Executive Producer Jeff Pinkner Explains Fringe

Newsarams.com's Bryan Cairns interviews Fringe Executive Producer Jeff Pinkner who, despite being named showrunner late in the game, gives an exceptional interview--chock-full of interesting details about the show, the characters, the actors, the team, the process. It's a must read for anyone curious about Fringe. So much so that it's bordering on spoilerish, so I've excerpted a few of the interesting bits and the link after the jump...

“The premise is that an event happens that brings FBI Agent Olivia Dunham, onto a case,” explains Executive Producer Jeff Pinkner. “In the course of it, her partner is actually injured and in an effort to try and save him, she seeks out a brilliant scientist who himself has been incarcerated in an institution for the last 17 years for various reasons. He is doing research in the fringe sciences, the very out there concepts, which of course are all very real like telekinesis and reanimation. The only way she is able to get him out of the asylum is with the help of a family member so she is forced to seek out his son Peter who has had no relationship with him over the last 20 years. He has no interest in helping but does so because he sees how emotionally invested Olivia is.

"The three of them are able to actually solve the case and during the course of it, it is revealed to her that there is actually a very specialized department of Homeland securities unit looking into a series of recent events that the government is referring to as The Pattern. These are unexplained events which seem to call into question what we understand as reality. With the help of the scientist, Walter Bishop, played by John Noble, and his son Peter, played by Joshua Jackson, the three of them set out to discover what the hell is going on.”

“Olivia is just an incredibly driven, incredibly brilliant agent with her own complicated past that we will peel back over time,” reveals Pinkner. “She is exposed to these events which seem to be taking place around the globe at more regular intervals than previously and sets out to solve these cases, if anyone is behind them, if they are simply freak natural occurrences, and at the same time, figure out her life.”

“Peter is sort of a jack of all trades. He is a brilliant person with a lot of his father’s innate intelligence but given his relationship with his Dad, he has turned his back on science and what he believes in. He has sort of lived by the seat of his pants for many years and in the process, has left a wake of disappointment with business partners and vengeful ex girlfriends.

"Peter is sort of a guy running from his own shadow, living by the seat of his pants, and cutting business deals as he globe trots. He is forced by honor and duty to join the team as well. He has one foot in and out and isn’t happy about being his father’s babysitter. Peter is understandably freaked out with the matters they are looking into but he finds a certain satisfaction in his own degree of expertise and being able to help. He has feelings for Olivia, a complicated relationship with his father, and starts to find his faith in the world as he moves along.”

“Walter is perhaps one of the most brilliant scientists known but in the name of science, and on behalf of the government back in the 70’s and the Vietnam/Cold War era, he has perhaps left a lot of harm in his wake. He has potentially damaged a lot of people and developed a lot of technologies that others may have exploited in the past. As a consequence, there either was or wasn’t a series of events that caused him to lose his mind and break down. He was found criminally guilty and put into an institution where they have done all kinds of advanced therapies to him, which have further damaged his mind. Despite all that, he’s the only person we can rely on to help us solve all these cases.”

“To be honest, Josh was one of the first people who read for us,” recalls Pinkner. “People also had Pacey in mind and Josh is not Pacey by any means. He is very much all grown up. Josh is an adult now and Pacey was an adolescent. Every other actor we auditioned, it was like ‘We need Joshua Jackson.’ Josh is perfect for the role and interestingly enough, he forced everyone to reconsider him because everyone had a little bit of a Pacey hangover. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but actually great. The character is just not Pacey. This character is a lot darker, a lot more soulful, and Josh came in and nailed the role and convinced everyone he is Peter. He is incredibly talented and pretty much emails me every couple of days going ‘When can we get started?’ The other fantastic thing about Joshua is he is wildly intelligent, as is his character, so he just brings a depth and gravity to everything he does.”

“As for Anna Torov, the process for Olivia had gone well past the 12th hour because nobody was willing to settle. Somehow, someone discovered Anna, an Australian actress who hadn’t really worked in New York before. She was put on tape in Australia and as soon as everybody saw her audition, it was instantly ‘There’s our girl! We found her! Moving on!’”

"Fringe, unlike Alias or Lost, will have cases of the week, cases that we well get involved with and may solve at the end of each episode,” reports Pinkner. “At the same time, there will be a much larger mythology running through the whole series. What I enjoy about that is we are literally exploring a world. The show is about things much larger than itself. What I enjoy about TV is spending time with characters that grow. What is great about these shows with mythologies is that at the same time that the characters are changing, we are exploring different aspects of a real fictional universe so our canvas is very vast. We as writers and creators can explore themes or ideas that interest us. We don’t feel limited because anything that interests us we can chase down. That is really fun for me.”

