There is always a balance between HYPE and SPOILAGE. I've skirted this line with everything I am a fan of.... LOST, DOCTOR WHO, GAME OF THRONES... it's not easy being a geek.
Everyone knows that movies and TV are most enjoyable when you are genuinely surprised... genuinely shocked. It's hard to walk into a movie now-a-days knowing nothing about it, but the experience is rewarding when it happens. Last summer I wondered into "Edge of Tomorrow" having not scene a single trailer or synopsis or clip of the film. I was genially shocked when Cruise first died and it turned into a Groundhog Day film. Can you remember the last time you had that kind of genuine film experience? The last time you knew nothing about a film before you saw it?
When the Phantom Menace released in 1999, the spoilers in the marketing campaigns were shameless. Weird Al Yankovich wrote the song "The Saga Begins" from shot-by-shot descriptions of Episode I online. The novelization of "Menace" was published weeks before the film. The soundtrack had a track titled "Qui-Gon's Funeral". The plot of the film was pasted on toys, t-shirts, and pepsi cans.
But there is another side to this issue. Part of the fun of being a fan is the HYPE of a film- Posters, Trailers, Teaser Trailers. The journey can be fun, especially with Comic Con on the horizon.
So what is a fan to do? Where does one draw the line between HYPE and SPOILAGE? I've asked this question many times since Star Wars Episode VII was announced and I've always considered... when is the right time to GO DARK?
For me the answer is today. With Comic Con on the horizon, I actually have no desire to watch a third Episode VII "Teaser Trailer". I'd rather not see another frame of "The Force Awakens" until six months from now when I see those opening credits roll. Yes, my friends, I am "GOING DARK". See you in December!
