JUNE 3, 2009

What do you get when you give a group of Lord of the Rings fans $5,000? You get The Hunt For Gollum, a LOTR sequel that premiered last month. While the story is “inspired by the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien,” the production is actually an unauthorized fan film that takes place in the same universe and follows the same storyline as the original famous films.

I first heard of the production from Boing Boing and I was interested enough to check it out. Like many fan films,  The Hunt for Gollum was available on various video sharing sites. I watched a little bit of the film and, I have to say, for only a few thousand dollars, they made it look just as good as the multi-million dollar versions!

With over 700,000 views on YouTube, it looks like the film is a success. But is it reason for Peter Jackson and the Tolkien Estate to call their lawyers? The website for the production carries a very hefty disclaimer that starts with, “‘The Hunt For Gollum’ is an unofficial non-profit film being made for private use, and is not intended for sales of any sort. No money is being made from this film, and no one was paid to make it.”

It’s clear that the film is a tribute to Tolkien’s work and to the LOTR films. The fact that it was produced and posted online without interference hopefully demonstrates that “The Tolkien Estate” understands that fan films like these are beneficial to their intellectual property, not harmful.

There are other movie franchisees that have been tolerant of fan film productions. Are you a fan of “Star Trek”? Then maybe you’ll like Star Trek: New Voyages, a fan series that picks up where the original series left off. Even though Kirk and Spock are played by lesser-known names, the series has become so popular that original cast members have made cameos.

My favorite fan film series happens to be Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager. As the younger brother of Darth, Chad manages a grocery store… and hilarity ensues. Lucasfilms has embraced the use of its IP and even encourages it. The company sponsors an annual Fan Movie Challenge where it judges fan made films inspired by the epic trilogies.

While many companies are often quick to use litigation to protect the use of their images and trademarks, these brands clearly realized that fan creations actually enhance the brand in ways beyond marketing and advertisement.  Perhaps more companies should think twice before suing for copyright infringement.

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FEBRUARY 9, 2009

Dating. The word alone conjures up some of the best of times and, perhaps, even some of the worst of times. As a whole, dating tends to get a bad rap - whether it’s first date awkwardness, unreturned phone calls, over-analysis, mixed signals, or unreciprocated affection, most people either laugh or let out a long sigh when pondering their own experiences with the dating game.  But, nonetheless, “the game” is fascinating, which is most likely why the newly released movie, “He’s Just Not That Into You“ exceeded box office projections this weekend.  The movie, adapted from the New York Times bestseller of the same title (which sold over 2 million copies in 2004), provides audiences with a tough-love approach to the rules of dating.

Yes, I said “the rules.”  You can deny it all you want, but there are rules – some spoken, some unspoken - and just like everything else these days, the rules are changing faster and faster.  With over 30 million active users on online dating sites like eHarmony, Match.com, and Plentyoffish.com, it’s safe to say that the dating game has forever been transformed in recent years.  Email has become an acceptable means of asking someone out on a date, “hook ups” are becoming more popular than dating, breaking up through a text messaging is happening more often, and women are playing more of the “pursuer” role. So whether it’s technology or a shift in values, there’s no denying that many of the rules are drastically different than they were 20 years ago. 

Tamara Duricka is a NYC-based writer who turned 31 years old last month, and happens to be single. In a quest to “do something different” this year – she began a project she calls “31 dates in 31 days,” in which she dates 30 different men in 30 days, blogs about each one of them, and then chooses one of them to go out with her for her 31st date.  I like to think of it as ”The Bachelorette” meets “How to Lose a Guy in 10 days” meets “Sex in the City.

“Sex and the City” romanticized the single life in NYC - a place where every young woman is over-sexed and unattainably glamorous, spends thousands on designer shoes, and drinks cosmos every night of the week. Tamara’s site, on the other hand, does not reflect any sort of “big city” propaganda.  If anything, it presents a more traditional and simple approach, while still remaining fairly open-minded, particularly about whom she will date - friends, strangers, set-ups… all the types of encounters acceptable in the modern-day dating arena.  One of the most fascinating aspects of her project, though, is the balance of the new with the old. It is a very technological, transparent approach to dating, in that all privacy is stripped away and the audience is encouraged to participate in her adventures, yet her expectations and rules seem to revert back to a more chivalrous approach. Love. It.

Being single myself, I admit that the dating game isn’t always fun, but in a society that has created the term: “starter marriage,” where over 50% of marriages end in divorce, and one in five adults in monogamous relationships admit to cheating, I’m quite content with playing the game for a little while longer.  Perhaps I’ll even give Tamara’s approach a go; after all, I’ll be turning 31 in less than 6 months!