To steer Fringe along, a diverse team of writers including Without A Trace’s David Goodman, The Sopranos Jason Cahill, and Gossip Girl’s Felicia Henderson have been assembled.

Read the article in its entirety at Newsarama.com.

Imagine The Impossibilities: Seahorse Glyph

A seahorse had been added as the seventh Fringe "glyph" on the ImagineTheImpossibilities.com (aka Find The Pattern) website. Hovering your mouse over the seahorse outlines a Fibonacci Spiral pattern and reveals the chemical compounds for the amino acids Histidine and Hydroxyproline.

Clicking on the seahorse displays a paragraph of braille. A few of the words are already translated for you, but you can read the full translation below.

Click to reveal the translation...

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HAVE ADVANCED FAR BEYOND
OUR ABILITY TO CONTROL
THEM. THE ABILITY TO
GENERATE LIFE HAS TAKEN
A NEW COURSE.

Everything We Learned About Fringe At The TCA Press Tour

2008 FOX SUMMER TCA: (L-R) Executive producer Bryan Burk, Jeff Pinkner, co-creators and executive producers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and J.J. Abrams during the FRINGE session of FOX’s 2008 summer press tour Monday, July 14 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA.

Apparently the Television Critics Association likes to write (who knew?). It's one thing to check the internets and find a piece of news on Fringe, another entirely to try and sift through the flood of reports on the Fringe panel Q&A at today's Television Critics Association Press Tour. I mean really, who has the time?

Who was there?

JJ Abrams and fellow executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orici, Jeff Pinkner, and Bryan Burk, with stars Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, and John Noble appearing via satellite from New York. -- TV Squad

Will Fringe be impenetrable (like Alias and Lost)?

J.J. Abrams learned a lesson from “Alias.”

It hit him when he was at a friend’s house one day and an episode of the ABC spy vs. spy drama was on television. Abrams, the show’s executive producer, couldn’t follow what was going on.

“Literally, it was impenetrable,” he said.

So for his newest project, Fox’s much-anticipated mystery “Fringe,” the writer-producer took a different tack.

“’Lost’ has a reputation of being a very complicated show,” he said. “’Fringe ‘is in many ways an experiment for us…” -- THR Feed

“We believe it is possible to do a show that has an overall story and end game … but also a show that you don’t have to watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 to tune into Episode 4,” Abrams said.

While “Alias” was a show “I so loved working on,” he added, “I can see how it was difficult.”

“This show is going to have a different paradigm,” Abrams promised. “We’re trying very diligently to do a show that doesn’t require the kind of insane absolute dedication to a series.” -- LA Times

But I like impenetrable!?

"It works simply as weird, eerie imagery, but these images will also be, there will be references in the show...it's part of sort of the code of the show," said Abrams. -- MeeVee

What's JJ Abrams have to do with it?

"This is the first show I've been a creator on since 'Lost.' I care desperately about it," Abrams said. "I'm going to be deeply involved in the show. I feel jealous I didn't get to do the pilot." -- THR Feed

Is Joshua Jackson funny?

When a reporter asked about the cow "that stole a couple of scenes" in the pilot, Jackson points to his ear and says "We can still hear you." -- TV Squad

Mind if we compare Fringe to the X-Files?

"The genesis of this show is... 'What do you want to see?'" Abrams said. "It wasn't like, 'OK, let's do the X-Files again.' It was, 'What kind of show is something neat you'd want to see?' I thought we'd get slammed for doing the David Cronenberg, 'Altered States' stuff because for me that was something I was obsessed with when I was growing up. ... that weird place where medicine and science meet real life." -- MeeVee

You leaked the pilot didn't you?

Bryan Burke said for the record: "We did not put it on line. We hate putting anything out there until it's done." And JJ added: "We all freaked out when that happened, especially when it got to that peer-to-peer thing where it was unstoppable. But most of the response has been positive. And Fox gave us an incredible time slot, so we're floating on air." -- E! Online

I've seen the leaked pilot online. Should I see it again at Comic-Con?

