Fanvids (also called vids, fan vids, AMVs (Anime Music Videos), and other terms) are video clips created by fans, using clips from TV shows, movies, anime, etc.
Fanvids were first created by women in the 1970s or earlier (see Celebrating Kandy Fong: Founder of Fannish music video, though their popularity is often attributed to the rise of YouTube and male video creators who use it. Fanvids created by men are often taken more seriously than those created by women.
Fanvids are created for many purposes. Some of these include:
- simply celebrating the text
- critiquing the text in various ways
- highlighting subtext or themes in the original text which the fan wishes to make more prominent
- telling a different story from that of the original creators, either for humorous or critical value
- eliciting an emotional response
Examples of fanvids with feminist themes[]
Criticizing sexism in popular culture[]
Many fanvids criticise popular media's portrayal of women, and are explicitly feminist in their message. Some examples include:
- On the dance floor by Sloane (streaming via Youtube), examining the ratio of men to women in the recent Star Trek movie
- Women's Work by Luminosity and Sisabet (streaming via blip.tv), showing women in the TV show Supernatural, who, time after time, are brutally murdered
- Maid on the Shore (downloadable .mov file; scroll down on page), retelling the story of "Pirates of the Caribbean" to point out the creepiness of Barbossa's treatment of Elizabeth.
- It depends on what you pay by giandujakiss (link to creator's post, with embedded video and download links), about rape themes in Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse".
Celebrating women[]
Some simply celebrate women and/or women's relationships:
- One Girl Revolution by arefadedaway (streaming and downloadable), showing clips from many TV shows and movies.
- I'm your man by Charmax (streaming and downloadable). Lesbian and other strong female relationships in popular culture.
- Glorious by such heights (streaming and downloadable). "This is the story of our heroines, who are knocked down but rise again, and they're glorious for doing so." Further creator's notes.
Further reading[]
Reviews and recommendations of feminist fanvids: