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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
Putting it in a real company immediately creates a connection with the character and exactly what world he lives in (and that it is ours). If he worked at a fake name company is it of the monumental logistical proportions as FedEx? Is it something smaller and more fly-by-night? Is it whatever? Using FedEx creates an immediate shorthand and has a historic well-known slogan that emphasizes the importance of time and efficiency (which is the basis on which the character structures his life).
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I disagree. These questions you pose can be answered in the script. A truly good writer and director could pull of that. For example, some films feature made up countries for crying out loud. The whole movie is about a war with 'Country X'. The movie is still believable. It is possible to do. Although I do not hold much faith in filmmakers these days, I think it is something that has been done in the past and done effectively and creatively. To say that people must rely on real businesses is not giving the creative mind much credit.
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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
According to Wikipedia, while the term FedEx was a common usage (like KFC) it wasn't officially used by the company until, so apparently it was valid for the timeframe of the movie.
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The argument that was placed in this thread is that it was done to add credibility to the film. Credibility and accuracy go hand in hand.
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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
Do you find it equally obnoxious that many times when you see a movie that could be filmed in any city without affecting the story that the actual city selected is based on a bidding process by which city film offices offer discounts, tax refunds, and other services to attract the film?
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If the city isn't vital to the story, then it doesn't bother me. If there's posters all over the film saying 'Come Visit Beautiful Tehachapi', then that would bother me.
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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
Out of curiosity, do you read Stephen King? He was famous for using real brand names in his novels to add realism to the books and keep them firmly planted in our real world. Quentin Tarantino is famous for his "hip" dialogue that was well known for referencing actual brands and other commercial products thus firmly grounding the story in the real world.
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I don't know if authors get paid for doing that. (One of my favorite books is the unabridged 'The Stand'.)
As was said before, Tarantino made up 'Kahuna Burger'. So it can be done and done well.
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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
As I said, so long as it isn't fetishistic I don't really care if money changed hands. Just like I don't care that the only reason Harrison Ford agrees to present himself in a movie is if money changes hands.
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Yes, but there are a lot of great low budget films out there where very little money changes hands, which doesn't star major actors and where no ads pop up. I'd rather watch ten of those than Ford's last film once.