About the leaked pilot, there are a few differences between what the critics saw this week and what went out on BitTorrent earlier this summer, mostly involving some added interrogation scenes and a scene near the end of the episode. -- TV Squad

Highlights of TVWeeks' Live-Blogging the 'Fringe' TCA Panel

Our panelists include executive producer Bryan Burk and Jeff Pinkner and creators Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and J.J. Abrams. We also have some stars via satellite.

10:56 a.m.: Mr. Orci wanted to do a show of genius solving problems, but it mixed with J.J. Abrams' love of "The Night Stalker" and "The Twilight Zone."

11 a.m.: Mr. Abrams is not concerned about his busy schedule affecting his role in "Fringe," and he's going to be deeply involved in the show in writing or rewrites, etc.

11:05 a.m.: Mr. Abrams is sneaking in hints in the show for fans to follow and investigate, but says it's not essential for fans to follow the tiny details to enjoy the show.

11:07 a.m.: Mr. Kurtzman says "Fringe" could have been a movie, but they didn't want to limit the storytelling to three acts.

11:10 a.m.: "Fringe" has been leaked on the Internet. Mr. Burk says he doesn't like material getting out there before its finished, so that's why critics haven't been sent screener discs. The leaked material doesn't have a finished score or tightened scenes.

11:14 a.m.: The economics worked out to shoot "Fringe" in New York City, but the pilot was shot in Toronto. Mr. Abrams needed a city that had weather.

11:16 a.m.: With the writers strike, there's a lot of press on "Fringe" to save network television and draw back viewers. Mr. Abrams says any pressure on a show to save a season or change someone's life could ruin a show. But, he says the online response is good, especially for something that's not finished.

11:19 a.m.: What about shows that are complicated and requires constant attention? Mr. Abrams says "Fringe" has an ultimate direction, but can jump into at any time. He relates a story about watching "Alias" during a random day recently. He says he was completely confused as to what was happening. "It was literally impenetrable," he says.

11:25 a.m.: Mr. Pinkner says that the first act of the show will grab the viewer every week, to the point that when the first ad break hits, viewers will be on the phone talking with friends about what just happened.

Source: TVWeek

Twits From The Fringe Panel At The Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour

Via Zap2it:

https://twitter.com/zap2itbrill
-JJ Abrams thought "Fringe" would be slammed for being too much like "Altered States," rather than "X-Files" comparisons.

https://twitter.com/Zap2itDaniel
-Why will nobody ask Pacey if he's still with Joey? Why?!?!? Oh yeah. Right. "Professionalism."

-The cow will be a regular in the "Fringe" cast. But it won't be the same cow. The original cow was a Canadian cow and had visa problems.

-I've only seen the "Fringe" pilot, but it's already surprising and disarming to see Anna Torv smiling. Not unpleasant, though. More levity!

https://twitter.com/Zap2itRick
-Even J.J. Abrams was confused by "Alias." So it wasn't just you, every viewer of the show.

-Nerd alert: The act-break glyphs on "Fringe" mean something! Get to figuring that out!

-No Daniels (Lance Reddick) at the "Fringe" session. Oh well.

Complete Fringe Schedule for Comic-Con 2008

The complete schedule has been released for Comic-Con 2008, which will feature several Fringe related panels, and could be a possible launch pad for a Fringe ARG.

