The Spoiler Generation: a plea to tumblr and the internet
We citizens of the internet love spoilers. Spoilers for movies upcoming tv episodes, casting rumors, script updates, blurry onset pics and videos, Comic Con appearances, promotional behind-the-scene tv spots. This particularly true of the nerd-horde, who, these days, many would argue are enjoying a relative renaissance of material in the comic book, science fiction, horror and fantasy genres. Their money drives the summer box office, and pays for many a cable subscription and netflix account. But since the advent of the internet, no film or television show can go unreleased without having to cater to the needs of the young spoiler-hungry audience. So I always wonder: why the psychological need to know everything about the movie before you even see it?
Many would say that they don't want to be unpleasantly surprised, which is understandable when it comes to adapted material, like popular books or comic series. People might have avoided the psychological horror of Batman and Robin had they been given some advance warning of its awfulness. Spoilers and pre-existing knowledge of the film gives you the benefit of knowing whether or not they "got it right" or not. And given the enduring, emotional experiences people attach to things like the Harry Potter, Batman, etc, series, the feverish temptation to read every update on the impending film adaptation is understandable.
I turn this discussion towards tumblr. You guys. Yes, you. Within the confines of the "fandom driven" areas of tumblr, those who devote the blog space to their favorite shows, movies, books, actors, etc, the emotional devotion to promoting the piece of work in question is frenetic, often times histrionic, but weirdly admirable. A movie trailer can't sit on the internet for five minutes before it is sufficiently and properly analyzed, photoshopped, colorized, gif'd and posted in the hopes that it will be shared and admired by the rest of the community. And in sharing that appreciation for the show, one only hopes that others will appreciate you for appreciating it. This is fandom in all its glory- half critics circle, half cult, at the best of times: a thoughtful collective who can appreciate the values of screencraft and acting and directing with more insight than the average hack movie critic, at the worst of times: a clawing, inarticulate, ignorant, short-sighted mass of people who want to be adored simply for having what they perceive to be superior tastes.
One only needs to go to tumblr to see the full effect of the spoiler generation. The fervor with which graphics are made and dvd-rips of only just-released films are posted is astounding and I always wonder about those people who are waiting on baited breath to be the first person to gif a scene or post a graphic. (This is not to say that I'm not grateful to the folks who put up the downloads of television I can't watch. This cableless girl thanks you.) On one hand, it kind of demonstrates their love of someone's work, someone's acting or camerawork. On the other hand, and this sounds mean, it demonstrates a fervor to be noticed. To be liked, to be followed, to be a "fandom blog", and to be the best one. But I feel like there's a price, something lost in this: the element of surprise.
I was so annoyed when, three days into the film's release, I saw a gif on my dash of the Wolverine cameo from X-Men: First Class. But I got over it. But then I saw what felt like the entire rest of the film in gif form before I even saw it. And when I finally saw the film, it lacked the verve of something new, it lacked surprise. I know what you're saying: "Unfollow if you don't wanna see it. it's my blog I do what I want THAT'S TUMBLR'S MOTTO." I agree. But a part of me, an angry part that wants these damn kids with their hip hop music and long hair to get of my lawn so I can watch NCIS in peace, just wishes that I could see one movie, any movie, without the obligatory "tumblr fandom obsession" experience. I know this is possible, I know that the answer might just be "get off tumblr" but I like it here. Thus, my frustration with the hivemind spoiler-driven attitude of a fleeting entertainment experience. The new tumblr obsession changes on a near weekly basis. We go through obsessions at whiplash inducing pace, but what do we gain? People say they gain friends they wouldn't have, a better understanding of the medium, etc. Which is great.
I guess as someone who wants to go into writing for film and television, it frustrates me that we've so thoroughly complicated our movie-going and TV viewing experiences. We'll only go see something if we know it's going to be exactly what we want. We have to see the teaser trailer, full trailer, see the on-set stills, hear how it did at Comic Con, and reblog all the gifs before we go to the theater (or download the cam-rip that comes out three hours after release.) Yes, all of those things are crafted by marketing and promotional teams to make sure that everyone gets well-paid, but when was the last time you went to see a movie without reading 40 blog reviews about it first, without hearing all the rumors about the upcoming 3 sequels? When was the last time you tried out a new TV show because you saw an ad for it and thought you might enjoy it- without getting the pre-approval of an internet critic or a group of people yu'll never meet, who all think it sounds "terrible." We all watch things because we want to know what everyone else is talking about, and be a part of the "cool kids" conversations, but what happened to the personal pleasures of entertainment? Why do we see people who say that they didn't think that X-men/Inception/Social Network/Star Trek/Sherlock Holmes/Supernatural/Doctor Who/Community/Harry Potter wasn't that great and roll our eyes and think they're just being contradictory with their "lol unpopular opinions" just to annoy us?
These are all rhetorical questions.
I guess what I'm getting at is: take a risk, if you can afford to do so. Seeing a movie that turns out to be shitty is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Be surprised, don't learn all the secrets ahead of time. Fiction, film, television, all of it, its escapism, it's supposed to be adventurous, its supposed to be a gamble. Your opinion is yours, and once you form it, no one can take it from you, no matter how much it changes over time. Stop complaining that Cap's suit looks funny, that this person will be terrible in this role, that this character's hair isn't right, that they left this part out or got this wrong before you see it and let someone surprise you.
