Open Forum Friday: Do Blogs and Fansites Deserve More Respect From Big Media?
It’s been an interesting couple of days across the movie blogosphere. I was just reading an article recently (via FilmRot) by someone who used to write for Film Jerk, recounting how they were snubbed by a studio when requesting information for a news story. Then came this whole fiasco with The Movie Blog being temporarily shut down by Paramount for posting an unauthorized set photo from Transformers. This has managed to generate a fair amount of bad press for Paramount (deservedly so), although let’s be realistic here — it’s not like they torched Campea’s apartment or anything. Still, blogs have become a major source of information for a lot of people around the world, providing more timely and opinionated commentary than traditional news media. And yet, bloggers get little to no respect from the people who should support them most. Why? I’m well aware that blogs and fansites can be annoying and unprofessional. A lot of the time the writing is lower quality, and coming from people who have no real credentials. The information is sometimes less reliable. But it doesn’t change the fact that these blogs have a large sphere of influence nowadays. Individually they may seem small and insignificant, but together they add up to a heck of a lot of readers. Don’t they deserve a little more consideration? A few filmmakers out there have learned to work closely with the internet community, but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. On the other hand, maybe bloggers have been given too much power. Maybe they don’t deserve to be given the time of day because they don’t play by any rules, can’t be held accountable for their actions, and have no responsibility to be objective. I’d be scared of them too. Are blogs liberating, dangerous, or both? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (1)
This is a great topic. I’ve always thought that the key to critics is finding one that has similar tastes because, lets face it, we’re all different. I’m finding that with the internet and blogs in particular, it’s easier to find critics or folks in general who share the same tastes. I’m much more likely to see a movie reviewed well by an individual who shares some of the same tastes than if some guy who is well recognized but with who’s opinion I tend to disagree with.
To boot, you’re completely right to say that put together, they are a large force and that we’re not so much in competition with eachother but rather a community and the whole thing with the Movie Blog is a great example. Plus with the outcome, it just goes to show that the studios are paying attention.
Posted by themarina on July 7th, 2006Leave a Reply