The Agency's Posts

'Breaking Dawn review: Vampire tale is lifeless: Sure, the wedding's great, but the latest installment of the 'Twilight' saga fails to address major....
Read More>

Audition Workshops for Actors: OFFERING AUDITION WORKSHOP FOR ACTORS After years of full-service casting, we have seen....
Read More>

'Tower Heist's' Ferrari: Inspired by Nicolas Cage's living room: Twenty-five years ago, Matthew Broderick took a spin in a vintage red Ferrari and ran into....
Read More>

Brad Pitt says he plans to quit acting in three years: For anyone holding out hope for "Ocean's 14," your hopes are probably dashed.Brad....
Read More>

WEEGEE'S NAKED HOLLYWOOD: Weegee, a.k.a. photojournalist Arthur Fellig, derived his moniker from the phonic adaptation of....
Read More>

Private Coaching With J&R Creative!: Private Coaching for Talent with J&R Creative (Jennifer Peralta-Ajemian and Robin Carus -....
Read More>

Box Office: Sandler, DiCaprio can't beat No. 1 Immortals': "Immortals" fought off the competition at the box office this weekend, emerging....
Read More>

'The First Grader' seeks Oscar attention: Producers of 'The First Grader' believe their film is Oscar worthy. So they are mounting a....
Read More>

Oscars not lacking for excitement: With the Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy turmoil and unusual best picture contenders ('The Artist,'....
Read More>

Eddie Murphy out as host of the Oscars: Less than 24 hours after Brett Ratner resigned as producer of the 2012 Oscars after making an....
Read More>

'Rock of Ages': Tom Cruise tries something really scary: singing: Tom Cruiserisked life and limb filmingaction sequences at the top of the world's tallest....
Read More>

Box Office: Surprisingly strong 'Puss in Boots' claws 'Tower Heist': The animated 3-D film debuted in the top spot last weekend, and was expected to fall behind....
Read More>
Meet David the android from Ridley Scott's upcoming 'Prometheus'
Posted on: 04/19/12
Share/Save/Bookmark


 

Months before the release of director Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” the studio behind his big-budget science-fiction film has been building buzz online with an unorthodox campaign.

Aside from traditional movie trailers, 20th Century Fox has been carefully introducing the film’s major characters (and a bit of back story) through a series of online videos -- including one debuting today that features actor Michael Fassbender ("Shame") in an eerily deadpan performance as an android named David. He serves as the butler and maintenance man on the ship Prometheus, which transports a team of explorers searching for clues to the origins of mankind.

The 2:30-minute video debuted on Yahoo and Mashable and was picked up by more than 60 film, technology enthusiasts and news sites. It's the latest installment in a digital marketing campaign that has turned to unusual venues -- including this spring’s TED conference in Long Beach -- to build awareness for the June 8 theatrical release.

That initial video, screened Feb. 28 for those who attended the technology, entertainment and design gathering, featured a speech on robotics by Peter Weyland, the industrialist portrayed in the movie by actor Guy Pearce. His mock TEDTalk extolled a future inhabited by "cybernetic individuals who, in just a few short years, will be completely indistinguishable from us."

Tom Rielly, community director of the TED conferences, said the group was approached by one of "Prometheus' " writers and executive producers (whose credits include "Lost" and "Star Trek") about the possibility of creating a TEDTalk video from the future -- 2023 to be precise. The conference participated in imagining how these presentations might evolve, including suggesting the flying cameras and real-time Twitter-like feeds depicted in the short film.

" 'Prometheus' got attention, and we got millions of new people visiting TED.com who had never been," Rielly said via email. "It was a perfect partnership, untouched by money or contracts, but instead built on the power of a great idea. When I had the opportunity to collaborate with a dream team and three of my favorite creatives in the film world, I grabbed it unreservedly, and, to boot, we had so much fun working together."

Oren Aviv, the studio's chief marketing officer, said the TED conference screening gave Fox a high-profile platform from which to talk about "Prometheus" to fans of director Scott's films, as well as non-fans who would be intrigued by the picture's futuristic setting. 

"When the second trailer came out [in March], Google called us and told us ... that the trailer became the No. 1-most viewed video in the world," Aviv said. "The point is it’s all connected. These don't happen independently. It’s designed to be part of this transmedia effort. It gives people a chance to explore and share and discuss and never ruin the movie."

The David video is similarly attracting attention online as it introduces a next-generation robot from the film's fictional Weyland Corp. 

An unseen narrator poses questions to Fassbender's character, in which he describes his capabilities, "I can do almost anything that could possibly be asked of me. I can assist your employees. I can make your organization more efficient. I can carry out directives that my human counterparts might find (pause) distressing or unethical."

David professes to understand human emotion, even if he does not experience feelings himself. "This allows me to be more efficient and capable -- and makes it easier for my human counterparts to interact with me." 

"Fassbender's performance, moving his head less than a real human would, or carefully orchestrating that single tear for emotions he doesn't feel, sells David as a robot almost instantly," entertainment site Cinema Blend wrote.

Tony Sella, Fox studio's chief creative officer, said these videos were conceived outside of the film itself, as a form of standalone entertainment which, like "Prometheus," is "this unraveling mystery." The viral campaign is designed to build enthusiasm for the movie among science-fiction buffs and fans of Scott's earlier hits including "Blade Runner" and "Alien," before promoting the movie to a general audience.

"Before we started shooting, we started talking about this," Sella said. "Ridley shared this vision too. He wanted [to do this] in stages ... so that we could build all these levels of awareness. When we go ahead and spend our advertising money on TV spots for the general public, there was this fabric already built."



COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal