Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

The FedEx placement in Castaway made it a better movie.

How?

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Not in the least. Capitalism at its best. And if I am so weak minded that I go purchase a coke because I saw Harrison Ford drinking one then I deserve whatever the death-in-a-can soda does to me.

That is how we differ. I see it as selling out. And anyone who buys a Coke because Harrison Ford (which he wouldn't by the way, maybe in Japan but not here) told them to is a lemming.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I see it as selling out.

I don't see how a multi-million dollar budget film can be accused of selling out any further than it already does.

If I wrote a screenplay and Coke wanted my characters to drink Coke in it, I'd happily take whatever they offered as long as the script and direction aren't affected by the transaction. I'd be especially inclined to take it if it meant I'd have just that much more budget for my film - better equipment, more time, etc. I don't see that as "selling out" my script or concept.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I don't see how a multi-million dollar budget film can be accused of selling out any further than it already does.
...
I don't see that as "selling out" my script or concept.

I can accuse it of selling out. If the message is important enough, despite how much money it has to tell the story, I can still be art. If they pimp the movie by putting blatant ads in it, then I can call it selling out.
It's as simple as that. (And it doesn't stop at ad placements. Placing a popular recording artist into a leading role in a movie, because they know people will watch the film just to see her, is selling out too.)

Shirley McLaine and Debra Winger are sitting on the bed talking about their love lives. Then suddenly, one says 'Let's go to KFC' or better yet Winger pulls out a bucket of KFC hotwings to go with her tea. Ugh, how horrible would that be?

An ad for General Electric in 'Capote'. Yeah, that's great.

I know I'm getting absurd about my examples, but I mean what I say. There is film that is art and then there are movies that are commercial infested nonsense.

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

But, is it a commercial or is it just something the character would do? If every product in a film was "fabricated" I would think the character and, possibly the film, would seem disingenious.

Driving down a street and they pass by a McDonalds is fine. Dwelling on the McDonalds for 15 seconds showing someone eating a Big Mac isn't.

Kahuna Burger. There's an example, CP. Why talk about made up Kahuna Burger in 'Pulp Fiction' and then talk about McDonalds in France in another scene?

If a man has a burger in his fist, NA, that had a crumpled up wrapper that we don't see, that doesn't distract from anything. A wrapper that says 'Quarter Pounder' that is deliberately placed to be seen by the camera totally bugs. The blatant product placement makes things more disingenuous to me.

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I certainly don't want a Truman Story thing going on (you know - with the wife telling Truman what she got at the store in tremendous detail).

To me, that's exactly what it feels like.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I can accuse it of selling out.

Then I'm a sell out. I'd rather have more money to put quality workmanship on the screen by allowing coke cans to be seen as props.

The odd thing is that we basically agree. If the camera is FOCUSED on the product, blatantly showing it off, then yes, that is selling out, taking me out of the movie, and wrecking the story/art in order to make money.

What GD said about Pulp Fiction. Although I wouldn't have had a problem with Kahuna being McDonalds. Who cares? What if there was coincidentally a "Kahuna Burger" somewhere in the world (which there probably is), and they actually get amazing business due to that? So what? It's not about the name, it's about the acting/writing/directing/staging.

Originally Posted by GC

If a man has a burger in his fist, NA, that had a crumpled up wrapper that we don't see, that doesn't distract from anything. A wrapper that says 'Quarter Pounder' that is deliberately placed to be seen by the camera totally bugs. The blatant product placement makes things more disingenuous to me.

See, we do agree. You used the words "blatant" and "deliberately".