is the most interesting yet hardest to execute appropriately making the audience/reader feel a tense sense of discomfort. (Fables, 2018).

In the movie Peninsula (2020), I believe the terror was represented through the suspense and survival scenes. The suspense was repetitively terrifying because I didn’t know where and when the zombies would jump out at the camera. The fight for survival and the relentless horrifying obstacles that refrained the survivors from being saved constantly gave me the chills. Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy horrors myself and the timing of Covid19 and watching this movie truly provoked me to imagine disturbing zombie outbreak endings for us here in New Zealand and to me this was terror.

Ultimately, the three elements are needed to create an authentic horror narration. The gross-out, the horror and the terror all contribute to creating fear, chaos, turmoil, disease, loss and disarray to the reader or audience. In Kings book he explains, “I recognize terror as the finest emotion…and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find I cannot terrify him/her, I will try to horrify; and if I find I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.” (Rowe, 2019).

Reference List:

Duran, M. (2016, October 31). The Real Horror of Lovecraft’s Cosmicism. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.mikeduran.com/2016/10/31/the-real-horror-of-lovecrafts-cosmicism/

Fables, J. (2018). R/horror – Terror, Horror, Grossout – Thoughts on Stephen King’s 3 layers of horror? Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/8vjucp/terror_horror_grossout_thoughts_on_stephen_kings/

Kim, Y. (Producer), & Yeon, S. (Writer/Director). (2020). Peninsula [Motion picture]. South Korea: Next Entertainment World.

King, S. (2010). Danse Macabre. Everest House.

Regal. (2019, August). Stephen King’s 3 Levels of Horror. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.regmovies.com/static/en/us/blog/stephen-king-3-levels-of-horror

Rowe, B. (2019, May 11). Why Stephen King’s ‘Danse Macabre’ is the Ultimate Love Letter to Horror. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://medium.com/read-watch-write-repeat/why-stephen-kings-danse-macabre-is-the-ultimate-love-letter-to-horror-282e455c8f27

Stobbart, D. (2020, July 20). Stephen King: A master of horror who finds terror in the everyday. Retrieved September 05, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/stephen-king-a-master-of-horror-who-finds-terror-in-the-everyday-83758

Suderman, P. (2017, February 07). Stephen King’s hierarchy of scares remains the best explanation of how horror movies work. Retrieved September 06, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/7/14492124/stephen-king-rings-horror-movie-scares