You Drew Stars Around My Scars: An Analysis of Wolfstar Fan Vidding

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, popularly known as ‘Wolfstar’, has been one of the most popular slash ships in the Harry Potter fandom since each of the characters were introduced. As is the case with many popular queer ships, they are not canon to the source material, but that has not stopped dedicated fan writers and artists. Currently, the slash ship has well over forty thousand works on AO3 (“Works in Sirius Black/Remus Lupin”, n.d.), and the most kudos’d (liked) fanfiction of all time on the site features the ship as the central relationship (“Kudos”, n.d.). Interestingly, there is very little canon information on the characters early life, giving fans the opportunity to fill the gaps in the narrative, rewriting the story however they like. In my own work, I was interested in using fan vidding to tell their story how I see it, utilising the tools available to me in my chosen medium. Through an analysis of my vid, “Wolfstar x Cardigan” (Arntorp, 2023), one can reflect on how fan vidding as a medium demonstrates the concepts of affordance (Hutchby, 2001) and intertextuality (Coppa, 2008).

To begin, it is essential to have an understanding of the canon story of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin in order to understand the narrative presented in “Wolfstar x Cardigan” (Arntorp, 2023). Sirius and Remus are both side characters within the Harry Potter series. Before the events of the series, they were both close friends with James Potter (Harry’s father) and Peter Pettigrew during their years as students at Hogwarts. During the first wizarding war, Peter Pettigrew betrayed James, giving up his and Lily’s (Harry’s mother) location to Lord Voldemort, who ultimately murdered them both. When Sirius found out about this betrayal, he went to seek revenge on Peter, but Peter was able to frame Sirius as both the betrayer, and as the murderer of thirteen people, including Peter himself (“Sirius Black”, n.d.). This landed Sirius in prison, and led Remus to believe that Sirius was responsible for the death of their best friends (“Remus Lupin”, n.d.). Years later, during the events of Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Remus learns that Peter is not dead, and that he framed Sirius. Sirius escapes from prison, and he and Remus reunite as old friends (“Sirius Black”, n.d.).

To continue, “Wolfstar x Cardigan” (Arntorp, 2023) reflects what Hotchby (2001) defines as affordance. An important piece of context when it comes to Wolfstar fan vids is that there is no movie or television show to use footage from when it comes to their early life. The Harry Potter fandom solves this issue by using scenes from other movies which feature actors who match the general physical description of the characters. In my case, I used a variety of clips with Ben Barnes as Sirius Black, and Andrew Garfield as Remus Lupin¹, and combined them with footage from the official series. As Barnes and Garfield have never appeared in a movie together, it was necessary to scour scenes from their filmographies in order to place cut together shot/reverse shot transitions that appear as though the characters are interacting with one another. Hutchby (2001), discusses how technology impacts our behaviour and limits users. As an editor, I was restricted to the scenes I was able to access in order to tell the story I wanted. Additionally, the editing programs I use both make it possible to create fanvid, and constrain the quality of video I am able to create. Just as Hutchby (2001) suggests, “Affordances . . . are enabling, as well as constraining, factors in a given organism’s attempt to engage in some activity” (p. 448), in this case, fan vidding. The technology used in vidding also impacts the way stories are told, often utilising the same techniques used in filmmaking. One such example is the transition between Andrew Garfield and David Thewlis portraying Remus being shown through a dissolve effect (Arntorp, 2023, 1:02). This portrays the passage of time. Another is the use of black and white to represent memories/flashbacks (Arntorp, 2023, 0:48). Throughout the entire editing process, the medium and technology used affects the way the story is told.

The medium of vidding features another aspect through which to tell a story. The music used in a vid can drastically change the story. Given that the video clips I was able to use were limited, I rely on music to lead the narrative. “Cardigan” (Swift, 2020) features narrative heavy lyrics that parallel the canonical story of Sirius and Remus, but also contains a romantic element. Coppa (2008) discusses how music can be, “an interpretive lens to help the viewer to see the source text differently, to provide new meaning to the source footage.” (para. 1.1). In “Wolfstar x Cardigan” (Arntorp, 2023), the story of Sirius and Remus is recontextualized as romantic. This change strengthens both Sirius’s desire to escape, and the heartbreak that Remus experiences after Sirius’ imprisonment. The reunion between the characters during Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) is now a reunion of lovers. Similarly, the lyrics to “Cardigan” take on a new meaning.

Most notably, “Peter losing Wendy” (Swift, 2020) is recontextualized to be about James and Lily’s last moment alive together, and “Chasing shadows in the grocery line” (Swift, 2020) helps solidify the scene where Remus spots Sirius in his animagus form in the bushes². As an editor, I found it to be important to include the lyrics as text on the screen throughout the vid in order for the audience to follow along with the narrative the song in combination with the video clips provides. Both the vid and the music work intertextually to recontextualize each other, creating a new, singular narrative for the audience (Coppa, 2008).

In conclusion, fan vidding is an interesting case study in narrative. The medium allows fans to reimagine their favourite movies and television shows in order to rewrite the narrative however they see fit. As evidenced by an analysis of “Wolfstar x Cardigan” (Arntorp, 2023), the process of fan vidding involves both affordance, as defined by Hotchby (2001), and intertextuality, as outlined by Coppa (2008).