THE DARK KNIGHT marketing mania
Nov. 24th, 2007 09:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehefnerSnagged from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kali921, who snagged them from alizzy, there are not one, not two, but seven new official viral marketing websites for BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT.
Never in my life have I seen such marketing for a film, not when we haven't even seen a single real trailer. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if there are Oscars for ad men, these guys deserve a sweep.
The Gotham Times, fleshed out with fully-written articles detailing a post-Batman Begins Gotham City (and a working phone number). (!!!!)
The Ha-Ha-Ha Times, the Joker's (brilliant, hilarious, and I'll add disturbing) version of the same paper, complete with mind games.
We Are The Answer, one of Harvey Dent's campaign sites, where you can tip him off about corrupt cops. Reading the testimonials... I can't speak for anyone else, but me? Oh, Harvey, you poor doomed bastard. And "WE" are the answer? Oh, Harvey.
Gotham National Bank, self-explanatory (something going on with the map...?)
Remembering Gina, for a girl who was killed in a Maroni*-headed gang war that ticks off Harvey something beautiful (according to The Gotham Times page 4 article).
Gotham City Police Department, where you learn that if you're a teen, you've now got a curfew, thanks to the Narrows madness.
Gotham City Rail, where you can (attempt to) adopt a bus stop (only to be told that re-construction is complicating things).
And there are more recruitment shenanigans with the Joker's www.whysoserious.com's personality profile.
I haven't spend much time scouring over these sites, not even to actually read the Gotham Times, but I have to wonder just what hidden messages or easter eggs are littered around, if any. This stuff is heaven to the obsessive compulsive geeks.
It all certainly gives me encouragement as to the film, particularly Harvey. His focus here seems to be more on corrupt cops than purely gangsters, but that makes sense; the guy hates hypocrites.
At least, my version of him does, and that's the really odd thing about this: I started writing this (at the encouragement of Bloo) because while there were plenty of Two-Face stories, very few dealt with Harvey Dent. We felt his origin was easily one of the most fascinating things about this character, yet it was never fleshed out. Not to our satisfaction, anyway.
So it's weird seeing all this Harvey Dent stuff all of a sudden, making me feel like someone else is horning in on my virgin territory! At the same time, seeing all this is rather thrilling, and I just hope Nolan and company put as much work into the film as their ad men have.
Still, no Two-Face image. So far, all the news and attention has been on the Joker, everything about the Joker, and I've been concerned that Harvey will just be the second fiddle bad guy, just like BATMAN FOREVER (shudder).
And while I am very anxious to see how they're gonna handle the makeup (I understand they're even employing CGI in the scarring, presumably to accomplish effects that mere prostethics could not alone achieve), Bloo and I are rather one of mind regarding how we want Two-Face to be revealed. Namely, not until you actually see the film.
We live in a day and age where big movies have virtually no surprises. Images are leaked all the time, and studios have taken to leaking the big reveals themselves, figuring that if they're gonna get out there one way or another, they might as well take control as a marketing strategy. Right? That's my guess.
So here's what we're hoping: we don't want to see Two-Face in any publicity shots. We want all the attention and hype focused squarely on Joker, Joker, Joker, even all the way through as they watch the film. And when the acid hits and the big reveal happens, BAM! It's the movie's secret weapon, its sucker punch. It's the one you half-expect but still underestimate, if you see it coming at all. Because that's Harvey.
EDIT: Reading the Gotham Times articles on Harvey, I'm now increasingly concerned that they're making him an opportunistic politician rather than driven crimefighter. Shit. Every time they give me some encouragement, they give me something else to make me anxious.
Unless he really is genuinely good, but he's faced with a city that hates and distrusts him. Notice the indignant letter to the editor railing against Dent for smearing the "good name" of police officers like Arnold Flass.
But I'm still fearful. It'd be entirely too easy for a lazy screenwriter to think it'd be appropriate for him to be duplicitous and two-faced, har, har har. TWO-FACE DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
... on the other hand, this might work well in my novel. The mob realizes they can't scare or threaten Harvey, so they try to work public opinion against him. And this further grates at him, playing on Harvey's deep-seated love AND hatred for Gotham. Hmm. Yes, mayhaps.
*Another little reason I hate Jeph Loeb; he arbitrarily changed Vincent Moroni's name to Sal Maroni, which has since become the definitive take. Yeah, fuck that for my novel. He's Vincent MOroni. Even LJ spellcheck recognized "Moroni" over "Maroni."
But at least "The Boss" will be in the movie; this means that, in all likelihood, Harvey's origin will more or less unfold as canon, rather than at the hands of the Joker or something.
kali921, who snagged them from alizzy, there are not one, not two, but seven new official viral marketing websites for BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT. Never in my life have I seen such marketing for a film, not when we haven't even seen a single real trailer. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if there are Oscars for ad men, these guys deserve a sweep.
The Gotham Times, fleshed out with fully-written articles detailing a post-Batman Begins Gotham City (and a working phone number). (!!!!)
The Ha-Ha-Ha Times, the Joker's (brilliant, hilarious, and I'll add disturbing) version of the same paper, complete with mind games.
We Are The Answer, one of Harvey Dent's campaign sites, where you can tip him off about corrupt cops. Reading the testimonials... I can't speak for anyone else, but me? Oh, Harvey, you poor doomed bastard. And "WE" are the answer? Oh, Harvey.
Gotham National Bank, self-explanatory (something going on with the map...?)
Remembering Gina, for a girl who was killed in a Maroni*-headed gang war that ticks off Harvey something beautiful (according to The Gotham Times page 4 article).
