What does the decision to announce that he was not going to be doing the upcoming prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "The Hobbit" on an Internet fan site, rather than somewhere else, mean to the current media climate?
Just the fact that he did it underlines the enormous changes that have already happened. Other major media outlets had to use the fan site "The One Ring" as the source of the breaking story all over the world.
There are several things to consider with this action that was taken by Jackson.
1. The media world has turned a corner.
It's not simply something being talked about any longer, but is here. The Internet is considered just as viable as any other media outlet. The decision by Jackson underscores that.
2. The choosing of a niche fan site.
Jackson understood the power that a site like this has now.
If he would have released the story originally to a general, mass media outlet, he would have had a bunch of people that weren't his true fans find another intesting news story to digest while they went on to the next thing.
Releasing it to his fans got the story out everywhere, as they rose up and let everyone know what they thought of the decision. It has created a backlash for those that are dealing with Jackson in the way they are.
3. The niche community was considered more important.
When someone has a love for something, like Jackson did for the Lord of the Rings story, he would naturally gravitate toward like-minded people. A site like "The One Ring" represents that reality. He identified with them far more than others, as his actions suggested.
4. He knew he was unleashing a worldwind.
If you think that fans of Jackson and the Lord of the Rings were faithful before, think of what they will be like now. He knew when he wrote to them first that he would be unleashing an army of believers. But I think he also knew that they would never forget his trust in them.
The regular, true fans are now fans for life. Their own came to them, even though he could have went to billion dollar companies to release his story. You can't earn loyalty any better than that.
5. The site had to exist.
For all of this to happen, there had to be a community of people and a web site to exist. Somebody had to start it. You don't get anything if you aren't in the game.
6. Jackson has probably ensured a quality production.
If the pressure was on before to create a worthy prequel to the Lord of the Rings, think of what it is now that Jackson probably won't be part of it. The very fact that he initiated this action, puts the pressure on the incoming team to make sure they make it with the fans in mind.
7. This could have been a tactic to gain a position of strength.
Maybe deep down, Jackson thinks he may be doing the movie in a few years. What he has done by releasing the letter the way he did, was to put himself in a powerful position to negotiate and get what he needs for it to be a great movie.
He did it all still, through a niche web site. That's the thing to learn in all of this. It shows the kind of growing power and respect that a dedicated community base can have upon the decisions that companies and people make.
Comment Preview