I'm curious, and not to sound how this probably will sound, but is this really a 'thank you', or more of a 'sequel, please' type of thing, veiled as a thank you; as a 'sequel, please' campaign would not go over as well or get as much support?

Yes, I realize my punctuation is all over the place there, but anyway...just wondering. Because to me, a 'thank you' with ulterior motives always seems a little less than genuine.

Rogue Slayer | September 13, 20:11 CET

Rogue Slayer, this SHOULD be a thank you only campaign. I can't speak for the author of the campaign, but my interpretation is that he invites people to include their own thoughts(personalize it etc). If you read through the threads on the fireflyfans.net site (dont have time to find through them) the event team on that site as well as at least one person I know of on the big damn thank you site have expressed they want this to be a thank you only letter writing campaign, i.e. no talk of sequels. But as you know, its difficult to tell people what to do, so the easiest thing is to let them decide what to say(after saying thanx).

Thing is, I guess my hope(I cant speak for anyone but myself) is that Universal will take notice. Not necessarily green light a sequel, but understand the market is still there . One thing I would LOVE to see is a special edition DVD for R1. We all know they have tons of extra stuff, and enough for a special edition. And I am sure numerous browncoats will pay a good amount to buy that. I would almost kill for that. Emphasis on the almost.

Now I take it you are thinking that there are ulterior motives. But I can't help but think any campaign to Universal, people in writing their own letters have ulterior motives. It is impossible to tell people "dont have a motive when you write this letter!". It is impossible to not have hope for more. I(again speaking for msyelf), am very grateful for this. It was because of Universal releasing this movie, that I got involved in the fandom, so I have Universal to thank for my addiction(yeah thanx alot! *sarcasm joke tone*). I won't be demanding for more sequels(some fans may), thats not my way, but I will express my desire that I will be around and will be willing to spend my money on any future ventures, like a Special edition dvd.

I find that it is ultimately up to the individual person to do whatever they want to do, as long as its something.

EDIT: Just also to note, that originally when first posted it was a thank you and ask(politely) for a sequel, however, with the invovlement of the Event Team at Fireflyfans.net, it has evovled into a thank you only campaign and thats what they are pushing for.

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-13 18:49 ]

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-13 18:50 ]

kurya | September 13, 20:43 CET

I agree that the letter should be very personal, and it should be your own decision whether you come out and ask for a sequel, hint around at it, or just say that you support Universal and Serenity. Personally, I'm going to thank Universal and ask for a sequel.

My letter, which is only a first draft, starts with a thank you, and then shares the things I loved about the movie, and why it is better than 90% of the junk that Hollywood produces (note that my tone was much more respectful in the actual letter)

At the end, I build up to a conclusion where I reiterate the thanks, and then very directly, yet politely, ask for a sequel. It's not pushy, I only ask once, and I don't argue the reasons that there should be a sequel in the letter.

That works for me; may not work for somebody else. The main thing is that people write letters, and that they all arrive around Sept 30th.

[ edited by gobluegirl on 2006-09-13 19:05 ]

gobluegirl | September 13, 20:55 CET

Hmmm that is interesting and quite nice Gobluegirl. And I agree as long as people are polite about asking for sequel, and not"give more or else gorrammit!!!", it should be ok. But everyone can phrase their own letter.

I mean for me, I was planning to talk about how because of the news of the advanced screenings I got invovled in the fandom, and ended up buying numerous things, and show my love for this fandom and the movie and the show. I also plan on talking about how I would LOVE to get a special edition DVD. I think it would be cool if Universald oes that(and I am sure I am not the only one ;) ).

And in case people dont believe how I am truely appreciative to Universal, I would add in my letter(and on here), there would be NO anniversay to celebrate without Universal!!! I hope people who are participating in this remember that.

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-13 19:28 ]

kurya | September 13, 21:25 CET

So there's no real consensus on what should or shouldn't be included?

I'm just more concerned that we will become the 'annoying fandom', pestering for more. I would be worried it might come across as, "Thanks for that, but now give us more please." Which, like I said, tends to make the 'thank you' seem disingenuous(in my opinion, others obviously feel differently).

Don't get me wrong. I want a sequel. I don't even have a problem with people asking for a sequel, except in how it might make the fandom look after a while. I'm just more concerned about the perception of a 'thank you, but' campaign to Universal.

But then, I'm always a little wary of mass letter/flower/email comapaigns and how they're perceived, even with the best of intentions. I know in my job, people send applications to me, and they'll also send reference letters, thank you notes, candy and treats, etc, hoping it will sway my decision, when my decision is really only based on hard data. I have to think that Universal's decision to make a sequel will only really be based on the economics. I'm not sure they were impressed enough with Serenity's performance to make a sequel, regardless of how many fans say they would watch it. I have to think they're looking at the bottom line. And with my job, the 'buttering up' attempts just get annoying. I don't want us to become an 'annoying' fandom to the people who hold the keys to the things we're fans of.

Again, just my 2 cents. Obviously a great deal of the fandom feels this is a good thing to do, so if it makes them happy, that's fine. I just hope it doesn't backfire on us.

