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Odds and Ends : Memes, Firefly
First off, really enjoying the responses to my meme's. Particularly ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fresne and dherblay. May have to check out some of their suggestions. Also so nice to see someone else out there has a deep abiding love for the Disney animated version of Robin Hood. It was my favorite animated film as a child. Forget Kevin Costner or Erroll Flynn (who was much superior to Costner), that fox was adorable. Next to Kimba, he was my first crush...I even got the big picture book and slept next to it at night along with a nifty stack of other books I cannot remember the names of. Sketched the pictures also. Ahhh the memories.
After my last marketing class, I realized something - it's all in the packaging. What we choose to watch, buy, purchase, spend money or time on. When you wander through a book store...what makes you pick up a book you never heard of before? That's right cover art, how it's packaged. Same with TV shows, hot sauces, movies - it's how someone markets it.
This explains what went wrong with Firefly. It was marketed and packaged wrong.
Okay backing up a bit, to explain. The last few marketing classes consisted of student presentations and since several of these students worked for marketing companies - we had great presentations. One was on hot sauces and really showed how to market an unknown brand to a wider audience. After this class, I read an interview between Minear and Whedon in which they stated as they've stated numerous times, the network didn't like or understand their product, so gave up on it and didn't market/promote it to the audience.
What really stood out in the interview was the following statement by Tim Minear.
Tim Minear: "The network brass thought we were comedy writers."
In other words, Fox thought they were getting an action/comedy show a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
What? you say, perplexed. "Buffy's not a comedy!"
Tim Minear agrees. Except, the title leads you to believe it is. That and a few of the episodes.
What the network did not understand, Minear goes on to state, is that we write heart-wrenching tales that include comedy, what we do is tear your heart out and dance on it. But the network execs don't get that.
They aren't the only ones. Some casual mainstream viewers don't know this either. Two of my closest offline friends see BTVS as little more than a teen comedy. One friend commented to me once that what she liked most about BTVS was it's quippy sense of humor. She's not alone - I've run across numerous online fans in S6 and s7 on the boards, grousing about the lack of the funny. (I wondered if they skipped most of S2 and S5's classic episodes.)
And if you think about it? UPN did advertise BTVS as a comedy in its final two seasons, emphasizing the funny in all the promo clips. WB is doing the same thing to some extent with ATS this season, although they seem to be more aware of the angst quotient - they did advertise both shows to teen audience demos.
This is important - target audience is what it's all about. Before you can get a tv show on the air or a book in a bookstore or a movie on the screen, the distributor needs to know "who" he/she is selling it to. Whose the buyer? Are they 18-34 year olds? 10 year olds? 50 year olds? Are they house-wives? Men? Teen girls?
Why? Because each demographic gets a different marketing plan. And with TV - a different set of commercials. Before the show airs - the pilot is sent out to be screened by representatives of advertising companies and media. These guys determine whether the show is worth purchasing ad space for. Some might not waste the time watching it and just go by whatever promotional package the network sends them. Can't say I blame them, considering how many TV pilots are shown a year. So they depend on that promotional package to tell them what the show is about and what audience it will appeal to, is it a comedy or a drama, what type of ads would appeal to that audience?
You're not going to show a McDonald's ad during an show like 24 with terrorists running around. Or an ad on Maybelline or Scooby Doo. You're going to do a car ad or a beer ad.
So if the network sells you an action/adventure show that is supposed to be a comedy, shown at 8pm in ET and 7pm Central, sort of family friendly western in space by the team that did Buffy the Vampire Slayer - you are going to assume that you can show McDonald's Ads, Toy ads, Family friendly ads during this time slot. Imagine your shock when you discover - nope not a family friendly comedy in space, but rather a dark, somewhat black comedy western in space a la Hill Street Blues with stuff like torture going on. This is going to piss you off. Same thing with a movie - you see a trailer for a film that looks like a fun, heartwarming children's Christmas story, only to discover it's an R-rated crass adult's Christmas story - suffice it to say, you will be upset if you get tricked into taking your kids to it.
