So Universal has done the unthinkable. They greenlit a $40 million movie based on a TV series that was cancelled halfway through the first season. Now to market it. I'm not sure how it happened, but they've created a two-fold viral campaign, and it might just be the future of movie marketing.
This situation is somewhat unique (it would also work for comic book movies, etc.), because the original run of the TV show created a small but loyal fan base, and the subsequent DVD release expanded this fan base significantly. As a result, there were already a couple of on-line communities extant when the movie was announced, but nothing "official." So when Universal implemented the first part of the campaign, the
movie website, it gave fans a centralized place to meet up as well as a convenient entry point for newbies. The site features user polls, trivia questions, and most importantly a message board. This feature is important because not only can fans (called browncoats- see the show) communicate and network with each other, the cast and crew can drop official updates, and the studio can monitor the fanbase.
But wait! There's more! The real centerpiece of the campaign is the preview screenings. The movie was originally scheduled for release in April, and as such it was mostly completed at the beginning of the year. So what to do with the well-connected fan base? Well, show them the film, of course. And that's just what they did. Since May, there's been 3 screenings, the first in 10 cities, the second in 20 and the most recent in 35. So not only is the studio keeping the fan community energized, they are charging these fans for the privilege. And the fans (myself included) are eating it up: the last screening sold out in minutes.
So, to recap, Universal is showing the (mostly) completed movie to paying fans, who by all accounts are loving it, and giving them a place to discuss it. As you can imagine, the buzz is working. There are almost 40,000 members of the web site, the TV show is in the top 5 sellers on Amazon and everyone is actively trying to recruit new devotees. In fact, it is working so well that the boards are rife with suggestions to market the film more effectively, not to mention ways that the fans themselves are trying to spread the word. Why are these fans to pour their hearts and souls into making money for a major studio? Simple: the possibility of a sequel. The only thing fans want more than a Big Damn Movie is a Big Damn Franchise.
And all of this with 3 more months to go. I can't wait to see what they'll do next!
It all started in 1992 with a fairly bland teen/horror/action/comedy movie. It did a paltry $16 million dollars and was bound for obscurity. But the man behind the movie wasn't happy with the film, and thought his idea deserved another chance. It
was an interesting genre experiment: the cheerleader becomes the action hero. In addition, the movie did not represent his vision- his vision was darker, more character driven, and more human. Through force of will, this failed movie became an extremely successful and beloved television series. The show was
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the man was
Joss Whedon. Mr. Whedon led Buffy through seven seasons and its spin-off, the slightly less successful Angel, through five. So when Mr. Whedon began his third network show, the expectations were high.
Unfortunately, however, Firefly was not so successful. The critics loved it, and it generated a lot of excitement within Buffy and Angel's existing fanbase, but there was trouble. There was a definite conflict between the creative elements behind the show(Whedon and crew) and the network (FOX). The two hour pilot was deemed not action packed enough, and a new first episode was written in a weekend. The decision to
not air the episode that is in so many ways the "mission statement" for the series was indicative of a mistrust that began to sabotage the show (That's right- I'm placing the blame fully on the network, it certainly was not the quality). In the end the show was cancelled after 11 episodes. The end, right?
For a lesser man or a lesser show, perhaps. Not for Joss Whedon and not for Firefly. The premise was too good, the characters too special, and the fans... well, the fans were too loyal. In December 2003, Firefly came out on DVD to very strong sales. More people were introduced to the series, and the existing fans became even more... well, fanatic. Then something truly extraordinary happened. It was announced that this cancelled sci-fi/western was going to be a movie. Not a straight to video last-gasp, but a full-on studio feature. And there was much rejoicing (yaay!)
Next: The movie becomes the guinea pig for an exciting new marketing technique.
Batman has had many beginnings. He first appeared in print in 1939, on screen in 1943, and in modern feature cinema in 1989
(Ref). But this week, the Batman story finally began for me.
First, I should say that I never really got into comics as a kid. I loved to read books, and I think the pictures in the comics never really lived up to the ones in my head. So I didn't really grow up with the 'Caped Crusader.' My first introduction to the mythology was Tim Burton's
1989 film/cultural event. The film is fun and gothic and great, and it tells a decent story about an insane villain, but it doesn't tell us much about the guy in black. Ditto for 1992's
Batman Returns, and don't even get me started on the
Schumacher suckfest that ensued.
So when I went to the theater last night and tuckered in for
Batman Begins, I was pretty much working with a clean slate when it came to Bruce Wayne. And in the ensuing 2 hours or so, an amazing thing happened- I got to know him. I understand now how he felt about his parents. I get how helpless he felt when his parents were murdered. I also now see why he sought out danger and costumes in the fight for justice.
