$2.00 fee could have saved Firefly?
POSTED BY: Haken
UPDATED: Friday, November 11, 2005 17:48
VIEWED: 19899
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I'd go with that. Well worth the money. If somebody could make this work it could be the future for scripted drama, and especially sci fi. The TV networks just don't seem willing to support such things anymore 
& 
"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."
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Here is my problem as well as the fixed fee idea of film distribution and downloads. It ignores the idea that some fans maybe more willing to pay a greater fee than other fans. For instance Firefly fans maybe smaller than Star Wars fans but may be willing pay a much larger amount of money for downloads. I mean do you really see Star Wars fans buying extra DVDs to loan out to others to convert them? Also a well-written sci-fi show may just cost a lot more to film.
I think the major problem of the whole Serenity movement was a misjudgement on how large the Browncoat movement was by comparing them to Star Wars and Star Trek fans. Star Wars fans were easy to estimate because the movie came right out in the theatres and George Lucas put the most general public friendly episode (episode IV) as the first episode.
Star Trek had to simmer for years after a cancelled series but the fans kept it alive in conventions as slowly the series became aware through the general public through syndicated reruns on independent TV stations (pre-cable). Because it was filmed and Desilu productions kept all the rights to the series, Desilu had an important motive in syndicating it. In fact we can see that Desilu had an incredible track record of syndicating. Also the incredible novelizations movement also erupted around the series. Trek provided something that was unique in the Sci-Fi written universe at that time: vast amount of novels about the same people. Sci-fi sequels at that time usually involved the same universe but different characters. Star Trek novels by using the same character, made a more franchiseable system of producing novels.
Let's reduce this to an equation:
F Ratio = Cf / B
where F is the Firefly fans Ratio
Cf = Casual firefly fans
B = Browncoats (hard-core fans)
W Ratio = Cw / J
W Ratio = Star wars Fans
Cw = Casual Star Wars fans
J = Jedi (hard-core Star Wars Fans)
T Ratio = Ct / J
T Ratio = Star Trek Fans
Ct = Casual Star Trek fans
T = Trekkie's (hard-core Star Trek Fans)
My guess is that T has a higher ratio than W but they are much closer to themselves than F is to W. I believe that F is very low.
This is not a permanent problem but it can be solved by expanding the base and/or us paying more for content.
1. What we need to do is actually accelerate the movement of lending out DVDs to others. Serenity must be looked as a failure but as a big kick in the book to lending idea of Firefly. What it has proved is that the movement is too weak right now to support a movie. Maybe ten years down the road that won't be the same but for now it is. It would help if this became more formalized. How this could be helped would be for Universal to buy the series DVD rights from Fox and figure out a way of doing this easily. We should think of Shindig's as a way of selling Firefly DVDs (not as a profit per se but just as a way of increasing the number of casual Firefly fans).
2. We must create a demand for a pay per episode version of Firefly AND we must publicly say that we think we'd pay more more than the average fan would for an episode. Eventually when there are enough casual Firefly Fans the prices would become more normalized so as to encourage those of the general public to download the show for a try. I think $4 an episode or half the price for a pay per movie (since you are only getting 1 hour versus the standard two hours) is a better price.
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I also would be willing to pay the 2-5 bucks per episode. Hell just think, not only could the networks sell online. But then after the season is over they could sell the season on DVD. Which would only help to generate more profit. Which in turn means more shows.
Take me out, to the black, tell them I ain't coming back.
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Hello, Apple? Put them on iTunes?
"Someone Tries to Kill You, You Try and Kill em' Right Back
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i also read an article that says that the quality i-tunes is offerins is crap when not viewed on tiny screens like the new i pod, but i dont know how true that is. to pay money for the show to download it the quality would have to at least look good on my computer screen.
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I posted elsewhere that I had spent over $100 on Firefly paraphenalia and the movie (and this is probably on the low end in this group). So I'd definitely pay a subscription fee to watch new episodes of Firefly if it's done by Joss and company. No offense but no fan fic.
There are kinks in this model as others on this thread already pointed out. But with NetFlix, BitTorrent, there's lots of potential avenues for distribution. A number of authors have been experimenting with online fiction in a similar fashion. Remember Stephen King's e-novel? I think this pay-per-episode model could work very well esp. for projects with cult followers (as in article) or names. I can see a popular producer/director type like David Kelley or Steven Boncho wanting to do smaller quirkier projects and have their fanbase follow them thru this marketing model.
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Quote:
i also read an article that says that the quality i-tunes is offerins is crap when not viewed on tiny screens like the new i pod, but i dont know how true that is. to pay money for the show to download it the quality would have to at least look good on my computer screen.
I think this article is just using iTunes as an example of software whereby you can pay for legal downloadable content. As far as i know on iTunes at the moment, you can only download video in very low quality, the idea of which is to play on an iPod. This article is suggesting that the inevitable software competition, and iTunes too, will have a much larger range of things to download, not just things for an iPod. I'm not really up to speed on this sort of thing, but my guess is it will include films, TV, music is already covered.