Rogue Slayer | September 13, 22:05 CET

Hey Rogue Slayer, those are some valid concerns, and its great you expressed them. I guess its all a matter of opinion and who is the one in the decision making. I mean some people at least me,( although I am a grad student and therefore unimportant... nobody offered me sweets and candy etc... dammit) might apprciate a thank you and a follow up with a humble request for more....

It is always a problem of how fandoms are perceived. But in my mind(again my opinion), that it serves as a tool not for "buttering up or ass kissing", but a genuine thanx for their production, and a genuine request for more. I am thinking they are probably busy with all sorts of projects etc, and probably felt that the Serenity thing be put aside and not to be looked at again including the fandom. Maybe this campaign can serve as a remidner that we are here for the long term, and maybe take a quick look at the numbers again. Hell even if they take notice and decide to release a Special edition DVD, I would be thrilled! Not only do I get more, and that Universal makes a little money, it means they are interested in this market.

Plus I am sure they and the other companies must be used to how fandoms are, and their "perception" of fans are probably not that bad, as long as the fans arent a bunch of ungrateful ingrates(I think thats the term). And if they get lets say 10 thousand letters(I know its a dream), they may appreciate the reminder that a market is out there waiting to give more money. Maybe I am being too optimistic.

Anyways just wanted to say I share your concerns, but feel this campaign won't have any negative impact on us, as long as we are all respectful and truely appreciative. I know I will be in the letter I send them.

EDIT: to respond to the first point Rogue slayer... the ONLY concensus is that this should be a gracious thank you FIRST kind of letter. There is some disagreement on what should follow up if anything, but that is to be expected since there are many fans and everyone has their own opinions.

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-13 20:42 ]

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-13 20:44 ]

kurya | September 13, 22:37 CET

A lot has to do with the frequency of such a campaign. I don't think that anything like this has been done since Firefly was cancelled (somebody let me know if I'm wrong here). I figure as long as it isn't overdone, and remains a very occasional and coordinated campaign, letter writing can do a world of good. This is not something I'd expect to see very often, not even once a year.

I think the best thing that the campaign will do is to show Universal that there are a lot of fans out there, that will take the time to write about a movie that they liked.

It's a lot like writing your state or federal representative. So few people actually write to them, that, on issues where the representative doesn't have a strong opinion one way or another, they can be swayed by someone's letter.

They may not change their minds if their minds are made up, but if there's room for persuasion, then the letter can do some good.

I think the same holds for this letter writing campaign.

gobluegirl | September 13, 23:25 CET

RogueSlayer, I agree that Universal's decision will be based on hard data, and part of that is whether they know there is still a noisy fan base out there willing to be engaged in publicity stunts. I think the re-screenings of 'Serenity' help more (showing that a year later the BDM can still sell out a theater), but I think it all helps. I don't think that a quiet orderly fandom is particularly impressive (unless they are really spending huge amounts of money to make up for the silent detachment).

embers | September 13, 23:52 CET

Um, the title should have "Writing" not "Wrtiting".

killinj | September 14, 00:02 CET

DOH! thanx killinj .... it has a certain 3 letter word in it, which can be quite embarassing. And no Im not a sex depraved maniac....

kurya | September 14, 00:08 CET

killinj - corrected that :) Although it could go down in history as the greatest (first?) wrtiting cpampaign - that would certainly help differentiate it from other, more grammatically correct, writing campaigns. Its a living language, people, wrtite your hrearts out!

ETA:



Note that kurya doesn't deny the individual parts, only the whole phrase... and did you mean depraved or deprived?

zeitgeist | September 14, 00:09 CET

Oh the first campaign to do that???? Wohooo I'm famous and all historical!!!

I will definately make sure that my letter to Universal will not have such grammtical errors.

kurya | September 14, 00:11 CET

Zeitgeist, I meant "depraved", as in sick and demented. Deprived, I would never admit that.... it would only re-inforce the geek virgin sexless stereotype, which I refuse to do. Now to put on on my jayne hat, go comment on some online forums about firefly/serenity, and write letters to Universal.

EDIT: OOPS, I only realized what Zeitgeist was hinting at now. Colour me embarassed. (And "colour" is gramatically correct, since it is the Canadian spelling dammit!)

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-13 22:16 ]

kurya | September 14, 00:14 CET

I think I'll probably write a letter. I haven't been a part of these campaigns before, but I think the first anniversary is a good time to start. I definitely agree that too many campaigns means very little effect. Eventually they'll just say, "well we got 1,000 letters the last time and 1,001 this time. Doesn't that mean that there's only one new fan?"

Also, I'm not going to ask for a sequel. That seems like, as Rogue Slayer said, an ulterior motive, and I think a thank you should just be a thank you. (Of course if other people decide to ask for things, I'm not saying anything about them. Just that I personally am not going to.)

ormaybemidgets | September 14, 00:20 CET

I think embers is correct in this case - utimately, the Serenity fan base should probably try to stay in the focus of Universal (forget FOX) and the media where possible. Well, actually, no - I'll reword that. Serenifly fans (likely, uhm, me) shouldn't have to do anything. And they don't have to. But things like like the Serenity DVD buying thing, BigDamnThankYou.com, Can't Stop The Serenity and this have not been a bad thing in any way.

