Is Artistic Integrity Integral to the Artist?
It's a question I find myself asking again and again.
One look at my avatar and you'll easily guess where I'm going with this but for those you unfamiliar with the lovely Harbinger, he is a main antagonist from the sci-fi videogame series Mass Effect. Over past few years, the series has set a new benchmark in interactive storytelling, creating a rich universe that many once hailed as the next great sci-fi franchise, ready to assume its place next to venerable greats like Star Trek and Star Wars.
It doesn't take an asari to sense the 'but' coming...
Upon the release of the final entry, something went wrong. Complaints started flooding in in the hundreds, then thousands. People were angry. People were going (literally in some cases) insane. People who had never opened their mouths on a forum before in their lives swarmed to BioWare Social Network's Mass Effect 3 review thread to register their displeasure.
Why?
Two words: the ending.
I won't spell it out here for obvious reasons, but needless to say it was such a rushed, anticlimactic and ill-thought out mess that forced developer BioWare to go back to the drawing board and release a greatly beefed-up version as DLC. While it went a great way to appeasing disillusioned fans, I doubt ME3 will ever escape the Spectre (guffaw) of its ending debacle.
And so we come to the subject of this article.
A great many games publications (many of whom are, how shall we say it...dependent...on the good graces of devs and publishers) came to the defence of BioWare, decrying the fans as 'whiners' and generally making BioWare's creative minds out to be bullied geniuses whose artistic integrity had been assaulted by the hatred towards the ending.
The writers of BioWare, they argued, had every right to pursue their artistic vision and any attempt to change the ending was an infringement on that right.
The fans countered with saying that the ending in no way reflected the quality of the storytelling prior to that point, perhaps a result of 'too many cooks in the kitchen'. In conjunction with the promises already made throughout the course of the franchise that were not kept, many felt their rights as consumers were being affected.
So, that's the story. What I want to discuss is; who was right? The fans or the writers?
I will start out by saying that as a writer myself, I agreed 100% with the fans.
The original ending was, for wont of a better word, shocking. I'm hardly the type to go ranting on forums (or, indeed, Amazon, Metacritic and a hundred other outlets of internet ire) but I was one of thousands who gave their two cents on BSN and I still stand by it to this day. I won't go into detail on why I hated the ending itself - that isn't the subject of this article - but I will say exactly why I felt BioWare's plaintive cries of foul with regards to their artistic integrity fell on deaf ears in my case.
Simply put, when you sell your art based on certain promises and expectations, it becomes a product, a product which is then sold to consumers. It might be a soulless way to look at it but that is a basic fact. When we take someone's money to do a job we form a bond of trust with that consumer, and it no longer becomes a case of meeting our own artistic standards but theirs. Interactive media is not traditional art in the sense that we peruse a gallery or auction, like what we see and pay for it based on that connection. We trust the artist implicitly to carry our standards and if we are disappointed, we all have a right to an opinion.
Getting down to the basics, I can't help but feel the very notion of 'doing it for the love' is, for the most part, an antiquated ideal. If we love doing something in this day and age, we can get an audience relatively quickly by creating an account on Youtube or Fanfiction.net. You don't need to sell your art to 'do it for the love'. I certainly don't feel much love when I see movie, book and game sequels belched out on a yearly or bi-yearly conveyor belt.
The mere act of selling art is no longer in the integrity equation simply because popularity can be attained with potentially little real expense. Nowadays, the 'love' is expressed in connections and relationships with the fans and genuine consistency in the quality produced.
Perhaps the very idea of artistic integrity itself has changed. Gone is the idea of the struggling musician or painter of the late twentieth century, refusing to sell out to the mainstream. Now, with the advent of social media and websites such as the one you're looking at now, the mainstream is within the easy grasp of everyone - there is no need for the backing of a large corporation to achieve worldwide recognition. The proliferation of popular amateur videos and music (and most recently, literature) over the years has proven this.
So what now exactly qualifies as integrity? I would say staying true to your original vision, to resisting outside influences and ensuring you are producing the best possible art you can. I say integrity in this modern world is striving for perfection, not resting on your laurels, especially when they're well-paid laurels.
Artistic integrity is not an excuse for poor craftmanship, nor a shield to defend oneself against anger stemming from it.
In my amateur opinion, BioWare had already shed their artistic integrity when they changed the direction of their franchise, circa Mass Effect 2, to maximise their audience base instead of striving to expand what sci-fi games could achieve, which is the sense I got with the first game. They were concerned no longer with crafting a truly expansive, original experience but making sure as many people bought into the series as possible. The ending, far from a shock dip in BioWare's usually-impeccable quality, was just the icing on the arrogance cake; an assumption that just because they created it, people's opinions carried no weight.
I've offered an example, though it's far from the only one. Many would argue George Lucas sold out Star Wars when he made the lacklustre prequels and remastered his earlier films, going back on his long-held opinions on the changing of movies to suit newer audiences. Was his artistic integrity compromised on the creation of Jar-Jar Binks?
If you've any others to discuss, please mention them below in the comments.
For now I'll finish by saying artistic integrity is as important as ever but in a world where art and literature is readily and freely available, the meaning of the term has changed. I believe that in this new world, artistic integrity is not quite as self-centred as it used to be.
Written by, mothbanquet aka jjgrimshaw
The Halloween Prompt Comp is open to all our members.
Halloween Prompt Comp.Happy birthday SFH deviants! We have collectively passed our first birthday together!To celebrate - and because it's just around the corner - we are hosting a Halloween competition that ALL our members can take part in.
All you need to do is choose at least one of these 10 prompts, and create a piece of work by whatever medium you wish.
Here are your prompts.
1. Halloween from hell.
2. ZeroG apple bobbing, and other space party scares.
3. The bitching hour.
4. Broom and Cauldron, registered charity 1313666.
5. The ghost who didn't die.
6. A crossroads, a guitar. Trick? Or treat?
7. Open mic night - registered gargoyles get in free.
8. The Lurkers.
9. The wo/man who would carve lanterns.
10. The SFH Halloween staff party. Leaked document from anon whistleblower reveals shocking truth!
Guidelines.Writers - no more than 2,000 words please.
Halloween Comp - Treats!Hi Guys.
The SFH Halloween Prompt Comp is underway!
Before I give you the list of goodies you could win, may I please YELL AT YOU... I mean, politely remind you, that the featured folder is for competition submissions only, at this time.
To ensure your entry for the comp isn't declined, please make sure you have noted a link to this comp, and your chosen prompt(s). Otherwise the admin won't know it's a comp submission. Thanks guys.
The prizes in both the visual art and written categories are as follows:
1st Prize.
- 200
- 100donated by Savvid
- 10
*- EITHER, An original picture based on the works of Lovecraft, by, AzrielMordecai -OR- A portrait, by, AbigailSins
*- EITHER, A coloured sketch by Gigi-FenixPhoenix -OR- A short story commission by Ezri-Krios
- A joint winners journal feature here, and in two other groups. (One is currently undergoing a name change, so I'll update you on them
Skin by Immerot
