The Case Study of Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Scholarly Commons ...

245). Redmond‟s (2009) statement, made shortly before Sherlock Holmes’s (2009)
release, is now void. Since Robert Downey Jr‟s portrayal, the amount of Sherlock
Holmes (2009) fan-made music videos has swamped Brett‟s and due to technological
advances, many of them are of a high and semi-professional standard. However, in my
case, the video clips Couch Jumper (2006) and Late Night Stake Out (2010)
transformed my fandom. The titles, while self-explanatory, have no association with
Holmes other than featuring in a similar playlist. The clips are uploaded out of context
and canon; only the context of fandom exists. Therefore, these scenes were posted for
like-minded individuals, who also saw certain qualities in them. These scenes are
without context and canonical reference because the characters, who embody the
ideological elements of the scene, are what is being shared and it is that which I
responded to. So when does a consumer become a fan?
Unofficial secondary products: Youtube ideologies
Late Night Stake Out (2010), a scene from The Speckled Band (1984), has Holmes and
Watson spying from a darkened shed. Holmes suddenly speaks: “I really have some
scruples, taking you tonight, there is a distinct element of danger” (Cox & Bruce, 1984).
To which Watson replies: “If I can be of assistance” (Cox & Bruce, 1984). At this early
stage of my fandom, and now with a well-educated hindsight, my cultivated impression
that Holmes, knowing of Watson‟s blind loyalty, feels responsible for Watson‟s safety,
remains intact even after all I have seen and read. I believe this is because I have sought
to only engage with products that match this early impression of mine, and therefore my
ongoing cultivation may simply be a result of my trying to replicate such a response. I
therefore responded strongly to likeminded recommendations made by other fans. The
ideology behind sharing one‟s fandom is based on association. One is able to associate
with one‟s “object of consumption” (Gray et al., 2007, p. 11) when responsible for its
promotion to another viewer. On Youtube, a user often writes a caption alongside their
video, often recommending the product in question or one similarly related. These “fan
recommendations” influenced me greatly, directing me towards lesser-known Holmes
products, and surprisingly, in the direction of other fandoms. From this I was directed to
pastiches, The Veiled Detective (2009) and amateur Holmes fan fiction, I was
introduced, through fan made music videos to the band The Divine Comedy (1999) and
violinist Ed Alleyne-Johnson and his album, Purple electric violin concerto (2006),
while similarly responding to products of similar genre to Sherlock Holmes, the
television series Poirot (1989-2001) and series one of Inspector Morse (1987).
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