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wikidz-blog · 7 years

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Fandom

We see the word ‘fandom’ often. To some people a fandom is merely an attraction to something or someone – but there is a far deeper meaning of fandom than meets the eye. To some people, fandom is a beautiful thing – they are given the opportunity to express themselves freely in communities formed of similar and the same interests.

To me, fandom does not necessarily mean an obsession. Everything has a fandom and there are many different interpretations to it. Jensen argue that “these respectable social types could also be defined as ‘fans,’ in that they display interest, affection and attachment, especially for figures in, or aspects of, their chosen field.” (Jensen, J 1992).

Raves and good music play a big part in my life – it is not a cliché when I say you could not ask for a better community to be a part of, the vibes and the people make your experiences a million times better than they would be in an ordinary top 40, disorderly environment.

It’s more than just the top tracks of the month, it’s about the togetherness music instills on someone. Not only shared between friends but extends to strangers brought together through mutual appreciation, therefore to some extent extending friendships that you never previously had. “Rave culture intensified the commitment to an underground ideology in dance music.” (Bennett, Shank and Toynbee, 2006) there is a shared mentality of positive energy amongst everyone involved – usually.

The scene which I can call home is dominated by males without a doubt and this is an issue, when female producers are constantly accused on social media and in real life of not producing their own music.

Jackmaster who is a highly recognisable name in the industry even recently picked up on the misogyny and addressed it on Twitter – “Tonight was the 1st time that the plight and/or prejudice surrounding females in the music industry truly hit home and resonated with me” (Source: twitter.com/Jackmaster, 5 February)

He continues with a series of tweets and one of them stating that ‘’some of the things (he) I heard tonight about women in industry are fucking unacceptable” (Source: twitter.com/Jackmaster, 5 February)

Even though nightlife and raves have the mentality to unify people, there are subtle ways which oppose that idea – and it is no secret that the scene is still male ruled. Festival line ups recently and previously can only verify that fact, which is the sad truth.

Although this particular fandom has some flaws, it is only natural that as someone who loves the scene would want to continue to spread awareness and instead of tarnishing it educate others and work for a better future for everyone.

Bibliography:

Bennett, A., Shank, B. and Toynbee, J. (2006). The popular music studies reader. London: Routledge.

Jensen, J. (1992) ‘Fandom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterisation’. In Lewis, L. A. (Ed.) The Adoring Audience. London, Routledge, pp9-15.

Exploring subcultures

The word culture is something often related to ‘higher’ culture – for example the theatre, classical music and literature etc. and can also be interpreted as the idea of certain behaviours and patterns amongst a community. Another word to describe culture would be something of a tradition which continues to pass through generations as part of their upbringing.

Subcultures are easiest defined when taken away from the bigger picture of culture. In short terms, subculture is a more in depth version of the generalized idea of culture, often not as widely recognized or accepted by what society sees as the ‘norm’ in cultural behaviours and events. Fischer defines subcultures as ‘relatively distinct social subsystem[s] within a larger social system and culture’ (Fischer 1975, 1323)

The first time I had an experience with subculture was when I discovered Tumblr as an early teen. My interest only grew closer to it the more I felt isolated from certain situations and people at school – it was almost like a getaway.

I have never felt compelled to follow the lead of people in school, therefore having been introduced more closely to Tumblr, I started discovering new music, different fashion and I started developing interests. This was the gateway to my adventure with social media and discovering the different sides to the internet.

Like with all social media, Tumblr’s popularity grew and then plummeted, leaving some people remembered as almost celebrities of the internet. Having the largest social following they were seen as the ‘leaders’ who would organize meet ups in different cities.

There would many friendships and relationships formed just through that community and it felt almost as though if you knew about it and you had something in common with it, there was a sense of relief that there was far more to do and see than be stuck in the boring reality of school.

A lot of the Tumblr famous, despite being loved by some, there was a lot of bullying involved towards them by those who felt almost offended by the way they acted and were portraying themselves on social media.