In fact, if they haven't been done, I'm willing to bet the Serenity DVDs wouldn't have sold as well as they have - some of the efforts fans have done have directly related to the DVD sales figures you can see an Amazon (link). Plus, keeping it in the media and in the face of execs has that spiral effect of keeping it in the face of the people in charge of finances.

I tend to judge things like FireflySeason2 dot com as a bad thing(tm) as they tend to make people believe anothe season of Firefly will magically happen. It won't.

A majority of the people getting involved in things online has been the things mentioned at the beginning of this post, so the fans can take credit for the fact that they are the people spreading the word and selling the DVDs at the minute - the studio is doing absolutely no advertising at all now.

gossi | September 14, 01:06 CET

kurya - /chuckle - definitely is definitely spelled with an 'i', no matter how many Canadians tell me otherwise :) I frequently use colour and favour and whatnot, so no worries on that front!

p.s. - I am totally joking, in case its not obvious. no offense whatsoever intended (except towards gossi, 'cause, you know, why not?)

p.p.s. - gossi, they are about to do another marathon on Sci-Fi (right?) and playing Serenifly on their HD channels over here, so thats advertising after a fashion.

zeitgeist | September 14, 01:12 CET

I understand many of the points made here, though I don't necessarily agree with them all.

Another concern I have is if this isn't giving false hope to anyone. If it makes people feel like they're doing something proactive for something they love, that's great. But I guess I'm a pessimist in that I can't imagine letters could do what our movie-going efforts couldn't: convince Uni that there is a huge market for a sequel or continuation in some form. We were a very vocal and active group before the movie came out, but once it came out, it didn't perform up to sequel standards(as I fuzzily understand them).
I mean, I can see how execs might see a massive fandom campaign equalling dollars to them, if they had not had a previous experience with the fandom. I wonder if they see the letters and think, "Well, that's all well and good, but we weren't impressed enough by the movie profits to do another." And this is with many(if not most) of us going multiple times to see the movie. Heck, with hubby and I alone, they might have seen an 8 'person' increase in ticket sales. And I know many folks saw it even more times. So it all adds up. And many people tried to convert and bring friends and spread the word. Fans bought multiple DVDs, gave, donated, sweated, cried, and bled. And yet...no sequel.

I guess my point(if it can even be called that) is that we(and I can barely include myself in that, because others have done so much more than I) worked so hard for this movie, before and after its release. Are letters going to accomplish what we couldn't before? We fought for this world harder than I thought people would ever fight for a movie. I just have a hard time imagining letters will get done what all the hard work couldn't.

We've already done the impossible. Not to say you shouldn't try for the impossibler, but I'd just hate for anyone to get their hopes up on a long shot. And well, the 'thank you, but' perception thing I mentioned earlier...

Rogue Slayer | September 14, 01:29 CET

Rogue Slayer - I can't remember a single letter from a fan asking for a Firefly movie. That was Joss' and Universal's baby.

Ultimately, it's a falsehood to suggest Firefly fans made the movie go into production. Because that didn't happen. Like, at all. What made the movie go into production was Joss and Universal's faith. It was well into script development stage before the DVDs even came out for the show.

What the fans did was provide a focus for it online, which spread (a little) to offline world, on the run up and after the film came out.

Of course, from a hope point of view, it would need to sell a bloody lot of DVDs now for there to be a sequel. Impossible? I've no idea. Joss doesn't have any idea. We don't have the DVD sales data, so we've no real way of knowing how close or how far it's off.

gossi | September 14, 01:34 CET

Gossi - As one of the few people who have interviewed Mary Parent (formerly) from Universal, and can say unequivocally that the fans DID play a role in the movie being greenlit. Absolutely it was mostly Joss, and Universal wanting to work with Joss. But the fact that they knew there was a large, active fan base, (who were buying hundreds of thousands of DVDs) gave them a comfort level that played a large role in the final decision. I thought we made that pretty clear in our documentary, but it was also further cemented from the chit chat we had before and after filming her interview.

Yes, Joss was working on the script before the DVDs came out, but it was the sales over Christmas that gave Universal the push they needed to give it the final greenlight. Had the sales been poor, they probably would not have greenlit it, and probably would have encouraged Joss to write something else for them. (Goners?) Bottom line, the fans did play a big role in the decision.

Sorry, that was a bit off topic.

JeremyN | September 14, 02:01 CET

Zeitgeist, In was also kinda joking about the Canadian comment, since its a well known thing of the inferiority complex of us Canucks. Actually, it may not be that well known :S

Rogue Slayer, I am glad you are expressing your concerns in a civil manner, just thought I would say that. I would think that numerous people participating in this(and if you see some comments in that thread) that of course there is a big big chance that nothing will come out of it. A letter writing campaign alone won't do anything. However, it is something proactive for the fandom to do(and not just sit around and stagnate), like you mentioned in the beginning of your comment. I feel that I have to do something, even if it is futile, I can at least say "I tried". I would rather write a simple thank you letter to Universal, than to just sit and wait. What can I say, I am not very good at sitting still,I have been known to be a little "hyperactive".