It's all in how you market it. And I honestly think that's what Firefly did wrong and Tru Calling did right. Firefly was marketed as one thing, while it was in reality something else. Whedon's problem with networks is a common one for people who write genre hybrids, network execs do not understand cult.
They don't get cult audiences. They don't understand the market for cult. Because most of them don't watch it themselves. Law and Order? They understand that. Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Scratch their heads. Yet, BTVS makes more money in ancillary products (comics, action figures, novelizations, posters, conventions) than Law & Order will. L&O's money is in syndication rights (hefty amount) and spin-offs. But we won't be seeing a Law & Order movie and it's unlikely Law & Order DVD's will sell for much. Nor does it have any ancilliary products. Cult is a breed apart.
It may not equal huge ratings - but it does have a nifty demographic of 18-34 year olds who spend their money on just about anything connected with that show from music CD's to action figures and Christmas ornaments. The funny thing about all of this is I can't imagine Tru Calling getting a movie, comic books, novelizations, or DVD purchases that Firefly is getting, yet it will get 20 episodes and a potential renewal. Why? Because it appeals to advertisers. It has an easy demo - teens.
You can sell McDonald's during it. Also cheap to make. And lots and lots of stand-a-lones which make it easy to syndicate. Yet, Firefly with just 13 episodes (which I didn't get to see all of, dang Fox!) will probably sell more DVD's, get a film made, have action figures, have comics, and get a broader foreign distribution. (The Foreign market understands Cult better than the US market, weird, isn't it? But oh so true. All the good Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film and TV magazines come from UK and overseas. Dreamwatch? UK, SFX? UK. Ugh. Also some of the best sci-fi/fantasy cult series have come from UK - Doctor Who being the most famous. Others?
Red Dwarf. The Prisoner.) It was the foreign market that saved Firefly from extinction according to this interview (which can be found on whedonesque.com), apparently the foreign distributors asked Fox where Firefly was, Fox said they cancelled it, the foreign distributors said, so? Where is it? You promised it to us and there's a demand we have to meet. Fox was perplexed. They just don't get "cult". (sigh). Further proof of this? Overseas - people got to see all 13 episodes with the pilot, in order. While us poor saps in US got to see 10 episodes and completely out of order.
This annoys me to no end, since I liked Firefly, it wasn't perfect, but it was more interesting than just about anything else and seemed to be improving.
I was curious to see where they went with it. I wanted 22 episodes at least. Did Fox give me that?
Noooo. They weren't even willing to give me 13.
And I'm sorry I can't afford a DVD player, let alone the DVD, nor can I download off the internet.
I got screwed and it's all because some network exec did not take the time to figure out what they were getting or the time to figure out how to correctly market the product.
Another meme thingy...well not really.
What new tv shows have you watched/attempted this fall? What do you think of them so far? Would you recommend any of them? Which ones?
1. Nip/Tuck - dark, black comedy, with noir overtones about the misadventures of two anti-hero plastic surgeons in Miami. Melodramatic at times.
Graphic at others. But loads of fun. Not for anyone under the age of 17. Definitely NC-17. Highly recommend.
2. Joan of Arcadia - family drama with supernatural underpinings, could be preachy but oddly enough veers away from it. Very good cast - in Joe Manataga, Jack Ritter (late John Ritter's son),
Amber Tamblyn, and Mary Steenburgen. Supporting cast also very good. Well written.
3. The OC (unfortunately this is opposite Angel and I could only watch a few episodes as a result, stupid Fox...beginning to hate that network) - interesting series that deals with the lives of the upperly mobile in Orange County, CA. Better written than you would think.
4. Arrested Development (which I also only was able to catch one episode of since it's against Alias.)
But the episode I caught was a hoot. Documentary style. No laugh track. Excellent cast.
5. Line of Fire - new show - caught the first episode of it on Tuesday at 10pm. Has potential. Tough female FBI agents against tough mob bosses.
