General Discussions

Universal letter campaign----we need your help!

POSTED BY: Lindley
UPDATED: Monday, February 2, 2004 14:42
VIEWED: 20392
PAGE 1 of 7

LINDLEY

Friday, January 30, 2004 12:37 AM

Hi all. With the recent worrying post by Joss regarding the status of the movie (which can be seen in the "Fireflygasm" thread), a bunch of us over at TrekBBS.com (I'm one of the mods there) decided that he could use a bit more than just moral support.

To that end, the Firefly fans of TrekBBS (a notable and growing, if not yet overwhelming, number), spearheaded by myself and GrimFandango there, have decided to organize one more push to convince Universal that Firefly is worth a little monetary risk, as we all know it is. Here is the post we made over there; we hope you'll all help out, and spread the word to other Firefly boards.

Our goal is not to annoy Universal; merely to show support for a great universe.

-----------------

Last year when Firefly was cancelled many of us were devastated. How could such a fantastic show be trampled on? How could we say good-bye to these characters, to this world? How could this be the end?
With the recent release of the entire series on DVD us long-time fans are very happy to find that our group of the devastated has grown. As negative as that may sound, it is actually a very good thing.

It can only be a testament to Firefly’s brilliance. To it’s sheer ability to entertain and enthrall, that it has managed to not only keep its old fan base, but to cause that group to swell as science fiction fans of all tastes flocked to this witty, charming, and entertaining television program.

Unfortunately there was nothing the fans could do to save the show from cancellation. We tried and failed. We may have been on the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.

However, there still IS something we can do. The battle is not yet over. For those of us that have been there from the beginning, it is time for one last hurrah. One last push. For those fans that were not there last time, this is your chance to help. In a way you are lucky, it is still not too late. However this very well may be the last chance we have to make a difference.
Let us act on it while we can, soon it will be too late.

The movie is all we have left, all Firefly has left. If you are one of those fans that eagerly anticipates any news on the status of the movie then you are not alone. You have also most likely read the post that recently went up from Joss Whedon on fireflyfans.net.
In it he indicated that things have gone from a situation that was ‘looking good’ to one in which he was ‘struggling’. In the post he mentioned that he is still very much working towards getting the movie made, but things are becoming difficult.
Fortunately he found all the motivation he needed to continue the fight just by reading the posts of eager fans. Fans that love the show as much as he does.

As strange is it may sound, we, the fans, have made a difference. A real, physical difference and that is worth something. That is worth fighting for.

As of today a few of us are going to try our best to launch a coordinated letter writing campaign. One last chance to make a difference while we still can.

Before we go on any farther, let us establish our goals here. We have no delusions of grandeur, we know how the world works. In all likelihood anything we send will most likely make its way straight into the garbage bin. But, that is not what matters. What matters is that we are doing this because we believe in it, because we believe that we can still help.
If we manage to send dozens of letters and only one gets noticed then we have accomplished our goal. This is a difficult battle, one in which we have no weapons, no power, and nothing with which to fight. All we have are words of support – it may not be much, but apparently, it’s enough.

Over the past few days we have been trying our best to find a way to find a solid address to which to send our letters. After some e-mail correspondence with Universal Studios representatives it appears that the best address to send any material to would be:

Quote:

100 Universal City Plaza
Attn: Firefly Movie
Universal City, CA 91608
US

NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME

SHINY

Friday, January 30, 2004 1:16 AM

Done!

RIVER
Purple elephants are flying.
MAL
Good. Thanks for the update.

LINDLEY

Friday, January 30, 2004 1:31 AM

Oh yeah, one more thing. Everyone should post here once you've actually dropped paper into the mailbox; that way, we can get a "confirmed letter count" and send it to ME. :)

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Friday, January 30, 2004 1:38 AM

Interesting...I just regsitered and this is the first thread I bounce to. Cheesy as it sounds (and believe me, I feel plenty silly just writing it), Firefly means too damned much for me to just let it go without a fight. As I read Lindley's post I felt a strange affinity to Capt. Reynolds. He knew what it felt like to love something and see it fail. He knew defeat. We, as fans of the Firefly 'Verse, tasted that defeat when Fox cancelled. But if the character "Malcolm Reynolds" can connect me in a real, visceral way, to both his grief over the defeat of the browncoats and my grief at the loss of Firefly, maybe it's worth the effort to write a letter.
___________________________________
No power in the 'verse can stop me.

CHANNAIN

Friday, January 30, 2004 1:41 AM

And for those who haven't participated in a leter campaign (Lord, can there be anyone left who hasn't?) all they need to know is you're a fan and you would support the movie. They don't need all the fun stuff about why you like the show or what your favorite episode/character/quote is. Save that for here.

A letter is better than a postcard. They have to open it to see what it says. Fancy paper is optional, but not necessary.

Letter writing saved Star Trek, and look what happened to that little nearly forgotten sci-fi show. Whether you like Trek or not - you have to admire what the fans did. Firefly could be the same.

We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Friday, January 30, 2004 2:09 AM

With all due respect, if I'm going to take the time to write, I'm going to say more that, "Make a Firefly movie and I'll give you my money." When I'm done with my letter, I'll post it here.

Also, there is someone who's never written a letter: me.