A lot of people did not accept it but as an early teenager sometimes you are more attracted to things that are out of the norm, as it you a platform to express yourself in different ways, albeit through clothing, music, hair styles etc. It felt almost ‘cool’ to have it, to the point where almost everybody even those who hated the idea at the beginning, would turn up to school wearing what I would now call them ‘edgy, Tumblr’ outfits – the Primark vest top and cardigan style was no more.

Communication amongst subcultures particularly through style allows them to form and display an identity (Hebdige, 1979) Some people opted for bright hair, different styles – some went more urban some went more ‘scene’ and people received a lot of backlash.

Subcultures are often targeted negatively by outsiders because they are something new and others perhaps don’t understand it.

In every generation there are emerging subcultures, like for example when Acid House first emerged into mainstream media and was seen as an enormous threat, whereas now that environment is very much socially accepted.

Bibliography:

Fischer, Claude S. 1975. ‘Towards a Subcultural Theory of Urbanism.’ American Journal of Sociology 80: 1319–41

Hebdige, D (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London: Routledge

Researching cult media and cult fandom

Cult media in film and cult fandom are what can be described as more ‘hardcore’. According to Austin “Cult films may be uniquely characterized by the repeated attendance of a group of individuals” (Austin, B 2008). However Hills talks about the dangerously close perceptions of those who in a fan cult are to those in a religious one and states that “disparate fan cultures may well use religious metaphors and devotional discourses…but all these fan cultures nevertheless deny their ‘religious’ status in order to avoid a stigmatization” (Hills, M 2002) suggesting that some could depict cults as a negative thing.

Austin uses the example of The Rocky Horror Picture show, and he talks about the “its generation of a cult phenomenon” (Austin B).

I chose Dirty Dancing to as a topic of discussion, with this dominating in the 80’s, as someone who is part of the female however not original fan base.

The film is a classic and one of the reason why it became such a hit is because of how relatable Baby was to everyone. It was a film which any girl could relate to and therefore made you feel a connection to the characters and storyline.

Having watched this film when I was younger, it made me almost feel like I wanted a similar thing to happen to me when I grew up. The passion and empathy you are able to feel whilst watching this film is the reason it became so infatuating for many. The different social situations of the characters and the social hierarchy portrayed in the film (when the famous quote “Some people matter, some people don’t” came from) seemed to be relevant then and still is to this day.

What made the film ‘cult’ is the response it received and the longevity of this response which has carried out over many years and still in current day and age ceases to amaze people if they are first time viewers.

At the time of its release, the film could have come across as quite exciting and naughty, having displayed an obvious sexual chemistry at a time when people were only just getting used to the idea of sex as before it appears to have been quite a taboo subject for many years prior. The idea of falling pregnant at a young age, pre-marital could have also been frowned upon.

Based on this, I believe that it is hard for a film to actually qualify for its cult status. Many productions in the past have aspired to match the standard and at the time, innovatively. “Cult status can be defined by the ways in which texts are classified in consumption” (Jancovich et al, 2003: p.509) which again examines the challenging criteria such as public responses and the aftermath of the release and what effect it has had on audiences, before the film can get the cult title.

Hills argues that “Cult fandom is a project of the self which is primarily and significantly emotional; cult fans create cultural identities out of the significance which certain texts assume for them, rather than out of textual signification and hence out of rationalist or cognitive mechanisms of interpretation.” (Hills, M 2000)

Bibliography:

Austin, B. (2008) ‘Portrait of a cult film audience: The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. In Mathijs, E. and Mendik, X. The Cult Film Reader. Berkshire: Open University Press.

Hills, Matthew. "Media fandom, neoreligiosity, and cult(ural) studies." Velvet Light Trap, 2000,

Hills, Matt “Fan Cultures” 2002, Routledge [Electronic book]

Taste, Capital and Fan Identity

Bourdieus belief in social identification and what ones status could gain them in terms of power and wealth is very good food for thought. (Jenkins, 2002).

Normally I would be against into segregating people into social hierarchies in order to draw conclusions from them as a person, however in working and everyday life, the status which a person holds can actually influence many situations and can impact what for one person could go well, for the other wouldn’t.

