Syfy answers GW's bogus "open letter"
- Thread starter Mr. A
- Start date
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
So you are suggesting that because Syfy wanted a program, it should foot the entire upfront bill, yet leave all the "aftermarket" profit to MGM?
Confused here dude
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
maybe the next time anyone is going to make a new SG series or movie (or any other show for that matter) the production stats and numbers of dollars spent should be kept secret (as much as possible). People tend to expect a greater "wow factor" when they have been exposed to the money and SFX techniques used--before they have even seen a trailer. Due to these expectations -mostly built on hyperbole-the chances for a viewer to be disappointed are far greater than for he/she to be satisfied. Honestly, with the way the PR machines work, and-lets face it, just about all data is here on the net for those who wish to seek it out- can we ever be 'wowed', satisfied or otherwise impressed by any new SG series? I think that anyone who tries has about a size 15 pair of shoes to fill. Unfortunately, the SGU PTB showed up with a child's size 1
.
And to the Syfy ads and day changes. Why should I watch Syfy, or any channel, when it is not showing what I want to watch? That is-why should I be watching Gostbustin', Fact or Fakin', sci-fi cooking, etc, just to see a commercial on when the 1 or 2 shows I do watch may be on or what day they may be changing to? In fact-doesn't this type of watching it all give Syfy skewed data? That is, if I am a CAPRICA fan and I also watch(ed) SGU and some ENTERPRISE reruns (3 hrs a week total) but I am watching all of the above listed "stuff" and more just to see ads-won't Syfy get data showing that these "stuff" shows are actually more popular? Why not just run an ad for the moving show while that show is on? Would that just make too much sense:roll:
thanks
.And to the Syfy ads and day changes. Why should I watch Syfy, or any channel, when it is not showing what I want to watch? That is-why should I be watching Gostbustin', Fact or Fakin', sci-fi cooking, etc, just to see a commercial on when the 1 or 2 shows I do watch may be on or what day they may be changing to? In fact-doesn't this type of watching it all give Syfy skewed data? That is, if I am a CAPRICA fan and I also watch(ed) SGU and some ENTERPRISE reruns (3 hrs a week total) but I am watching all of the above listed "stuff" and more just to see ads-won't Syfy get data showing that these "stuff" shows are actually more popular? Why not just run an ad for the moving show while that show is on? Would that just make too much sense:roll:
thanks
G
Graybrew1
Guest
maybe the next time anyone is going to make a new SG series or movie (or any other show for that matter) the production stats and numbers of dollars spent should be kept secret (as much as possible). People tend to expect a greater "wow factor" when they have been exposed to the money and SFX techniques used--before they have even seen a trailer. Due to these expectations -mostly built on hyperbole-the chances for a viewer to be disappointed are far greater than for he/she to be satisfied. Honestly, with the way the PR machines work, and-lets face it, just about all data is here on the net for those who wish to seek it out- can we ever be 'wowed', satisfied or otherwise impressed by any new SG series? I think that anyone who tries has about a size 15 pair of shoes to fill. Unfortunately, the SGU PTB showed up with a child's size 1
And to the Syfy ads and day changes. Why should I watch Syfy, or any channel, when it is not showing what I want to watch? That is-why should I be watching Gostbustin', Fact or Fakin', sci-fi cooking, etc, just to see a commercial on when the 1 or 2 shows I do watch may be on or what day they may be changing to? In fact-doesn't this type of watching it all give Syfy skewed data? That is, if I am a CAPRICA fan and I also watch(ed) SGU and some ENTERPRISE reruns (3 hrs a week total) but I am watching all of the above listed "stuff" and more just to see ads-won't Syfy get data showing that these "stuff" shows are actually more popular? Why not just run an ad for the moving show while that show is on? Would that just make too much sense:roll:
thanks
I think I get what your saying but it is coming out to me as a little confusing.
My point is that I do/did watch a fair amount of Syfy and saw very little advertising of anything SGU until after it's cancellation. I would however see tons of ads while watching Being Human for Ghost Hunters. Or tons of ads for Face Off while watching SG reruns. To me the whole point of advertising to get more people that are not already watching a program to start watching it.
