possible Media Blitzkrieg from NBC/Universal by SamuraiX47

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

possible Media Blitzkrieg from NBC/Universal

POSTED BY: SAMURAIX47
UPDATED: Sunday, November 28, 2004 10:55
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VIEWED: 5548
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Wednesday, November 24, 2004 6:28 AM

Well a delay may seem to be not so good, but let's look also at what we can get from a better funded media blitz from the powers that be:

1. Serenity Low-down on the SciFi Channel.

2. NBC Dateline exclusive look at the Genius of Joss Whedon and the BDM.

3. A new Universal Studios theme park Action-Stunt show with our BDH look-alikes. Dump the Terminator/Shrek shows for a new Serenity thrill ride in 4-D.

4. Re-broadcast of original series... It would be in Fux best interest to support the BDM by running the series on TV during the summer, help boost the continuing DVD sales before and after BDM premiere.

5. Video game... which BDH do you want to be today in Firefly RPG?

6. BDM novelization. BDM comics.

etc,etc,etc,

Go ahead and add to this...

Jaymes

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Wednesday, November 24, 2004 6:38 AM

BADGERSHAT

The delay WOULD allow the folks more time to put together a decent PS2/X-BOX adaptation.

Perhaps we will also have more time to create a parade float for Labor Day weekend 2005?

--Jefé The Hat

***************************
--Don't bother trying to predict, figure out, second guess, criticize, or suggest anything that comes from the mind of Joss Whedon, for you shall usually be wrong, and shall find out the Truth and Purpose in due time.
(This is the Truth of Whedoning)
"I like smackin 'em"--Jayne

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Wednesday, November 24, 2004 6:43 AM

TRASK43

Well Im still pretty dissapointed by the recent developments but I think there is some positives that can be taken from this. As long as universal still give serenity a good shot(lots of promotion etc.)I'll be happy.

Theres a chance it could work out for the best and hopefully the extra time will give everyone involved(from us browncoats to Joss himself) more time to make sure all the necessary battleplans are in place and well thought out.

www.summer-glau.com

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Wednesday, November 24, 2004 7:10 AM

ZNACHKI

Quote:
Originally posted by SamuraiX47:
Go ahead and add to this...

Don't forget "The Twenty" feature that NBC/Universal has been doing at movie theaters. and of course attaching previews to every movie that comes out between now and September 30.

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Thursday, November 25, 2004 4:54 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by BadgersHat:
The delay WOULD allow the folks more time to put together a decent PS2/X-BOX adaptation.

AND PC!!!

Sick'n'tired of missin' all the good games. . .

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Thursday, November 25, 2004 7:56 AM

KRAD

Quote:
1. Serenity Low-down on the SciFi Channel.

This actually strikes me as likely.

Quote:
2. NBC Dateline exclusive look at the Genius of Joss Whedon and the BDM.

Less likely, but possible.

Quote:
3. A new Universal Studios theme park Action-Stunt show with our BDH look-alikes. Dump the Terminator/Shrek shows for a new Serenity thrill ride in 4-D.

Uh, no. There is no circumstance under which this will happen. Terminator and Shrek are long-established properties that are immensely popular in numbers that this property isn't close to having (yet).

Quote:
4. Re-broadcast of original series... It would be in Fux best interest to support the BDM by running the series on TV during the summer, help boost the continuing DVD sales before and after BDM premiere.

It's not in any kind of interest of theirs to promote a competitor's movie.

Quote:
5. Video game... which BDH do you want to be today in Firefly RPG?

This could happen.

Quote:
6. BDM novelization. BDM comics.

Well, the first one's been written. *grin* Dunno about the second.

Keith R.A. DeCandido
keith@decandido.net
www.DeCandido.net | www.AlbeShiloh.com
www.livejournal.com/~kradical

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Thursday, November 25, 2004 10:07 AM

ZOID

Hey, KRAD!

Bought "Dragon Precinct" at Borders yesterday. I'm on the last bit of Gaiman's "Neverwhere"; you're on deck...

Have they moved the release of your novelization back, too? If so, why? It was set to come out a couple months before the movie anyway, right?

