Commercialization of Science-Fiction Presenter: Pellegrino Cioffi Course: ENG 2420 Date: Dec. 6th, 2016

Introduction

The Distinction of “Commercialization” Different from Classic Works we went through in class Brave New World, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, There Will Come Soft Rains, etc. These are franchises, brands and intellectual properties that were made primarily for entertainment of consumers or had the intention to try and make money A large amount of popular culture Science-Fiction examples Although they may also try to convey a deeper meaning or idea about our society, these are texts that have either become heavily monetized or came into existence for the intent to be marketed

Motivation For The Topic Reflecting on the difference of the works we did in class and what society sees as Science-Fiction nowadays in popular media When first coming into class, most of the Science-Fiction I was exposed to has had some Commercialization involved with it (mostly film and video games) Being a fan of Marvel and Star Wars myself, I wanted to see the facets that surrounded these texts In regards to fandoms In regards to production from the creators This idea also came to me because of my recent fascination with Warhammer 40K Not as commercially successful as, say, Star Wars but offers a lot in regards to story-telling and world building, while at the same time intended to be a marketed IP

The Procedure Preliminary Research & Prescribed Hypotheses First looked at multiple sources; from looking at sample service agreements to forum posts Multiple Ideas I thought of and wanted to talk about, like the idea of what determines what a “good” franchise is in the perspective of both the consumer/fan and the content creator Thought of multiple franchises I would want to talk about in my project and looked into their histories (including Star Wars, Warhammer 40K, Marvel, Transformers, and Doctor Who) General Research; with Google Scholar and more Refined Sources Focused my research more into a look at Commercialized Science- Fiction hollistically to get a basis to work from the ground up (will be looked at in more detail in a bit)

Body

Background Information Looking at the history of Science-Fiction The transition of Science-Fiction from the ‘poetic’ to the ‘political’ (Sobchack, 11) The shift of attention that came from the commercial success of movies Originally intended to have hard to conceptualize concepts being easier to digest Now focused on visual spectacles and escape from reality Fandom plays a huge role in this There are multiple types and tiers of fandom (from casual to extreme) Mutual effect of influence from text to fan, i.e. cyclical Targeting of the Text There are also multiple ways that a company or creator wants to target their text From the cult followings to the general consumer

http://www.wardshelley.com/paintings/pages/fullpics/HistSciFi2.jpg

Break-Down of Research Three-Fold Research Look into fandoms: the range of fandoms, their effects on Science-Fiction culture and the texts made through it, and the causes for their creation Look into marketing: look at how companies try to market to consumers (appealing to them) and what they view as the most profitable aspect of their campaigns Look into the focus of texts: seeing what the intent of heavily Commercialized Science- Fiction texts and looking into the causes for their successes or failures

Actual Data Used (So Far) Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film Talks about the history of Science- Fiction It’s shift in media and the effects that had on the genre Science Fiction Audiences: Watching Doctor Who and Star Trek Looks at fandoms Demographics involved Reasons for their creations

Conclusion

Current Findings There is a relation to the scope of what a creator’s intended audience is, the success of the franchise, and the content that gets produced from this Paying close attention to the scale of the company that makes a creative work is important in understanding the content of a work Comparing the grand scale of Disney and their platform to be as inclusive to as many audiences as possible compared to Games Workshop and their niche audience that they try to appeal to The more marketable something is means that the creative work is more all encompassing to a larger audience; so it can be reasoned that the content of the marketed text facilitates themes and ideas that are more broad and attempting to lean to non-bias

Significance of Research "There are many good reasons for studying popular fiction. The best, though, is that it matters. In the many and varied forms in which they are produced and circulated – by the cinema, broadcasting institutions, and the publishing industry – popular fictions saturate the rhythms of everday life. In doing so, they help to define our sense of ourselves, shaping our desires, fantasies, imagined pasts, and projected futures. An understanding of such fictions – of how they are produced and circulated, organized and received – is thus central to an understanding of ourselves; of how those selves have been shaped and of how they might be changed." (Tulloch, viii)

Reflections Learned a lot about fandoms Learned a lot about marketing Had a general idea (and even was part of some), but never saw a scholarly view of it Learned a lot about marketing Fun Fact: Disney was one of the first companies to market a creative work, with the release of Steamboat Willie; having Mickey Mouse appear on writing tablets for $300 to help commision other works Learned a lot about the history of Science-Fiction The transition of the genre to more spectacle based appeal was a huge insight

Thanks, Any Questions?

Works Cited Sobchack, Vivian Carol. Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. New York: Ungar, 1987. Print. Tulloch, John, and Henry Jenkins. Science Fiction Audiences: Watching Doctor Who and Star Trek. London: Routledge, 1995. Print. Jenkins, Henry. "Interactive Audiences? The 'Collective Intelligence' of Media Fans." N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016. <http://labweb.education.wisc.edu/curric606/readings/Jenkins2002.pdf>. Jancovich, Mark. Defining Cult Movies: The Cultural Politics of Oppositional Taste. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2003. Print.

Other Sources http://www.marklitwak.com/movie-merchandising.html http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road- Movies/Merchandising-HISTORICAL-BACKGROUND-AND-DEFINITIONS.html http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.336774-Warhammer- 40k-What-make-us-love-it-so-much All other sources used (i.e., images) have links attached to them from original source