A Message to Disney

kongisking

Active member
I've decided to plop this in the Indy 5 section, since it mostly pertains to the fate of that unborn film...

I've recently come up with an idea for a video that would act as sort of a show of support from the Indiana Jones fandom for a fifth movie. Just for the sake of argument, all those who are highly skeptical of a new movie being made, just please pipe down and play along for a second.

The idea basically boils down to: I write a script for a brief speech outlining what makes Indiana Jones such a wonderful series, how passionate the fandom is, and how dearly we want a new film. Then, various Raveners with video-capabilities would record themselves on-camera saying a single word from the speech. All clips would be sent to me, so I can edit them together to turn these clips into an actual "speech" of sorts. It's a nice way to visualize the united and passionate nature of the fans while still giving an actual message.

Once it's all edited, I would post it on YouTube, and link my fellow Raveners to the video for them to spread across the net. I'd recommend posting it on Disney-related sites, forums, YT channels and so on, so that hopefully Disney will eventually take notice.

I know this is an immensely fanciful and desperate method of getting Disney's attention that likely will never pay off, but I really think if we all work together and show Disney that there IS a living, breathing fandom for this character that will support their hero, they may, MAY be impressed by our devotion and maybe look into Indy 5 seriously again. I know the odds are terribly slim...but if we want Disney to ever do anything, we, as fans, need to stop giving up and make them look at us and consider us.

If nobody is interesting in such a project, either because they are just so drowned in despair or pessimism they think we can't possibly make any difference, there is historical precedent for rabid support from fans inspiring studios to give dead series' another chance, even if just to cash in on the tiny demographic. By sitting here and just waiting for Lucas and company to finally refocus on Indy 5, we're not only keeping the film delayed even longer, but we come across as a limp, indifferent fandom lacking the proper fire to really demand a new film and keep their beloved series alive. No studio in their right mind would green-light a movie for a fandom that seems comatose. To get this made, and NOW, we need to get their attention, and show them that we are here, and we are waiting. Still waiting.

So, that's my proposal. Anyone want to help me revive this series (for at the very least one last awesome adventure with Ford-as-Indy), or do nothing and keep watching Indy 5 struggle to even be a passing thought in the minds of the Disney execs?

It's a fairly simple choice, frankly...:hat:
 

kongisking

Active member
All right, let me try this over...

I apologize for how angry I came across with this. I won't lie, to a certain extent I think this fanbase is being frustratingly lazy. We should be trying our best to make noise and make Disney consider us as a demographic. Instead, we're sitting here, being angry and bitter at Lucas/Disney for not doing anything when we're not a whole lot better. Like I said last time, I know my idea very likely won't make a bit of difference, but it doesn't hurt to at least try it. The effort alone may revive interest and support for the series.

I want so much to support Indiana Jones and adventure in general, to help the series and genre respectively gain new traction in the world of fiction (especially Hollywood), and it feels like I'm one of the very few willing to actually try and publicly support my favorite hero and his adventures. My idea was an attempt to make a statement on behalf of all of us who love this character and want to see Harrison don that awesome hat at least one more time, and maybe even create more team spirit within the fandom. Your opinion of KOTCS be damned, we should be trying to work toward the greater good of seeing this series be revived.

So, this time, instead of an aggressive guilt-trip message, I'm going to resort to...not exactly begging, but a very passionately polite request for help with this.
 

Mickiana

Well-known member
I did try writing to Lucasfilm before the Disney purchase, but I got a free t shirt and a letter from a public relations type person saying George would not be making any more Indiana Jones movies. That was true given the upcoming sale of Lucasfilm. So, I looked to where I could write to Disney to ask the same of them: to please continue the adventures of IJ. But I couldn't find an address, postal or email, that was a certainty, so I haven't done that.

Your idea is worth trying as it doesn't sound like a large effort for what might make an impression. I don't know if fandom impresses or how much it does. Le Sab has pointed out the sobering $$$ numbers that go against the likelihood of further films being made and they sound reasonable, but I share your commendable though naive wish to make an appeal for all that it may be worth.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
A message to you, kong.

