Today I came home from lunch to find a big box sitting on the front door of /Film HQ. Inside the box I found a backpack, inscribed on the backside with “Property of Peter Parker”. This is the same exact backpack that Andrew Garfield wore in The Amazing Spider-Man footage we saw at Comic Con and at the recent “Untold Story” event. The only difference is this bag is missing Peter’s skateboard. This is one of the most elaborate pieces of viral marketing that I’ve ever seen in person. The backpack was filled with the types of things you would expect a high school student to have: notebooks, a binder, school books and more.
Inside I found a clipping from the Daily Bugle with articles on Spider-Man and Captain Stacey (Gwen’s father). In the notebook, I found many handwritten calculations, either classwork or maybe for a project Parker is working on at home, alongside many preliminary designs for Spider-Man’s logo, suit and mask. Each page is handwritten in pencil or pen, sometimes featuring highlighter highlights. The binder contains a bunch of film negatives and a few printed photos, none of which appear to contain any characters from the film. The backpack also contained personal items like Parker’s sunglasses and sneakers, and school supplies like safety lab goggles, pencils, compasses, a set of keys and more.
I’m not sure what to make of the contents, and I’m sure some of you have more time to look through the items and figure out what they might mean, or what clues might be hidden inside. What does this all have to do with The Amazing Spider-Man? Will it lead up to a real-world event? Hit the jump to look through the photos for yourself. And please report any findings in the comments below.
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The biggest news of the past 24 hours was certainly the release of the new trailer for Marc Webb‘s The Amazing Spider-Man. As is the case with any trailer of that magnitude, minutes following the its debut, fans had already began to pour over its minutia. What does The Lizard look like? How is Spider-Man’s origin different this time around? Can you pick out the practical versus CG effects?
One site found what appeares to be a URL hidden in the trailer. Which lead to a website. And, probably, a huge can of viral worms.
After the jump, see the beginning of the Mark of the Spider-Man viral campaign revealed in the new trailer. Read More »
Viral marketing is starting to look like one of the best ways to have a lot of fun and get paid for it. Thinkmodo was hired to do a little stunt to promote the Fox ‘teens with superopowers’ film Chronicle, which opens this week. What the company did was build three custom radio-controlled planes shaped like people, which were then flown through the relatively open airspace around a couple of New York City bridges. The whole effort was filmed, of course, and the result is below. Read More »
“Your childhood memories will be raped” by this creepy, twisted, but incredibly funny new Funny or Die video. It’s a live-action version of the popular 1990s Nickeoldeon cartoon Rugrats starring Michael Angarano as Tommy, Alia Shawkat as Chuckie and Mae Whitman as the evil, manipulative big-girl Angelica. In true Funny or Die fashion, the red-band trailer digs deep and exploits the sadistic subtexts of the show which were only visible to an older audience. Check it out. Read More »
/Film headquarters received a mysterious package today from Alcatraz — the beginning of a viral marketing promotion for the JJ Abrams-produced tv series Alcatraz. Housed inside a worn metal lock box, are a bunch of different items including: A key to an Alcatraz prison cell, a flower, an Alcatraz tour book, a couple postcards (one with an inscription by a young girl named Susie to her “Nana”), a torn page from an “inmates of Alcatraz” guide book, a clipping from an old 1962 newspaper about “The Final Lockdown”, and a page from a magazine which features a look at Dr. Diego Soto’s (played by Jorge Garcia in the tv series) “Inmates of Alcatraz” book.
Letters on the magazine page are circled, which together spell “LEGENDS OF ALCATRAZ”. LegendsOfAlcatraz.com redirects to the official Fox website for the show, but I’m sure that will eventually change. I’m set to head to San Francisco tomorrow to visit Alcatraz and hopefully find out more. I’ve taken photos of all of the items in the package, and included them after the jump.
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Following all the funny, viral videos that pop up online is virtually impossible. The secret is finding a niche that you like. Some people like cats, other like fake trailers or people getting hurt. For me, I love voicemails from the “powerful 1980s Hollywood agent” Warren Klein.
Funny or Die has already released two of these gems and now the third has just gone up. It’s a four and a half minute message supposedly left for Christian Slater about the devastating news that Josh Brolin’s skateboarding film Thrashin’ had its release date pushed in front of Slater’s film, Gleaming the Cube. Along the way Klein talks about Michael Winslow’s Police Academy contract, Benihana, Goonies heat and where to buy razors in Hollywood. Check it out after the jump. Read More »
Over the past few weeks, a few online videos made the rounds pitting Star Trek alum William Shatner in a nerdy battle of words with Star Wars alum Carrie Fisher over whose legendary sci-fi franchise is better. Well Trek star George Takei has now stepped in to be a “broker of star peace” and band fans of both franchises together against a common enemy: Twilight.
Check out the video after the jump. Read More »
Briefly: The Dark Knight Rises viral site Operation Early Bird updated this morning with a map of IMAX theaters in the United States and United Kingdom where audiences can see (the much buzzed about) Dark Knight Rises prologue in IMAX. For free. Tickets might be sold out already so head there now. Click here.
