Do it yourself Media

[kimrb]

I have PM or emailed a few of you with this idea. The more I think about it, the more I think it is worth putting before the whole group. Remember, you're after media attention. You want saveFS in the news, in the paper, on the radio, on everyone's lips. Make FS a household name. Why not make your own TV commercial? WHAT!! you say. Too expensive to make let alone air. You might be surprised. First, you are not buying prime time advertising on the major stations in your market. You buy cable. Cheap cable, that probably means late nite but that doesn't matter. You don't buy a lot. Maybe 10-15 spots in a one week run, maybe less. Here in Seattle, late night cable rates are cheaper than radio spots, maybe $25 each time it airs. Who will see it? That doesn't matter either! Really, IT DOES NOT MATTER! Why do it then, you ask? Because, before the spot(s) air, you are going to write a press release to every TV station, every radio station and every newspaper in your market explaining the campaign and describing the spot and where/when it can be seen. (include a copy of the spot for them to see). They will become very curious and the next thing you know the spot is on Prime Time...in the news, in the paper and on the radio. And that costs you nothing. I hope you see how this could work. So, maybe you like the idea. Now you have to have a commercial. That's easy too. Really, it is easy. And very inexpensive to produce. I'm am going to make the assumption that FS fans are a very diverse group. Among you are highschool students, teachers, cops, engineers, astronauts, housewives, stock brokers, mail men/women, dogcatchers, techies, TV writers (just for you Red), butchers, bakers, candlestick makers. You get the idea. I'll bet many of you have digital video recorders (or know someone who does). Take your camera to work with you. Set it up to shoot yourself in a work enviornment or some official looking backdrop. Include a saveFS poster in the background, or somewhere in the frame. (doesn't have to play a major role) Hit the record button, look into the lens and say..."I'm a fan, I'd watch". Thats all, nothing more. Each little bit would have the fan's name, age, home town and job title on the bottom of the screen. You butt several of these together to fit the commercial length you have selected (10 seconds, 15 or 30). The last 5 seconds is a tag page of FS artwork and something about save FS written on the screen. A voice over is used to say...." A message from the Save FS campaign, we're waiting to watch" or something like that. Now I have to believe that among the faithful, some of you have PC digital editing software and could build this spot in an evening. Build a thread where fans could send their clips in a digital format and poof! its a done deal. Pretty simple, pretty cheap and the same spot could be used in market after market across the country. Do I need to go get the first aid kit?

[saska]

I've been suggesting local cable advertising but getting the responses that even a little of that would be too expensive... your suggestion about press releases really opens it up to get more coverage than we could any other way. Truly a great idea on your part and I'm so glad you posted it!

Saska

[Tiriel]

Of course! The good old get-them-to-do-it-for-you trick! I remember my head was spinning when I saw the amount of coverage we got on CNN HLN! Just trying to imagine how much that would have been in advertising dollars!
AT&T is making a lot of noise about their cable-advertisement service, I'll see what I can find out about their actual prices.
I'm sure our beloved Renay from Hotwired might be interested to hear about this as well :)

Besides, I really love the irony of it all: To use the very thing that provided the argument for the axing of our show (the lack of good ratings resulting in the lack of advertisment-money) should ultimately save it :D

I like poetic justice, it should happen more often :D

Thanks Kim :) Are you SURE you're married :D

Love and Peace and Good Karma :)

Tiriel: One Very Vocal Eyeball :eek:

[thedscman]

Bump :)

What a great idea!!! Do we have any good graphic artists out there that can put together a 30 second spot? Can we flesh out some details, maybe put together a pamplet or packet of literature to send out as the press release?

[CyberMurray]

I just wonder what our spot will look like and if Sci-Fi is trying to kill the show are they going to allow us to use footage of the show to promote it?

[Deinaira]

I don't think Kim was suggesting using footage...Just everyday people saying they would be watching, with some (non-copyrighted) images...like the Wanted posters (not sure the legalities of using likenesses of characters/actors though) or maybe some of the original wormhole renderings out there...

[etana]

You wouldn't need to if you basically just used Kim's idea plus a bit of user-created art for the background poster and on the graphic at the end of the tag. As long as the shot's clean of an "official" image taken or created by someone other than us--which does include things like store-bought posters I'm afraid--then I'm sure it'd be fine.

Although checking with legal types wouldn't be a bad idea either.


It's definitely a good idea and I'm wishing I had the equipment I needed so I could edit the thing for you--I have the knowledge, just not the technology and computer horse-power I'd need. I also like the idea of using the same spot across the country because that would really save time and make the operation a lot more efficient. Whoever does end up doing this I'd advise putting your money into a really high-quality master that we can make lots of copies from to send to the other chapters.

I would also say--and this really goes for all this stuff--that we need to be slapping to together a calendar of events (posted to Save Farscape.com if possible) so that any of our big media pushes are going to matched up with something where the media can get more visuals if they choose to... ie. run the commercial across the country on the same weekend and match that with one of the big rallies.

[thedscman]

Well I've just contacted the Nashville cable company to find out pricing. Hopefully it will be that cheap :D

[thedscman]

Oh by the way... One good way that may be free or very low cost is by using the community cable access channels.

[Scubascape]

I could try to do an underwater shot of me holding a Save Farscape poster. Though it might take a bit of effort to get my videographer (read hubby) to go to the quarry, work has been monopolizing his weekends. I think my webcam can grab the video off the tape, though the quality might be awful. :D

[mycattoldme]

I talked with a media buyer and was told the cheapest way to purchase time is called run-of schedule. So if you're not concerned about the where and when the commercial is shown thats the best way to buy a block of time. It doesn't have to be 30 sec. you might be able to buy shorter segments.

[PK Ladyhawk]

I found this web page at my local NBC TV site. Some interesting information about advertising at their site and on TV.

http://www.wnbc.com/advertise

PK Ladyhawk

[Cygnus_X1]

Hell, why not buy a spot actually on the SciFi network? They would run it. Advertising is a business thing. If it were not, then they would never run commercials for a competing show such as Enterprise or FireFly on their network. Now, I know that we would not be reaching much past the "core audience" by running it on the SciFi network. But, think of how that would look to the media. Fans pay for a save our show commercial on the very network that axed it.


Not to mention that this would be the ultimate in Telegram, letter writing, faxing... There is no way that the execs would miss this...

[YenRug]

Can I make a suggestion on this idea? Something that has been picked up by the fans on the Dom is the tag "I am Farscape", could we use that line with everyone without copyright problems?

I think it says more than just saying, "I'd watch", (Sorry Kim, no offence) it tells the person watching that, this is who they will be pulling in, if they pick up the show and that they feel that Farscape is it for them. It says, "I am not just a viewer, this is part of me."

I hope this makes sense to everyone, I feel it sends out a stronger message.

[Borgi]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cygnus_X1
[B]Hell, why not buy a spot actually on the SciFi network? They would run it.
...
But, think of how that would look to the media. Fans pay for a save our show commercial on the very network that axed it.


This sounds so frelling funny! They wouldn´t even NOTICE before its too late...
LOL

Borgi

[kimrb]

You are welcome to edit the copy any way you wish. I just want you all to be thinking. The spot as I laid it out is pretty well done and has a solid hook, and I wouldn't tweek it at all (but this isn't my call). Simple is always best. The object is to see all of america represented as FS fans and to get the spot into the news where it will be seen prime time for free. The message has to be short and to the point so as many fans as possible can be seen in the spot. I believe whatever you choose to say, all have to say the same thing. Don't worry about copyrights. You are not going to use footage from the show. Posters and stuff in the background pose no problems. Use of the FS logo could present a problem but I seriously doubt anybody would come after you. Why? Cause you're are doing them a favor as well. You're making PR for FS. You are trashing no one, in effect, you are saying "I want my MTV". Some of you have begun to check into ad rates. One of you mentioned run-of-schedule (ROS). That is definately the way to purchase time. Beware time salesmen they will work you hard (they are on commission). Always remember you are not buying the time to advertise, you are buying the time to get the media's attention and get on the news, in the paper. You're are lusting for free PR. Get that and the rest will fall into line. Spend your energies, not your money.

[Kithlyara]

I have my camcorder, and my editing software, where do I sign up? :D

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I have my camcorder, and my editing software, where do I sign up? :D

And in Northern CA, I'm set up with a DV camcorder, editing software, and can deliver content on DV tape, Video CD, DVD, or good old VHS. Anyone in my area who's interested in tackling this, send me a private message and we'll hook up.

[Kithlyara]

We should get shots from the Global Rallies on Oct. 5! Can you imagine having a crowd of people saying "We are Farscape, we will watch!" or something to that effect on the commercial? Maybe the ad can have some individuals, and some families, saying "I am Farscape" and then finish with a shot of one of the rallies? What do you think?

[saska]

Personally, I've been the fondest of "if you air it, we will watch" as a great play on the whole "Field of Dreams" aliens/ghosts/vaguely sci-fi flavor. :)

Saska

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
We should get shots from the Global Rallies on Oct. 5! Can you imagine having a crowd of people saying "We are Farscape, we will watch!" or something to that effect on the commercial? Maybe the ad can have some individuals, and some families, saying "I am Farscape" and then finish with a shot of one of the rallies? What do you think?

Well...maybe. I tend to agree with Kim; the simpler, the better. Quite frankly, and I don't want to offend anyone here, but some of the photos I have seen on the web from some of the "rallies" has been, well, underwhelming. I think Kim's idea of showing average people, in their work environments -- people who hold jobs, earn a living, and buy from sponsors -- can have a bigger impact than showing a few people wearing jeans and Farscape tee-shirts, who look like they're living on their college fund, stomping around and ranting in the street.

I'm going to be at the Burbank con in November, and I'm thinking about bringing along the equipment I need to shoot some Apple-style "Switchers" ads <http://www.apple.com/switch/>; the "switch" here being from SFC to UPN. My only concern is that I don't want folks dressed up like D'Argo and Chiana appearing in the ads. I want to show regular earth-folk who are saying, "Hi, I'm Whoever. I'm a brain surgeon. I like Farscape. Farscape has made my life better. I'll switch channels to watch it."

Again, please don't take any comments I've made here personally. I love the constumes and fanatic loyalty I see at the cons and rallies. I just tend to agree with Kim, that it may be a little too over-the-top for some network execs and potential show sponsors.

[Kithlyara]

My idea for putting a shot of a rally at the end was just to end off the ad while tying all the lose spots together, and to show that there are a lot of Scapers, and they are a diverse crowd. The picture I had in my head didn't invlove any costumes or things like that. It was just everyday people getting together in support of their show.

I didn't take any offense to what was said, it was just an idea that I thought up in my, very visual, and active imagination.

[akimbo]

I must say I really like this idea.

I think you can actually find "average" people at the con to do the video with and its probably your best shot.

I know they are trying to do an audio spot at #farscape chat and are having trouble getting enough people to record for them, which makes no sense to me. So take people as you can get them.

I'd bug my local media if we could get a spot together. :aok:

[beowulf]

Originally posted by akimbo
I must say I really like this idea.

I think you can actually find "average" people at the con to do the video with and its probably your best shot.

I know they are trying to do an audio spot at #farscape chat and are having trouble getting enough people to record for them, which makes no sense to me. So take people as you can get them.

I'd bug my local media if we could get a spot together. :aok:

Thanks for the encouragement, Akimbo! The good news is that i've already been contacted by a couple of locals who want to do ads, so that's three including myself that I can get started on even before November. The bad news is that now I'm committed! ;) Actually, I'm pretty excited by this idea; just concerned about time constraints. But I'll make it happen somehow!

Cheers!

[Kithlyara]

I'm a t-shirt and shorts wearing, stay-at-home mom with two cute little girls. The shot I was planning to do consisted of me and my girls with just me, or me and my eldest daughter (who'll be three tomorrow! :)) saying whatever phrase is decided upon. Would the sponsors even care if they saw that?

I may wear t-shirts and shorts all the time, because it's easier to care for my daughters that way, but that doesn't mean I don't have a decent amount of money to spend. I don't want to go to all the trouble of filming the spot, editing it, and mailing it if it won't help the cause any by making the sponsors take notice.

[BlackThorn]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I'm a t-shirt and shorts wearing, stay-at-home mom with two cute little girls. The shot I was planning to do consisted of me and my girls with just me, or me and my eldest daughter (who'll be three tomorrow! :)) saying whatever phrase is decided upon. Would the sponsors even care if they saw that?

I may wear t-shirts and shorts all the time, because it's easier to care for my daughters that way, but that doesn't mean I don't have a decent amount of money to spend. I don't want to go to all the trouble of filming the spot, editing it, and mailing it if it won't help the cause any by making the sponsors take notice.

Kith, I can't see why it would be a problem. Stay-at-home moms can be some of the biggest buyers, and often times big targets for advertising. They may not be the ones bringing in the big paycheck, but when it comes down to it, they are most often the one who decides how it's spent.

[Kithlyara]

Originally posted by BlackThorn
Kith, I can't see why it would be a problem. Stay-at-home moms can be some of the biggest buyers, and often times big targets for advertising. They may not be the ones bringing in the big paycheck, but when it comes down to it, they are most often the one who decides how it's spent.

Thanks! :) I just wanted to double check that I wouldn't go to all that trouble for nothing. My two daughters are big hams when it comes to cameras, but once the camcorder comes out, my oldest wants to direct! lol!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I'm a t-shirt and shorts wearing, stay-at-home mom with two cute little girls. The shot I was planning to do consisted of me and my girls with just me, or me and my eldest daughter (who'll be three tomorrow! :)) saying whatever phrase is decided upon. Would the sponsors even care if they saw that?

As JC would say (John Crichton, not the other JC :P ), "Hell yeah!" :aok: If I put you in doubt with my previous comment about Farscape tee-shirts and jeans, please forgive me. I just wanted to stress that it's important to get a diverse cross-section of people for these ads. Again, take a look at the Apple Switcher ads. I think they're the perfect model. A diverse cross section of people, many of them in tee-shirts ;), saying why they like the product, and who they are to add weight to their opinion. I think that, in a nutshell, is the message that the folks at SaveFarscape.com and KimRB have been trying to get us to send to the networks.

Best,

[Tokeya]

bump.

[Ammit]

Sounds like we can probably afford this. If so, we need the following:
1. The script. I like "I am Farscape," but whatever.
2. A place for people to upload their (high-quality digital) segments.
3. PTB to determine which of the hundreds of segments get into the commercial(s). Or a vote, or random selection.
4. Mister/missus fancy editor person.
5. Mister/missus cable advertising negotiator person.

~liz

[HoldenC]

After the next ratings period, we could probably get some cheap time during SG-1...

[thedscman]

Bump :aok:

[buggabboo]

this is an amazing, ambitious idea. you all rock.

[ender]

Kim's posts and ideas should be collected somewhere that is easily accessible to people without having to dig through old forum posts. Maybe they could be covered on a separate page that is linked from the main page or under "News and Updates."

Kim's input is one of the best chances we have right now of keeping the save FS effort vital. We should take full advantage of it.

[Tokeya]

bump.

[kimrb]

Easy there people....I have never seen an episode! I am not a fan (yet). I have recieved a dvd of eps 1 & 2, but my player puked and I can't get the damn disks to play in the VHS. I will pick up a dub of the dvd this afternoon and already have plans to watch this very evening. Then I may have some clue as what has all you fine people talking. What I am is a scifi/heroic fantasy lover who discovered the joys of imagination at a very young age. Somehow I have managed to keep the wonder and willingness to 'let go and enjoy' the genre to the present day. I was in a position to hear some interesting news involving the company I work for (at a very low level in the corporate world) and knew there had to be a fan base out 'there' somewhere who might look on the info as good news. I made my first post. Since then I have only attempted to a cheerleader and nothing else. As an 'outsider' I felt I could bring a perspective to the cause few of you could, because you are so close to fight, emotionally involved, angry and upset. I have offered a couple of simple ideas, that in truth you would have thought of as a group as soon as you cooled off. Please don't think I am any different than anyone of you, I not. It was never my intention to come into your world and start directing the conversation and steering the group. I'm not a white knight, nor a mentor, nor any other form of despenser of indespenable wisdom. Just an old TV director who remembers NBC's cancellation of Star Trek and how I felt, and what the fans did to save 'their' show. And how that compared to where you fans are at this moment. Back then, there was no internet yet they shook the roots of power and today everyone on this planet knows Star Trek. I believe you can do same. That is why I visit this board way too often and probably why I've stuck my nose into your business. Please don't seperate me from the crowd cause you think...well, whatever. If I had three wishes they would be 1) to fly like superman 2) to become invisible at will and 3) the ability to travel freely through time. FS isn't even in the top 20. I'm not demeaning your cause just trying to illustrate that this isn't my fight. I want you to succeed. The operative word being "you". Thanks for the kind words, but you can do this all by yourselves. Just look at the great ideas that are rising to the top. PS: Just imagine the level of thief I could be if I got my wishes...what a series of adventures.

[waltersgirl]

Sounds like we can probably afford this. If so, we need the following

permission from Henson

[kimrb]

You don't need permission from anyone. The first amendment allows freedom of speach. As long as you don't use copyrighted material you're OK. I'll bet no one would care if you used the FS logo. At worst you get a 'cease and decist' (sp) order.

[waltersgirl]

At worst you get a 'cease and decist' (sp) order.

which then compromises the integrity of the campaign. you're talking about making a television commercial about an intellectual property that doesn't belong to us. with permission, that's a really sweet idea.

the title of the show is copyrighted. the characters, even without naming them, are copyrighted. the premise, even without using the name of the show, is copyrighted.

[katyaz]

But would we need permission from Henson if we just show lots of different fans saying "If you show Farscape, I will watch", and don't use any of the images from the show, not even the logo, Waltersgirl? And maybe show some of us holding posters saying Save Farscape, or something like that. Surely there is no restriction of whether or not people can say the word "Farscape" on TV, is there?

I bet we could make this commercial without any images at all, if we really needed to (or if Henson tells us that we are not allowed to use their images in commercials)... Although I personally would prefer to have at least some Farscape images in the commercial, we can probably survive without them if that's the only legal way to get our commercials on TV.

Also, what if we include some images, and then show a disclaimer in the end, saying that the images belong to Henson, and not to us?

(I'm sorry I keep asking all these questions about copyright, but I've got to admit, I can never understand how it all works. So many people have such different ideas of what is allowed, and what isn't...)

[waltersgirl]

i honestly don't know either. i'm just trying to remind people to tread carefully here.

there's a difference between making stationary and "wanted posters" to send to the channel that already has permission to use Farscape images, and, making a commercial to air on television. and i'm not sure how large that difference is, or where the lines are drawn, or how finely.

a television commercial would be promoting a property that we don't own, and doing so using a medium that has the potential to reach a vast audience. versus, writing a letter.

i also don't know if it would differ legally from the Variety ad that was done so beautifully by benbrowder.net.

we should get the answers to those questions before something like this is attempted.

[Hmpf]

Originally posted by katyaz
But would we need permission from Henson if we just show lots of different fans saying "If you show Farscape, I will watch", and don't use any of the images from the show, not even the logo, Waltersgirl? And maybe show some of us holding posters saying Save Farscape, or something like that. Surely there is no restriction of whether or not people can say the word "Farscape" on TV, is there?

I'm pretty sure that that would not be illegal. Hmm.... do we have anyone 'on board' who knows something about legal stuff? But really, I don't see how a bunch of people saying 'Farscape' on TV could be a legal issue. After all, reporters use copyrighted names all the time, too, and that is just one example.


I bet we could make this commercial without any images at all, if we really needed to (or if Henson tells us that we are not allowed to use their images in commercials)... Although I personally would prefer to have at least some Farscape images in the commercial, we can probably survive without them if that's the only legal way to get our commercials on TV.

Also, what if we include some images, and then show a disclaimer in the end, saying that the images belong to Henson, and not to us?


