Uh oh...
POSTED BY: BadgersHat
UPDATED: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 23:21
VIEWED: 4641
PAGE 2 of 2
but they're all series, which gives the viewer time to digest what they've seen. someone thats never even heard of firefly might have a hard time catching up or keeping up with the film... either that or the control group were idiots...
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I heard the same "bad" things about the initial test screenings, BadgersHat, and none of it surprised me. The sad fact is, there will be a lot of people who (a) won't bother to see the movie and (b) will see it and won't like it.
However, the up-side to that is the current marketing scheme they've got going on at 'Versal. These advanced screenings are creating an enormous amount of "buzz" over both the movie and the series. Add to that the fact that Sci-Fi will be airing Firefly on their most popular night. That means more exposure, interest, and eventual fans.
For example, a friend of mine is a gun enthusiast (for lack of a better, innocuous word) who belongs to several online message boards like this one. One of these boards is just for gun collectors and has absolutely nothing to do with sci-fi, tv, etc. He sent me the link to one of the most popular threads on that board, and it had to do with Firefly. Started out as a question about the guns used in the show, but ended up being about the show, how good it was, what a shame it was cancelled, and so on. I was astounded by the number of people who recommended buying the DVD set and by the number of people who actually bought it based on those recommendations. Not one person disliked it; all ended up loving it and passing it on to other people, who do the same.
People hear from others, buy the DVD, love it, and will have a better... understanding?... of the movie because of the DVDs. That gives the movie a much higher shot of being successful. So the fandom is growing. And there's still time for plenty of more converts.
It's kind of amazing (and a little comforting) to know that Firefly propogation doesn't start or stop with us and it continues without even realizing it. I hate to be say it, but now that word is getting out faster, you really can't stop the signal.
Cheers.
无 党派 人士
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Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
And I wanted to mention, I'm not picking on Revenge of the Sith. I haven't even seen it yet, and I've heard it's got plenty going for it, but all the things the critics are complaining about are areas where Joss really shines. That's why I'm saying those very same critics will be jumping up and down come September 30 saying "See... this is what we're talking about"
SergeantX
"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock
Still, the reason Star Wars III is making huge box office numbers isn't that it's a great movie. (From what I've heard - haven't seen it myself) It has terrible dialogue, a bad plot, and continuity with holes like Swiss cheese. However, while all of that may be true, it also may be the greatest music video ever made. The visual and aural experience is, from what I've heard, unparalled. Apparently, that is what the mass audience wants in a movie these days. That may be a risk for the BDM. The mass market may not (probably won't) understand Joss' clever jokes and the subtle character interactions. Frankly, most critics probably won't understand it either, mostly because it's not something they're looking for from a "sci-fi" movie.
There is definitely a risk that non-Firefly fans will stay away in droves.
400 years ago, a guy named William Shakespeare wrote some plays that were way beyond anything that had gone before. His use of language in putting very complex thoughts into succinct phrases was amazing. His storytelling was beyond any words I have to describe. That's why his work is still remembered and studied 400 years later. However, in HIS TIME, the reason his plays always sold out the theatres was all the sex and violence that were also in them - and you thought times had changed. The mass audience in those days went to see the sword fights. That they were also treated to the best written plays ever probably went over most of their heads.
George Lucas has that figured out. He's giving everybody the sword (lightsaber) fights that most of them want. Unlike Shakespeare, he's just said to hell with the story. It's not important to making the movie a success.
Joss has a much more difficult task. He's trying to follow in Shakespeare's shoes by making an incredibly well-written "piece of art" (and don't EVER tell anyone that "Serenity" is that, or they won't go see it) a mass market success. Does it have enough "sex and violence" to make the average movie goer happy? I haven't seen it yet, so I can't say. For now all I can do is hope.
Sorry this was a little long-winded and not as pointed as I intended - other things on my mind. I'm just saying I hope Joss can follow old Will S. and make a mass success out of great art. It's not an easy balancing act.
