Archive for January 14th, 2009
3 items.
Jan14
I will freely admit to stealing the “shoegazing” moniker from My Bloody Valentine’s Wikipedia page and I link to it freely to provide context that would otherwise be unrequired for certain other webcomics.
I’m no great fan of the band, but I am familiar with their work. In particular, the instrumental tracks off the Lost in Translation soundtrack which were penned by My Bloody Valentine’s lead singer Kevin Shields. I like that album a lot.
As for the movie, My Bloody Valentine 3D, it looks like pure, Grade-A shlock. I’ve been making fun of the trailer for this film since it came out last fall.
At first, I thought the trailer was a put-on. Something The Wayans Brothers cooked up for an extension of the Scary Movie franchise. But it’s 100% for real. A bunch of anonymous pretty-somethings getting hacked to death by some guy in a gas mask. Brilliant.
My favorite line in the trailer isn’t from the movie itself, but a great bit of marketing all the same: “Nothing says ‘date movie’ like a 3D ride to Hell!”
Sounds like something my wife would really like!
I guess that’s something I don’t understand about the positioning of this movie. Once again, a horror film jumps the gun by being released months in advance of the terror-filled “holiday” it shares a name with. Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween was released on August 31 of 2007 – two full months before the actual holiday. At least the remake of Black Christmas managed to get it right by being released on Christmas Day in 2006.
But if the producers of My Bloody Valentine 3D are trying to promote the film as a date movie, why not wait a month for Valentine’s Day to roll around in February?
Obviously this movie is trash. I mean, look at the teaser poster. It looks like an advertisement for a ride at Universal Studios!
But what do you guys think? Does it look like a fun time at the movies to you with the potential for a great audience experience? Does the 3D gimmick hold any value for you? In other words, do you think My Bloody Valentine 3D is a movie you would see if it weren’t in 3D?
I’m curious as to everyone’s take on this film. Leave your comments below and let’s discuss!
[ 22 Comments ]
By the way, I don’t know if you noticed, but since the site relaunch in January I’ve dusted off three obscure characters in a little more than a week’s time.
How do you guys feel about seeing Victor, Charlie and Goth Jared again?
If you’re a new reader and not familiar with these guys, I encourage you to check out the cast page for a little background information as well as links to some of the story lines they were featured in!
If you’re a veteran reader and if you think there are any important characters or story lines I overlooked, use our handy new contact form and let me know!
[ 10 Comments ]
I’m getting some negative feedback on the in-text ads, which doesn’t surprise me. I have to keep reassuring people that it’s only a trial and I want to see how the ads perform. I can report that initial earnings have not been stellar. So it’ll be a pretty easy decision to pull the plug unless something revolutionary happens in the next few days.
So you understand where I’m coming from, it’s important for me to monetize the content on Theater Hopper to help support other projects I’m pursuing. Things like publishing books and producing t-shirts. Or bankrolling things like convention appearances.
The recent redesign significantly cut down on the number of ads that were being displayed on the site. Obviously this affects the bottom line. I’m trying to figure out a way to make up the difference without going all banner-crazy again and cluttering things up.
I have two ideas:
- Advertising in the RSS feed. This is long overdue, actually. I’m all for delivering content using means that make it most convenient for the user to read it. But people utilizing the RSS feed do not visit the site and that limits opportunities across the board. The RSS feed will not become ad-heavy, but I do intend to more thoroughly align the feed more closely to the experience the main-site provides.
- Sponsorships. Instead of a half-dozen tiny ads junking up the site, how do you guys feel about one large ad in the upper right hand corner sold through a one-on-one basis?
I’m sure you’ve seen those page peel ads on other sites that allow you to put one large ad behind the “skin” of the home page and then peel away on rollover to reveal the whole image. I think it’s a good way to attract content-relevant advertisers while not interfering with the site design.
I know this is a lot of business talk and I probably shouldn’t be sharing these thoughts with you. I don’t want to give you the impression that my pursuit of Theater Hopper is all about money. Please understand that money earned by the site is reinvested back into the site. I consider it a tool that allows me to do more with the characters — things I think you will enjoy.
I’m very interested in your feedback. Please leave your comments below!
[ 2 Comments ]
