Dark Knight Rises Trailer: Only in a Social Media world

Apparently The Dark Knight Rises Trailer was leaked for about half an hour and then pulled.

Last night, some projectionists from across the country who received the 35mm teaser trailer for Dark Knight Rises leaked the footage before it was quickly pulled.

You see, it was “supposed” to be kept in the can until Friday when it was supposed to be “released” with the debut of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

If you believe that, we have a bunch of crap to sell you for a lot of money. Pretty sure the expression is beach front property in Arizona, but we were never good with cliches.

Anyway, this type of stunt clearly is a new-age PR trick. It’s an easy way to manufacture scarcity and drive the hype meter to the tipping point.

It’s become a common tactic in Social Media that is an old practice in the world of journalism.

You see, in journalism, newsmakers will use journalists by floating “news” or more specifically, rumors. If the news is well met by the public, the newsmakers, usually politicians will run with it. If not, they cut bait or change course.

Today, it’s not journalists that get used. It’s you. Warner Bros. and similar large companies chum the waters with stuff like this to gauge reaction and whet the whistle.

And it works.

Think about it.

We get more excited these days for the leaking of a trailer than we do for the actual movie being released.

Trailers have become the ultimate, well, teaser. Studios are pretty much guaranteed at least one viral blast by secretly releases trailers via Social Media; even more so if the trailer is mysterious and appears to be unofficially leaked.

We don’t have a problem with this. We scoured the interwebs in search of the Dark Knight Rises Trailer as soon as we heard it was leaked.

Alas, it was nowhere to be found by then, but we did find a play-by-play of what happened via “Ain’t it Cool News“:

-Trailer opens with studio logos set on top of the blue flame from Dark Knight.

Start panning up some buildings, but cut to the screen card: EVERY HERO HAS A JOURNEY.

Cuts to a shot from Begins with Bruce walking up to that Village when he’s looking for Ra’s

Screen Card: EVERY HERO HAS AN END

Ra’s (Liam Neeson) voice over: “If you make yourself more then just a man. If you devout yourself to be ideal. And you become something else entirely. A legend Mr. Wayne….A LEGEND!”

Screen Card: THE EPIC CONCLUSION

Cut to Gordon in a hospital bed laying on his side. Looks to be in serious pain. Has A breathing mask on. He is talking to someone.

Gordon: “We were in this together, then you were gone…….Now this Evil rises. The Batman…..HAS to come back.” (all this is said in a very raspy voice, in much pain)

Bruce/Batman(its not shown who he’s talking to, so don’t know in which form Bruce is visiting him in. My guess would be as Bruce Wayne) : “What if he doesn’t exist anymore?”

This part is the hardest to understand in the entire trailer, I listened to it at least 10 times but the score is over powering here and Gordon is having trouble talking. It sounds as if he says, “Humor me,” while trying to laugh. I might be wrong here, full disclosure.

During this quick talk we’re shown a shot of the bat cycle when it drives up the ramp from Dark Knight, Gordon destroying the Act Signal all cut in with the Hospital. As well as super fast flashes of Bane’s face.

Pan up crumbing buildings to reveal the Teaser Poster, the camera zooms to the white opening and on an all white screen the title appears. The score reaches a fever pitch before turning over to The chanting from the website.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Fades to black and then we see Batman backing away from something, then Bane enters from the left side of the screen. Very quick shot then the trailers

So what do you think?

Do you mind being used?

Are you excited for the trailer?