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Firefly Movie Using Viral Marketing?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the clips-and-crazies dept.

CABridges writes "According to the official movie site, some interesting "security excerpts" have begun popping up online, first at iFilm. The videos (two, so far) appear to depict River Tam during various stages of her incarceration and mental capacity. More to come?" Also, in vaguely related and somewhat humorous news XJHardware writes "For those of you who really need an obsessive/compulsive hobby here's a good example. Seems this fellow Chris Doyle built a model of Serenity from the upcoming movie and too-quickly canceled series Firefly."

15 of 287 comments (clear)

  1. 'viral' marketing? by REBloomfield · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Can someone explain why this is called 'viral' marketing? Seems more like the hype machine at work more than anything else. That thing with the BBC and wikipedia made me wonder the same thing.

    1. Re:'viral' marketing? by Kazzahdrane · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think the idea is that this kind of "marketing" doesn't need to be marketed. You release some information/footage/specs and let the internet go crazy and spread the news for you, like a virus.

  2. from the movie? by theblueprint · · Score: 2, Interesting
    As a big Firefly fan, I wonder if these scenes are from the movie, or if they're something made for "hype" only. I haven't seen any of the trailers yet, and I don't want to watch these if it's footage from the movie.

    If these are some shorts that are excluisve of the movie content, I think it's a good idea. Fanboys can get their "fix" and not spoil anything.

    --
    "from the bricks to the booth...I predict the future like Cleo the psychic..."
  3. Re:All to quickly? by Kazzahdrane · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sorry you think that, but I have to disagree. I bought the DVD set a few months ago on a whim and loved it. I then lent it to a friend who wasn't particularly enthusiastic and received a text message from him that very night saying "Firefly kicks ass, shame there's so little of it left to watch". That's a perfect 2 out of 2, and last week I lent it to my 53 year old father, let's see if he likes it too. Just because not many people watched a show doesn't mean it sucked. You obviously weren't one of the people trying to get tickets for a Serenity screening this year, I tried to get one for the Edinburgh International Film Festival next Sunday and the ticket lines were engaged and the booking computer went down under the load. If Serenity is a good movie it will be a hit, because the fans won't let it be hidden amongst the competition.

  4. From the Firefly podcast by lesinator · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I co-host the Firefly/Serenity podcast The Signal. We have already interviewed Adam Baldwin (Jayne), Gina Torres (Zoe) and Ron Glass (Book) and they are all really behind the movie & the Firefly franchise. To quote Adam "Joss called me up the other day and said 'you should see the movie now (with all the effects & final music in place), it is so cherry!'". They really show an enthusiasm & devotion beyond what one would expect if it were just another acting job to them. There are a lot others grass roots efforts like ours out there promoting Serenity from the bottom up. Its very exciting to see the groundswell of anticipation build with with the advance screenings & now other new clever marketing tools that Universal is using.

    L

  5. Re:what am i missing? by EddieBurkett · · Score: 2, Interesting
    ok. can i ask, what am i missing? i saw firefly when it was on.
    What you're missing is any sense of continuity. When Fox aired the show on tv, they aired the episodes out of order and skipped some episodes. That hurt alot of the subplots that Joss was building over the course of the season. I was a Whedon fan and at the time the show was on tv, I didn't appreciate it much, either. But a friend got me the DVD's, and I went in expecting it not to live up to the hype, and I was way wrong. If you are basing your opinion of the show based on how Fox aired it, you are doing the show a disservice.
    --
    The only thing I hate more than hypocrites are people who hate hypocrites.
  6. The abulance from the show was found... by doublem · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A guy was poking around in a aircraft graveyard in the American Southwest, and found the flying ambulance from the Firefly episode "Ariel"

    He then put the photos up on his journal here.

    This isn't viral marketing, it's scavenger hunt marketing!

    --
    "Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
  7. Surprisingly good show! by Sidane · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I picked up the Firefly series on DVD last week after reading various good things about it and seeing the Serenity trailers. I am working my way through it and am loving it. My expectations were very high and I'm usually very critical and switch off mediocre quality shows very quickly, especially sci-fi. So much to my surprise Firefly actually lives up to the hype. Shame they cancelled it. I'd recommend any sci-fi fans out there to give it a chance.

  8. Kudos to Mr. Doyle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Firefly + Serenity + LEGO = glee.

    Dude, you made my day, and right before a 2 hour long meeting I'm not looking forward to.

    Can't wait to see an attempt at a scale model to fit the crew (nicely done as well, I might add).

    -- A fellow tramp freighter fan

    I post anonymously so you don't have to.

  9. Re:Word of mouth is not viral marketing by SimilarityEngine · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Real viruses spread under their own steam, by moving between vulnerable people. Viral marketing spreads awareness of a product by "seeding" carefully chosen forums/blogs with the info, and letting readers spread the hype. Although some readers are quite able to exercise free will and keep quiet (analogous to people with high resistance to a virus), sufficiently many do not and act as vectors for the info. The viral analogy isn't perfect, but then the analogy between "memes" and "genes" is about as good...

    --
    Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
  10. Sorry to be offtopic... by ArmenTanzarian · · Score: 3, Interesting

    But I'm interested in the obsession with Firefly, but don't feel like plunking down money for the DVD's unless I know I'm buying something good (and my patience for torrents are roughly three hours).