Gotham City Police Department, where you learn that if you're a teen, you've now got a curfew, thanks to the Narrows madness.
Gotham City Rail, where you can (attempt to) adopt a bus stop (only to be told that re-construction is complicating things).
And there are more recruitment shenanigans with the Joker's www.whysoserious.com's personality profile.
I haven't spend much time scouring over these sites, not even to actually read the Gotham Times, but I have to wonder just what hidden messages or easter eggs are littered around, if any. This stuff is heaven to the obsessive compulsive geeks.
It all certainly gives me encouragement as to the film, particularly Harvey. His focus here seems to be more on corrupt cops than purely gangsters, but that makes sense; the guy hates hypocrites.
At least, my version of him does, and that's the really odd thing about this: I started writing this (at the encouragement of Bloo) because while there were plenty of Two-Face stories, very few dealt with Harvey Dent. We felt his origin was easily one of the most fascinating things about this character, yet it was never fleshed out. Not to our satisfaction, anyway.
So it's weird seeing all this Harvey Dent stuff all of a sudden, making me feel like someone else is horning in on my virgin territory! At the same time, seeing all this is rather thrilling, and I just hope Nolan and company put as much work into the film as their ad men have.
Still, no Two-Face image. So far, all the news and attention has been on the Joker, everything about the Joker, and I've been concerned that Harvey will just be the second fiddle bad guy, just like BATMAN FOREVER (shudder).
And while I am very anxious to see how they're gonna handle the makeup (I understand they're even employing CGI in the scarring, presumably to accomplish effects that mere prostethics could not alone achieve), Bloo and I are rather one of mind regarding how we want Two-Face to be revealed. Namely, not until you actually see the film.
We live in a day and age where big movies have virtually no surprises. Images are leaked all the time, and studios have taken to leaking the big reveals themselves, figuring that if they're gonna get out there one way or another, they might as well take control as a marketing strategy. Right? That's my guess.
So here's what we're hoping: we don't want to see Two-Face in any publicity shots. We want all the attention and hype focused squarely on Joker, Joker, Joker, even all the way through as they watch the film. And when the acid hits and the big reveal happens, BAM! It's the movie's secret weapon, its sucker punch. It's the one you half-expect but still underestimate, if you see it coming at all. Because that's Harvey.
EDIT: Reading the Gotham Times articles on Harvey, I'm now increasingly concerned that they're making him an opportunistic politician rather than driven crimefighter. Shit. Every time they give me some encouragement, they give me something else to make me anxious.
Unless he really is genuinely good, but he's faced with a city that hates and distrusts him. Notice the indignant letter to the editor railing against Dent for smearing the "good name" of police officers like Arnold Flass.
But I'm still fearful. It'd be entirely too easy for a lazy screenwriter to think it'd be appropriate for him to be duplicitous and two-faced, har, har har. TWO-FACE DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
... on the other hand, this might work well in my novel. The mob realizes they can't scare or threaten Harvey, so they try to work public opinion against him. And this further grates at him, playing on Harvey's deep-seated love AND hatred for Gotham. Hmm. Yes, mayhaps.
*Another little reason I hate Jeph Loeb; he arbitrarily changed Vincent Moroni's name to Sal Maroni, which has since become the definitive take. Yeah, fuck that for my novel. He's Vincent MOroni. Even LJ spellcheck recognized "Moroni" over "Maroni."
But at least "The Boss" will be in the movie; this means that, in all likelihood, Harvey's origin will more or less unfold as canon, rather than at the hands of the Joker or something.
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 05:54 pm (UTC)And yes, so awesome to see Harvey Dent stuff. Awesome.
Also yes, us obsessive-compulsive geeks are going fucking crazy over it. Damn. DAMN. I haven't fucking had time to sit down and really go through all those websites, because I know once I start THERE WILL BE NO STOPPING. NONE.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 06:00 pm (UTC)/already revising my Dent novel accordingly to the newspaper
no subject
Date: 2007-11-25 09:10 pm (UTC)HEE. :3
(Also: I filled out wearetheanswer.org's tip thing with a description of the incident in Half A Life where Renee threatens Lipari in the street. The response was "The District Attorney's Office is not aware of an officer by that name.")(Yes. I'm that dork. DON'T JUDGE ME.)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-26 10:19 pm (UTC)Oh my dear, my dear, when you see what I've been working on all day, you will truly see who is King Dork around here.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-26 10:29 pm (UTC)Don't taunt me, sir! What is this mysterious dorky thing you are working on?
no subject
Date: 2007-11-26 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-26 11:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 06:30 pm (UTC)<3<3<3 Joker!!
no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 06:48 pm (UTC)http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4465398.html
Joker as Lecter:
http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4479289.html
And here's the Bane posts:
http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4465398.html
http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/4448495.html
no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 10:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 07:51 pm (UTC)I'm just curious as to what Springsteen has to do with any of this.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-24 07:58 pm (UTC)I just hope they do make Dent a sympathetic and tragic character. They've done a good job so far, but I can't help but remember with terror how Max Schreck in BATMAN RETURNS was meant to be Harvey originally.
"Boss" Moroni, smart guy! ;p Played by man-god Eric Roberts!
no subject
Date: 2007-11-25 01:32 am (UTC)Two Face: I'm not a bad guy!
Joker: Hey, let's kill Batman
Two Face: Ok
Oy. A return to the one big villain per movie format would've been nice as well.
Yeah I read that piece of Schrek trivia and it's baffling. I'm still rather curious to see what Billy Dee Williams' Two Face would've been like back in the day, botched origin notwithstanding. I'm sure Eckhart will do the character justice unlike certain other actors.