2 ms·

Interesting point. In fiction, it's often easy to identify what people want to read / watch / consume - a Joss Whedon fan wants "stuff like Buffy", a 24 fan wa

Interesting point. In fiction, it's often easy to identify what people want to read / watch / consume - a Joss Whedon fan wants "stuff like Buffy", a 24 fan wants "more 24". You're in the Naruto niche. This is niche identification, just like in non-fiction - where as I mention in a comment above, you can target down to tiny niches. The difference in fiction is that it's illegal to target those niches because of copyright-created monopolies. I can't say "OK, ZenoArrow wants more Naruto" and make some without getting extremely sued. I'm not sure what to do about that, but it's an interesting identification of the problem. This also explains why new fiction is so hard to launch - you're creating a new niche, something that's traditionally randomly successful and very difficult. (The traditional solution, of course, is either to license popular IP - not really doable for indies - or to base your fiction on a niche that's not copyright-protected. Hence the number of Sherlock Holmes-based films, TV shows, and books, for example - the Sherlock Holmes niche is actually available.)

ZenoArrow 13y ago
Glad you found the appetite angle interesting thenomad. Whilst licensing popular IPs is one way to reliably bring in an audience, I wouldn't say it's a long term solution for healthy, diverse culture. Reusing older source material is certainly popular right now though, Sherlock Holmes is a strong example of that. Furthermore, older material can be reused in creative ways (e.g. Sample-based music, reimaginings of universes such as Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, etc...). I also think you make a good point about 'a Joss Whedon fan wants "stuff like Buffy"'. I think this can go beyond what someone is used to when people begin to build their identity around what they consume. There is an unwritten but obvious way that a group latches onto certain media, even in scenes that supposedly promote individualism such as geek culture. Even if culture should be identity agnostic, it frequently is not. I should point out that although I don't always find time for the new, I know that I'd be better off if I did. Perhaps 'find time' is the key phrase, I feel so busy with/addicted to my current cultural consumption that I don't make room for finding something new. The one exception for me is YouTube, I'll happily take time browsing YouTube seeing where it takes me. Perhaps that's the one exception due to the habits ingrained in me throughout the 90s through copious TV consumption, I'm at ease that I'll not always hit the jackpot of an interesting video. What I really would like to see is greater cultural diversity, despite my actions to the contrary. As a film maker I apologise that you'll have to deal with these issues! Perhaps short, ambitious content could help? When I was a kid I had a Transformers video I used to watch a lot, one of the episodes was 'Call Of The Primitives'. I really enjoyed that episode, the story seemed to flow really well. When I was older I read a complaint about that episode that they had tried to fit in too much, that it was a film-like storyline in a single 20 minute episode, it struck me that maybe that's part of what I liked about the story flow, it had the ambition to throw in quite a few memorable moments in a short time frame. I don't know if there's a lesson in that, but perhaps there is. What else do you think might help?

ZenoArrow 13y ago

Glad you found the appetite angle interesting thenomad. Whilst licensing popular IPs is one way to reliably bring in an audience, I wouldn't say it's a long term solution for healthy, diverse culture. Reusing older source material is certainly popular right now though, Sherlock Holmes is a strong example of that. Furthermore, older material can be reused in creative ways (e.g. Sample-based music, reimaginings of universes such as Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, etc...). I also think you make a good point about 'a Joss Whedon fan wants "stuff like Buffy"'. I think this can go beyond what someone is used to when people begin to build their identity around what they consume. There is an unwritten but obvious way that a group latches onto certain media, even in scenes that supposedly promote individualism such as geek culture. Even if culture should be identity agnostic, it frequently is not. I should point out that although I don't always find time for the new, I know that I'd be better off if I did. Perhaps 'find time' is the key phrase, I feel so busy with/addicted to my current cultural consumption that I don't make room for finding something new. The one exception for me is YouTube, I'll happily take time browsing YouTube seeing where it takes me. Perhaps that's the one exception due to the habits ingrained in me throughout the 90s through copious TV consumption, I'm at ease that I'll not always hit the jackpot of an interesting video. What I really would like to see is greater cultural diversity, despite my actions to the contrary. As a film maker I apologise that you'll have to deal with these issues! Perhaps short, ambitious content could help? When I was a kid I had a Transformers video I used to watch a lot, one of the episodes was 'Call Of The Primitives'. I really enjoyed that episode, the story seemed to flow really well. When I was older I read a complaint about that episode that they had tried to fit in too much, that it was a film-like storyline in a single 20 minute episode, it struck me that maybe that's part of what I liked about the story flow, it had the ambition to throw in quite a few memorable moments in a short time frame. I don't know if there's a lesson in that, but perhaps there is. What else do you think might help?