Thornton argues that it is impossible to avoid getting caught up in judgement and ideologies when analyzing the way social groups are formed “it is important to maintain analytical distinctions between: empirical social groups, representations of these people and estimations of their cultural worth. (Thornton, 1996).

However, there is always going to be a sense of superiority, when a fan has been invested in something for a while over someone who has just ‘arrived. It is almost a sense of protection away from what would be described as ‘mainstream’ although Thornton highlights the fact that there is no way of defining mainstream, because mainstream has different meanings to different social groups.

“Hebdige’s multiple opposition of avant-garde-versus-bourgeois, 146 subordinate-versus-dominant, subculture-versus-mainstream is an orderly ideal which crumbles when applied to historically specific groups of youth” (Thornton, 1996)

For me, there always is and will be a sense of hierarchy in any fandom. To those who belong to a fandom, the knowledge and desire to keep their interest close to them can cause negativity towards someone who has only just discovered a given fandom.

A good example to back Bourdieu’s theory would be the sudden fascination with dance music. The annoyance of fans who identify themselves within the scene, when someone who would have squealed at the sound of an old school funky disco song - because they were too invested in The Kooks and The Arctic Monkeys (because that is what was ‘cool’ before) - suddenly Snapchats every single song on a night out, played by a DJ who has a ghost producer, showing their lack of knowledge in the field where it is important.

When certain fandoms have something they are so invested and interested in Fiske states “the distinction between acquired and inherited cultural capital becomes more important as we move northwards in the social space” (Fiske, 1992)

With this scene it is also hard to tell what people are in there for – “music and drugs are two products which by their very success, indicate the spread of behaviour previously reserved for the elites: the right to explore one’s interior or social space. They are tied to the growth of the industries of dream and relaxation” (Mignon, Redhead p176, 2000)

Bibliography:

Exploring the meaning of the mainstream (or why Sharon and Tracy dance around their handbags)” in Thornton, S. (1996) Club Cultures: Music, Media, and Subcultural Capital. Cambridge: Polity Press

Fiske, J. (1992) ‘The Cultural Economy of Fandom’. In Lewis, L. A. (Ed.) the Adoring Audience. London, Routledge, pp30-49.

Redhead, S (1993). Rave Off: Politics and Deviance in contemporary youth culture. Aldershot: Avebury 176.

Gender in subcultures and fandom

According to Lawrence Grossberg (199, 52) “fans have ‘a different sensibility’ and relationship with their favourite media products. For Grossberg the fan relationship is positive, immediate and based on an emotional process of identifying or investing. (Duffett, 2013).

This is a very interesting way of looking at how I became almost addicted to ITV’s ‘Love Island’ after swearing to myself that I would never watch any shows like that because they are a waste of time.

I am a girl who is massively into house and techno, I cannot relate to the girls in shows like Love Island in terms of music taste, fashion or even outlook on life so at the time it seemed extremely pointless to get into. (Gramsci 1971:324) argues that “in acquiring ones conception of the world one always belongs to a particular grouping which is that of all the social elements which share the same mode of thinking and acting.” This would suggest that I already in a sense belonged to this fandom in some way.

After such a long process of putting it off my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what the hype and fuss was all about. I am still of the same opinion, that the show is just another way of getting people glued to the TV and brainwashed into buying personalised Love Island bottles however I can 100% understand how people get so addicted.

The contestants on the show are of similar age to the target audience meaning they are going to be able to relate and empathise with the characters. Camilla who was renowned the nation’s sweetheart got into a situation with Johnny who was always going to be worlds apart from her.

I felt the backlash Jonny received for simply telling her how he feels truthfully was out of order and unfair. It is as if suddenly as soon as there is a favourite, it does not matter what the situation is as I am sure if tables were to turn the reaction would not have been the same and all the people who were in favour of the two completely switched against him.

As an audience who watch reality television we are still slightly limited to the full information we are getting – of course things are going to get manipulated in order to make the show more interesting, but it really struck me when another pair Olivia and Chris called it quits.