Please remind us again what date your novelization of the BDM is coming out.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Respectfully,

zoid

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Thursday, November 25, 2004 10:21 AM

MOHRSTOUTBEARD

Quote:
Dump the Terminator/Shrek shows for a new Serenity thrill ride in 4-D.

MARTY: Are you telling me you built a time-machine. . .out of a Firefly?
DOC: The way I see it, if you're going to build a time-machine into a ship, why not do it with some style? Time-machine like this, be with you 'til the day you die.

"You've just gotta go ahead and change the captain of your brainship, because he's drunk at the wheel."

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Thursday, November 25, 2004 6:55 PM

KRAD

Quote:
Bought "Dragon Precinct" at Borders yesterday. I'm on the last bit of Gaiman's "Neverwhere"; you're on deck...

Thanks! Hope you enjoy it!

(Christ, reading me right after Neil. No pressure.....

)

Quote:
Have they moved the release of your novelization back, too? If so, why? It was set to come out a couple months before the movie anyway, right?

First of all, it was never supposed to come out "a couple of months" prior to the movie's release. It was, at best, going to come out a week or two prior to the movie's release. Books (for the most part) don't have set "street dates," but publication months. When Serenity was a 22 April 2005 release, the novelization was an April book. Now that it's been moved, the novelization will be moved to accommodate it.

Quote:
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

You too!

Keith R.A. DeCandido
keith@decandido.net
www.DeCandido.net | www.AlbeShiloh.com
www.livejournal.com/~kradical

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Thursday, November 25, 2004 10:23 PM

ZOID

KRAD wrote:

Quote:
...First of all, it was never supposed to come out "a couple of months" prior to the movie's release. It was, at best, going to come out a week or two prior to the movie's release. Books (for the most part) don't have set "street dates," but publication months. When Serenity was a 22 April 2005 release, the novelization was an April book. Now that it's been moved, the novelization will be moved to accommodate it...

My bad. I thought I remembered someone saying the novelization was coming out in February, which is where I got the 'couple months' thing from. I suppose you got most of your remuneration 'up front'; but if you're getting any percentage of the sales, it's gotta hurt getting pushed back.

That's a very personal line of inquiry and rude of me to mention; you can treat it as rhetorical and ignore the sh*t out of it. But I had to say.

You also said -- in jest, I hope:

Quote:
...reading me right after Neil. No pressure...

Well, Gaiman is great. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard while reading, out loud, in public and repeatedly. But, honestly, no, there's "no pressure". I would no sooner compare authors than I would musicians. I'm sure you have your own voice, your own temperament; that's what I'll be listening for.

I'm a methodical reader, so it may take me upwards of a month to finish internalizing your work, depending on how deep you run. I also don't process information like the majority of folks, so if I say anything on FFFn about the book afterward, it will only be commentary on your work's strengths.

That's the problem with critics in general. They figure if they dislike something, everyone else will too. They spoil the discovery, which for many people might have been a positive experience, if not for some critic pointing out the weak spots they should notice...

Respectfully,

zoid

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Friday, November 26, 2004 12:15 PM

KRAD

Quote:
I suppose you got most of your remuneration 'up front'; but if you're getting any percentage of the sales, it's gotta hurt getting pushed back.

The way it generally works when you write a book (and I'm speaking very generally here, and there are always exceptions to this; each contract is different from every other contract) is that you are paid an advance against royalties. What this means is, you are given $X up front (usually split in two or three installments, e.g., half on signing, half when the manuscript is delivered, or a third on signing, a third on delivery, a third on final approval). You also earn a percentage of the cover price of each book sold -- but you don't see any money until the book's sold enough to make your advance of $X back.

For example, let's say you're paid a $1000 advance. (That is much much much much lower than the standard book advance, but I'm just using it as an example.) The book has a $10, and your royalty rate is 5%. That means that you get fifty cents for each book sold, but you won't see any money until 2000 books are sold, at which point your royalty earnings will equal your advance. For every book sold from the 2001st forward, you get fifty cents.

Having said that, having a book actually earn out its advance is exceedingly rare. SF author Mike Resnick is credited as saying that if your book earns out, they didn't give you a big enough advance, and he's not entirely wrong.

So yeah, the delay means that much longer before I see any royalties, but the likelihood of my actually seeing those royalties is quite slim. The important money, I get long before the book is published. Anything after that is a nice bonus, but isn't expected or counted on.

