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Saturday, April 16, 2016

Fan Service

     I mentioned Fan Service last post, and I found I wanted to talk more about it

     Fan Service can get a bad reputation. A lot of folks think it's pandering, or unnecessary, or inauthentic. Fan Service can be Skimpy outfits, needless and inappropriate sexualization..."jiggle"...

     In short, it can be done tacky, just like everything else can. To be clear, tacky doesn't necessarily mean bad- but it generally means it's unsubtle.

Examples of Obvious Fan Service

  • Daisy Dukes short shorts
  • Princess Leia's metal bikini
  • Megan Fox bending over an engine in Transformers
  • Saving or including a dog(not a weird innuendo.)

     Fan Service can also take the form of "Easter Eggs" in the film- things thrown in as in-jokes for those who know the subject material. When used this way, it's usually done by someone who is a big enough fan of the material that they know you will get the reference, and they are including it for their own benefit as well.

Examples of Awesome usage of Fan Service

  • Any time someone says "I have a bad feeling about this" in a Star Wars movie
  • Donald Blake M.D in Thor
  • Reference to Iron Man as "a bodyguard in a suit"
  • The Space Cowboy scene on Castle
  • Casting Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime in the Transformers live action movies
  • Stan "the Man" Lee in Marvel movies
     Fan Service is neither inherently good nor inherently bad- not something to hate, but more something to be aware of. Enjoy the leg show, but don't forget why it's there. It may be there because the creators of a work think you are smart enough to catch it, it may be there because they think you are dumb enough to fall for it. but either way, it's there for you. I'm a fan- I love Fan Service.

     Now, for my own Fan Service, back to pictures of toys and birds next post...

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