2012 – MovieViral Needs Your Help

Update: Forum member MOVIELORD101 has deciphered the code! Take a look:

RE:Project Naaczal
Status Briefing, SEPT, Twenty two.

We are now concluding feasibility studies and preliminary research for project Naaczaal analysis
Indicating a high probability of success, and small-scale prototyping has begun.
As of now we are several weeks behind schedule, but are working to collect data, resources and technology that would accelerate the project by thirty percent.

Cost analysis shows that internal resources on hand are still insufficient. All available resources have been reassigned to Naaczaal where possible.

We are continuing with existing funding strategies as per the previous funding methods report and anticipate full funding levels will be reached by XQ GP( 3-10-2011). If not significantly sooner.

All Staff, Please note that this overview is eyes only and should be deleted after reading.

So much for being for “eyes” only. We’re still not sure what this means, or what exactly Project Naaczaal is, but we’ll keep digging. This is the project that Soren Ulfert was told to forget on one of his voicemails, and the word is supposedly Mayan for “to be lifted.” If you find anything else, let us know! (Written by Dan)


- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -



I was going to inform you of a couple of updates in the world of Sony’s film, 2012, but I thought, why bother. World’s going to end. Total destruction. No hope for any of us.

But then I remembered, the film comes out PRIOR to 2012 and we should be ok.


One of the sites we brought to your attention, NewsDoneRight, has a couple of updates, which I am not sure that are of any importance as of yet.

The first one is an excerpt from the novel written by Jackson Curtis, titled Farewell Atlantis:

My name is Captain Troy Scottsman. I am the Chief Systems Engineer on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. I am one of an original crew of seven – now six – sent into space to measure the effects of increased solar radiation upon advanced radio and satellite systems. It is the year 2012, and during our six weeks in orbit we have recorded extraordinary evidence that massive gravitational forces from the Galactic Alignment have been a catalyst to unprecedented solar storm activity. The Earth’s magnetic field largely deflects these violent showers of solar protons bombarding our planet. However, as the storms grow larger and more frequent and more violent, the protective power of the magnetic field will diminish.


We want to report back to Earth about the imminent danger, but somebody does not want us to do this. Our radio connection has been jammed for two days and our equipment has been sabotaged. If you need any more proof, look no further than the dead astronaut floating off my starboard side towards the general vicinity of Jupiter.

Almost seems as if they are being kept out there in space. Sort of a bank of intelligence that will be available when all is done.

The next update is of an artifact in a museum in NYC that seems to have been stolen. Problem is, whatever this artifact is, it’s simply too big to be removed. Maybe the stone of a pyramid?

It looks like these sculptures were replaced with replicas at some point,” she said. “I have proof – I took photos for my project early last year, and they clearly show a tiny pattern of cracks that aren’t there anymore.



“I thought you said you needed my help?” is what you are saying? Well, here is where you come in.

Back on CorruptionTheory, there has been a little detective work by whomever is running the show. It seems as if a new code has shown up, and no one has the time to decipher it. With all of the “end of world” preparation, can you blame them? Even Charlie Frost had a tweet about it.

Take a look and see how your skills match up. If you can figure this out first, you will receive full credit. Of course, you must join the forum however for full credit.

922: 119121722247 132626241262615

8726768 259182221181320, 822117 74221372-7412

422 26922 13124 2412132415623181320 2122268182518151872 8762318228 261323 1192215181418132692 9228222692419 21129 119121722247 132626241262615. 2613261528188 1813231824267228 26 19182019 1191225262518151872 1221 8624242288, 261323 814261515-824261522 119127127211181320 19268 252220613. 268 1221 13124 422 26922 82252292615 42222168 252219181323 82419222361522, 2567 26922 412916181320 712 2412151522247 2326726, 9228126924228 261323 7222419131215122018228 719267 41261523 262424221522926722 71922 119121722247 252 71918972 112292422137.

241287 2613261528188 8191248 719267 18137229132615 9228126924228 1213 19261323 26922 87181515 181386212118241822137. 261515 26526181526251522 9228126924228 1926522 25222213 92226881820132223 712 132626241262615 41922922 11128818251522.