Quote:
I'm a methodical reader, so it may take me upwards of a month to finish internalizing your work, depending on how deep you run. I also don't process information like the majority of folks, so if I say anything on FFFn about the book afterward, it will only be commentary on your work's strengths.

Actually, I don't mind negative criticism, as long as it's constructive ("this plot point didn't work for me") rather than destructive ("this sux!!!!!"). So feel free to state your feelings honestly (either here or in e-mail if you prefer; I always like to hear from my readers).

Thanks!

Keith R.A. DeCandido
keith@decandido.net
www.DeCandido.net | www.AlbeShiloh.com
www.livejournal.com/~kradical

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Friday, November 26, 2004 4:49 PM

NIKNAK

Quote:
4. Re-broadcast of original series... It would be in Fux best interest to support the BDM by running the series on TV during the summer, help boost the continuing DVD sales before and after BDM premiere.

The series will probably be on telly all over the world AFTER the movie has been released if it is popular. FOX will probably make loads of money. The bastards.

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Friday, November 26, 2004 5:47 PM

ELVIS

And let's not forget DVD on TV on FX. A hosted look at a movie on DVD, and well enough done to keep me watching a movie I didn't like (Armaggedon). The two hour pilot ep, Serenity, would fit nicely.

...a sandwich made entirely of bread is not a sandwich. It's just bread. -Veronica Mars

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Friday, November 26, 2004 6:49 PM

OXYOPIA

Quote:
Originally posted by SamuraiX47:
4. Re-broadcast of original series... It would be in Fux best interest to support the BDM by running the series on TV during the summer, help boost the continuing DVD sales before and after BDM premiere.

I had thoughts about this myself that I figured no one else shared. In fact, I recently wrote a blog entry about this thinking that I was being all original. I am very glad that others share this idea. (I included the blog entry below)

-Oxy

With the recent announcement of Serenity's big screen debut being pushed back until Sept. 30th, I have given some thought as to how Firefly's marketing dept could best make use of the time leading up to the big day. A thought occurred to me that I would like to get down before I forget it entirely.

Essentially, I think it would be best for everyone if the entire season of Firefly was shown, in proper order, on network television during the summer months. The plan would be to have an episode aired each week during a primetime slot and would last up until September. With 15 episodes to choose from, you could start at the begining of June and, even airing both parts to 'Serenity' back-to-back in one night, you would still have enough footage to take you to the begining of September. A special episode just for this occasion featuring Joss, Tim, and the Serenity crew could be made with them waxing all poetical about the mysteries of life and aired the week before the big damn movie is to occur.

The benefits of this idea are pretty simple. You get the word spread about your movie by utilizing the time slots traditionally occupied by insipid summer re-runs and sub-par programming. As a result, assuming the word was adequately spread about it, Firefly would destroy any other show placed in the competing time slot. I am sure that one of the big three (ABC, NBC, CBS) would love to get a nice summer boost to their ratings which they could use to push whatever new programs they have come up with for the fall. Also, Firefly DVD sales might also benefit from a summer airing, since we all know how addictive the show is.

There are several obstacles from making this happen, however. Firstly, I am not sure on this, but I believe that Fox still has the rights to airing Firefly on television. Thus, it would be impossible for my idea to occur without their blessing. Since we have already witnessed the manner in which Fox handled Firefly previously, it is safe to assume that they would be at best reluctant to help out in this situation. In addition, the Olympics are occurring in late summer, so episode scheduling may conflict with some of the more popular sporting events. Finally, it might be difficult to convince the networks to take a chance airing episodes of a show that has historically proven to be a 'flop'. (Calm down, we all love Firefly with every fiber of our being, but facts are facts). It might take some monetary diplomacy in order for them to seriously consider the proposition and that might ammount to a figure far beyond the Firefly marketer's price range.

Anywho, I just wanted to put this thought into some sort of formal medium so as to ensure its livelihood. I think I will spread it around my local Firefly support group and see what sort of reaction it gets before I think about posting it elsewhere.