I think *that* would probably mean trouble for us. ;-)



Hmpf

[kimrb]

So the puppy died, starved to death, because you couldn't decide what brand of puppy chow to feed it? You have a right as an American to say what you please. You are not using images (footage from the show). Any posters or such in the background could easily be fan artwork. And you are only saying you want to watch FS. Not a single copyright issue. The only copyright issue is use of the FS logo. Go ahead and use it (better yet, something VERY close to it). If someone wants to get pissy and sue, so what. The ad campaign would only last a week or so. Hopefully you can coordinate it so it is done all across the country at the same time. It would be over before it could be stopped. What about bad PR? No such thing. Loss of credibility for the movement? I can see it now, Tom Brokaw (sp) on NBC nightly news..."Tonite we lead with a major studio sueings their very best fans. A real david and goliath story. Details after this commercial message." Who gets the bad PR? Don't over think this. Time is short.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by katyaz
Also, what if we include some images, and then show a disclaimer in the end, saying that the images belong to Henson, and not to us?

IMHO, we need to focus on what the goal is here. In Kim's original post that kicked off this thread, he outlined that goal as (in a nutshell): 1) get publicity (in order to); 2) make the networks sit up, take notice, and take FS seriously. He outlined the way to do this as: 1) keep it simple; 2) tell them who we are; 3) keep it short. Basically the same goals and rules as the letter writing campaign. It makes sense to me.

If you start cluttering up your spots with images from the show and/or pictures of groups of people holding signs and banners, then you run the risk of muddying, or losing entirely, the main message. You may get a few Joe Sixpacks curious enough to check out the show when it airs later, but are the network execs, who are our prime targets, going to pay any more attention than they do to the rallying fans already outside their doors?

No, I think Kim is right. Network execs don't respond to cool effects and great story. They respond to a product that can bring in an affluent audience that lets them sell more advertising. We need to focus the message in that way; the same way we do in our letter writing campaign. It should say, "I am professional, I am intelligent, I have income, I am Farscape. Show it, and I will watch your channel." And it should take no longer than 30 seconds. It's the same signal-to-noise ratio you get with executives in any industry. They respond to more signal and less noise.

[Kithlyara]

I understand everything Farscape related is copyrighted (names, characters, etc...) but if we do this ad, what are TPTB going to do? Sue us for saying Farscape on the air; advertising THEIR show for them? I doubt it. It would be an absolutely ridiculous thing for them to do. CNN advertised their show for them when they mentioned Farscape on the air, and to my knowledge, they aren't being sued. I honestly don't see the harm in saying "I am Farscape, I will watch" or whatever is the decided upon tagline in a commercial. If Farscape images or sounds are used, then yes that is a major no-no and I can see us getting sued for that. But not for merely mentioning the word Farscape on TV.

There is a convention in San Diego next month, and I would like to take my camcorder with me to get some ads. Have we agreed upon a tagline? Who will receive all of the ads and who will edit them? What format do they need to be in? How long should they be?

Maybe we should start a new thread to answer those questions specifically?

[thedscman]

Well if copyright is a problem, then let's ask for permission. Does anyone know who we need to contact at Henson?

[kimrb]

Beowulf understands exactly my intentions. Try this...you have never heard of FS. Absolutely clueless. While you are watching the evening news the anchor launches into the FS story that everybody is talking about. You really don't listen cause you really don't care. But while the news tells the story, they show the commercial. Joe Viewer sees...a school teacher saying I'd watch...para legal saying I'd watch...a fireman saying I'd watch...so on...then the tag line. Joe Viewer knows nothing about FS. But he just saw real people talking about FS. They can't all be wrong, "maybe I should check this out" he says to himself. He even remembers next time he gets on the net. You do that all across america and just watch what happens.

[Ven Dragnborn]

ok
A possible mingling of ideas here.
2 sets of commercials.
One following the lines that Kim outlined.
The second a mixture of whats been proposed and Kims idea.

One set of footage is the "I'm a fan....

The other is a montage of alternating "I'm a fan..." I am Farscape" with a secondary text message added just before the "paid for " announcement "If you show it, we will watch"

[kimrb]

ok...oK...OK. The phrase doesn't matter. The tag line doesn't matter. You would have to go out of your way to violate copyright laws. You are not making the spot to advertise FS. You are not making the spot to convert viewers. This is not a Madison Ave. ad campaign. This is a simple 15 or 30 second spot designed to get the media's attention. Not the viewer's attention, the media's attention. If you do the press release thing correctly and air the spot only 5 times in a week, you have done your job. Let the media do the rest for you. The media will get the viewer's attention and you will be the beneficiaries. Do it all across the country at the same time and the whole world will be wondering...'what is this all about?' And that is what this spot is all about. You only need one spot. Same spot everywhere. With the digital world the commercial can be distributed at the speed of light all across the country, all across the globe. Your job is to get the clips together, pick out a good cross section of the fans and post the spot. Distribute it among the chapters throughout the country and strike as a group. Don't starve this puppy, it could grow up to be the biggest damn dog you ever saw.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
You are not making the spot to convert viewers. This is not a Madison Ave. ad campaign. This is a simple 15 or 30 second spot designed to get the media's attention. Not the viewer's attention, the media's attention. If you do the press release thing correctly and air the spot only 5 times in a week, you have done your job. Let the media do the rest for you. The media will get the viewer's attention and you will be the beneficiaries.

There's the ball people; keep your eye on it. No rally pictures. No Rigel and Chiana pictures. All those pics are already on the web and/or in the news for people to see. What they can't see is us. That's what Kim, as a card carrying member of the media, knows that we need to show to his colleagues and their bosses, the network execs. A semi-intimate view of us; who we are and what we do besides watch FS. The media needs to see the people who will either make or break this show. Let's show them that we're a viable audience who will make it worth their time to keep this show on the air. Yeah, it's that simple.

[Dominar of Action]

Who is going to take this puppy and run with it? If someone is in (or close to) Richmond and has the right equipment, I'd be happy to put my mug out there, but I have neither the means nor the technical savy to do it myself.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Dominar of Action
Who is going to take this puppy and run with it? If someone is in (or close to) Richmond and has the right equipment, I'd be happy to put my mug out there, but I have neither the means nor the technical savy to do it myself.

I'm collecting volunteers in the SF Bay Area and attempting to coordinate a shooting schedule (dontcha just love show-biz terminology? ;) ). I currently have only a couple of people in Santa Cruz lined up. I'm in San Jose, and while it's not exactly close to Richmond, it's not prohibitively far either. Send me a private message with your e-mail address so we can schedule a meeting.

Best,

[Kithlyara]

Originally posted by beowulf
I'm collecting volunteers in the SF Bay Area and attempting to coordinate a shooting schedule (dontcha just love show-biz terminology? ;) ). I currently have only a couple of people in Santa Cruz lined up. I'm in San Jose, and while it's not exactly close to Richmond, it's not prohibitively far either. Send me a private message with your e-mail address so we can schedule a meeting.

I know I'm going to film my kids and I since I have the equipment to do it. I'll see who all I can also film in San Diego. Should I send the footage to you or someone else? What should people say? I know I've asked these questions before, but I just want to be sure we're all on the same page before anything gets shot. Thanks! :)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I know I'm going to film my kids and I since I have the equipment to do it. I'll see who all I can also film in San Diego. Should I send the footage to you or someone else? What should people say? I know I've asked these questions before, but I just want to be sure we're all on the same page before anything gets shot. Thanks! :)

Hey Kith,

Well, as you know, I'm modeling what I'm doing on the Apple Switch ads. I've basically come up with five questions to ask volunteers:
[list=1]
What did you think the first time you saw Farscape?
What's your favorite thing about Farscape?
Where do you shop?
Would you switch channels to watch Farscape?
Tell us about yourself; who you are and what you do, ending with "I Am Farscape."
[/list=1]
Now obviously, this is going to produce a lot more than 30 seconds of material, but in video it's always better to have too much than not enough, so the idea is to edit it down. The candidate ad for on-the-air showing will probably just contain a stream of people saying, "I am Whoever, I'm a Whatever, and I am Farscape," with a fade to white and the SaveFarscape url at the end.

I'm also thinking about maybe having the best of the interviews in 30-second Switch-style ads available someplace on the web (savefarscape.com/farswitch?). But I'm also thinking that maybe this is too ambitious with everything else on my plate right now. But I'm definitely committed to one 30 second spot including everyone I can get on camera and fit into 30 seconds. I'm going to be working on a test video this weekend.

Regarding your footage: send me a private message with your e-mail address so we can coordinate off-the-board. I want to make sure our stuff is compatible. Thanks!

Best,

[akimbo]

I agree. Keep your eye on the ball. Make a commercial, get the commercial aired, concentrate on the publicity for the commercial.

Unfortunately I don't have any equipment to help.

[wmdopple]

Originally posted by beowulf
I'm also thinking about maybe having the best of the interviews in 30-second Switch-style ads available someplace on the web (savefarscape.com/farswitch?).

Might also work to put together a composite interview, with each question answered by a different person.. maybe ending up with a string of "I am Farscape"s....

[beowulf]

Originally posted by akimbo
I agree. Keep your eye on the ball. Make a commercial, get the commercial aired, concentrate on the publicity for the commercial.

Unfortunately I don't have any equipment to help.

Hey Akimbo,

You've got all the equipment you need right between your ears. There's a lot to be done besides just getting the video assembled. To get it on the air, it needs to be funded. To fund it, we need to know how much it will cost. DeMenace, a fellow Scaper here in sunny N. CA, has kindly offered to phone local TV stations to get quotes for late-night slots, but that's just N. CA. If you're in another state, or even another part of CA, then you could also call around to your local stations to see what rates are available. This goes for anyone else wanting to help out also; start making calls to local stations asking for quotes on late-night advertising rates.

Post your findings here, or better yet, start a new thread specifically for this purpose. This way, when we're raady to try and air this thing, and we approach the keepers of the "war-chest" for funding, we'll have a wide range of prices and locations to choose from. Hopefully we'll have other Scapers out there making videos so we'll have a nice selection of ads to choose from also.

The press release also needs to be written. It's not hard. It should say what we're trying to accomplish and why, give the stations and time ranges that the message will air, and point the reader to the SaveFarscape url and mention that a copy of the ad or ads is enclosed on a videotape (that's important because local TV news stations will want something to show). As for formatting, just go to Yahoo! Finance and look at the press releases put out every day by companies trying to impress investors. Copy the format, it's pretty standard for press releases.

Please chime in anyone if I've missed anything.

Later!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by wmdopple
Might also work to put together a composite interview, with each question answered by a different person.. maybe ending up with a string of "I am Farscape"s....

Nice! Thanks! Keep 'em coming!

[akimbo]

No problem checking out the local rates ... I'm from OH and don't see it mentioned often in these threads, so it probably won't be redundant work. I'll try to check them out next week. I saw another thread on the site that deals with advertising costs, when I have info I'll post it here and there.

I've already bent the ear of the local paper TV critic, they're considering an article for the January season restart. I planted the idea that we may have advertising for them to cover.

I may even take a crack at the press release. I'm definitely ready to step up and do my part.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by akimbo
I'll try to check them out next week. I saw another thread on the site that deals with advertising costs, when I have info I'll post it here and there.

I've already bent the ear of the local paper TV critic, they're considering an article for the January season restart. I planted the idea that we may have advertising for them to cover.

I may even take a crack at the press release. I'm definitely ready to step up and do my part.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Awesome! Thank you!

[Tokeya]

bump.

[kimrb]

Scapers, please take a moment and read this! I'm am not here to lecture or be some kind of 'know it all'. But. This is my turf. Meaning, this is what I do for a living. If you will take my advise you can take this simple idea and make it your single most powerful tool. I am very pleased to see so much interest in this idea. And what is happening, always happens when groups tackle a project. The idea gets picked up and then somehow morphs into a product that in no way resembles the original thought. This is not a bad thing on the surface, but what it does is mire the project in the constant tweeking of the basic idea. Precious time gets lost while the concept is twisted and turned every way the imagination can find to 'improve' the idea. The power of the media humbles almost all other outlets. The idea is to GET THE MEDIA TO DO YOUR BIDDING. Please understand that the commercial has no purpose other than to attract MEDIA ATTENTION. This is not a chance to start an andvertising campaign. It is a chance to have millions of people who have never heard of FS to start to check it out. They check it out because they saw a news story, a newpaper article, a mention on the radio (Thats the media). That is FREE PRIME TIME ADVERTISING FOR FARSCAPE, you, as a group, could never afford. Let the media do the advertising for you. You can't do that with this ad. You are NOT trying to sell FS to the masses. Thats the media's job. The whole idea is to get the media talking FS, the masses will follow. Please, all you jr. producers and soon to be Spielburg directors have to get this concept. This is not a chance to 'show the world your stuff'. This is a very good chance at saving FS. Don't over-produce, don't play with effects, don't use the zoom button on your camera, don't over-think this thing into the groud. Simple, simple, simple. You want to win an award with this ad, then think of the return of FS and season 5 as your emmy. I could build you a storyboard if I thought it would help. But until all of you understand what this simple idea is all about, you would only begin to tweek the spot all over again. This is a real chance to bring attention to your cause, don't forget that is your real weapon. This idea has great potential to do just that. I'm thru now. I don't mean to harp, but you have to understand the concept and quit tweeking. Get off the dime and start shooting your 2- 3 second individual pieces. Set up a place to send them and find someone to post this spot. Get copies to the chapters and buy 5 super-cheap ROS spots on your local cable company. It does not matter if it is ever seen by anyone on cable. Get the local media to pick up the story and they will make sure John Q hears about FS.

[Javora]

kimrb is right, keep it simple. But what is ROS spots?

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
Scapers, please take a moment and read this! I'm am not here to lecture or be some kind of 'know it all'. But. This is my turf. Meaning, this is what I do for a living.

Thanks Kim. Message received. I think the vision is still intact, we're just throwing around some side ideas. We're really spread out here in CA, making for coordination/scheduling difficulties, but we're working as fast as we can. It's a simple idea, but coordination is a little more complex. At this point, you're just going to have to trust us.

I don't know if anyone else is working on their own video or not. If anyone has shot or is going to shoot some footage but has no way to edit it, you can send it to me. I can take it on Mini-DV, VHS, VideoCD, or DVD. Send me a private message and I'll tell you where to send it. We're running with the idea just as fast as we can.

Best,

[akimbo]

ROS - Run Of Schedule or whenever they have an opening

[kimrb]

I applogize if I come off to heavy handed. You kind of get used to being a director and...well never mind. I do trust you, I know you can do this. I'll try to behave.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
I applogize if I come off to heavy handed. You kind of get used to being a director and...well never mind. I do trust you, I know you can do this. I'll try to behave.

No problem, Kim. I and everyone else appreciate your advice and efforts to keep us focused. It's just that with this project, editing the footage and assembling the video is going to be the easy part. I expect to put in a day or less on that part of it.

Actually getting the footage is the hard part. My closest two volunteers are about a 45-minute to an hour's drive away; each way. They're trying to line up some other people in their area and I'm waiting to hear back on whether I can videotape them next weekend, 10/6. The third volunteer is about an hour and a half away (again, each way), but he hasn't contacted me with his e-mail address, so I'm not even sure he's serious about this. My fourth volunteer is at the other end of the state, and she's going to shoot her own video and send it to me; but that's not going to happen until the middle of October, and then I'll need to convert it from VideoCD to a format that I can edit.

So you see, other than some test footage I shot of myself today, I don't yet have anything to work with. I live in San Jose, the largest metropolitan population in the SF Bay Area, and I can't believe there's no other SJ residents on this board who are willing to volunteer to be on-camera for this video! I even put out the call on the "scifi" e-mail distribution at work, but they're either camera-shy or only watch Star Trek, because I had no takers. I really hope someone else is out there putting a piece together as we speak, but I haven't seen anyone else step up to the plate on this one yet.

And as long as we're talking about the hard stuff, what do you, Kim, see as the drop-dead date that we need to shoot for? I've been assuming that you want to get this out and get some publicity ASAP in an effort to help sway the UPN negotiations in FS's favor; right? So given that I'm not even going to have all my footage until mid-October, add a couple of days for format conversions and editing, and then we're probably talking October 20-something before I have the video you describe ready to deliver. Is that too late?

[Kithlyara]

I'm going to try my best to get the VCD out to you by Monday Oct. 7. I'm also lacking as far as volunteers go, but even if all I have is me on there, I'll mail it out. I'm going to hit up my friends this coming Monday when they come over to see if they'd be willing to be in the commercial. If it's not too loud, I'll try to shoot people at the rally this Sat. at Balboa Park. There's a lot of tourists there, so maybe I can find some Farscape fans and film them too. That leaves Sunday afternoon/evening for uploading, etc...and I can mail it on Monday. You should have it by the 12th. It will only be about a week early, but every little bit helps, right? :)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
There's a lot of tourists there, so maybe I can find some Farscape fans and film them too. That leaves Sunday afternoon/evening for uploading, etc...and I can mail it on Monday. You should have it by the 12th. It will only be about a week early, but every little bit helps, right? :)

Hey Kith,

Cool! What the heck, even if the tourists have never heard of Farscape, get them to pitch the show anyway! It works for Letterman! ;) And thanks again for your help.

Best,

[kimrb]

The use of tourist (actors) is perfectly fine. I suggested fans to give the group the opportunity to participate, a way to come together. But if you want to collect a few saveFS posters and grab your video cam and spend a morning collecting 'bites' why not. Visit a firestation, a big grocery store, home depot, famous landmark in town, your Dr's office to get a nurse, movie theater, krispy creme, you get the idea. You might want to have a 'talent release' for people to sign. Gives you the right to use the image as you see fit and the person realizes they will recieve no compensation. Releases can do two things, scare the perp away, or make you look like you know what your doing. All in how you play it. Make sure you get each perp's 'job title' if nothing else for the super at the bottom of each bite. Take a friend, looks like you are a team, more official. Be friendly and polite and you will be surpised at how many folks will participate. Be short and sweet, you just need the 'phrase', thank them and move on to the next perp. Shoot 15-30 minimun different bites over all locations. Pick a wide cross section, young to old...blue collar, white collar...male, female. Your shooting is done. You already 'see' the spot in your head so post should be a breeze. Picking 'bites' is what is hard. Do the 'voice over' for the tag and presto! its in the 'can'. Remember, this does not have to be a polished, professional looking spot. Very simple. OK, the really toughest part is done. When do you pull the trigger? I think you have more time than you think. You MUST have the spot done and ready to distribute 10/31. By 10/31 those writing press releases will have them written and ready to go in addressed evelopes. By 10/31 those investigating the purchase of 'ROS' (run-of-schedule...its usually the cheapest buy) have made contact and know all the $ facts. Probably have an AE (account exec) already. You are only buying 5-10 spots to run for one week. November is the 'book'. TVs biggest ratings period. When advertising rates will be set for the coming year. Everybody puts their best foot forward. Especially your local news. They are looking for stories that are different, and this is certainly that. Cable networks have to compete with the big 4 for advertising and often drop their rates at this time to attract advertisers. I believe late Nov. would be a good time to drop the hammer. Just to muddy up the waters...with the last 11 eps starting in Jan. it can be argued pulling the trigger in mid-to-late Dec. would be best. It is a good arguement. It is possible advertising rates are slightly higher in mid-late Dec due to holiday advertising. It really is up to you. Whatever you decide, you must do what you can to keep the 'cause' in the public eye until you pull the trigger. Keep the heat turned up. If you already have the media's attention, the pump will be primed when its 'showtime'! This is just one old guys opinion.

[sunscaped]

Wow! kimrb, you really know your business. I've read your posts and you've given some great suggestions. Thanks for your help :aok:

I'm glad you AND your wife enjoyed your first taste of Farscape. It only gets better! :D

[DaMENACE]

I called KHBK (UPN-44 San Francisco) to find out rates, and boy do we need to make some decisions for sure or I am going to end up spinning my wheels on getting rates.