Every human has a right to feel confused. It appears that when a female on the show has an outburst of emotions, she’s automatically a ‘bitch’ and becomes disliked almost instantly. These expectations and interpretations of gender norms are something many people seem to share, which is an issue because it creates tension inside these fandoms when equal and non-biased analysis is required. Women should not be portrayed negatively merely for showing emotions and men should not be bullied for being upfront about their feelings.

Bibliography:

Hills, M (2002) Fan Cultures. Taylor & Francis

Mark Duffett (2013) Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture. Bloomsbury

http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/07/h3introduction_kristina_i_have.html

Researching digital fandom

Before the digitalization of media, fandoms remained much more private and much less accessible in terms of meeting people who are within your fandom and also enabling others to discover it. In current day and age, the internet allows almost everybody to be able to see, comment and interact on the majority of social media platforms.

The internet has given me the ability to meet new people, discover new events, artists and become a part of a nice community. For many people, the era of digital fandom has opened many doors and opportunities, like for myself, to become a part of that community in more than just a fan sense, but also in terms of getting involved in helping out at events and assisting with promotion, almost like a family except everyone is essentially strangers to an extent.

To carry out ethnographical research (Cooper et al. 1995) suggests the ability to “use active engagement with the internet as a reflexive tool to a deeper understanding of the medium.” (Hine, C 2000).

Digitalization of media has also allowed me to stay in touch with people who I met prior to any sort of social media interaction. I am able to share videos which I think are good and I know there will be other people who will enjoy them as well. Generally, for me personally digital fandom is a great thing however I can also distinguish how it could be stressful for some people.

There are people who get anxious about even potentially seeing somebody they befriended online in real life. The problem is that people are not always themselves and social media allows them to be someone they want to be but maybe not. That can become very unhealthy and it is almost a trap because on one hand there are lots of people to interact with, but interaction with others in real life is far more important than behind the screen. This is also an issue to concern when researching digital fandoms – there is not really an accurate answer all the time. Hine suggests that reflexivity can be a “strategic response to the silence of web surfers and newsgroup lurkers.” (Hine, C 2000). This essentially suggesting that the fan identity portrayed online is not necessarily the true identity.

I personally can talk about festivals, events and music to anyone, at any point. I feel that the environment which I am in is generally a very positive one, there is not a lot of room for negativity so in that sense it has made me open to conversations with new people. This fandom also makes it easy for those involved to share their music, fan art, experiences etc. with artists as well as other fans.

Bibliography:

Hine, Christine (2000) Virtual Ethnography pp53 -55

https://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_and_the_Internet

Crowd funding

Crowd funding is a the process of gathering small donations from large numbers of people (who of course belong to the fandom of which the crowd funding is organized by). It is a “participatory culture is one where ‘members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connection with one another’” (Jenkins 2009:7). It is a way for fans and organisers to come together in order to create something beneficial for both sides.

Indiegogo is one of the most known crowdfunding organisations. They allow the majority forms of crowdfunding, from music to personal and charity with the exception of investement. There are some risks associated with crowd funding and it all depends on the cause.

For example, YouTube personalities could use crowd funding as a way and plea to sponsor something like them going travelling – and the idea of fans is that they want to see more of this person, and will therefore go forward with helping this personality out.

Crowd funding is all about the campaigning and by directing fans and involving certain people it will become easier for them to receive that funding and eventually reach the set goals. The Guardian released an article regarding crowd funding however and warned charities that it may not be the quickest way of raising money as it requires a lot of preparation and a lot of issues need to be considered.

In ‘Crowdfunding: A Spimatic application of digital fandom’

Paul Booth talks about “The successful Kickstarter campaigns for Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell’s Veronica Mars film and Zach Braff’s film Wish I Was Here, and the failed Kickstarter campaign for Melissa Joan Hart’s film Darci’s Walk of Shame” (Booth, P 2014)

The investigation of both of these depict how the organisers did or did not fail in terms of acquiring the support they reached out for, in their own fan base publicity.” These campaigns ultimately illustrate the consequential powers of the fan at multiple nodes within the production process.” (Booth, P 2014)

Further into his research Booth goes on to say “Crowdfunding campaigns that successfully engage their fans in a more participatory manner – acknowledging previous fan work, noting the saliency of fan activities in the past, appealing to fan attention in the future – highlight the temporal existence of a fandom.”