Now, that's a lot to get from 141 minutes of film, along with a cohesive story about some particular villains. And this feat was achieved because of the talent of an amazing cast and a fresh director: Chris Nolan. Nolan has an ability to coax sympathy in a very short amount of time. When necessary, he'll resort to a speech from a character to get information across, but he's just as content with making a point with a look or an image. And neither the speechifying nor the looks would do the trick if it wasn't for the likes of Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine and Christian Bale.
Nolan's weakness is in the action. The fight scenes are no doubt edited to convey the suddenness and confusion of the one's trying to fight Batman, but it comes off as choppy and disorienting. Also, the car chase scenes were conventional and a bit drawn out for such a character driven film.
The bottom line: Batman/Bruce Wayne has never been so accessible as a character and his story has not been so convincingly told. The cast and the director make this film a spellbinding treat, and a great (real) introduction to this giant of American Myth.
So I've read a number of articles recently (thanks, Ben) about some changes that have come about that have shook the foundations and assumptions that are the basis for the entertainment industry. I'll apologize now for the amount of research involved here, but I think we're seeing here are the first signs of a major revolution to come.
First of all,
this article from Slate describes how new products and practices are impacting movie marketing. Then, I read
this article about internet technology, such as Amazon.com recommendations, that are changing the way that all media is marketed, and even creating new niche markets for previously unmarketable material. Finally, I read
this article about the elements that have traditionally combined to make successful media franchises.
All of these articles, and others I've read in The New York Times, MSNBC.com and Entertainment weekly have made it clear to me that a major media paradigm shift on the order that we haven't seen since the invention of movies and radio.
It started with the music. About 10 years ago we started seeing cheap and easy ways to manufacture high-quality CDs from digital sources. Napster was a big step up from taping your favorite songs off the radio. Before long, private citizens were manufacturing top of the line DVDs of movies and TV shows in the privacy of their own homes.
Add in the growing popularity of TiVo and major media sources are being stripped of their sources of income. As my friend Ben said, "who watches commercials?" At some point, companies are going to start seeing a lack of sales impact due to TV commercials. Sometime soon, movie budgets are going to start declining due to lack of revenue- look at this years box office receipts, and you'll see what I mean.
What this means ultimately, I don't know. Maybe they'll ban P2P networks, maybe commercials will start running on the screen at the same time as the shows. Maybe commercials will become obsolete and all TV will become subscription. But I do think that the times, they are a changin' and the entertainment industry better change, or it'll be left behind.
What's at stake? For TV, I think free, broadcast TV could go bye-bye, or the entertainment value of shows could be impacted by increasingly obtrusive ads. For Movies, declining revenues due to pirating and home theaters might mean less risky productions, which might mean the elimination of the art-house. But for the music industry, they could loose it all. In today's world, we don't
need them at all. People can create music for very cheap, and distribute it directly to the public. The only question left for them is how long will it take.
Yay! The best comedy on TV is finally out on DVD! Okay, so it's been out for a couple of weeks now, but I'm just getting around to writing about it. Sue me.
Anyhow, it is really interesting to see (for the first time, in my case) the genesis of all of the relationships on the show, and the prototypes of the characters that I know and love. Yes, some of them are not even yet developed fully in the 12 episodes I've watched (Elliot), but others are pitch perfect from frame one (Dr. Cox). The Janitor is a little mean, and Dr. Kelso is a little nice, but for the most part the characters are intact.
One of the things that surprised me a little is that not all of the episodes quite work. There are a couple in there that didn't do it for me. This surprises me mostly because I took it for granted. Of the more recent episodes that I had seen before the DVD came out, there wasn't a single one that I didn't love. They all make me laugh, and most of them make me cry. But, apparently, in the first season, they hadn't quite hit that stride. Specifically, I'd cite "My Nickname" where everyone has a horrible day and "My Own Personal Jesus" which, while having a great episode title, takes on faith in a way that left a bad taste for some reason.
What this tells me though, is that the makers of this fine, fine piece of entertainment know what works and what doesn't. They obviously recognized some of these elements that didn't connect and had the courage to change things up. I, for one, wouldn't change a thing, since it was those missteps and less successful episodes that grew into my favorite half hour on TV.
So Universal has done the unthinkable. They greenlit a $40 million movie based on a TV series that was cancelled halfway through the first season. Now to market it. I'm not sure how it happened, but they've created a two-fold viral campaign, and it might just be the future of movie marketing.
