h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I agree 100% with the sentiments which are expressed in your article about TBWP however I am surprised that you are advocating avoidance because it is a bad movie or because it has been such a commercial success.In these days of multi million dollar budget special effect fests it is refreshing to see a coup of this magnitude being pulled off, using the entertainment industries own tactics against it.The fact that the film itself is little more than a rather poorly made,badly directed(in some peoples opinion) piece of amature dramatics is entirely beside the point. What everyone is missing is the fact that this movie is conjured(forgive the pun) out of thin air put together on a pittance and the presented to a gullible audience as fact and through skillfull manipulation of the media and the internet gains the kind of curiosity provoking interest that advertisers and movie makers would gladly kill and eat their entire families for.For those who have forgotten this movie was made on a reputed budget of $35,000 and is thought to have grossed over $140million after its release.That would translate into an average $50million Hollywood production grossing something in the order of $161BILLION before it goes on international release.If people are angry/jealous/shocked by the films success then it is a poor reflection on people themselves if they are not able to realise that film making is not about art, it is about entertainment and the suspension of reality .It is about sitting in a darkened room , eating popcorn and shutting out the real world for a little while and when it is all over , going back to the world and getting on with it.If the makers of this film have been able to produce something which people are happy to consume then good luck to 'em.Lets face it , all the hype in the world would not be worth a monkeys fa*t if the public did not want to watch it, and it seems that they do. I think that this is more of an indictment on the publics collective mind than on the state of film making or advertising.

The Blair Witch Project gets some pretty intense coverage by Zach at http://www.h2g2.com/A120646.
Perhaps you'd like to check it out sometime??

I don't think it makes any difference how much hype a film gets, if the film is absolute rubish the word soon gets round and nowone goes to see it. as for the BWP it might not be everyones cup of tea but a lot of people think it's great. I went to see it and although it's not my sort of film, I did sit through it, I walked out of Mission Impossible after 30 minutes. The Hype doesn't make a film a hit, it has to have a certain something that makes people talk about it.
My hats off to the two guys who thought of it.

If you re-read my message you will see that like you , I say hats off to the guys and gals who came up with the idea for TBWP. My point is simply that a cheaply made and , lets face it , a not very technically accomplished (the consantly wobbleing camerawork made some people feel queasy) film has done extremely well , not because of its content, plot or the ability of the people involved but because of the initial uncertainty about its authenticity and the willing suspension of disbelief on the part of those people (most of whom had their first taste of TBWP on the web) who started trading and seeking information about it.It can truly be described as the first completely web driven movie ever to make such a mainstream sucsess, as all of the initial interest came from hits generated to the BWP website and it snowballed from there. People came to believe that it was a film of real events ; and for a while the producers were happy to allow this to continue untill it had gained enough momentum to be selfsustaining. Sure, they did eventually say that it was a work of fiction but by that time it had garnered enough interest that people would go to see it out of curiosity alone,much as I surmise Pauline has, and no matter the reasons someone goes to a movie theatre, once you've paid you few dollars,it all adds to the grosses the movie makes.No matter what any actor/director/producer says the bottom line in the movie industry is money.It does not matter how critically acclaimed a movie is, if it doesn't bring in the cash its a flop conversely there are many so called turkeys out there that are soaring like eagles in the money stakes , so go figure?
One last point, one of the greatest pieces of classic broadcasting of all time gained its place in history due to a misconception about its authenticity, I'm referring to Orson Welles famous radio broadcast of the War of the Worlds, I would hate to think of the makers of TBWP as being in the same leauge as Welles but it makes you think does'nt it?

I agree with you completly but the hype is not what made me go to see the film. I hadn't seen any of the internet stuff you mention. A friend of mine went to see it and told me that he thought it was good, so I went to see it. If I went by the reviews here I would't have bothered cause most of them slated the film.

But as you point out things have changed a lot reguarding hype due to the internet and I don't think you or I will change this. I just say good luck to anyone who the foresight to use the medium to promote there venture in this way.

You have scored a bullseye. That is exactly the message I was trying to get across. There is no way in the world that I or any other single individual will be able to significantly affect events on the web by myself and that is exactly as it should be. There is already too much interferance with what should be a completely free medium. Don't get me wrong there is no way I am advocating that children should have unrestricted access to material which might be detrimental to them ; but those of us who are of age should be able to do pretty much what we want. My personal philosophy is that I do what I want unless it starts to hurt someone else.There already exists enough regulatory software to keep kids safe, the rest should be up the(hopefully)resposible users.[steam hisses from collar, veins throb in temple, face goes purple] OK OK OK I'm all right now ,I'm calm,I'm calm. Phew, that's my personal freedom rant over for the day.
But seriously, I take on board your point that you heard from a friend and went to see the movie on that basis, I'm sure many others did the same; as for movie reviewers and critics, most of them would not know a good movie if it came up, introduced itself, gave its phone number and then kicked them in the balls.There are many great movies who have been consigned to the dusty back shelves and bargain bins of history because of bad reviews.
I do not think that TBWP will be the last movie which makes it on the back of the internet but for all its faults at least it can probably lay claim to being if not the first,then at least the first movie to make it big mainstream.
I think I will find a nice dark room to go lie down in now,

Ta Ta

Boy Oh Boy, You get so excited Emy (hope you don't mind me calling you Emy) Chill and have a chocolate fishie with a JD centre.

Thanx ,don't mind if I do. MMMM They are yummy, Can I have another, O Yes , definately delicious, Just a couple more, Thankzz a loz, I thingz I'll juzs have one or three more iv you don't mindz(hic) Ah yezz I is ffeeeeling much calmer now. There noz realllly thaz ztrong these JD chockie fishie thingies are they , mr. elephant, hee hee hee hee[Slumps giggleling and drooling into a corner demanding more JD chocs and freedom for oppressed teletubbies everywhere] Oh well it was nearly time for the annual visit to the clinic anyway and they always keep his room ready , just in case.
Ta Ta

8-

The 8- is there on purpose, I just wish the dash was longer