Some of us are newbies to the verse. I only came in 16 months ago into the fandom. I wasnt there when the show went off the air. And even after the mvoie release, many new people came into the fandom. So this is an oppurunitity for some of us to do something. Obviously a letter writing campaign alone wont do anything. Most people know that, but it is in conjunction with all the fan iniatives that it might have an effect. Plus if you notice, the letter writing camapign is only one part of it. its also a celebration, hold parties and a way to rally fans to recruit more people.

I know Rogue Slayer you want to keep a level head, and are quite right to have a bit of healthy pessemism to be realistic. And are worried that the fans participating in this won't. But I was there when the fandom was all excited about the release and then had the curshed and hurt feelings when the outcome wasnt so rosy in terms of box offices. But I recovered, and so did most people. As humans we are resilient, for the most part in terms of recovering from crushing disappointments. So even if some people get their "hopes up", they won't disappear, they will still be around.

Gossi, it should also be mentioned that as stated in numerous places(like on the DTI documentary by Joss himself and others, correct me if I am wrong), that although the fans didnt"push the movie to be made", it gave some confidence and hope to creator, actors, and crew that there are people behind them. And I guess this is what it ultimately it is all about, foolish hope.

I guess I prefer to keep a bit of optimism, and hope, because for me Firefly and Serenity is too good to let go. In a world where alot of bad shit happens(even as I speak), I prefer to keep a bit of opitmism, because it gets me through the day ultimately. If we dont have hope, even if foolish, then life is difficult to live through, at least for me.

I just realized this post is rather long winded, I apologize for that :S

kurya | September 14, 02:01 CET

Rogue Slayer - I can't remember a single letter from a fan asking for a Firefly movie. That was Joss' and Universal's baby.


I didn't mean to imply that a letter campaign created Serenity, I just meant that fans worked hard for this movie, before and after it was released.

Obviously you would know better than I, Gossi, about what kind of mail Universal gets, but I certainly can't imagine no one ever wrote a letter in support of the movie when we heard about it's possibility in...2003...but on this I seem to recall something...hang on...from early 2004 at fireflydvd.com:

Joss Whedon posted a message over on FireflyFans.net. It's always nice to hear from the all mighty one. But it sounds like he's having problems (presumably with getting the movie greenlighted, or at least that was the implication.) So, if you haven't written to Universal or followed up on any guerilla marketing missions. Do it now!!

So I'm assuming there was some letter writing going on, but I was never trying to imply that letters got anything done.

Ultimately, it's a falsehood to suggest Firefly fans made the movie go into production. Because that didn't happen. Like, at all. What made the movie go into production was Joss and Universal's faith. It was well into script development stage before the DVDs even came out for the show.

Ok, I can't find this one, but I think Chris Buchanan, and maybe other folks in the know, mentioned how the dvd's sold much better than they expected, well before Serenity was greenlit, so it probably did help get it solidified. Again, I don't really know the ins and outs, but I know the script was written before it was every confirmed to be made(as most movies are, I assume), so dvd sales could only have helped. (And I agree that right now, Serenity dvd sales would be the most effective way of asking for a sequel).

it is something proactive for the fandom to do(and not just sit around and stagnate), like you mentioned in the beginning of your comment. I feel that I have to do something, even if it is futile, I can at least say "I tried". I would rather write a simple thank you letter to Universal, than to just sit and wait.

Kurya I appreciate you and all like you who want to do something to further the verse. I don't mean to be a rainy-parady-pants or anything, I just initially meant to express my concern that something like this might turn out more negative than positive in several respects; but as long as it doesn't have a backlash on the fandom and people don't get their hopes too high, I say people should write to their hearts content. Wrtite even! (Of course, I don't mean that to sound like I somehow set the standards for when/how/where people can write letters, but that would kind of rock...though probably not to George W Bush...)

Rogue Slayer | September 14, 02:24 CET

Rogue Slayer, I know it sucks to play the rain on the parade guy, but you have played that part well. Thank you for expressing your concerns in a civil manner. WHen I posted this I was worried there would be this huge downpouring of cynism and nastiness, but you expressed your concerns quite nicely. And it is good to get all the concerns out in the open I find. It is useful to know all the potential bad things when one participates in this. Its easy to be caught in one's own bubble. That way people are aware of them, and maybe come to a concensus of what should happen, and if not agree to disagree. When I write my letter I will for sure keep your comments in mind.

kurya | September 14, 02:35 CET

Rogue Slayer has put my thought into writing a lot better than I could have hoped. I'll admit, on first reading this thread, and of hearing of the 'thank you' campaign, I was pretty hesitant. Maybe I'm a little jaded tho? I wondered if many corporations recieved 'thank you' letters for producing their products? I understand its Serenity, it just didn't sit well with me. I'm not sure it still does, although Kurya has gone some of the way in ensuring this is genuine thanks, not just a cleverly disguised plead.

