Analog Horror refers to the genre of horror created with the aesthetic of Analog technology, that is to say shot on video, "found footage".
Within the subgenre there exists quite a number of breakthrough hits such as "Backrooms" "Local 58" and "The Mandela Catalogue"
What draws people to this genre and what can be said about the genre tropes and themes? What is the appeal and is there a lesson that can be garnered from the creation of these works?
Good start, but you might want to delve a bit more into what analog horror is, or how your examples achieve it. If you don't know what found footage is (and I, for one, only have a vague idea), you might be a bit confused. – Stephanie M.2 years ago
I was just thinking of leading a topic for this subject too. I think the evolution of analog horror is fascinating, its origins (I think) layered from many concepts and ideas from YouTube. I think constantly about what makes this niche sub genre scary, and what draws people in. This would be a great topic, especially to see where it’s grown from. – eaonhurley2 years ago
Movies of all genres and decades have had probably the biggest impact on the video game industry. Developers have always cited their favourite films and inspiration (Escape From New York inspired the Metal Gear Series, for example, or the works of John Woo inspiring the Max Payne series). Perhaps the biggest influences are the Action movies of the 1980s. Rambo, Commando, Predator, Running Man, Total Recall, and countless others. This genre has helped lead to some of the most visually and interactively appealing games in the industry. But what is the full extent of the connection? And how many games trace their roots to the big screen?
Contra is a big example of a game influenced by 1980s action movies. The game's box art features two characters that look like Stallone and Schwarzenegger. – Sean Gadus2 years ago
I think it could be a great article. From my point of view, I see action movies with a high influence specially on the gameplay and cameras, on how we, as players, situate ourselves inside the game, how we feel the atmosphere, like games as GTA does, for example. Hand to hand combates, cinematic gameplays. One excellent example is the Madagascar gameplay on Uncharted 4. – allan reis1 year ago
Bloodborne, the 2014 game from FromSoftware is a game ripe for exploration. One element worth delving into is the nature of femininity within the world.
The ways in which the player is force to confront the cruelty in which women and female coded NPCs are treated with regards to the game's world. Elements such as the "blessings" of the old ones force the player to view the horror of a world where women are specifically targeted for cruelty.
The nature of the blood within the universe is also worth exploring with regards to origins of the blood and the people born of it.
I love Bloodborne and would love to claim this article to write, but I haven't played it in a while and the only three female characters I remember are Iosefka, Eileen, and Lady Maria and I wouldn't know where to start in terms of talking about their "grotesqueness." However, the obvious connection with women and blood (you know what I mean) could be an interesting avenue to take for the prospective author. – LeoPanasyuk2 years ago
Bloodborne is my favourite game and I think this topic is really worth exploring. One key character who would be great to write about is Arianna and how she *spoiler* literally gives birth to an old one if you follow up her quest line — players are then faced with the choice of whether to kill her. Lady Maria would be an excellent choice for discussion, as well as Vicar Amelia. – Patrick1 year ago
LOVE this topic!! I am so keen to read this article when it has been done. It would be really cool as well to consider ideas of feminine suffering and pain and the fetishisation of this in media. – Zoe Odessa1 year ago
In 2005, actor Christian Bale starred in two interesting, if very different films: David Ayer's "Harsh Times" and Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins." Though both films are practically diametrically opposed, they do share some interesting similarities in regards to the characters Bale plays.
Both characters are specially-trained warriors who return to a less-than-familiar home to then try and use the skills they honed in foreign lands fighting foreign enemies to find a new purpose. The similarities don't end there, though, as both characters are plagued by past traumas that manifest themselves in disturbing visions and hallucinations.
This article would be a study of those characters (Bruce Wayne/Batman in "Batman Begins" and Jim Davis in "Harsh Times" and just how their skills, experiences, and relationships shape them into the people they are.
Many people argue that the purpose of The Hunger Games is to discuss the topics of fascism and capitalism, but many ignore the deeper meaning of the issues presented in both the novels and the movies. It's the entertainment value of the unfortunate chosen who are forced to kill themselves than those of the capital enjoy. They are advertised and marketed to an extreme extent, as well as dressed up and dined as a means to create a personal connection from the audience to the participants. While it's argued that this is to signify the class differences due to wealth and poverty, this really shows the threats and problems that occur with the interpersonal enjoyment of reality tv and entertainment through the enjoyment of both beauty and violence shown in this series.