From this we can learn that it is important to make sure that the fan base who is being involved, actually exists and is reliable enough otherwise it is simply a set up for failure. I feel like for crowdfunding to completely work there needs to be a really good fan to artist interaction.

A duo like Solardo for example, would have a really good fan base to start up crowdfunding. They are always interacting with fans on social media and at their shows whereas I feel someone who does not really engage with social media that much, who is a TV personality and does not have that direct contact with audiences, would have to work a lot harder to get the funding in place.

Bibliography:

Booth, P. 2015, "Crowdfunding: A Spimatic application of digital fandom", New Media & Society, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 149-166.

Hills, M. (2014) “Veronica Mars, fandom, and the ‘Affective Economics’ of crowdfunding poachers”. New Media & Society (OnlineFirst)

https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/sep/17/crowdfunding-charities-essential-advice-fundraising

http://www.tradecraftfilms.com/TCFDocuments/Top_10_crowdfunding_sites_May_2013.pdf

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movietvtechgeeks · 7 years

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Sundance Day 8 'Wound's' queer perspective plus 'Throughbred,' 'Sidney Hall'

The 2017 Sundance Film Festival is nearly over, and as we’re basking in the glow of fresh air and theater lighting, it’s exciting knowing that some amazing treasures found here will be resonating with today’s world. Some of our favorites picks of today are John Trengrove’s fascinating The Wound which really gives an eye-opening look at a South African secretive rite of passage for boys entering into manhood.

Thoroughbred is another very interesting one that many people can relate to about two friends trying to rekindle their connection. It reminded me of when you home five years or more after high school and run into some of those same people who never left your town. You realize how much you’ve changed in that time and trying to connect again is nearly impossible, especially for those that haven’t changed at all in that same timeframe.

‘THE WOUND’ PRESENTS A QUEER PERSPECTIVE ON A SOUTH AFRICAN RITUAL OF MANHOOD

For his enthralling debut feature, South African filmmaker John Trengove lifts the veil on the secretive rite of passage from boyhood to manhood in a remote area of South Africa. The Wound follows Xolani (Nakhane Touré), a forlorn factory worker, as he travels to an obscure mountain camp where teen boys go through the traditional Xhola initiation. Xolani has been assigned to mentor a friend’s son, Kwanda (Niza Jay Ncoyini), who notices the attraction between Xolani and another caregiver, Vija (Bongile Mantsai), who is not only secretive about his sexuality but also prone to bursts of explosive behavior.

Following the screening, Trengove, who is white and self-identifies as queer, said he made the movie because there’s a complete lack of queer imagery in the African film canon. “It came out of a sense of urgency,” he told the audience. “For myself as an outsider, it’s something I could speak about more freely than someone who is inside the culture. I’m speaking about same-sex desire. As a queer filmmaker I was able to introduce the subject into this very intricate world and practice.”

Describing the project as the result of profound collaborations, Trengove revealed that to achieve authenticity he spoke with a South African novelist who had been through the initiation himself, and the two men began to create the story together. The three principal actors in the film each in his own way made a formidable contribution to the film, not just in terms of what an actor does but in making the characters their own and contributing something quintessential and unique to their own experiences.

Trengove noted that the film’s subject matter is very controversial in South Africa, despite being the subject of various documentaries and news articles and even being mentioned by Nelson Mandela in his autobiography. “I think our film comes at a moment when there’s a growing conversation about a sensitive subject,” he stated. “The ritual has come under fire for reasons of relevance and safety. I think equally it’s still regarded as a meaningful process that boys go through that shows them their place in the world of men.”

The director praised the courage of his three lead actors for taking on the roles. “I was very fortunate to have the bravery of these three actors to collaborate on what you saw tonight,” he said. “They did it for their own very personal reasons, primarily out of a conviction that these are stories we need to begin to speak out.”

