Fringe Pilot Screening at (and near) Comic-Con

      Email Post       6/30/2008 02:14:00 PM      

News via TVWeek that the Comic-Con veteran Warner Bros. (and not FOX, whose Comic-Con schedule has left some wondering where's the Fringe) will be deftly handling the Fringe marketing at Comic-Con with a panel and multiple screenings of the pilot.
--Warner Bros. Television will present panels for seven shows: “Chuck,” “Fringe,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Smallville,” “Supernatural,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and “The Big Bang Theory.”

The studio is planning two on-site screenings of the “Fringe” pilot, as well as two off-site screenings at the UA Horton Plaza Theater. It will continue its tradition of handing out free tote bags at its massive booth on the floor of the convention, and its animation division will hold a major bash on July 25
As for which pilot attendees will be shown--the rough cut leaked screener or a more polished final or near final cut of the pilot--we'll just have to wait and see.

Fringe Ads: Imagine The Impossibilities

      Email Post       6/30/2008 12:30:00 AM      

Mysterious flash ads for Fringe have begun appearing online. According to The Hollywood Reporter:
[The ads are] placed on Web sites outside of the usual entertainment hubs to catch viewers attention in unique locations. Users on such sites as Automobile.com and recipe site FamilyOven.com will see mysterious ads encouraging them to "Imagine the Impossibilities."

"They will be very quick sort of messages, leading people to nondescript Web sites that will ultimately lead them back to 'Fringe,' " [Laurel] Bernard (senior vp marketing at Fox) said.
The ads don't specifically mention Fringe, but they do take you the ImagineTheImpossiblities.com website.

One very interesting tidbit about the ads...

The film strips that drop down have printing on the bottom; some sort of date, and the words "Drs Bell & Bishop" - most likely referring to Dr. Walter Bishop, the institutionalized father of Peter Bishop, and Dr. William Bell, the founder of Massive Dynamics.

Fringe Radio Spots - Find The Pattern

      Email Post       6/29/2008 11:49:00 PM      

The following radio ads will begin airing today, kicking off FOX's media barrage to promote Fringe:



According to The Hollywood Reporter:
The campaign will feature cryptic messages that encourage fans to search on the Internet for more information. Fans of Abrams' hit ABC drama "Lost" and last year's theatrical release "Cloverfield" are familiar with the tactic, so much so that Abrams' name is incorporated into the radio ads as a clue.
...
"Our radio goal was definitely to not say 'Fringe,' " said Laurel Bernard, senior vp marketing at Fox. "We didn't want them to sound in any way like a traditional radio spot. We wanted them to be disruptive and a little mysterious sounding."
...
The Fox network is hoping listeners will piece together these mysterious fragments and realize there is indeed a pattern -- one that leads straight to the network's tentpole fall series "Fringe."
A possible website for the embedded "Find The Pattern" message may be FindThePattern.com. It is currently not active yet, but that may change later today.

Fringe: Expand Your Consciousness

      Email Post       6/29/2008 05:33:00 AM      

When you select the leaf image (braille #5) on either the Fox.com/Fringe or ImagineTheImpossibilities.com sites, a weird sound is played. By isolating the sound, and playing it backwards, a hidden message is revealed - Expand Your Consciousness!

Thanks to Pwn Master Paladin for noticing the strange sound.

You can hear the original and reversed sound below.

Original (Download MP3):


Reversed (Download MP3):

Fringe: Imagine the Impossibilities

      Email Post       6/27/2008 08:49:00 PM      

A new official website for Fringe is online. I found it as a sponsored link during Google a search for Fringe:

Google Sponsored Links

What is The Fringe?
Are you a part of “The Pattern?”
Find Out Now!
www.ImageTheImpossibilities.com
As for the site's contents, it would appear to be the same as http://www.fox.com/fringe/, so nothing new there, yet. One positive to note, from my end at least, is the flash seems to load faster on the new site. We'll keep watch.

Of Fringe ARG's, Bad Robot, Experiences & Expectations and Massive Dynamics

      Email Post       6/27/2008 05:55:00 PM      

In a nutshell, Massive Dynamics may or may not be the bad guys. Formerly Prometheus Corp. according to early script reviewers, Massive Dynamics is a multi-billion dollar high-tech company that exists in the Fringe universe. Massive Dynamics was founded by Dr. William Bell (former partner of Dr. Walter Bishop).

Massive Dynamics' slogan is:

What do we do? . . . What don't we do.
Reviewers of the leaked pilot (without getting too specific) paint Massive Dynamics as a manufacturer of modern miracles, a shadowy, mysterious, all-powerful corporation and secretive defense contractor with hidden agendas, connections to "the pattern", etc.

