It's just a simple metaphor
Fantastic Four On Promo Treadmill
I'm presenting Radio 4's Film Programme this week, so, in a flashback to my two and a half years' service on Back Row, I get to be a film journalist, and interview movie stars in a controlled environment for an alloted amount of time. Saw Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer last night, and I suspect my views on it are embargoed until Friday - suffice to say, I found the first film thoroughly enjoyable: family entertainment, colourful, jolly and doesn't outstay its welcome. It made $330 million. You may assume that 20th Century Fox might not have meddled with the formula a great deal for outing number two. Anyway, we're all media-literate now, and we all know that the press for such blockbusters is done with military precision by way of a "junket". If this was ever disparaging slang it's industry parlance now. No shame in a junket, where journalists - print, radio, TV - are wheeled in and out of whichever suite at the Dorchester or Claridge's the "talent" is installed in. Today, Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans (no, not that one) and Michael Chiklis - the Fantastic Four - were doing their second day of promo. But they were not holed up in hotel rooms.
Due to the appearance in the film, during a spectacular CGI action sequence, of disappointing fairground ride the London Eye (a deal that must have been easy to strike between Fox and the Mayor's office, since the big wheel was created entirely out of pixels, with individual pod sets shot against green-screen, and now they get a free advert in every corner of the UK media in exchange for four pods and a bit of extra security), the interviews took place on ... the London Eye. There was even a big Silver Surfer figure lashed to the side of the wheel. Myself and Stephen the producer turned up at the alloted time of 9.30am and joined the carousel of media queueing up to spend their revolving half an hour with each of the Four. This was hop-on, hop-off interviewing. (The Eye takes precisely 30 minutes to revolve, and within each half-hour revolution, journalists were given ten minutes or so to play with. We were sandwiched between Paul Anderson from XFM - that rare thing, an XFM DJ! - and Miquita Oliver from T4, made up to within an inch of her life.) Almost inevitably, as the American film company were involved, there was an unecessary edge of panic about the whole thing, and a brusqueness you don't get from the London-based film company folk. Certainly at one stage, Stephen and I were urged to run from the hotel where pastries and coffee were served to the base of the Eye, even though it was 45 minutes until our slot. So we ran. Unecessarily. But hey, it adds to the important impression that you are just an ant, and you are there to gaze in wonder upon the talent, who are giants. Because the Eye moves constantly, as we hopped on and the previous media-gatherers hopped off, an American PR grew vocally distressed as the carrot juice she'd ordered for the "talent" was not there to be handed aboard. She behaved as if perhaps her job depended on getting that carrot juice, and maybe it did. It was amusing to witness. Hollywood Star In Carrot Juice No Show On Revolving London Landmark! Heads Roll!
We were interviewing Ioan, who, guess what, turned out to be as warm and friendly as his cuttings suggests. (This wasn't a man about to throw a hissy fit at the lack of carrot juice - film company people must, though, act as if he might, at any moment.) With only ten minutes, which turned out to be about six (when I was on Back Row we'd turn movie stars down for anything less than 20 minutes, but in the last five years, things have apparently changed for the worse), I did my best to engage him in some light-hearted banter about how surely he'd rather the LA skyline was on view and not dreary old London. (It was touch and go that we were there at all. We lost our slot and pretty much had to beg to get it back on Monday. But if you're making a film programme, even for Radio 4, you need the voices of those who make the films.) We'll edit a few decent minutes out of our six and drop Ioan into the programme, falling back on a long interview I've already done with screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce and a studio chat with Simon Pegg, both of whom are decent enough to come into the BBC to do it. Ioan Gruffud was lost to us five years ago, when he moved to LA to seek his fortune, which you must admit, has paid off. He belongs to them now.
So, a very strange way to spend an hour on a Tuesday morning. The London Eye, of course, provides a simple but effective metaphor for the promotional treadmill, constantly revolving, same old view out of the window, the stars trapped inside it, the media hustled in and out. Big Ben even strikes every 15 minutes to help the PRs gauge the time. I actually think all junkets should be held this way. At least if you're late, you miss your slot, which would be good discipline for film journalists. And it means the biggest stars in the world have to hold a piss in for hours at a time. I forgot to give back my laminate, which was the size of a Buick, at the end. There it is.
Of course, if Fox had been really clever, they'd have clothed four of Anthony Gormley's rooftop figures in Fantastic Four uniforms for extra branding.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 12:11 PM
17 Comments
Contact
Andrew at
17 Comments:
I think that post ought to be required reading for anyone who thinks showbiz journalism is glamorous - that and the piece I wrote for the Guardian where I mentioned rubbing my hands on Darren Day's inner thigh during a post-Grease interview *runs to wash hands, even after all this time*.
Agreed about Ioan too. He is a really lovely man, and I feel there are so few British leading men - especially on the telly - that have anything approaching charisma and charm any more. Once David Tennant goes to Hollywood, that'll be pretty much it.
