Oliver Carter

I recently completed a chapter of my PhD fan film production in the Euro-Cult cinema fan community, focusing on the Fantom Kiler film series.  An abridged version of this chapter will hopefully be published in a forthcoming edited collection on serial killer fandom.  Here is the abstract for the book chapter:

The giallo film was based on pulp crime novels that were popular in Italy from wartime onwards, the popularity eventually leading to film adaptations of several giallo stories.  A typical giallo film narrative will feature a crazed black- gloved serial killer murdering beautiful women in varying in exaggerated fashions.  In the early 1990s British and American horror film fans learnt about the giallo in fan publications such as Giallo Pages and European Trash Cinema which created interest and paved the way to forming a Euro-Cult fan culture centred around the giallo film.  Euro-Cult cinema itself is a fan determined category Not only do fans discuss the films in online communities but also actively produce texts for distribution amongst the fan network. 

I will examine the Fantom Kiler series of films, fan produced re-imaginings of the giallo film and demonstrate them as examples of ‘slash’ production; a form of fan production that particularly focuses on serial murder and highly sexualised violent content.  ‘Slash’ production is not just exclusive to fan film making but also other forms of fan production such as fanzines, clothing and DVD production. It also considers fan reactions to the Fantom Kiler film series.  Building upon textual analysis, this piece will raise theoretical and methodological questions, reflecting on the author’s developing research and personal understanding of the fan culture as a fan scholar.  The Fantom Kiler series further illustrates the contemporary fascination with the serial killer and allows for a new consideration of how fan cultures are researched and considered.

On Wednesday I presented the paper I gave at the Transforming Audiences 2 Conference on fan DVD production to my research group peers at Birmingham City University.  My colleague Andrew Dubber was kind enough (no hint of sarcasm there at all) to take a picture of me at the end of the presentation when I was fielding questions.  Though I felt that I gave a better presentation at the Transforming Audiences conference, the response from my colleagues was much more positive, having a number of useful comments.  I was quite surprised at how different it is presenting to your peers compared to presenting to strangers at a conference.  I think I prefer the latter. 

On Friday September 4 I presented a paper at the second Transforming Audiences conference based at the University of Westminster.  The paper was based on a chapter of my PhD that focuses on fan DVD production.  Here is the abstract of the paper:

The Fans Reserved 25 Copies

From Amateur to Professional: Fan DVD Production in Euro-Cult Cinema Fandom

The ubiquity of home computing technology and the World Wide Web has presented fans with the opportunity to create online networks to engage in discussion based on their interests.  In addition, the availability of desktop publishing software and video production software, both free and illegally obtainable online, has allowed fan production to become professionalised.  The distinction between amateur and professional fan production is becoming blurred.  This form of fan production is best exemplified in Euro-Cult cinema fandom.  Fans are engaged in the building of fan DVDs, using industry standard video editing software and DVD authoring software to produce composites versions of commercially unreleased Euro-Cult films, particularly those which are commonly referred to as gialli.  These DVDs are then distributed through fan networks and online file sharing technologies.

Drawing on my knowledge as both a fan and a researcher of Euro-Cult cinema, as well as an active producer of fan DVDs, I adopt an ethnographic approach to examining this particular phenomenon.  In addition, this piece will raise theoretical and methodological questions about the study of fan audiences, drawing on the author’s developing post-graduate research.  It also builds on the current lack of work in the area of fan production, itself an oft-neglected area of study, and draws on contemporary issues such as copyright, social media and modes of distribution. This example of fan DVD production in Euro-Cult cinema fandom offers a new perspective on how fan cultures are considered and researched.

A documentary on the lesser known Italian poliziesco film movement is currently in production.  The producers of the (hopefully) forthcoming documentary Eurocrime have run in to funding problems.  Even though they have received interest in the documentary from some outlets they have been struggling to find money to complete production.  The main issue they are having is finding money to license clips from films so that they can be used in the documentary.  Those who have expressed interest in financing product have no been willing to give money up front, instead wanting to see the finished documentary first before committing.

