The Dark Knight Rises: Viral Game II

Well, I’ve gotta say it.  I expected the viral campaign for The Dark Knight Rises to be a bit more aggressive.  The campaign for The Dark Knight provided us with new stuff on a monthly basis (remember whysoserious.com?) and really drove fans to go for broke to get a sneak peek at new trailers, images and content.  But now, almost a year after the initial push for the first reveal of Bane, Christopher Nolan and his team sprung another viral adventure on fans yesterday morning.  So lets break this down, shall we?

As Gotham prepares for Harvey Dent Day, the police have decided to increase their search efforts for the man known as The Batman.  In pursuit of this goal, a police file was made public yesterday in order to aid in his apprehension via TheDarkKnightRises.com.  Included was the dossier on John Doe a.k.a. The Batman, a list of the crimes he apparently committed (including 1st degree murder, kidnapping and fifteen counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer), A list of locations, and a few rolls of films labeled “File # TDKR07202012.”

Now this is where things got interesting.  Also included was the following instructions for “officers” a.k.a. the fans.

“Submit photographic evidence of graffiti related to any movement in support of the vigilante’s return. Make sure that location services or store location is on in your camera settings. Report any and all information pertaining to the investigation to the designated contact (#tdkr07202012 or tdkr07202012@gothampolicedepartment.com)”

By following the list provided in the public file, fans could search  out spray painted logos around the world.  Within hours, twitter was abuzz with fans tweeting pictures of the graffitied logo from all across the globe.

As people tweeted new photos of new logos, the effect became clear over at tdkr07202012.com.  Each new tweeted location photo introduced a new frame in the film reel displayed on the site.

Within hours, the entire reel had been filled in, introducing us to the new and final trailer for The Dark Knight Rises.

You can also view the trailer at either Dark Knight Rises site (TheDarkKnightRises.com or tdkr07202012.com) or in high definition via Warner Bros. here.

For the record, I haven’t watched the trailer yet.  I intend to save it for Thursday night where I will experience it for the first time on the big screen when it is shown in front of The Avengers.  The trailer has, however, sparked numerous rumors about the film including the long-standing idea that Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s character will take over the mantle of Batman from Bruce Wayne by the films end.  Is it true?  There is no way to be sure until the films release on July 20, 2012.  Be sure to get your tickets as soon as they go on sale and, if you happen to live in the Inland Empire, look for all of us here at The Fandom Menace in the IMAX screening at Edwards Palace 22 at Ontario Mills!

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~ by Andrew Craig on May 1, 2012.