What makes Massive Dynamics of special interest to online fans of Fringe is Bad Robot's track record of using fictional business entities--The Hanso Foundation and Tagurato Corp. for example--as vehicles to blur the line between reality and the fictions of the Lost and Cloverfield universes. Although often referred to as Alternate Reality Games, or ARGs, what Bad Robot has done with the web doesn't quite meet the definition of ARG since they've yet to award anyone a prize. Instead, Bad Robot has treated the internet as a bridge between universes by casting the internet, our internet, to play itself in these fictional alternate realities.

Is there an ARExperience planned for Fringe? Will JJ Abrams & Co. (and FOX) surprise the fans a full fledged ARG? Has the Fringe universe already hatched a website or video or posting just waiting to be found? It's anyone's guess, but Abrams fans experienced in the art of finding online portals to Bad Robot's television and movie productions will tell you that Massive Dynamics is a good place to start looking.

How Would The Actor's Strike Affect Fringe?

      Email Post       6/26/2008 01:15:00 PM      

It's only been a few months since the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike ended, and now an actor's strike looms over Hollywood. In a nutshell, actors want what the writers got - a piece of the internet pie.

Fringe has a lot to lose if there is a strike:
[Networks] are puzzled over how to proceed with fall season promotions. Fox, for one, was planning to blow the doors out with barrages of Fringe buzz, but may hold back if the show's early-July production start is in jeopardy.
Fox has given Fringe a superstar schedule with a House lead-in this fall, and an American Idol lead-in this spring, but strike delay could throw everything off. House already has some episodes "in the can", ironically thanks to the WGA strike.

Comic-con would also be affected by a strike, preventing movie stars from attending and giving autographs. So while we might not get an Anna Torv or Joshua Jackson appearance in San Diego next month, JJ Abrams would still be there promoting Fringe (but not Star Trek since Paramount has already pulled out).

Fortunately, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have already come to a tentative agreement and will vote on July 7th, which is expected to pass. While the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) has not been able to reach an agreement, and their contract expires on Monday, June 30th, they would need a 75% approval vote to strike, which is unlikely.

Fringe Forum: Better, Stronger, Faster

      Email Post       6/23/2008 07:23:00 PM      

The forum has been upgraded in a major way. That's an actual technical upgrade ladies and gents, the likes of which not even the most experienced forum user has ever seen before. So do go here and check out the new forum, and if seeing is believing, take matters into your own hands and respond to the Roll Call.

Fringe's Official Site Updated

      Email Post       6/21/2008 02:53:00 PM      

See: http://www.fox.com/fringe/

Added: What looks like a braille navigation menu across the bottom where you can manually select from the leaf, hand, apple, or the new frog or flower--which link to a Fringe Trailer on YouTube, and the Fringe Facebook Page.

AICN's Hercules Bullets the Fringe Pilot

      Email Post       6/20/2008 09:04:00 PM      

Answering such diverse questions as: What’s it called? Who’s responsible? What does Fox say? The big news? What’s this about “a larger, more shocking truth?” Aim? Aquafresh? And all this is somehow tied to the plane mishap? Say. Didn’t Fox already air a series about FBI agents investigating the uncanny? Will subsequent “Fringe” episodes deal with sentient extraterrestrial crude oil, killer bees or humanoid tapeworms? Is the “Fringe” pilot as good as the “X-Files” pilot? “Twin Peaks” had FBI agents investigating weird stuff every week, didn’t it? Is the “Fringe” pilot as good as the “Twin Peaks” pilot? Is the “Fringe” pilot as good as the Abrams-directed “Alias” and “Lost” pilots? How rate you “Fringe’s” cast? Abrams didn’t direct this pilot, right? Isn’t Abrams essentially abandoning “Fringe” as he did “Alias” and “Lost”? This sounds … promising. How long before Fox cancels it?

Some spoilers, but you can read his answers here. Oh, and he gives it 4 stars as in likes it quite a bit.

Fox asks, "what’d you think?" of the leaked Fringe pilot

      Email Post       6/20/2008 07:15:00 PM      

Odd that they would do that, unless, of course, they're the ones who did the leaking?

So, I ask -- was the Fringe pilot intentionally leaked by FOX/Warner Bros./Bad Robot?

Take the poll (to the right in the sidebar) or leave a comment.

Update: Poll closed/results: 91% believed the Fringe pilot intentionally leaked by FOX/Warner Bros./Bad Robot.