Interesting concept. Shot in the same cinemagraphic style as 24 without the gimmick. Lots of split screens.
6. Re-styled The Practice (an old show with a new look and cast) - James Spader has lightened up the Practice. Scenes that used to be preachy are now funny. Spader is an anti-hero with a heart. Very
interesting mix. Watch it for him, ignore everyone else.
7. Miss Match (which isn't great but sort of fun and I like the legal scenes, they remind me of law school and my own horrid experiences in the court-room, most realistic ones I've seen...Law & Order? Don't make me laugh - that's how lawyers like to think it's like. It's not. I also love the fact that she dresses unfashionably.)
I haven't given up on Tru Calling just yet, but that's only because I've nothing better to watch at that time slot. Also I'm curious to see what they do to fix it. I'm spoiled on it and know they have systematically been trying to fix it episode by episode. I enjoy criticizing and making fun of the thing. Crazy I know, but there you go. Besides this week's episode is supposedly written by Doug Petrie. Incredibly curious to see what if anything the infamous WilliamThePoet does with it. (There's a rumor online that Petrie was WtP. Personally I don't believe it, but it's funny to contemplate if true.)
Other old series I watch:
1. Alias (I like everyone but Vaughn and Sydney, but somehow that's enough to keep me interested. Besides one of my favorite characters/actors is returning this week - Will. Also it's sort of fun.)
2. ER (I can't give it up...I just can't)
3. Gilmore Girls (for everyone but Rory and Lorelie who annoy me, I love the parents, Luke, Paris, their friends and Danny strong's new character)
4. 24 (giving it another try, since I like the guy who plays the bad guy, Dennis Haysbert, Keifer Sutherland, Andrea Thompson and Wendy Crewsen, but I find the plot sort of predictable and dull at times.)
5. Scrubs (best situation comedy on network tv right now in my humble opinion)
6. Coupling (when I can grab it)
And of course my favorite show on and the only one I will not miss no matter what - I tape and watch while taping - Angel.
Yes...I know I watch way too much TV, what of it? (wicked grin).
fresne and dherblay. May have to check out some of their suggestions. Also so nice to see someone else out there has a deep abiding love for the Disney animated version of Robin Hood. It was my favorite animated film as a child. Forget Kevin Costner or Erroll Flynn (who was much superior to Costner), that fox was adorable. Next to Kimba, he was my first crush...I even got the big picture book and slept next to it at night along with a nifty stack of other books I cannot remember the names of. Sketched the pictures also. Ahhh the memories. After my last marketing class, I realized something - it's all in the packaging. What we choose to watch, buy, purchase, spend money or time on. When you wander through a book store...what makes you pick up a book you never heard of before? That's right cover art, how it's packaged. Same with TV shows, hot sauces, movies - it's how someone markets it.
This explains what went wrong with Firefly. It was marketed and packaged wrong.
Okay backing up a bit, to explain. The last few marketing classes consisted of student presentations and since several of these students worked for marketing companies - we had great presentations. One was on hot sauces and really showed how to market an unknown brand to a wider audience. After this class, I read an interview between Minear and Whedon in which they stated as they've stated numerous times, the network didn't like or understand their product, so gave up on it and didn't market/promote it to the audience.
What really stood out in the interview was the following statement by Tim Minear.
Tim Minear: "The network brass thought we were comedy writers."
In other words, Fox thought they were getting an action/comedy show a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
What? you say, perplexed. "Buffy's not a comedy!"
Tim Minear agrees. Except, the title leads you to believe it is. That and a few of the episodes.
What the network did not understand, Minear goes on to state, is that we write heart-wrenching tales that include comedy, what we do is tear your heart out and dance on it. But the network execs don't get that.
They aren't the only ones. Some casual mainstream viewers don't know this either. Two of my closest offline friends see BTVS as little more than a teen comedy. One friend commented to me once that what she liked most about BTVS was it's quippy sense of humor. She's not alone - I've run across numerous online fans in S6 and s7 on the boards, grousing about the lack of the funny. (I wondered if they skipped most of S2 and S5's classic episodes.)