I think you're brushing aside the elements of Fascism present in the series. The commodification of a death battle into must-see tv for the capital isn't too out of line with the fascistic mindset. The valuation of might, the subjugation of the lesser. All on TV is something ideologues are attracted to. – Sunni Rashad4 months ago
The gaming community, from twitch streamers to youtube let's players, is synonymous with video games at large. This has had a number of effects, both on the way that games are made (with features like 'streamer mode' which substitute copyrighted songs so that streamers don't get copyright strikes) and the way games are marketed (with big streamers becoming just as important to get good reviews from as critics). This article would discuss these effects, and more, that streaming has had on the video game industry. Both in terms of the positive and negative sides – and perhaps what this may mean for the future of video games.
I think an interesting point to discuss in the article is the accessibility that streaming provides. For example, someone who may not have the ability to afford the latest console, game, DLC, etc. can watch someone play it for free (more or less) and still enjoy it, even if they're not the one playing it. – LeoPanasyuk2 years ago
You may want to mention how this contributes to a game's popularity. Millions of people have watched Let's Plays of, say, Undertale or Detroit: Become Human, but how many have actually bought and played those games? Likewise, a Let's Play can also damage a game's reputation or lock players into the idea that they can or should only play it a particular way, all of which might be worth exploring. – Petar2 years ago
Harry Potter is a beloved series all over the world, and whether you've seen it or not, everyone has heard of it. While the author J.K. Rowling has come into some heavy fire from the media for her transphobia and racial stereotyping over the past few years, the Harry Potter franchise still stands in our hearts. Can art be separated from the creator? Do benefits for transgender and racialized youth outweigh the original intentions of the author? What are the connotations of new creations set in the universe J.K. Rowling imagined? Should they be supported?
I believe that a really constructive way to bridge this topic is to provide different forms of media and or people that also face the difficulty of separation from creator and product. This could be things like the creator of Attack on Titan and the show itself, or Marilyn Manson and his music. While not relevant to the topic of Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling, this idea could be something worth noting in order to create critical thinking for readers. – bluestarshine2 years ago
One point I often see raised is that JK is quite literally still benefitting from people talking about, reading, and buying content in the Harry Potter franchise. So even if you can separate it in your mind, it's not really separated in the real world. Even if you acknowledge her wrongs and have your opinions, each time you buy a new copy of one of her books you do imply support for her, and directly fund her and her cause. You can even argue just talking about the franchise implies support and aids her, though this is a little tenuous. This is in contrast to older creators where it is possible to have more separation. If you read HP Lovecraft's work, for example, he isn't going to use that public support or the money you spend to further racist causes because he's dead. You of course don't have to agree with this take on the topic, it's just one I've seen around in discussions of it, and I think it makes an interesting point. – AnnieEM2 years ago
Analyze the accuracy of TV and movies that are about policing. A lot of these shows/movies display place work as light-hearted and fun. Some examples are Brooklyn 99 and ride along. Even though both are clearly comedies, impressionable viewers might think differently about policing.
