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J.J. Abrams, George Takei to Do ‘Star Trek’ Facebook Chat

May 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams will participate in a Facebook Live video chat hosted by comedian Andy Samberg on May 10, just a week before the anticipated summer blockbuster hits theaters on May 17

The chat — in which Facebook users will be allowed to ask questions — will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET, a Facebook representative told Mashable. It will feature special guest George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on the original 1960s Star Trek television show.

"This is an exclusive opportunity for Facebook fans to ask anything about the Star Trek universe, and to boldly go where few have gone before," Paramount teased Thursday. Read more...

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J.J. Abrams, George Takei to Do ‘Star Trek’ Facebook Chat

May 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams will participate in a Facebook Live video chat hosted by comedian Andy Samberg on May 10, just a week before the anticipated summer blockbuster hits theaters on May 17

The chat — in which Facebook users will be allowed to ask questions — will begin at 8:30 p.m. ET, a Facebook representative told Mashable. It will feature special guest George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on the original 1960s Star Trek television show.

"This is an exclusive opportunity for Facebook fans to ask anything about the Star Trek universe, and to boldly go where few have gone before," Paramount teased Thursday. Read more...

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Bracket Battle Royal on Facebook Lets You Pick Best Action Movie Star

April 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Who is the best action movie star? A Facebook app — Bracket Battle Royal — from online movie ticketer Fandango is pitting 32 of film's toughest personalities against each other to crown a winner. A public vote will determine the champion

Fandango launched the tournament-style app Wednesday, asking Facebook users to view head-to-head matchups, like the one below, and pick their favorites.

The app is part of Fandango's Summer of Action hub that features 14 summer movies and related exclusive photos, videos and games. One participant will win a Boston Acoustic Home Theater system and an HDTV. Read more...

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You Can Now Watch “The Big Lebowski” with Your Facebook Friends

August 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment


The cult classic The Big Lebowski is now available to rent on Facebook.

Coinciding with the film’s Blu-ray release, fans of the Coen brothers comedy can rent the film directly from The Big Lebowski Facebook fan page.

Facebook continues to gain ground as a movie rental platform. Last month, Paramount Pictures brought the Jackass film series to Facebook and Warner Bros. continues to make more titles available on the social network.

For this release, Universal Pictures is doing something more unique with its rental offering by giving fans a way to interact and share their favorite parts of the film online.

Working with F-commerce developer Milynoi, NBCUniversal is giving the Facebook rental experience a more social twist.

Users that rent the film can “like” and make comments on memorable scenes and quotes throughout the film. They can also see what other Facebook fans and friends have said while watching the movie. Plus, users can reward up to five friends with a $1 discount on the Facebook rental. A 48-hour rental is 30 Facebook Credits ($3), which is the same amount other studios are charging for similar titles.

Even though the film is available on DVD, Blu-ray and through digital download services such as Amazon, Cinema Now and Vudu, we think a Facebook offering makes sense for this type of film.

The Big Lebowski was not a blockbuster in theaters, but has found immense success on home video and DVD over the last 13 years. Much of its popularity has been fueled by strong word-of-mouth buzz and group rentals. I first saw the film my junior year of high school with a group of friends. It was a veritable staple in college.

Thus, it makes sense to us to allow current or new fans of the film to make the group viewing experience more visceral on the social web. With college and universities starting up, this would be a great way for friends spread out across the country to share a funny, infinitely quotable movie together.

Do you think more films should take a social approach to Facebook rentals? Let us know in the comments.

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“Cowboys & Aliens” Saddles Up With Social Media

July 29, 2011 by Leave a Comment


The Summer Blockbuster Series analyzes the social media campaigns behind major summer movie releases and runs each Friday.

One of the big releases hitting theaters Friday is Cowboys & Aliens. Based on the 2006 graphic novel, the film was adapted for the screen by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Studios.

Starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, it’s a science fiction Western film about a loner who wakes up in a strange city with no memory from his past, only to find that he is a wanted criminal. After the area is invaded by aliens, friends and foes have to work together to save the city — and the earth — from extraterrestrial enemies.

Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau directed the film and played a large role in helping to develop the social media and digital campaign for this unique title.

Let’s take a look at some of the digital and social parts of the campaign.

Facebook

The official Facebook Page for Cowboys & Aliens has more than 200,000 Likes thus far. Universal Pictures has employed a tactic we’ve seen with Captain America and Harry Potter (and most other major films) in creating a widget that functions as a cross-channel hub, linking to the film’s other social and digital channels in a single box.