THOROUGHBRED: OLIVIA COOKE AND ANYA TAYLOR-JOY CONSPIRE TO MURDER

With his debut film, Thoroughbred, Cory Finley finessed his way through two major challenges that could confound another first-time filmmaker. The first, as he told the audience during a post-screening discussion on Thursday at the Yarrow Theatre, was a transition from theater to moviemaking. And the second was pulling off a nuanced tone that at once straddles comedy, drama, and thriller.

The film stars Sundance Film Festival veterans Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) as Amanda and Lily, two old school friends who uneasily try to rekindle some kind of connection. Though Amanda is emotionally blocked, incapable of showing or perhaps even having feelings, chilly Lily slowly reveals herself to be in greater crisis, as she bristles against a stepfather whose strictness is driving her to entertain wicked thoughts.

Finley talked about how Thoroughbred started out as a play but became a film. “When it was a play it really was a kind of philosophical, moral discussion between these two characters on one couch. It started with asking questions about myself, and attacking some of my own fears and anxieties about my own mind and moral compass, through writing,” he said. “As I started getting towards the later drafts of the play, I realized that there was something about it that was very film noir. And even though it was contained in one household, I started becoming aware of all the things I could do cinematically.”

Producer Alex Saks talked about her first conversation with Finley, after coming across what was still a play. “Within five minutes I knew that even if he didn’t know it yet, he was going to direct the movie — and that he was a filmmaker,” she said. Finley described trying to make up for his inexperience by reading books, watching movies, and visiting film sets in the months before his first shoot. “I tried to cram in as much preparation as possible so that I could communicate effectively with the whole crew,” he said. “But I was certainly learning a lot on the job.”

And as for that fine-tuned tone, Finley said it was something they consciously refined from rehearsals through the shoot and then in editing. “We talked about [the tone] as being a narrow tightrope,” he said. “I was lucky to get a couple of days of rehearsal before we started, with the two leads, and we came to a clear understanding of the tone that we were all aiming for. And then in the editing process we had another chance to really look carefully at these scenes and play very specifically with timing and pauses and different takes. There’s a fun balance to be had in trying to provoke an audience to laugh and also to be slightly afraid. The two emotions, if you can balance them, go well together.”

Though he said he still plans on producing more theater, Finley’s first foray into filmmaking has him hooked. “I’ve fallen in love with the tools to which a director has access,” he said. “So I’m definitely looking forward to playing around in this world more.”

WINNIE: A DOC ABOUT WOMEN, POLITICS, AND MISOGYNY

With WINNIE, the new documentary about Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Pascale Lamche offers an illuminating portrait of the complex story of the woman, who is often cast in the shadow of legendary human rights activist Nelson Mandela, her husband of 38 years, even though she fought on the frontlines to end apartheid during the 27 years he was imprisoned.

While Winnie’s story has been capably told by other filmmakers and documentarians and through countless books and articles, Lamche manages to create a fresh, thorough, and likely definitive study by using revealing new interviews, as well as a veritable treasure trove of newly uncovered archival materials.

“I interviewed Nelson twice for previous films, and each time it was a great honor to meet him and speak to him and spend time with him, but I was always very intrigued by Winnie,” Lamche told the audience at the post-screening Q&A. The director noted that, while Winnie is mostly venerated in her home of Soweto, South Africa, Lamche learned that her subject was also widely demonized in many European capitals for her crusade against racism, and a smear campaign was launched against her. “That seemed like a space to explore,” the director offered.

Through a meeting and conversation with Mandela’s daughter Zindzi, who also speaks on camera in the doc, Lamche was eventually introduced to Winnie. She ended up interviewing her subject four times over a period of two years, including once just after the death of her former husband, when she was still dressed in her black mourning clothes.

“On each occasion, I tried to pull back another layer of the story,” Lamche shared. “Each time I met her I uncovered more in the story because I’d been digging away and making progress with the people who’d been her enemies. I never went to her with specifics and said I interviewed this guy who waged this warfare campaign against you. As our relationship progressed over time, it deepened. I hope that’s apparent in the film.” As her film skillfully explores the intersection of women, politics, and misogyny, it’s not a challenge for audiences to draw a strong parallel between Mandela’s story and the current political climate in the U.S.