No power in the 'verse can stop me.

LINDLEY

Friday, January 30, 2004 2:23 AM

^Well, the first thing you should say in such a letter is that you support a Firefly movie. Feel free to say more after that, but just make sure that anyone who just skims it knows what the point is.

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Friday, January 30, 2004 2:33 AM

I compromised: I used a subject line to summarize. See below...

Subj: REQUEST TO CONTINUE FIREFLY MOTION PICTURE PROJECT

To Whom It May Concern,

In 1967, and again in 1968, avid fans of a struggling science fiction television program sent thousands of pieces of mail to the offices of NBC requesting, begging, demanding that their beloved show be renewed for another season. In response to the outpouring of fan support, Star Trek was renewed for a second, then a third season. Fans of the program rejoiced, and rightly so: their effort bought two additional seasons for Star Trek, which led to syndication, the broadening of its audience, a hugely successful movie franchise, and (at last count) at least four successful spin-off series. They won.

We lost. The fans of Joss Whedon’s Firefly copied the Star Trek model—we organized a desperate eleventh-hour letter writing campaign to save our show. But we failed.

For many of us, the cancellation of Firefly was devastating. We had come to love the characters, the worlds, the stories told by the show. We had emotionally bonded with the program. We grieved when the series was taken off the air. Our grief was not the escapist grief of a teenage fan. It was rooted in the very adult realization that there is no more. That this program, which amused us, delighted us, and entertained us would be seen no more.

Release of the DVD set was thrilling. It was an opportunity not only to re-engage with Firefly as we had known it, but to experience it in new ways through unaired episodes and special features. Sales for the DVD set climbed, surprising Fox, especially when fans began reordering. I didn’t understand why that was happening until I loaned my copy to a friend who loved it so much I let him keep it. Then I reordered!

But at the end of the day, the DVD was a letdown. It was a grace note, an encore, a curtain call. But it was still the end.

Until, that is, we heard that your studio was considering producing a Firefly motion picture. We were thrilled! This was an opportunity to see our show go on! We were all thrilled at the thought of seeing Serenity grace the silver screen. Hope, a commodity in short supply within the ranks of Firefly fans, began to be rekindled.

As the fans waited with bated breath, however, the news got worse. In posts on fan sites, Joss went from optimistic, to hopeful, to struggling. Again, our hope waned.

And again, we, fans of the universe that Joss Whedon created, write letters.

To the executives of Universal: please know that the fan following of Firefly is a dedicated bunch. We made the DVD successful, and we’ll damn sure make the movie successful. Keep Flying.

Sincerely,

Caleb A. Keller

CECIL

Friday, January 30, 2004 3:15 AM

Here's my letter, I'm gonna mail it tomorrow with about 10 other copies.

Subject: Request to continue the Firefly Movie Project

To Whom it May Concern:

As a fellow lover of the show Firefly, I cannot simply sit around and do nothing while its’ fate rest in the hands of your company. I must act and do something to show my support to the show, thus I write this letter.

Firefly is a show that showed just how truly talented Joss Whedon is. He was able to create an entirely different world and make us, the viewers, believe in this world, but more importantly feel emotionally attached to the characters of the show. If you look at the shows currently running on television, you will find about 80% of them to be Reality Shows with no plot or character development. I am sad at what television shows have become. Fox proved that any show that shows any sign of proving a point or making you think will be cancelled (ie Firefly, Dark Angel). But my point is not to state that it was an injustice to cancel this show, it is to prove that this show, a year after its cancellation still has a huge fan base.

The DVD’s which were released on December 9th, 2003 have sold a great deal of copies. Stores are re-ordering them and Amazon had it ranked in its top 20 for over 6 months. Everyone but Joss and the fans were surprised at the amount of success that the DVD’s had. Everyone including Fox. The DVD’s should show how large a fan base this show has. We, the fans are ready to fight for this show.

It is with you, Universal, that Firefly’s fate hangs with. Wasn’t there ever a show in which you overly enjoyed, but your joy was taken from you with its cancellation? Weren’t you disappointed in the company that removed the program from its listing? Now you have a chance, a real chance to help a group of people see their canceled show back on the screen. You have a chance to do something great. To give hope and peace of mind by making this movie. It would be mean everything in the world to the fans of this show, but more importantly, we the fans would show much more love to Universal by making this one of the biggest movie releases seen to date.

In the end, I know what it comes down to. Money. And I understand that that is what is most important to the company, but sometimes there is something more important than money. The ability to give life to a show that should never have been put to rest. Just this once, can’t you lend a helping hand and give us, the fans, something to cheer for. Keep Flying.

Sincerely,
Jason Langston

MAL
"Nice shot."
JAYNE
(slurred)
"I was aiming for his head"

ANGELDOVE

Friday, January 30, 2004 3:19 AM

I was just wondering, was the last Firefly petition the "Firefly Immediate Assistance" petition sent out to Fox when attempting to save the show? If so, has anyone considered doing another? I just figure it could work in conjuntion with the letter campain as you are right many letters may never make it into the right hands, and petitions contain actual number stats of fans, a fan base which has increased considerably with the DVD release. Although this would only work if we could guarantee it made it into the right hands, which may be the greatest challenge.

Just a thought (though not an original one)

I only fell is all.