Possibly the whole Spike Movie campaigns and little movement from the studios has dissappointed me some?
Or...maybe I'm just getting old?
And cantankerous?
And...crunchy?

nixygirl | September 14, 02:45 CET

Gossi - As one of the few people who have interviewed Mary Parent (formerly) from Universal, and can say unequivocally that the fans DID play a role in the movie being greenlit. Absolutely it was mostly Joss, and Universal wanting to work with Joss. But the fact that they knew there was a large, active fan base, (who were buying hundreds of thousands of DVDs) gave them a comfort level that played a large role in the final decision. I thought we made that pretty clear in our documentary, but it was also further cemented from the chit chat we had before and after filming her interview.

Now, I'm not saying the fan factor was ever seen as a bad thing pre Serenity going into proper production. And yes, it was known about. Ultimately, however, they had pretty much made the decision to make Serenity before the DVD was out, let alone before the DVD sales were known. A classic example is SerenityMovie.com was registered by Universal's marketing department back in 2003. Many people knew about what was 'appening back then.

I think the DVD sales ultimately helped bring it home to the studio that the DVD sales were better over a longer period than you'd expect, and a very large part of that was due to the fans. This is part of the reason Universal decided at a marketing level to bring the fans on board as part of the release strategy. So, from a business point of view - and I'm boring MYSELF typing this, so sorry anybody reading - fans = sales = money.

So, clearly, fans = good.

It's clear the equation works, by the way, as Serenity keeps selling on DVD, perhaps more than if Universal had opted to make, for example, an unknown generic space film.

Again, I'm not saying fans didn't impact the movie. They did. They just didn't play a large part in making the movie happen in the first place (except the actual extras). They played a part in making sure the project would be more successful for the studio.


So I'm assuming there was some letter writing going on, but I was never trying to imply that letters got anything done.


Oh, there was. Chris B told them to stop. It was a casting problem as far as I recall it (and I'm pretty sure Alan and Ron have openly said it was related to them since).

Also, whilst we're on about the fan and studio relationship with Serenity and a thank you thing - the studio was so, so good to me and the fans in the UK. And I really mean that. Aside from having a simply awesome time with them -- they still keep in contact with me, despite there being no business reason to.

gossi | September 14, 04:22 CET

What does this mean? People were writing to Ron and Alan and saying don't be in the movie? Or saying, yes do be in the movie? Or possibly this is a joke because Alan and Ron died and casting and... joke, yes?

Forgive me for the lack of smartness. I just came off of a two hour Bio quiz. (Eww.)

Also I'm feeling all conflict-y, because know even Rogue Slayer, who was against the "thank you" campaign becoming a "give me a sequel" campaign, is talking as if it is one. And everyone's talking like it is one. And I thought (perhaps too optimistic?) that it really was just a "thank you" campaign.

[ edited by ormaybemidgets on 2006-09-14 03:17 ]

ormaybemidgets | September 14, 05:16 CET

I think I must be missing something here. Why not just buy a cheap multi-zone player (or chip your existing one) and get the R2/4 two disc version online. The profit on the DVD may go to the international distribution arm of Universal rather than the US arm but you get the goods and the purchase price still ‘counts’ towards a sequel if that’s what you’re hoping for. It will also even up the fact that a proportion of online sales in the US will have come from non North American fans who didn't want to wait for the local release date!

purplehazel | September 14, 05:35 CET

Also I'm feeling all conflict-y, because know even Rogue Slayer, who was against the "thank you" campaign becoming a "give me a sequel" campaign, is talking as if it is one. And everyone's talking like it is one. And I thought (perhaps too optimistic?) that it really was just a "thank you" campaign.


I think the original intent was just a thank you. But it seems that some people will be asking for a sequel, and you can't force anyone to write just 'thank you' if they really want to ask for a sequel.
The thing with campaigns...as soon as there's more than one person involved, it runs the risk of taking on all kindsa new dimensions! :~D

Rogue Slayer | September 14, 05:44 CET

Heh, yeah. Other people always complicate things. :) I'll still write my letter, because I think it's important to say thanks.

ormaybemidgets | September 14, 06:43 CET

I'm never opposed to saying thanks, its just the mass emailing that presents a problem for me. Perhaps as other people have done before, maybe a book could be made from BC's personal thanks and then presented to Uni?
Anyways, that's just a thought.

nixygirl | September 14, 07:47 CET

Hi, kinda drifted away from the thread for a bit, sorry(had some real life interfering, of the pleasant kind hehe). Anyways

1) Purplehazel, in terms of buying a "cheap" DVD player and having to buy another Region dvd and shipping it to Canada, would probably be not that cheap. I am willing to spend but within reason. And when I said R1, yeah the other regions got extra stuff.. but I am pretty darn sure there is more stuff out there. More deleted scenes more goofiness(a la gag reel), maybe more docs, commentary not just from Joss but others, and the River tam sessions, and the interviews of the fans the Studio did for the advertising blitz. You see where I am going with it? Call me ungrateful(and I am not), but I would like to see all that stuff. Call me an obsessive fanatic(is that the definition of a browncoat???) but I would like to see every detail about the process of Serenity making etc. Thats what I want hehe. Plus its way more complicated to ask that the studio release a special edition and go through all that hoopla then to buy non-R1. :P

2) In terms of sequel talk, the point being that the main idea of this campaign is thank you first, and add your own comments. And its bound to happen people will be asking for sequel(politley) of course, but then there will be others saying just thanx. And there will be people like me sending in thanks, I spent a lot of money, willing to spend more wink wink nudge nudge, and I would think it would be a smashing idea to have a special edition.

