The Geek Beat: Our Own Worst Enemies

I don't really get the article here. For you it may certainly be the case that you have to watch every released video because you have to write about it. But the average fan can avoid most of the information you're complaining is leeked, all they have to do is decide not to watch it. I didn't know Rachel died in TDK because I wanted to avoid spoilers, so I didn't open up articles devoted to the movie. And is your last point that these releases will somehow harm the box office returns of the movies that saturate the market? That certainly doesn't seem to be the case given the fact that the movies that most heavily pursued the tactics you're discussing raked in record numbers last year. Sure, its possible that the numbers would've been greater, and that perhaps some people stayed home because they had already seen the best parts of TDK and Iron Man. However, TDK was the second highest grossing movie in history, and Iron Man made over 300 mill domestically, so I find it unlikely. I'm not a huge fan of these techniques that seem to show us absolutely everything about a movie before it starts, but I'm an intelligent consumer, so I can decide for myself just how much information about a movie I want before seeing it. I feel for you if you're not able to do that because of your job, but these campaigns seem to be good for the consumer and for the producers of the product.

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What Kevin said. Sure, there's a desire to check out spoilers and trailers that give away the best parts of the movie, but as someone with free will, I can choose to avoid them, and often do. In fact, in this age of the 20 second attention span, it's easy to skip something "for later" and then forget about it entirely.

I used to scour BBS's and the like back in the day for Star Trek spoilers, comic spoilers, movie spoilers, and the like, until I realized it was taking all the fun out of what was being spoiled. Now, I try to avoid reading show descriptions on the the on-screen guides if I haven't seen something, and skip right past posts that talk about major plot points of upcoming movies to perserve those "holy sh*t" moments.

But then, the last movie I can think of that effectively marketed itself through minimalism AND lived up to it was The Matrix.

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It's funny, but I've never cared about being spoiled. Knowing the beats in the movie does nothing for me one way or another...in fact, I usually like knowing since I can sit back and watch the story be created instead of being enthralled by the story. What I enjoy most is the craftsmanship in the movie, not the content.

There's something to be said about specific movies. Sixth Sense would not have had the same punch knowing the ending. But at the same time, most movies follow a very specific formula, which works, but put the creator's unique stamp on it.

In the art world, they don't marvel over how surprised they are that Michaelangelo faithfully recreated David, but over the fine craftsmanship and attention to detail. It's that which draws me to good video games, movies, tv shows, etc. I know I'm watching an actor...Robert Downey Jr can't REALLY fly...so I enjoy the make-believe, knowing generally where things are going and enjoying the experience because the actors, writers, and director all put a lot of effort and care into telling a logical story, building a believable world, and portraying a realistic person.

But in the end, I know Iron Man is being lifted by wires. But damn if the effort they put into that scene didn't thrill me. And at the end, a well-told story is a well-told story...doesn't matter if I've heard the same story twenty times.

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I agree with Elisabeth.

The big difference is that before you had to really work to find the spoilers. You don't do the work, you don't get spoiled. Now it's the opposite, you have to work to not get spoiled. You have to avoid any interview or any blurb or even a commercial in order to preserve the big beats. I don't want to walk around like a horse with blinders on (so to speak) in order to maintain surprise at the movies.

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Marketing and Advertising are necessary evils. As an actor and former advertising salesperson I see both sides of this issue.

In the following statements I do not want my comments to be misconstrued to say that all the success of either of these films rests on the marketing. They were both novel concepts and interesting films, however the early box office results could serve as a measurement of the effectiveness of there marketing.

That being said, I think there are some marketers who don't buy into this current trend. For example look at films like Cloverfield. Say all you want about the shaky camera work and the nausea factor but the fact is it was a success. Think about the marketing for this film; it was very sparse and even cryptic. The trailer, tv spots and even the name of the film was kept veiled in secrecy and in turn it allowed audiences to be seduced by the possibility of what could or might be. I know that I eagerly anticipated the film, not only because of J.J. Abrams attachment, but also because of the clever marketing and branding. I don't think I am going out on a limb here by saying that the film was a huge success, seeing as it grossed almost seven times its original budget to date and nearly 50 million in the first weekend alone. Obviously Paramount agrees or they wouldn't be considering a sequel.