422 26922 241213718136181320 418719 2231887181320 2161323181320 879267222018228 268 11229 71922 119225181268 2161323181320 142271912238 922111297 261323 261371824181126722 2161515 2161323181320 1522522158 4181515 2522 9222624192223 252 310 2011, 1821 13127 81820131821182426137152 8121213229.

261515 87262121, 11152226822 1312722 719267 719188 125229518224 188 222228 1213152 261323 8191261523 2522 2322152272223 26217229 9222623181320.



Your help will be greatly appreciated and if MovieViral has any say in the Apocalypse, we’ll make sure you are taken care of.


2012 opens November 13th everywhere.

Surrogates Review: A Standard Sci-Fi Film…Only Better

The film Surrogates asks you believe that in the future most of mankind will choose to live vicariously through androids while they sit in the comfort of their homes. It’s an extreme concept, but given how today many live their lives in front of a computer, it may not be that far from reality. Like many sci-fi films that show a world that has different rules and standards than ours, the key to the Surrogates’ success may ride on the audience believing in that world. I can tell you right now that director Jonathan Mostow and writers Michael Ferris & John D. Brancato successfully bring this world to life.


The film is set in a future in which using Surrogates for everyday activities has become commonplace across the world. So commonplace in fact that crime has significantly dropped in the U.S. and there hasn’t been an actual murder in years…until now. FBI Agents Greer (Bruce Willis) and Peters (Radha Mitchell) are investigating the murder of a young couple outside a night couple. Their surrogates were attacked and “operators”, as they call them, were killed, which isn’t supposed to happen thanks to failsafe measures. At one point in the investigation, Greer is attacked by the same weapon, but disconnects early enough to only need to go to the hospital. Now he’s without a surrogate, as well as off the case. But we know Bruce, and he’s not going to stop until he finds the killer.


Surrogates



The fim represents the surrogate world perfectly in my mind. The surrogates are a bit slow and have a smooth, plastic-y look, and they interact exactly like you would think people who have nothing to worry about would. They see a car crash and either don’t bother looking or just look on like fire hydrant was spraying up water innocently. The operator-surrogate relationship is really interesting as well. Many operators look very different from the surrogates, with real hygiene not being an priority for most. Some only use their surrogates for work, others all the time.


This relationship is the core of the film’s message and unfolding plot. There are reservations in the US that are “No-Surrogate” zones, where people live organically without any machinery. These people, known as Dreads in the film, are led by a man known as The Prophet, played to perfection by Ving Rhames. Their philosophy is that surrogacy has made mankind weak and ungrateful for human life. Surrogacy, as we see with one of the main characters, is like an addiction. Willis himself deals with the perils of being the only human in a surrogate world throughout the film, and the dynamics are interesting to say the least.


Surrogates



That being said, the film has a rather methodical, somber tone. One could argue that it fits well with the message of the film and some of the character developments that occur, but I think most will see it as a bad thing. The action sequences were entertaining and fit the world nicely, but overall there just didn’t seem to be much urgency. We slowly get exposed to this world and the conspiracy that develops, but there’s no ticking clock until the climax.


I’ve glanced over some reviews, and I know the film’s getting bashed for being formulaic or a rip-off, but I don’t see it as either. There are some really nice twists and turns, and plenty of surprises. The idea of not living a real life has been dealt with before (see: The Matrix, Wall-E, or any virtual reality-based title), and the anti-technology, pro-biology message has been pushed more than I can count (not just in the before-mentioned film). What separates this film is how it shows the other side of the equation. These aren’t just dumb humans that the audience can say “just unplug!” and call it a day. We see why people need surrogates (or so they think) on an emotional and physical level.


Final Grade: B


Surrogates opens today in theaters nationwide. For more information on Surrogates and it’s viral campaign, see our Surrogates Page. What did you think of the film? Leave a comment below!