And don't gif movies that are just hitting theaters, that is just...there's something downright fishy about that.
Many would say that they don't want to be unpleasantly surprised, which is understandable when it comes to adapted material, like popular books or comic series. People might have avoided the psychological horror of Batman and Robin had they been given some advance warning of its awfulness. Spoilers and pre-existing knowledge of the film gives you the benefit of knowing whether or not they "got it right" or not. And given the enduring, emotional experiences people attach to things like the Harry Potter, Batman, etc, series, the feverish temptation to read every update on the impending film adaptation is understandable.
I turn this discussion towards tumblr. You guys. Yes, you. Within the confines of the "fandom driven" areas of tumblr, those who devote the blog space to their favorite shows, movies, books, actors, etc, the emotional devotion to promoting the piece of work in question is frenetic, often times histrionic, but weirdly admirable. A movie trailer can't sit on the internet for five minutes before it is sufficiently and properly analyzed, photoshopped, colorized, gif'd and posted in the hopes that it will be shared and admired by the rest of the community. And in sharing that appreciation for the show, one only hopes that others will appreciate you for appreciating it. This is fandom in all its glory- half critics circle, half cult, at the best of times: a thoughtful collective who can appreciate the values of screencraft and acting and directing with more insight than the average hack movie critic, at the worst of times: a clawing, inarticulate, ignorant, short-sighted mass of people who want to be adored simply for having what they perceive to be superior tastes.
One only needs to go to tumblr to see the full effect of the spoiler generation. The fervor with which graphics are made and dvd-rips of only just-released films are posted is astounding and I always wonder about those people who are waiting on baited breath to be the first person to gif a scene or post a graphic. (This is not to say that I'm not grateful to the folks who put up the downloads of television I can't watch. This cableless girl thanks you.) On one hand, it kind of demonstrates their love of someone's work, someone's acting or camerawork. On the other hand, and this sounds mean, it demonstrates a fervor to be noticed. To be liked, to be followed, to be a "fandom blog", and to be the best one. But I feel like there's a price, something lost in this: the element of surprise.
I was so annoyed when, three days into the film's release, I saw a gif on my dash of the Wolverine cameo from X-Men: First Class. But I got over it. But then I saw what felt like the entire rest of the film in gif form before I even saw it. And when I finally saw the film, it lacked the verve of something new, it lacked surprise. I know what you're saying: "Unfollow if you don't wanna see it. it's my blog I do what I want THAT'S TUMBLR'S MOTTO." I agree. But a part of me, an angry part that wants these damn kids with their hip hop music and long hair to get of my lawn so I can watch NCIS in peace, just wishes that I could see one movie, any movie, without the obligatory "tumblr fandom obsession" experience. I know this is possible, I know that the answer might just be "get off tumblr" but I like it here. Thus, my frustration with the hivemind spoiler-driven attitude of a fleeting entertainment experience. The new tumblr obsession changes on a near weekly basis. We go through obsessions at whiplash inducing pace, but what do we gain? People say they gain friends they wouldn't have, a better understanding of the medium, etc. Which is great.
I guess as someone who wants to go into writing for film and television, it frustrates me that we've so thoroughly complicated our movie-going and TV viewing experiences. We'll only go see something if we know it's going to be exactly what we want. We have to see the teaser trailer, full trailer, see the on-set stills, hear how it did at Comic Con, and reblog all the gifs before we go to the theater (or download the cam-rip that comes out three hours after release.) Yes, all of those things are crafted by marketing and promotional teams to make sure that everyone gets well-paid, but when was the last time you went to see a movie without reading 40 blog reviews about it first, without hearing all the rumors about the upcoming 3 sequels? When was the last time you tried out a new TV show because you saw an ad for it and thought you might enjoy it- without getting the pre-approval of an internet critic or a group of people yu'll never meet, who all think it sounds "terrible." We all watch things because we want to know what everyone else is talking about, and be a part of the "cool kids" conversations, but what happened to the personal pleasures of entertainment? Why do we see people who say that they didn't think that X-men/Inception/Social Network/Star Trek/Sherlock Holmes/Supernatural/Doctor Who/Community/Harry Potter wasn't that great and roll our eyes and think they're just being contradictory with their "lol unpopular opinions" just to annoy us?
These are all rhetorical questions.
I guess what I'm getting at is: take a risk, if you can afford to do so. Seeing a movie that turns out to be shitty is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Be surprised, don't learn all the secrets ahead of time. Fiction, film, television, all of it, its escapism, it's supposed to be adventurous, its supposed to be a gamble. Your opinion is yours, and once you form it, no one can take it from you, no matter how much it changes over time. Stop complaining that Cap's suit looks funny, that this person will be terrible in this role, that this character's hair isn't right, that they left this part out or got this wrong before you see it and let someone surprise you.
And don't gif movies that are just hitting theaters, that is just...there's something downright fishy about that.
jubilant
thoughtful