For the Cowboy Bebop fans out there this fight scene is bound to check off a lot of boxes when it comes to showcasing the anime, and for everyone else, it’s either an introduction to the fan-favorite show or a great example of martial arts choreography and an intriguing fan film. It’s also more proof that sometimes fan films are even better than professional films if only because fans know what they want to see and if possible they’ll create those iconic scenes and looks as close as they can. One has to wonder why big movie studios don’t pick up on this idea more often, but there are plenty of answers to that particular question since teams of analysts and other individuals that keep an eye on the trends and what people are watching and paying close attention to are often those that end up having the most influence on what gets made. There are a lot of people that have a say when it comes to making a movie, but in the end, it does come down to what people believe is going to make money, while with fan films it’s usually more about paying service to the fans that are willing to watch and contribute to the making of more fan films that people actually want to watch.
One issue with fan films is that they don’t necessarily cater to everyone, which is what big-budget movies tend to do since they want to draw in more than just the hardcore, diehard fans that know exactly what’s going on and what should be represented in the movie. While paying attention to the fans is also the goal, making sure everyone is up to speed with what’s happening is also important so that people will find it possible to sit through the entire movie without feeling hopelessly lost. This is something that’s happened with many big movies and it’s one reason why some folks have come to truly hate exposition since it takes a while to build a story and make certain that there’s enough detail to satisfy everyone. Like it or not, there are plenty of people that don’t pay attention to pop culture as much as others do, and they tend to need a little more of an explanation when it comes to the overall story. In this manner, it becomes important to cater to everyone, not just the fans. In a fan film though, the action and the story can tighten up in a way that will serve the needs of the fans and not have to worry about going into that much explanation.
Enjoying fan films isn’t hard to do if one simply falls into the short story that’s being told, but if the audience doesn’t have a strong understanding of where the story comes from and why certain elements are important then it’s a bit difficult to get into simply because the exclusive nature of a fan film is something that a lot of people can’t fully understand until they immerse themselves in the story. This is one reason why they’re not as marketable as big-name movies since not only do they tend to star those that are skilled by not known, but they take snippets of a story, or the elements that have gone into the mainstream story, and tell a story that may or may not mesh with the story that they belong to. There are several fan films that go with franchises that people know and love, but much like Cowboy Bebop, these franchises don’t slow down for the fan films that are inspired by them, as they continue forward with storylines that probably won’t take the fan films into account as they find different ways to reach the fans and to create new fans that will enjoy the material they push. In a big way, fan films are for those that have been following a story for a significant amount of time and want to see what might happen if the story takes a different direction than the mainstream has shown. It’s a desire for many fans to have their desires catered to, so these types of films manage to satisfy those that enjoy seeing the story play out as they believe it should, or simply enjoy something different that doesn’t need a lot of explanation since it keeps with the overall feeling of the story they’re used to.
Cowboy Bebop has been around long enough to have gained a healthy following, and it’s because of this that the videos that have been released concerning different aspects of the show have drawn so much attention over the past several years. How far it will go is anyone’s guess, but it does feel as though we could one day see a live-action attempt that fans might want to see.
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