Kimrb... you said book local cable companies on ROS with 5 or so ads. And you suggested that we blanket the US (major metro areas) in these ads as much as possible. Organizing local cable companies will be cheap but much harder for the few of us coordinating this. I am not complaining, but I just want to ensure that we keep it simple. Kim, would you recommend booking one or two ads on, let's say, 13 broadcast stations in 13 major metro areas across the US? It will be more expensive per spot ($50-100) but it will cover more geographic area. Or are the media going to care where and how we booked the ads....? From what you have been saying I get the impression we should just get them on the air anywhere. Anyways, my point is that if we could book 13 large geographical locations we have a greater chance of getting the media attention. Not only that, it will probably be easier to coordinate. Am I missing the point?

On to the rates. Kimrb was right on the money when they would try to convince me to buy the luxury car over the Yugo. My Account Exec told me that we could get their DS9 2-3pm slot for $100-200. A Mon-Sun ROS spot will cost $75. My gut tells me that I can talk him down to $50... but no guarentee in that. I bet we can get two ROS spots for $100 without too much hassle.

Also, does anyone think it would help our cause with UPN if we concentrated on buying our spots on mostly UPN affiliates?

I wrote to our Marketing Team and asked a bunch of questions that need to be answered so that I can spend my time most effectively getting these rates. Basically, we need to come to some consensus on when and where we are booking these spots. I also need some direction on what type of spots to book; kimrb strongly suggests ROS spots, and I agree with that.

I am happy to do most of this footwork for rates and even the booking of these ads... I just need some guidance so that I come back with the information that we need. Like I said, if we book the spots at only a limited number of places it will be a lot easier and we can cover more of the US. Let's discuss this.

[akimbo]

I agree DaMenace.

I've contacted some local stations here in Cleveland, the only one to give me anything so far is the PAX/NBC affiliates. But we're still exchaning information.

I, too, am willing to do the legwork, but need some marching orders. Sounds like the marketing team is going to take a week or so to get their plan together (which sounds very reasonable to me, its a big job). So I'll probably not start any more conversations with local media until after the plan comes out.

[Kithlyara]

I'll help with making phone calls to cable companies if it's needed, but I will wait until after I get the VCD in the mail to beowulf :)

[Jillbles]

I like the Field of Dreams idea, but I agree that "I am Farscape." is probably the better idea. It's sort of a theme, right? But if we can't actually, legally say that, then I totally say "If you air it, we will watch," is poifect.
I am armed with a webcam, which isn't exactly great, but I'd be more than happy to give it a shot. I believe I have editing software as well.

*edit* There are a couple of professors here at work (both women, which further drives home to me how rare Farscape is in the sheer number of female fans, taken in a sci-fi context) who are also fans, and one of them has already told me that she'll do whatever she can to help out. I'm sure the other will agree, as well. If I can get a better cam than my webcam, then we'll be all good for an all-female, varying age (from my own mid-20's, to the varying 30/40ish of the professors), well educated demographic "We are Farscape." With any kind of luck, we can manage to get the university logo in the background, somewhere....

[kimrb]

When looking to purchase time, are you sure you are talking to the right outlet? When I say buy Cable, I don't mean buy time on a station that you may see on Cable, like the local NBC, ABC, CBS or FOX stations. I mean purchase time from the Cable Company that distributes your local cable service. You know, the outfit you had to sign up with to get HBO or MTV, the local cable company. They sell advertising, just like the individual stations and usually it is much cheaper. You purchase "ROS" (run of schedule) spots for the cheapest rate you can get. It simply does not matter when or on what cable channel the spots air. Just so long as they air. Heck, buying one spot could be more effective than multiple spots. How you ask? This is a grassroots movement, it's all you could afford. Thats what you tell the media. Cause this boat don't float unless you contact the media and let them know what you are up to. Thats why the quality and message of the spot are so unimportant. Just the act of using the medium to bolster your cause should be enough to get the local media to turn an eye your way. The real deal that makes this idea work is getting the Media's attention. That is the reason for the press release...to the media. David and Goliath, the little guy getting trod upon by the giant, the good ol' american underdog. Do a good job selling the press release, making sure a copy of the spot is enclosed, and the rest should take care of its self. If you can do this in 3-4-5...20 cities across the country at the same time, you have a national story that gets picked up by CNN, HLN, FOX, MSNBC and soon the whole world has heard the cry 'save FS'. Then get ready, cause you folks & FS will be big news. Local chapters had better have spokespeople ready. The website best be ready for the flood of hits. And Red should be picking out a dress for the Larry King show.

[loco2]

Hello kimrb,

Haven't said anything before, but I've been following you and your suggestions for a while. Lurking is cool. :-) Just wanted to thank you for sharing your ideas with us. Before anyone knew if you were for real, all I heard was.."his ideas are still sound and smart and clever." And they are. You are doing us a great service. And as one of those who simply cannot bear the thought of losing something so unique as Farscape before it has a chance to finish properly, I applaud you. And I'm listening to what you say as are so many people. I'll call the cable company today. Thanks.


Chris
imloco2

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
Do a good job selling the press release, making sure a copy of the spot is enclosed, and the rest should take care of its self.

Hey Kim,

Thanks for the clarification. And this raises another point that needs clarificaiton: video formats. What format should we include with the press releases? VHS? VideoCD? DVD? VHS or VideoCD would be the least expesive. At $5 a pop, DVD would get expensive fast. Likewise, do you have any idea in what format the cable company may want to receive the final commercial?

And just to update everyone on the status of the project, it's going really well now. Last weekend I did some test video and set up a 30-second Final Cut Pro template into which I can pretty much just drop the final shots when I have them. If there's any interest in seeing my ugly mug do a "I Am Farscape" ad, let me know and I'll post it for review. Raoena now has six people (3 couples), lined up to do shout-outs, and with DeMenace and myself, that makes eight. Kithlyara is sending a VideoCD with more folks from San Diego early next week, so I'll have plenty of shots to work with. In fact, I'm worried that I won't be able to fit everyone into a 30-second spot. :( Such is show biz! I expect to have this puppy ready to play well before 10/31. :aok:

Best,

[Dominar of Action]

Thank you for spearheading this, and all the others who are contributing! Sounds great

[DixonHill]

Due to the overwhelming response I see in this thread, I have to agree with beowulf that not everyone will make it into a 30 second spot. :(

Which brings up an idea ... multiple commercials.

If we can generate several different spots with the same tagline, the impact will probably be greater. I'm not sure how this will play out as far as cost, but I'd imagine that if we're not going to be picky about the time that we're aired (run-of-schedule), then not being picky about which of the commercials is aired shouldn't require that much extra effort on their part.

I just keep thinking that ad campaigns that have multiple spots running simultaneously tend to be memorable, while a single spot can get boring quickly.

Should we have someone look into this possibility?

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DixonHill
Due to the overwhelming response I see in this thread, I have to agree with beowulf that not everyone will make it into a 30 second spot. :(

Which brings up an idea ... multiple commercials.

Well, I don't think the idea is to get everyone in the ad. The idea is to generate publicity. However, I do see value in possibly having web-based spots focused on individual Scapers, like the one I worked on for myself over the weekend, on a page that the press releases, and maybe even the url at the end of the TV commercial points to. What is the advantage in this? It would give curious journalists and network programming people a place to go to get an in-depth look at Farscape's audience. They're not going to learn a whole lot from the 30-second TV spot other than, "oh look, firefighters, and mothers, and software engineers, and so on watch Farscape." But I bet Kim is right, it's going to perk up their curiosity big-time. And it would be good to have a web-page they could go to and see individual spots about FS's audience.

I think I have a good format locked down for these pieces, but the problem is that I'm starting a night class on 10/9 and don't know how much time that's going to leave me to work on this.

So the main goal is to get one commercial knocked out that we can use to get publicity, and we're going to achieve that.

Cheers!

[kimrb]

What format? Tough question. At my place of business we shoot in the the 'beta SP format. I know you have never heard of it, it is a professional format generally not available to John Q. We xfer everthing to digital and edit and output in the digital format. We use the "avi" digital foramt and it is widely accepted. Problem is not many stations (especially in smaller markets) are digital ready. I would suggest one of two formats. 1) Video CD. Almost anyone can play and transfer them, good quality, relavtiely low cost and easy to distribute via snail mail. 2) VHS. Everybody has this and although the quality is not all that good it is probably your best choice. Ask the cable company you're doing business with what they want. Check with the local newspaper, bet VHS ends up the format you'll use. You want whomever in the media to be able to see it, TV-Newspapers-radio. VHS is probably your best bet. You're not trying to impress with your tech know how, you just want to be sure they can see the spot. VHS tapes can be purchased in 5 minute run times (thats all you need) and so can be pretty cheap. Ahhh, the cutting room floor. Its part of the biz. Try your very best to offer a diverse group in the spot. Old/young...blue collar/white collar...male/female...rich/poor. The object being to demonstrate your diversity. Not everyone can make it, thats just the way it is. If you want to expand into web spots or whatever, go for it. Make as many spots as you like. But, MAKE THIS ONE SPOT FIRST!!! Resist all temptations to expand and such. Do this media thing first. Get the PR working for you with people who know absolutely nothing about FS and save your show. Hope this helps. I always check the board 3-4 times a day. I don't read everything so if you want to PM me I don't mind at all.

[Kithlyara]

I would LOVE to see the video of you beowulf! It will give me an idea of what to film. What format do you want the clips in? MPEG, AVI,...? Just a heads up, I'm going to have a clip of my 3yr old daughter in there saying her name, her age, and "I am Farscape". If I don't she won't leave me alone to film mine and my husband's shots. It will be the first clip on the VCD, so just edit it out if you see fit :)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I would LOVE to see the video of you beowulf! It will give me an idea of what to film. What format do you want the clips in? MPEG, AVI,...? Just a heads up, I'm going to have a clip of my 3yr old daughter in there saying her name, her age, and "I am Farscape". If I don't she won't leave me alone to film mine and my husband's shots. It will be the first clip on the VCD, so just edit it out if you see fit :)

Hey Kith,

Okay, you can view the video at: Farswitch Test Video (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/). You'll need QuickTime installed to see it, and remember, this is not broadcast quality; it's been greatly reduced to present on the web.

To make it, I basically followed the model I outlined in an earlier post. I answered the 5 questions I posted (which resulted in only about 2 minutes worth of video), edited the best parts down to 30 seconds, added the fade-in/fade-out, and added the music and set the audio levels. It's pretty basic. Probably using the Farscape theme music is not a very good idea for the broadcast video, since it's copyrighted. I have a library of royalty-free music that I can draw from for our broadcast spot.

Regarding the format of your footage to me: VideoCD is a specific format different from MPEG and AVI (at its heart, it is MPEG-1, but it has been "flattened" into a data format that can't be just dropped into a video editor...not one I know about anyway...). It would actually be a lot easier for me if you can save your clips in AVI format on a CD-ROM, and then I can just import them right into Final Cut with no additional conversion steps. Send me e-mail if you have more questions.

Seeya!

[DixonHill]

Dude, that rocked. My hat's off to beowulf for the great work on that quicktime commercial. It's pretty much what I had envisioned when I started reading this thread, but it was put together better than I ever could have done it. Powerful stuff.

I'd love to see at least a half dozen of those rotating on SciFi and other channels. The key would be to pick a sample of the Scapers who have the widest background. It's just too easy to find people in computing who like sci-fi shows (I'm also in software, just like beowulf), so we'll need to pick candidates for the commercials based on demographics. Age, Sex, Occupation, Region, etc. Ideally, the range should be everything from a 20-year-old, female, accounting student in Australia, to a 70-year-old, male, zoologist from Zurich.

Another option might be 15 seconds of one person talking about the show and saying "I am Farscape" followed by a collage of other people saying "I am Farscape" for the final 15 seconds. There's also a convention in LA later this year, so it would be amazing to get everyone on the floor to yell something like "We are Farscape" for one of the spots.

Ok, I'm getting giddy now and it's too late an hour for that type of thing. See y'all tomorrow.

Again, great work beowulf!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DixonHill
Dude, that rocked. My hat's off to beowulf for the great work on that quicktime commercial. It's pretty much what I had envisioned when I started reading this thread, but it was put together better than I ever could have done it. Powerful stuff.

Thanks so much. That means a lot to me. I just hope that, 1) I find the time and energy to produce a whole series of these, and 2) they help to save the show! :aok:

Best,

[akimbo]

That was great Beowulf. I wish I was on the left coast to help you out. I'm ready to help get it on the air when you're ready though.

Thanks! :aok:

[Da-Met]

beowolf that I am Farscape spot of yours is really cool!!!

I havent read through all this thread yet, but just to let anyone know if you want/need a video with footage from the show you're welcome to use the save farscape vid i made a few weeks back in any sort of press kits or wahtever


We shan't sayeth Die! We Shan't!!!!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Da-Met
I havent read through all this thread yet, but just to let anyone know if you want/need a video with footage from the show you're welcome to use the save farscape vid i made a few weeks back in any sort of press kits or wahtever

Thanks! We've been warned away from using any of the Henson copyrighted material, but I and I'm sure many others would love to see your video. Please post the url if it's available somewhere on the web!

Best,

[trust7]

I have started a Dallas and Texas thread in the Americas, if you are from dallas or texas both SOUND OFF so we can get our billboard and other ideas going!

[DaMENACE]

Hi gang!

I am making some progress on the rates and I wanted to share what I have done and learned.

I have found a national cable advertising broker called National Cable Communications. I am working with an account exec out of their San Francisco office. They have contracts with cable companies all over the country, and they are currently putting together rate quotes of the most inexpensive ROS ad spots in about 20 of the major areas in the country. It took me awhile to find this company to work with, and what it will allow us to do is to book the spots all across the country at roughly the same time. Brokers rule!

If you are still calling your local cable companies to get rates, I am going to be curious how they compare to the rates National Cable will quote us.

I asked about what kind of format we need from a couple of different cable comapnies and brokers... they all answered that we need to get this commercial in Beta SP format. Yikes! I don't have any equipment that can do that, but I am checking around... I *may* know someone that does have the equipment. If not maybe someone out there knows someone. Otherwise we are going to end up paying a production house to copy our commercial on Beta SP. At the very least we are going to have to purchase Beta SP tapes. This is another cost we need to take into consideration.

I will get back to you with the rates when I have them. Have a great weekend and I look forward to meeting some of you at the shoot this weekend!

Denis DaMENACE

[DaMENACE]

Just a side note...

Our account exec at National Cable Communications was shocked that they canceled Farscape because it was one of Sci Fi's highest rated shows and this is what she wrote me:

"Thanks Denis. This is a great cause. Farscape is a highly rated program on
Sci-Fi, and cable in general. I would hate to see it disappear."


See, the word is not out yet. Even people in the TV ad industry don't even know about this yet. That means there are untapped fans of the show... we need to contiue to get the word out!

[kimrb]

Beta SP. It figures. This format is probably the most widely accepted format. Sony recently announced they were no longer going to manufacture the format as digital rises on the horizon. But it is in use almost everywhere and so you have to deal with it. Remember, only the broadcast outlets need the spot in this format. Copies enclosed in press releases can be VHS or CD-ROM or DVD. This can be done. You just need a friend in the TV business. The spot can be mastered in a digital format (avi) then dumped to Beta SP as often as needed. I'm really going to regret this but...I can probably supply the Beta SP tapes and make a reasonable number of dubs for the group. Provided, the spot can be delivered to me, complete, ready for air in the digital .avi format. This is an OTO offer. I won't do any labelling or such and I would have to do this on my own time. But if you are serious about this effort and will promise to make every effort on getting the media's attention thru press releases, phone calls and such then you can count this as my contribution to the cause. I will absorb the costs and will deliver the dubs to a single location via UPS or somebody like that. I can't believe I just did this. Frell! I've only seen the first two eps. I must be crazy! Please feel free to contact me via email or PM. Just be gentle, this is my first time.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DaMENACE
I asked about what kind of format we need from a couple of different cable comapnies and brokers... they all answered that we need to get this commercial in Beta SP format. Yikes!

Great work, Denis! Thanks! On these beta SP tapes: I'm assuming that we'll need one tape for each cable company with whom we book a spot. So if we book with three cable co's in three cities, we'll need to provide three beta SP tapes; correct?

Best,

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
I can probably supply the Beta SP tapes and make a reasonable number of dubs for the group. Provided, the spot can be delivered to me, complete, ready for air in the digital .avi format. This is an OTO offer. I won't do any labelling or such and I would have to do this on my own time. [snip] I will absorb the costs and will deliver the dubs to a single location via UPS or somebody like that.

I've volunteered to be Kim's point-of-contact for this and to help cover the shipping & handling costs. I can do the labelling, and then work with Denis on getting the tapes into the hands of the cable companies. I'm also willing to provide the media and the dubbing for the VHS tapes that we're planning to include with the press releases to the media.

Many, many, thanks to Kim for his generous offer! :aok:

Best,

[kimrb]

This is a group effort. And though I really don't feel like a card carrying member of FS fandom, it IS something I can do for the cause. It is my pleasure. Let's do this right.

[Dominar of Action]

I just have to interrupt all of your creative planning and organizing to say that the cooperation displayed by all involved with this project over the past couple of weeks has been inspiring. Just goes to show how we each have our own unique talents to contribute to the common cause.

You guys rock!

Yay Team!!

:joy:

(Oh, BTW, anyone out in Seattle want to lend Kim their S1 DVDs? I mean, if the poor man is going to help us like this, the least we can do is to further corrup.....er, I mean, help him get caught up to date. :) )

[loco2]

Looks like we've got some moving and shaking going on here. I have a question for.... somebody.

I have contacted a local cable company in one of the larger cities in KY and they are drawing up a plan for me to air spots. I am going to need something to give them to air. She quoted me between $300 and $500 for production costs to make up something here and I can't foot that and the air time too. How would I go about getting a copy of the spot you guys are talking about?

And kim, we can't believe we're doing this either. :help:


Chris
imloco2

[beowulf]

Originally posted by loco2
I have contacted a local cable company in one of the larger cities in KY and they are drawing up a plan for me to air spots. I am going to need something to give them to air.

Hey Chris,

Some moving and shaking in KY too! :aok: Have they quoted any prices yet? Did you specify run-of-schedule? You should probably trade notes with Denis DeMenace; he's handling the quote-getting here on the Left Coast. Thanks for taking the initiative!

Best,

[Kithlyara]

Who is handling writing the press release? I will do it, if no one else is working on it. I don't want to duplicate anyone's efforts here :)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
Who is handling writing the press release? I will do it, if no one else is working on it. I don't want to duplicate anyone's efforts here :)

If memory serves (and it often doesn't...), Akimbo said he might take a crack at it, so you might want to PM him. I was going to whip something up if no one else had drafted one by the time we're really ready to move on this. Personally, I don't see it as a high priority until we have price quotes in hand and money pledged to cover the airtime. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to get started if you want a crack at it. I view it the same as the video: we can take the good parts of everyone's efforts and mold it into a final piece for which we can all be proud.

Best,

[loco2]

The ad rep sent me a list of prices for each spot on each network for different times. I gave her a starting price and she was going to work up which networks would be best and how often I could run them.

I don't know from ' run of schedule'. Someone want to clue me in?

And I'm still needing something to give them to run. Will it be available for others to use maybe at a later date? Or whenever you finalize your plans?

I have no idea when you are thinking about running yours. I was thinking just before the show airs in late Dec or Jan would be best.

So much to think about....:eek:

Chris
imloco2

[beowulf]

Originally posted by loco2
I don't know from ' run of schedule'. Someone want to clue me in?

And I'm still needing something to give them to run. Will it be available for others to use maybe at a later date? Or whenever you finalize your plans?

I have no idea when you are thinking about running yours. I was thinking just before the show airs in late Dec or Jan would be best.

