Snakes on a Plane, Transformers, Star Trek…More and more we are seeing people making big budget movies, turning their ear to the fans.
Snakes On A Plane won a tremendous amount of popularity via the Internets when it launched a huge viral marketing campaign. New Line won major kudos when they even extended shooting a full 5 days to incorporate fan suggestions into the script. The film grossed $62 million worldwide, nearly double the budget.
While not as tremendous a risk, Transformers held a content via their website to incorporate a “one-liner” for Optimus Prime. The film grossed $708 million worldwide.
So is the trend. Hollywood using the best free resource they have, the fans, to the advantage of their film.
The question I pose is this:
With the recent greelight of “Turtles 5”, do you think Legendary should solicite fan input for the film? If so, how much? Who’s vision should the film be ultimately? How receptive should the creative forces like Peter Laird be to the input of the community? Look around online, the fans are already seething with suggestions. Do you think they could make a better movie with or without them? Could too much fan involvement topple a project? These are all interesting questions…You should answer some! COMMENT!
You may also follow our thread on the topic at the technodrome Here!
Hm… It’s a bit of a double-edged sword.
On one hand, you have a talented(probably school-educated) creative team that’s taking a very popular franchise and trying to show it in a fresh new light. New technologies, new ways to portray characters… All under the creator’s watchful eye. No un-canonly behaviors, no odd-ball storylines that don’t make sense.
But on the other, who better to get feedback from than the people who live and breathe this stuff? Fans can give a myriad of perspectives on everything from character portrayals to what a NYC sewer actually looks like (Seriously, there are some…).
Part of me says that the fans have to be treated with some discretion. Sure, they can give input – but it’s ultimately how the Creator wants his creations to be portrayed. And there’s questions to consider when it comes to input:
1. Which fans do you speak to? Do you take a massive survey for ideas, or do you speak to a few more articulate members?
2. Which universe would the fans prefer? Mirage, Old Toon, Image, Old movies, TMNT, Archies, New Toon…. There’s some versions of fan-made TMNT that would make your toes curl, and probably horrify the general masses.
3. How much of the fan’s suggestions would be used? The creative team are being PAID to create. If they want to create something, should they have to pass it first through the fans? I don’t think so…
In taking so much from the fans, there’s the potential set up for an incredible amount of letdown. On one day, the fans could be parading the writers around in a jeweled throne – the next day, they could be hanging the guys in the village square with piano wire. It’s a tricky balance, plus… you lose that sense of “Oh what’s it gonna be like?!”. Who wants to see a movie when you know Every little tiny thing that happens? It kills the suspense…
While I would love to be able to give input on the movie (I DID take those screenwriting courses… 😛 ), I have faith in the writers’ and the creators’ ability to create a new ‘universe’ to enthrall fans both young and old.