speaking of which, it left shawn and mh dizzy haha xD
anyway amazing how much effort was put into the movie by the marketing team, because the campaign was undoubtedly a huge hit among movie-goers. of course, the full viral campaign didnt extend far enough so as to reach Msia. Marketing campaign includes, for example:
On July 9, 2007, producer J. J. Abrams stated that, while a number of websites were being developed to market the film, the only official site that had been found was (clickable!) 1-18-08.com (the official release date of the movie in US and Canada). At the site, a collection of time-coded photos are provided to visitors to piece together a series of events and interpret their meanings.
( Source: Wikipedia )
guess what? besides that, they also silently made a MySpace page for the characters of the movie, for example you can find the main character's blog over here: Rob Hawkins (clickable!)
if you read the fictional posts, it'll reveal more information about the movie that you didn't know about, such as why he's leaving for Japan, the troubles he faces in his life and relationship, etc.
there's also other fictional (and hidden) websites such as Slusho.jp and Tagruato.jp, the former being the best-selling drink company that hired Rob and the latter, Tagruato Corp, of which being an oil-drilling company which had just recently started drilling in the oceans nearby New York City (which is speculated to have disturbed the sea monster from its deep slumber). Tagruato Corp also made claims that they had felt some disturbance and movement beneath the sea bed during their construction and drilling process, but thought of it only as a negligible tremor.
also, at the end of the movie, just right before the credits, there is a barely noticeable scene of something (presumably the monster) falling from the sky and splashing into the sea. as quoted from Wikipedia:
The movie then cuts to the original footage from the tape that this film was recorded over, and it displays a scene with Rob and Beth enjoying their Coney Island date a month before, happy and carefree. Rob asks Beth to comment on her experience. Beth ends the film by saying, "I had a good day." At this point something falls out of the sky and splashes into the water in the distance, completely unnoticed by Rob and Beth.
a picture of the alleged splash courtesy of a forumer in Lowyat.net (enlarge it and check out the right side)not only that, there was also a secret audio clip at the end of the movie, AFTER the credits (which i missed, DAMN!) which says "Help Us" in a blurred radio transmission voice. it is discovered that when the audio clip is played in REVERSE (ie. backmasking, playing a song backwards to uncover a set of hidden lyrics), the clip now says "It's Still Alive", and this is indeed true and can be clearly distinguished. this COULD, but might not, be a hint that there will be a sequel to Cloverfield.
here's the secret audio clip played in original and in reverse, uploaded on Youtube: Click HERE
all in all, a very fascinating movie, except i find the ending to be a little too abrupt. either way, the producers and directors achieved their main aim: this movie really got my imaginations going wild, not only when i'm watching the movie itself, but also before i entered AND after i left the cinema.
overall, i give this movie a THREE POINT FIVE, out of five...
but marketing strategy no doubt 5/5 xD
oh yea, btw, cloverfield is actually a street name somewhere in Manhattan or something... and there will also be a four installment manga adaptation of the movie. it will revolve around a high school student named Kishin and will be a prequel to the film. sounds interesting? u bet xD