So much to think about....:eek:


Yes, it is rather confusing for those of us who don't do it for a living, but if you read back through the thread, most of your questions have already been answered. KimRB has explained run-of-schedule a couple of times; in a nutshell, it's the most affordable form of cable advertising. Kim has also suggested shooting to get the ad on the air during the November sweeps. The media is always hungry for bits of entertainment-related material during that period. Remember, the ad isn't intended to introduce people to Farscape, it's meant to get publicity and influence the UPN-Farscape negotiations; much more important, IMHO. And if you look at a post from DeMenace from earlier today, you'll see that he is working with a broker who claims to be able to place ads on cable networks nationwide.

What might be really helpful is if you could go back to your contacts and let them know we want ROS rates for November. We'll have an ad for them in industry-standard format on Beta SP tape. After you have the quotes from them, connect up with DeMenace so you two can compare rates and see whether this broker is giving us a good deal, or whether we should look at booking this thing ourselves.

Does that sound like a plan? :aok:

Best,

[DaMENACE]

I don't have a complete list of rates yet, but I do have an idea of the cost, at it is really not bad at all.

For instance in Seattle, I have been quoted less than $16 for one 30 second ROS spot. So it looks like we can run this nationwide for less than $200. My guess is we will hit a range of $10-$25 for ROS spots, and the broker seems dedicated to helping us and they understand our goal.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DaMENACE
I don't have a complete list of rates yet, but I do have an idea of the cost, at it is really not bad at all.

For instance in Seattle, I have been quoted less than $16 for one 30 second ROS spot. So it looks like we can run this nationwide for less than $200. My guess is we will hit a range of $10-$25 for ROS spots, and the broker seems dedicated to helping us and they understand our goal.

Wow! That's really, REALLY good news! Thanks DaMenace (and apologies for misspelling your handle in previous posts). Looking forward to meeting you face-to-face on Sunday!

Best,

[kimrb]

Cable TV advertising is major bang for the buck. We're not going to make the AE wealthy, but if we can get her to understand our mission and assist as best she can, she can look with pride at her part in the master plan. Not to mention any attention the press might throw her way. The media is a strange beast. If we can master the press releases to our best advantage the response could be....well pretty cool. If we can bring this to national attention status, you will be surprised at who will crawl out of the woodwork. We have allies we can't even imagine just waiting to come to our aid. They just don't know who and what we are, or even what we want. Educate them, with the media doing the work for us, and watch the chips fly. This simple idea can succeed, can save FS. We just have to approach this in a very professional manner. Keep your eye on the ball and believe it can be done. Because my friends, you can do this and become the stuff of legend.

[loco2]

Thanks for the info... I don't know if I can go back and read 8 pages of stuff :eek: I'll let her know that I need a quote for ROS for November and see what she says. She did say Beta was one of their standard formats that they used so that should be good.


Chris
imloco2

[sunscaped]

I was at the Orlando Rally today and had a video camera. I've got about 2 minutes total, some of it groups of scapers in front of and inside the venue and some of it scapers saying "I am Farscape".

I used a Compact VHS camcorder videocassette, and I don't know enough about formats to know if it can be used as is, or if I need to put it onto a regular VHS tape.

Let me know if I can help,
Toni

[beowulf]

Originally posted by sunscaped
I was at the Orlando Rally today and had a video camera. I've got about 2 minutes total, some of it groups of scapers in front of and inside the venue and some of it scapers saying "I am Farscape".

Hey Toni,

Thanks so much. I don't have any way to convert that format into one I can use, so it wouldn't do much good to send it to me. However, I received an e-mail from the Save Farscape Yahoo! group list, and apparently Fox News is looking for rally footage. Please contact Makiko, <sabine101@juno.com> to get the submission details. Good luck! :aok:

Best,

[Kithlyara]

I am trying to compress the video down so it's not in the something huge MB range, but this is the first time I've done anything like this. Can someone please help me! I have Ulead version 6, QuickTime, QuickEditor, and some software that came with my camcorder. I also have WinZip. I can download any other software that's needed, so long as it's free. Please help me with this!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I am trying to compress the video down so it's not in the something huge MB range, but this is the first time I've done anything like this. Can someone please help me! I have Ulead version 6, QuickTime, QuickEditor, and some software that came with my camcorder. I also have WinZip. I can download any other software that's needed, so long as it's free. Please help me with this!

Kith,

I just sent you e-mail about this, so this is really for anyone else sending me video via CD. You only need to compress it enough to get it onto a CD, or you can break it up and put it on 2 CD's if needed. I wouldn't use anything greater than MPEG-1 compression, because greater compression = lesser quality. Another way of putting it: the bigger the file, the higher the video quality. And we want the highest quality possible for broadcast television. CD's are cheap, content is not, so use multiple CD's to preserve the quality of the content if needed. Thanks!

Best,

[akimbo]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
Who is handling writing the press release? I will do it, if no one else is working on it. I don't want to duplicate anyone's efforts here :)

Beowulf is right, I said I'd take a crack at it, but I backed off a bit waiting for the advertising team to pick up some speed.

I got some contacts about ad pricing too. But haven't pursued it beyond this:

Cleveland:
PAX daytime is around $40 and prime $100-$175.

NBC affiliate morning and daytime $175-$450, Early Fringe 3p-6p $250-$800.

[Twich]

What are you doing press releases for? Don't forget you have a professional marketing team on hand here at wdsection...want to let us in on things? Maybe we can help?


(Sorry..just picking up this thread now and hoping for a recap without sorting through eight pages...)

Email me if you like...

twich@wdsection.com

[beowulf]

Oriiginally posted by Twich
What are you doing press releases for? Don't forget you have a professional marketing team on hand here at wdsection...want to let us in on things? Maybe we can help?

Hey Twich,

Yes, we've been letting the press release and funding issues slide until we actually have the commercial video and cable placement pricing quotes complete. That should happen within the next few days. If at that point, it looks like a project that WDSection wants to get behind, then we will certainly want you to. Akimbo and Kithlyara have both expressed interest in working on the press release, and since they've both been actively following this thread from the beginning, it would be cool that, if this does turn into an "officially" sponsored campaign, you would work with them. DeMenace and I have pledged to make VideoCD's of the commercial spot to include with the press releeases, and KimRB has graciously offered to make the beta SP tapes needed by the cable companies to air the ad. All we need now is the ad....

And on that count, I'm happy to report that all my footage is complete and I'm now putting together the ad. I'm expecting to receive more video from contributors in San Diego and Australia, so I'm going to wait on that footage before completing the piece, but I hope to have something posted on the web for everyone to review this week. :aok:

[Kithlyara]

I will have 11 total "interviews" on my footage. The first, as promised, is of my 3yr old. I did get her to say "I just want to see the rest of the story". I was shooting from above her, with a close up on her face so her already big eyes are even bigger. She had this little exasperated tone in her voice because she wanted me to leave her alone. It works great for the commercial (if it's included) because she sounds like she's fed up with not having Farscape on. It is so precious, but then again, I am a little biased about my daughters (see under my screen name lol!)

The footage will be sent out tomorrow! I can't wait to see it finished!


edited because I type too fast and missed a word...argh....

[DaMENACE]

Here is the latest update on the broker and rates:

The broker is still working on the rates for us. They are trying to get us to buy time specifically on the SciFi channel during Farscape, so I told her I want those rates, but that is not our goal at this moment. We may want to buy specific time on Farscape, but not right now. I reiterated our goals of the intial commercial run which are: run them wherever is the cheapest and let the media do our work. The cable company's are at a loss as to what we are doing so she is getting a lot of questions about why we are going cheap, cheap, cheap. My answer was we don't have a lot of money to do this, so we need the cheapest rates. We don't care if it is running at 2am on Nick at Night. They are not used to that I guess.

Another important bit I found out was that we are going to have to send the Beta SP copies directly to the cable companies. Our broker will supply names and addresses, but we are on our own when it comes to shipping the copies out. We need to keep that in mind for cost reasons. Once we pick the locations, I will compile the addresses and coordinate with whoever (probably David) is sending out the tapes.

Again, I will update us all with rates as soon as I get them.

Denis DaMENACE

PS- I have contacted Maria from the Marketing team to begin the coordination of the press releases. We are still at very early stages of this and we can use all the professional PR support we can get.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DaMENACE
Another important bit I found out was that we are going to have to send the Beta SP copies directly to the cable companies. Our broker will supply names and addresses, but we are on our own when it comes to shipping the copies out. We need to keep that in mind for cost reasons. Once we pick the locations, I will compile the addresses and coordinate with whoever (probably David) is sending out the tapes.

Ah, that's what I suspected. Yes, since I will be receiving the tapes from Kim, I will also volunteer to coordinate the distribution of those tapes. Thanks for the update Denis!

Best,

[Kithlyara]

I'm almost done converting the footage I filmed. Unfortunately, since I have a job interview I have to get ready for, it won't be out in the mail until tomorrow. I'm really sorry about that! I'll send it priority mail, so it should get to beowulf by the end of the week.

I'm really excited this is all coming together! Do you need my help for anything else? Please???? lol! Seriously, I've had a lot of fun working on this, and I would love to continue helping, if it all possible, now that I'm done filming.

[Oberst Kilhmar]

Any news/movie clips/anything on the October 5. rally in Atlanta with Gigi and company?

-The Colonel

[loco2]

For Lexington KY. Second largest market in the state. The ad person cooled a little bit with the ROS request and tried to play it off like she'd never heard of it before. But I explained it to her... :rollin: This is what she came up with...

....24 Hour rotation spots. Meaning the spot can run at anytime day or night. The
rates are as follows:
Lexington - $14 a spot
Richmond: $4 a spot
Winchester: $3.50 a spot
Nicholasville: $3.00 a spot
Versailles: $2 a spot
Georgetown: $3 a spot

Entire Metro 24 Hour ROS Rates:
$30 per spot in all areas

How does that stack up with other rates?


Chris
imloco2

[DaMENACE]

That looks very comparable to the rates I have for the Seattle area. Make sure you ask what type of format they need.

Still haven't heard back from my broker, and I was too busy to call today.

Thanks for your local rates loco... that is a huge help.

[loco2]

I know it doesn't matter, but just in case the spot actually caused one of our most beloved Neilsen family members to turn on the Sci Fi channel in January to watch Farscape, the ad rep suggested these as her picks of channels that would hit our audience best.

MTV, TNT, TNN, FX & Discovery

Beta is the preferred tape format... but they'll take 3/4 inch....

And do we have any time frame we're shooting for on this thing?


Chris
imloco2

[kimrb]

When contacting "CABLE" companies (not television stations) you ask for prices for "ROS" (run-of-schudle) rates. Your AE (account exec) will try to steer you in many directions, they work on commission. Remember, we are not 'advertising' for FS. We are not trying to attract new viewers with this spot. You want the absolute cheapest rates you can get. Period. Time of day, channel, nothing matters other than the spot has to run somewhere, sometime on that cable network. There is no 'best place' to run the spot. Look at dates in mid-late November and last week of December. The spot runs from 2-5 times in a one week period. This is just but one part of a bigger game. First move in a chess game. We want to do this for as little money as possible. Don't be shy and don't be intimidated when asking for the cheapest thing they got, cause its really all you need.

[loco2]

Actually, the ad rep finally confessed that the cable co had sold the ad rights to AT&T, who she really works for, and that they put spots in both Insight (Lex) and Adelphia (surrounding counties) Co's. Two for the price of one. I just thought that was very interesting. The cable channel is not even doing their own advertising stuff. And she has never mentioned ROS running 2 or 5 times a week. According to her ROS is the cheapest but you still have to pick a channel and buy it spot by spot.

Of course she also said she didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned ROS the first time, but I explained it to her. :D Thanks for all the great advice.


Chris
imloco2

[kimrb]

Loco2 welcome to the swamp. AT&T is big time cable and big time money squeezers. If they know you are a rookie, they will work you hard for every dime they can get. They'll make crap up 'cause they know you don't know enough to call them on their tactics. There is one member of the group who is working thru a broker in attempt to get multi-market rates. This approach may be our best shot at the lowest cost. As well as much simpler for us a group to coordinate. I can tell you, and everyone else following this thread, that things are progessing very well with this project and some exciting developments are just over the horizon. I know I am excited about how things are coming together and at the moment we are ahead of our timeline. I, for one, couldn't be happier with the progress so far. Stay tuned folks, this is gonna be one hell of a fun ride.

[Dominar of Action]

Uh-oh, Freudian slip ... Kimrb said "us" :D

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
I can tell you, and everyone else following this thread, that things are progessing very well with this project and some exciting developments are just over the horizon. I know I am excited about how things are coming together and at the moment we are ahead of our timeline. I, for one, couldn't be happier with the progress so far. Stay tuned folks, this is gonna be one hell of a fun ride.

I think this is Kim's way of saying, "there's a reason why Beowulf has finally shut up!" :D Just to update everyone: I'm still anticipating video footage from San Diego and Australia, but I have not been sitting idle. While the broadcast "group" commercial spot is not yet ready to unveil, there are three new web-based, individual spots that you can view here: FarSwitch (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/)

These are QuickTime streaming encoded, and best viewed with QT 6.0 (available for Wintel too).

Best,

[kimrb]

What the frell could I be thinking!!?? Did I say 'us'? I did, didn't I. The cat's out of the bag (actually they are in the shower in the master bath). If you all don't mind, I would like to take up the cause and assist as I can. Through your efforts my wife and I have discovered something unique. I'd like to return the favor, if I can.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
If you all don't mind, I would like to take up the cause and assist as I can. Through your efforts my wife and I have discovered something unique. I'd like to return the favor, if I can.

Can I get a Hell Yeah!? :aok:

[Dominar of Action]

No, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't mind ;) but you've already done more than you could possibly know.

[Kithlyara]

You haven't gotten my footage yet? It was mailed out priority mail, so you should receive it tomorrow at the latest if you didn't receive it today. When you get the footage, please let me know if it arrived okay :)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
You haven't gotten my footage yet?

Hey Kith,

Not yet. Maybe tamale. Don't worry, as Kim says, we're ahead of schedule.

Best,

[Tiriel]

bumbe dee bumb :D

Tiriel :eek:

[Kithlyara]

Originally posted by Tiriel
bumbe dee bumb :D

Tiriel :eek:

When I saw the new post, and clicked on the thread to read it, I thought myself "it's probably a bumpity bump" How odd is that?

Tiriel, are you messing with my mind? :eek2: lol

[Tiriel]

(((Kithlyara))) LOL!

Just being a bit psychic :D

Hehe, I'm so looking forward to meeting you at the con :) We'll have lots of fun (and maybe we could go on tour with these little tricks and show John Edward what REAL psychics look like!!! :D)

Love,

Tiriel :eek:

(PS: Aaah! THAT's how you spell bumpity bump! :))

[DaMENACE]

The broker has given me rates. Anyone that wants a list can e-mail me at: deymann@fanboyz.com

They aren't as great as I hoped, but not the worst thing in the world either... unless you look at the ad rate for New York.

Beowulf and the marketing team has the rates as well.

[SurferGirl]

This idea came up between a fellow Hawaii scaper and myself a few weeks ago--

Invite Ben and Tammi and whomever else we know who surfs to one of the amateur competitions here on Oahu (I'm actually on the Big Island, she's from Oahu).

The idea fleshed itself out to the point that I dug around about the sponsors of the surf competitions.

Mt.Dew (:D ) is one of the sponsors of Vans Triple Crown series here. Ford Trucks, Gillette, FOX Sports and NBC Sports are also sponsors. Guess who else? Xbox. Microsoft.

Right now, UPN is running with a television sweepstakes called "15 Minutes of Fame" with PEPSI (who owns Mt.Dew).

Pepsi also is a huge sponsor of NASCAR.


Of course, the common thread with most of it is the Ben factor---Mt. Dew, NASCAR, surfing...

Got to get him to bite on the idea of coming here first---but the behind the scenes work is already in progress, finding potential sponsors for hotel/airfare (no expenditures by the fans). We here are more than willing to go all the way in contacting each and every local business who might give us something useful, just in case we get an acceptance on this invite.

Another huge event being held here on the Big Island is The Ironman Competition. I just got back from Kona and this whole thing is so massive, such a media blitz it's amazing. Every single advertiser in the sports (and other) world is here. Live coverage! Signs and posters for VW, Saucony,Reebok---you name it, they're here this coming weekend.

Although I am the only Big Island Scaper, I am willing to make up a huge silk screen banner to hold during the competition, hopefully either one of the cameras will pick it up, or (knowing how aggressive I am) I will be brave enough to just approach one or two of the broadcasters in a lull.

My problem is not talking to these people, it's what to say. I do not have any kind of presskit and I definitely have doubts about being succinct for a 15 second soundbyte.

If anybody can give suggestions as to what I might want to hand to some of the broadcasters? I have color flyers, but it's more for people who can look at the websites at their leisure.

So what do you all think of our crazy idea (and no, we're not smoking too much pakalolo!)


SurferGirl

[lightningbox]

I've been following this thread pretty regularly, and one thing I haven't seen, though I may have missed a page somewhere, is how the ROS will be paid for. Will you guys be receiving funds from the Beyond Hope fund? Are you pretty much on your own? I have been unable to contribute to this astounding idea (my husband is a video editor, among other things, but he sold all of his equipment a couple of years ago), so I thought I could at least contribute monetarily. It wouldn't be an impressive amount, but it would at least be something.
BTW, you guys are all pretty cool. When I first saw kimrb's idea, it was neat. Then everyone seemed to get a little lost with it, and I worried. Now, it's actually happening -- how awesome! I'm really impressed with everyone's creativity and determination.

[cofax]

If anybody can give suggestions as to what I might want to hand to some of the broadcasters? I have color flyers, but it's more for people who can look at the websites at their leisure.

Well, you can print off some of the press releases from SF.com -- if you go to the main page you'll find the links. Or talk to the SF media team -- that's media@wdsection.com. They've got some materials we're pulling together.

[DaMENACE]

Originally posted by lightningbox
...Will you guys be receiving funds from the Beyond Hope fund? Are you pretty much on your own? I have been unable to contribute to this astounding idea (my husband is a video editor, among other things, but he sold all of his equipment a couple of years ago), so I thought I could at least contribute monetarily. It wouldn't be an impressive amount, but it would at least be something.


Thanks for your pledge of support. I'm not the official spokesperson for this plan or anything, but I have been in contact with the marketing group, and they are pretty familiar with our plan. I took it upon myself to ask them for some of the Beyond Hope funds for this project. It is now up to the fund managers to decide where the money goes. Whether we get money or not from Beyond Hope we will find a way to make this happen... If the funds are not available we will probably try to raise them on the boards etc.

So... if you really want to contribute to this project via funds, I suggest you see if Beyond Hope is able to fund it or not. I encourage you to contribute to Beyond Hope anyways if you are able, as they are a worthy cause in this campaign... Beyond Hope is doing some great, great work. I guess what I am saying is that we may need individual support from people like you. I myself, am working very hard to keep the cost of this under control so that we can pull it off. This will be done, in total for less than $1000 easy... and I want to do it for less than $500.


Keep your eyes open on the board and if Beyond Hope is able to contribute, we will announce it.

[kimrb]

This project is still in the info gathering stages with pre-production going on in the background. Know this, it is very possible to pull this off, all across the country, for $1K or less. Really. With a well done press release and more hard work from the fans, we could end up with PR worth $Millions. The chance to reach out and touch people who have never heard of FS using the credibilty of the media as our hook is huge. And that is how we win this war, by introducing new people to FS. Turn strangers into fans. This is a very doable project.

[jfranka]

To be honest, I am behind (a lot) in reading this thread, so if this was hashed out already, please forgive me. I am in the process of getting through this thread, but I wanted to make a suggestion, if I may.