-
What people call impossible is just stuff they haven't seen yet...
-

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Friday, November 26, 2004 8:34 PM

SAMURAIX47

Quote:
Originally posted by ZNACHKI:
Don't forget "The Twenty" feature that NBC/Universal has been doing at movie theaters. and of course attaching previews to every movie that comes out between now and September 30.

I just said that to my wife as we were waiting for the start of National Treasure at the Regal Cinema here in Swansea, MA... the theater just changed ownership recently and finally got rid of the old slide projector ads for the new system to show "The Twenty"...

Jaymes

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Friday, November 26, 2004 8:45 PM

SAMURAIX47

Originally posted by KRAD:

Quote:
Quote:
3. A new Universal Studios theme park Action-Stunt show with our BDH look-alikes. Dump the Terminator/Shrek shows for a new Serenity thrill ride in 4-D.

Uh, no. There is no circumstance under which this will happen. Terminator and Shrek are long-established properties that are immensely popular in numbers that this property isn't close to having (yet).

Come on Kieth, can't a guy dream a little? That what this list is for... I'm trying to provide some levity in the face of adversity (i.e. the release date change).

Quote:
Quote:
4. Re-broadcast of original series... It would be in Fux best interest to support the BDM by running the series on TV during the summer, help boost the continuing DVD sales before and after BDM premiere.

It's not in any kind of interest of theirs to promote a competitor's movie.

I would think that Fox would have put in a percentage of profits (or gross) clause in the movie rights deal and not just give it all up for a one-lump-sum deal. Also the fact that the DVD sales were huge may influence Fox TV to think about airing the show again.

Jaymes

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Friday, November 26, 2004 10:46 PM

ZOID

KRAD:

Thanks very much for the primer on royalties, advances, etc. It was very illuminating and interesting. I wouldn't mind being a writer myself (and I know there are others on this board that share that daydream ... er, aspiration); but I've got this other job that I truly love, and frankly, I'm too lazy and scatterbrained to write 200+ pages on a single story. Anyone who can make a living as an author has my esteem, for what that's worth (5% of the 2001st cover, I reckon).

Still, when next I fantasize about my great literary successes, I can now put a dollar amount to my fabulous contract, in addition to the standard horde of adoring (and nubile) females begging to shag me in my trendy Soho loft. You know what I'm talking about; you must get that all the time.

In addition, you wrote:

Quote:
Actually, I don't mind negative criticism, as long as it's constructive ("this plot point didn't work for me") rather than destructive ("this sux!!!!!"). So feel free to state your feelings honestly (either here or in e-mail if you prefer; I always like to hear from my readers).

I might take you up on that; but if I do, it will be by email, for the reasons I gave above. What I enjoy I will share in an open format; if I find something awkward, I'll communicate it to you privately.

Frankly, from your acknowledgements for "Dragon Precinct", it sounds like you've got talented and knowledgeable people enough, helping you already. ...But I will consider it, if I think I can contribute something.

Thank you again for being so approachable.

Respectfully,

zoid
_________________________________________________

"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 3:07 AM

PSYCHICRIVER

OOH! A game!

I wanna fly Serenity!

PsychicRiver

"Two by two, hands of blue."

"We can take care of each other. I'll knit!"

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Saturday, November 27, 2004 10:19 AM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by BadgersHat:

The delay WOULD allow the folks more time to put together a decent PS2/X-BOX adaptation.

Don't forget the Game Cube

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 6:59 AM

CYBERSNARK

Am I the only person that still games on gorram PC?!?

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 7:23 AM

MAUGWAI

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
Am I the only person that still games on gorram PC?!?

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

Nope. I play a few on the PC - Simpsons Hit and Run, Sim City 4. But my BF has an X-Box, so if it's a really awesome game I can con him into buying, I'd rather play it at his place.

Then again, I'm still trying to beat games on the N64, so I don't know if I'm the PC game companion you had in mind.

"Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy."

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Sunday, November 28, 2004 10:55 AM

SIGMANUNKI

I play some games on the PC as well, it just happens that most of the games I like are better (IMO of course) on the consoles, such as Final Fantasy. Some are better on the PC, such as FPS's. There are exceptions of course

So, it really depends on the game, how it's implemented, etc.

But, in the end, my computer is basically used for development purposes and watching movies.

----
"Canada being mad at you is like Mr. Rogers throwing a brick through your window." -Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

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