In this way, the Facebook Page acts as a mini version of the official homepage for the film.

Online Games

In addition to a Facebook Page, Universal and DreamWorks have also launched two online games for the film:

Cowboys & Aliens Arcade is a Facebook game that includes scenes from the film along with puzzle and trivia challenges. Players can also enter to win official prizes.

Cowboys & Aliens Absolution Training Grounds is a more complex (both in terms of visuals and intensity) shoot-em-up-style game that can be enhanced with Facebook Connect, but doesn’t require it.

Twitter

Although the studios have set up an official @cowboysaliens Twitter account, it isn’t the primary driver of Twitter activity for the film. Instead, the marketing teams have leveraged the personal account of the film’s director, Jon Favreau, who already has a Twitter following of more than a million.

In the buildup to the film’s release, Favreau has tweeted links to articles, interviews, behind-the-scenes insights and more. The official Cowboys & Aliens account frequently retweets Favreau’s updates and, in turn, Favreau re-shares the best bits from the official account.

Even in official press statements, Universal points fans to Jon Favreau’s account in addition to its own — a smart move. After all, if you have a director with an engaged and active fanbase, why not use that person as the primary driver for your film?

Hipstamatic Lens Kit

One of our favorite iPhone apps, Hipstamatic, launched its own FreePak tie-in for Cowboys & Aliens.

Until August 8, Hipstamatic users can download the Cowboys & Aliens HipstaPak, which includes two new lenses and a camera case, for free. In typical Hipstamatic style, extreme detail went into the design of the lenses.

On its Facebook Page, Hipstamatic says that both the film’s cinematographer Matthew Libatique and director Jon Favreau contributed to its development.

“Cowboys & Aliens” Coca-Cola Round Up for iPhone, iPad and Android

We have to give the marketing team at Cowboys & Aliens credit because the Cowboys & Aliens Coca-Cola Round Up app for iOS and Android is one of the more intricate tie-in apps we’ve seen.

This is an augmented reality game in which Coca-Cola triggers are captured on specially marked cups and popcorn bags at AMC and Regal theaters in the U.S. Users can also download a print trigger to play the game. After that, it’s a bottle collection game.

This is an interesting use of augmented reality and QR-like functionality that encourage play while simultaneously cross-promoting two different properties: the film and Coca-Cola.

The Results

Cowboys & Aliens has been a trending topic on Twitter in the days leading up to the film, suggesting that the film already has strong awareness among targeted audiences.

We’ll have to wait for the weekend box office figures to see how the film performed against the competition.

What do you think of the mobile-centric approach Universal took when promoting Cowboys & Aliens? Let us know in the comments section below.

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First Look: Deadline Hollywood Game on Facebook [INVITES]

July 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment


Some of Hollywood’s top players are about to launch a Facebook game that puts you in the movie business.

The Deadline Hollywood Game allows players to climb the Tinseltown ladder as an actor, screenwriter, producer, agent or director. The goal, as in real life: get your projects made, and become an industry mogul. The twist with Deadline Hollywood, however, is that real news events that take place in the industry can have an impact on gameplay.

The game comes courtesy of Paramount Digital Entertainment, Liquid Entertainment and Deadline.com, one of the leading sites for breaking news about the inner workings of the entertainment industry. The site, founded by Nikki Finke in 2006, is known for being brash, funny and brutally honest.

The game is full of that brashness and humor. The dashboard for the game is the view from the driver’s seat — because, as Finke told us, “That’s how many people start out in Hollywood, living out of their car.”

Finke explained to us that it was important that the game reflect the way Hollywood actually is: the good and the bad. Still, she felt it was important that the game remain “above board.” That means no stealing scripts, no acts of subterfuge — and no sleeping your way to the top.

Still, the game is far more witty than most of the Facebook games currently on the market. Finke took a look at some of the existing tiles on the social network and wanted to create something that focused more on strategy, was more cutting edge and had more humor. “Is FarmVille even funny?” Finke says (The merchandise certainly is).

As well as using typical social game elements, such as an in-app currency, the game also aims to enable players who might not be well-versed in the workings of Hollywood. It offers definitions for popular terms such as “greenlighting”, and information about how the industry works. As Finke said, “This is a Facebook game for smart people.”