Apathy on the Rise. No One Cares.
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Quote:
Originally posted by LeeH:
And here's this--people went in droves to Lord of the Rings, even those who'd never read the books. As a Tolkien aficionado, I couldn't figure out how they could follow the movies without benefit of the books. But they did. In fact, some people went to Two Towers and/or ROTK who hadn't seen the previous installments! All of the above just blows away any theories we might come up with about how people won't like or understand Serenity because they lack the context of FF!
You know, I think it boils down to this (sadly)--if the word of mouth and hype are good, people will go because they will be afraid of missing something. If word of mouth is bad or nonexistent, they won't go, the box office #s will be low, and we can kiss sequels goodbye.
So let's just hope Universal has the savvy and commitment to do a good marketing job. . . .
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle. . . ."
I'm not saying whether they'll go or not. I'm saying that I don't think they'll have the same emotional reaction to the movie like a Firefly fan.
Also LotR is a much more cut and dry movie. Good guy are good and bad guys are bad except for Gollum really. In Firefly Jayne is sorta good and bad. Heck Mal is too. Heck the whole crew does some pretty bad stuff at times. But they're also the heroes. You can't stare at the screen and figure all that out. You have to actually pay attention...even think. That's not mass marketing gold like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
Really if the movie bombs and this is the only one we get at least we can be happy that Joss delivered an amazing movie and didn't compramise to be popular.
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Hey, don't worry! It's gonna be ok. Just leave THAT up to Jayne to sort these people out.
Hehehe.
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Yeah, Badgershat, I think you bring up a good point. We are all such rabid fans around here that we assume that everyone who sees the movie will love it. I know that won't be the case. There are a lot of people who don't get or just don't like Joss's style. I can accept that.
I do hope that the movie gets good critical reviews and that these screenings do a good job of creating buzz and bringing more people into the fandom before they see the movie. It is a totally unreachable goal, but I do think that people who have seen the series will probably enjoy the movie more and therefore I have been stepping up my efforts lately to convert everyone I know. In fact, I bought 2 more dvd sets this week to loan out (that makes 4 total).
I also heard that the BDHs did some looping of dialogue and stuff to make things clearer for the uninitiated. I do think I can be fairly unbiased in my evaluation of the movie, so when I see it on Thursday, I will weigh in on if I think it can stand on it's own well.
I agree that 'Versal's marketing efforts could make or break this film. I thought the trailer was pretty okay and the people (not-yet-fans) that I have shown it to have liked it, but it didn't get any "wow!" reactions from anyone I know. 'Versal does seem committed to making this film successful, so I hope they really give the marketing their all. But I'm not gonna rely on them completely. I plan to do some serious guerilla marketing before the movie opens and I am also gonna try to get my meetup group to do some coordinated GM projects. The fans were responsible for getting this movie made. Now we just have to put the same energy and creativity into making it successful, right?
We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty. Mal - Serenity
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Quote:
Originally posted by BadgersHat:
He has informed the lot of us that Whedon fans LOVE the flick at test screening.
However, the larger part of the audience, the NON-Whedon fans, hated it. They didn't get it, they didn't like the humor, they thought it was terrible.
As much study and research and planning that goes into even the best test screenings they are still inexact. Anybody see the most recent Project Greenlight? The crowds were very responsive during the test screenings of the Greenlight movie but later when they filled out their survey cards they gave the movie a bad review. The producers and creatives involved that were there couldn't believe it, "But they loved it!!"
I think 2 things will make this movie more successful (and one of them isn't 'Versal's marketing since I would guess they just don't have the money); movie reviews (both national and local)and word of mouth. The best chance this movie has of being widely seen is if it gets a cult movie stamp from critics, "the little movie that could..." "from a cancelled tv show that fans wouldn't let die..." As for the other... just tell one new person a day about the BDM...
Scifi movie music 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.net
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