Spoiler seeking

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FauxOwl
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Spoiler seeking

Post by FauxOwl »

I admit I've been largely unaware that spoiler seeking is a trending phenomenon among fans of various fictional franchises. That the Washington shoot of the new Twin Peaks series became a tourist attraction seemed unusual, but I've recently become aware that this has been happening on the Georgia sets of "The Walking Dead" for some time. In fact, the TWD spoiler seekers have given themselves a cute name: "The Spoiling Dead Fans". They've got an instagram and facebook page and they proudly snoop the sets, taking pics and audio recordings and post it on social media. Since I watch TWD but am not a huge fan, and am kind of annoyed with the show as often as I'm entertained by it, and also because I was curious about a particularly annoying plot development in a recent episode, I decided to take the plunge and check it out (if I was a bigger fan of the show I would never consider it). One of the posters from this group proudly proclaimed that he/she has been spoiling television shows for thirteen years. They are quite serious about what they do... discussing the degree of certainty about spoilers in percentages, discussing their sources confirming things, etc. They have a reputation for being dead on in their spoiler leaks, and many of the leaks are major plot points, and for what it's worth, there seem to be a lot of people who love them for it. They hold each other in high regard... they call themselves "good people" for spoiling the show.

I'm rather curious about this. I mean, my first instinct is to look down upon it... that these people are basically like children eating all their Halloween candy at once. But the truth is I don't really understand it. People have different ways of enjoying things... is there some way that learning major plot points of a television show or movie from an instagram post or a paparazzi enhances the experience of viewing the show? Is it because people get too emotionally involved in shows that may have shocks and surprises and they want to ease themselves into it? Since there are a lot of people seeking Twin Peaks spoilers here I thought I'd ask and get a different perspective on the whole phenomenon.

BTW, in case anyone here wants a cute nickname to rival TWD's spoiler club, here's my suggestion: "Twin Peaks: Spoiler Walk With Me" :wink:
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LostInTheMovies
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Re: Spoiler seeking

Post by LostInTheMovies »

My POV is that I like little teasers to hold me over during the wait for Twin Peaks - if I had a sense that major earth-shattering revelations were in the offing, is run in the other direction. I think twin Peaks has set the bar pretty low for what's considered a spoiler simply by saying nothing about cast, little about locations, etc. Which is pretty smart in a way because now people who are hungry for knowledge can be satisfied by pretty minor stuff.

The one big "spoiler" - aside from being ambiguous in its implications - was also so egregiously "slipped" by the production, especially since they are so secretive about so much else, that I consider it a purposeful teaser as well.

Personally I thought I would be avoiding everything but hearing the show is now delayed to 2017 (and maybe even if it wasn't) I need little snacks along the way.
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FauxOwl
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Re: Spoiler seeking

Post by FauxOwl »

Ok... it seems the Twin Peaks spoilers are minor so far. The Spoiling Dead people seem to want the big stuff... character deaths and what not. I just think back to all the great surprises I've had watching film and television and can't imagine how much less effective it would be if I'd learned about it through some schmuck's instagram post. But clearly... perhaps not here... but out there... there are those who love learning plot details from iPhone pics and not by watching the story presented the way the creators intended. It's an interesting phenomenon and more than a little befuddling.
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the haystack
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Re: Spoiler seeking

Post by the haystack »

FauxOwl wrote:Ok... it seems the Twin Peaks spoilers are minor so far. The Spoiling Dead people seem to want the big stuff... character deaths and what not. I just think back to all the great surprises I've had watching film and television and can't imagine how much less effective it would be if I'd learned about it through some schmuck's instagram post. But clearly... perhaps not here... but out there... there are those who love learning plot details from iPhone pics and not by watching the story presented the way the creators intended. It's an interesting phenomenon and more than a little befuddling.
People may call me what they will.
I've never left the realm of watching "the story presented the way the creators intended". You can no more experience Mulholland Drive on a tiny screen than you can the Mosque of Mirrors, The Starry Night, or Stonehenge, by way of comparisons. So much more contact occurs between creator and viewer that transfers in the medium s/he intended. Albeit, Lynch knows we don't all have private theaters in our homes for viewing his work; however, "the largest possible screen" (Lynch) is suitable and, Twin Peaks was created for the TV screen. Likewise, if he wanted us to have a pre-unveiling context, I'm sure he would create contextual spoilers and not object to invasive spoiling.
It's tiring work avoiding spoilers because a lot of them are not spoilers, merely idle speculation. Out of context grainy photos are useless in time. Alternatively, there is life in the thoughtful investigation of material we do have now, and creative people all over can wax and speculate all they want, as I think they tend to channel the artist himself. Musicians, writers and artists have conceived a virtual School of Lynch, who serves as muse for them. To a lesser degree, the imaginations of some of the people on this board, hoping, wishing, predicting future stories is likewise legitimate. The mental challenge of imagining what might be is not something I think Lynch would object to, nor the examination and comparison of ideas about what has happened. After all..."oh, what a wonderful world."
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FauxOwl
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Re: Spoiler seeking

Post by FauxOwl »

Speculation is not spoilers. There seems to be a pretty loose definition of what is a spoiler here. The notion that one's own personal speculation may be a spoiler is actually kind of flighty, but I digress... it's The Spoiling Dead thing that really prompted this thread, as the group openly champions spying and leaking major spoilers as though it's a democratization of the viewing process. Literally... their motto is "Spoilers for all. Community for all". I write that and I think "that sound like something I made up"... but this group does seem to view all the set snooping and leaking as some kind of Robin Hood act. This may be the wrong place to get clarity on that.

If I ever subject myself to spoilers willingly like I did for The Walking Dead, to me it's essentially a criticism of the show... I'm actually disrespecting the creators by doing it. AND I've actually seen the info they've leaked posted on regular sites without spoiler warnings. There's quite a disconnect from how I perceive it from this "Robin Hood/leaking for the common man" thing.
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LostInTheMovies
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Re: Spoiler seeking

Post by LostInTheMovies »

Yeah, that just makes no sense to me whatsoever. What is gained exactly? What "wealth" is re-distributed to the viewer? What advantage does this give them? I can't see any which way that knowing a plot twist ahead of time redounds to the benefit of the viewer. None.
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