"The high quality of the Fringe download, alongside a source tag that identifies the torrent as a DVD screener, has sparked speculation over whether the pilot episode was intentionally leaked to build early buzz and hype before the show's broadcast premiere. A user on community forum Neowin wrote: 'In my opinion it's Fox themselves that use this technology to generate some talk.'" -- Underwire

"Fox was very careful with this expensive pilot, opting for private industry screenings rather than mailing out DVD screeners." -- THR

"Meanwhile, there are speculations over whether the pilot episode of Fringe was intentionally leaked by the network to create some early buzz." -- Buddy TV

"Yes, the Fringe pilot has gotten out. So, for those of you who have seen it — what’d you think?" -- Future on Fox
Sidenote: It appears FOX has deleted the post where they asked, 'what'd you think?' of the leaked Fringe pilot. It originally read:

Wanted: Little Dutch Boy

HR put it succinctly: That summer rite of passage, the annual leaking of the pilots, is upon us.

Yes, the Fringe pilot has gotten out.

So, for those of you who have seen it — what’d you think?

Fringe Schedule for Comic-Con

      Email Post       6/18/2008 01:38:00 AM      

Ducky Does TV has posted the Warner Bros. TV Comic-Con Schedule which includes Fringe. According to Ducky's schedule, Fringe is scheduled Saturday, July 26th, 4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. Saturday is sold out by the way.

What does all this mean? To be honest, I can't exactly say. My only experience with Comic-Con was feverishly refreshing last years live bloggers who were covering the Paramount/Abrams/Cloverfield panel. So my best guess is there will be a panel comprised of Fringe writers and/or directors and/or producers and/or stars who may have something to say, or show, or could just be there to look pretty and field a few questions about the show.

More Details on DC Comics' Fringe Miniseries

      Email Post       6/17/2008 11:19:00 AM      

DC Comics has posted two new official results pages for the Fringe comic prequel: FRINGE #1 (OF 6) and FRINGE #2 (OF 6).

Watch for a special announcement on this miniseries' creative team, coming soon!

From J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind the upcoming film Star Trek, Mission: Impossible III and the hit show Alias, comes Fringe, a new TV series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. The mysteries start here, in a special miniseries leading up to the premiere of Fringe on FOX on September 9!

Wildstorm Universe | 32pg. | Color | $2.99 US
Contrary to USA Today's report last week which had the comic hitting the stands on August 27, 2008, DC Comics lists the first issue as going on sale August 6, 2008, and the second, September 24, 2008.

Fringe DC Comic Book Prequel Schedule For August 27 Release

      Email Post       6/13/2008 01:58:00 AM      

USA Today's David Colton is reporting that DC Comics will put out a comic book prequel for Fringe on August 27, two weeks prior to the pilot's September 9 premiere.

Abrams' TV 'Fringe' gets comic book prequel

The hip media empire of J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Cloverfield, the next Star Trek film) expands into comic books this fall when DC Comics offers a prequel to his upcoming TV series on Fox, Fringe. Writers and artists are being decided, but DC says the comic version will hit the stands on Aug. 27, two weeks before the two-hour premiere airs on Sept. 9.

Speculation about the show is building at online fan sites amid word that the opener involves paranormal investigators looking into the mysterious landing of a jetliner with dead passengers. Sounds like a certain island, but the producers say the show will feature self-contained stories, à la Twilight Zone or X-Files, rather than one fantastic saga. Abrams is joined as executive producers on the project by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who also are working on the Star Trek reboot film expected in 2009. —David Colton
But will fans have to wait until August 27 for their first glimpse, or is the mere mention of comic enough to remind longtime Abrams fans of Comic-Con, which is scheduled this year for July 24 through 27.

Fringe - J.J. Abrams Talks Fringe

      Email Post       6/12/2008 11:09:00 AM      

By the by, FOX Broadcasting has its own YouTube account where you'll occasionally find little gems like this one of JJ Abrams talking about Fringe.


Go behind the scenes of Fringe with J.J. Abrams! Catch the series premiere of Fringe, TUE (9/9) at 8/7c, only on FOX!

Here is the transcript:
Fringe is my favorite kind of show, because it takes people that you really like, that you really care about, that you want to be with, and work with, and it puts them into the scariest situation that you've ever seen in your life. And it allows there to be this kind of safety and comedy in the face of "udder" terror. I believe that's sort of the greatest combination of things.

The key to casting anyone, is that when you see them, they own it. It's not a question of even casting. It's a question of hopefully and luckily finding the person who just claims the role, and when you feel like you are giving someone a part, it's not the right move. When you feel like you've found the person who own it, who claim it, that's the right thing.