Outside of a few stalwart efforts, The Raven is a dead scene. Not officially mind you, but any empirical observation will confirm that for you. So it's not that the fandom has gotten lazy so much, but the fact that they've fled for other, greener pastures. Pastures that aren't reliant on a group of old men who really aren't that interested in the character despite what they spout out in public.

Plus, those Strokers that regularly participate in this thread don't seem to really be interested in Indiana Jones. No, they're interested in Harrison Ford. 90% of the comments are about which actor resembles/sounds/looks like Ford in his various stages of existence rather than which actor might be able to inhabit the character's traits and bring them to life on the screen.

I won't even begin to comment on the nascent obsession with a 'bridge' picture that has Ford legitimizing a new actor.

kongisking said:
I want so much to support Indiana Jones and adventure in general...

Montana and Stoo made a very valiant attempt at introducing the membership here to the original serials that inspired Dr. Jones' creation and got... exactly nowhere. There might have been five different commentators outside of Stoo and Montana. Tarzan, Doc Savage, Sinbad: they can barely get to a second page. Tomb Raider? Fits and starts. The Mummy? ZOMG It sux so much! There's enough material out there to choke a whale, but you've expressed a complete lack of intellectual curiosity - as has the majority of the commentators here - to everything else that's out there. So, you'll have to excuse me when I call bull$hit on your wanting to help "adventure in general".

That reminds me, in case you missed it in the Tarzan thread, Disney & Warner Bros. are each producing live-action adaptations of that ur-adventure story, The Jungle Book.

And as for a fifth Indy picture, well...

tumblr_inline_mj98lz0Cwi1qz4rgp.gif


Mickiana said:
So, I looked to where I could write to Disney to ask the same of them:

Address your letter to City Hall @ Disneyland and I assure you that it will eventually wend its way through the labyrinth and end up in the appropriate location. That's the original park in California, of course. I've had great success with that method over the years.

Or,

Frank Marshall
c/o The Walt Disney Studios
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91505
United States

Somebody will eventually read it, but I can't say Mr. Marshall will. Rule number one though is, never, ever send somebody an email. A written plea makes a stronger impression. Especially in this day and age.

Mickiana said:
Le Sab has pointed out the sobering $$$ numbers that go against the likelihood of further films being made and they sound reasonable

What a bastard that guy is. Killing hope for people and all that jazz.

In all seriousness, those numbers are only meant to illustrate why you'll never see another Indy picture with The Beards & Ford. The future of the character/series/whatever is still more complicated than the numbers bear out. I've thought about getting into the more speculative end of the future, but I have a hard time justifying wasting anymore time on the subject. Maybe in the future now that I've thrown open the doors of the firmament.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
This.




I happened to be in the Cliffhangers thread today looking for some of my screenshots to post on another forum.


Hit an old man like this and he isn't getting up:

PDVD_017-2.jpg


It's time to find another hero.



repent-the-end-is-nigh-ye-must-be-cleansed.png
 

Indy's brother

New member
There's plenty of reasons to say not to do this. And they've been said. Now that's been done, I can't think of one that indicates it would hurt anything. You want to make a video? Do it. You don't need permission from the peanut gallery here. My response is that I would like to read your script for this, and my suggestion would be to keep it short, friendly, and to the point. Also, one word clips would get annoying pretty fast, so I would advise full a full sentence or phrase for each clip. Honestly, no matter what, this could be a fun project for fans to come together and do. I imagine that with a tiny amount of creativity contributors could inject some entertaining content for your video using props, figures, backgrounds, humor, inside jokes, etc. Maybe superimpose "Username: _______" across the bottom of each contributors snippet.

In short, I'm in. It would be a breath of fresh air around here to do something fun.

Go for it.
 

kongisking

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
So, you'll have to excuse me when I call bull$hit on your wanting to help "adventure in general".

