Oct
2007
1-18-08/Cloverfield Update
*sigh*
JJ Abrams has a problem, I swear.
Pictured at left are all the logos for the subsidiaries of Tagruato Corp.. Who is Taurato Corp.? Well, it’s the 1-18-08/Cloverfield version of the Hanso Foundation of course. For those unfamiliar with Hanso, it is the fictitious group on JJ’s show, LOST, that created the island everyone is, well, lost on.
I talked briefly about the Slusho! site back in August, but now it turns out that Slusho! is owned by Tagruato Corp., and their primary business is deep sea oil drilling. There have been rumors the monster in the oddly named (for now) 1-18-08 has something to do with underwater creatures, and this seems to back up that theory.
You know, I like back story to my movies and television series, but there is a point where it goes from “Kudos for thinking this through!” to “Seriously… enough!” There is a point where I feel like I am being led around by the nose by Abrams, and quite frankly, I don’t appreciate it. Sure, viral marketing is fun, but when I have to expend actual effort to learn about your product (and let’s face it, at the end of the day, that’s what 90% of movies are), it just crosses a line I feel.
Take ParafFUN – Wax Distributors for instance. The explanation on the site is that paraffin wax is a byproduct of Tagruato’s oil drilling. Okay… fine, but does anyone REALLY think this plays in to the movie’s plot? No. Yet, someone in the marketing department went through an awful lot of trouble to come up with slogans, a back story, and a logo for it… and then I wasted time reading it. I admit it.
All that is CONCRETE about this movie is the trailer, but in addition to that we now have multiple websites, MySpace profiles, and enough rumors to make Perez Hilton go “ENOUGH!” How about you just concentrate on making the best movie you can, and leaving the insane marketing to LOST? At this point, I’m not sure any movie could live up to the hype that has built up around this project. And with the more they add to the “mythos”, the less interested I seem to become.
Official Site
Supposedly Connected Sites
Jamie and Teddy – Love videos from the character of Jamie to someone named Teddy.
Slusho! – The mysterious drink that also has a connection to Abrams’ old series, Alias.
Tagruato Corp. – Yeah, I discussed it above already.
MySpace Profiles of Characters
Sites Following The Insanity
Movies » 1-18-08/Cloverfield Update | October 5th, 2007 at 10:47 pm #
[...] zuffren wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAll that is CONCRETE about this movie is the trailer, but in addition to that we now have multiple websites, MySpace profiles, and enough rumors to make Perez Hilton go “ENOUGH!†How about you just concentrate on making the best movie … [...]
DANIEL ANTHONY MITCHELL | October 7th, 2007 at 7:45 pm #
I AM IN THE UK AND HAVE ONLY RECENTLY SEEN THE 01/18/08 TRAILER I HAVE FOLLOWED THE CLUES WITH THE HELP OF BLOGGING SITES AND HAVE SENT AN EMAIL TO THE FEEDBACK DEPT AT THE SLUSHO COMPANY, THE CONTACT IS THIS SATOSHI@SLUSHO.JP. THE AUTOMATED EMAIL RESPONSE READS Slusho! loves your mails!! You Can’t Drink Just Six!!!
. VERY ODD. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN THIS 2ND TRAILER COMES OUT I SAW A NEW TRAILER ON YOU TUBE THIS IS THE LINK http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7OnnkJkT1P0
I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS A FAKE ONE, BUT COULD IT HAVE BEEN MADE TO THROW PEOPLE OFF THE ?
THANKS
Sean P Aune | October 7th, 2007 at 11:32 pm #
Daniel,
I’m hearing the second trailer should be out in November, but nothing concrete has been mentioned.
SeanPAune.com » Blog Archive » X - Files 2, Star Trek, and Cloverfield Ramblings | January 17th, 2008 at 6:10 pm #
[...] like. I think that may have also been why he hid this monster so much and distracted us with so much viral marketing (which, has now been learned has about zero impact on the plot) was to keep us from seeing the [...]