Certainly there are comedies that portray the police as a “light-hearted and fun” profession. But there are also dramas and thrillers that portray it as brutal and corrupt. Depending on the genre, a movie may portray a profession under different lights. The question is: Is accuracy the goal of a movie that portrays a profession or is it the telling of a story under certain genre principles? I think that handling viewer perception is a different issue that falls under an “education” problem that is out of the hands of movie producers or directors. Or it could be a discussion about artistic responsibilities and their impact in society. – T. Palomino2 years ago
They certainly do. Different perspectives are pushed out, and you go through those perspectives while watching the film. Therefore, even unrealistic circumstances which happen in the movie can be interpreted as very real or vise versa. – AchuB2 years ago
I divide police TV series into two categories. Shows that use the police universe as a source of occupation/physical setting to tell a story about a specific character or multiple characters (I.e Blue Bloods) they do touch on what it is like to be in Law enforcement but are not an accurate or real representation of the work that Police Officers undertake. Then I see the premium police (dramas) series like NYPD Blue, Homicide on the Street, Prime Suspect (UK) and the like to be a real insight into the work, the police force/department as an organisation and the nuance of everyday police work. – NatalieB2 years ago
I like this topic, but I think you could go deeper. Certainly these shows could make viewers feel that policing is a more lighthearted and fun profession than it actually is, and that deserves analysis. But at the same time...what should police comedies, and darker/edgier police procedurals, do in response to this, if anything? How can, or should, shows like Brooklyn 99 balance comedy and reality? Considering how police are viewed right now, and what officers and their families go through, what should police shows in any genre look like (should they go for comic relief, or stick closer to reality)? Consider these and any other questions you might come up with. – Stephanie M.2 years ago
I like this topic very much and think you are on to a great idea here but expanding on the concept would be much more helpful. referencing more shows and particular parts would go a long way – Josephrogers132 years ago
I definitely see where this is coming from and I think in today's socio-political climate it's necessary to produce shows that portray police and other such authority figures in a more critical light. Not something that's realistic (more or less) like The Wire or something more stylized like True Detective, but something that can force a conversation about what modern policing has become (militarization, over-policing communities of colour in response to non-violent protests, etc.) – LeoPanasyuk2 years ago
Disney's Frozen burst into our theaters and onto our small screens in 2013, and no one has "let it go" since. The film became a franchise, with rumors of a third installment coming in 2023 or later. But Frozen is not the only wintry tale media consumers love. "Winter tales" can be found across mediums, from TV series like Game of Thrones whose tagline is "Winter is Coming," to a plethora of books with titles like The Snow Child, WinterFrost, and Girls Made of Snow and Glass. Many of today's super-powered or "chosen one" protagonists also have winter-related powers; Queen Elsa might be the most obvious, but there is also Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians, as well as Freya from Snow White and the Huntsman.
Winter permeates the arts, no matter the season. Yet what is it about this season, out of four, that captures the imagination of writers, filmmakers, and other artists? Analyze a few prevalent winter tales across mediums, looking for commonalities among characters, character arcs, plot threads, powers, and more. Could the other three seasons garner this kind of attention, and if yes, what would it take to make that happen? Are artists, authors, and others who craft "winter tales" trying to make a statement about their art, themselves, or humanity through winter? If yes, what is it? Discuss.
Maybe write more about your thoughts? Answer some of the questions you ask? – Thorn2 years ago
The writings on winter here may include analysis of well-known as well as lesser known poems and songs on winter. Winter is an interesting topic for writing, even to those living in hotter places like mine. – Anvar Sadhath2 years ago
The contemporary popularity of the present tense in narrative storytelling has been critiqued by authors such as Philip Pullman, who have argued a preference for the tone associated with the past tense. Popularised by figures such as Jane Austen, the past tense can be used to achieve a 'classic' tone in narrative writing; today, however, authors are freely experimenting with tense.
This article will address how, in today's world, the aspiring author make sense of tense. Is it a matter of personal preference, or do choices of tense play into more complex sociocultural aesthetics? If tense matters, how important is it to take a stance on the subject? Is tense a purely relativist construct, its validity being subject predominantly to the whims of the author?
I've got to say, and it might just be a matter of personal preference, but there are better ways to inform us that the article is going to address something, better than saying it just like that. It's too rigid and academic – Yusra Usmani2 years ago
I actually really like this topic. You could do cross literary analysis over different genres and compare fiction and non-fiction. Past tense what we're used to most of the time, yes, but I've started to see a rise in present tense. Tense flow and how tense can effect the tone of a story can be analyzed as well.
– Ara1 year ago
Half of Americans say they enjoy true crime and women are more likely than men to really dive in. Lately, it’s as of every other show on all streaming platforms is another deep dive into a true crime murder mystery. True crime series have become a staple in entertainment but why? What is our obsession with death and the events that surround it? Do we truly believe this could help solve cold cases or is there something much more primal laying beneath the surface?
We often think of Satire as being a "modern" invention. Or, at least, that is what our minds usually jump to. For instance, the satirical Chandler Bing from Friends, who constantly uses second-degree humor to articulate his points or arguments.
By analyzing Satirical works from earlier periods of our history, we might be able to understand Satire better. A good place to start could be Jane Collier's An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting! It gives advice to people in positions of power on how to torment their servants, companions, or even husbands, better. In short, what we nowadays would call emotional abuse.
Is there power in writing Satire? Is it more effective than using first-degree?