Alternatively, a large marketing action can be successful if well planned. Look at an earlier film The Blair Witch Project. If I remember correctly, before the release of this film, phony websites, newspaper articles, and news segments were "leaked" into the public. Albeit they were low cost marketing actions but regardless they served to create more hype for the actual film, which had very little content as far as plot goes. Again I would not be alone in considering this film a success since over the last 10 years it has earned 24 million per year, more than 1000 times its original budget yearly.

Finally, I would ask that you consider the reality that most "geek" audiences who seek out every spec of information on a new film before its release are also those most likely to torrent a pirated copy of the film and never go to the theatre at all. Maybe this is hyperbole to some but I have found it to be true in my experiences.

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I now avoid seeking out trailers and teasers (aside from what I see in theaters) precisely because of what you've mentioned. But I also avoid trailers because, more often than not, they write a check that the movie can't cash. They either make the flick look MUCH better than it actually is or they completely misrepresent what the film is. In Bruges was a classic example of that.

I can't decide what's worse: the trend of using early footage to cut together teaser trailers only to have significant portions of that footage disappear in the final cut or being bombarded with footage of a new comedy to the point where you know all the major gags going in (i.e.: the last 4 Judd Apatow movies). Who out there hasn't seen a recent trailer that, you're convinced, has shown you all of the significant highlights of the film?

But the biggest crime of all is that, after having the same tv spots drilled into your sub-conscious for weeks or months, actually going to see the movie and then breaking down and buying the DVD, you're presented with trailers as "Bonus Features." That's a bonus like a flaming bag of crap on your porch is a bonus.

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I actually agree to a lot of the points you make. I too wish that sometimes things weren't overtly leaked, thus spoiling moments that could of be something special in a flick. Hell, it even extends beyond flicks. Practically the whole storyline of Civil War was spoiled for myself thanks to Marvel revealing details to CNN before the comic hit store shelves. Who would of thought CNN would be aiding in that sort of world? The Geek World. If CNN is leaking info, nothing is safe.

Then again, it just brings up the tactic of just avoiding things outright. Back in the day, photos and cast lists were all we needed to avoid if we wanted to do so. It was fairly easy to avoid those. But now, it seems you have to jump through hoops and barrels wearing gun-earmuffs while shouting out lyrics to an old show tune just to avoid the dreaded "spoilers."

As for what the people above said, they do make valid points, but the average fan has evolved, actually looking up info on the movies they like as to see if it's worth it, not wanting to be spoiled in the processes. It's no longer the simple, "I'm oblivious to everything" fandom. People who aren't even movie buffs tend to know more about a movie they've been scooping out for more so than I do. It's just getting harder to avoid things I find, without shutting yourself out from a complete medium. Like I said, if it's on CNN, then where else can you get your news from without being spoiled?

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cmon rachel dying is a spoiler? i didn't read that eckhart article that spoiled that little fact but guessed that based on the main trailers that came out. any bat-fan could've guessed that knowing dent's character and how he becomes two-face.

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I go to extremes when it comes to not being spoiled. I have run screaming from theaters with fingers in my ears when teasers for Spidey 3 or Dark Knight came on the screen (I wasn't aware they'd be showing before the movie I was seeing) and to this day I don't watch TV spots or look at things online that I know will spoil me. It just a much richer experience for me when I don't know every detail about the movie before I see it. Also I don't have the same mutant factor I had as a kid where I could watch something 100 times and still experience something like it was my first time watching it. Now if I get spoiled to something or know its coming, its not fresh when I see it in the theater and thus weakens/cheapens my experience.

Great article by the always awesome Elisabeth

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Regarding TDK, one thing that really killed the moment for me in them ovie was..

In the trailers, they showed the shots when they have caught Joker with the knife and lint and whatever with the voice of Commissioner Gordon hile at the same time in theater I'm watching the movie and he is supposed to be dead but at the same time, I KNOW he should come back, because was featured in the damn trailer...

I spoil too much myself to the movie stuff, but this was really not what I wanted

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