FANDOM - Armoured Cosplay
Can rising cosplay star Suzanne complete one of her most elaborate costumes in time?
Interview with Director Sam Hardy
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This short film about Suzanne is part of a series called FANDOM! What is FANDOM! and why did you decide to focus on contemporary fan subcultures?
FANDOM! Is a short web-TV series that looks into the world of geek and nerd subculture and asks just what is it that drives people to become mega-fans of popular culture.
My reason for creating this series stemmed from noticing that something that was once quite an outsider pastime had exploded into a massive global phenomenon with almost all of the box-office smash being based off comic book films – yet within this market nothing much had been done beyond docos pointing out how weird it is to like Star Trek.
How did you find Suzanne?
We were filming at OZComicCon and she’d just won a prize for her costume so we shot a quick interview with her and followed up for her next costume.
What’s a good way to understand the desire of fans to become superheroes themselves?
I like to think of superheroes as a modern-day Greek pantology. Many people see superheros as being inspiring and many carry the same stories that have been told for centuries.
People dress up or admire these heroes as they see something of themselves that’s relatable to an issue they have or in many cases it’s simply pure fun escapism away from a 9 to 5 job. Or others simply see the challenge in creating costumes in an environment where they are appreciated for doing so, some even obtaining international acclaim.
Do men also make elaborate costumes or is it just women? If so how does it differ?
It is a fairly even spread across both genders and the only real limit is your imagination and access to resources. People even cross-dress as the cosplay subculture is very forgiving and encourages experimentation.
The main difference is that women’s costumes often are of characters who are created to be attractive to men so there is pressure to accurately realise something that is fantastical. But this issue also applies to men.
What type of feedback have you received so far about the film?
Many respondents are happy that the film portrays cosplaying on a level ground as similar shows often exaggerate competitiveness or force out drama to artificially raise the stakes. Some did want me to go into more detail about body image and other issues that do come up in cosplay circles.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
There hasn’t been any feedback that has done so.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on this platform?
I hope that it reaches a more diverse audience that isn’t the main demographic of 18 – 35 via YouTube. I am interested to hear more from people who come from outside the main audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message and audience?
I would certainly like this to be attracting more distributors and other potential screening options such as festivals.
What type of impact would you like this film to have?
If anything to show that the geek subculture isn’t as confusing or alien as many portray it to be and to create more discussions about how and why people choose to develop passions for pop-culture.
Lastly, what’s a key question that will help spark a debate about this issue and film?
Is being a geek/nerd a sign of needing to grow up, or is there more than meets the eye?
Interview: April 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Current Status: Completed.
Length: 3:03min
Director: Sam Hardy
Producer: Sam Hardy
Looking for: buyer, distributor, sales agent, media interest
Funders: Media Resource Center Let’s Make WebTV initiative