Web sites create hype for independent films
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 17, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 www.requiemforadream.com
By Howard Ho
Daily Bruin Contributor
After a summer of mutant superheros and impossible missions, the
Hollywood studio system can’t be reckoned with in terms of
box office receipts, but times are changing and entertainment is
quickly moving toward the Web.
Last year’s “The Blair Witch Project” showed
Hollywood that a small, low-budget indie flick could be profitable
““ with a little help from its Web site.
The reason for the “Blair Witch” success was not
necessarily its novelty (“This is Spinal Tap” set the
bar for future mockumentaries), nor its quality (the dialogue was
often static), but its hype, its ability to create such a
suspension of disbelief, and the way in which the horrors depicted
in it can scare even today’s cynical audience.
The so-called “buzz” prior to the film, however,
didn’t come from the traditional media, but from a
corresponding Web site, blairwitch.com, that convinced many that
the film was indeed lost footage from a doomed expedition.
Joining the “Web hype” revolution is Darren
Aronofsky’s new film, “Requiem for a Dream,”
opening Friday in Los Angeles. The Web site, requiemforadream.com, adds a
new dimension to the science of film marketing, and shows what the
Web is capable of doing for independent films.
On the site, which generated over one million hits in a single
month, you won’t find press releases, interviews with the
cast, release dates, or even the names of anyone who worked on the
project. In fact, the title of the film and its distribution by
Artisan Entertainment, which also released “Blair
Witch,” are the only words that keep you oriented once
inside. After this fades, the world of “Requiem” takes
over.
 www.requiemforadream.com An advertising banner appears,
proclaiming “Do you want to revolutionize your life? Click
here now!” Images of cash and embracing lovers flash
alternately. Clicking on the banner reveals “The Tappy
Tibbons Show,” an infomercial-like game show’s Web
site, which eventually deteriorates in static. Meanwhile, Clint
Mansell’s music adds ambience via the synthesis of the Kronos
Quartet and Mansell’s electronica riffs.
On the white screen that follows, moving the mouse reveals a
dizzying picture of two people lying down on the floor of a
disheveled room. Clicking on either person transports this
relatively calm moment into an ensuing storm which parallels the
movie through the drug addictions of characters, Harry (Jared Leto)
and his obese mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn).
From a summer of idealism to a winter of depression and
withdrawal, the Web site dramatizes the pitfalls of being a drug
addict, similar to what happens in the movie.
“The Web site, while not necessarily following a linear
story pattern, does chronicle different stages and seasons for each
of the characters that directly relates to experiences that happen
in the film,” said LeAnne Gayner, Senior Vice President of
Theatrical Marketing for Artisan Entertainment.
Indeed, unlike many trailers that spoil the film’s plot,
the “Requiem” Web site incites further curiosity,
evading clarity of plot and characters for a surreal experience
that parallels the film.
“This Web site came out of an approach that Artisan has
taken for a while, which is to create film Web sites that are an
extension of the film property,” said Gayner, who is also a
UCLA alumnus. “The idea of the Web site was to create a full
experience rather than just an informational tool. As far as Web
sites go, it’s fairly revolutionary.”
The site was developed by Hi-Res, a London-based company which
has released its own experimental site, soulbath.com. Aronofsky
actually found Hi-Res by accident, when he sat next to the
company’s owner on an air plane. Later, he introduced the
company to Artisan, resulting in the creation of a new art
form.
According to Aronofsky, Hi-Res interpreted the movie for the Web
site, making it more than just an online advertisement for the
film. The goal was to capture the emotion of the film on the
site.
This aesthetic of the site undermines the traditional
user-friendly approach to Web design. At times, the site seems
alive, with the HTML text rebelling against its tasks. Barely
perceptible words pop up sporadically, only to give an impression
of their message, and pictures that are supposed to download,
don’t. Even Mansell’s slick music slows like a bad
record until it becomes part of the mess. Despite these quirks,
however, the site’s goal is still valid and it proves to be a
complimentary addition to the film.
Based on the novel by Hubert Selby, Jr., “Requiem”
is Aronofsky’s second film. “Requiem” shows a
more mature Aronofsky, daring to take on subject matter so
disturbing that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
threatened to give it an NC-17 rating. Incidentally, Artisan
avoided the threat by releasing the film as “not
rated.” Even so, some of the “Requiem” Web
site’s contents were removed due to the disapproval of the
MPAA.
This rating dilemma seems to be quite extensive for a film
that’s potential audience will be mainly limited to the
arthouse. While most Hollywood films make a killing off wide
release to several thousand theatres, “Requiem” opened
in New York last week at only two theaters, earning an impressive
$32,000 per screen. With that in mind, Artisan hopes to further the
success of independent filmmakers through the Web.
In addition, a live, 64-hour Web-fest will be held from
Wednesday to Friday, providing online chats with directors, actors,
writers, producers and others from Artisan.
Just as in other areas of commerce, the Internet decentralizes
power, giving filmmakers a chance to overcome the studio system.
Requiemforadream.com is a trailblazer, ushering in a new use for
the Internet as well as a new way to find an audience for smaller
budget films.
Aronofsky hopes that other sites will follow Artisan’s
lead and make the Web less of a supermarket and more of an
experimental art gallery.