And if you think about it? UPN did advertise BTVS as a comedy in its final two seasons, emphasizing the funny in all the promo clips. WB is doing the same thing to some extent with ATS this season, although they seem to be more aware of the angst quotient - they did advertise both shows to teen audience demos.
This is important - target audience is what it's all about. Before you can get a tv show on the air or a book in a bookstore or a movie on the screen, the distributor needs to know "who" he/she is selling it to. Whose the buyer? Are they 18-34 year olds? 10 year olds? 50 year olds? Are they house-wives? Men? Teen girls?
Why? Because each demographic gets a different marketing plan. And with TV - a different set of commercials. Before the show airs - the pilot is sent out to be screened by representatives of advertising companies and media. These guys determine whether the show is worth purchasing ad space for. Some might not waste the time watching it and just go by whatever promotional package the network sends them. Can't say I blame them, considering how many TV pilots are shown a year. So they depend on that promotional package to tell them what the show is about and what audience it will appeal to, is it a comedy or a drama, what type of ads would appeal to that audience?
You're not going to show a McDonald's ad during an show like 24 with terrorists running around. Or an ad on Maybelline or Scooby Doo. You're going to do a car ad or a beer ad.
So if the network sells you an action/adventure show that is supposed to be a comedy, shown at 8pm in ET and 7pm Central, sort of family friendly western in space by the team that did Buffy the Vampire Slayer - you are going to assume that you can show McDonald's Ads, Toy ads, Family friendly ads during this time slot. Imagine your shock when you discover - nope not a family friendly comedy in space, but rather a dark, somewhat black comedy western in space a la Hill Street Blues with stuff like torture going on. This is going to piss you off. Same thing with a movie - you see a trailer for a film that looks like a fun, heartwarming children's Christmas story, only to discover it's an R-rated crass adult's Christmas story - suffice it to say, you will be upset if you get tricked into taking your kids to it.
It's all in how you market it. And I honestly think that's what Firefly did wrong and Tru Calling did right. Firefly was marketed as one thing, while it was in reality something else. Whedon's problem with networks is a common one for people who write genre hybrids, network execs do not understand cult.
They don't get cult audiences. They don't understand the market for cult. Because most of them don't watch it themselves. Law and Order? They understand that. Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Scratch their heads. Yet, BTVS makes more money in ancillary products (comics, action figures, novelizations, posters, conventions) than Law & Order will. L&O's money is in syndication rights (hefty amount) and spin-offs. But we won't be seeing a Law & Order movie and it's unlikely Law & Order DVD's will sell for much. Nor does it have any ancilliary products. Cult is a breed apart.
It may not equal huge ratings - but it does have a nifty demographic of 18-34 year olds who spend their money on just about anything connected with that show from music CD's to action figures and Christmas ornaments. The funny thing about all of this is I can't imagine Tru Calling getting a movie, comic books, novelizations, or DVD purchases that Firefly is getting, yet it will get 20 episodes and a potential renewal. Why? Because it appeals to advertisers. It has an easy demo - teens.
You can sell McDonald's during it. Also cheap to make. And lots and lots of stand-a-lones which make it easy to syndicate. Yet, Firefly with just 13 episodes (which I didn't get to see all of, dang Fox!) will probably sell more DVD's, get a film made, have action figures, have comics, and get a broader foreign distribution. (The Foreign market understands Cult better than the US market, weird, isn't it? But oh so true. All the good Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film and TV magazines come from UK and overseas. Dreamwatch? UK, SFX? UK. Ugh. Also some of the best sci-fi/fantasy cult series have come from UK - Doctor Who being the most famous. Others?
Red Dwarf. The Prisoner.) It was the foreign market that saved Firefly from extinction according to this interview (which can be found on whedonesque.com), apparently the foreign distributors asked Fox where Firefly was, Fox said they cancelled it, the foreign distributors said, so? Where is it? You promised it to us and there's a demand we have to meet. Fox was perplexed. They just don't get "cult". (sigh). Further proof of this? Overseas - people got to see all 13 episodes with the pilot, in order. While us poor saps in US got to see 10 episodes and completely out of order.
