Cloverfield: The marketing post mortem

(via Orlando Sentinel) Brilliantly executed if, in the end "just a monster movie" and utterly lacking in empathetic characters, Cloverfield is the new paradigm in low-cost filmmaking, a cut-rate Godzilla that still managed to create a HUGE footprint on the multiplex.

It opened bigger than any Janaury movie ever, and helped jump-start the box office of 2008 like no monster hit before. "Secrecy" was the early hallmark of the movie, but secrecy with carefully timed "leaks." Interest in it was narrow, but as intense as anything we've seen in recent years; Snakes on a Plane on steroids, Blair Witch revisited.

Reason enough to swap a few emails deconstructing the success with Mike Monello, who, thanks to The Monello_2 Blair Witch Project, pretty much invented this manner of movie marketing. (...continue)

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Lost Hurley, Jacob, Christian and Mystery Eye

I get a lot of requests for the Lost viral stuff such as Easter Eggs. Since Cloverfield is in a quiet mode let us take a look at some cool Lost happenings.

The premier of the 4th season of Lost charged to a huge ratings win on its new Thursday slot and gave us the usual mix of questions and answers. Essentially, the writers are throwing in "Flashbacks" and what they call "Flashforwards" to help flush out the story. This mix of timelines is tricky to keep track of which is why I'm glad for sites like the Lost Easter Eggs.

One particular scene of interest was when Hurley was tripping out after finding the cabin in the jungle. If you remember from last season, Locke was taken here to meet the mysterious Jacob who gives the orders to the "Others." That being said, this site takes a closer look at the person in the cabin and you might be surprised who they found out it was. (...more)

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Cloverfield Google Maps Mashup

Thanks Brian for the tip. This Google Maps Mashup plots the destructive trail of the Cloverfield Monster through Manhattan. Give it a look and see how he summed up the points of interest.

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Cloverfield - The Sunday Times (U.K.) review

Cloverfield Poster

Cloverfield crashes into many European theaters this weekend and I was curious on what the critics on the other side of the pond thought of the monster movie. By now the spoilers and pictures of the Cloverfield monster are all over the Internet so the mystery is lessened for anyone who can use a 'Google' search.

The Sunday Times in the U.K. had this to say about Cloverfield:

The ridiculous never looked so real. But the film’s early rush of oh-my-God fear fades as Rob and co cross the city. The drama dissipates; the scare factor slackens. The film’s realism gives it authenticity, but it undermines the making of great movie movements. Reality loathes dramatic licence.

The Sofia (Bulgaria) Echo had this to say about Cloverfield:

The movie is at its best when it navigates the dark streets flooded by a panicking and injured multitude not knowing whether it is running from or to the frightful something that is out there. The approach of seeing the events through the shaky shooting skills of one of the protagonists relieves the story of the obligation to tell from where the monster comes, although characters speculate about the ocean depths or outer space.

Telegraph U.K. had this to say about Cloverfield:

No one is going to see Cloverfield expecting a cinéma-vérité exploration of disaster psychology. But they might expect better handling of the source of the terror; the filmmakers lose their nerve a little towards the end and include some aerial shots from a helicopter, the upshot being that when we properly see the monster we giggle at how traditional and almost cartoon-looking he is. It would have been better if he was more abstract or if, say, the island itself started to mutate and coil into a monster.

Scotland's Sunday Herald had this to say about Cloverfield:

JJ Abrams, best known as the creator of Alias and Lost, has acknowledged The Blair Witch Project as an antecedent for his latest brainchild, Cloverfield. If Blair Witch was a YouTube horror film, Cloverfield is the YouTube monster movie. Once again a youth with a camera spends 90 minutes filming the terrible things befalling him (and, on this occasion, the entire population of Manhattan). He sticks to his task for posterity, of course, not realising that if he put the camera down, he could run a whole lot faster.

The Prague Post had this to say about Cloverfield:

Had Japan’s Toho studio embraced cinéma vérité in the 1950s, Godzilla might very well have created even more film history. As it is, we’ve had to wait 50 years for Cloverfield, a creature feature filmed with hand-held cameras (aided and abetted by CGI) that successfully takes the monster genre to an entirely new level.

The (Scottish) Daily Record had this to say about Cloverfield:

Despite the novel approach, there's a lot of things about this monster movie that are a little too familiar. It seems that every few years Hollywood likes to bomb New York, although they always start with Manhattan, never Queens or Brooklyn. And a Manhattan seems strangely stripped of older, less gorgeous people.

The Sun (U.K.) had this to say about Cloverfield:

Whatever the criticisms, though, Cloverfield delivers more bangs for your bucks than the average blockbuster.

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Oceanic Air "New" Golden Pass Commercial

The Oceanic Air "New" Gold Pass Commercial as aired on January 31, 2008 after the premier of the 4th Season of Lost. The viral ads being pumped out of Bad Robot right now are centering around Lost and very little has trickled out about Cloverfield.

The above billboard photo I took here in Knoxville, TN, about one month ago. Since then someone has spraypainted "Find 815.com" over the middle part of the sign. The site mentioned is a game related to Lost so if you really dig the viral mind games of Cloverfield and Lost be sure to get started with this new one.

• Find 815.com >

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GTA IV ads go viral in New York City

Niko Bellic, GTA IVs protagonist wanted

Similar to the "Missing" viral posters used to promote the Blair Witch Project, the video game Grand Theft Auto IV has utilized similar viral-type advertising to promote their "Wanted" character Niko Bellic.

With its April 29 debut only three agonizing months away, it's time for Take-Two and Rockstar to up their marketing for Grand Theft Auto IV. Citizens of New York City may stumble across wanted posters (pictured above at Lorimer and Grand in Brooklyn) asking for tips in capturing Niko Bellic, GTA IVs protagonist. (source)

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Spoiler: Monster Shown In New Cloverfield Commercial

The new spot for Cloverfield shows the monster in action. So for all those that didn't get a chance to see the movie or are in foreign countries where it's just starting or opening soon here's your chance for a quick peak.

As you may guess, spoilers ahead...

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