Eariler last week, I took my idea for my suggestion for a possible TV Guide and/or USA Today ad, and made a 30-second video that I am putting on the tapes of Farscape that I am leaving around.

The written copy of the ad goes something like this (I'm writing from memory):

Yes, this is an ad for Farscape.

TV Guide called Farscape "The best Science Fiction show on television."

No, this ad was not paid for by the Sci-Fi channel.

Nor was it paid for by it's parent company, USA Network.

And it wasn't paid for by any other network.

So who paid for this ad?

The fans.

Yes. The show is that good.

Farscape.
New shows in January on Sci-Fi, check local listings


The words are yellow on a black backround, and they fade in and out. No sound at all. (This way people will think there's something wrong with their TV and look at the screen to see. :) )

I think it came off well, and it doesn't involve any actors, copyrights, etc. I would like to submit it as a possible choice of ads to be put on television. (If this is where we are going with this, as I said, I haven't completely finished reading this thread.)

If anyone is interested in seeing the finished ad, I can put it on the CT-Save Farscape website tonight and post a link to it. I am at work, so I can't do it now.

Sorry if I am coming off as egotisitcal, I don't mean to.

....now I'll go back to reading this thread..... :)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by jfranka
If anyone is interested in seeing the finished ad, I can put it on the CT-Save Farscape website tonight and post a link to it. I am at work, so I can't do it now.

Heck Yeah, post it. Remember, getting something on TV is only a small facet of Kim's plan; the hook, if you will. Once the media finds out that these crazy Farscape fans have aired their own commercial, they're going to be combing the web, looking for material. The more they can find, the better.

I've put up a continually growing page of "I Am Farscape" spots (trying to do at least one edit a day), at Farswitch (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/) and I encourage anyone else with video to get it on the web if you can. Also, I have no personal ties with the rough cut ads I've sent to Kim; if everyone seems to like something else better, I'll gladly step aside in favor of that. I just want to save the show.

Seeya!

[jfranka]

I've been trying to upload it, and I'm have trouble doing it. The server keeps timing-out even though I have a DSL connection. Help? (The zip file is about 60Mgs)

[akimbo]

Awesome clips Beowulf you've got a lot of demographics covered. I love'em. I'm not necessarily good and putting commercials together though, so I'll leave that up to the experts.

I like jfranka's idea of text and silence grabbing people's attention. Maybe we can marry the two of them together or have two kinds of commercials because I really like the idea of putting the faces of Farscape fans out there and letting them say it in their own words.

Cool.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by akimbo
Awesome clips Beowulf you've got a lot of demographics covered. I love'em. I'm not necessarily good and putting commercials together though, so I'll leave that up to the experts.

Thanks for the kind words, Akimbo. Kim's the expert, I'm just trying to approach the vision he laid out in this thread. I'm torn on the silent ad form. I've seen it used on TV, and it can be powerful, but it's usually reserved for very serious subjects like anti-smoking, cancer, child abuse, 9/11, and so on. To me, having a silent ad on television is a little like using a Ferrari as a decorative planter; it's the wrong use for the vehicle. Put another way, silent ads are for newspapers and magazines. I've also heard marketing people I've known and worked with over the years make the case that TV is not the place for a lot of print because people don't watch TV to read. [shrug]

I also always return to my favorite model for successful advertising: Apple. From their "1984" ad to the "Think Different" and "Switch" campaigns, they always get a lot of attention, a few awards, and they get people talking. And they've never done a silent or text-heavy ad. So that's my plan: in the absence of any real knowledge or experience, emulate success! ;)

Cheers!

[jfranka]

I have to agree with both of you, Akimbo & Beowulf.

Maybe a combination of the two ideas would work. Perhaps the text, or a shorter version of it, could still be used with footage in the backround.

I have to admit, the clip I made is rather plain.


If I could get the frelling thing to upload.....:headbang:

[jfranka]

Ok, I think I've got it. If you want to see my ad, go to Http://www.JFAPlanet.com/farscape.htm and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the link, download, unzip and run on your media player (it's an .avi file.) Then let me know what you think. Thanks for your kind attention.

[kimrb]

Jfrank! I hope I got that right. By the time I read a post and go to reply I forget people's handle. You'd think I'd right it down. Its hell to get old. I have a very old computer and it would have taken me around 3 hours to download and check out your work. However, from your description I believe I can see your concept in my head. I have seen the technique used on many occasions. It is a powerful way to deliver a message. Beowulf is right in many respects in his comments. The truth is the message of the spot we want to run really doesn't matter because we are not advertising to get new viewers. We're advertising to get media attention, which if all goes as planned, will get the spot and the FS story out many, many brand new potential scapers. We want the media to do the advertising for us. I originally came up with a concept that was easy to do and when it does make national media will give a good representation of who and what scapers are. Beowulf has gone way out of his way to assist in this matter and his work is to be applauded. I think when it comes time to post the spot for all to see many of you will be pleased. I'm sure many will have something to say good and bad, as well as lots of suggestions. And that will be great. We'll deal with that as it comes. Beowulf may have already done that, I'm so far behind with whats going on here on the board. I think the place we are right now is gathering the best info on ad rates across the country and producing a quality press release and press strategy. We are right at the cusp of having the rates and such nailed down. And I, in a pain pill induced stupor, agreed to put together a press release. I should have that done soon, very soon I hope. My desk is filled with notes and I just have to get it together. When I have shared that with those who's opinion and OK I feel I need, I will post it here on the board for all to read. I would like to take a moment here and thank everyone who has worked so hard on this project. And to the many having voiced approval of the concept and offered encouragement. In the end, it will be a true scaper's project. About as grassroots as they come. And if we do it right, the opportunity to reach a huge group of new people who have never heard of FS will be achieved. I promise all who read this thread that a detailed battle plan will be posted before any $$ or spots ever run. There is so much talent and skill out there among the fans that we want as much imput as possible to insure success. Man am I long winded or what? One last thing. I would like to see a place on the board where all of the video work done by the fans can be found. A sampler of the talent found in the group and a resource for all scapers to use in projects or press releases of their own. Just a thought. We'll keep you posted.

[beowulf]

Hey Everybody,

Just want to let you know that I've just posted 3 new videos at Farswitch (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/). This batch comes from footage I received from Scapers in San Diego and Australia. The two Aussie spots are of Fionna and Mario, puppeteers from the show!

Everybody send a big THANK YOU to Kithylara for the San Diego footage, and Lorac for the Oz footage. You both rock!

We're getting very close, and if everything culminates as Kim predicts (and I have no doubt it will), this will be very exciting. I want to echo Kim's gratitude to everyone who has contributed time, money, video, and just good ol' fashioned morale support. This is a great community and I feel fortunate to be a part! :aok:

Best,

[kimrb]

Greetings Scapers. A lot of hard work has gone into this project. It has truly become a grassroots scaper endeavor. In the very near future the 'spot' will be made available for all to view. I want to take a moment and remind everyone what it is we are up to, the big picture if you will. We have produced ONE 30 second TV commercial. The plan is to place this commercial on cable networks in several major cities all across this great country. The commercial will run approx. the same time in all cities. That means in the same week. Remember, the spot is not designed to attract new viewers (although I think it does a good job of doing just that). The reason for airing the spot all across the country is to create a newsworthy event. A press release will be sent to every TV station and newspaper in each city the spot airs, along with a copy of the spot. The plan is to get the TV stations and newspapers to pick up on what we are doing and turn it into news. The media will tell our story and SHOW the spot in their newscasts and in print. In effect, doing the advertising for us in prime time. Our story will be seen by millions of people thanks to the media. Add to that the 'I saw it on TV news' credibility it should peak the interest of many who have never heard of FS. Get coverage in all or most of the cities and it should get picked up nationally by CNN or the like, and then the whole world sees it and hears our story. And the best part, we can do this for under $1000. Thats a lot of bang for the buck. Thats the plan in a nutshell. All of us who had some part in the making of this spot look forward to having all of you view it.

[beowulf]

Well, I just got a big :aok: and "Hell Yeah!" from The Boss in Seattle, so now that he's handed me all this rope, I'll just throw it over this here tree branch to see how it hangs... ;)

As Kim just alluded to, I'm happy to announce that our final candidate for the Save Farscape cable commercial is now available for your viewing enjoyment at I Am Farscape (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/iamfarscape/).

I have so many awesome Scapers on video, and I wish I could have included you all, but that's just not possible in only 30 seconds. We've included the one's you don't normally hear about when discussing FS demographics. We wanted to show that FS demographics go well beyond techies, and I think we've done that. I hope you'll feel the same.

I'll continue to edit the individual Farswitch (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/) spots for as long as it makes sense. I'd like to have these available from a URL attached to savefarscape.com, so when the press people go online looking for individual stories, they be able to find lots. As I've warned before, I'm not sure I'll be able to get to everybody, but I'll try.

Thanks again everyone; you've all helped make this possible.

[Rhonda]

I am just grinning from ear to ear...awesome job!!!!! :beer: Excellent work on showing the diversity, you guys rock! :aok:

[guyricardo]

HELL YEAH! :aok:

Way to go people! 'Scapers Rule!!!:D :D :D

Can't wait to see this on the tube.

[Eve11]

awesome video!

[Kithlyara]

Great video! I'm sure it was hard narrowing things down, and I know Balboa Park was busy and loud the day I filmed. But, if you get a chance, could you please put Shilo up on a Farswitch video? Pretty please? With sugar on top? :) J/K! LOL!

Seriously, pay no attention to the mom behind the keyboard. I am doped up on Nyquil and everything is funny to me right now :D I think the ad is awesome and I am extremely proud to have participated!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
But, if you get a chance, could you please put Shilo up on a Farswitch video? Pretty please? With sugar on top? :) J/K! LOL!

Seriously, pay no attention to the mom behind the keyboard.

Hey Kith,

This was one of those hard choices I was talking about. The problem is that Shilo is so cute, that after seeing her, no one will pay any attention to the rest! ;)

But seriously, I would have loved to use her, but I watched the segment and showed it to some other folks, and we just couldn't understand what she was saying clearly enough. :( Video triage: it's hell.

As far as others from SD: Barbara is currently on Farswitch, and I'm planning to add you and some of the others before this is all over. So stay tuned.

Best,

[Kithlyara]

I know. I was just teasin' ya! One of the problems with a lot of 3yr olds is they can be difficult to understand. It's easy for me, because I'm her mom and very used to hearing her talk. Now, the other day I got her on video singing a song she made up about Nakey Butts (don't ask, she's 3, I don't understand either, but it's funny as heck!). Could you upload that for me? lol! I'm sure she'd kill me if she ever found out I even asked someone to do that! lol!

Hands down, you did an excellent job on the ad! I can't wait to see it on tv!

[T'railmixx]

Great job guys, really.
I was just wondering if you had sent a press release to USA Today, as well? Just curious.

[lorac]

Cheers Beowulf !:D Again it was a GROUP effort from down under too. Many thanks to WITGOB for her camera work:aok: and to EVERYONE who participated in the segments. They are ALL champions ! Just doing our little bit to get a 5th season of Farscape. :) Thanks for letting us be part of the project !

Outstanding work on the commercial, mate :D
And Kim, thank you for the words of encouragment and hope. As they say over here, she'll be apples mate :aok:

[Tiers]

This is great everyone involved!

Just a note though, I think the www.savefarscape.com web address still doesnt resolve right into our forum it only goes to wdsection, so unless this is fixed soon then we are not getting people directly into our site. Probably lose people this way especially if media looks us up or newbies.

Check it out...

Tiers:aok:

[beowulf]

Originally posted by T'railmixx
Great job guys, really.
I was just wondering if you had sent a press release to USA Today, as well? Just curious.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm really relieved that everyone so far seems generally happy with the outcome. Regarding the press package: nothing has gone out yet. Kim has done a draft of the press release, which I think is very good, but I don't think it has yet been handed off to the SFS PR folks for their input. We have released the video here and only here so that everyone who participated and helped can have the first look at it. It will probably be another 2-3 weeks before we have the cable spots purchased and a package ready to go to the media. The package will include the press release, and a videoCD containing a broadcast-ready version of the commercial, and then broadcast-ready copies of all the Farswitch ads. We want the media to have lots of material they can run with right out of the box.

As far as the savefarscape.com url not yet working, I think that's an administrative thing. WDSection was forced to move the site to a new host, and also a new ISP I believe. This means that they have to wait for Internic, or whoever they registered the savefarscape.com domain with, to transfer administration of the domain name from the old ISP to the new one. This usually doesn't take too long to happen, but given the problems they had with HostRocket, I'm worried the switchover may be problematic. At the very least they should be able to put a "redirect" on the page at HostRocket to have people automatically routed here. The folks running the web site seem pretty savvy; I'm sure they'll take care of it before we ship the press packages.

Best,

[scapeartist]

Hey beowulf!

The spot is great. Really really great!!! Congrats on a job well done!

One thing about the website url. I think it might be better to use the watchfarscape.com addy. For a couple of reasons. One is that it works. :) The second being that people may not want to tune into something for the first time that needs saving, but they follow direction when you tell them to watch it. If it is an easy fix, that might be better. If not, let me know and I'll make sure the admin knows that the savefarscape.com addy is on the commercial.

I'll be in touch with you very soon. Take care!
m.

[Tiers]

I like the idea of using www.watchfarscape.com addy as well tellin people what we really want them to do : GO WATCH FARSCAPE...

the savefarscape url has had problems for the last month and it could be jinxed ;)

Special thanx to kimrb for what he, as an unbelievably new Farscape fan (and look what he has done to contribute...amazing) has contributed to our efforts.

Thank you sir!

and again kudos to those involved!

Tiers:bounce:

[beowulf]

Originally posted by scapeartist
One thing about the website url. I think it might be better to use the watchfarscape.com addy. For a couple of reasons. One is that it works. :) The second being that people may not want to tune into something for the first time that needs saving, but they follow direction when you tell them to watch it. If it is an easy fix, that might be better.

Hey scapeartist,

Not hard to fix, just time-consuming and kind of tedious; have to edit, re-render, and re-post every video. But your point is well-taken and I'll be happy to do this as long as you and the rest of WDSection are sure this is what you want for the final URL. I don't want to have to do this twice.

Also the voiceover: right now it says "Help save Farscape; visit savefarscape.com." Should it now say, "Are you Farscape? Visit watchfarscape.com?" Whatever the voiceover is, it needs to be less than 4 seconds or I'll have to completely restructure the commercial. DaMenace also sent you e-mail about voiceover issues I originally tried to make headway with on my own; I'll be interested to hear whether you think our idea is feasible. Thanks.

Best,

[Scapekid]

This is just *UN*believable!

This has to go down in, like, TV history or something!

I haven't been able to get online too much lately, because I can only get online at the computer labs in college now that I've gone back (although me and a couple of friends did have a great time trekking down to London for the 5th of Farscape Rally...) so...somehow...don't ask me how...I missed this.

Anyway, I just want to say WOW.

I am having trouble digesting the fact that we are trying something this fabulously audacious.

Big respect, and well...there are no words to express how awed and happy I am now!

Love,
Scape'

:jedi:

[scapeartist]

Hey beowulf, just emailed Denis with my response on the voice overs. At the moment, it looks like the web group is off line, so I'll email them all about the best address to use. I definitely don't want to make things worse for you work-wise. It wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the problems with the switch-over. I'll let you know as soon as I can though. The watch farscape line works well with me if it fits your time hack. Like I said, as soon as I can get in touch with the rest of the team, I'll let you know.

Thanks!
m.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by scapeartist
Hey beowulf, just emailed Denis with my response on the voice overs. At the moment, it looks like the web group is off line, so I'll email them all about the best address to use. I definitely don't want to make things worse for you work-wise. It wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for the problems with the switch-over.

Thanks M. I'll hold off on any changes until we have a confirmed group consensus. I understand and empathize about the problematic switchover. Some ISP's just want to get money for nothin'. And your point about watch vs. save is a good one; I think it makes a lot of sense. I really don't mind doing it, just want to do it only once.

DaMenace hasn't forwarded your reply to me yet, but I'm sure he will. Would be a real coup if we could do the voiceover the way I originally wanted. Contacted B. about it directly, but she ignored me. [shrug] Thanks for looking into it!

Best,

[Tiriel]

JFC!!! You people have simply taken off this planet!!! :D :D :D :D

I haven't had a chance to watch yet (no quick-time here, so it'll have to wait until I get home), but it's amazing how far y'all have gotten!!!
At the Burbank Con we were thinking about shooting a scene with lots of Scapers forming the letters WATCH FARSCAPE in a stadium or the like (shot as a total from top), but it will obviously be too late for the ad (the con is only 3rd week in Nov). But we could add it to wherever the rest "excess" video ends up!
I should have followed the thread from the beginning, my bad, way too much to do, lots of Scapers directly in LA with which I am in personal contact. A friend is just getting the video-footage from the 5th of FarScape rally online, too (watch out for the Blade lookalike, that guy was a one-man-riot!)
I saw earlier in the thread that you're aware of the footage that was sent out to Fox News. they're currently holding, for one because they're extremely busy with "are we going to war or not" and "what's the @###^^@@! DC-sniper up to next". So they didn't get a chance to do a proper edit and didn't really think there'd be a good chance to get it on air anyways. What they were hoping for is to maybe put it in the feed when some other Campaign-thing is happening and the airing of the spot just sounds like the perfect venue!
So let me know when you have an exact date to air and I will give the contact at Fox a heads up so she can prepare to put it in the feed the day after, when everybody will be wondering who and what we are (and they'll hopefuly be more likely to actually air it) :D :D :D
Oh, and should you be in need of some footage of Blade or Batman saying "I love FarScape!" gimme a shout :D Elvis said it too, but he didn't follow directions very well (whatcha expect from a dead guy!) and didn't say it into the camera... but he DID look concerned, VERY, VERY concerned :D

Phantastic work guys, hats off and applause on!!!!

Scapers are simply frelling amazing!

Love and Peace and Resolve!

Tiriel :eek:

[DaMENACE]

Whew! This plan has just taken off, and I better hold on tight or I might fall off of it!

RATES: I still have the rates from the broker. They are not the cheapest in the world. I am working to get cheaper rates, but it is very, very hard to do. So I need some help.

Our situation is that each individual AT&T Cable region has its own office to book TV spots. Those individual locations are the cheapest place to get rates for the commercial. The big problem is that I cannot find good phone numbers to call these individuals and get these cheap rates. Most the AT&T reps are nice, but it seems more work than they want to give me for them to pass me a list of contacts. I have even be directed back to the broker I am already using to book this nationally. Booking each spot individually is turning into a very time consuming process.

In an attempt to keep this project as inexpensive as possible I need the following help:

If you live in one of these cities: Miami, LA, Boston, New York, Dallas, Boston and Chicago, please get me a phone number to your local AT&T Media Services (Ad selling dept) offce. My e-mail adress is: deymann@fanboyz.com

BUDGET: I am working on a budget for this project currently. The Beyond Hope Fund managers are considering funding this project, but that is not set in stone yet. Wherever the money comes from to make this project happen we will ensure that everyone who donates will know exactly where the money is going and how much it costs. When the budget is finalized it will be posted here on the board for all to see and comment on.

I'll keep you all posted.

Denis DaMENACE

[akimbo]

This is awesome baby. I love the diversity. Did you post the cities you're trying to show the commercial in? I assumed the ones listed in DaMenace's post above at the least.

If you fund only a few cities, can the rest of us get together and fund more cities?

[Tiriel]

OK, DaMENACE, sorry this took awhile, I am not entirely sure HOW AT&T Media Service finds customers EVER, but it's positively not by being easily looked up ANYWHERE!!! I ended up working my way through old tapes, because I remembered they used to advertise during a show I taped and after spending a few hours in fast-forwind hell, I finally found what I was looking for:

(1) 323-421-2743

That's AT&T Media Services somewhere Hollywood area, I would guess. They should at least be able to give you the right number, but this is the one they give out to call if you want to advertise on cable, so I hope that's it :)

Hope that helps :)

Love and Peace :)

Tiriel :eek:

[guyricardo]

Hey Denis, part of the problemn your having is that AT&T Media Services is only in Cali as far as I can tell. I put in a search for AT&T Media Services and up poped thier web site www.cableistv.com.

