Last night, Encom, the fictional company from the movie Tron, held a press conference in San Francisco. The event was just another installment in the increasingly immersive viral marketing campaign for Tron Legacy.
“Legacy” is the sequel to the 1982 classic sci-fi film, Tron, and stars Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn, the 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who investigates his father’s disappearance.
Since San Diego Comic-Con last July, a viral marketing campaign for the movie has taken fans into Flynn’s Arcade, and even mailed out Encom badges to participants. (For a full recap, peruse these articles over at FirstShowing.net.) The main thrust of the campaign is that the organization “Flynn Lives” is dedicated to exposing the conspiracy behind the disappearance of Kevin Flynn.
Yesterday, the group infiltrated an Encom press conference to spread their message. After an announcement from Encom CEO Alan Bradley (played by Bruce Boxleitner in both films), several supporters stormed the stage chanting “Flynn lives, Flynn lives…” Then, an Encom helicopter circled a few times, before an unknown parachutist jumped out, landing behind the stage.
Today, two videos were released about the event. First up is a short recap of the conference:
And, now a behind-the-scenes featurette revealing Sam Flynn to be the unknown jumper:
I’m on the other side of the country, so I watched the event live on Ustream.com, but even from my bad vantage point, it was clear that something didn’t go as planned. I think the wind delayed the jumper, and caused for the confusion. In any case, it was still an awesome event. It’s amazing how much work goes into these marketing campaigns, but I know it has really piqued my interest in the film, as well as many others.
Check back here for more Tron Legacy viral news. It’s still not too late to get involved. Unfortunately, “Legacy” doesn’t hit theaters until December 17th.
