Back to Frank Black -- The Millennium Movie Campaign

[Guest Jim McLean]

Technically I could design something, but we'd need webspace and by extension to run it. If people are very much serious about this, I can pull together a webpage that would work until someone flashier came along. But yes, we need a website first and foremost.

Not that I think I'd have the engine power for such as Second Life, but it is in itself, an excellent idea also. Network, network, network.

[Guest lilblackgirl]

wow, maybe i should check back here more often. I just thought i was posting some depressing news.

Has anyone considered talking to our buddy over at AICN? I know he's been an advocate for the show all along and AICN gets a ton of exposure. It might be another option. I'm not sure exactly what could be done or said there, but i'm sure it could be considered.

[HighPlainsDrifter]

Hey Eth- and others of course

maybe we should get a hold of Masiakowski, remember him? He will be helping us over at VS6 with the viral promotion for our project, if I remember right. Should I get a hold of him?

[Guest donkeyjote]

so... this is just a list with all of your ideas and then some:

TO DO LIST:

- Support The X-Files movie. Buy as many tickets to I Want to Believe as you can reasonably afford, and drag as many friends with you as you can. For movie studios, money talks.

- Establish an action plan and campaign leader or leaders.

- Polaroid snaps to the studios with a request for the movie written on the back.

Polaroids of what? "MillenniuM around the world", maybe? Pictures of people around the world watching the show, or holding MM dvds, sth like iPods around the world. https://www.ilounge.com/index.php/gallery/iatw/ Or of your house. Maybe any house can be painted yellow with Photoshop?

- Dedicated webpage to the campaign.

Cost of setting up the webpage? If too steep, how do we help?

- Webpage must include, among other things:

STRONG encouragement to write letter to Fox (see and learn from Create the Future https://createthefuture.gubblebum.net WOurs needs to be much faster, obviously);

An address for letters, a template for letters;

Information making our case (eg a little hope to invest on visitors);

A good campaign motif (eg yellow house);

Links to every other site where the campaign is being carried out, eg YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, podcast...

- Create banners and buttons to use on forums to promote the campaign and the site as much as possible.

- Make a YouTube video or videos introducing the campaign and containing details of how to support.

- Start plaguing YouTube with clips from the series. Fox will certainly remove them AND the uploader's account, but at least a) they'll get some views, and b) Fox lawyers will know of the existence of MillenniuM!

- Posts mentioning the campaign and providing links in every forum you visit, among them the Internet Movie Database forums.

- Podcast: include a review of XF2 from fans, comments on bringing MM back. Try to get it on iTunes.

- Canvas and trall the net entertainment news sites and make sure they cover this story. Email it. First step (valid for all other pieces of writing we need): one of us needs to write a draft, or several versions. Post it on these boards. If needed, everyone edits and helps polish it up.

"Fans react to Carters wish for a new Frank Black show! Using the net resources to spread the word!"

Quote Henriksen, CC, FS, Mark Snow, et al.

At all times, present ourselves as the ULTIMATE fan base. A show that was on for just 3 years; cancelled 9 years ago: WE'RE STILL HERE, and IT'S STILL RELEVANT. Mention virtual seasons. We are a bunch who get what they want. Also present all the classic examples, eg Family Guy, Firefly, Angel, Enterprise.

For the news story, make a list of links to the major entertainment news sites we will contact.

- Mention/link at Wikipedia. (Anyone with a Wiki account?)

- Reach out to Philes, who -if anyone- should understand our cause because they have been in the same situation.

- Those of you w/contacts in the entertainment business, ummm, well... do what you must do. I'm an ignoramus from South America so don't know how Hollywood works.

- Use all Millennium websites to spread the word, of course. Millennial Abyss.

- Promotion in Second Life.

- Hard copy advertising in papers. (As a last resource? How much does an ad in a key publication cost, approximately??)

- Propose the possibility of having, ultimately, a straight-to-DVD release.

- Write to Frank Spotnitz at biglight.com. All letters are published and he certainly reads them. Write both at the start of the campaign asking for support AND later, showing results.

- Focus on bringing back FRANK, rather than "Millennium". That shows the fan public have an interest in a viable return of a character rather than a lingering attachment to a show that might be hard to sell 8 years after the Millennium.

