If you haven’t spent much time watching TED talks, it’s really something you should schedule yourself a nice Sunday afternoon to do so. I remember watching videos years and years ago that covered the coming multi-touch technologies that are now so common and watching with a smile as they manifested exactly as promised. Meanwhile there are other talks from brilliant people that are very much timeless as they investigate interesting nooks of human thought, and those are even more interesting than the gadgetry-focused stuff.
In any event, partnering with TED to release a viralish video to promote Prometheus seems to me to be a brilliant little bit of inspired PR thinking. In the video, we have Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland, laying out his vision for technology and the world, learning a lot about his character in the process. We also learn that Pearce does a mean John Hurt impression (love the way he says “fire”). The thematic backdrop of the film is painted with even broader brushstrokes here as well, while the final cry of “not really an Alien prequel!” definitively falls away as the Weyland-Yutani connection becomes clear.
Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade.
Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow.
The short was directed by Ridley’s son, Luke.
I think we may be in store for an excellently conceived promotional campaign if they maintain the kind of sophistication established by the trailer and continued here. Check out the videos TED Talk page right here, and even download it for yourself.
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