Using News as a Game Element

The most innovative aspect of the game is the way it uses actual headlines and news from Deadline.com. For instance, if superhero films like Captain America, do well at the box office, players who are making superhero projects will get a boost in their box office receipts.

For now, however, the real-time news element will only work to give players extra incentives. Not having a superhero film in production, for instance, won’t act as a penalty. “I don’t want people to lose money,” says Finke.

In the future, the news elements might take a greater role within the game, especially after industry events such as award shows or major film festivals.

For Paramount Digital Entertainment, the publisher behind the game, the news aspect might also provide future sponsorship or promotional opportunities. “This is just the first step,” said Tom Lesinski, president of Paramount Digital Entertainment. “We look forward to expanding the concept as time progresses.”

Get Your VIP Game Pass from Mashable

Deadline Hollywood Game is currently invite only in its beta phase. Paramount Digital Entertainment and Deadline have provided Mashable with 100 VIP invites for movie fans that want to get in on the action.

To score an invite

  • In the comments below, tell us your favorite Movie or your favorite Facebook game and why.
  • Be sure your email is included in your Mashable Follow account by visiting the settings tab on your profile and adding your email address to the email field if it’s blank. Please do not post your email in the comment thread below.
  • The first 100 commenters will get an invite to the game.

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How Movie Marketers Are Innovating On Facebook

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment


The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media, Power Tools for Facebook. Fans see when you post content on your brand’s Facebook Page, right? Wrong. Cut through the mystery of Facebook’s Edgerank — download the white paper now.

Early on in Facebook marketing history, movies had a minimal presence on the platform. Usually, film pages listed rudimentary information. Sometimes a marketer would create pages for individual characters in a movie, but that’s about as innovative as it got.

Since then, however, the platform has grown into an important tool for connecting with movie fans before and after a premiere.

“Now when we market on Facebook, it’s a full relationship with the fan group,” says Relativity Media president of marketing Terry Curtin. “If you think about the way that movie marketing has worked, for years and years and years we’ve had an indirect relationship with our audience. We sell our tickets through a third party, we advertise through a third party. So this is the first time that we have a direct interface.”

Movie studios use Facebook Pages to listen to movie fans, engage superfans who crave more information than can be crammed into trailers and spread the word about a movie in an organic way.

In the process, many have expanded well beyond a Facebook wall — they’re transformed Facebook into a movie-viewing experience for the fans who want that. Here are some examples of how the makers of a handful of recent and upcoming movies are using the platform.


Immortals, November 2011




In order to acquaint fans with the mythology that will be incorporated into Immortals, Relativity Media is creating a graphic novel. A "Become Immortal" section on Facebook allows fans to apply to have their images used for one male and one female character in the book.

"When you have a movie that has a mythology and the mythology is not already known," Curtin says. "It would be really expensive to orient the fan base to mythology through traditional means. So going to the fan base through Facebook allows us to give them a lot of early information."


Cars 2, June 2011




Similar to the way the characters in Immortals have a mythology that Facebook is helping to explain to interested fans, the characters of Cars 2 have a backstory that its creators use Facebook to help explain. On the Facebook Page, fans can meet and share each character, in addition to sharing scenes from the movie and posters.


Transformers: Dark of the Moon, June 2011




The Transformers webpage lets users gift Transformer images to friends.


Tron Legacy, December 2010




From the “Tron Hub” on Facebook, fans can give friends virtual Tron gifts, take and tag their photos in a Tron scene, visit the Tron soundtrack Facebook Page, enter a sweepstakes, buy gear and order the movie - all while listening to Tron music.


Tron Legacy, December 2010




Tron’s Facebook app allows anyone to star in a mini-Tron movie and share it with their friends.


Tron Legacy, December 2010




"Troniverse" is an interactive globe that fans can use to see posts on Twitter and Facebook from around the world.


Winnie The Pooh, July 2011




The Winnie the Pooh Facebook Page also gives fans a creative reason to share with a quiz that looks like a storybook. At the end of the quiz, fans find out which character they are most like and can post a customized video about it on their Facebook profiles.


The Twilight Saga, 2008 -- 2011




Before Relativity Media, Curtin worked with the Summit Group on the social media efforts for Twilight. "They had a project that was so particularly owned by their fans," she says, "to take it over in any particular marketing way would have really upset the balance. They filled out the fan base by enabling the uberfan. Instead of doing the corporate Facebook Page, they let the lead fan stay in control of that page. And then they let that fan be the one who broke the exclusive information and content."