I'm not sure how they place ads nationally, but if you need the ad dept. of the local (NY/NJ) cable outlets I can look those up for you. The major cable co's here are CableVision and Time-Warner Cable. I'm sure you'll find that different cities are going to have different cable services.

Hope that help get things on track.

[Truemyth]

Time-Warner Cable is all over I think. At least, guy says it's in NY and I know it's in San Diego...

[guyricardo]

I came up with. Looks like AT&T is a major player in all tergeted cities except NY. Here are thier regional office contacts.

AT&T Broadband Regional Contacts (http://www.attbroadband.com/services/news/NewsSpokespeople.jhtml#local)

As far as AT&T Media Services here are the ones I could find.

AT & T Media Services
(312) 587-7600
400 W Erie St
Chicago, IL 60610

AT&t Media Services
(972) 774-9500
5001 Spring Valley Rd Rm 350
Dallas, TX 75244

[lazlor]

hello group....

I've been following/lurking/watching for awhile, and have a question or so...

-are you planning on having a final commercial, one that is the same that would be aired everywhere?

- has it been shot yet?

-if not.... depending on who is doing what, I'm in Los Angeles, and may be able to help with the lighting of this if you are doing it as a live action ad... (I'm a grip....)

.. just a roundabout offer of help if I find it possible lol....

good luck all & keep up the good work...

laz

[kimrb]

Wow! Thank you all for your kind words. This is coming together very well and I am so proud of the scaper community. I have a laundry list so hang on....1) I know how hard beowulf has worked on not just this spot but all the farswitch pieces as well. The URL thing has me concerned. I would vote to change to the watchfascape addy for all the reasons stated. I also really like beowulf's voice over script. This is a lot of work for beowulf and someone should send him an instant kiss or something. 2) I have mailed DeMeance a national AT&T rep's name and number. He is a friend of mine and is going to assist in placing this spot nationally. That is a big help for DeMeance. But, DO NOT STOP attempting to help him out. Every new bit of info is important and it is just one more way scapers can be involved in this project. Just imagine the data base we will have available for future projects. 3) The press release is done. But I'm a computer dummy. I have no idea how to post it to the board or set up a link to it or anything. As if beowulf didn't have enough to do, I have asked him if he could do this. I am also going to email one of the administrators and attach the file. I think we have to run this past the people at the top to make sure we don't step on any toes. But I think the release is ready for release to the board. A side note to all who may wish to produce press releases in the future. Notice that this release is written as a newstory. We kinda did the work for them. Assignment editors and writers really appreciate this kind of approach. It also goes a long way in getting the attention of these people who see hundreds of press releases every day. 4) Hell, I've lost my place. Well I've said enough. I have told you this before and it always is worth repeating...you fans can move mountains and shake the halls of the mighty. You just have to work together. I know I'm proud to call myself a scaper.

[kimrb]

I now remember what I wanted to be 4) People are asking about which markets we have selected for the spot. I believe DeMeance mentions them in a post just above this. Someone asked if the number of markets could be expanded. The answer is of course, Yes. However, more markets means more money. Right now I believe we are only buying one or two spots/market in an effort to keep the costs under $1000. Would I like to see the spot 3-4-5 times in each market? Yea I would. It would make it look like we are trying harder, but it is not neccessary and would substantially raise the cost. The whole hook for the media is that we made and are running a spot at all. Usinging the media to fight the media. That is what makes this project newsworthy. Believe me if we could do this in every one of the top 20 markets across the US we would make a huge splash. But I think the cost would be too high and the one of our dirving forces is to do this for as little $$$ as possible. Now if one of you has hit the lottery and would like to assist in funding I can be reached at.... Seriously, I think the plan is sound as is and as long as we contact every media outlet in each market we stand and excellent chance at nationwide success. Keep you eye on this thread as things are moving at light speed now. The press release should be posted very soon.

[cheeeky8]

Just got done watching the clip and I can't stop bouncing up and down. This is sooo awesome! Wonderful job everyone!

... Have to go watch it again!!

:bounce: cheeeky8

[kimrb]

OK scapers, I have the blessings of those who bless to publish the press release. I have no idea how to post the actual document but I can represent it here as best I can. Here goes.

<<<<<SaveFS banner as seen on top of this board>>>>>

FARSCAPE FANS SPONSOR NATIONWIDE MEDIA BLITZ!

Fans fight fire-with-fire by producing and airing TV commercial nationwide in continuing effort to save their beloved show.

In the hope that history can repeat itself, fans of the hugely popular and award winning, Farscape science fiction action-drama, have banded together across the globe, via the Internet, in an attempt to repeat what fans accomplished in 1968 in saving the now legendary Star Trek from cancellation. After four seasons as one of the SciFi Channel's biggest hits the network has abruptly announced cancellation of Farscape to the dismay of millions of fans around the world. Farscape is a production of the Jim Henson Company of Muppet fame.

United in their passion for this cutting-edge space drama, fans have sponsored letter writing campaigns, contacted sponsors and held rallies worldwide; including one rally by our fighting forces in Baghram, Afganistan. Now this diverse group of "Scapers," as they like to call themselves, has decided to fight fire-with-fire. Drawing on the talents of the diverse Scaper community, the fans produced a 30-second television commercial designed to interest new Scapers to their show.

Beginning the week of November 24th, the commercial will air on cable networks in 10 major cities across America including; Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Boston and Chicago. Entirely funded by "SaveFarscape.com" members, the "Do It Yourself Media" campaign features a wide cross section of Farscape fans declaring, "I am Farscape," and urging viewers to contact the organization for information on how they can help save the series. This revolutionary concept may well be the first of its kind in all of "fandom" and promises to reach millions of households across the US. Call it "grassroots gone high tech" if you'd like.

Scapers, old and new, will have a chance to catch up after an eight-month hiatus as the SciFi Channel will re-run the first 11 episodes of Farscape season 4 on December 24th, in a marathon "Chain Reaction." The final, as yet unseen, 11 episodes of Farscape season 4 will begin airing in January of 2003 on the SciFi Channel, ending in a cliffhanger. The epic story of Farscape will be left imcomplete as the SciFi Channel has no plans for a fifth and final season--unless, of course, Scapers can alter the course of history.

[loco2]

You don't have to hit the lottery to air the ad. I know the 'big guys' here are trying to keep the overall price down, but if you have a little loot sitting in the kitty wasting away, or really really want to air the spot in your area (like me) it can be done for a few hundred dollars. You just need to contact your own cable co.

And then hope that you can get a copy of that ad... *g*

speaking of which... beowulf, are we getting any copies for people like me to run? Cost of said tape? I'm totally just keeping my fingers crossed that it's going to work out, cause I really don't know the practical details. Should I just be patient and all will be revealed? *g*

Chris
imloco2

[DaMENACE]

Before I head away from a computer for about 18 hours, I wanted to thank everyone that helped get me the contact #'s for the local AT&T offices. I haven't had time to reply to your e-mails yet and this is the most time I have really spent on the project today.

If you live in a city like New York that doesn't have AT&T, please get me your local cable company's number.

lazlor - in response to your questions....
The commercial has been shot already, the link is here in the thread to the completed commercial. Yeah, we moved fast. We are almost ready to book the ad on the cable stations.

guyricardo- you rock! I ignored all those links to T&T broadband because I thought it would lead me to their cable modem dept. Thanks for the phone numbers!

Tiriel- You were feeling some of my frustration. Hence the reason I went to the broker in the first place. At least we have them as fall back position.

And to the people that sent me e-mail about Miami and Chicago... thank you, thank you.

[DaMENACE]

loco,

I have committed to the marketing group to provide all the info you should need to book an ad yourself. The real trick is getting BetaSP format.

We are going to be able to get maybe a dozen Beta SP format copies for the project so we will probably be running the ad in about a dozen cities.

Anyone out there have access to a machine that can run a good number of copies of the commercial in BetaSP format?

Anyways, you are welcome to run the ad anytime you want and I know you have a local Cable AE and rates. You just need a copy in BetaSP format. Once I know how many copies of BetaSP we have, we can set up the ads I know we will run for sure and then get some out to you. Maybe even later, we can set up some rotating list of BetaSP tapes so anyone that wants to air the commercial can. In the smaller markets, it is rather inexpensive.

To be honest, we don't even have the BetaSP copies yet, so I can't tell you how it will work, just that it has definetly been mentioned and that we expect anyone that wants to pay for an ad on their own or with other funds can get help.

[scapeartist]

kim, thanks for posting this great example of press release writing. It is a solid foundation and good draft for this project. I am still in the process of passing this on to the copywriters here for another set of eyes to look over and make some minor adjustments. So, just to warn everyone, this is not the absolute final draft, but close. We will also be working on the design for it too so that we have an eye-catching piece that will be irrisistable to press everywhere. :)

Thanks again, kim!
m.

[Tiriel]

Hey DaMENACE!

OK, I'll be spinning the wheels here. I know a video-editor, who got my rally footage into beta-format, I'll drop him an line and redirect him here. With the number of Scapers in this town we oughta be able to make some copies and keep the costs acceptable for everyone.
I expect he'll post here himself, but in case he doesn't have the time, I'll keep everyone here updated.

How many more copies would we need? Any one? I understand the best strategy is to air all in at least the same week, right? Let me know and I'll start contacting people :)

Kim: AWESOME press-release, I can already see them drool :D :D :D Well, I'M drooling, anyways ;) :aok:


Love and Peace and Good Connections :)

Tiriel :eek:

[akimbo]

Cool press release. I like that its just about ready to print.

Has it really 8 months of hiatus? Even though it seems like we've been waiting *forever*, I don't think its 8 months from 4.11 to 4.12. Or did you mean another hiatus?

Are we sure the marathon will be 4.1 - 4.11? I've seen rumors that 1/3 will be 4.9-4.11 and 1/10 will start 4.12. I don't know what we *know* for sure except that there will be a marathon.

Any thoughts on sending a copy of the commercial with the press release. I doubt the media will spend the time to find the commercial (unless you can tell them when it runs).
Even if its a DVD of a low quality format it might be a cool add-on. I'll even make the DVDs if I can - of course I was assuming you were using snail-mail for the release. Of course they may not care what it looks like.

Or how about making the high quality tapes available to national media to cover the story, even though its not airing nationally.

And since it sounds like the ads will air in November time frame (why so early?), there should be plenty of time (if you can get the tapes back) to lend out to other outlets to run the same type of campaign in the smaller cheaper markets (The guy from the local PAX - in Cleveland, said I could get 30 second spot during the day for $40 - I'd even pony up the cash for that if the Cleveland media would pick it up)

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
Entirely funded by "SaveFarscape.com" members, the "Do It Yourself Media" campaign features a wide cross section of Farscape fans declaring, "I am Farscape," and urging viewers to contact the organization for information on how they can help save the series.

And you said you didn't know how to post this! ;) After reading it here again, it occurs to me that you'll probably need to change the above section to better reflect the new focus that Scapeartist and the other PR folks want to place on this site and the campaign. Perhaps something like this,

Funded entirely by "WatchFarscape.com" members, the "Do It Yourself Media" campaign features a wide cross section of Farscape fans declaring, "I am Farscape," and urging viewers to contact the organization to learn more about this Emmy-nominated series.

And since we're on the subject: hey Scapeartist -- do we have board confirmation yet on the URL change? I want to start editing all the spots ASAP.

Thanks.

[loco2]

:aok: kim....you rock dude. hehe Fantastic press release. SA and crew will make sure it's cleaned up and just right I'm sure, but overall I'd say it's Grrrreat!

I'm getting the tingly's... This is gonna be so cool... :cool:


Chris
imloco2

[beowulf]

Originally posted by akimbo
Any thoughts on sending a copy of the commercial with the press release. I doubt the media will spend the time to find the commercial (unless you can tell them when it runs).

Hey Akimbo,

Yes, we're planning to include VCD's in the package that lead off with a broadcast-quality copy of the commercial, and then broadcast-quality copies of the Farswitch spots.

Or how about making the high quality tapes available to national media to cover the story, even though its not airing nationally.

Tapes take too long to copy, cost too much to mail, and I think even bought in bulk they're still more expensive than CD's. At $5 a pop, DVD's are way too expensive.

And since it sounds like the ads will air in November time frame (why so early?)

November sweeps.

Best,

[Hmpf]

Originally posted by Borgi
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cygnus_X1
[B]Hell, why not buy a spot actually on the SciFi network? They would run it.
...
But, think of how that would look to the media. Fans pay for a save our show commercial on the very network that axed it.


This sounds so frelling funny! They wouldn´t even NOTICE before its too late...
LOL

Borgi

Oh yes, oh yes, please let's do that!!! ROFLOL!

[Truemyth]

akimbo beat me to this...

I think this is what we know: There will be a "Chain Reaction" Marathon on Dec. 24th. for 11 hours. On Jan. 3rd, from 6pm to 9pm there will be a re-run of 4.9, 4.10, and 4.11. On Jan. 10th, at 8pm, the rest of season 4 will pick up with 4.12. The X-mas Eve marathon was announced on the board first and we assumed 11 hours ment the first 11 of season 4. But the new date makes me wonder. And, has any of this actually been *confirmed*? We've really got to make sure this information is correct before we release it in a press release. I've already told people all September that the show would be on at 10pm in January... Let's not spread any more disinformation.

Other than that, great press release. Thanks for posting the rough draft and letting us pick at it. :)

[akimbo]

Thanks beowulf...y'all are thirteen steps ahead of me every time. I thought the DVDs were the best choice anyway.

I see that the Advertising/Marketing team is trying to coordinate their general Press Kits with the commercial run. Very well coordinated, thank you for all the great effort! :finger:

I didn't think about November Sweeps. Great idea.:aok:

[Kithlyara]

I would love to run the ad here in San Diego! To do this, I need to buy ad time and get a copy of the Beta version of the ad, right? Should I also mail the press release out to local press, or are we just doing that in the top 10 markets?

[Tiriel]

Kithlyara: Woah, wait! Are you telling me San Diego is not in the top 10 markets? I thought it was the 6th of 7th largets metropolitan area in the US?

I could be totally wrong of cours ;)

Love and Peace :)

Tiriel :eek:

[akimbo]

Kithlyara: I think this should/would be part of the downloadable press-kit and promotion material that the advertising/marketing task force is trying to put together.

[Tokeya]

:D YOU GUYS ROCK!!!:D Unfortunately, I do not live in one of the listed areas :( - Chatt, TN is little bitty compared to San Diego, NY, etc. Atlanta is the next biggest area, does anyone know if the ad will run Atlanta??

[kimrb]

OK Scapers! Up from my map ready to conduct a little business.

PRESS RELEASE: Thank you scapeartist. I am very aware of the possiblility of change to the release. I hope everyone understands that is one of the main reasons for posting the release. We want it to be perfect.

BETA SP: One of the crew discovered the cable outlets requested Beta SP format tapes. It is a very common professional format. However, it requires delivery by snail mail. Some cable outlets still live in the analog world and simply require a tape. The commercial can be made available in a digital avi. file and distributed via the Internet. That too, is a fairly common means of delivery. I imagine a DVD or CD-Rom could also contain the spot in a format that could be downloaded to a digital server. The point being, the spot can be delivered in many ways. We have chosen Beta SP because it was asked for. The plan is to be in only 10 markets so tape costs and such would be small. Another reason for posting our plans...we get such great feedback. Imagin how polished we will be when it is time to pull the trigger.

THIS IS MY TOWN: So you want to run the spot in your town and you want to run it at a time you can see it with pride. THANK YOU!!! That is grassroots. If that could happen in every town and city across America we wouldn't have to go the Beyond Hope Fund in order to make this plan work. It is amazingly cheap to by TV air time on cable nets, even in prime and prime-access. We have gone ahead and selected our markets, made our contacts and got our facts. With the help of the Beyond Hope Fund we will be able to guarantee this project happens in the targeted cities. We sincerely believe this single/simple project has the potential to reach millions of households all across the US with the saveFS story. You want to finance the airing of the spot in your town? Want to assist in increasing the impact? Then, by hook or by crook, we'll make sure a copy of the spot is available and get it to you by flying monkey if we have to.

WHY THE LAST WEEK IN NOVEMBER? Hell, I don't know. Why not? We need to keep the message alive in the press any way we can. And try to keep it there as long as possible. Many other events are planned for just before the return of FS. I chose the date because A) we can be ready, B) Thanksgiving week is traditionally a very slow news time and a time when news organizations are looking for soft news, homey all American-mom and apple pie, kinda stuff. I think we fit there well, and C) we had to set an internal deadline to make sure things got done. This date is not set in stone (well kinda), but I do think it is the best time to do this.

WILL A COPY OF THE SPOT GO WITH EVERY PRESS RELEASE? Absoluetly! Right now the plan is on disc with lots of other video. I think beowulf put it in a nice nutshell in his post.

OK enough from me. Let me know if you're having any fun yet moving those mountains and shaking the halls?

[Truemyth]

San Diego is up there, but not in the top 10... I think it's 21st.

[Tokeya]

Hey beowulf!

I just finished watch the spot ad & I it's great. Congrats on a job well done! There is one slight suggestion I would like to make. Please do not throw stone at me. :(

I was wondering if you had any footage on hand that perhaps includes a minority Scaper stating "I Am Farscape"? I believe if we included a diverse minority clip this would target a more wide range of potiential new viewer community while showing Sci-Fi that Farscape doe in fact reaches out across the board. I'm an African American/Native American nursing consultant. That's a mouthful but I love to show off my heritage - I plance this tad bit of info in my letters simply to prove we may be few and far between be we do exist and we do love Farscape!

Again, this is just a thought.

Tokeya

[Kithlyara]

San Diego is ranked 26th in the TV markets. It's up there, but not up at the top.

I'll contact the various cable compnanies locally to see what their ad rates are. This is very exciting! I can't wait!!!!

[Dominar of Action]

Guys, with all the hard work that's gone into this, I would hate to see its exposure artificially limited because of money constraints. I truly believe that a great, worthwhile idea like this would easily find its own funding through the Scaper community without possibly even having to touch the BHF. Just get the word out to Scapers at large that you're doing this (I bet most haven't heard) and ask if anyone wants to "sponsor" a spot and the donations should follow rapidly. :) Perhaps not enough to do, say, 50 markets, but still more than one might think is currently possible.

I know extra markets mean extra time spent on making tapes/media kits, and I can understand if this is in fact the reason to limit the release to the 10 top markets. However, if it's not, if money is the real limiting factor, then I would hate to see the project's scope be curtailed before putting out the call to Scapers.

Unfortunately I don't have much in the way of extra time (single mom, attorney ... you do the math :( ) to spend on research and phone calls myself, but I would be happy to contribute monetarily towards additional markets. And I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Someone just needs to tell us how much is needed and which Paypal account to send it too :finger:

[loco2]

I know that some people are just finding out about it on my own board and were very excited about the prospect. I think it would be great to give them an opportunity to contribute as long as you had the resources to air the spot in more markets.

Think about pay pal donations for those who want to see it aired in more places but don't have the time to do it themselves. Just a suggestion.


Chris
imloco2

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Tokeya
I was wondering if you had any footage on hand that perhaps includes a minority Scaper stating "I Am Farscape"? I believe if we included a diverse minority clip this would target a more wide range of potiential new viewer community while showing Sci-Fi that Farscape doe in fact reaches out across the board. I'm an African American/Native American nursing consultant. That's a mouthful but I love to show off my heritage - I plance this tad bit of info in my letters simply to prove we may be few and far between be we do exist and we do love Farscape!