Some arguments of our case:

Production team eager to go forward: compendium of CC, FS quotes.

Creative team already assembled: XF2 was filmed with a crew half XF, half Mill.

A lead actor practically begging for this to happen.

Potential interest speculating in the market with the X-Files.

Technically a lower than your usual cult film budget costs (no need for big CG and the like).

Terry O'Quinn, now widely recognized, may bring in viewers from Lost.

Present hard facts: DVD sales, market demographics, Chiller ratings?, XF box office sales.

Mark Snow cds will be released later this year, one of them with music from Mill.

[Guest Jim McLean]

Hey Eth- and others of course

maybe we should get a hold of Masiakowski, remember him? He will be helping us over at VS6 with the viral promotion for our project, if I remember right. Should I get a hold of him?

Good lord, yes. If you've got links at AICN, then use them. All the major news sites look to AICN for article inspiration.

Don - wonderful - if daunting list!

As for site design, I say keep it simple.

In my head, I would suggest something like this. I have some old polaroid shots, I'll scan one, and we'll use it as an image template. We could have a black site (naturally), with three black polaroids on the front and the title with a yellow house at the top. We'll have an email address and a "e-sign" petition link obvious on the page.

Of the three polaroids, on rollover of each we'll get a tatty picture. One could be of a hand written letter and "write to fox" popping up underneath, another with "The Group's Initiative" (the Oroborus?) which could be about the background to the campaign (with that neat list Don described) and a final one with Franks head on rollover for banners and networks.

Something as simple as that. A four page website. Easy to design and upload.

Re hosting - I was wondering if Graham could host it - given it would only be 4 html pages and this being a campaign he actively supports. I hope I'm not being rude asking, but in a way, it seems a little rude not to look towards The Old Man first of all given this all wouldn't be being planned if it wasn't for his board and site! Once we've found a host (whoever it may be, and hopefully for cheap) the only thing we'd have to think of money wise (unless of course the campaign got massive and started eating up all the host's bandwidth!) might be a domain name - and they aren't costly.

Edited July 24, 2008 by Jim McLean

[HighPlainsDrifter]

You know something else i have been thinking about wa how the critics loved this show when it appeared in the late 90's. This series was very populer with the critics. Over at the Abyss, he has some of those critics reviews along with the episode outline. You can use these for hard facts too

[Guest Jim McLean]

On that same line of reasoning, DVD links too - the push to the DVDs from this potential page, the better too.

[ethsnafu]

The list written by Donkeyjote is just superb :)

My initial feeling with regards to this was to ask Graham if the campaign could be hosted from M-TIWWA but my worry was that it would incur extra work for an already busy individual. The least we can do is draw his attention to the thread and if such a proposal is too time consuming we would all thoroughly understand if he declined. Chances are he will read this anyway but if not I shall politely enquire in the Elder's forum later.

Back to black,

Eth

[4th Horseman]

i agree eth, the list provided is wonderful, however, the following suggestion:

"Start plaguing YouTube with clips from the series. Fox will certainly remove them AND the uploader's account, but at least a) they'll get some views, and b) Fox lawyers will know of the existence of MillenniuM!"

My concern is why would we risk posting such questionable clips in the first place and then having them removed along with the users by Fox executives in addition to raising the ire of their attornies? I dont think this is the route we want to take. If Fox has to begin removing accounts on youtube that are associated with the attempt to bring MillenniuM back, i would consider that to be somewhat counterproductive..Our actions need to be completely and entirely above the line when it comes to such matters. Irritating Fox executives who have to monitor our actions on youtube is by no means a productive way to achieve our goal...

a 2nd suggestion as follows:

Hard copy advertising in papers. (As a last resource? How much does an ad in a key publication cost, approximately??)

I just checked into placing an advert here in the Los Angeles Times and for a column inch of black and white advertising space, the cost is 865.00

otherwise, a pretty impressive and impassioned set of suggestions..

4th Horseman

[Guest Jim McLean]

See what Graham says. Technically, it shouldn't take any more time than he desires - but its still an extra burden and possibly one he doesn't want, I agree. Some great suggestions - I just hope we get the impetus to put them into action!