On the current page, fans are still the focus with a real-time feed of Facebook and Twitter posts. Several other movies set for release this summer, including Green Lantern and Harry Potter take a similar approach.


Twilight Breaking Dawn, November 2011




In case you don't know any Twilight-obsessed adolescents - newsflash: Edward and Bella are getting married! The Facebook Page for the movie allows fans to spread the word by signing into a guestbook for their wedding and inviting guests.


X-Men: First Class, June 2011




Marketers gave fans an opportunity to connect with X-Men cast members and filmmakers (“x-perts," if you will) in this Q&A section of its Facebook Page. Even though producer Bryan Singer has only answered 10 of the 28,033 questions he’s been asked so far, that's more interaction fans might have had with him otherwise.

Series Supported by Buddy Media

The Facebook Marketing Series is supported by Buddy Media, Power Tools for Facebook. Fans see when you post content on your brand’s Facebook Page, right? Wrong. Cut through the mystery of Facebook’s Edgerank — download the white paper now.

More Facebook Marketing Resources from Mashable:

- 4 Ways to Set Up a Storefront on Facebook
- HOW TO: Create a Facebook Engagement Policy
- HOW TO: Engage and Mobilize Facebook Fans Beyond the “Like”
- 5 Creative Facebook Places Marketing Campaigns

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, brentmelissa

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Warner Bros Adds More Titles to Facebook Movie Rental Service

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment


Warner Bros. has recently started delivering movies through Facebook at a price of $3 per title, starting out with Cristopher Nolan’s Dark Knight.

Now, the company made available five additional titles: Inception, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Yogi Bear and Life as We Know It.

These new titles are available through each film’s official Facebook Page. To rent a movie, users need to click on the “watch now” icon, pay with their Facebook Credits, and they will get a 48-hour window to watch the movie through their Facebook account.

There’s no official word on any upcoming titles, but we’re sure that Warner will be adding this functionality to the movies in its catalog which have a significant Facebook following. Again, all of this is available only to consumers in the U.S.

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Warner Bros. Starts Movie Rental Service on Facebook

March 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment


Warner Bros. has started delivering movies through Facebook, enabling U.S. users to rent titles for $3.

Now, besides “liking” and commenting on the Dark Knight Facebook Page, you can also watch the movie directly from Facebook (the option is available from the menu on the left). That movie is currently the only one available for rental from the Warner Bros. catalog, with more to come in the following months.

Movies can also be rented for 30 Facebook Credits, an official payment option that enables users to buy virtual goods on Facebook. Renting a movie will give users a 48-hour window to watch it through their Facebook account; users are also able to comment on the movie, as well as pause it and continue watching later.

“Making our films available through Facebook is a natural extension of our digital distribution efforts. It gives consumers a simple, convenient way to access and enjoy our films through the world’s largest social network,” said President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution Thomas Gewecke.

For Facebook, this is another good way to establish Facebook Credits as an important online currency. Even more importantly, with more than 600 million active users, Facebook could become a serious competitor to digital distribution companies such as Hulu and Netflix.

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The Social Network Wins 3, Loses 5 Oscars

February 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment


It was a great night for The King’s Speech and Inception at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday — and a somewhat more disappointing outcome for their main rival, David Fincher’s The Social Network.

Fincher’s movie, a fictionalized account of the rise of Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, still won three Oscars. Writer Aaron Sorkin, also known for West Wing and A Few Good Men, won Best Adapted Screenplay (it was based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires”), while Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor won Best Original Score for the movie’s haunting music. The movie also won an award for Best Film Editing.

But The Social Network had been nominated for eight awards — and had been hotly tipped for Best Picture until The King’s Speech started picking up buzz several months ago. It failed to win for Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Director or Best Picture. The King’s Speech took home five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Colin Firth. Chris Nolan’s dream-within-a-dream Inception also won five, including Best Special Effects for its stunning computer-generated imagery.

For The Social Network‘s fans, it will be especially disappointing that the movie won awards for sound, vision and script — but apparently was not better than the sum of those parts. And in what seemed almost like a snub, Sorkin’s acceptance speech was one of them that was cut short by the Academy’s “play them out” music.

Still, for a movie that’s all about a nerd who fights to be popular but fails to fit in, it seems an appropriate outcome.

Do you think The Social Network got snubbed in some categories? Or did the right nominees win?

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