Post in which I actually have an opinon
Nov. 7th, 2010 02:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kazbaby in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
stargate_schadenfreudeNow whether that opinion makes sense to anyone but me remains to be seen.
I don't typically read Mallozzi's blog because its irritating (and all the food talk grosses me out) but I followed a link to this post and had to comment on one thing he said.
"I’ll say it again: SF audiences tend to be younger..."
I know you don't want to hear this Joe but - you're wrong. SF fans are typically older and more critical about character development and details related to story canon. The younger fans are those that have learned to appreciate grand storytelling from those that have experienced it with the genre over the past 60+ years. They hear about it from their friends/family members at home or online. Word of mouth is your best advertisement and when you forget what made the franchise great and SF fans are unhappy... well, we all know how that goes. Piece of advice: Never piss off a geek when science fiction is on the line.
Yes, it's good to try new things for the franchise but there comes a point where you have to realize that there is a reason people love things within it. When you shove aside those reasons suddenly and forget about the people who watch the franchise and why they do so that's when you get a pissed off fanbase -- and SF fans never forget.
It's also good to try new things to bring in new people who would not have considered watching a SF show in the first place, those that do not have other SF fans to bring them into the genre 'fold' and show them how the genre encompasses all other genres because it can be told with a backdrop of a 'cop' or 'lawyer' story. But you can't just leave behind the qualities that made the franchise great in order to attract those new "younger" fans.
With this I'm referring to taking a franchise that has always been seen as something that could be viewed with the entire family and adding more sex to it. I don't have a problem with characters being comfortable with their sexuality and acting on it, but I think it should be done in a way that wasn't so 'in your face' and shocking so that it doesn't cause a portion of your fanbase to back-peddle away from the channel since they'd been watching with their pre-teen kid(s). It'd be cool if it was done more subtly and doesn't detract from the character you're bringing to life, in fact it'd be a way to discover more clever ways of showing this aspect of this person. I'm sure you've heard of the saying: less is more.
Those parents you've just made change the channel are Stargate fans that are either long time SF fans who shared their love of the genre with their kids and appreciated what Stargate has to offer with its storylines or are kids who grew up watching the franchise because frankly - wormholes and fighting bad guys are cool, and science is sexy. I know that's why I began watching SG-1 years ago with my (now older) nieces and nephew (they're now huge SF fans in their own right), but I could never watch SGU with my younger nieces even though they've already began developing a love of the genre.
Even with their moral ambiguity at times, the other two series in the franchise offer great role models for fans (no matter their age) to follow along with and care about. If you start out with protagonists that no one can care about then everyone loses, both fans and the franchise.
I guess that brings me back to what I was saying at the beginning. SF fans are typically "older" and they bring with them their kids and their kid's friends (or even grandkids) into the genre. They teach them to appreciate the magic of other worlds and the characters that both visit or live within them... and they don't forget.
I don't typically read Mallozzi's blog because its irritating (and all the food talk grosses me out) but I followed a link to this post and had to comment on one thing he said.
"I’ll say it again: SF audiences tend to be younger..."
I know you don't want to hear this Joe but - you're wrong. SF fans are typically older and more critical about character development and details related to story canon. The younger fans are those that have learned to appreciate grand storytelling from those that have experienced it with the genre over the past 60+ years. They hear about it from their friends/family members at home or online. Word of mouth is your best advertisement and when you forget what made the franchise great and SF fans are unhappy... well, we all know how that goes. Piece of advice: Never piss off a geek when science fiction is on the line.
Yes, it's good to try new things for the franchise but there comes a point where you have to realize that there is a reason people love things within it. When you shove aside those reasons suddenly and forget about the people who watch the franchise and why they do so that's when you get a pissed off fanbase -- and SF fans never forget.
It's also good to try new things to bring in new people who would not have considered watching a SF show in the first place, those that do not have other SF fans to bring them into the genre 'fold' and show them how the genre encompasses all other genres because it can be told with a backdrop of a 'cop' or 'lawyer' story. But you can't just leave behind the qualities that made the franchise great in order to attract those new "younger" fans.
With this I'm referring to taking a franchise that has always been seen as something that could be viewed with the entire family and adding more sex to it. I don't have a problem with characters being comfortable with their sexuality and acting on it, but I think it should be done in a way that wasn't so 'in your face' and shocking so that it doesn't cause a portion of your fanbase to back-peddle away from the channel since they'd been watching with their pre-teen kid(s). It'd be cool if it was done more subtly and doesn't detract from the character you're bringing to life, in fact it'd be a way to discover more clever ways of showing this aspect of this person. I'm sure you've heard of the saying: less is more.
Those parents you've just made change the channel are Stargate fans that are either long time SF fans who shared their love of the genre with their kids and appreciated what Stargate has to offer with its storylines or are kids who grew up watching the franchise because frankly - wormholes and fighting bad guys are cool, and science is sexy. I know that's why I began watching SG-1 years ago with my (now older) nieces and nephew (they're now huge SF fans in their own right), but I could never watch SGU with my younger nieces even though they've already began developing a love of the genre.
Even with their moral ambiguity at times, the other two series in the franchise offer great role models for fans (no matter their age) to follow along with and care about. If you start out with protagonists that no one can care about then everyone loses, both fans and the franchise.
I guess that brings me back to what I was saying at the beginning. SF fans are typically "older" and they bring with them their kids and their kid's friends (or even grandkids) into the genre. They teach them to appreciate the magic of other worlds and the characters that both visit or live within them... and they don't forget.
no subject
on 2010-11-07 09:14 pm (UTC)There are a lot of scifi fans out there that belonged to the much-sought-after demographic 50 years ago!
A new generation of scifi fans does not replace the previous generation, or the one before that, or the one before that....
We're all out there eagerly waiting to be entertained, and no single show is ever going to satisfy each and every one of us. Characters we can root for and tight storytelling don't hurt, though!
no subject
on 2010-11-07 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2010-11-07 10:32 pm (UTC)Something else is that, by a marketing standpoint, it's ridiculously stupid to cater to the new audience instead of embracing your current one. It's much easier to get people to stay on the channel than quit doing whatever they were doing, sit down, turn on the tv, and purposely seek out a show they've never seen before.
Then, there's also the fact that Joe has a tendency to attack and blame the fans which is never something that builds show loyalty.
no subject
on 2010-11-07 11:50 pm (UTC)Then, there's also the fact that Joe has a tendency to attack and blame the fans which is never something that builds show loyalty.
That is one thing that has continued to boggle my mind after being exposed to TPTB for Farscape who have continually expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the fandom even in the face of those fans that were critical of the show's direction. I'm sure some things upset them reading some comments but I've always seen them present themselves with grace when the subject was brought up. Something that Joe and Brad should really take note of.
no subject
on 2010-11-10 02:11 pm (UTC)I've always watched and talked about SciFi with my kids and now I've we-watched lot of episodes of SG-1 and SGA with them, not all of course ;)
Also I hate the idea that just young, mostly men are the main viewers as myself are neither of those :P