With the rise of virtual influencers like Lil Miquela and Bermuda, brands are increasingly turning to computer-generated characters to promote their products on social media. These virtual avatars are popular with younger generations who are more likely to trust and engage with them than traditional human influencers. However, there are ethical concerns surrounding the use of virtual influencers, such as transparency and authenticity. This article will explore the pros and cons of virtual influencers, and examine what their increasing popularity means for the future of advertising and influencer marketing.
Can it or can it not? Or can aspects be objectively bad for a film? Or is it all subjective? This is a neverending debate to some or an easy yes or no for others.
Critics tend to highlight mostly negative aspects of a movie and tend to ignore that there are passionate filmmakers behind these films, while fans are generally too forgiving, or tend to not demand better and just want a good time.
So what makes a movie good or bad, or is it more important how it makes you feel?
This is always going to be a tricky subject. Narrowing the subject matter down more would be better for determining objective good or bad. For example, one could try to objectively qualify the writing of the movie's script, in terms of plot-holes, natural flow of dialogue, or connection strength to presented themes. All of these topics are tricky and still hard to objectively qualify on their own, but it's miles easier than trying to do that AND the various other fields of work that make the film, such as costume design, editing, shot composition, music, etc. – SunGuard152 years ago
There is rich potential in this if objectivity and subjectivity can be adequately explored; one possible starting point would be Karl Popper's 'three worlds' concept which points to the two concepts as separate rather than occupying two ends of the same continuum. Another way into it might be to look into the various flavours of objectivity available (e.g. absolute objectivity, intersubjective consensus). – Jack Walton2 years ago
I think this is a great topic to explore, as it is a never-ending debate among movie enthusiasts.In my opinion, there are definitely objective aspects that can make a movie "bad," such as poor acting, bad cinematography, and a weak plot. However, there are also subjective elements that can affect one's perception of a film, such as personal taste and emotional response. I believe it is important to strike a balance between objective analysis and subjective interpretation when reviewing a movie. While it's important to acknowledge the hard work that goes into making a film, it's equally important to objectively evaluate the technical and creative aspects of the film. I suggest exploring the opinions of both critics and fans in the article, as they often have different perspectives on what makes a movie good or bad. Additionally, it would be interesting to delve into the psychology of why people enjoy certain types of movies, and how that affects their perception of a film's quality. Overall, I think this topic has the potential to spark a thought-provoking conversation among movie lovers, and I look forward to reading the article once it is published. – sheldorzz2 years ago
This is a really great topic to explore and I think there are many different ways to approach this. I think structurally speaking, there are distinctions between a good and bad film, but ultimately how the film makes you feel is what you remember the most. There are many objective analytical techniques you can use to determine the quality of a film, but there are also ways in which you can give a more personal or creative take within a critical analysis, which makes this topic an interesting line to draw upon. – Fasteddieemily221 year ago
Examine the first season of HBO's House of the Dragon, comparatively with the first few seasons of Game of Thrones. Something that is dearly missed is the sense of humor and witty dialogue. There is no Tyrion-adjacent character, not nearly enough dialogue and japes and sardonic moments, or Bronn-esk side characters. By no means did the humor lessen the impact, popularity, and fairly book-accurate depictions of the Game of Thrones TV series (not including the final seasons). Why is House of the Dragon choosing to be so grim? is it taking itself too seriously? will this effect its success? I'd love Fire & Blood readers to potentially lean in on this topic as well. It's a very different style than the main SOIAF series, so does it warrant the TV adaption being so serious?
Books and magazines have been outlets for creative expression since printing presses made them viable options for creative production. Today, though, the magazine industry seems straddled over digital and print options—and after the editions are printed, they are slowly extinguished in a swirl of ephemeral media (print letters, circulars, magazines), while books re-circulate in libraries, used bookstores, and personal collections.
Is it fair and accurate to say that books hold more enduring value than magazines? If so, why do books hold their value more so than magazines? If a book held the exact same content as a magazine, would its life cycle be different? Is the fate of these publications dictated by their binding and paper type, or are there cultural undertones that determine if these media flourish?