    So here's my question, are there Firefly fans out there who didn't watch Buffy or Angel, etc.? Because I really really didn't like those shows and if such an intersection of Buffy non-fans and Firefly fans exists, I'd like to hear from their opinions on Firefly.

    If you could wait until I get a response or two before modding me offtopic, I'd appreciate it.

    1. Re:Sorry to be offtopic... by Halthar · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Personally, I was never a fan of either Buffy or Angel, in fact I never understood the attraction to either show. I did enjoy Dark Angel(First Season) though, and one of the unaired episodes of Firefly has a scene that seems familiar, for some reason. I think anyone who watches this series and the first season of Dark Angel will know the episodes I am talking about.

      That having been said, Firefly is actually a VERY good show. I don't have cable since I watch very little TV, generally. As a result I never saw a single episode of the series while it was on. I think in a way I was blessed, because had I seen the episodes out of order I never would have really been able to appreciate the show.

      Actually, even if the show was horrible, in my opinion it would be worth it just to see Inara in a tight dress.

      Fortunately, the show IS worth the viewing time. The character devel. is very well done, and I can't help but find myself actually being happy for the crew when things go well, and getting angry when things go poorly. As a result, I am actually somewhat angry about the last few episodes of the DVD. They are very well done, the stories are good, they weave into the fabric well, but there are some things I wish had come to some kind of resolution. For the same reasons I both enjoyed and at the same time hated the first season of Dark Angel.

      One of the things that makes the DVDs wonderful, and a curse, is that by the time you get to the last few episodes, you don't want the series to end, yet you know it does. You want some of the conflicts and mysteries solved, but they never are. The only problem I found was the various unresolved issues. If you can deal with that, then it's definitely worth either renting or purchasing the DVDs.

      One of the reasons the show works is because the cast of the show was actually really into making it. They cared about the artistic side of what they were doing, and seem to have really put everything they could into making the show. Not just the cast, but everyone involved. There is an interesting portion of the "Making Of" extra on the DVD that really explains their mindset well. It's the classic "Labor of Love" story, with even the person doing the musical score involved.

      The most recent show I would compare it to is the new BSG series. The shows are completley different, but the same sense of dramatic tension is there, and equally well done, in my opinion. The character development is about equally well done on both shows. Some of the CG between the two shows is quite similar as well. Basically, if you have watched and like the new Battlestar, and watched and liked the first season of Dark Angel, then I personally think that you would really like Firefly.

      With regard to torrenting the show. I admittedly torrented the DVD rips of the first 3 episodes. I watched them, and the next day purchased a copy of the DVD set. Having watched all of the episodes, it was definitely worth my money and my time. I believe that had they allowed the series to run as it was intended and in a good time slot it would currently still be airing. Admittedly, having watched the show, I am somewhat biased.

    2. Re:Sorry to be offtopic... by socrates32 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have never enjoyed Buffy or Angel. Though, to be fair, I've only seen (maybe) two episodes of each.

      Firefly, on the other hand, is perhaps the best all-around live-action sci-fi I've ever seen. Think a cross between original Trek and Blade Runner, with some Seven Samurai and A Fist Full of Dollars thrown into the mix. In my opinion, one of it's stronger qualities is a lack of alien-of-the-week syndrome, which usually simply serve as convenient plot devices, rather than characters. It is very well written with both humour and edge. It even has realistic (and caustic) swearing, albeit in Chinese.

      Definitely worth the cost of the DVD set.

      --

      -- "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur."
      - Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.
    3. Re:Sorry to be offtopic... by cjmilne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This is an interesting question that's getting a range of responses. My take on it is fairly straightforward, the comparisons to Buffy/Angel are appropriate only in that they have the same creator, otherwise they would probably not be compared at all.

      Perhaps a more interesting question is whether Firefly would have become more similar to Buffy/Angel had it made it through several seasons ? Buffy was an entertaining show but to a certain extent it also became quite serialized and impenetrable as it aged. Firefly's first season is much more accessible and required much less subtext per episode for enjoyment, as would be expected for the first season. I suspect however that had it survived through multiple seasons it too would have succumbed to the nested, opaque plotlines that plagued Buffy. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, long-time viewers are rewarded for their persistence, but few shows outside the Simpsons have managed the balance between rewarding the-Comic-Book-Guy-viewer and the brand-new-viewer and I suspect that based on Joss Whedon's history, Firefly's initial broad appeal would have quickly been lost.

      Chris

  11. Re:What the fuck is serenity and firefly? by bradkittenbrink · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While I think it's unfair you were modded a troll just for expressing your opinion, I do disagree with you on just about every point.

    First of all, Firefly was originally produced by Fox, regardless of what the SciFi channel calls it now. <rant>Don't help them get away with this kind of bullshit. SG-1 was originally produced by Showtime, you can't call it a "SciFi original" regardless of who's producing it now.</rant>

    Secondly, I'll tell you exactly why people like Firefly: It's hilarious and the characters are awesome. And that's good enough for a lot of people (me included). No one's claiming the drama is Shakespeare or the acting is oscar-worthy, but I do think that the cast is well chosen for the quirks of their characters. I'm not going to try to convince you it's funny, or that you should like the characters, because you've obvoiusly seen it and disagree. Fine, I'm just pointing out that a lot of the things people see as Firefly's strengths are independant of the things you criticized.

    Thirdly, if you want to kick artificial gravity out of sci-fi, you pretty much have to kick faster-than-light travel out of it too. If our current understanding of General Relativity is accurate, any technology for one could almost certainly be adapted to apply to the other.