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Padraig

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[quote name='holyte' post='1587308' date='Nov 12 2008, 21.44']HELLS YEAH!!

Lets just hope HBO has the good sense to pick this one along with five other sub-par series (i actually have no idea what other shows are in the running). Seriously, it's a no-brainer. ASOIAF has an established fanbase. The show will be a sure hit. And would they risk a mob of 10,000 ppl crying for blood at their headquarters? :smoking:[/quote]


The first thing that came into my mind when I saw the news was: "how can I help assure at least one season?" I thought it would be cool if we could get a substantive amount of people (via this board most likely) to all cut up snowflakes out of construction paper like we used to do in grade school, and write "Winter is Coming" on them. Then at some predetermined date, every sends them in. I think some fans did it for Jericho to much success if I recall correctly.

Just something that popped into my mind.
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[quote name='holyte' post='1587308' date='Nov 12 2008, 20.44']HELLS YEAH!!

Lets just hope HBO has the good sense to pick this one along with five other sub-par series (i actually have no idea what other shows are in the running). Seriously, it's a no-brainer. ASOIAF has an established fanbase. The show will be a sure hit. And would they risk a mob of 10,000 ppl crying for blood at their headquarters? :smoking:[/quote]

Sadly about the only two fanbases large enough and devoted enough to matter for shit when it comes to producing a film or new show are Star Trek and LotR. Guess we can add Star Wars to that as well. And Harry Potter. Batman and Superman had long since become cultural icons and the hardcore comic reading segment of the fanbase was a TINY portion of those who actually saw X-men/Spiderman/etc. The point is, even if every person who identified themselves as a GRRM fan watch this show religiously, it'd be a small blip in ratings terms. Its not a sure hit by any stretch. And the public certainly isn't as aware of this material and setting as they are of the comic franchises listed or even Transformers for that matter. It will need significant crossover appeal cause there's simply not enough of us to keep it afloat. Not nearly.
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[quote name='EHK for Obama' post='1587386' date='Nov 13 2008, 14.42']Sadly about the only two fanbases large enough and devoted enough to matter for shit when it comes to producing a film or new show are Star Trek and LotR. Guess we can add Star Wars to that as well. Batman and Superman had long since become cultural icons and the hardcore comic reading segment of the fanbase was a TINY portion of those who actually saw X-men/Spiderman/etc. The point is, even if every person who identified themselves as a GRRM fan watch this show religiously, it'd be a small blip in ratings terms. Its not a sure hit by any stretch. And the public certainly isn't as aware of this material and setting as they are of the comic franchises listed or even Transformers for that matter. It will need significant crossover appeal cause there's simply not enough of us to keep it afloat. Not nearly.[/quote]

True, if only us GRRM fans watch it, it would be a huge ratings flop. But that wasn't my point. I'm just saying that out of all the shows in contention, ours has an established fanbase. (Does anyone know if the other shows in contention are based on material that has a fanbase?) Therefore, greenlighting ASOIAF would be less of a gamble because HBO would at least have [b]us[/b]. And after some promo, some word-of-mouth, and some general buzz and sparks of interest, [b]a lot[/b] more people could potentially get on board. It's the snowball effect. And it starts with us hardcore fans and will roll and roll...
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[i]True Blood[/i] has done fairly well for itself with, I guess, a similarly-sized built-in fan base. It's obviously been growing a following well beyond that, but I can't say that having some fans out there evangelizing has hurt.
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As to the power of sending things to the studio:

"Passionate fan lobbying has saved several programs, and their stars, from the axe, writes Mark Juddery

DESPITE consistently low ratings, the television series Roswell had twice been saved by Tabasco sauce. In two organized internet campaigns, Warner Bros execs were sent thousands of bottles of Tabasco, which (as regular viewers know) is a delicacy for the cast of spunky, alien teenagers.

The Tabasco campaign was orchestrated through Roswell websites, in Which devotees discuss their favourite series. ``From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you for, in fact, saving our show,'' Wrote an executive producer, Kevin Brown, in an email to one site last year."

[url="http://www.crashdown.com/news/2002/2963.shtml"]http://www.crashdown.com/news/2002/2963.shtml[/url]
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Sure an established fan base is a selling point and its better to have one than not have one, just saying that alone hardly makes the show a no-brainer. It has alot of other obstacles to overcome, not least of which is cost and the fact that historic fantasy has never been an easy sell on television. The fan base will play a factor in the decision to go forward, I just don't think its as significant a one as you might.