There are surely many ways that one could approach this topic -- historically, materially, economically, reception studies, seriality studies, gender studies, etc. -- but for the sake of a Helpful Note, I will comment on only one dimension of the issue: for roughly the first two hundred years of the existence of "the novel" as a distinct literary genre, the vast majority of novels were originally published serially in magazines. I'm not sure if this factor simplifies or complicates your original query, but it offers tangible cases with which we might respond to your "If a book held the exact same content as a magazine" hypothetical, since the complete works of Charles Dickens (for example) can be described as being (more or less) identical to content that initially appeared in magazines. What this essentially tells us is that the "book-magazine dichotomy" began simply as a difference in media, whereby the connotations of them emblematizing key differences in content/form/genre came later. For me, this brings to mind two follow-up questions: 1) Would the novels of Dickens have been able to achieve the degree popularity of popularity they went on to enjoy if they had never been decoupled from the material vessel of magazine pages and republished as autonomous books? 2) Given that novels today are seldom published initially in magazines, what factors lead to the separation of content/form/genre that we now associate with the two variants of print media, and how has the concretization of those associations impacted our subsequent expectations and/or beliefs about each medium's limits and potential? – ProtoCanon2 years ago
If we're being honest with each other, the idea of throwing Michael Jordan together with the largely dying Looney Tunes franchise was a risky decision at best. And there wasn't much of a precedent for a film like this either, as at the time blending animation with live-action wasn't very common. So how did this film become a landmark of this blend of genres alongside films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This essay will discuss the attributes of Space Jam that made it such a success and revived the Looney Tunes franchise.
Hmmm, interesting. Maybe bring in a film like Who Framed Roger Rabbit as a point of contrast. – Stephanie M.2 years ago
I would suggest comparing the original Space Jam to the recent sequel/reboot/whatever that was. Did that one work as well as the first? Why or why not? – noahspud2 years ago
I just want to note that Michael Jordan was probably the most important athlete in the world/one of the top of 3 athletes across the world at the time of the making of Space Jam. So having Michael Jordan in the film was a huge selling point. – Sean Gadus2 years ago
Space Jam worked because at that time, pretty much any off-the-wall idea with MJ in it would have worked. – Montayj792 years ago
Space Jam worked because it was such a fun idea and had promotion written all over it – WesleyBraid2 years ago
The list of fictional characters with relatable representation of neurodivergence (ADHD, autism, OCD, et cetera) has a lot of detective characters on it. Examples include Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Benoit Blanc, Adrian Monk, Shawn Spencer, and Sonja Cross from The Bridge. Some of these characters were created before the diagnoses became popular, and yet they match the symptoms remarkably well. Their special interests and hyper-focus help them notice details others might miss. At the same time, their unique way of seeing the world often separates them from society. Analyze various fictional detectives and consider why so many of them are neurodivergent. Is there some reason neurodivergence would make someone a better detective, as opposed to some other career? Do these characters run the risk of making their diagnosis their entire personality and not being fully developed characters?
Douglas Adams' foray into detective fiction, with his iconic twist of science fiction and extremely British absurdist comedy, was a novel called Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and its sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. These books have been adapted into two TV shows, one on BBC4 and one on BBC America. The books and TV shows are all quite different from each other; even the character of Dirk Gently changes a bit between adaptations. Compare and contrast the book(s) with the TV shows. Why did the shows change so much? Is there something "unadaptable" about Adams' original work?
The RPG controversy of the year was Wizards of the Coast, a Hasbro subsidiary, draft Open Game License changes sent fans and game developers into an uproar. The OGL was a default license established in 2000 that allowed fans to use portions of the Dungeons and Dragons property in their own work. This was framed in similar ways to open software licensing in that it could be used as a foundation to create independent works as long as it was using the specific System Reference Document in doing so. This allowed gamers to develop their own works and even to sell them. The most commercialised version of this was the work of Kobold Press and Green Ronin that developed independent games using the SRD as a base. This has always been a successful space for creative engagement with a beloved property.
On January 4th 2023 a new OGL 1.1 was to be released but an early leak of this content exploded into the zeitgeist with very concerning changes including WOTC ability to claim royalties from sold works and complete control over the content produced. The backlash was huge and fans and content creators both began to rally online and establish a response to the changes. This response included unsubscribing from WOTC's digital toolset and protesting in social media. Further, the largest third party users (whose income was most threatened by the change) announced plans to step away and redevelop their own games.
WOTC has retracted its plans but the damage is done. But a number of key questions have begun to be raised: Was this a failure to listen to its fandom? Was this merely a cash grab? Has this action doomed WOTC and its aligned products into the future? Has this been the initiative needed to get more producers developing independent game engines? What does fully open sourced mean financially for game developers? How will this shape the next twenty years of gaming? And, significantly, does this mean D&D is dead?