• WEDNESDAY 6:00–7:30 and 7:30-9:00 — Fringe Pilot Screenings — more ...
  Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly present two exclusive premiere screenings of the pilot episode of Fringe, the highly anticipated new FOX series from J.J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind the upcoming Star Trek feature, Mission: Impossible 3 and Alias. When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv, The Pacific) is called in to investigate. When the search nearly kills her partner, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley, Boston Legal), a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), our generation’s Einstein. There’s only one catch: He’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son, Peter (Josh Jackson, Shutter), in to help. Under Special Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick, The Wire), our trio will discover that what happened on that fatal flight is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth. Fringe also stars Kirk Acevedo (Oz), Blair Brown (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd) and Jasika Nicole (The Mastersons of Manhattan). From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe premieres September 9 and airs Tuesdays at 9:00 PM on FOX. (Please note: we will clear the room between screenings. Seating is limited. Pick the screening time that works best for you!) Ballroom 20
• FRIDAY 6:00-7:00 Exceeding Expectations and Exploring New Worlds: Feature Effects for the Small Screen— more ...
  Zoic Studios moderates a discussion with VFX supervisors on their passion for creating narrative enhancing, eye-popping effects for television. Some of the best in the business discuss future trends as well as their contribution to the television series Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, The Middleman, Lost, Eureka, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Smallville, and the new fall show Fringe. Room 32AB
• SATURDAY 4:45-5:45 Fringe Q&A and Trailer Screening— more ...
  J. J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman—the team behind Mission: Impossible 3, Alias, and the upcoming Star Trek feature—join fellow Fringe executive producers Bryan Burk (Cloverfield) and Jeff Pinkner (Lost), as well as stars Anna Torv (The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), for an exclusive Q&A about one of the most anticipated new television series of the fall season, a drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. The session will kick off with the screening of a trailer for the series. Television Week deputy editor and columnist Joe Adalian moderates. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe premieres September 9 and airs Tuesdays at 9:00 PM on FOX. Ballroom 20
• SATURDAY 6:30-7:30 WildStorm Brewing— more ...
  Get the inside scoop on what’s coming up from DC’s wildest imprint from VP Hank Kanalz, superstar artist Jim Lee, editorial director Christos Gage (WildCats: World’s End), and creators Neil Googe (WildCats: World’s End), Wes Craig (Wildstorm Revelations), Brian Denham (X-Files), Joshua Ortega (Gears of War), and Jason Craig (Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash). Find out about WildStorm’s newest creator-driven books, plus the latest on The Authority, WildCats, Stormwatch, Gen 13, The Lost Boys, X-Files, J. J. Abram’s Fringe, and much, much more! Room 8

If you can't make it to San Diego, we'll be covering everything here LIVE as news breaks. And if you are planning to be at Comic-Con, please send us any updates, news, websites, etc, to editor@FringeTelevision.com. Thanks!

Also, if you are going to Comic-Con, JJ Abrams fans will want to check out the LOST panels, and the start of the new LOST ARG as well. For more information, please visit my LOST Blog at LostARGs.com.

Fringe Q&A at Comic-Con: Creators and Cast Fully Represented

Comic-Con has posted the complete 2008 program schedule. Fringe, in addition to the 6:00–7:30 and 7:30-9:00 screenings on Wednesday, July 23, will screen the trailer again on Saturday, July 26, followed by a powerhouse Q&A:

4:45-5:45 Fringe Q&A and Trailer Screening—J. J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman—the team behind Mission: Impossible 3, Alias, and the upcoming Star Trek feature—join fellow Fringe executive producers Bryan Burk (Cloverfield) and Jeff Pinkner (Lost), as well as stars Anna Torv (The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), for an exclusive Q&A about one of the most anticipated new television series of the fall season, a drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. The session will kick off with the screening of a trailer for the series. Television Week deputy editor and columnist Joe Adalian moderates. From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe premieres September 9 and airs Tuesdays at 9:00 PM on FOX. Ballroom 20

Edit: Don't miss Fringe at Comic-Con. See our Complete Fringe Schedule for Comic-Con 2008.

"The Fringe Trucks Have Arrived!"

That's the headline over at Filming in Brooklyn, and to the left is one of the pictures of the trucks, we're going to need lots of trucks.

FiB says, "We’ll be going back tonight - the shoot is scheduled to go until 3am," so if you're into that sort of thing, then be sure to check back in with FiB later tonight and in the morning.

Personally, while I can't see reporting on every shoot (it will be old news soon enough), I'll admit, it was fun looking at pictures of trucks.

Fringe Screening at Comic-Con Preview Night (Wednesday)

The Official Thursday Programming Schedule for Comic-Con has been released and included in it is news about Fringe. If you're lucky enough to have a 4-day pass, and you're quick, you can attend a screening of Fringe on:

Wednesday, July 23, PREVIEW NIGHT

Attention 4-Day Members Only: For the first time ever, Comic-Con adds a special event on Preview Night, and what a special event it is! Be among the first to see the new fall series Fringe!

6:00–7:30 and 7:30-9:00 Fringe Pilot Screenings—Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly present two exclusive premiere screenings of the pilot episode of Fringe, the highly anticipated new FOX series from J.J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind the upcoming Star Trek feature, Mission: Impossible 3 and Alias. When an international flight lands at Boston’s Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv, The Pacific) is called in to investigate. When the search nearly kills her partner, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley, Boston Legal), a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), our generation’s Einstein. There’s only one catch: He’s been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son, Peter (Josh Jackson, Shutter), in to help. Under Special Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick, The Wire), our trio will discover that what happened on that fatal flight is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth. Fringe also stars Kirk Acevedo (Oz), Blair Brown (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd) and Jasika Nicole (The Mastersons of Manhattan). From Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, Fringe premieres September 9 and airs Tuesdays at 9:00 PM on FOX. (Please note: we will clear the room between screenings. Seating is limited. Pick the screening time that works best for you!) Ballroom 20.