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DECEMBER 4, 2008

Batman is not too happy with The Dark Knight and is contemplating a scheme to take back what is rightfully his. No, this isn’t the plot for another Caped Crusader movie, rather, it  seems that the Mayor Huseyin Kalkin of Batman, a small town in southeastern Turkey is crying foul because he never gave The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan permission to use the name of his city.  According to the Mayor Kalkin:  

The royalty of the name ‘Batman’ belongs to us. There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us. 

It appears that Mayor Kalkan has plans to sue Nolan for trademark infringement for royalties from the 2008 mega blockbuster. According to The Escapist Magazine, Kalkan’s claims are based on the fictional Batman having a negative affect on the city, blaming the movie on the several unsolved murders in the city, as well as a high suicide rate amongst females in the city. 

Pause.

I’m sorry, but what?!  I realize that intellectual property issues are exploding these days, but this particular case falls into the “ridiculous” category.  Copyrighted music and patented medications have long been an issue, but it seems that the assertion of intellectual property is now showing up where we’d least expect it. Is it simply a matter of respect?  Is it about money?  Or is it that “ownership” is being redefined?  With individuals and companies now staking claim to virtually everything  - from words to images to products - it’s possible consumers have lost a sense of what that means.  

Moving forward, there’s no doubt that the IP arena will be one of the most fundamental challenges of the 21st century.  Big money is at stake; litigation and legislation will impact the definition.  And who will ultimately define the boundaries?  Jurors and consumers. At TMG, we believe that listening to the public – understanding how they think and what they value – is the best place to start when attempting to get a handle on the issue like ownership and IP.

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NOVEMBER 25, 2008

In 2004, vintners and wine store owners commonly referred to the “Sideways effect,” whereby the Oscar-winning film directly influenced consumer impressions and purchases of pinot noir, a once relatively obscure red wine.  According to ACNielsen, sales of pinot noir reached an impressive 370,000 cases between October 24, 2004 and January 15, 2005, an increase of nearly 16% from the same period a year earlier.

It still came as a surprise last week, however, to learn that the “Sideways effect” may have actually reached Japan. Seriously. In an article in Variety magazine, I read that Fox Japan and the Fuji TV network recently announced the details of their joint Japanese remake of Alexander Payne’s 2004 hit movie.  “Wait,” I thought.  “Japan remaking Hollywood?  Usually it’s the other way around!”  This time, though, it wasn’t.

Curiously, as Cinematical’s Peter Martin reports, Japan doesn’t have a native wine culture equivalent to that of the United States, mostly due to weather and soil issues, not to mention a scarcity of land.  In the past year, however, California wine imports have significantly increased in Japan.  Martin writes, “And the comic Kami no Shizuku (translated as The Drops of God; pictured) has become a phenomenon over the last couple of years, read by 500,000 Japanese weekly, according to Telegraph (UK), and sending wine sales skyrocketing across Asia.  The series details a young man’s quest to identify the 12 wines described in his father’s will.”

Set to release in Japan next fall, the remake, which is already shooting on location in California’s Napa Valley, will likely spark a new Asian interest in American wines.  And, if I were a Napa Valley vintner or wine seller, I would already be personalizing my website and my shop for the massive wave of Japanese tourism that is sure to seek my business next winter.

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JULY 11, 2008

Two weeks ago I read an article in the Express that said the U.S. Trials for the Homeless World Cup were coming to DC.  That’s right – the Homeless World Cup, coming to recruit homeless men and women from our nation’s capital to compete against other homeless men and women from around the world.  Apparently the local players would stay in George Washington University housing, attend the LA Galaxy-DC United game and compete for a spot on the U.S. national team, which travels to Melbourne, Australia, in December.

Now, I had heard (and quite honestly, chuckled a little) about the Homeless World Cup last year when I learned that ESPN was co-sponsoring a documentary about the global phenomenon.  (You can watch a trailer for the film, entitled “Kicking It,” here).  But what seemed comical at the time - a vision of bearded, teethless individuals scurrying madly about an open field for someone else’s entertainment - was true misconception; I didn’t realize or appreciate potentially how phenomenal the Homeless World Cup could be.

After reading the article in the Express, therefore, I decided I should visit the Homeless World Cup website to learn more.  And, to my utter amazement, this is what I found:

There are one billion homeless people living in our world today.

The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of people who are homeless and excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. 

If only America’s rich NBA stars could feel the same way about representing their home country in the 2008 Olympics, maybe they wouldn’t lose.  But I digress…

The impact of the Homeless World Cup is consistently significant year after year with 73% of players changing their lives for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro soccer teams.

The ultimate goal of the tournament?  To use sports as a means for social inclusion, involving between 100,000 and one million players by 2012.  In a word, to use sports for social change.

So, yes, a ball really can – and already has – changed the world. 

I wonder: what else can it do?

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MAY 7, 2008

I am counting down the days until May 30th, which I predict will be a landmark day in my life.  Why?  Because that is the day I’ve been waiting for ever since my favorite show of all time went off the air.  It’s the day that “Sex & the City: The Movie” premieres. 