When we saw Anna’s audition, and obviously the first audition I saw of her was for something else, it was something through her agent, I just thought "OMG" we found Olivia. She brings a very unique energy, a wonderful thoughtfulness, an intelligence, and I think a very unique and distinct beautiful look.

The role of Walter is a tricky one, because you need him to be real, relatable and also, at times, out of his mind. And he's a very untrustworthy mentor in a way, and so you have to go with him, and at the same time you're not quite sure whether or not he even knows where he is or what he's doing.

And finally, with Peter - with Josh Jackson - I think he is not only a wonderful actor, but he's so funny, he's got such a great wit, and an incredible innate skill to be acerbic without ever, I hope, going to a place of feeling phony or glib.

There are some scenes in this pilot, that are straight out of my/our nightmares. Things that are very relatable situations. There's a sequence on an airplane, starts off, and it could be any of us on any flight, and where it goes, is particularly terrifying. But it's that kind of thing that always grabs me, because it's not just the what, it's the why.

Is There a Fringe ARG? Maybe. Is it Holomove? Nope.

      Email Post       6/11/2008 11:29:00 AM      

Dennis, who has been following the Holomove ARG closely in Unfiction, informs me that Holomove is not only not related to Fringe, it's not even related to FOX, and is instead a Microsoft production:

Holomove
In collaboration with Visual Studio, Microsoft has created the ultimate challenge that tells the story of Nathan Bozeman who gets the chance to change the world, but at an extraordinary price. Since the immersive game began in May 2008, it has captivated players around the world. Find out what’s happened so far and join the adventure—there’s still time to get involved.
You may recall we speculated that the Future on Fox blog's hint could be nothing more than a wild goose chase. Well, that's exactly what it was. Why would the people at FOX send potential "future" fans down the wrong rabbit hole? Good question.

Fringe Premiere Moved Back From August 26 to September 9, 2008

      Email Post       6/05/2008 05:26:00 PM      

Fox has move the premiere of Fringe back 2 weeks to September 9, 2008. Still Tuesday. Still 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT.

Does Fox's Remote Free TV Concept Deserve Full Credit For Commercial Pricing Premiums?

      Email Post       6/04/2008 07:14:00 PM      

Mediaweek is crediting Fox's Remote Free TV plan (i.e. fewer commercials) for the reported "35-40 percent pricing premiums for commercials [on] its two new 2008-09 season dramas, Fringe and The Dollhouse." However, Fringe and Dollhouse aren't your run of the mill new shows. The reality is both shows already have fan bases, and if Fox is wise to the potential of the nomadic tribes of JJ Abrams and Joss Whedon, surely advertisers are too.

Remote Free TV might be the tangible cause 'media agency sources' point too in explaining the effect of increased pricing, but a true test of The Remote Free TV concept, Fringe and Dollhouse are not.

Fringe's Official Site on Fox Just Got a Bit More Dynamic and Mysterious

      Email Post       6/02/2008 11:37:00 AM      

If you've visited Fox's official site for Fringe before, you're familiar with how it cycles through the 6 fingered hand, leaf and apple images. That aspect of the site hasn't changed, but now, if you hover your mouse over the images, the cycling pauses and the image it is paused on undergoes a transformation as diagrams and scientific notations appear in the background and color is added to the curiosity or oddity (i.e. the 6th finger of the hand, the triangle in the leaf or the fetuses in the apple core). What's more, the images now contain links:


Clicking on the leaf activates a video player which plays the Fringe Trailer.


Clicking on the apple opens a new window to the Future on Fox Blog, Category Fringe.


Clicking on the hand opens a window to YouTube and a video of a 12 fingered man.



Considering the first two links--Trailer and Fox blog--are above board promotions (as opposed to viral), I doubt there's more to the YouTube video or its owner, Stuart Sims, than meets the eye. Nevertheless, I've emailed Mr. Sims asking him about his involvement, if any, with Fox and Fringe. While it's not the sort of thing he would be at liberty to confirm, he could certainly deny it. I'll update this post if I get a response.

UPDATE: Stuart (aka Master Quark, the video's owner) claimed no knowledge of, nor connection to Fringe:
Re: portaltoindia message by MasteQuark Jun 04, 2008; 07:54am ::

Hi
After spending all morning trying to register and sifting through this Fringe thing.....I'm finally able to log on!

Yes, I see my 12 fingered man...and am happy.
How it got there-I do not have a clue. Ask the guys who built the site!
But leave it...OK...will boost my 1,000 to 2,000 hits a day on YouTube..LOL

Stuart
for Louise and Stuart's AMazing India

Where is the spell checker......?

http://youtube.com/portaltoindia
 

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