Entertainment Tonight on Set of Iron Man 2

For the past week, Entertainment Tonight has been promoting the hell out of their behind-the-scenes look at Iron Man 2. Was it worth the hype? Check it out for yourself:





The faux Monaco Grand Prix set looks pretty cool, but not a whole lot of new information comes out. Not too surprising since it’s just ET. They do talk a little about the Iron Man love triangle between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), which I am looking forward to see playing out in the film.


What did you think of featurette? Iron Man 2 opens May 7th, 2010. For more information on the film and it’s viral campaign, see our Iron Man 2 Page.

Heroes – Join the Evolution

The new series of Heroes started this week on NBC. And what a start it made! It was a great opener and promises more good things to come.

Over the past few seasons, Heroes has had quite a few viral sites on the go and have been one of the leaders in viral marketing for TV programs. In this article we are going to have look at some of the previous websites and have a look at whats coming up. It all kicks off on the 28th!

Heroes Evolutions

A full blown ARG for Heroes, this campaign won an Emmy due to it’s clever use of digital media, keeping the user hooked and tying in nicely with the show through clues seen in the episodes.
It mostly follows “the agent” and is full interactive adventure.

The ARG is due to start again with the beginning of season 4, so keep watching for more updates.

 

Primatech Paper

The cover company Noah Bennet used to work for, Primatech papers has a fully working website that gives you information about the company, products and jobs that you can apply for.
There is also a toll free phone number to call that is answered by a recorded message which started the Primatech papers ARG

The website has been updated over time and the original job application is not available as well as a note informing of the leaving of Noah Bennet, but by using the code given over the phone it started a full blown text/website campaign that gave the user access to a backdoor website.

The backdoor can still be seen by clicking on the “about us” link, hovering over the Primatech symbol and clicking on the helix that appears. The username “bennet” and password “Claire” will grant you access to the site.

You can also click here for a location map

And security footage here

The full ARG details can also be seen at Heroes  Wiki.

 

Pinehearst Research

The “villains” company, Pinehearst was also represented by a website which is in similar vain to the IHC website for 2012.

The Pinehearst website provides a lot of information on the company and the research it partaking in and is overall a very convincing website. It too has a backdoor that featured messages from Rebel as well as audio files.

Full ARG details are located here

 

Yamagato Fellowship

The third fictional company in Heroes also has a website devoted to it.

This is a gallery owned by Yamagato industries and has several graphic novels to follow. The site is also part of the evolutions experience and the proof of this can be seen by clicking on Kimiko’s picture, revealing the code “CKLQBZLLATXTLXNABKOCLECYRLLBKOCLEEHDILNOEXVSX” which is later deciphered as “C IS HELPING BUT R IS CLOSE R IS MAD ABOUT ED”

More info on the website here

 

Vote Petrelli

A site similar to Harvey Dents, this website followed the campaign for Peter Petrelli.

It was heavily tied in with the Heroes Evolution campaign and included photos, speeches etc.

There is also a hidden message text box that reads “Run Howie- REBEL.” another part of the evolutions story line

Full campaign here.

 

Las Vegas Niki

A rather raunchy addition to the heroes world, Niki, a Las Vegas stripper, has her own website.

Clicking on the video or the start link will present you with a message “they kno CV CA” and an application form to join evolutions.

 

Hana Gitelman’s Website.

Hana Gitelman is the biggest character in the Evolution ARG. Her website contains lots of information and clues to access most of the special features on the other sites as well as introducing new ones.

Hana can be seen in the heroes graphic novels and also has a MySpace page.

Hana’s website is huge, however all her posts are archived. This is one to watch for future clues in up and coming events in the evolutions world.

Full list here.

 

Suresh’s Website

This website is dedicated to Suresh’s research and the research his father did before him. It is heavily referenced in Hana’s blogs and includes notes on his studies and interviews. It also allows users to submit dreams and interact with the website.

More info here.

 

Corinthian Hotel and Casino

Last but not least of the current crop is the Corinthian hotel and casino, which as you will see when you go to the link, has already be hacked by Hana.

This is the casino that was operated by Linderman and a message can be seen on the site relaying the sadness the staff fell for the loss of their founder.