And while I can’t wait to see it, I already know a lot about what happens in the movie.  This might ruin the experience for some people, but I am a fan of spoilers, mostly because it’s my job to stay abreast of what’s current the pop culture arena.  I regularly read about upcoming episodes of Lost, The Office,  and The Wire (may it rest in peace).  Knowing plot lines and twists beforehand never spoils my viewing pleasure, and I don’t think knowing key elements of the SATC movie will ruin it for me either.

These days I don’t have to seek out this information; it finds me.  People emailed me links to the movie trailer months before the full previews hit theatres.  Fans posted pictures of a pregnant Charlotte or Carrie in a wedding dress all over the Internet.  (I won’t give out any more secrets because there may be readers out there who don’t want to know.)  My anticipation level grows with every picture and every tidbit.  I think these teasers makes the experience that much more exciting, even though I know that others, including my co-workers Mallory and Lisa, think I am ruining it.

But there are many others like me who need to know right now.  TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello, Kristin Veitch from E! and sites like Spoilerfix.com cater to the needs of junkies like us.  There are fans who create entire sites full of spoilers dedicated to specific shows.  

What does this say about our society?  As viewers, we need to be engaged; we need a reason to keep tuning in.  I personally believe that spoilers add to the experience.  In the past I’ve found that over the course of a week I lose interest in upcoming episodes.  (Yes, I have an extremely short attention span.)  But spoilers keep shows and movies at the forefront of my mind. 

Anyone know what happens next on Gossip Girl?  I do.

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MAY 1, 2008

Last week I received an email from MovieTickets.com inviting me and a guest to a screening of a Spike Lee film called “Miracle at St. Anna”. I also received a request to participate in an opinion survey about the movie after the screening. Being a film nut, (two years of film school and all), I jumped at the chance to finally make use of all those car rides home from the movie theater when my fiancé and I had our own Ebert & Roeper sessions. 

The film survey process reminded me of the student evaluation forms we had to fill out at the end of every semester describing how we felt about the course and the professor. I wasn’t so sure if what I had to say was really going to make a difference… I mean, it’s not like what I wrote would ever get back to Spike Lee.  And yet, then, I heard it. “There he is… Spike Lee,” whispered a nearby patron.  I looked up, and sure enough, there he was with his signature glasses and hat, sitting in the seat in front of me checking his email.

The ultimate deep listening opportunity had presented itself.  The director himself, the person almost completely responsible for the movie’s content was feet away from me and anything I had to say about his film.  So, did I tell him the score was so bad it had to have been filler music, or that at least two scenes needed to be cut because they made absolutely no sense, or that half the dialogue needed to be rewritten for the audience to take it seriously?  Of course not. This was Oscar nominated Spike Lee.  I walked up, shook his hand, and thanked him for coming out, and left all the rest on my yellow survey card. 

What’s important here is that Spike Lee, whoever produces this movie, and MovieTickets.com, allowed me the opportunity to tell them what I thought and gave my opinion a little more validation, earning my respect in return (along with my $10.50 to see the film when it’s released to find out if they heeded any of my thoughts).

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NOVEMBER 8, 2007

If communicators want to learn some lessons on reaching new audiences, they could study what modern day missionaries are up to.  Not to say I completely agree with their mission - to me, it seems disrespectful of local religions to come in and say that you’ve got the best one yet.  But I do admire their persistence and their wide use of communication tools, both old and new.

From the Washington Post article:

Using technological devices ranging from simple cassette tapes to solar-powered audio players and an iPod-like gadget called the Bible Stick, Christian groups are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make one of the world’s oldest books accessible in remote corners of the planet…Complete versions of the Bible can now be downloaded onto cellphones in parts of Africa. To reach those who can’t read — nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, according to the United Nations — Christian groups are rapidly increasing production of audio and video versions.

Jill Fallon, over at Business of Life, writes about the movie that’s been seen by 5 billion people.  Star Wars?  E.T.?  Titanic?  Nope.  The Jesus Film - no, it’s not Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ - it’s the 1979 version, filmed on location in the Holy Land, starring a no-name cast.  It’s also, according to The Washington Post, been translated into more than 1,000 languages.  Where did this movie come from?  The BBC says:

"[It’s] the work of an American evangelical organisation, Campus Crusade. Funded by its supporters and well-wishers, it sends teams around the world, even where they are not particularly welcome. There they record new translations of the film, organise screenings to inquisitive crowds in improvised cinemas, and distribute copies to whoever they can."

Because of their zeal, missionaries leave no stone unturned in their effort to bring their message to everyone in the world - communicators should pay attention.

