FINALLY, some one gets it.
WILD EYE RELEASING has embraced the horror and has actually come up with a marketing ploy that is nothing short of genius. They are releasing their own free bootleg version of their festival favorite NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - REANIMATED. Complete with bad sound quality, people standing up and going to the bathroom and an uncenter side view of the screen.
This is all to promote the July 27th release of an actual SPECIAL EDITION DVD that will kick ass.
I think this is one of the best ideas I have ever heard. This is what the major studios need to do, embrace the horror and have enough faith in the product that they made to not only allow the crappy, grainy bootlegs to exist but put it out yourself and use it as a marketing tool to pimp your actual release. If the movies good folks will pay to add it to their collection or see it without someones foot in the middle of the picture.
The press release from WILD EYE says it best:
In advance of its Special Edition DVD bow on July 27th, the groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated will first be released in a no-frills, not-so-special bootleg edition in May.
Not everyone who wants to see the latest films can
afford to, especially these days, explains Wild Eye Releasing founder
and principal, Rob Hauschild. So we're doing our part to ease the cost
of entertainment for the average moviegoer.
In an unprecedented move, Wild Eye will be distributing low-end, cheaply packaged versions of Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated
to - well, to anyone who wants one. Due to the unpredictable nature of
bootlegging, it's difficult to say with precision where this DVD will
surface, but checking sidewalk blankets in big cities and overloaded
freebie tables at genre conventions is probably a good place to start.
Once fans have their own copy, Wild Eye is encouraging them to upload
it to their favorite file-sharing and Torrent sites. And this
give-the-people-free-content approach is in perfect keeping with the
not-for-profit Creative Commons ethos that launched the NOTLD:R project in the first place.
Bootlegs more realistically reflect how fans are
watching their favorite movies these days, argues Hauschild. We’re
just beating the bootlegger to the punch and controlling our content.
Although the calculated - and publicized - distribution of a
bootleg might seem like a commercial oxymoron, in this case it is being
pursued with the highest standards of professional craftsmanship. For
example, maintaining authenticity in terms of the bootleg tradition is
a key part of the project. Not surprisingly, it will boast ramshackle
production values, and, having been a shot on a consumer-grade
camcorder at a recent screening, will feature crowd laughter that
annoyingly overlaps with the soundtrack and, of course, audience
members blocking the screen as they rise to take bathroom breaks.
Prepare for the worst,” warns Hauschild. Astute bootleg
consumers will appreciate the uneven, hastily prepared cover graphics
and the grammatically incorrect marketing copy. We also made sure to
use top-grade DVD-R’s to burn these copies of the film. It’s important
that people view this as not just another bootleg, but the bootleg of
the year.
Described as remix culture meets classic horror, NOTLD:R
is a curated art show of animated and comic-book style images that hangs on the backbone of the 1968 film by George A. Romero. Featuring
the work of nearly 150 international artists in staggeringly different
styles that range from CGI to sock puppets, NOTLD:R pays
tribute to a pop culture landmark in wildly inventive and unpredictable
ways. Since its warm reception on the festival circuit in late 2009, it
has become a favorite of online horror hosts and legions of zombie
fanatics the world over.
Great job WILD EYE, I think you're onto a ground breaking idea.
