Fanboys. They've been around for years. On some level I am one, and if you are reading this article, you are most likely have a little fanboy in you as well. Maybe your dad was a fanboy, your little brother might be one. This group has certainly evolved over the years, they've come a long way from "Spock Ears" and the "World Science Fiction Convention". On some levels fanboys have influenced studios, many now run major movie websites, and a few even work at said studios. They are everywhere. At your local video store, comic book shop, multiplex, and infiltrating forums all across cyberspace. With advanced technology now at their disposal fanboys have a bigger voice and they are certainly taking advantage of it. The problem is some fanboys, not all, have this sense of entitlement. They are living in a fantasy world where studios should listen to their thoughts and adopt them. Some even lead others to believe they have direct lines to studio. This is when good fanboys go bad.
If you don't feed fanboys after midnight, keep them away from bright light, and avoid water, you still don't have a shot. Some of these individuals have parked themselves in a forum playing into the eagerness of other naive fanboys who just want to see their favorite comic book character on the big screen. They claim to be insiders with knowledge about casting and plot points. I call them "Zombies", they spread lies and infect an entire forum section, creating a pack of mindless "Zombies" in the process. They draw their fellow fanboys in like Mothra to a city aflame and these posters follow them like lemmings no matter how ridiculous their info may be. Once they have them hooked the "Zombies" tell these poor innocent fanboys what they want to hear. The fanboy posse grows and they will defend their "Zombie" leader no matter what the cost. The followers want to believe whatever information they are hearing so badly, that they even begin to buy into the lies and embrace them. It is really a sad and sorry addiction that sometimes takes years to overcome.
To be fair to the real insiders, there are actually what are called "Plants"on some of the bigger movie forums. These "Plants" post casting suggestions and plot points, sometimes even revealing breaking news before major websites even know what hit them. These "Plants" might work for the studio as an intern, or it might even be a higher level executive pounding out juicy info on a shiny silver netbook. There are times when studios will have on one of their own scout out a forum and select a poster to represent the studios interests. They will contact said poster and start feeding them info to pass on to their fellow posters, this is known as a "Contract "Plant". The studio might offer said "Plant" something in return, almost like a fanboy bartering system. Many times the poster is just happy with the new found "Forum-Fame" and will do whatever the studio wants them to. The question is, how do you separate the "Plants" from the "Zombies"? Follow me, I'll show you.
A new poster who just signed up to a forum and starts posting in rather large and cryptic paragraphs about the latest regarding a tentpole film is usually a sure sign of a "Zombie". They say a lot with out saying anything at all. Look for established posters with a large number of posts who have a good following in a certain forum. These are usually the types of posters a studio looks to when selecting a "Contract Plant". If the new poster seems to know what they are talking about even if they are a "Newbie" poster, check out the screen name. A true "Plant" is going to want to blend in. They won't use a screen name like WBinsider or MarvelDeepThroat. That is almost a sure sign of a "Zombie". True "Plants" will throw out a casting suggestion and move on. They might open a thread about as storyline and just stand by to guage reactions. "Zombies"will hijack the thread turn the thread into a resource to draw in unsuspecting posters, it becomes about them not the news or the posters. "Look at me, look at me!"
A "Zombie" will use words like, "maybe" and "soon". They'll create riddles that could mean anything and leave the posters to solve them. "Zombies" will never give a concrete timetable, or specific news, they leave it open to interpretation. That way if any news happens to leak, they will scream at the top of their forums lungs that they were right all along. When their info turns out to be bogus, as it usually does, "Zombies" blame Hollywood or point the finger at their sources but will never take the blame. A "Plant" won't be around for the aftermath if they happen to be wrong, they are already laying the foundation for their next assignment. "Plants" will never brag about their careers or tell you what they do. They don't get personal because they can't. This is how their employers want it. A "Zombie" however, will brag about the most mundane of achievements involving Hollywood in order to boost the number of "Zombies" in their brood. Now that you know the difference, let's hope you will be able to spot them and know what to do if you have the misfortune of coming across one.
For further reading on the subject of fanboys please check out Why I Hate Fanboys by our very own Jamie Williams.
Fri, November 20, 2009 