The site featured several games and allowed you to make an account to accumulate prize money. When the user won over $325,000 they were invited to join the Titans group which again had a backdoor site with Linderman’s notes on Kensei’s sword as well as paintings by Isaac Mendez.

Full details of the ARG can be found here.

 

The Future of season 4:

So, are you all caught up? Good! You’ll see that the ARG has been very well put together and is definitely worth following if you are a Heroes fan, but what is next?

Well, The Evolution ARG is still running, and it has also been recently announced that NBC and Sprint will be teaming up to deliver more content.

There will be ten installments that will tie in with the show, with an exclusive clip tied into that weeks episode as well as online, mobile and interactive gaming sites that will also be launched for the new season.

The new content will tie-in with newly arrived Carnival that appeared in the first episode. It will feature 3 characters from the touring carnival. Go see it here.

Events up-coming will include graphic novels to your mobile, “the carnival“ website and games, a heroes “survival” game and an interactive SMS storyline that will have you receiving clues on your cell phone to further unlock the secrets of the upcoming season.

The Heroes Viral and ARG is truly Epic, utilizing all forms of digital media to full effect, and this article is only a small glimpse into it. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the campaign! What do you think?

Two New Extended Clips for Surrogates

With Surrogates releasing in theaters tomorrow nationwide, there has been a lot of clips and interviews this week to promote the film. Today we got two extended clips thanks to Trailer Addict.


The first, titled “Newsreel”, gives a timeline of the evolution of the surrogate. The interesting thing I saw in here was how there are “Surrogacy-Free” zones around the country, set up by those who oppose the concept, who themselves are headed by Ving Rhames’ character. Sounds like a great idea for a viral, huh? (Hint Hint to Disney). Here’s the video for that:




The second clip, titled “No Accident” is an extended version of the car collision we’ve seen in several other clips and trailers. Obviously, as the title suggests, this “accident” is suspicous. This clip showed me two things. One, Bruce Willis is one tough cookie. Two, I think we’ll see a lot of fun surrogate action sequences. Here’s the video:





These clips both really excited me for the film, but the lost viral potential really saddens me. Ving Rhames’s anti-Surrogate group could have gone the way of MNU Spreads Lies (for District 9) or Tidowave (for Cloverfield) and had websites, videos, etc. To my knowledge this is Disney’s first viral attempt (Tron Legacy is second, but that is being done by the revered 42 Entertainment), so I shouldn’t be surprised.


What do you think of the clips? Does Bruce Willis still have it?

First Avatar Gameplay Footage

The most anticipated film of December is undoubtedly James Cameron’s Avatar. The question on everyone’s mind is whether or not it will live up to the hype. Gamers must be asking the same question about the game based on the film. Will it be just another crappy game based off a good movie (i.e. Iron Man) or will it be as captivating as the film itself (i.e. Spiderman 2)?


Well, thanks to publisher Ubisoft, we now have our first look at the actual gameplay for “James Cameron’s Avatar the Game”. I can’t critique the video too much since I’m not much of a gamer myself, but CinemaBlend says it has a “Lost Planet 2 vibe.” Not sure if that’s good or bad. It looks pretty fun to me, and just to interact with the world of Avatar excites me. See the footage for yourself below (sorry for the poor quality):





James Cameron’s Avatar the Game releases in December along with the film. For more information on the film and it’s viral campaign, check out our new Avatar Page.

Wanted: Cad Bane

With season two of the Clone Wars premiering a week from Friday, Lucasfilm is busy hosting press events and sneak previews to help build even more hype for the hit animated series. Over at the official Star Wars site, some great pictures have emerged from yesterday’s junket at Lucasfilm’s Big Rock Ranch that shows the creative lengths taken to put on a good show. More interesting though is a viral “Wanted Sign” of bounty hunter golden boy Cad Bane that was on display for all to see.


