In late August, the "Dark City" official website updated again. Below the campaign poster of Margot Robbie's character, Jay Rachel, running for District Attorney, a new option for mobile registration appeared. Visitors could enter their phone numbers and email addresses to receive Jay Rachel's campaign manifesto, encouraging them to follow the website.
The subsequent viral marketing campaign continued to focus on Jay Rachel.
The "Dark City" official website soon updated again. Jay Rachel encouraged people to download promotional materials supporting her and upload photos online. The site also published a map of her campaign trail in New York City.
Additionally, several spin-off websites went live, such as 'Jay Rachel for DA Official Campaign Site' and 'New York Citizens Supporting Jay.'
At the same time, a physical publication called "New York Justice Report" began appearing on newsstands and kiosks across North America. Although the circulation was limited, fans who purchased the publication also received a badge with Jay Rachel's portrait. The badge came from a mysterious organization opposing Jay Rachel's election, and the back of the badge was completely black, hinting at a special significance.
The official website's download section was also updated, allowing visitors to download Margot Robbie's latest stills and campaign posters for Jay Rachel to use as desktop wallpapers for their computers and phones.
A website opposing Jay Rachel emerged, publishing articles accusing her of being corrupt.
Almost simultaneously, the Magician made his move, sending emails to many fans announcing a big plan in New York and Manhattan. He also called specific users, giving each a letter that, when combined, spelled out the message to eliminate Chris Dane.
On September 1, a mysterious website called "Magician Travel Agency" appeared. The homepage featured a single suitcase. Clicking on the suitcase could potentially yield a chaotic gift, with a promise to leave a large bag of "surprises" in 128 cities worldwide, including Hong Kong. These 128 mysterious packages were claimed overnight.
The next day, someone offered $1,000 on Amazon for one of these packages but found none available.
Soon, a prize winner revealed the mysterious package on Twitter, and to everyone's surprise, it was none other than Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo posted images of the gifts inside the package: a deck of Gypsy fortune-telling cards featuring the Magician, a colorful magic ball, and a cell phone.
Below the images, Ronaldo added a description:
"I received a very mysterious gift, delivered directly to me in Madrid by a special courier. Nervously, I opened the bag to find a colorful magic ball, a mobile phone, and, most astonishingly, a deck of fortune-telling cards featuring the Magician! Naturally, I immediately connected it to Murphy Stanton's new film 'Dark City' and its main villain, the Magician!"
"Further inspection revealed a torn note instructing me to register my name on a special website. After registering, I received an email directing me to dial a number on the provided phone. By now, I knew this was an intriguing marketing campaign for 'Dark City.' Excitedly, I dialed the number, and the Magician himself answered with 'I know who you are!' before hanging up."
"But it didn't end there. Following the instructions, I registered online again. Within seconds, the phone rang, startling me! It was the Magician again, demanding I join him in causing chaos in New York or face the consequences in his place before hanging up again. I don't know if this 'game' is over, but I must admire this unique and impressive film promotion, fully utilizing the power of communication networks and allowing me to feel the 'Magician's' magic!"
Murphy had visited Real Madrid and the Bernabéu Stadium to promote "Chaos City" and had conversed with Ronaldo and his agent. Ronaldo had mentioned his post-retirement ambition to become a film actor.
So, when representatives from 20th Century Fox, CAA, and Murphy approached Ronaldo, he quickly agreed to this creative viral marketing campaign after a brief discussion with his agent.
This marketing effort garnered widespread attention, with other recipients of the package sharing additional details on Ronaldo's blog.
"The Magician wants everyone to disrupt the 'Acme Security Systems'! Click to enter, input your name, phone number, and email address… After submitting the information, my phone immediately rang. It was 'Acme Security Systems' verifying my identity through a voice recognition system. At this point, I had to 'say' the password provided by the Magician to pass the verification."
"But suddenly, the computer screen displayed 'Identity Locked,' indicating my name, email, and IP address had been recorded. A man's voice—probably Christoph Waltz as Sheriff Lynch—warned that if I didn't cooperate in capturing the Magician, I'd face jail time..."
These unique marketing tactics sparked widespread discussion among fans. Many people across America and several entertainment media outlets talked about the Magician's threat to New York and Jay Rachel's campaign.
Jay Rachel, especially, became a focal point, with hints of a significant future shift revealed through the viral marketing.
In early September, an online statement from Jay Rachel's congressman father endorsing her candidacy was widely circulated.
In his statement, he explained why he supported Jay Rachel and condemned an active criminal group in New York City that feared her tough stance on crime and was working to smear her reputation.
However, he assured that their actions would not affect Jay Rachel's grand campaign to eradicate crime in New York City.
The official website also released a campaign speech video by Margot Robbie as Jay Rachel. In the video, Jay Rachel passionately declared, "Jay Rachel believes in two things: Justice and New York City!"
Her congressman father added, "That's why I trust her and why I hope you will too!"
Support inevitably came with opposition. A reputable polling company revealed that Jay Rachel's support in New York had plummeted to an all-time low of 11%, while members of a group opposing her dressed as the Magician expressed their dissent in a video.
Subsequently, the opposition group posted a video online, re-editing Jay Rachel's campaign speech to say, "Jay Rachel believes in two things: Crime and Corruption."
This was undoubtedly a clever promotional tactic for the film.
"Hi, Hans."
"Hi, Murphy."
In the Venice warehouse set, Murphy welcomed a special guest—Hollywood's renowned commercial composer Hans Zimmer, who would be composing the score for "Dark City."
Murphy needed a composer capable of creating a dark, epic feel, and Hans Zimmer was the perfect choice.
Zimmer had already signed a work contract with the crew. Murphy walked over, shook Zimmer's hand, and said, "The plot of 'Dark City' will be even darker than 'Chaos City.' My requirements are not complex: the score should follow the style of 'Chaos City' but incorporate new elements to make it more tense, exciting, and modern."
Although Murphy's fan base was slightly older, young people remained the primary consumers in the film market. A big-budget commercial film like this had to appeal to mainstream audiences.
"'Dark City's' script is already familiar to me," Zimmer, knowing Murphy's busy schedule, got straight to the point. "The character of the Magician left a deep impression on me. I plan to use extremely agitated electronic effects for his musical theme to highlight the fear and unease he brings to the city."
Frankly, Murphy wasn't highly knowledgeable about music, but he understood enough to nod after a brief consideration. "I think that's good. Share the samples with me as soon as you have them."
"No problem," Zimmer knew his compositions had to meet Murphy's expectations, "I'll have the initial samples of all the scores ready by early next year at the latest."
This timeline was satisfactory to Murphy. After some further discussion, Zimmer soon left the warehouse set.
Murphy also had no time to waste. James Franco had joined the crew, and filming had entered the most crucial phase.
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