Hey Tokeya,

I know, I know, I wish I had more diversity too! Believe me when I tell you that it was a tough choice! I had footage for three, count 'em three people of color. One Asian-American woman was a professional I was planning to use, but when I went to get her segment off the tape, it was hosed. (If you're out there Lisa, I'm sorry.....) Don't know what happened, defective tape of something, just staticy and totally unusable. Cleared up towards the end of her segment, but there wasn't enough to work with. Then there was Kimberly, who is among the Farswitchers (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/), and who is adorable, but who is also a high school student. My task, as I understood it, was to come up with the most impressive cross section of potential advertising dollars that I could find; unfortunately high school student just didn't seem to fit the bill. That's not to say I didn't consider using Kim in the ad, but in the end, the part where she tells the camera who she is and what she does, was just too hard to edit down to a morsel that wouldn't eat up too much of the 30-seconds in which I had to work. My third Scaper-of-color came from Kithylara in her San Diego footage, but again, he was a student and there was a lot of traffic noise that would have been just too hard to clean up; I'm hoping that maybe I can do something to get him into the Farswitchers though. And not to put-down students or anything, but again, we're trying to impress advertisers and network executives in only 30-seconds. I know that advertisers care about diversity, but I think the color they love the most is green.....

So where was your tape? I could have really used it! :(

Best,

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Dominar of Action
Someone just needs to tell us how much is needed and which Paypal account to send it too :finger:

2 million in PayPal account: beowulf@bahamas.bye! Hey, I love Farscape, but I'm not going to pass up a chance at early retirement! :D

[guyricardo]

Damn I wish I had access to a camcorder! After reading Tokeya's piece, not only do I agree with her, but I could have done this whole spiel on how diverse I am, racially and other-wise. And I haven't been in high school in many a year.

'I am Diversity, I am Farscape'. :cool: :D :)

Oh well!:confused:

[etana]

This has probably already been addressed somewhere way back in this thread... but I was wondering if we're on solid legal ground in terms of the Farscape music tag...?

[beowulf]

Originally posted by etana
This has probably already been addressed somewhere way back in this thread... but I was wondering if we're on solid legal ground in terms of the Farscape music tag...?

Yeah, it's being looked into. Kim didn't think it would be a major problem since we're not using it to make a profit of anything, so I left it in to let the SFS board decide. They're debating the issue and hopefully one of them will be contacting Guy Gross to see if he'll lend his approval (fingers crossed!). In the meantime, I'm listening to cuts in public domain library of music I have that was created specifically for commercial use on TV/radio. Someone has also suggested using the 1812 Overture, which has relevance if you're very familiar with the show, especially season 4, but I'm not yet convinced it would work well with the ad.

[waltersgirl]

beowulf,

that ad is fabulous! good job. :aok:

[Lainie]

Originally posted by Dominar of Action

Unfortunately I don't have much in the way of extra time (single mom, attorney ... you do the math :( ) to spend on research and phone calls myself, but I would be happy to contribute monetarily towards additional markets. And I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Someone just needs to tell us how much is needed and which Paypal account to send it too :finger:

We lawyers think alike. I also have time problems, but would love to donate money to a fund for these ads. I am still not sure I understand how much it would cost for each city. If it is not exorbitant (under $500), perhaps we could each take a city and pay for that ad. If only I had known. I have given less to the Seattle Opera. Much as I love it, I like Farscape better.

Lainie

[Lainie]

Originally posted by Lainie
We lawyers think alike. I also have time problems, but would love to donate money to a fund for these ads. I am still not sure I understand how much it would cost for each city. If it is not exorbitant (under $500), perhaps we could each take a city and pay for that ad. If only I had known. I have given less to the Seattle Opera. Much as I love it, I like Farscape better.

Lainie
That should read, I'd had given less to the opera. It got a big chunk this year -- new opera house under construction and all that.

[kimrb]

OTHER MARKETS AND FUND RAISING: I just don't know what to say here. Time is beginning to be an issue and I have concerns about raising funds in time. Every new market would have to be researched and then the funds distributed. A lot of work. Maybe we can find scapers in various cities who would like to air the spot. Maybe a fund can be designed in such a way that donations could be earmarked for your city. In those cities already targeted additional funds could be used to increase the number of times the spot airs. This isn't my kind of thing so I really don't know. Remember we want media attention, this is not a big ad campaign. I wouldn't run the spot more than 10 times in a week in any market. period. The plan is to get media attention. Any excess funds could cover the cost of press kits and postage, the remainder given to the Beyond Hope Fund for other worthy projects.
MUSIC: Every soul has some larceny (sp) hidden inside. We are in no way using the music for profit. There may be some copyright issues but here is my read. We are in fact promoting FS and all the people involved in the show. I seriously doubt anyone would call us on this. I belong to the group whos says its easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. I really think our risk here is very, very small and would use the FS music in a heartbeat. Seriously.
DIVERSITY: The meat and potatos of the concept. I think beowulf did a stellar job of explaining the process and why decisions were made they were. The director in me says; this spot does what it was intended to do, show scapers as a diverse group with a wide and valuable demographic. There was no way to include everyone. Many ended up on the cutting room floor. It is the nature of the beast and a cold hearted fact. A major effort was made by beowulf to put our best foot forward. He did that, and more. This really is a very good spot that does an excellent job of representing scapers as a cross section. Unless we can get president Bush to say I'm Farscape, I wouldn't change a single cut.
I'M JUST FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS PROJECT: Yea this is a long thread. And you have to go a long way before your find out it is for real and a very doable thing. Maybe I could ask the Administrators to add us to the front page directing attention to the thread. (maybe I just did) Can we spread this information to other FS boards? Why not. We're all in this for the same reason, let everyone join the party. That is what grassroots is all about.

OK, I think I'm caught up. Think I'll call it a nite. Thanks all.

[Lainie]

Originally posted by beowulf
Hey Tokeya,

I know, I know, I wish I had more diversity too! Believe me when I tell you that it was a tough choice! I had footage for three, count 'em three people of color. Farswitchers (http://homepage.mac.com/beowulf/farswitch/), and who is adorable, but who is also a high school student.

I think those of us described as people of color do understand. Yes, it would have been nice to see some diversity etnicity wise, but agree that time constraints, together with the number of tapes submitted, dictated the final ad created.

You created a very impressive ad--except, where are the lawyers? And not even one judge? :) All of you who worked on this ad should be very proud. I am continually amazed at the skills of the people who call themselves scapers. I say well done!

[BritAngie]

can do this. I am part of the Farscape Webmasters association and we are very much aware of this project. :D
Yey for you guys. Anyway will ask about getting this thread a little more attention if i can. :)

[Black_Red]

A W E S O M E! Farscape fans ROCK!!!! What a great ad!:rollin:

[Dominar of Action]

per kimrb:OTHER MARKETS AND FUND RAISING: ... Time is beginning to be an issue and I have concerns about raising funds in time.Well, kim, keep in mind that we are not talking about just any fan group. :) After all, we are the same Scapers who raised $2,000 in *12* hours and about $6,000 in a week (I think that's roughly right -- please someone correct me) to pay for the ads that appeared in the Sydney paper and the Variety (?) ... the same Scapers who have contributed over $11,000 to date to the BHF/FWA fund and over $11,000 for a USA Today ad ... the same Scapers who coughed up nearly $10,000 in less than two weeks for the Cast Gas Fund ... I have no doubt we could quickly (in less than a week or two) raise enough money for at least the next couple of markets on the list (or for more airings in the top 10 markets, if you think that's a better use of the money). The more money we raise independently for a discreet, concrete project like this, the more that will be left in the BHF for the smaller, more generalized efforts.

Every new market would have to be researched and then the funds distributed. A lot of work. I understand and I certainly don't mean to be cavalier with other people's time. Is the national broker thing a dead duck?

Maybe we can find scapers in various cities who would like to air the spot. Maybe a fund can be designed in such a way that donations could be earmarked for your city.I don't know. This would likely work if the person donating/earmarking also did the research... but I think the real untapped source of funds is from people like me who don't mind donating but who don't have time to research.

In those cities already targeted additional funds could be used to increase the number of times the spot airs. This isn't my kind of thing so I really don't know. Remember we want media attention, this is not a big ad campaign. I wouldn't run the spot more than 10 times in a week in any market. period.Agreed, which is why I thought that *if* we already have information for other markets, or if can get that information quickly enough to make it possible, why not try to raise the money to hit them? Wouldn't the number of cities we've got covered be more impressive than the number of runs in any given city?

The plan is to get media attention. Any excess funds could cover the cost of press kits and postage, the remainder given to the Beyond Hope Fund for other worthy projects.Again, understood. I just wanted to let you, beowulf, etc. know that those of us who are short on time would be more than willing to support the cause monetarily. If the scope of the project is limited because of your time constraints, then that's perfectly OK. No problem. But if the scope is limited simply for lack of money, then let's put out the call to Scapers. We might surprise you :finger: Even if the amount raised is not enough to cover additional markets, it would still help offset the costs of the project and preserve more in the BHF for other worthwhile efforts that would have a harder time raising cash specifically for them.

[JA_Shipper]

I just wanted to pop in and say that this is such a cool idea and I'm really impressed with what's been done so far!! Woohoo!! :D

:bounce:

Suse

[DaMENACE]

I wanted to address the time and money issue.

First off, I would like to advise that we get through the immediate plan of airing the commercials for as little as possible let the media do the rest. After the initial plan has taken full flight, then I think a barrage of commercials paid for by fans on their local (or heck another national push) is just what the doctor ordered. When I have spoken to cable Account Execs and the broker I have always talked about the scenario where we get a finished commercial and the fans will come out of the woodwork to buy more ads. I was just talking in hopes that would get us some cheaper rates, and I didn't know how true my words would be.

I'm so excited by the amount of attention this project has gotten, now that there is a completed ad. Beowulf deserves every last ounce of credit he has gotten for this... it was truly a great undertaking and a grand donation to the cause.

Money has never been an issue. I knew once the commercial came out we could drum up the funds to do just about anything we want to do. If we wanted to air some commercials on Eneterprise or Buffy, I bet we could find the funds to do that. But, spending a lot of money on this has never been the plan. The plan has always been bang for the buck. Air the commercials for a little cash as possible and let the media air it for FREE on prime time.

I bet we could get $10,000 to air the ad on some prime TV real estate. But why spend $10,000 right now when we could spend $1000, let the media do some free advertising for us, and spend the $10,000 when Farscape needs us the most. January. Basically, we create the media stir in November/December and people will remember all that fuss in January when all of the fans are running local ads. Think about this. Let's get through the initial plan, then open it up to the Scaper community to run it whenever we want.

Time is really a big issue. Contacting cable companies for rates is a time consuming process. Booking the ads will be a time consuming process. Sending the tapes will take time. Getting checks cut to the right places will take time.






Is the national broker thing a dead duck?

No, the broker is a very valid option still. There is also a Media Buyer method that we can use where we pay them a fee to do it all for us. I'm going to find one today.

They are not cheap, but as you can see money is not becoming an issue at this point. What they really do is allow us to spend less time coordinating. There are a few more cards we have not played yet, and we should know if those cards will be aces within a couple days.



Wouldn't the number of cities we've got covered be more impressive than the number of runs in any given city?

Yes, we could cover more cities. We need more BetaSP tapes though too. Again, the time issue hits and the access to BetaSP format becomes an issue. We will book as many cities as we can get tapes to.

Ok... break! Back to real work and calling cable companies.

[Dominar of Action]

Thanks DeMENACE. Just wanted to be sure everyone knew the offer was on the table :)

[Tokeya]

Beowulf, regarding my tape - at present I do not have one. I was not aware individual tapes were being called in. I'm one lonely Scaper in a sea of a non-Scaper community. I had to travel a ways just to attend a rally. A group spot was taped, but it does not include demos - the tape on hand had a short life. I do have a camcorder. It may be considered an antique, but I believe it will get the job done. I would be more than happy to submit one, but it appears we're tied by the hands of the clock. If a second ad is made let me know :)

________

To the forum: I'm sorry if I stepped on some toes, that was not my intention when I made the suggestion to include racial diversity. Believe me, I completely understand why decisions were made they were in the editing process.

I love the ad, really I do... and I appreciate the time and hard work to create it. The ad will have an impact - but I cannot help to feel it would catch more eyes (Skiffy, media, viewers, other networks) if people of color were seen here. I'm not a marketing expert, but the key to selling a point/product is to target a wide range of people and a variety of faces speaks alot in visuality!

Now, I'm not saying this will happen, but we may be asked about why decisions were made in our choice of Scape faces. I'm playing devil's advocate here, but the question may lie in back of someone's mind (it may be an important decision maker that could swing the vote) and may voice such questions such as: Does the fan base include people of color? If, so why were they not included? I'm just trying to prepare you - be ready with good solid answers.

Again, I apologize if I ruffled any feathers and I'm backing off for fear I may be branded as a throne in someone side. :(

[Lainie]

Originally posted by Tokeya

________

To the forum: I'm sorry if I stepped on some toes, that was not my intention when I made the suggestion to include racial diversity. Believe me, I completely understand why decisions were made they were in the editing process.

I :(

I don't think you need to apologize, Tokeya. I think you made a perfectly valid point. It would have been nice to show the truly diverse nature of the scaper community. I understand the rationale for its not being done and certainly support using the spot as is. But a little more diversity would have been nice. I hope those involved in creating the spot are not offended. Beowulf, I thought your thoughtful reply demonstrated your sensitivity to the subject and clearly explained the parameters within which you were working. Again, I say, well done.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Tokeya
Again, I apologize if I ruffled any feathers and I'm backing off for fear I may be branded as a thorn in someone side. :(

No apology necessary. As Lainie said, you raised a very valid point. I live and grew up in the SF Bay Area, which is one of the most racially, culturally, and sexually diverse areas in the nation. We wear diversity as a badge of honor here, so it pains me to have such a non-representative result from our work. But I did what I thought was best with what I had available, and I appreciate everyone's understanding.

Perhaps if this plan for local Scapers to run ads in their own communities in Dec/Jan takes off, then maybe I can edit a rev. 2 ad for that purpose. PM/e-mail me if you're interested in contributing video to that cause.

Best,

[Tiers]

WOW close to a reality. This should get things rollin again. I am soo excited to see results.

I also would like to contribute financially to see this run in more markets, although I have read all about keepin it cheap and letting media do their thing from snoballin, after all that has been accomplished in gettin this ready etc. a small financial push to hit a few more markets should be attempted.

Obviously it was never intended to be an expensive endeavour and I am so impressed that it was not marketed to raise money, now that it is nearing completion many of us want to get behind this to push it over the top.

At the very least this should be front page type news on our board and an attempt to finish off with a BIG BANG after everyones hard work is definately called for.

Tiers

[loco2]

She needs the tape by the 21st and said that Lex sells out fast so that if I want to run the ad at the end of November we need to get the contract fixed asap.

I just thought I'd mention the time thing for getting ads set for sweeps month. Time might indeed be of the essence. Or she could be blowing smoke... *g*


Chris
imloco2

[kimrb]

Let me preface this post by saying you people are just the most amazing group of individuals I have ever had the opportunity to be associated with. I am proud to call myself a scaper. May I ask each of you to take some time and re-read this thread, just to get the feel of how this happened and to best understand our intentions. I applaud your zeal for this project but I want you all to take a deep breath and pause for a moment. This project could easily morph into something that would eat up big money and quite possibly miss the targeted goal, that being attracting media attention. I'm not throwing a wet blanket here, just trying to keep my hand on the throttle. Everyone wants to make the splash bigger. That is wonderful, but lets not lose track of what we are doing here, and that is attempting to catch the eye of the media. DeMeance should be brain dead from all the research he's been doing. He has been just busting his butt to get figures for us. I hope this doesn't piss him off, but I will list the markets we (he) has researched so you can see the basic scope of the project. We have rates for the following cities.
Los Angeles
San Fran
Seattle
Dallas
Chicago
Miami
Washington, DC
New York
Boston
St. Louis
Don't be slighted and don't go nuts on us. I know this is not the top 10 markets. What it is, is a very good collection of large metro areas that have huge populations and lots and lots of media outlets. DeMeance is working hard on getting more rates for more cities but you have to understand how time comsuming and difficult this labor of love is. Would we like to expand the markets we will use for this project? You can bet the farm on that! Remember, in the beginning (and to this moment) we wanted to get the single largest bang we could get for every precious dime spent. The success of this project does not reside in how much money we can throw at it. Success comes from showing the spot in as many markets as we can afford, to increase our chances of being picked up by the media. And being picked up by the media is the goal. We don't need to buy Oprah, or CSI or any other rediculously expensive ad venue. The simple act of placing the spot on cable networks (late at nite cause its cheaper) all across the country at the same time creates a newsworthy event. "Look at what these fans have done to save their show!!!" Thats the hook, that is what makes this idea work. The spot is really nothing more than a red herring, a way of attracting the attention of the media. Don't pick on DeMeance in any way because of this post. Take your shots directly at me. Want to raise funds so we can expand the number of markets, great. But you have to assist with the research. Want to raise funds so we can run the spot more that once or twice in each market? Great. I would strongly suggest the spot never run more that 10 times in any market in the period of one week. IT IS NOT AN AD CAMPAIGN! I am so incredibly impressed with the scaper community. Your drive and devotion are simply amazing. But let us be very careful not to let this idea get away from us. Remember why we are doing this, how the plan works, and what you can do to assist. We don't have to spend a zillion dollars to make this work. Lets spend what it takes to get it done and save as much scaper cookie jar money as we can for more saveFS projects. I know nothing about fund raising and dispersing funds and all this stuff. I have to leave that to the experts. But I do know a bit about how to play the media game and I hope you understand why I urge moderation and slow, deliberate thinking. We will do this. And it will succeed in doing what we want. What we really need now is media contacts in every one of the markets. Every TV station, newspaper. Every entertainment based show in each market, anybody in the media in every community who could tell our story. We have to make the media aware of what we are doing and we can't do that if we don't know who and how to communicate with them. This will generate the need for many (and I mean many) press kits to be delivered. That ain't gonna be cheap folks. Every market added means a dozen more press kits and postage. Lets think clearly, keep our emotions/excitement under control and do this right. We will be making history here.

[Tiriel]

very big grin

Here's a nice way to save some time and money (and I just love the way these cross-reactions work, but I'm sure Kim coulda told us so :D)

I got back to our contact at Fox News in NY (she was asking for some footage of Halloween maybe) and I mentioned that we might have the perfect time to send out her report when the commercial airs (gave her a short description). She's all excited about it and asked me to please be added to the list of media-outlets to receive the press-kit (including the commercial), so she can spin a story around it and put it into the feed for all the local Fox Stations :D :D :D :D
If anybody could see just how I'm grinning right now, they'd be sending in the men with the comfy white jackets with the looooong sleeves ;)

So whoever is responsible for sending out the press-kits, pm me or drop me an email at Tiriel42@yahoo.com, so I can pass on her contact-address :)
She might need it in beta-format, but again I might be able to help with that if you can get the stuff to me in time (our editor is extremely busy, so he needs some advanced notice).

OK, that at least made MY day :D

This does raise one more question, though: Might it be worth so hold the commercial a bit longer until say the first week of December in oder to allow footage from the two major cons (Burbank 22-24th Nov and NY 29-30th Nov) to be send to Fox and edited?

I have no idea how crucial early timing is so this is no suggestions, just a questions :)

Love and Peace and Great PR :)

Tiriel :eek:

[akimbo]

That is sooo great Tiriel! I'm very happy for you and I know it makes us all very happy. I have read a lot of the thread over the weeks and I'll try to be brief.

I don't want to slow the process down, its got great momentum and is chugging to the finish line on the backs of beowulf, DaMenace, kimrb (and untold others). We'll never be able to appreciate all of their work enough. (but we can try! Can I get a Hell Yeah!)