Okay, I can see that line being hypocritical. I meant interest in supporting "Modern" adventure stories. I respect the old serials and whatnot, but lack the proper enthusiasm to watch them myself, thanks to their reputation for being, well, cringe-inducingly cheesy and with awful production values. It's a taste thing. Indiana Jones, for me, represents the best things about those serials embraced and refined to be better. Therefore, I want more Indy, because it keeps the spirit of the serials alive...but with better filmmaking. ;)

And I'm well aware, everyone, that this site is running on fumes. And why is that? Why, because there's not a new movie. With Ford. And you're right, Sab, the vast majority of people on here operate on this outrageous notion that Ford is absolutely irreplaceable as Jones. So does Hollywood itself, apparently. So the longer there's not a new movie with Ford, the chances of it being made become slimmer, thanks to Ford's age increasing. Honestly, KOTCS was made at the perfect time where audiences could reasonably still buy him being old AND doing all his old shtick. Ford was at the event horizon age for this character. Now he's not, but hey, he should still be given one more shot before we full-blown move on from Harry and embrace a new Jones.

Indy's brother's idea is smart, having it be more than just a single word. Thanks. :hat:

At the end of the day, this is my desperate last shot for a film with Ford. I'm begging my fellow Raveners for support with this idea. If I never amount to a single damn thing in my life, I want to at least be comforted with the fact I did the best I could to see a fifth movie with Harrison Ford made.

P.S. That Sky Movies commercial was pretty neat. I could probably try something like that on my own, if I'm forced to...
 
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kongisking

Active member
So, I'm thinking of next week writing up a script for such a video. If anyone is willing to participate in the project, I recommend PMing me with their contact information. Of course, if you want to help, you'll need to have access to video cameras to record your bit. Heck, I'd even recommend you wear any Indy costumes you may have when filming your piece.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
kongisking said:
Okay, I can see that line being hypocritical. I meant interest in supporting "Modern" adventure stories. I respect the old serials and whatnot, but lack the proper enthusiasm to watch them myself, thanks to their reputation for being, well, cringe-inducingly cheesy and with awful production values. It's a taste thing. Indiana Jones, for me, represents the best things about those serials embraced and refined to be better. Therefore, I want more Indy, because it keeps the spirit of the serials alive...but with better filmmaking. ;)
Kong, this makes my blood boil. In due time, expect a response in the Cliffhangers thread! :gun:
Indy's brother said:
Also, one word clips would get annoying pretty fast, so I would advise full a full sentence or phrase for each clip.
kongisking said:
Indy's brother's idea is smart, having it be more than just a single word. Thanks. :hat:
What you should do is get each participant to record the full thing, then choose which bits to use during the editing process.;) Full sentences for some parts, single words for others.

While it's doubtful that this project would make an iota of difference in getting Indy 5 made, I'm open to collaborate.:)
 

kongisking

Active member
Thank you, Stoo. I can discuss it more in-depth by email, if you wish.

And I realize my comments about serials did sound harshly unfair to them. I have not seen them, and therefore I really didn't have the right to judge them based on just reputation. Forgive me, I'll try to watch a few, and be more informed.
 

The Reaper

New member
I'm down.

La Sab is the worst Indy "fan" I have ever encountered. Just leave, dude. No one wants your negativity and hate for our beloved franchise.
 

kongisking

Active member
The Reaper said:
I'm down.

La Sab is the worst Indy "fan" I have ever encountered. Just leave, dude. No one wants your negativity and hate for our beloved franchise.

Mmm, I'd personally make the case Smiffy is more guilty of such behavior than Sab, but whatever...

Thanks for offering your support, Reaper. Such a project is still in the 'germ' stages ;) . Just waiting for a decent-number of volunteers to be confirmed before I really get to work on it. In fact, I'd appreciate people sending me PMs with declarations of support so I can have an actual list of contributors. Thanks, folks. :hat:
 

kongisking

Active member
Hi everyone. The 'project' is currently in the early planning stages (will be scouting for locations to film bits soon, hopefully), but otherwise, things aren't moving too fast on that front.