3) In terms of emailing... I know thats one of the aspects of the campaign, but I think most people are aware that nothing replaces the old fashion typing out a letter and sending it out(My handwriting is crappy, so no way in hell am I writing it out). Plus there are specific people to target for the thank you letters not really any for the emails. So I will not be emailing but I will be sending in a letter, can't speak for others.

4)Nixygirl, I dunno what I can do inspire confidence in you to participate. But if thats how you truely feel inside, don't then, its up to you. It would be a shame, but that is your choice. The thing is, yeah I am sure this probably won't accomplish much, and even if alot of letters are sent in Universal won't be bothered, and even then they may think we are a bunch of sad gits, and(my god I am starting to sound like Rogue Slayer :S), my point is, it is something to do. For me its about sending thanks and saying that I am still here. That is all for me. Besides buying the variosu things etc is not enough for me, I never particiapted ina campaign for me, so forgive me for sounding like such a newbie, but I want to do somethign I feel is pro-active. Its almost a statement of my dedication to the verse. After I sent the letter I myself feel I have accomplished something. Even if nothing comes out of it(and I doubt the fandom would be seen as horrible after a letter writing campaign like this), at least I tried and thats enough.

And the point of this campaign is to get everyuone invovled, hyped and celebrate Serenity and the Anniversary, and etc! People decide how they make their own thing in this. IF people are going to write the letter and say thanx and ask for sequel(politley), then they will. You can't force people what to write. However, if enough people who say JUST thanx, outnumber the ones that say thanx then ask for sequel.... maybe outnumber so much like 5:1 Hmmm you can do the math. And yes I admit, this is my attempt to bait people to participate. I am shameless.

And for the people on the fence, if you decide to not write, well thats your choice but try to get past the initial ickiness reaction. You write your own letter, that simple! Think of it this way, what harm does 1 more letter have? However, if there is 1 less letter, than... well multiply that by a number, and think about the end result of that.

Again apologize for the long windidness I hope I didnt bore people to tears.

Edit: I just want to say, in case its not obvious, I am not one of the organizer just a person cheering on the sides"go browncoats go... GOOOOO". So everything I said is representative of me, and not of the organizers, I cant speak for them. I am making this campaign my own and doing things my own way and having fun with it too, and staying postive too.

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-14 08:11 ]

kurya | September 14, 10:08 CET

As one of the members of 11th Hour's Event Team on FFF.net I have to say thank you to everyone here for your kindness and discussion of this subject. I just wanted to say quickly that everything said here will inform our decisions as we encourage folks to do this letter writing campaign. I've posted a link to these comments and I'll be referring folks to come read your words here so that they have an understanding of just how important it is to do this right. I don't think we can be too informed or too careful in how we do this. We're going to do our level best to make this a positive thing for the fandom and a nice thank you to Universal.

FollowMal | September 14, 10:17 CET

That's great that you guys are taking opinions from the broader fan-base onboard.

Personally, i'm with Rogue Slayer. Saying 'Thank-you' is about Universal and the faith they had in Joss' vision. Saying 'Thank-you and can we have a sequel' makes it about us and kind of implies (even if it's not true) that we're saying thanks only because we have an underlying agenda.

Re: the effect it'll have, my personal feeling is not much but sometimes it's just nice to say thank-you anyway.

So I may send a card/letter and if I do it'll only say thanks (well, not only thanks, there'll be 'Dear someoneorother' and 'Yours sincerely' and stuff but 'thanks' will be the gist ;).

(as others mention above, BTW, mass emailing is not a good idea since there's a danger that all you'll achieve is a very harried, pissed off IT department at Universal. It'll generate attention alright but only the bad kind)

Saje | September 14, 12:58 CET

That's really cool FollowMal, I'm glad you guys are looking at some of the misgivings a few of us have in how this is approached. I'm sure all of your efforts will be appreciated.


Kurya that is what it should be about. I don't mean to sound like a wet blanket and its great to see enthusiasm and passion for the 'verse. However, I'll probably not be involved, but mostly cause I'm hella lazy!

I much prefer the idea of actual written letters, it shows that the individual writing (or wrtiting)has really taken some care in what they are doing. I also think it would be recieved far more as a 'thank you' than as anything other intent.

nixygirl | September 14, 17:01 CET

Well that is cool of you to do Saje, but keep in mind, that IS the focus of this campaign, to say "thanx" in a personal way. I hope people understand that.

Nixygirl, glad you aren't totally against the idea. But come on you know you want to submit a letter. All the cool kids are doing it! Ok I will stop :P And passion and enthusiasm, well I dont like my work too much, so I got to like something really alot!

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-14 15:22 ]

kurya | September 14, 17:05 CET

Ah Kurya...Universal are well aware of my gratitude already. Well, Uni Oz are anyways.

nixygirl | September 14, 17:25 CET

Wow cool! Besides posting on the boards and buying stuff I haven't done much else. Did you do anything specific Nixygirl? Or just jumped up and cheered so loudly that Uni Oz heard it?