So, with some suggestions from Jonny, the head honcho over at Lovelockandload, Mike Malloy, one of the producers of the documentary, is asking Euro-Cult fans to contribute funds to help finish the project.  A page has been setup on the project funding website Kickstarter which offers different levels ranging from $5 to $5000.  For each level of donation there is a reward.  For example, $5000 earns an executive producer credit, whilst a $5 donation will give the funder access to project updates.  The aim is to reach $10,000 dollars by January 26 2010.  The pledges will not leave the funder's account if the target is not reached by this date.  Any Euro-Cult fans reading this are encouraged to contribute whatever they can to this worthwhile project. 

Using a platform such as Kickstarter, which is currently being used to fund many multimedia projects, and relying on contributions from fans demonstrates the changing nature of fandom and independent production.  This will be something I will be giving attention to in future research.  It will be interesting to see whether the full amount of funding can achieved through Kickstarter.  Fingers crossed.

The excellent advance trailer which features excerpts from some of completed interviews can be found below.  This promises to be something special.

Snuff

First used as term in relation to the Charles Manson murders of the late 1970s, ‘snuff’ was coined by author Ed Sanders in his book on the Manson Cult: The Family. It was suggested in various reports that the Manson Family had in fact recorded murders on video even though said footage never surfaced. The term, however, received great attention when the film Snuff was released in America in 1976; a zero-budget feature based, albeit very loosely, on the Manson Family. Though made in Argentina and originally titled Slaughter, distributor Allan Shackleton decided to shoot a new ending to the film several years after it had been made. This ending featured what appeared to be behind-the-scenes footage of the film crew ceasing production then deciding to murder an actress ‘for real’. Though it was clearly staged, this tacked on ending, combined with the unique marketing of the film, generated mass-attention in both audience figures and public opposition. Thus the legend of snuff was bought into the mainstream.

A basic definition of the term would be a person who is actually killed in front of a camera for entertainment or sexual titillation. The term also became to be known as “white heat” films or “the real thing”. The snuff move was something of a media construction that subsequently became an urban myth. It has been the subject of numerous mainstream Hollywood films such as Paul Schrader’s Hardcore (1979) and Joel Schumacher’s 8mm (1999) as well as popular television shows such as Miami Vice. In 2005 a film called Snuff Movie was released to cinemas. Many independent horror features, such as the August Underground series of films use the theme of the snuff movie as their general narrative. A number of films labelled as ‘video nasties’ by the British tabloid press were incorrectly identified as snuff films.

Certain films have been labelled by the media as actual snuff films due to their realistic portrayal of murder. Ruggero Deodato, the director of Cannibal Holocaust (1980), found himself in Italian court having to prove that the actors in his film were not really eaten by cannibals. The Japanese creators of the horror film series Guinea Pig also had to prove that their film The Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985) did not feature a Samurai dressed serial killer actually dismembering his victim. The producers even went to the length of shooting a ‘making of’ film to prove their innocence when they were being investigated by the FBI. The infamous Faces of Death series has also fallen foul to such allegations despite many sequences being obviously constructed for the sole purpose of being as real as possible; a trend started by the Italian Mondo films of the late 1960s and 1970s.

In the millennium the term snuff has become synonymous with the videos of hostages being murdered by terrorist groups. Whilst these videos do not actually follow the definition of snuff as they are not produced for entertainment or titillation some might argue that the downloading/uploading of these videos on Internet suggests some form of thrill or sick gratification. Up until the publication of this book, despite numerous Federal investigations, there has been no evidence of a snuff film actually in existence.

Further reading:

Kerekes, David and Slater, David (1996) Killing for Culture: Death Film from Mondo to Snuff (Creation Cinema Collection). London: Creation Books.

Goodall, Mark (2006) Sweet & Savage: The World Through The Shockumentary Film Lens, Manchester: Headpress.