What is a fancam?
Discover the world of K-pop fancams, why they are so popular, and how they changed the industry.
If you’ve spent any time on Twitter, TikTok, or YouTube, you’ve likely encountered a K-pop Fancam. It’s one of the most defining and unique aspects of K-pop fan culture, a phenomenon that has even begun to influence Western artists and media. But what exactly is a fancam, and why is the K-pop industry so obsessed with them?
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about fancams, from their definition and history to the diverse types of content that define the fan experience.
What is a fancam?
At its core, a fancam (short for “fan camera”) is a video recording of a live performance focused on a specific subject, distinct from the official broadcast feed. In K-pop, this almost always means a video that focuses entirely on a single member of a group or, sometimes, provides a static, wide-angle view of the entire group’s choreography.
Unlike traditional concert footage or TV broadcasts, which frequently switch angles, zoom in on the audience, or pan away at crucial moments, a fancam offers an uninterrupted view. It allows fans to appreciate the intricate details of a performance—the footwork, the facial expressions, and the stamina required to perform these high-intensity routines.
Fancam vs. facecam: What’s the difference?
While they serve a similar purpose, it’s important to distinguish between a fancam and a facecam, especially in the context of official music show content.
A standard fancam is choreography-focused. It typically captures the idol’s full body (or at least from the knees up) to showcase their dance lines and performance skills. The camera moves dynamically with the idol but prioritizes keeping their movements in frame. In contrast, a facecam is purely visual-focused. As the name implies, it relies heavily on extreme close-ups, often cutting off the body to focus almost exclusively on the idol’s face, capturing their expressions, winks, and lip-syncing. These are less about the dance and more about the “visuals” and charisma.
Types of fancams:
Not all fancams are created equal. In the K-pop ecosystem, we can classify them into three distinct types based on their source, quality, and intent.
1. The official music show fancams
This is the gold standard for modern K-pop fans. While “fancam” historically implied something unofficial filmed by a fan, major Korean broadcasting stations recognized the massive demand for individual member content and began producing their own “official fancams.” Programs like SBS Inkigayo, KBS Music Bank, MBC Music Core, and Mnet M Countdown now upload huge libraries of content immediately after a show airs.
Originally, these were filmed by assigning specialized camera operators to track specific members during pre-recordings. However, in recent years, technology has evolved. Today, many stations often film a single high-resolution 8K wide shot of the entire stage and then digitally crop and track individual members in post-production. This allows them to generate a “fancam” for every single member without needing a dozen cameramen running around the stage.
2. The fansites
Before TV stations jumped on the trend, fansites were the backbone of fancam culture. A fansite is a dedicated fan (or group of fans) who follows a specific idol to every schedule—concerts, fan signs, festivals, and airport departures.
Do not mistake these for amateur recordings. Fansites often use equipment that rivals professional photographers—massive telephoto lenses (the famous white Canon lenses are a common sight) and flagship DSLR bodies. They are known for their specific color grading and “love” for the subject, often editing videos to look cinematic. While technically “unofficial,” the industry largely tolerates them because they provide free, high-quality promotion, filling the gap where official cameras can’t go, such as university festivals and overseas tours.
3. The casual fancam
This represents the vast majority of content you’ll find on social media platforms like X (Twitter), TikTok or YouTube. These are recorded by everyday fans attending a concert or music show recording, usually on a smartphone.
The quality here varies wildly. With modern flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S Ultra series (often dubbed the concert phone), quality can be surprisingly good, especially with zoom. However, shaky hands, screaming crowds, and obstructed views are common. What they lack in polish, they make up for in authenticity. These videos capture the vibe of the event—the fan chants, the energy of the crowd, and the idol’s genuine interactions in real-time.
Why do fancams matter?
You might ask, “Why watch a shaky video or a single person when I can watch the full professional broadcast?”
First, fancams create viral moments. Some of K-pop’s biggest success stories started with a fancam. The most famous example is EXID’s Hani. In 2014, a fansite fancam of her performing “Up & Down” went viral, saving her group from disbandment and shooting them to the top of the charts.
Second, they are essential for learning choreography. Dancers worldwide usually use group fancams (fixed cameras showing the whole stage) to learn routines because they don’t cut away from the footwork.
Fancam spam & Twitter culture
Fancams have also been a weapon in the arsenal of K-pop stans on social media, particularly on Twitter (now X). For years, it was common to see viral threads—completely unrelated to music—flooded with replies containing videos of K-pop idols dancing. This phenomenon, known as fancam spam, became a defining characteristic of K-pop Twitter culture.
Fans would attach high-quality fancams to trending topics or viral tweets to “hijack” the algorithm and force visibility for their favorite groups. While the intensity of this practice has waned recently, it remains a recognized part of internet history. This aggressive grassroots marketing is perhaps best remembered through the famous “Stan Loona” meme, where fans of the group LOONA would insert the phrase and fancams into every corner of the internet, regardless of the context.
Discover official fancams
If you’re looking for the high-quality, official fancams mentioned above, navigating YouTube can be a surprisingly complicated experience. This is especially true when trying to find content for groups that have been active for years, as they often have hundreds of official fancams accumulating over time. While you might find playlists created by other fans, they are frequently outdated or simply nonexistent for smaller groups.
Furthermore, searching directly on the official YouTube channels of major broadcasters like KBS, SBS, or Mnet is often a mess. These channels host tens of thousands of videos, making it a daunting task to sift through the noise to find the specific member or performance you’re looking for.
On sourceskpop, we’ve curated a dedicated section just for this.
Here, we compile official fancams from major music shows and broadcasters, allowing you to easily filter by your favorite artist, idol, or song. It’s the best way to find high quality official fancams in a matter of seconds.
Ready to dive in? Pick your bias and start watching!
