Director Starts Independent Viral for “Robot & Frank” on Tumblr Caleb Hamilton, August 10, 2012August 10, 2012 Here at MovieViral we are usually writing about viral campaigns for big budget films that are run by studios or outsourced to firms like 42 Entertainment. Well, when you make and independent film, your budget is usually very small, so there isn’t a lot of money to market your film with an extensive viral campaign. However, with social media, an indie viral campaign can be run on networks like Tumblr for little or no money. That’s what director Jake Schreier is doing for his new film, Robot & Frank.Robot & Frank is a film about a retired jewel thief (played by Frank Langella) who is losing his memory. His two children (played by Liv Tyler and James Marsden) are having a hard time taking care of him, so they buy their dad a humanoid robot. That’s what Jake Schreier designed his campaign around, the elderly and the robot.Using Tumblr, Schreier uploaded simple magazine/brochure ads, showing the different ways the VGC-60L can be of help. There isn’t much else to the viral, which is just fine, it gets the point across without too many bells and whistles (for example, VGC-60L.com just redirects to the film’s official site). Schreier had his friend Justin Ouellette, who designed the many user interfaces seen in the movie, build a flashy custom theme for the Tumblr based on his own popular theme. In an interview with Wired magazine, Schreier said:“Part of the thing that triggered it is that people came out of the movie like, ‘I want one!’ If people are feeling it that strongly, then an ad campaign to basically sell just that one idea to them might be a good thing to tap into. And for anyone who thinks that’s creepy, then that’s also good, because that’s also something that catches you about the campaign and that’s something that the movie deals with.”Schreier hopes that this campaign will get people thinking about robotic helpers and if they’d feel comfortable actually having one in their homes. However, this campaign isn’t as creepy as the reveal of David 8 during the Prometheus viral, partly because the VGC-60L isn’t totally an android with human features. But still, the idea of a robot taking care of our family can be off-putting to some. Check out more ads over on the Robot & Frank Tumblr. And check often as more ads will be uploaded as the film’s release draws closer.Robot & Frank is out in select cities August 24th!Source: Wired ARGs & Campaigns Social Networks Viral Marketing IndependentRobot & FrankTumblrViral marketing
DC Comics Uses Match.com to Promote Superman-Wonder Woman Pairing August 28, 2012The comic book world was shaken briefly last week when Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life blog revealed DC Comics’ cover to Justice League #12, which featured Superman and Wonder Woman locking lips in a heroically intimate embrace. Comic fans have speculated the extent of their relationship, which is expected to be… Read More
Sony Picture’s Death At A Funeral Invites You To Make Your Own Eulogy March 24, 2010March 24, 2010Director Neil LaBute has helmed some pretty strange (Wicker Man) and awful (Lakeview Terrace) films, but next month’s Death at a Funeral seems to be the most ill-conceived of them all. However, this is a star-filled remake of the 2007 British comedy that continues the odd pairing of death and… Read More
Featured App: “The Devil Inside” for iPhone, iPod, And iPad December 28, 2011July 29, 2012There are far more ways to experience a film beyond the theaters. Apps for your smart phone or tablet are the newest form, and that’s where I come in. My job is to weed out the bad and send through the good. Today’s featured app is “The Devil Inside” for… Read More