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==Marketing==
==Marketing==
The studio kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence of [[scoop (term)|scooper]]s that follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed like ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' (1999) or disappoint like ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'' (2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences. Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations Co. viewed the several issues with the potential of the film, including a lack of major stars, the underwhelming performance of Godzilla-style films in America, and the film's slated release in January, considered a "dumping ground for bad films".<ref name=buzz>{{cite news | author=Omar L. Gallaga | url= | title=To market a movie, no name is needed; just create mystery and some Web buzz | publisher=[[Austin American-Statesman]] | date=[[2007-08-03]] }}</ref> As ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' showed high tracking numbers before its release in July 2007, Paramount attached a teaser trailer for ''Cloverfield'', which did not reveal the name of the film, but showed the release date.<ref name="rolls"/> Paramount eventually made the teaser trailer available to the public at [[Apple.com]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808/ | title=01-18-08 | publisher=[[Apple.com]] | accessdate=2007-11-03 }}</ref> A second trailer was released on [[November 16]], [[2007]], which confirmed the title.<ref name=trailer>{{cite news | author = Olly Richards | title = Exclusive: The New Cloverfield Trailer | publisher = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | date = [[2007-11-19]] | url = http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=21492 | accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref>
The studio kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence of [[scoop (term)|scooper]]s that follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed like ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' (1999) or disappoint like ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'' (2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences. Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations Co. viewed the several issues with the potential of the film, including a lack of major stars, the underwhelming performance of Godzilla-style films in America, and the film's slated release in January, considered a "dumping ground for bad films".<ref name=buzz>{{cite news | author=Omar L. Gallaga | url= | title=To market a movie, no name is needed; just create mystery and some Web buzz | publisher=[[Austin American-Statesman]] | date=[[2007-08-03]] }}</ref> As ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' showed high tracking numbers before its release in July 2007, Paramount attached a teaser trailer for ''Cloverfield'', which did not reveal the name of the film, but showed the release date.<ref name="rolls"/> Paramount eventually made the teaser trailer available to the public at [[Apple.com]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/11808/ | title=01-18-08 | publisher=[[Apple.com]] | accessdate=2007-11-03 }}</ref> A second trailer was released on [[November 16]] with the movie Beowulf, [[2007]], which confirmed the title.<ref name=trailer>{{cite news | author = Olly Richards | title = Exclusive: The New Cloverfield Trailer | publisher = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | date = [[2007-11-19]] | url = http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=21492 | accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref>


===Plot speculation===
===Plot speculation===

Revision as of 22:07, 21 November 2007

1-18-08, 1/18/08, and 01-18-08 (the release date of this film), redirect here. For general information about this date, see January 18.

Template:Future film

Cloverfield
File:Abrams 1-18-08.jpg
Teaser poster
Directed byMatt Reeves
Written byDrew Goddard
Produced byJ. J. Abrams
Bryan Burk
StarringMichael Stahl-David
Mike Vogel
Odette Yustman
Lizzy Caplan
Jessica Lucas
T. J. Miller
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
January 18 2008 (US)
February 2 2008 (UK)[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million

Cloverfield is a 2008 monster movie produced by J. J. Abrams, directed by Matt Reeves, and written by Drew Goddard. First publicized in advance screenings of Transformers, the project is slated for a January 18, 2008 release. Paramount Pictures is carrying out a viral marketing campaign to promote the film.

Premise

The film follows a group of people as they try to survive a giant monster's attack on New York City.[2]

Cast

To prevent the leaking of plot information, instead of auditioning the actors with scenes from the film, scripts from previous Abrams productions were used, such as television series Alias. Some scenes were also written specifically for the audition process, not intended for use in the film. Despite not being told the premise of the film, Lizzy Caplan stated that she accepted a role in Cloverfield solely because she was a fan of the Abrams-produced television series Lost, and that her experience of discovering its true nature initially caused her to state that she would not sign on for a film in the future "without knowing full well what it is." She indicated that her character was a sarcastic outsider, and that her role was "physically demanding."[8]

Production

J. J. Abrams conceived of a new monster after he and his son visited a toy store in Japan. He explained, "We saw all these Godzilla toys, and I thought, we need our own monster, and not King Kong, King Kong's adorable. I wanted something that was just insane and intense."[9] In February 2007, Paramount Pictures secretly greenlit Cloverfield, to be produced by J. J. Abrams, directed by Matt Reeves, and written by Drew Goddard. The project is under production by Abrams' company, Bad Robot Productions.[2]

The casting process was carried out in secret, with no script being sent out to candidates. With production estimated to have a budget of $30 million, filming began in mid-June in New York.[2] One cast member indicated that the film would look like it cost $150 million because the producers did not cast recognizable and expensive actors.[8] Location filming, shot in digital video using hand-held video cameras,[10] took place on Coney Island, with scenes being shot at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and the B&B Carousel.[7] Some interior shots were filmed on a soundstage at Downey, California.[11]

