ABC’s Castle Incorporates ARG Into Season Finale Alex Gerage, May 23, 2010May 24, 2010 While everyone’s attention is seemingly focused on the upcoming series finale of LOST, another ABC show keenly incorporated an alternate reality game into the plot of their season finale. Over at her Giant Mice blog, ARG pro Brooke Thompson pointed out that the recent season two finale of ABC’s Castle dealt with ARGs. Hit the jump to find out just what it was about. For those that don’t follow the show, Richard Castle (played by geek-god Nathan Fillion) is a big time mystery novelist who works with the NYPD to help solve homicides. In the show’s finale, Castle and Detective Kate Beckett believe they are working on a case involving the murder of a spy. In reality though, the individual is no spy, but rather the player in an elaborate ARG game. Rather than spoil the remaining twists of the episode (they are quite good), I suggest you watch it for yourself below or over at Hulu. Thompson also notes that of the few instances where ARGs have been used in television shows (she references episodes of CSI: NY and Numb3rs, though an early episode of CSI should also be included), all of them have in some way been connected to murder and crime. Is this a coincidence? Are ARGs deliberately being stereotyped and given a negative connotation? Nobody can know for sure, but I expect that as the presence of ARGs become more established in today’s media culture, their role in film and television storylines will be much more diverse than they are now. Just give it time. While I am not a devoted follower of Castle, the few episodes I have seen throughout this season have been quite entertaining. Season three of Castle will return to ABC next fall. Viral Marketing ABCARGCastle
NBC’s ‘The Event’ Adds Character Twitters and New Viral Website September 20, 2010September 26, 2010The Event premieres tonight on NBC, and if the mystery grabs you, there are some crafty online options for you to peel away the secrecy. First of all, many of the big characters have their own Twitter accounts. Also, a blog has been created for someone who is seeking the… Read More
Sony Launches “Face of the Fan”, Uses Internet To Cast for Underworld 4 November 21, 2010Sony has launched an initiative and website called “Face of the Fan“, in which the company looks to connect directly with fans in a way that gets them involved in their film. For one of their first endeavors, they are having a truly open casting call, hosted entirely on the… Read More
How To Ruin A Viral (Part 2): Mess Up June 3, 2009July 18, 2010District 9 has a very versatile viral campaign encompassing two opposing forces, four websites, and the social networking world. Despite all this, many have complained about the viral not living up to its potential. Sure, all the pieces are in place, but Sony isn’t playing the game correctly. For instance, they went… Read More