Qualitative Research- Fanzines

“A magazine that is written by and for people who are fans of a particular person, group, etc.” (Merriam-Webster) — However, that doesn’t capture the essence of the fanzine movement at all.

Fanzines are a magazine generally speaking conveyed by beginners for devotees of a particular performer/entertainer, group, or type of entertainment. Fanzines are generally stressed with the object of their thought (works of composing, music, films or other social activities). Case in point, 'uncanny magazine' is a fanzine site that rundowns the 10 ten best sci-fi shorts that would not have been presented in theatres.
Web Link: http://uncannymagazine.com/article/short-list-ten-best-science-fiction-fantasy-shorts-web/

One of the most recent phenomena of the pop culture melting pot are fanzines. A fanzine is something akin to an underground magazine, and there are virtually thousands of them springing up all over the country. Fanzines cover a wide spectrum of ideas; the articles, interviews and band reviews, however, are not written in a style found in conventional media. The majority of fanzines are put together in a chaotic fashion; verse, craftsmanship dabbling’s, discussions of “social and monetary suppression and articles about non-standard groups proliferate.”

“It’s kind of like creating a public blog to share the best fan art, fanfic, comics, commentary and clips with all of your like-minded friends from social media sites like Tumblr and Deviant Art.”

The Attraction of Fanzines

Esther Watson and Mark Todd have stated in their book Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?, “The more raw and honest, the better. It’s a world where the weird, absurd and unique is appreciated. It’s for getting thoughts and ideas down on paper and into others’ hands.”

How might fanzines help short film producers build larger audiences/communities?

Fanzines help short films as it a nonprofessional/nonofficial publication that is brought alive by fans of a specific cultural phenomenon, for the privilege of others who share the same interest. It helps to create something highly professional and full of ads. Helping short films to distribute their work. Fanzines are conventionally circulated free of charge.  

REFERENCE: Wikipedia. (n.d.). Fanzine. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzine [Accessed 2 Jan. 2016].