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-14 15:56 ]

kurya | September 14, 17:56 CET

Joss's next projects are with Universal as well. Am I right? It is tempting to me to thank Universal for Serenity and for their continuing support of Joss in general.

They took a chance on Serenity and it did not have a huge immediate payoff. For that they deserve thanks. More than any specific future project though, I want Joss to have a supportive place where he can put things on screen. It would be nice if there was both a movie place and a TV place, but I'll take what I can get.

If I can get off the lazy train, I am tempted to send a letter thanking Universal for their past and current support of Joss's projects, including Serenity. That way it is clear that I am looking forward to buying various products from them in the future as opposed to obsessing over one particular product with no interest in anything else.

Just a thought I had after reading through the thread. Thanks, everybody.

newcj | September 14, 18:36 CET

I love the idea of the thank you, but I tend to agree with those who feel that it seems disingenuous and ulterior motive-y when you head into sequel-begging territory in paragraph two. I know this was not the original intent, so I say that those who feel the same write a simple thank-you and do not mention sequels.

Plus I can't resist pimping my favorite a/v purchase of the last decade, the Oppo OPDV971H, which is multi-region, has dvi and hdmi outputs, supports a ludicrous number of formats (including divx and xvid, vcd, svcd, dvd-a, etc etc etc.). All this for under $200USD and it outperforms $3500USD Denon players. They've also added a slightly lower end one for $149USD (the OPDV970HD). I can't say enough great things about the products or the company.

Kurya - your talk of Quebecois(e) made me think fondly of my surprise birthday trip/gift to Quebec City for my 30th birthday jubilee (thanks, barest_smidgen!!!)

zeitgeist | September 14, 18:42 CET

In terms of next projects, I think Wonder Woman is with WB, and Goners(who is mia????) is with Universal. So I dont think a mention of Wonder Woman is good lol... but that is an interesting idea thank them for allowing Joss to do his other project. And I am super interested in seeing Goners too. Thanx for the idea newcj!

Hmmm Zeitgeist, are you by chance on their payroll? Hmmm is that cashy money I see! EGADS! And I guess you were referring to my quebec comment on the other thread, Quebec City is a nice wonderful place. After the 4th time though, it does get a bit boring lol :P. It is 2.5 hours away from Montreal, where I am.

kurya | September 14, 19:02 CET

Oh, that's right, your Quebec comment was in the other thread. Shiny objects occasionally confuse me! No, not on the payroll, just an enthusiastic user :)

zeitgeist | September 14, 19:04 CET

Could we perhaps say everything we want to say simply by thanking them for making movies with Joss? (So far, there's just the one, so they'll know we mean Serenity, and there's certainly no harm in mentioning it by name.)

ETA: Do you think that would imply that we want to see any picture made by him, while avoiding the potential offputtingness of saying we want a sequel?

Just an idea.

[ edited by Pointy on 2006-09-14 18:31 ]

Pointy | September 14, 19:52 CET

Yep...pretty much.
Oh...and perstered them like crazy to give me and the other Ozzie BC's stuff.



Huh?

;-P

nixygirl | September 14, 21:24 CET

My PS2 plays multi region DVDs but I had to get a special disc for it from Amazon.

Simon | September 14, 21:28 CET

Not that I would advocate this, but there are several 'regular' dvd players that you can...manipulate relatively easily into region freedom. A quick google search should help.

Rogue Slayer | September 14, 21:37 CET

I would totally advocate it and if anyone needs help doing it, I'm not saying to email me, but you could ;) Region codes are artificial and nonsensical.



Yeah, but it looks nowhere near as good and tends to have really dark output as well as some chromatic aberrations, nevermind that it doesn't upsample.

zeitgeist | September 14, 21:48 CET

It looks fine to me, never noticed any major or even minor differences with the picture quality. And I have no idea what upsampling is.

Simon | September 14, 21:50 CET

Upsampling is only really at all important if you have an HD set (its a way of simulating higher output resolutions), and I guarantee you would see the difference if I were to send you my Oppo :) Which I will not, sir! *hoard* I thought my Sony DVPS550D looked good until I got the Oppo.

zeitgeist | September 14, 21:54 CET

Yeah, but it looks nowhere near as good and tends to have really dark output as well as some chromatic aberrations, nevermind that it doesn't upsample.

Wow, you're a giant nerd!

Also, there's a HD-DVD rip of Serenity online nowadays. I didn't even know it was possible to rip 'em. It looks *lovely* - 'bout 3 times the DVD resolution.

Wow, I'm a giant nerd!

gossi | September 14, 22:03 CET

Ok ... all this talk of upsampling and chromatic abberations has left me feeling I am not as geeky as I thought I was :P. And just a note, isnt there a danger of manipulating the DVD player to make it region free? Like causing it to strange things akin to a possessed being?

Pointy, I think that would be a cool idea, if you feel comfortable with it go with it. I might do that too!