Bud Cane



The western style wanted poster is one of many Clone Wars treats at the event, but I love this for its simplicity. It’s no secret series director Dave Filoni and George Lucas’s influence for Bane dates back to Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, so I applaud them building upon his status as an outlaw and “space cowboy” of sorts. The poster itself is grounded in the narrative of the series, since it reflects his actions in the season finale on the planet Coruscant. As such, how great would it be to see this pop up in the show? It’d be great touch that certainly wouldn’t go unnoticed.


One question I do have though; can someone tell what the two lines of text read in-between the Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network logos at the bottom of the poster? I’ve zoomed as much as I could on my computer but cannot figure it out. I think it says something about contacting someone at an URL that I can’t make out. Leave a comment if you think you’ve got something.

2012 and Comcast Take Over Your TV

Be prepared for the largest movie preview to ever come across your TV. Right before Roland Emmerich destroys the world on November 13th, he is going to spend a ton of money to let you know how it’s going down.

As reported earlier today by MovieWeb:

Supported by a multi-million dollar promotional campaign by Comcast, the action-packed two-minute sequence from 2012 will air on the major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC and CBS), 89 cable networks, local stations in the top 70 markets, and Spanish-language networks throughout the United States. With nearly 450 separate North American television outlets taking part in this unprecedented media event, it is projected that the 2012 footage will reach nearly 110 million television viewers – a delivery that exceeds that of the Super Bowl. The two-minute scene will reach an estimated 90% of all households watching ad-supported television at that time.

Consumers will have the opportunity to see the conclusion of the two-minute cliffhanger scene after the roadblock with an extended five-minute sequence on Fancast.com and on Comcast On Demand. The total projected television, online and mobile audience in North America that will be able to see the footage in the first 24 hours exceeds 140 million consumers.



As far as marketing goes, this is huge. From the time frame they are talking about showing this clip, you run into highly watched shows such as The Jay Leno Show and Private Practice, as well a slew of channels like MTV, The History Channel, and MSNBC. For a complete list of channels and shows, please check out Comcast.com/2012. They will have just about every genre of person covered at once!

And of course once the film clip has shown, you can check back with us here or in the 2012 section of our forum.

Fox Home Entertainment uses PSAs to Sell DVDs

Fox Home Entertainment has a funny internet video campaign going on to promote their line up of DVDs. They seem to be using a “One Movie At A Time” moniker in the creation of fake PSAs that use clips from their DVD collection. A YouTube account was created with the name, as well as a domain name, which links you to the page on the Fox Store where you can find all the videos. Check out the ones they have on YouTube below:





I’m not sure what the purpose of the OMAAT phrase is, but it might be a strategy to brand their marketing. The videos are pretty funny, and I imagine the overall goal is to the let the public know the great line up of films Fox Home has in their DVD collection. If that’s the case, they definitely succeed in my opinion. I didn’t know they had the distribution rights for all those films (some of which are in my top favorites list of all time).


Again, the Fox Store has all those videos, and you can even buy the DVDs you see in the PSAs directly from the site. What do you think of the PSAs? Got any good ideas yourself for fake PSAs? Let us know!

2012: Soren Ulfert Has a New Blog and He’s Pissed!

For those following the 2012 viral campaign, you’ll know that Soren Ulfert was the Communications Director at the Institute for Human Continuity until last week. We all knew something was brewing when Ulfert “resigned” from the IHC, and we were right. After a few days of silence, Ulfert is back, and he’s mad as hell. He has a new blog and YouTube account, which have been created for him to set the record straight about his departure.


On both the blog and the one video on his YouTube page, Ulfert claims that Penn fired him out of the blue. In the video especially, Ulfert seems lost and insignificant outside the walls of the IHC. It wasn’t just a job to him, it was his calling in life, and now he doesn’t know what to do. He still seems to have a bit of hope for the IHC and humanity, as futile as it may be. Check out the video for yourself below:





Now that we have confirmation Ulfert was kicked out of the IHC, the question is why and what now? This viral is taking a turn for the better and plowing full steam ahead. We’ll of course update you as this story develops.


2012 opens nationwide in theaters on November 13th, 2009. For more information on the 2012 viral campaign and the film itself, check out our recently updated 2012 Page.