The gist of this plan is media attention, no doubt. Not an advertising blitz for advertising sake. If the idea is we get national media attention from advertising in these 10 markets, that would be awesome. I'm sure national media contacts are on the Press Kit mailing list. In fact, I'm sure they're trying to coordinate the mailing of the Press Kits (with the commercial, its press release, etc.) with the run of the commercial (or more probably, in advance of it running).

If advertising in more than 10 markets increases our potential for national media attention significantly or the corresponding increase in local/regional attention is significant, then trying to add to that number is worthwhile. I'm going to leave that decision to the people who have already been running on the wheel, they have waaaaay more experience than I.

The other question is whether additional markets is appropriate to this incarnation of the plan, or would it be better to do them in waves, recontacting the national contacts for potential follow-up angles (or encouraging those that didn't jump on the bandwagon the first time), while making the effort to get the local media on the bandwagon.

Again I'm just putting my 2 cents in, but I'm really really willing to let beowulf, DaMenace and kimrb guide us here. They've been birthing this baby, we should be doing all we can to help them without slowing them down.

I'm willing to make contacts in my area (or recontact the people I've already spoken to - they aren't cable companies, but local channels and network affiliates). I don't know how quick this will go and I know time is of the essence if you want to add to the total for this go around. I can try to contact other markets also, if it is desired and helpful. Put me on your list of resources.

Wow this post is far too long so I'll shut up now.

Look up and see the wonders in this thread! Awesome baby!

[CrystalMoon]

Not to muddy the waters any, just to ask a question. "Taken" is Scifi's big December mini-series. Would it help to have our spot run during or right before "Taken" airs on Scifi? I was thinking that there will probably be adds for Farscape on during "Taken" and also that people writing about our campaign could refer to "Taken" as Scifi's attempt to do quality programming. And they could then talk about how Farscape was quality programming that hey cancelled. Or whatever angle they want.

Anyway, would airing the spot close to "Taken" help or hurt our effort. I suppose "Taken" will be getting enough press on its own that it could overshadow our efforts. Or it could helpl them. Any thoughts?

By the way, "Taken" airs December 2.

[DaMENACE]

Oh, that is great news indeed! That is exactly what we need. I hope most of the other media sources get excited like that. Awesome! That is so great.:rollin:

Akimbo, with the amount interest I have seen in this thread for airing commercials, I think a big push in January for the new episodes would be in order eh? I mean, if the community is really gung ho about this, and we think we can boost Farscape's ratings... why the heck not? Think of it this way... the media talks us up in late-November and early december. We gather our resources and do a campaign in January. If SciFi isn't going to promote the show, we can.

In the mean time, I am all for hunkering down and getting this work done for now. I'm sticking with the "keep it simple" plan for now. My work has been intensive at times, but it is the mailing of the press kits that is the most important piece of this puzzle. That is going to be the real work. Coordinating one tape to each city is a snap. Coordinating dozens of press kits to each city isn't as easy.

Crystal, the initial plan is to run cheap and easy. Let the media do the real promotion. We aren't picking actual channels and times. You are welcome to coordinate another ad run on your own (anyone is) and I'm sure we can get you a copy of the tape. The energy of this plan off and going, and it is too late to change that momentum.

Budget Stuff

I am using the broker rates right now. Again, while it is not the cheapest, they will do all of the really hard work for us. We send them one check and they send us a list of addresses to mail tapes. We deal with one person and that is it. No 10 account execs for 10 cities. I have asked for rates in all of the Top 20 markets.

As the budget stands now, in 10 cities, the cost to air one commercial spot only is $787. That number is very flexible at this time. There is a chance to get better rates, and a chance we will add more cities.

My estimated cost to send 10 tapes to 10 cities is under $60. A good guess is about $6 for UPS Ground shipping anywhere in the US. That number is a little high, but I don't have perfectly exact addresses to work with yet. That is just a high average.

That's it for tonight folks.

[Kithlyara]

If I can get a copy of the ad, another San Diego Scaper and myself are planning on footing the cost of running it locally. Also, I am willing to mail out the press kit myself to the local media, if I can get a copy to make copies from. All I need is approval from you guys to go ahead with mailing the press releases to San Diego media, and a time frame to mail the stuff out in.

[akimbo]

Originally posted by DaMENACE

Akimbo, with the amount interest I have seen in this thread for airing commercials, I think a big push in January for the new episodes would be in order eh? I mean, if the community is really gung ho about this, and we think we can boost Farscape's ratings... why the heck not? Think of it this way... the media talks us up in late-November and early december. We gather our resources and do a campaign in January. If SciFi isn't going to promote the show, we can.

In the mean time, I am all for hunkering down and getting this work done for now. I'm sticking with the "keep it simple" plan for now. My work has been intensive at times, but it is the mailing of the press kits that is the most important piece of this puzzle. That is going to be the real work. Coordinating one tape to each city is a snap. Coordinating dozens of press kits to each city isn't as easy.

Awesome. You've got my vote for going through a broker for as many cities as we can afford. (I'm sure we can make up the difference in money if you have trouble getting it funded). Depending on how that goes, we can plan for another push. :aok:

I know I've volunteered to help with the press kits. How about the rest of you Scapers? Check out the Help Wanted section or the marketing plan and join in the fray: http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4342
:help:

[grapeshot]

I was just getting a reality check on this plan from a friend who used to sell ads for a local tv station as well as for local radio staions (we live in a mid-sized market). She also isn't a Farscape fan, so I thought she could provide an objectivite, second opinion. She said that this is a wonderful idea. Cable TV spots are available dirt cheap (cheaper than even radio), and television is a much more powerful medium than radio. She commented that people will subliminally remember these ads, even if they see them only once. She believes that this will be especially effective if it is re-inforced on radio, but that radio isn't essential.

Wow, I had already thought this was a good idea. I think I'll look into ads in my local market!

[tedbragg]

The "I Am Farscape" ad was nice. I've got a ton of do-able and slick ideas for an ad like this:

1. Shoot in a studio. Local cable companies have leased studio space available at $100 to $200 an hour.

1a. Light the studio with dramatic lighting.

2. Grab a wider range of fans: minorities, young, old, families, etc.

Here's what just flashed into my head:

Stark white background ala the Apple "switch" ads. Camera pushes in on attractive male/female.
"I am a(insert profession here)..."

Cut-- to
Mother and kids on couch. Camera arcs around front of couch.
"I am a mother of (insert number)"...

Cut to--
Camera pans up a well dressed male/female with a briefcase
"I am a (paralegal...or better yet a Lawyer)"

Camera snap flashes to--
Musician with guitar or horn/bassfiddle/etc.
Swift cuts to instrument in hands, then cut to their face
"A musician"

Woman or man turns into frame
"A teacher"

(Cut faster)
Man in work clothes, hardhat in hand, toolbelt
"Contractor"

Two fun DJs (morning show?)
"Disc Jockey."
"'Jock-IES"
"Oh yeah. Right."

First person we saw at the beginning:
"There's one thing we all have in common."

Cut to--
"A doctor."

Cut to--
"Student"

Cut back to one of previous:
"I am FARSCAPE."

BAck to first person:
"FARSCAPE"

Quick montage of previous:
(all saying "Farscape" one after the other, some overlap, etc)

One of the previous:
"I *love* it"

Mom and kids:
"I can watch it with my kids"

Lawyer:
"I can share it with my collegues"

One of the previous:
"I can *be* more"

Another previous:
"*This* is more"

(all previous people, in a quick montage)
" I -- AM -- FAR-SCAPE"

8 year old doing their best impression of John Crichton:
"WHAT--is the matter with you--PEOPLE?!?"

Fade to white
"Watch FARSCAPE. Fridays at 10, only on Sci-fi Channel"
(Ad paid for by Watch Farscape Campaign 2002 blah blah blah)

This would work on Tv as well as radio.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DaMENACE
it is the mailing of the press kits that is the most important piece of this puzzle. That is going to be the real work. Coordinating one tape to each city is a snap. Coordinating dozens of press kits to each city isn't as easy.

Amen brother. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, since that's my next big project: to start making the VideoCD's that will go out with the press kit. In my area alone, there are 5 local stations with major news orgs who should get the kit. Then there are 3 locally produced "infotainment" shows that might be interested in doing a "segment" on the campaign. That's 8 VCD's and press kits just for the Bay Area. I'm sure LA, Boston, and NY will probably need even more. Extrapolate this out by 10 cities, and we're talking over 100 VCD's. Yowza! :eek:

I'll do this on my own if I need to, but it would be great to find some local help. So anyone in the Bay Area who has the capability to burn VideoCD's, I need to hear from you. And just to be clear, I'm not talking about a CD-ROM containing AVI files. I'm talking about a VCD format disc that will play in most DVD players.

I'll provide the media and a master disc (or you can pitch in on CD's if you have some dough to throw at the project), so you just need to make the copies and then get them back to me. Any takers PM/e-mail me so that we can coordinate.

Thanks!

[tedbragg]

Sorry, forgot to finish!

All the slick editing could be done later on somebody's G4 Mac. Getting the video footage would be easy. just shoot each person 3 to 5 times saying the same lines, moving the camera differently for each take.

I mentioned 'snap flashes' and such...I was getting ahead of myself. you all have seen the ads kinda like that.

Actually, making one look like an APPLE ad (Switched from one show to FARSCAPE, etc)

Run with it.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by tedbragg
The "I Am Farscape" ad was nice. I've got a ton of do-able and slick ideas for an ad like this:

As they say in another famous TV commercial: Just Do It! :aok:

[Gabriel]

Wow! This is an amazing idea. An INDEPENDENT ad-campaign organized over the internet. I thought it was insane to try, but you guys seem to be pulling it off fantastically. We scapers truly are nuts :)

I have one suggestion:

Beowolf: Am I right that you are using Apples hardware/software/web services on the creative end of things and coordinating flawlessly (hopefully) with both PC's and proffessional video systems? Apple often runs little articles about interesting creative projects using Macs and these articles are often picked up in the surprisingly large Mac/Geek/Creative Proffessional media. Why not contact Apple, tell the PR people your story and see if they are interested? The Quicktime PR person is: Bill Evans (408) 974-0610 bevans@apple.com and the iMovie/.Mac person is Alicia Awbrey (408) 974-0922 awbrey@apple.com

Here are some examples of these "feature stories"
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2002/10/floggingmolly/
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2002/10/craighunter/
http://www.apple.com/creative/videophoto/shanghai/

Keep up the good work!

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Gabriel
Beowolf: Am I right that you are using Apples hardware/software/web services on the creative end of things and coordinating flawlessly (hopefully) with both PC's and proffessional video systems?

Thanks Gabriel. Yeah, I am planning to send them a press kit (one more for the Bay Area I forgot about!). However, I'm an employee, so I'm not sure how PR will feel about doing such a story. :D We'll have to wait and see.

Seeya!

[Kithlyara]

I own a copier, and a CD burner on my computer, which my husband is fairly certain will burn VCDs, so I am offering my help with putting together and mailing out press kits. The only thing is, I do not have a lot of money I can spend on this project.

Paper is cheap, and so are CD-Roms, but the postage is what is going to kill me if I have to mail the kits far. I figure I have maybe $50 to spend on this, and I already have around 40 CDs on hand that I can use, so that should cut down on my costs. If I can mail the kits to the western half of the US, I should be okay on postage. Is that okay?

[DarkMagess]

So... for the person like me sitting here thinking how damned cool this all is, what should I be doing? You've already got the cities you want. The prices. Presumably the funds. Got the press release. It sounded like there were people able to deal with the format issue. Is there anything I should be doing? Print out press releases to send somewhere?

[beowulf]

Originally posted by Kithlyara
I own a copier, and a CD burner on my computer, which my husband is fairly certain will burn VCDs, so I am offering my help with putting together and mailing out press kits.

Thanks Kith. You're a good soul! I've volunteered to provide the disc media, and I believe the postage for the press kits and the beta sp tape mailing is part of the total cost for running the commercial that the Beyond Hope Fund is going to cover, so your out-of-pocket costs should be minimal. If I don't get enough local help, I'll definitely contact you about helping to make copies of the discs.

Best,

[beowulf]

Originally posted by DarkMagess
So... for the person like me sitting here thinking how damned cool this all is, what should I be doing? You've already got the cities you want. The prices. Presumably the funds. Got the press release. It sounded like there were people able to deal with the format issue. Is there anything I should be doing? Print out press releases to send somewhere?

There's a "Help Wanted" board that DaMenace mentioned in one of his posts; on page 15 of this thread, I believe. That's where WDSection and our team will be posting things we need help with. Check-in there on a regular basis, and thanks!

Best,

[Truemyth]

Contacting Apple on this is a frelling great idea!!!

[kimrb]

WOW!:finger: Thank you administrators for putting our pet project on the front page!!! This will really help in getting the word out. And believe me we need help. I don't want to say beowulf's monster effort in producing this spot for us was the easy part. Nor do I want to imply the DeMeance's unbelieveably time comsuming labors to gets rates were easy as well. They were major efforts on both parts and if they wanted to sit back and say 'I did my part' I would be the first to understand and thank them. But they are not that kind of people. They are Scapers of the highest order and only wish to keep plugging away. That is why I urge, plead, beg...whatever to help these guys out. The press release is the single most important part of this project and with out a doubt the largest task to be done. Beowulf has the master plan and is in need of assistance. Please heed his call and do what you can to help, it is a monster task. Lets see what else? Tiriel you rock, we'll get you anything you need. I will make the beta SP copies as needed. I have my own editing suite since I own my own production company and export all my work in that format. I get a professional discount on the tape stock and since I have all this time on my hands it is no chore at all. Once the final tweek is done to the spot by Beowulf he'll send it to me and away I go. If there are members of the group out there who wish to run the spot in their market because it is not on our list then just contact me and I'll get you a copy. My email address is in my profile. Please, when emailing be sure to include Farscape in the subject line so I don't automatically delete your message as I do not open mail from sources I don't know. And please don't ask for a copy if you aren't committed to using it for the cause. Don't jump the gun and run it outside the framework of the project. Everybody runs the spot during the same week. The date is not set in stone so we will let you know all the details when the plan is flush. OK, I've run off long enough. You guys get me so excited I just can't stop. Thanks everybody.

[beowulf]

Originally posted by kimrb
Once the final tweek is done to the spot by Beowulf he'll send it to me and away I go.

The final tweak of which Kim speaks is regarding the music in the ad. The SFS URL is now fixed, and the Powers-That-Be have said we shall stay with that, so changing the end text and voiceover is not necessary. If the Powers decide that they also want to keep the FS theme, then we're done! On the other hand, if they decide to change the music, then it should be an easy change and shouldn't impact our schedule at all. Either way, as DaMenace and Kim have said, the real work now lies in the press kits. And with the assistance and guidance of the SFS PR team I'm sure it's all going to go, "like buttah!" :aok:

[phamenoth]

considering the fact that the USA today ad has rounded up over 8,000 dollars, why doesnt someone take charge of a fund for the tv commercials? the costs could cover the production of using a simple studio to make it a bit more classy, and also, fund the number of ads in various cities, maybe even a spot on scifi which would cost more?

considering the outpouring of money for ONE AD, i cant see any reason why this funding wouldnt come through just as well, and might do more for us

[Deneba]

Don't forget the Farscape Webmasters' Association. They are now in charge of the new monies being contributed to the Beyond Hope fund, and have received over $2300 since Monday. They are very interested in the commercials as well.

D.:aok:

[phamenoth]

i see... in that case, perhaps red or another webmaster could add something on the blurb on the main page: "to donate to this, donate to the farscape webmasters' association fund"? simply because i know with me, the idea of what the FWA is is a little confusing and i have been too lazy to read it, so i wouldnt have assumed the ads would have been funded through it :)

[phamenoth]

oh, also, i think that it needs to be MANDATORY that the information link on the front page is up before these ads are run... it would be a terrible waste to attract a lot of viewers on a large scale, only to have them come here, not see an easy "what the hell is this farscape thing anyways?" and then leave.

[Deneba]

Sorry, let me be more clear.

The FWA hasn't decided to fund the commercials yet. It is just under consideration. It is the kind of project that the fund is intended to support though, and there are no previous commitments to fund other projects at this point.

It's kind of a chicken and egg thing: we're not sure what we can afford to support until we have money come in. Suddenly we have money, so we can look at projects that we can now perhaps afford. I haven't followed this thread too carefully, but my impression is that there are still some questions as to final broadcast costs for the initially chosen markets. We need to get those costs before we can seriously assess whether we can fund the project or not.

D.
Going to bed now . . .

[kimrb]

It is kinda late for this old cripple and I have had a very rough day so please excuse me if I sound grumpy or over the top or something. Scapers, please understand that this is NOT an ad campaign. We don't want or need some Madison Ave. type spot. There is absolutely no intention of attracting new Scapers with this spot. If we do, it won't be because they saw the spot on a cable system somewhere across this country. It will be because we created a newsworthy event by airing the commercial all across the country and the media reports on that fact. It doesn't matter a hoot if it airs at 3 AM on the golf channel. This is not an attempt to rub SciFi's nose in a catbox, or try to get even, or get some network exec's attention, or anything like that. We are not trying to promote Farscape with this spot. Honestly. That is not its purpose. What the spot is all about is getting media attention. The spot was designed to look and taste and feel just like it is. An attempt to show a variety of real live Scapers declaring they are Farscape and a web addy. We want the warts and all. We want to appear grassroots. We want to be just regular folks speaking honestly. It is so important that this spot not be flashy, over produced or polished to some artifical standard. It is deliberately the way it is because we want media attention. We want this spot to be aired by the media as a part of the whole Farscape story. If it is too professional or too savvy the media will be reluctant to cover the event because it won't look...I don't know what word I'm looking for here...homespun? It will lose its grassroots image. And we will have failed in our task. It is all a part of how the game is played. Television is the land of illusion. There is nothing real about TV. It is entertainment, period. And that includes the news. All this desire to dress up the spot and advertise at certain times and places is testimony to the illusion and power of TV. How many times have you heard someone try to make a point or win an arguement using the words "I saw it on TV?" We have to resist this powerful temptation with every ounce of Scaper thought and will power. Instead, we want to harness that illusion, use it to our advantage and not be star-struck because of the medium. That is why I constantly remind the fans to read this thread carefully. This is a war plain and simple. One we will win IF we play our cards well. There are many, many great ideas coming to the surface on this board. From window clings to talk show projects, to financing season 5 ourselves. Every one of these ideas are positive, productive projects and individual battles in this war. The do it yourself media project is just one more battle in a long, tough war. We have to manage this very carefully to be successful or we will end up squashing a very powerful idea and losing the opportunity to use the media to spread the word to millions of people we couldn't reach otherwise. We get the media to spread the word for us. And if we do this right, they do it for free. I know this is hard to get a handle on. That is because TV is so powerful, almost mythical. The important thing is that we air the spot in as many markets as we can, AT THE SAME TIME. And we make the media aware of what we are doing. We are creating an event and not marketing Farscape. The single most important part of this entire project is the press release and its distribution. Without the press release this project is nothing. That is why I urge each and every one of you to assist Beowulf if you can. This has nothing to do with how much money we throw at airing the spot and everything to do with letting the media know what we are up to. Man, am I lecturing or what? I don't mean to be an ass about this. But Scapers I want you so much to understand what this project is all about and why we are doing it the way we are. In very short order you will see a post with all the facts and figures. The who and what and how much and all that stuff. Many of you will think it is not enough of an effort or find something to comment on. Every comment is welcome, every suggestion listened to. We all want this to succeed. Lets not over think this simple idea. Save Farscape is our mantra and this project is designed to help do just that. By getting publicity and interesting new Scapers using the power of the media. I hope this rant has helped in explaining how this project will work and why we've done it the way we have. Lets all take a collective deep breath and chant 'season 5...season 5.' I'm done, its time for a pill and a few hours of sleep.