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Firefly Movie Using Viral Marketing?
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."
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.
Firefox changing name again?
For those that don't know (myself included), Wikipedia is your friend
Nobody will fall for such obvious viral marketing techniques by spreading the news on their site. I'll be surprised if I ever even hear of this.
I'm a big tall mofo.
Posted on Slashdot? We hit the jackpot, baby! Virual Marketing Gold!
Just watch the hit counter in the next hour or so.
Watch this:t railer_2/
0 0AQS0F/qid=1124886150/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4982 309-0060827?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846
http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/serenity/
Go buy / rent this:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00
Seems this fellow Chris Doyle built a model of Serenity from the upcoming movie
There's a key word missing from this sentence that might put it into a clearer perspective, and that word is Lego. That said, the Lego Wash is adorable.
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..."
Shiny!
Fox was going for a different target market than what the show was bringing in. Cosidering it did get decent viewership in spite of the fact they aired the series completely out of order should a one indicator of the suckiness. Another is the fat that it is still one of the top box sets at Amazon two years on with very little marketing.
"God fights on the side with the best artillery." - Napoleon, Marshal of France - speaking truth to power
I have to say though that the DVD series was my best purchase of the last year. I was skeptical when I bought it because some of the Amazon commenters were saying that the only reason it was getting five stars was because of people rating it over and over. However, having watched it I think it really lives up to the hype and then some. I'm just sad they aren't making any more, it was the only drama I've ever actually liked.
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.
Nonetheless, I have to say that despite the tendancy for geeks to latch on to a crappy cancelled show, Firefly was a great series. Rent/Buy/Steal the DVD and check it out for yourself.
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
That's for sure. I saw the trailer for Serenity when we went to go see 'The 40 Year Old Virgin". Hmmm.
The only thing I hate more than hypocrites are people who hate hypocrites.
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
Seen them, read about them, liked them. Don't fear spoilers. It's stuff you should already be able to figure out if you've seen the series and not from the movie from all accounts. It IS new video created specificly for this campaign.
Watch it, it's 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.
You are totally wrong.
The dialog and characters in Firefly and Serenity are pretty damn far from Hollywood. The trailer is cut that way because it's a trailer, and wants to depict a typical fun sci-fi action popcorn movie, so more people will see it. You know, marketing.
Watch a few episodes of the show. Then add a much darker plot line, insanely higher levels of space action, and some incredible character twists.
Also, this is NOTHING like Matrix, Star Wars, or Star Trek. It has more in common with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, or maybe even something like the Bourne Identity.
You know, I watched some episodes on the air when it first came out, and really didn't enjoy it much. Space western? I was expecting something more along the lines of Cowboy Bebop, and that it wasn't. So I didn't mourn its passing.
But recently, on a whim, I decided to nab the DVD set. It's interesting because now after watching all the episodes out, in the proper order they were meant to be, I actually really enjoy the show immensely. The characters are all well done, the acting's great, the writing is subtle and excellent, it's just generally a very well thought out series on the same level as shows like Battlestar Galactica.
So for those who might be wondering what all the hype's about, go check out the DVD set. It's not that expensive, but might be a bit tricky to find. You won't be disappointed, and it will get you set for Serenity, which looks amazing.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Do I need to watch the Firefly episodes before I go see Serenity?
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
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.
I'll be in my bunk.
(With apologies to NTK).
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
If there's a truer thing said on Slashdot, it would not be so important as this though it has been said before in different ways.
If Linus wanted to sell paper cups with the Linux name on them, there'd be a stampede to get the news posted. If a new geek cult game releases, there's a post. Slashdot readers submit posts knowing the editors cannot resist publishing them because everyone knows the other readers will comment on them by the hundreds. Much of the news is stuff that DOESN'T matter. WE ARE the viral marketing and we do it DESPITE our own cynicsm. Oy.
Maybe we should get it over with and charge people to talk about their product and get it exposed to the tech brigades instead of giving them free advertising here. I won't even say the name of this movie franchise I'm so sick of hearing about it never mind sick of the incessant ways it gets squirreled into being mentioned.
Next big Slashdot running gag: inserting catch words and product names that are already known to be over-hyped.
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
This will be one of the only movies in years that I plan on seeing opening weekend. What makes it even better is that my girlfriend is also patiently waiting. She is not a scifi fan at all. I talked her into watching FireFly with me. She loved it. So much so that she would get home from work and one of the first things she'd ask is "Are we watching disc 3 of FireFly tonight?".
Since then I've loaned the discs to her Dad and her Brother who have both loved the series as well. I've probably helped sell at least 8 movie tickets to people who didn't even know about FireFly or the upcoming movie.
Aych tea tea pea colon slash slash slash dot dot org slash
The fellow subsequently went back and took many more, better photos--including himself (wearing a "Han Shot First" T-shirt) standing on the mockup or sitting in the cockpit. According to a subsequent LJ entry he has found out who the owner is, and gotten a price from the owner (which he says is reasonable considering, but doesn't want to reveal for fear of some private collector snatching it up). But he's not sure where to go from there.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
personally, if the "marketing" is done correctly, the customer is actually interested in the product and is not annoyed at recieving notices. Viral or otherwise. But, if overdone, THEN it can get annoying. The web is good this way in that like-minded people can gather virtually and discuss like-minded concepts. Unlike say AM/FM radio where there's such a mixed audience that we are stuck listening to ads for whatever Clearchannel can get paid to put on the air.
As far as the "viral" part goes, that will only work if, as you mentioned, "carefully chosen forums/blogs"( ie the products customer base ) are found. And IMO, that is not a bad thing. They won't get much "spread" or traction if they seed the Firefly info to...a genital herpes forum for instance. And it would be a waste of time to even think that those forum/blog members would be remotely interested.
LoB
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
I don't understand GP. The level of hype surrounding Serenity is no where near the level of...well, anything mainstream hollywood.
I think he hates it simply because people like it.
Some people are like that, they define their tastes by rejecting what others like. "If they like it," they say, "I must NOT like it! That will set me appart!". It's... well it's pretty fucking stupid, if you ask me, but they tend to see this as some kind of unique and clever position, and not as the sad and all to common reactionary stance it is.
Pounds to pennies he's never seen an episode.
I'm pretty sure he never has.
His sounds like a clear case of prejudice.
You can't take the sky from me...
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.