When I saw the trailer of Tron Legacy I couldn’t wait for two more videos – the second trailer of the movie/ game and the movie itself. It was a few days ago when I got to read about it in an article by Ed Ulbrich whose company developed it in collaboration with Disney and director Joseph Kosinksi. I read further only to find out that it wasn’t really a trailer but a PROTOTYPE. I know you’re shocked but believe me, you’re not the only one. I was eager for the release date declaration by the production house and was expecting it to be released by this year August as the “trailer” was released 3 months ago, or when I saw it.
Most films start with a script, a story someone wanted to tell. The Tron sequel, it seems, started with a business problem. The screenwriters’ strike of 2007 had left studios with no new product. To fill the gap, Disney started examining its archives to see what it could remake and Tron seemed to fit the bill. But instead of writing a script, it was decided that the first thing needed was a ‘prototype‘ – a short film that would give potential investors and partners an idea of what the film would look like. Check out the what they made for the world to see.
[ VIEW THE TRAILER ON YOUTUBE ]
With a traditional screenplay you are asking potential investors to imagine what the final thing will look like based on words on a page and trust that it all turns out fine. With Tron, they could show people what they were going to get or in other words they can assess content opportunities by looking at the sample material. The prototype was thus used to raise money, get brands involved, sign up distributors and so on. It was also the starting point for the other properties to be developed around Tron – the game for desktop, consoles and mobile devices and so on. No more will the game be developed in response to the film – the two can now be developed side by side.
Ed Ulbrich of Digital Domain whose company developed the “Prototype” in collaboration with Disney and director Joseph Kosinksi, seemed to be suggesting that it was a blueprint for a new way of creating entertainment that would bring together film, games, theme park rides and brands. This is already happening of course, but the making of Tron reveals how the processes and thinking of Hollywood have changed.
Now, how does it affect us? At RaA, we are creatively growing with each passing day and don’t be surprised if we adopt to the idea and someday our website opening page is a trailer/ prototype of the best promotional video made for any design and development studio. Obviously, I hope to be the creative toolbox behind it.
Keep coming back for more fun, news from behind the studios and more. Fun at RaA has just begun.
