Viral Marketing...

Those of you who go to see transformers will likely see a really cryptic trailer for a film referred to only as 'Cloverfield' around the net (which is said to be a nickname). J.J. Abrams, the creator of ABC's Lost is credited in this trailer to be the producer of the film, which is said to be released 1-18-08 (January 18th, 2008). No title is given for the film.

Here is the trailer for those who don't want to go out to see Transformers:



Interestingly enough, there is a website said to be attached to the film at 1-18-08.com, which just has two photos which you can slide around.

Also seemingly related is the website EthanHaasWasRight.com - a group of flash puzzles which at the end reveals a saying "The Beginning is the End" and that more information will be released on August 1st (there is also a form that you can fill out to remind of you of this, with the text "Divinus" above it. For those who want some help figuring out the puzzles, check here.

There are also two blogs, Ethan Haas was Wrong and Stay Underground. The comments on the blogs don't seem to be all made by just regular bloggers - rather, they contain Sanskrit texts and point to other blogs with even more cryptic information about the film (all of it seems to be in character).

So what's all this, then? It seems that J.J Abrams has one of the most frustrating but likely most interesting viral marketing attempts for a Hollywood film. The film is supposed to be a end-of-the-world type flick shot with handheld cameras, and somehow involves large fire-breathing 'parasites'. Here is the Wiki about the film.

So whaddya all think?