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
Yeah-I am saying what your saying
That is : it is not necessary (or shouldn't be) to be a 24/7 viewer of Syfy just to see a few commercial containing the info you want-right?
This kind of "info rationing" seems to be a good way to make more "Syfy fans" instead of fans of particular shows.
But then, you know what someone will say--just go to Syfy.com for programming info (and navigate through all of the other stuff you don't need just to dig out that one thing you are looking for
)
That is : it is not necessary (or shouldn't be) to be a 24/7 viewer of Syfy just to see a few commercial containing the info you want-right?This kind of "info rationing" seems to be a good way to make more "Syfy fans" instead of fans of particular shows.
But then, you know what someone will say--just go to Syfy.com for programming info (and navigate through all of the other stuff you don't need just to dig out that one thing you are looking for
)
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
Inara
GateFans Noob
They put so much promotion towards their first episode, which is logical, but they often give away too much trying to create buzz. Sometimes I see enough in the promotion that it convinces me not to watch. And I don't trust online buzz all that much these days, unless it's from people I know. Too much of the "buzz" these days is manufactured to look like it didn't come from the studios. Sometimes it works, sometimes, not so much.
Then they often seem to forget they don't have to sell me on the show with the first episode, but with every episode. Not every one will be out of the park, but there's got to be something likable in the majority of episodes or I won't watch anymore. Give me good characters and halfway decent writing, and I'll watch. I've even watched some seriously craptacular stuff, or shows renewed beyond their prime and coasting on past glory, simply because I like the characters.
What has surprised me is not seeing more advertising on other NBC Universal owned channels. Unless I'm watching SyFy, I'm not likely to see an ad for a show being aired on that channel. I do see ads for shows on one cable network aired on other cable channels though, and it would seem like SyFy has a natural outlet for that, probably with a vastly discounted rate for a sister network. I watch USA and Chiller, but I don't see ads for stuff on SyFy that I can recall. Maybe they're there and my timing is off.
The only real blame SyFy has in this fiasco is pre-committing to 2 seasons for a concept that there were signs in abundance would not ultimately work. The rest of the blame goes right back on the producers who basically ditched a viable series to follow a will of the wisp. MGM actually should have fired Mallozzi and Wright on the spot when they got insistent about SGU, brought in new producers and stuck with SGA.
I recall all too clearly on Gateworld (I was there at the time) how the initial concepts on SGU sounded promising, especially when it was being presented that Destiny's mission was as a gate seeder/manufacturer ship. Then the disturbing stuff started to leak out - for example the casting calls with character profiles heavily emphasizing "youthful", "hip" and a denigration of SGA by saying they wanted younger people in SGU. Then came the casting itself and the character descriptions (which led to some of the first censored stuff on Gateworld when a couple of folks said it was starting to sound like "Wormhole Xtreme"). Add in the also constant emphasis on "dark, gritty drama" and a lot of enthusiasm was gone even before it premiered.
I recall all too clearly on Gateworld (I was there at the time) how the initial concepts on SGU sounded promising, especially when it was being presented that Destiny's mission was as a gate seeder/manufacturer ship. Then the disturbing stuff started to leak out - for example the casting calls with character profiles heavily emphasizing "youthful", "hip" and a denigration of SGA by saying they wanted younger people in SGU. Then came the casting itself and the character descriptions (which led to some of the first censored stuff on Gateworld when a couple of folks said it was starting to sound like "Wormhole Xtreme"). Add in the also constant emphasis on "dark, gritty drama" and a lot of enthusiasm was gone even before it premiered.
Mr. A
Super Moderator +
In theory, perhaps - although not Mallozzi who only worked for Brad, but Brad Wight and Robert Cooper.
But you don't do that with people who have a proven record of 13 seasons of Stargate. They earned their respect both at Syfy and MGM!
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
Exactly!
No matter what anyone thinks of them now, they were responsible for many years of entertainment for all of us, and I would NEVER try to take that from them.
