Fandom

The term ‘fan’ is believed to come from the term ‘fanatic’ and refers to an audience member who has an intense enthusiasm and, often, an uncritical devotion to a product, person or activity.

There are many ways in which a fan of a long form TV drama can express their enthusiasm and interest for the show. Continuing developments in technology have enabled the distribution and sharing of fan-made materials and the development of fan made communities.

Fan-made Product 1: E.T. reference Poster

The maker of this poster is Will Varner, a fan of Stranger things, most likely an older fan. This product was found on buzzfeed and can be found online when typing in fan art of Stranger Things. The main features of this poster relates to the dramas intertextuality with E.T. and the comparison between the alien and Eleven. This is shown through the unity between the two characters by holding their hands together and it glows maybe portraying that they have powers. The poster also shows a link between the two through the use of the boys on bikes riding with the moon in the background which is a key scene from E.T. This suggests that the main appeal of the show is the intertextuality with 80s style films. This fan art particularly resembles the E.T. film poster especially since it has copied the set of the big moon

This piece of fan art shows a guide on how to hunt one of the monsters shown within the series including props that have been used throughout the season that would be recognizable. This has been drawn by Paolo Marcio, a fan of the drama. This suggests that one of the main appeals for the drama is the reference to demigorgans which is a direct reference to the game Dungeons and Dragons therefore the appeal would be the use of geek culture which would appeal to the nerdy, geeky audience. This poster also contains many icons from the series that were key when fighting the monsters as well as being recognisably related to the characters.

This piece of fan art focuses on the part of the story containing the upside down. This poster is by Joey Paur. The poster includes the boys and eleven in the real world with Will under them next to the emoji representing him saying 'holy sh**'