Edit: Don't miss Fringe at Comic-Con. See our Complete Fringe Schedule for Comic-Con 2008.

JJ Abrams' Fringe Forecast: Hit

[sarcasm]In that case, maybe a fan site for Fringe is a good idea.[/sarcasm]

The Hollywood Reporter.

Fox's J.J. Abrams thriller "Fringe" and CBS' Jerry Bruckheimer procedural drama "Eleventh Hour" will be the highest-rated new shows, while NBC's "Kath & Kim" and CBS' "Worst Week" will prove to be weak links in their respective comedy blocks.

That's according to an annual television report by Horizon Media that includes speculative estimates of how every broadcast show will fare in the fall.

Sci Fi Wire summarizes Horizon Media's report with:

The analysis contained some expected claims, such as those that established hits such as NBC's Heroes will continue to rule their time periods.

But there also were some surprises. In general, the report was skeptical about how new shows in general would stack up against competitors; not one new show is expected to win its time period in the adults 18-49 demographic.

To recap, it's not clear whether this is a story because THR decided to run with it, or because Horizon Media's forecasts actually matter. Suffice it to say, accurately predicting that Fringe will be a ratings winner isn't rocket science. However, if Sci Fi Wire's characterization of the report is accurate, it tempers Fringe's prospects by further predicting that as a new show, it won't win the 18-49 demographic in its time period. While predicting that Fringe will be a hit doesn't raise any eyebrows around these parts, saying it won't beat out the competition does.

So who is Fringe's competition on Tuesday nights? Going off The Futon Critic's Fall Grid:

• ABC: Dancing With The Stars results show.


• CBS: The Mentalist.


• NBC: The Biggest Loser.

An inexpert analysis:

DWTS: Never mind that Dancing With The Stars is tired, does anyone really watch the hour-long results show? All I can say is even before I stopped watching DWTS two or three seasons ago, I never suffered the hour-long results show. So, DWTS is no competition for Fringe.

The Mentalist: The who? Doesn't matter. TM is another "new" show, and this is an exercise in debunking Horizon Media's prediction that Fringe won't beat out the established competition.

TBL: I'll admit to watching The Biggest Loser . . . on DVR, because, honestly, with all the commercials, product placements and post commercial recapping of what took place before the commercial break, TBL is unwatchable in real time. To make matters worse for TBL, FOX will be running even fewer commercials during Fringe than normal, making Fringe TBL's antithesis in regards to real time watchability.

Based on the above analysis alone, we predict the freshman show Fringe will own the 18-49 demographic in its time period.

Fringe's Imagine The Impossibilities Site Updated

A butterfly (or moth) has been added as a sixth element on the ImageTheImpossibilities.com (aka Find The Pattern) website for Fringe. The highlighting triggered by hovering your mouse over the butterfly appears to outline the bone structure of five-fingered hands, two per wing. Clicking on the butterfly cycles through the Fringe radio ads which ask listeners to find the pattern.



The butterfly has also been added to FOX's official site for Fringe, http://www.fox.com/fringe/.

Fringe Begins Filming In Brooklyn

The appropriately named website Filming in Brooklyn has a report today confirming that Fringe is filming in--wait for it--Brooklyn. While there are no real spoilers in the report, which includes a few spy photos of Joshua Jackson, be forewarned that these types of reports essentially deal in spoilers. If that's not a problem for you, the article is here.

Word on the street is the next chance you'll get to catch Fringe filming is the morning of July 10th, in the vicinity of 7th Avenue and 92nd Street, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York.

Update: Make that Friday.

Fringe Teaser Animations

The conceptual design studio Buster, was retained by FOX to develop, animate and produce an on-air teaser campaign for FOX's upcoming Fall 2008 TV series "Fringe." Buster worked from the initial graphic symbols found in nature that had been developed by the internal design team at FOX. These symbols are key points for viewers to key into, and to tap into the show's science and nature themed premise. Buster developed a number of 10-second on-air tease animations which have been seen on FOX Television since mid June.

View all four spots above, or at YouTube.com\FringeTelevision

Two New Fringe Radio Ads

There are two new Fringe radio ads, titled "Cruise" and "Stories". The first three ads can be found here.