PERSON TO PERSON: A SUBTLE, OPTIMISTIC COLLAGE OF EVERYDAY NEW YORKERS

“I made [this movie] with a lot of friends. And it’s about tenderness, it’s about friendship, it’s about wanting to have a friend, and what it’s like to be a friend, and what it’s like to lose a friend,” explained director Dustin Guy Defa as he introduced his latest project, Person to Person. Defa makes his return to the Festival after his 2014 short film of the same name.

The feature, shot in retro 16mm, follows various characters throughout one day in New York City, including a moody teenager putting up with her best friend’s antics, an endearingly simple man trying to buy a rare vinyl record (Bene Coopersmith, who also starred in the short film version of the story), a depressed guy attempting to reconcile with his girlfriend after hurting her, and an anxiety-ridden rookie reporter who feels completely out of place her first day on the job. But unlike other films that depict a large ensemble of characters with different story lines, this one doesn’t aim to connect them in any obvious way other than the fact that they’re in the same city.

Defa said that when he first thought of the idea for this project, “I got very excited … to make such a variety of people and to not necessarily connect them. So I got very excited [about how to] pull it off. I developed all the characters separately. … But once I started actually working on the outline and the writing, I was interconnecting it in other ways that aren’t visible. … Even though they all had such different things and different tones and things like that, I was still connecting them thematically in many ways. And so I needed the flow to really work even though all these people had such different things going on.”

When asked which characters he relates to the most, Defa revealed, “They’re all me in many ways. I’ve done stupid things in my life, I’ve treated people weirdly, and then friendship is very important to me [like it is with Bene]. And Wendy the teenager is definitely me as a teenager in many ways. … But I don’t have a favorite.”

The characters don’t necessarily go through anything captivatingly dramatic, but Defa’s purpose wasn’t to have audiences on the edge of their seats. He explained that, amid many abrasive, visceral depictions that often appear on the screen, he simply wanted to create “a nice place to go for an hour and a half” — to which the audience applauded in agreement.

SIDNEY HALL: A PRECOCIOUS WRITING TALENT DRIFTS INTO OBSCURITY

Sidney Hall, which premiered on Wednesday night at the Eccles Theatre, spans 12 years in the life of the eponymous character, from the moment that the precocious high school kid becomes a celebrated author to his apex of fame and emotional nadir, and to his time disowning all that he’d become and drifting into obscurity. Remarkably, those 12 years mirror the 12 years it took writer-director Shawn Christensen and writer Jason Dolan to see the project to completion.

“Shawn was in a great band called stellastarr*, and when he was on tour I sent him the first couple of pages of the script, and we went from there. It was the summer of 2004,” Dolan said during the post-screening Q&A. “We wanted to tell a story about perspective — what it’s like to think about how you were at 18, 24, and 30. We chose those ages because those were the ages we were at when we were writing the script.”

The breadth of time covered presented challenges for both the crew and the performers, including Logan Lerman as Sidney and Elle Fanning as his neighbor and later wife, Melody. “The transitions between ages — sometimes we had only hours in which to do it,” Lerman recalled.

“We shot 10 days of [age] 18 first, then we shot the [age] 24 segment, and then we shot the 30, with the intention of having a weekend in between each era,” Christensen said. “But actually for Elle and for Logan I had to break the news to them that we were going to have to switch from 18 to 24 over the lunch break.”

Though it seems like such a quick shift in age would be challenging, Fanning explained, “You can’t really think about playing older or playing a certain age, because what does that really mean?” She continued, “I was more interested in where Melody was in her life.”

The script doesn’t take a straightforward chronological approach to those eras, and instead interweaves them throughout, such that it’s only at the end that you know how the characters resolved each of those dramatic moments. Dolan explained that he hoped audiences would connect to that structure because “your life is sometimes a mess in your own mind.” He said, “What we wanted was to give people a puzzle to put together, to reflect on this character and also themselves.”

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