Personally i think its a great idea. I'd pay for it, anyway.
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Of course, we would all pay to watch new Firefly episodes, but there are several issues:
1) Joss made it REALLY hard to do anything new. Wash is dead, Book is dead, Kaylee & Simon are rutting like rabbits, and River is no longer the adorable psycho hose-beast she was in the series. What, really, are we going to be watching for? Or are we going to pretend the movie never happened?
2) Steven King's enovel didn't work. It really peeved him off that people were reading it for free & it was being traded on the 'Net. He finished it because of his sense of responsibility for those who were paying, but otherwise he was going to leave it hanging. I'm no techno genius, but if the show is put in a format where we could copy it for repeated viewing (or, do I dare hope, playing as a DVD) then those who ARE techno geniuses will figure out how to put it out on the 'Net for free. You can't stop the Signal.
3) My friend who turned me on to Firefly found an interview with Joss where he said he would never again work with Fox. If the property were to become profitable, Fox, to be a (insert appropriate Chinese curse here), may not want to sell the rights to the show. Would we watch the T.V. show "Lightning Bug"? Which is what it may have to be if the unstoppable force and immovable object don't change.
3) We're preaching to ourselves. Of course WE'D shell out good money, but who else would? We couldn't keep the series going, we couldn't make the movie a success; would a pay-per-view option be profitable if no other incarnation were? We'd need to create a much bigger fan base to entice The Money to pony up the production capital.
So, what can we do? Several things:
1) Buy things. Buy the T.V. DVDs. Christmas is coming, give 'em as gifts to anyone who likes SciFi, Westerns, or just great shows. Buy the Serenity DVD when it comes out & do the same thing. Encourage others to continue the trend. Buy the Anti-heroes & Space Hookers book; buy the RPG from Margaret Weis publishing. Star Trek survived to be successful because a small fan base built itself up & demonstrated that they would invest money in Trek merchandise.
2) Continue to convert others. Talk especially to your Buffy & Angel fans who normally wouldn't touch anything SciFi with a ten foot wooden stake. Play up the fact that it is a Whedon show to entice them. I mean, look how rabid those shows' fans are!
3) Organize. Stop doing the "web petition" crap. No one who matters cares. Do Firefly conventions. Have a "Firefly" marathon with as many of your friends as possible & invite in the press as a human-interest story. Build fan clubs. Create a greater overarching entity to link everything. Look at the Role Playing Gamers Association (RPGA) for Dungeons & Dragons. They are a core around which THOUSANDS of different events have happened around the world in support of fantasy gaming. It created a network of people who can help build momentum all across the country. Momentum saved Family Guy & Moonlighting. It brought back Star Trek for one HELL of a run on the big & small screen. Even if all were doing is keeping the momentum going, that's something.
4) Create a niche market. Firefly has more female adherents than ANY other SciFi property I've ever known. We should build on that. And then we can find ways to bring Firefly aspects into the mainstream. Curse in Chinese in public. Say 'shiny' in casual conversation. Create fanfics & songs & art inspired by our show and then submit them for publication/distribution/display. When they are available, buy the gorram things, even if they're not top notch. From what I've seen on this site alone, we're a damn talented group; make that work for us!
5) Don't give up hope! I feel optimistic about a Serenity sequel. Look at the dross Hollywood is putting out or considering: Indiana Jones IV, where Indy is the antique; Bewitched; a remake of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; the list goes on. The hottest films are mostly fantasy, b
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Quote:
Originally posted by LividLiquid:
It's been a canceled TV Series, a Movie that didn't gross it's budget before DVD, a comic book that didn't do incredibly well, and a dream in the minds and hearts of millions and millions regardless. I really can't imagine that the story is done. Somehow we'll get the old girl back in the air.
Ahh, The corniness of some of the posters on this forum.
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What I'd like to hear is a firm deal negotiated with Fox and Joss. Just how much does Fox want for the TV series rights? Sure it sounds like Fox and Joss have some bad history and may not want to talk. But both want to make money. Joss has said many times he loves Firefly. So let's get right down to it, what does Fox want for the TV series rights? $10,000? $10,000,000?
Once we have that, then start a campaign to buy the rights... purchase the Firefly DVD or Serenity DVD from XYZ and $5 of each purchase goes toward the "rights" fund. Or outright donate.
Shepard, I think you really hit a big one with: "1) Joss made it REALLY hard to do anything new. Wash is dead, Book is dead, Kaylee & Simon are rutting like rabbits, and River is no longer the adorable psycho hose-beast she was in the series. What, really, are we going to be watching for? Or are we going to pretend the movie never happened?"
I'm more than willing to forget the BDM ever happened but I don't think Joss is. More than anything else I think Joss killed Firefly and launched Serenity.
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