This annoys me to no end, since I liked Firefly, it wasn't perfect, but it was more interesting than just about anything else and seemed to be improving.
I was curious to see where they went with it. I wanted 22 episodes at least. Did Fox give me that?
Noooo. They weren't even willing to give me 13.
And I'm sorry I can't afford a DVD player, let alone the DVD, nor can I download off the internet.
I got screwed and it's all because some network exec did not take the time to figure out what they were getting or the time to figure out how to correctly market the product.
Another meme thingy...well not really.
What new tv shows have you watched/attempted this fall? What do you think of them so far? Would you recommend any of them? Which ones?
1. Nip/Tuck - dark, black comedy, with noir overtones about the misadventures of two anti-hero plastic surgeons in Miami. Melodramatic at times.
Graphic at others. But loads of fun. Not for anyone under the age of 17. Definitely NC-17. Highly recommend.
2. Joan of Arcadia - family drama with supernatural underpinings, could be preachy but oddly enough veers away from it. Very good cast - in Joe Manataga, Jack Ritter (late John Ritter's son),
Amber Tamblyn, and Mary Steenburgen. Supporting cast also very good. Well written.
3. The OC (unfortunately this is opposite Angel and I could only watch a few episodes as a result, stupid Fox...beginning to hate that network) - interesting series that deals with the lives of the upperly mobile in Orange County, CA. Better written than you would think.
4. Arrested Development (which I also only was able to catch one episode of since it's against Alias.)
But the episode I caught was a hoot. Documentary style. No laugh track. Excellent cast.
5. Line of Fire - new show - caught the first episode of it on Tuesday at 10pm. Has potential. Tough female FBI agents against tough mob bosses.
Interesting concept. Shot in the same cinemagraphic style as 24 without the gimmick. Lots of split screens.
6. Re-styled The Practice (an old show with a new look and cast) - James Spader has lightened up the Practice. Scenes that used to be preachy are now funny. Spader is an anti-hero with a heart. Very
interesting mix. Watch it for him, ignore everyone else.
7. Miss Match (which isn't great but sort of fun and I like the legal scenes, they remind me of law school and my own horrid experiences in the court-room, most realistic ones I've seen...Law & Order? Don't make me laugh - that's how lawyers like to think it's like. It's not. I also love the fact that she dresses unfashionably.)
I haven't given up on Tru Calling just yet, but that's only because I've nothing better to watch at that time slot. Also I'm curious to see what they do to fix it. I'm spoiled on it and know they have systematically been trying to fix it episode by episode. I enjoy criticizing and making fun of the thing. Crazy I know, but there you go. Besides this week's episode is supposedly written by Doug Petrie. Incredibly curious to see what if anything the infamous WilliamThePoet does with it. (There's a rumor online that Petrie was WtP. Personally I don't believe it, but it's funny to contemplate if true.)
Other old series I watch:
1. Alias (I like everyone but Vaughn and Sydney, but somehow that's enough to keep me interested. Besides one of my favorite characters/actors is returning this week - Will. Also it's sort of fun.)
2. ER (I can't give it up...I just can't)
3. Gilmore Girls (for everyone but Rory and Lorelie who annoy me, I love the parents, Luke, Paris, their friends and Danny strong's new character)
4. 24 (giving it another try, since I like the guy who plays the bad guy, Dennis Haysbert, Keifer Sutherland, Andrea Thompson and Wendy Crewsen, but I find the plot sort of predictable and dull at times.)
5. Scrubs (best situation comedy on network tv right now in my humble opinion)
6. Coupling (when I can grab it)
And of course my favorite show on and the only one I will not miss no matter what - I tape and watch while taping - Angel.
Yes...I know I watch way too much TV, what of it? (wicked grin).