I do not want to give this movie from Universal Motion Pictures any sort of back handed viral promotion. I’d like it banned, not its’ viewing figures or hype increased. It deserves to go underground and stay there (ideally as a free bit torrent the film company make ZERO money out of) because then it will be out of the influence of most normal and vulnerable people.

I appreciate that some people like watching scary movies and seeing depictions of gore, death, violence, pain, torture and misery. I guess we all have a curiosity to goggle at accidents, rather than to actually help somebody stop bleeding to death before our eyes.

I appreciate the whole news and artist standpoint that creatives are not inflicting this damage personally, they are only “reporting” it to the world, so the world can see and decide what to do. Sadly that decision mainly seems to be to go “oh dear” and watch some more.

And I guess that education argument holds up. If Hitler’s holocaust had not been reported, public opinion may not have been there to end the war and to stop such travesties.

But, as always, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. It’s how you present that information.

If you watch somebody dieing and someone in the crowd laughs and jumps with joy and claps his hands and cheers the person to die, most people would probably think he was pretty odd and probably some sort of psycho serial killer, or escaped mental heath patient, who needs incarceration and severe help and/or control. The normal reaction we would expect as human beings, at the least is, sympathy and some sort of sense of loss. Or at least I hope it is.

I appreciate that film studios want to hype up their films so they can make as much profit as possible and I appreciate that the mass audience, who may not be totally informed, want to go and see scary films of human misery, to affirm that it isn’t happening to them.

I can only hope that they understand the line between telling a story and an instruction manual. That seeing it time and again does NOT mean that it is OK.

Maybe it can even serve as an education that we need to stop this happening in the real world. That would be nice wouldn’t it!

I’m not totally sure on one hand how the public can deplore news footage of torture in Chile and Germany and atrocities in Africa, Vietnam, Iraq, and countless other places, and say that ethnic cleaning is not such a good thing, when on the other hand they can “enjoy” (is that the right word?) watching films in a similar vein and applauding as a (depiction of a) real person gets mutilated and tortured.

News people! When you pump a person full of lead bullets they actually bleed and die in pain. There is no fanfare and big crunchy noise and cash register ping of points ringing up.

But that is another story. Most people can tell the difference between the movies and real-life and can identify the role of both. But not every one can. Some people are vulnerable and more easily influenced. Why do gangs happen if people are capable of knowing right from wrong and are able to exist on their own merits and morals? Why do they need to prove themselves to a gang of bored thugs?

If movies had zero effect on the real us, then we would not remember them, talk about them and have dreams/nightmares about them.

If you’ve never seen kids practice for real what they saw in the Bruce Lee film the night before, then you didn’t go to my school. OK so thankfully they didn’t go as far as the head decapitations or broken neck hugs, and no one actually died as a direct result (AFAIK) , not at my school anyway, but I can’t help feeling that some of us had bruises we did not need to have.

ny way I guess we are just savages in suits at the end of the day. Civilization is a concept. Humanity is a concept. People still fight, argue, have road rage and an increasing percentage of violent crimes and murders continue. And continue to rise. So take from that what you will.

But as a publisher and storyteller myself, I can not have a problem with the media industry peddling its wares. My issue is back with the clapping psycho who cheers it on style of presentation and marketing.

Universal films are “pleased” they have raised a reaction. They see that as a viral promotion success and no doubt lots more new people will clamour to see what all the buzz is about and make the film the biggest grossing box office film of all time.

But that does not mean it is right! Or that it was the only way. And certainly not that it was the right way.

No I haven’t seen this film and nor would I want to any way. But here is the way the promotion was presented and I feel strongly that this was wrong and ideally this film would be banned, so that this myth promoting misery was snuffed out itself. I do not want Universal t make a profit out of promoting human misery in such a glorified way.

I have a real problem with torture. Because it does actually happen in real life. I can’t comprehend how someone tortures someone else, but it happens. It happens way more often than we are aware of.
Universal films might argue that they are highlighting that as a public service to improve society. I might agree except for the hand clapping psycho marketing. But personally I don’t want to give people ideas. I don’t want people to have an instruction manual on how to torture some one else. I just don’t. I can’t see an benefit for any one for that. It is not a public service announcement.

I guess I am being naive and that I can’t brush torture under the media carpet and expect it to go away. But I don’t really want it promoted on the big screen so we become immune to it and the water cooler reaction is “someone real was actually tortured today”, “oh well”.

We have to maintain some illusion of giving a f*ck, of humanity, of civilisation. Of caring enough to help the bleeding man and to say out loud, “excuse me, please stop torturing this person”.

So when Universal Motion Pictures hype up their film by running a virtual game which is so realistic (with film footage) that a moderator of the social forum, threatens to call the police (because he thinks it really is real) then isn’t that just going a bit too far? And presumably Seesmic need to employ less vulnerably influenced moderators who know how to use the delete button… (if he thought it was real, he should have already called the police, not threatened to!)

Should there not be a line? And should we not cross it?

Here is the marketing story;

The “alternate reality game”, which included clips of a mocked-up abduction, torture and electrocution, was posted on the Seesmic community. However, Universal was forced to pull that part of its campaign for serial killer film, Untraceable, after a site moderator thought the clips, which were supposedly of a Seesmic site member, were real and threatened to call the police.

Neil Wirashina, director of international advertising media at Universal Pictures, is defiant and says that this part of the campaign was intended to be provocative.“We were looking to promote a reaction, and we have definitely achieved this.”

Universal is ramping up efforts to support the film with the launch of a dedicated page on Facebook. Kill With Me will show members clips from the film. As more people sign up a more extended torture sequence is available to viewers.

The film tells the story of a serial killer who tortures his victims to death live on the Internet. In the film, the more viewers who tune in, the more quickly the victim dies and is put out of his or her misery.

Universal, who created the promotional game, are reportedly in discussion with Seesmic to try and turn this “event” in to a discussion (sic) about the issues of moderating disturbing user-submitted content. Like they care and aren’t using it as another free viral advert!

In my opinion Universal should not be allowed to pedal and profit from such hand clapping psycho marketing. But my biggest sadness is having explained this, you will be even more determined to go and see it, hence their desired effect is achieved

I can only ask that as you watch the film that having your genitalia slammed between two bricks, or having sensitive regions of your body electrocuted leaving scorch marks, or having your hand held in a frying pan, or being used as an ash tray, actually really, in real life, really does actually f*ck*ng hurt!

And I’m sorry (for you) if you think I am a weak wuss for not seeing any positive side on depicting such torture with glee and fanfares.

I’ve never hit any one in my life, but if I ever actually meet Neil Wirashina I will happily be arrested for grievous bodily harm. He is welcome to come round and film it, if he is that dedicated to his media marketing job. His wife and children are innocent of his crimes, but what goes around, comes around, so enjoy the sick world you have created.

So who says that media has no real impact on the real physical world? I am already prepared to be arrested for hurting Neil Wirashina severely.

What impact is seeing 90 minutes of torture going to have on someone even slightly less stable than me?

Compounding violence never works, but in some cases I really could make an exception!

Sleep well Neil!
This sort of thing doesn’t happen in real life, does it mate…