Marketing

The studio kept knowledge of the project secret from the online community, a cited rarity due to the presence of scoopers that follow upcoming films. The controlled release of information on the film has been observed as a risky strategy, which could succeed like The Blair Witch Project (1999) or disappoint like Snakes on a Plane (2006), the latter of which had generated online hype but failed to attract large audiences. Chad Hartigan of Exhibitor Relations Co. viewed the several issues with the potential of the film, including a lack of major stars, the underwhelming performance of Godzilla-style films in America, and the film's slated release in January, considered a "dumping ground for bad films".[12] As Transformers showed high tracking numbers before its release in July 2007, Paramount attached a teaser trailer for Cloverfield, which did not reveal the name of the film, but showed the release date.[2] Paramount eventually made the teaser trailer available to the public at Apple.com.[13] A second trailer was released on November 16 with the movie Beowulf, 2007, which confirmed the title.[3]

Plot speculation

The sudden appearance of the untitled trailer for Cloverfield fueled media speculation over the film's plot. USA Today reported the possibilities of the film being based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, a live-action adaptation of Voltron, a new film about Godzilla, or a spin-off of the TV show Lost.[14] The Star Ledger also reported the possibility of the film being based on Lovecraft lore or Godzilla.[15] The Guardian also reported the possibility of a Lost spin-off,[16] while Time Out reported that the film was about an alien called The Parasite.[17] IGN also backed the possibility of the same premise, with The Parasite also being the working title for the film.[18] Chocolate Outrage was also a working title at one point during production.[8] In chats, Slusho and Colossus have been discussed as possible titles.[19] Entertainment Weekly also disputed reports that the film would be about a parasite or a colossal Asian robot such as Voltron.[10]

Visitors of Ain't It Cool News have pointed out 9/11 allusions based on the destruction in New York City such as the decapitated Statue of Liberty. The film has also drawn alternate reality game enthusiasts that have followed other viral marketing campaigns like those set up for the TV series Lost, the video game Halo 2, and the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight. Members of the forums at argnet.com and unfiction.com have investigated the background of the film, with the "1-18-08" section at Unfiction generating over 7,700 posts in August 2007. The members have studied photographs on the film's official site, potentially related MySpace profiles, and the Comic-Con teaser poster for the film.[12]

Viral websites

Puzzle websites containing Lovecraftian elements, such as Ethan Haas Was Right, were originally reported to be connected to the film.[14][16] On July 9 2007, producer J. J. Abrams stated that, while a number of websites were being developed to market the film, the only official site that had been found was 1-18-08.com.[20] At the site, a collection of time-coded photos are provided to visitors to piece together a series of events and interpret their meanings.[21] In addition, Kirk Montgomery of Colorado's 9NEWS reported an inside source's claim that the website Slusho.jp "has lots of clues", though this has not been officially confirmed as a marketing campaign website.[22] The Washington Post also reported, "Records showed that the Slusho Web site was registered before the trailer aired, indicating that the site almost had to be official."[23]

References

  1. ^ "Launching Films". Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Borys Kit (2007-07-06). "Paramount rolls in the 'Cloverfield'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Olly Richards (2007-11-19). "Exclusive: The New Cloverfield Trailer". Empire. Retrieved 2007-11-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Trailer Breakdown". Empire. 2007-11-19. Retrieved 2007-11-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Ben Kharakh (2007-10-29). "Carpooler's' TJ Miller Talks About JJ Abrams Role, Very Bad Porn & Tighty Whities". Starpulse.com. Retrieved 2007-10-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Heroes Scoop: Cheerleader Exits, D.L. MIA and More!". TV Guide. 2007-07-24. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b Farrah Weinstein (2007-07-16). "Bait Balls of Fire". New York Post. Retrieved 2007-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b c "Lizzy Caplan: The Meanest Girl in Hollywood?". BlackBook Magazine. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-11-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Alex Billington (2007-07-26). "Comic-Con Live: Paramount Panel - Star Trek, Indiana Jones IV, and More…". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2007-09-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b Jeff Jensen (2007-07-26). "J.J.'s Mystery Movie: Secrets revealed!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Lisa Blake (2007-08-22). "Bases harnessed for double duty". Variety. Retrieved 2007-08-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Omar L. Gallaga (2007-08-03). "To market a movie, no name is needed; just create mystery and some Web buzz". Austin American-Statesman. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "01-18-08". Apple.com. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  14. ^ a b Anthony Breznican (2007-07-09). "Mystifying trailer transforms marketing". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-07-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Lisa Rose (2007-07-09). "Hush-hush project stirs wild speculation". The Star Ledger. Retrieved 2007-07-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ a b "Trailer for Abrams film lost on moviegoers". The Guardian. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Chris Tilly (2007-07-11). "What is 'Cloverfield'?". Time Out. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "It's Alive: 1-18-08". IGN. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Greg Morago (2007-08-22). "Our summer of mystery ads". Daily Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Harry Knowles (2007-07-09). "JJ Abrams drops Harry a Line on all this 1-18-08 stuff!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2007-07-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Rodney Chester (2007-08-11). "Movie codenamed Cloverfield next blockbuster". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 2007-08-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Jeffrey Wolf (2007-07-13). "New clues about mystery trailer? Kirk has the exclusive!". NBC News 9: Colorado. Retrieved 2007-07-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Joshua Zumbrun (2007-07-26). "Mystery Movie Teaser Has Gamers Seeking Alternate Reality". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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