However, in the meantime, I actually completed a fan trailer for all four films. I've tried to do Indy tribute videos before, but this one I think is good enough to satisfy my craving on that front for a while (apart from the message to Disney one, of course). I'm very interesting in feedback from you folks, and just in general figure this is as good a place as any to share such a thing. Hope you enjoy it.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wAl958nEQI0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Mickiana

Well-known member
kongisking said:
Hi everyone. The 'project' is currently in the early planning stages (will be scouting for locations to film bits soon, hopefully), but otherwise, things aren't moving too fast on that front.

However, in the meantime, I actually completed a fan trailer for all four films. I've tried to do Indy tribute videos before, but this one I think is good enough to satisfy my craving on that front for a while (apart from the message to Disney one, of course). I'm very interesting in feedback from you folks, and just in general figure this is as good a place as any to share such a thing. Hope you enjoy it.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wAl958nEQI0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You got heart, kid! :hat:
 

HenryJunior

New member
If we want to send a message to Disney there just needs to be a more active fan-base. We don't need any pandering videos or petitions, we need to dress up at the Conventions, buy every movie, game and toy we can get our hands on (YES including that awful Figma figure). Disney only produces when they see dollar signs, which we can make happen!

Another problem with Indiana Jones is that there doesn't seem to be as many Hardcore fans as Star Wars. Star Wars quite literally has a fully armored Army. I'm not saying there are any less Indy fans than Star Wars, it's just more casual for Indy (sadly).

Anyways my general feeling is that something is brewing in the near future for Indiana Jones, as for what exactly that is, I haven't seen enough evidence to speculate.

The reason why I know why Disney is going to do something is this:
Paramount will continue to be responsible for distribution of the first four films in the franchise and will receive a financial participation on any future films that are produced and released.

VARIETY DECEMBER 6, 2013

If Disney doesn't do something with Indy soon THEY WON'T MAKE ANY MONEY. They can't actually make a penny on the first 4 movies. Rest assured, a video-game, comic, animated series, reboot, or even INDY 5 is coming.

That or Disney paid a heck of a lot of money to put little fedoras on R2D2 action figures at Star Tours. :sick:

- Oh and cool video Kong :)
 

kongisking

Active member
Thanks, HenryJunior and Mickiana. And Henry, I do admire the confidence and faith you have. I may be a cynical grump sometimes with more than a little bit of a bitterness toward Indy's managers, but I certainly hope, soon, we will see something new. :hat:
 

Montana Smith

Active member
kongisking said:
I may be a cynical grump sometimes with more than a little bit of a bitterness toward Indy's managers, but I certainly hope, soon, we will see something new. :hat:

I may be a cynical grump sometimes with more than a little bit of a bitterness toward Indy's present and his potential future based upon such, but I certainly hope, soon, we will see something new that will restore something of his golden age of adventure. ;)

Just can't see that happening with Harrison Ford in the role.

I've said countless times that it's possible with Ford, but the film would necessarily be a different kind of animal. And when that happens it'll be 2008 all over again.

The time period for the story is an essential ingredient to both success and nostalgia, and for the inherited nostalgia of those who were growing up in the age of KOTCS. Moving Indy into the 1960s feels like the apprehension before crossing the Rubicon. He grows too far from his source and intent.

I can only see general success coming after Ford has hung up the hat. Sad, I know, because he's the actor who breathed life into the character, and for so many became the character.

Do you think that Dean Stanforth's melancholic words might actually be a eulogy spoken directly from the lips of George Lucas himself?

We seem to have reached the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away.

I'm all for challenging films that go against type, but, for practical reasons, I can see the barriers coming down.

Fedora retorted, "Coronado's dead, and so are all of his grandchildren!"

But that doesn't necessarily mean that Indy also belongs in a museum. The logical future lies with a younger actor. I can only see a successful message to Disney being one that offers a compromise. As hard as that might be to accept.

kongisking said:
At the end of the day, this is my desperate last shot for a film with Ford. I'm begging my fellow Raveners for support with this idea. If I never amount to a single damn thing in my life, I want to at least be comforted with the fact I did the best I could to see a fifth movie with Harrison Ford made.

As my mate Mick wrote, "You got heart, kid!"

You wear it proudly on your sleeve for all to see.


:hat:
 
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