Perhaps Brude has some insight into how effective such things are in determining what shows/films get made.
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[quote name='Auburn Dragon' post='1587589' date='Nov 13 2008, 17.10']"Passionate fan lobbying has saved several programs, and their stars, from the axe, writes Mark Juddery

DESPITE consistently low ratings, the television series Roswell had twice been saved by Tabasco sauce.[/quote]
Wow. If the ASoIaF series ever came to this point, I wonder what we fans will send?
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Obviously the fact that ASOIAF has an established (and very loyal) fanbase is a big plus to the probability of success for the show, but to echo EHK, we are not nearly enough on our own. LOTR had 60 years to build up its legacy before the movies were made, and Harry Potter is a phenomenon whose popularity far dwarfs Martin's. Even those were not guaranteed successes (if the LOTR movies had flopped, New Line would have almost certainly gone under, and Jackson had to shop the idea around through several studios), although their success certainly helped to pave the way for riskier projects like ASOIAF.

If they have any sense (and they do), HBO knows they're going to have to pull in a ton of viewers who have never heard of Martin's books for the show. Ultimately that is the goal. It should be achievable. HBO does a great job marketing their shows and nobody knows how to generate buzz, and awards, like they do. The books are compelling and marketable. The show's creators are very talented, and known commodities. The material is edgy, yet accessible; it is art, but doesn't descend into obscurantist artsy weirdness the way that [i]Carnivàle[/i] and [i]John from Cincinatti[/i] did. It even has a great tagline ("Winter is coming"). So long as the pilot doesn't completely suck (and given the level of talent involved, I'm confident it won't), I think HBO would have to be fools not to pick it up for at least one season, so long as the budget isn't [i]Rome[/i]-style overwhelming. But I'm not foolish enough to think that the existing fanbase of the books is reason enough for that. We're the sure thing - we will be the ones most likely to order, or keep, HBO for the series, we'll be the first ones pre-ordering the DVD's, we'll be the ones telling our friends to tune in. But ultimately this isn't being done just for us.
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How's this for a way to keep HBO motivated: Any GRRM fan who doesn't currently have HBO adds HBO to their Cable/Satellite plan shortly before the series airs its first episode. Preferably on some internet-coordinated and advertised (via email to HBO) single day. And should they ever threaten to cancel the show prior to the final book, we coordinate a mass-cancellation. We may not number in the millions like Potter or Tolkien fans. But no premium channel is going to overlook the influence of a united block of tens of thousands of subscribers.
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Six shows (at least) out of eleven will be picked up. ASOIAF has an established fanbase, and the books have garnered mass critical acclaim. Edgy, dark, innovative, and adult source material, right up HBO's alley. And let's not forget that HBO had to fork out millions for the rights to the show. And we've come this far. And GRRM is positive about the success of the pilot. Not to mention that out of the ..um.. eleven shows.. ASOIAF has made all the headlines. Without being subjective, it's not a given, but you gotta like our chances =P
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Well, we don't have many castles, but lots of riverlands and forests! [url="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2008/09/michigan-film-f.html"]film it in Michigan![/url] and Winter IS coming, y'know.

I'll even throw myself in as a hapless peasant woman trudging toward King's Landing. :D

[i]Under Michigan's program, producers get 40 cents back for every $1 they spend on filming (double the existing rebate) and qualify for an additional 2% spending rebate if the film is shot in designated "core communities," including Detroit and Flint.

[/i]We even have lots of big empty buildings that could be used for interior shots.
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[quote name='Faceless Man of Braavos' post='1588352' date='Nov 13 2008, 19.27']If HBO could get away with the tagline "The Sopranos in Middle-Earth" or some such motto, I think a fair bit of curiousity could be generated in the ASOIAF-oblivious public... but I don't think the Tolkien estate would be too thrilled... they strike me as touchy folks.[/quote]
I don't think the Tolkien estate can trademark or claim copyright on the term "middle-earth" any more than they can trademark/copyright the work "orc." Middle-Earth is just a literal translation of Midgard and orc is likewise a term that predates LotR. That being said, I think it would never be used as a tag-line so much as a meme, a way to explain it succinctly what's going on - a pitch-line, if you were. (I bet it's the pitch-line that Benioff used to sell the show.)
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[quote name='Tears of Lys' post='1588434' date='Nov 13 2008, 21.24']Well, we don't have many castles, but lots of riverlands and forests! [url="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2008/09/michigan-film-f.html"]film it in Michigan![/url] and Winter IS coming, y'know.

I'll even throw myself in as a hapless peasant woman trudging toward King's Landing. :D

[i]Under Michigan's program, producers get 40 cents back for every $1 they spend on filming (double the existing rebate) and qualify for an additional 2% spending rebate if the film is shot in designated "core communities," including Detroit and Flint.

[/i]We even have lots of big empty buildings that could be used for interior shots.[/quote]


I can't belive I'm going to say this, but that would be really cool. But, for the love of all that is holy, keep them away from Ann Arbor.
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