Cruise (Download MP3):

Ship captain: (panicked) National Sea Rescue, this is the Solara Cruise Ship, Estrella, come in.

NSR rep: Roger. We read you 5 by 5. Go ahead, Estrella.

Captain: May Day! The navigation system’s down.

NSR: We copy. What was your last position?

Captain: We can’t find our way out. Sudden fog bank off the… coast of Patagonia. I’m gonna try and turn her around. May Day! May Day!

[Tape rewind FX]
Captain: We can’t find our way out. Sudden fog bank off the… coast of Patagonia. I’m gonna try and turn her around. May Day! May Day!

[Tape rewind FX]
Captain: We can’t FIND our way out. Sudden fog bank off THE… coast of PATagonia. I’m gonna try and TURN her around. May Day! May Day!

[Tape rewind FX]
Captain: Find…the…Pattern.
[Tape machine clicks off]

VO: Find the pattern.
VO: FOX

Stories (Download MP3)

AGENT: Case Number 22. Tell me what happened Mrs. Reed.

MRS. REED: I identified my husband at the morgue after the wreck. So, I went home to break the news to my son… and then I got this call from the coroner. He said “I don’t know how to tell you this… but your husband wants a ride home.” [sob/laugh] He’s alive!

Sfx: Static

VO: Find the pattern.
VO: FOX

Fringe News Roundup

TV Guide's Matt Roush suggests Fringe could become a cult phenomena, if given a chance:

Question: I know you're not really into spoilers, but I was just wondering whether you have viewed J.J. Abrams' Fringe yet. I watched the pilot today, and I just wanted to hear your thoughts on it. Being an Alias lover, I adored it. That being said, it was slightly predictable in certain parts (the "for example" omitted for spoiler reasons). Despite that fact, I think this show has a great future, especially with the commercial-lite gimmick. What do you think? — Amanda

Matt Roush: Your analogy to Alias is a good one. That's the show I most thought about while recently screening the Fringe pilot in a visit to Fox's offices — a very cloak and dagger process, because the network has yet to send screeners to critics in fear of more incidents of it leaking onto the Internet, which is where I gather you saw it. Anyway, I won't go into a detailed review here — too early, and I'd like to see a final cut when it gets closer to the September launch date — but my initial reaction was quite positive, and had me thinking and hoping that if Fringe is lucky and given the opportunity, it could grow into a cult phenom like Alias or even The X-Files, a show it resembles even more. The premise is a little too murky and the trappings a bit too sci-fi for me to predict that it will explode out of the gates the way Lost did. But wouldn't it be nice?

---

TVWeek's Josef Adalian has a detailed piece outlining Fox's "more elaborate second phase" Fringe marketing campaign that started this week.

In addition to noting the 'Find The Pattern' fringe radio ads, sponsored search engine links and those 'Imagine The Impossibilities' bleeding banner ads, Adalian learns that FOX isn't alone in marketing Fringe and that "Bad Robot is doing its own marketing on behalf of the show, as well.":

While [Laurel Bernard, senior vice president of marketing for Fox Broadcasting] couldn't confirm the details of Bad Robots efforts, the blogosphere has been buzzing about a YouTube video featuring a 12-fingered man. Fox’s official Web site for "Fringe" features a hidden link to the video, something that appears to confirm a connection between the YouTube video and the show’s producers.

We wondered the same thing when the link to the YouTube video of the 12-fingered man first appeared. In response to our inquiry, Stuart, the video's owner, claimed no knowledge of, nor connection to Fringe.

It seems there may be more read-world appearances or events as well:

Fox’s promo push for “Fringe” will get more specific—e.g., “Watch ‘Fringe’”—as the show’s September premiere date draws closer. Over the next few weeks, however, the network is planning to have some fun with the show’s mysterious science theme.

“We’re planning outbreaks of ‘Fringe’ in all sorts of interesting places,” Ms. Bernard said.

Will there be more cow sightings?

"I cant confirm or deny anything," she said. "But we love the cows."

Fringe Science Demystified

The Fox Youtube channel has a new Fringe video. It is a Science Demystified interview with Author/Near-Death Experiencer Dannion Brinkley talking about fringe science. Brinkley was declared dead for 28 minutes after getting struck by lightning in 1975.

The video briefly shows Brinkley's website - Dannion.com - although it appears to be unconnected to Fringe.

BTW, here is the cloning diagram from the video.

Fringe Pilot Screening at (and near) Comic-Con

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

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

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

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):