It really has nothing to do with taking anything from anyone. Also their proven record means nothing, especially as they were proposing to discard everything their record was built on and follow a will o the wisp. Perhaps not fire them instantly, but definitely categorically reject their proposals (especially after the feedback from the fan base soured as they became more known).
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
Don't get me wrong, Syfy and MGM should have listened to the fanbase before handing over "Carte Blanche" to TPTB, and both are knobs for not doing so, and. as usual, the fans paid for the error.
I remember that.
Fans started grumbling early on SGU, even before the first episode was shown. When the promos came out, people started cursing instead of grumbling. Here is the first promo (notice how they say the only mission is SURVIVAL in it!
)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB3P44NR2ww&feature=related
Clearly, the show was supposed to be an extended version of The Year of Hell (Voyager) with unlikeable characters and dramatic scenes of crying, shagging and fighting. Here is the second promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sms2WOyPAxg&NR=1
again, we see the catch phrase that the show was SUPPOSED to be about survival and the wrong people stuck way out there. How was this show supposed to draw in a fanbase reared on aliens, spaceships, explosions, great characters and humor? Its just appalling how this show made it to air in the first place. It never had a chance.
Fans started grumbling early on SGU, even before the first episode was shown. When the promos came out, people started cursing instead of grumbling. Here is the first promo (notice how they say the only mission is SURVIVAL in it!
)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB3P44NR2ww&feature=related
Clearly, the show was supposed to be an extended version of The Year of Hell (Voyager) with unlikeable characters and dramatic scenes of crying, shagging and fighting. Here is the second promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sms2WOyPAxg&NR=1
again, we see the catch phrase that the show was SUPPOSED to be about survival and the wrong people stuck way out there. How was this show supposed to draw in a fanbase reared on aliens, spaceships, explosions, great characters and humor? Its just appalling how this show made it to air in the first place. It never had a chance.
Mr. A
Super Moderator +
Not only a proven record but a VERY successful one. A "will of the wisp"? Maybe, but that applies to any innovative decision and it's what makes a show 'great' instead of just 'meh' when it works.
Yes, not fire them instantly (I wouldn't want to work for you
) but as soon as the concerns started pouring in call them to the table and have a "talk". We know that Brad Wright was lying about his new projects at the time (OM1 uncovered that in the thread where he compiled everything he was saying and promising for SGU - or the infamous "It won't be Voyager 90210" quote) but MGM and Syfy were in a position to verify that. And maybe they did and were duped for all we know... But this is where, like you said, GW's blame comes in, when they started silencing the fans' concerns because they were sold out to TPTB and perhaps helped clear the way for Wright and Cooper to ruin the franchise.
It is a will of the wisp because they were intentionally discarding everything that their previous success was based on. In fact, they had zero credibility in what they were proposing because they had never created a successful drama before of the nature they were proposing. This alone should have made MGM either totally reject it out of hand or only allow them to do a pilot on the side while mandating that SGA stay on the air (as it was successful and making money). A pilot would have bombed and shown them the concept was unworkable without losing SGA and also throwing 40 episodes of budget (at about 3 million per at least) down the rathole.
Atlantis
Well Known GateFan
LOL What???? For those who don't know Zenith means highest point. Ummmm yeah right
Source: http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/05/gateworld-throws-down-gauntlet-syfy-channel-responds/
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
LOL What???? For those who don't know Zenith means highest point. Ummmm yeah right
Source: http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/05/gateworld-throws-down-gauntlet-syfy-channel-responds/
It's the latest in "ditched Chic"
Man, I should stop posting anything, getting really tired and narky now.
Man, I should stop posting anything, getting really tired and narky now.
S
Stonelesscutter
Guest
YoshiKart64
Well Known GateFan
I find it odd that they blame MGM for shutting down SGA. Surely they would only benefit from a pickup since the get the DVD sales as well - getting the profit from two shows would make the most sense. For Syfy they have to factor in that they are ordering a 6th season of a show with rising costs. A new show starting at Season 1 would have been more appealing to them, especially if it appeared it would get the same or better ratings.
It just makes very little sense. If Syfy wanted to pick up both why did MGM say no?