I really want to write about the Deadpool and Suicide Squad footage that was screened at Comic-Con, but that would involve either writing up big breakdowns of the footage or encouraging you to seek out the bootleg copies that are floating around the Internet. I don’t want to do either of those things. Having to read a description of footage has little to none of the impact of seeing it yourself (and it’s admittedly tedious on my part), and I don’t want to say that it’s okay to seek out poor quality pirated versions. I’m sure most of you have already done that, and to Fox and Warner Bros I say, “Well, what else do you expect?”
Both Fox and Warner Bros have made it pretty clear that they don’t intend on releasing official versions of either of these trailers, and that’s a bad move on their part. Both of these sneak peeks were well received, and considering the more “out there” nature of these properties, creating any positive buzz among the less informed masses should be a priority for both studios.
But I already know what their defense is. “We bring these sneak peeks to Comic-Con for those devoted fans who will make the trip to come and see it!” The sentiment is fine, but it’s woefully antiquated. Apparently, some of those devoted fans aren’t above sneaking a recording of these videos out of Hall H. The concept of exclusively showcasing previews for highly anticipated films is only going to inspire more and more piracy.
There’s a simple solution to this: release the footage online sometime shortly after the panel is over. That’s exactly what Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did and the result was the most positive response that movie has gotten yet. Yet again, I can hear the argument for this. “But then what’s the point of people going to Comic-Con if you don’t get to have the privilege of seeing exclusive sneak peeks? Nobody would show up anymore!” Of course they will. Official trailers you view online can’t capture the energy of a great panel of guests, or the shared joy that you get from witnessing that footage with a group of like-minded individuals. The people who want those experiences will always make their way out to San Diego each year.
The insular nature of nerd culture ended a while ago. Comic-Con still maintains a vestige of that with these exclusive sneak peeks. If every single person didn’t have a camera in their pocket, that sensibility would still hold water. These studios are doing their films a minor disservice by maintaining such a draconian hold on footage that would probably drive the Internet crazy (probably in a good way as far as these two particular films are concerned). Instead, their methods inadvertently advocate piracy and leave us to judge their upcoming films based on low quality bootlegs.
Like I said at the beginning of this, I want to talk about Deadpool and Suicide Squad, but I don’t feel like I should because I haven’t seen the promotional material in the way it should be seen. I can’t stop you Chewers from doing that in the comments and on the forums though.
Please don’t post links to any unofficial videos. We here at CHUD don’t support pirated material and the studios who come to Comic-Con should do the same by releasing their sneak peeks online.
If you like how stupid I am, follow me at my blog, on Twitter, and listen to my podcast.