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JULY 5, 2007

From our New Persuasion Intern:  Megan Cifrino

Recently I was assigned to choose a movie I felt embodied our current 2000 decade. I chose Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.  The movie was released in August 2006 and starred the famously funny Will Ferrell.   For those of you who have not seen the movie, it is about dim-witted #1 NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) who wins race after race due to his pact with his best friend and teammate Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly).  When French Formula One driver (Sasha Baron Cohen) steps into the picture, Ricky’s life crumbles.  The “dumb” humor that comes through in this film is what keeps us laughing so hard.  The raw, racist, sexist, ethnocentric and utterly ignorant humor is something we can all relate to.  Perhaps it has a little of us in every joke? Certainly not! But that’s your neighbor, your sister, your friend, your boss…

The movie exaggerates and pokes fun at several themes that are present in today’s American society.  We live in a material world where being successful is determined by money.  Ricky’s father in the movie is quoted, “It’s the fastest who gets paid…” 

Throughout the movie Ricky lives by his father’s memorable quote “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”  We live in a society where it is important to be the “winner.”  People are always looking for the fastest, easiest way to become rich and famous (American Idol, Top Chef, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Got Talent).  During his career Ricky remains focused on winning, though sometimes that means neglecting his family, friends and his own safety.  This film wonders what is truly lasting when material gains fade away.

We live in a world where brand names mean everything and product placements and advertising infiltrates every aspect of our lives.  The movie exaggerates this and contains hundreds of today’s products throughout each scene.  One example in the movie is that one endorsement deal stipulates that Ricky mention POWERade at each race.  Another example is when Ricky runs out of room to place sponsor’s ads, he sells his windshield to Fig Newtons.  Essentially the film ridicules the extent to which society could potentially allow advertising to go.

The film also pokes fun at American “Macho” Culture and ignorance.  During the family dinner scene in the movie Ricky two unruly boys, Walker and Texas Ranger, yell and talk back to their grandfather.  Ricky’s wife says, “If we wanted us some wussies we would’ve named them Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman, okay?” There are several other instances in the movie where the audience laughs due to the character’s extreme ignorance, such as when one of the young boys states the capitol of North Carolina is Washington D.C.   However, one 2006 survey found that more people could name the three American Idol judges than identify three first amendment rights. Guess not everyone’s as smart as they think they are.

Other jokes of the film brush on the topic of today’s growing technology.  We are in a decade of advancement and everyone is looking for the hot new item that they believe will improve their lives.  However the average American can’t keep up and is constantly baffled by several appliances.   A “confusion index” created by Forrester that puts the average consumer confusion at .277 on a 0-1 scale with 1 representing “extremely confused.”   Activities including adding memory to a digital camera and sending text messages from a mobile phone are among such daily activities.  Again the film pokes fun when Ricky says he believes with his income he can afford to live to be “245 or 300 years old with advances in technology.”   Also his buddy Cal is confused by how to use the hot tub and asks Ricky which buttons he should press and where. 

Our lives are becoming increasingly complicated. Maybe we need to all slow down a bit and focus on the more important aspects of our lives.  The film not only shows the transformation of Ricky’s life as he begins losing everyone and everything in his life but also the improvement in behavior and attitude in his children.  The movie centers on themes of self improvement, religion and character development.  Each year Americans purchase millions of books to make them slimmer, calmer, smarter, richer, and more attractive.  In recent years, personal growth as well as health and fitness have topped New Year’s resolutions.  Slowly American’s are integrating the superficial aspects of life with what is truly lasting and important, their self worth, health and character.
A New York Times review by A.O. Scott summed the movie up with this quote:

“As a cultural artifact, ‘Talladega Nights’ is both completely phony and, therefore, utterly authentic. Or, to put it differently: this movie is the real thing. It’s finger lickin’ good, it’s eatin’ good in the neighborhood. It’s the king of beers. It’s Wonder Bread.”

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APRIL 11, 2007

In a world that thrives on personalization, it is interesting to note that Apple Inc. has announced it has sold 100 million iPods as of April 9th, this year.  America is largely impacted by media– like music and television– and we spend so much of our days watching and listening.  The iPod has changed the ability of Americans to sit back, relax, and enjoy the music of their choice… on demand.

According to an MSNBC.com article, Apple Inc.’s announcement Monday that it has sold 100 million of its iPod music players marks more than just a business milestone for the once-struggling computer company.

The remarkable sales figure also is evidence that Apple has, in just a few short years, played a major role in transforming a fringe technology into a mainstream phenomenon — spawning massive ripple effects in both the music and technology industries.

What’s more, analysts say, Apple’s more recent forays into selling movies and TV shows — and, soon, its own cell phone — could be poised to transform those industries as well.

What does this mean?  Well, we love the ability to be unique in our choices and we embrace the opportunity to carry this uniqueness around with us– and companies are starting to notice.  I think this milestone may have an impact on the way organizations decide what is important to us as consumers and as Americans.

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