Nixygirl, You got free stuff? And they let you pester them??? OMG. hmmmm Could I pester them for a big screen tv?? Oh wait BC related stuff eh? How about a big screen tv with Serenity logos all over it?? It could be used for marketing the movie! It Could!

kurya | September 14, 22:06 CET

Kurya - making them region-check is the unnatural bit :) The way most of them are made region free is by a code the manufacturer programmed in but doesn't advertise in Region 1 (silly MPAA). So, no, it shouldn't cause any odd behaviours. (<-- see how I spelled it?)

gossi - ACSS is no more a copy/rip protection scheme than CSS was. It only prevents you from playing back copies on unlicensed decoders. The idea that either of them prevents copying is the biggest joke ever. p.s. - NERD! ;)

zeitgeist | September 14, 22:10 CET

And just a note, isnt there a danger of manipulating the DVD player to make it region free? Like causing it to strange things akin to a possessed being?


Not that I know anyone who did this, but if I did, they probably only had to punch in a certain sequence of buttons to make their player region free. And sometimes they might have to buy a universal remote for the sequence, but not always.

Rogue Slayer | September 14, 22:13 CET

I hesitate to speak in the shadow of such majestic nerds, but I believe there can be a problem with the the television coding when changing the region setting via the magical button sequences.

dreamlogic | September 14, 23:29 CET

Yep, not all DVD players (especially older models) have a PAL convertor built-in which means NTSC discs can sometimes show in black and white and/or off-size. Fairly unusual nowadays though I think (except maybe with very cheap units).

Saje | September 14, 23:41 CET

Magical button sequences.... how.... magical... Yeah thats what I was referring to... how the player could be stuck in a state if you dont press the sequence right and be screwed up permanenantly?

And Zeitgeist, I am impressed with your Canadian ;)

kurya | September 14, 23:48 CET

I hesitate to speak in the shadow of such majestic nerds, but I believe there can be a problem with the the television coding when changing the region setting via the magical button sequences.

I know we had that problem with vcr tapes once upon a time(the joys of marrying a dutchman), but I've never had a problem with any of the dvd players.

Yeah thats what I was referring to... how the player could be stuck in a state if you dont press the sequence right and be screwed up permanenantly?

We've put the sequence in wrong many times, and it just does nothing. No harm. In my experience.

[ edited by Rogue Slayer on 2006-09-14 21:51 ]

Rogue Slayer | September 14, 23:50 CET

Just to weigh in after being dragged away by work - I've seen players that only play b&w or off-aspect when doing other regions, but they are, as mentioned above, the very cheap units.

kurya - Not too shabby, eh? ;)

zeitgeist | September 15, 00:13 CET

It depends on the brand and the model.
Some models, just accept the input for Region 9 (which turns the device into a multi-region player).
Others will only accept manual inputs, so you need change the code, everytime you want to watch a disk from a different region.

I know that there are brands and models, that you really have to watch out, or you might even damage the player for good, by doing that.

Also look for players from brands that offer firmware updates, this is pretty cool, especially for players that plays multiple formats and regions.

Numfar PTB | September 15, 00:13 CET

To respond to Numfar's post, it wouldn't 'damage it for good'. Its POSSIBLE (though unlikely) that a player might have a limited number of region changes built into it (usually on PC DVD drives, but they are re-flashable to reset that anyway, so who cares), but there is the chance of the annoying 'change every time' option. Oppo made you change every time for one firmware rev and when they found people didn't like it they changed it (they release new firmware on their website quite frequently to address fixes/additional features) and added support for new formats at the same time.

zeitgeist | September 15, 00:17 CET

Hmmm, thanx for the tips. It sounds all complicated(and the DVD player I have is quite a few years old...) Maybe I will stick to just asking(politely) Universal for a special edition DVD in my thank you letter :P

Zeitgeist, nice going, EH.

[ edited by kurya on 2006-09-14 22:18 ]

kurya | September 15, 00:17 CET

That's MISTER nerd to you, gossi. Mister Nerd with a slightly unhinged girlfriend who harbours grand illusions of her own badassery and mad skillz. So, quit calling my guy a nerd, you... nerd-guy. Or, I'll... take away your beans on toast. /scowls. ;P

Alternately: I love me some smart men. All this tech-geekery talk has me glazed-over and weak-kneed; go easy on us, boys. A girl can only take so much.

barest_smidgen | September 15, 00:41 CET

Mister Nerd: you need to take barest_smidgen's keyboard (or alternatively, monitor) away. There are DVD regions being discussed, yo. ;)

gossi | September 15, 01:25 CET

/posts from zeitgeist's computer whilst working from home, ponders hijacking the blue z log-in to "edit" gossi's posts, yo.

barest_smidgen | September 15, 03:10 CET

*hugs barest*
I've been a bad friend not emailing!

I've heard of the magical button sequencing, and of certain sites that show you how. Although, I could never advocate such a thing. Nope...never.

nixygirl | September 15, 04:45 CET

Yeah, call me a geek, not a nerd, dangit! :) *hugs barest*

zeitgeist | September 15, 18:50 CET

I got a region free DVD player for $12.00 during a Boxing Day sale last year. It was cheaper than the Serenity DVD I'd ordered from Australia. So keep looking, Kuyra!
And zeitgeist, your next attempt at sounding Canadian is to say "it's nice to get oot and aboot, now and agin, eh?"

Lioness | September 15, 21:30 CET