New Idea? by DaveGrinberg

FIREFLY AND SERENITY GUERILLA MARKETING

New Idea?

POSTED BY: DAVEGRINBERG
UPDATED: Saturday, May 31, 2008 11:40
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VIEWED: 5327
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Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:55 AM

So there's this rock band from the UK (Marillion) who decided they didn't want to play with a major label anymore. They have successfully financed their last couple albums by pre-selling them via the web to their fans. Then the US fans were so interested in seeing the band live that there was a campaign to raise money to send to the band as an advance for them to tour here. It worked.

So my question is whether anyone has yet tried this with Firefly. It seems to me there’s got to be a producer out there who would be willing to work with this idea.

Here’s one concept… Sell shares in a new Firefly production (either a new movie or new episodes) to the fans via the web. If the project never happens, the investors would get back a portion of their investment (less appropriate expenses to finance the effort itself). If it does work, and enough money were raised to get someone to finance the remaining needed amount, the investors get distributed earnings in proportion to their investment. I would be willing to put my money where my mouth is to buy a few hundred $$ in shares and I’m betting that there are easily enough people out there who would think similarly.

A simpler idea is to just pre-sell a deluxe edition of a box set of the new material, with people being allowed to contribute whatever they are willing to. The ultimate production company would own all rights to the material (and profits), but this way they’d have a minimum guaranteed sales figure and would only then have to put up the difference between what was already raised and the production cost. If people were being at all honest in the survey that’s on the site as I write (I know that’s something of a big if) and if the campaign could ultimately pre-sell to the tune of a few hundred thousand people, we’re easily looking at something approaching $20 million, about half way to the total production cost of the movie or enough for roughly another dozen episodes. Certainly, this should work to make the concept quite a bit more attractive to some producer. Again, if the thing never happens people get their money back less an appropriate admin cost.

Whatever way this was done, I honestly believe that the fan base has grown so much since the original show and movie were aired (I just became a Browncoat a few months ago and I’m completely hooked) that this is a viable concept. The only serious challenge I see is getting someone to sponsor the effort in such a way that people would have a reasonable comfort level that it wasn’t all just a scam.

Thoughts?

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:34 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

Something similar to this has been proposed several times over the years, but the main problem always comes down to who handles the money and who oversees them? How will anyone know that their investment is in safe hands?

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 2:56 PM

JADEHAND

As a fan of Marillion, I've mentioned this several times over the years. I'd love to see Joss and Tim do what H and the boys do. Tell the fans to buy the box set of their new series before they start on it, and raise all the money they need to produce the series. Then send out the completed series when it's done. I think they could pull it off, and cut the studios out of the equation as Marillion cut the record companies involvement. Joss has maybe taken a step towards cutting studios, he's got a online thing he's doing with Nathan. It's only 3 10 minutes episodes from what I've heard. Dr. Horribles sing a long.

A man who walks the Earth.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 6:00 PM

SIGMANUNKI

Quote:
Originally posted by Jadehand:

Joss has maybe taken a step towards cutting studios, he's got a online thing he's doing with Nathan. It's only 3 10 minutes episodes from what I've heard. Dr. Horribles sing a long.

I've been popping in and out for a little while now. What on-line project?

----
I am on The Original List (twice). We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 6:26 PM

JADEHAND

Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-Long.
http://doctorhorrible.net/

A man who walks the Earth.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 6:50 PM

SIGMANUNKI

Thanks

I guess we've got another answer to the question: what would NPH do?

----
I am on The Original List (twice). We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

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Friday, May 23, 2008 5:54 AM

ANONYMOUS1

The preview poster is available at the Official website.

http://drhorrible.com
http://doctorhorrible.com

Joss produced it himself. Took a week to film it.

Gonna be online, itunes, DVD with extras.

As Nathan said "It’s gonna rock".

On Firefly/Serenity.

Joss wants to tell more stories in the 'verse with actors.

The actors want to tell more stories in the 'verse with actors.

The actors and Joss love working together and they love Firefly/Serenity even more than we do. See cast commentary on Serenity Collector's Edition.

Some studio will realize that there is plenty of money to be made in the 'verse to risk it again or Joss and the actors are going to do it themselves and ask a studio to stamp their name on it.

Joss is boss. Joss knows where we are and can reach us at http://whedonesque.com/

We hold 'til Mal gets back.

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Saturday, May 31, 2008 11:40 AM

DAVESHAYNE

This bump is for positional reasons.

David

'Geeks can't admit that anything worthwhile was invented before 1981. Soon, "making cocoa" will be called "milk hacking."' - Lore Sjoberg

http://xkcd.com/386/

I has myspace - http://www.myspace.com/daveshayneforpresident

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