WELCOME
TO THE NEW
INDEPENDENT
&
OBSCURE
FORUM
FAQ
2.0343534
(Special thanks to Noraboo for helping to get the forum title changed, who helped tweak the FAQ, and for generally being superawesome.)
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Q1:
Hey, what happened? This used to be about independent and cult film and television? It changed "cult" to "obscure..." Why?
A: It was felt that the word "cult" was a little too general and confusing. While certain film and television shows managed to gain a cult surrounding it, like Star Wars, they still gained worldwide mainstream success. For archival purposes, the original definition of a "cult" film that was used for guidelines of the forum was this:
A cult film is a film that was released to the public that failed, only to gain a strong following through midnight theatrical screenings, video sales and late-night showings on television.
It seemed like a pretty decent guideline at the time, but not everyone knows of this definition, and not everyone
agrees with it. So a change was in order.
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Q2:
So what does this mean for the forum?
A: While it sounds like the name change might effect the forum in a major way, it's not as big as you might think conisdering a lot of films that fall into the "cult" category are also obscure. However, the overall aim of the forum
has changed - the forum will now be used as a sort of safe haven for threads about film and telvision that would die in the main entertainment forum. For example, I had to move a Citizen Kane thread - a film neither cult nor independent that quickly disappeared after it was moved to the Main Entertainment forum.
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Q3:
Does this mean more popular threads dedicated to cult/independent films will be moved/recycle binned?
A: Yes. While such threads were well welcomed in the past because they fell under the "cult" and "independent" banner, there were also many threads dedicated to the same subject in the main entertainment forum. It seems a little redundant to have a Napoleon Dynamite thread in this forum when there are almost a dozen more floating within the first five pages of the main entertainment forum, right?
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Q4:
What types of "popular" cult/independent movies will be removed from the forum now?
A: Here's a quick list that I'm thinking of on the spot, at this very moment:
Monty Python-related threads
Labrynth
Donnie Darko
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Napoleon Dynamite
Pulp Fiction
The Boondock Saints
The Crow
Battle Royale
Kevin Smith-related films
Invader Zim
Saw/Saw II
While the list isn't the only threads that are going to be removed, these are the ones that are broght up the most in both this forum and the main entertainment forum.
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Q5:
What are the general guidelines that decide what gets removed and what stays?
A: Basically the decision involves scanning both this forum and the main entertainment forum. If a lot of threads about the same subject can be found in the main entertainment forum easily in threads that are popular, it's probably best to keep it in the main entertainment forum. That's why, for example, the thread dedicated to The Evil Dead series will probably stay in the forum - I keep a constant scan on the main entertainment forum (just for fun, I post there too!) and haven't noticed an Evil Dead thread pop up in a long time.
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Q6:
Where will the threads go when they're moved? Will they just be moved into the Recycle Bin?
A: It will probably be decided on a case-by-case basis. I know it's hard to remove a thread that's well established like the Rocky Horror thread, which has been here probably ever since the forum was concieved - but a new Rocky Horror thread is started up almost daily in the main entertainment forum. It is hoped that a thread like this will be moved from this forum to Main Entertainment, and then linked from their topic directory to be used as an "official" thread.
But remember that the main entertainment forum has their own set of rules - they want to keep "official" threads well-constructed and informative, so the idea of our threads being carried of to the main entertainment forum might have to be scrapped when you consider many of the popular threads have original posts that basically add up to "I LOVE THIS MOVIE!"
Not that proclaiming love for a film is a bad thing - it's simply not as elaborate as they would like.
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Q7:
I have a question that isn't addressed here.
A: Post it, then! This FAQ is pretty thin, so if you want something addressed, post it here and the answer will probably show up in the FAQ sooner or later.
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