Hush!!!! Don't give him ideas!
David Tennant will be The Doctor for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever...
That post says it all about showbiz journalism today. Total control by PRs who fuss on behalf of their clients who are actually okay. Their clients are nice, normal people who don't know what the PR is up to behind their back, making journalists' lives difficult and playing the big I am. Half the time I think PRs are scared of the talent, and rather than run anything by them, and I mean anything, just say an immediate 'no' to everything as it makes their lives easier. On the whole, PRs are bloody lazy.
My how things have changed. I feel a revolt coming on.
Well, David Tennant better not go anywhere just yet, he's getting better by the week, and to be honest I don't want to have to get to know another Doctor this soon.
On a personal note, am I the only person enjoying Private Eye's "inappropriate places to site an Anthony Gormley figure" cartoons?
Pity you didn't get to interview Chiklis too, if only to try some off-the-record questions about the Shield, and perhaps a plea to get Andre Braugher to sign on for the last season. He is seriously under-used in films. City of Angels, Frequency, Poseidon, and now as a general in FF2.
You've explained why you have to do it, but do you not find it intensely irritating that you have to run through hoops so you can get the opportunity to provide this film with advertising on the BBC? I'm going to write to my MP or something or maybe not at all.
To be honest it doesn't matter how good the film is, having the word Silver Surfer in the title will always make me think of an octogenarian getting her first heady taste of one of these new fangled computer thingies.
I liked the London Eye metaphor.
Matt, you touch upon an interesting area - the fine line between "covering" a film and helping to "advertise" it. We felt that Ioan Gruffud was of interest to listeners of the The Film Programme, as he's a popular British actor who's doing well out there in LA. True, in an alloted few minutes it's impossible to get very deep with an interviewee, but as I said, he's not the star of the programme - that will be Simon Pegg, who's going to be in the studio, and I'll have plenty of opportunity to talk to him. Likewise Frank Cottrell Boyce, talking about new film Grow Your Own and his career at much greater length. Both will hopefully provide intelligent insights into the business of movie making. We specifically requested Ioan, and unlike seemingly everybody else on the carousel, did not interview the other members of the Fantastic Four, as it's the person rather than the film we're interested in. You can't really get round the "advertising" thing - I will be saying that it's on general release now, but I'll also provide an honest review, which gives us back an editorial voice. "Advertising" is the Guardian today printing a photo of the London Eye with a caption just saying that the Fantastic Four opens tomorrow. Is that news?
The Film Programme is a weekly magazine programme about the week in film. It's not a news programme. The Guardian is, apparently, a news paper.
I know you weren't actually accusing us of wasting the Licence Fee on advertising a film, but I'm always sensitive to these issues. As for jumping through hoops, it's becoming increasingly part of the game. If we hadn't be granted access to Ioan Gruffud, we may not have mentioned the film. Whereas Newsbeat or XFM or whoever else was there is duty bound to cover the biggest film of the week.
Talking of news, I had to turn Today off this morning after an item which was basically advertising (the man who discovered Harry Potter has now found something which gives him the same feeling) was followed by an item discussing whether George Bush's watch was stolen. Very disappointing stuff from R4.
I am surprised that the event is officially called (on the badge) a "junket". I thought junket was a kind of derogatory term for this, no?
Bit of a dilemma about seeing this film. Found the first FF film really mediocre. But this has the Silver Surfer in it! Am torn.
On the other hand, found the London Eye great fun.
You should get one of those little horse/train rides that they have outside supermarkets for children and make P.R's ride on them while they talk to you.
Good ones can have a 20p ride, bad ones only 10p.
I've just realised that it's Ioan and not loan - I'll get my coat
This post has been removed by the author.
I see TMITC's reviewed in Word, AC.
"Oddly drug free"?
If there's one thing in this world that's value for money then it's the license fee. I just don't understand the attitude of the film companies making it difficult and un-enjoyable for journalists to publicise their films.
I know programmes like the Film Programme and Kermode’s spot on Five-Live and several other media thingies always give reviews with integrity, but on non-reviewing outlets (I might call them NROs from now on) like T4 or GMTV, surely providing good interviews is a chance to get your film good publicity with nobody saying your film's a bit crap at the end. Actually I’m really not sure what I’m talking about.
I don't know how things work in other regions of the country, but STV fill large chunks of what should be a local news programme with PR puffs for whatever big film is doing the rounds to the detriment of it's journalistic output. The pieces they use are cheap fillers, stretched out over 5 minutes or so, mainly to try and disguise the fact as a commercial broadcaster, STV have "let go" many journalists. It's blatant advertising, not news. And I'm slightly depressed at the thought that all ITV news programmes will continue down this road.
You could argue that every time a news report says "[insert name of politician] is expected to announce today that [insert another civil-liberties slashing policy]", it's pretty much just advertising.
Post a Comment
<< Home