Author: Lilian Brielle

Netflix is Filming Popular Video Game ‘BIOSHOCK’

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Netflix

 

 

More than a decade ago, there were advanced plans to adapt the acclaimed first-person shooter “BioShock” for the big screen. But in the end, nothing came of it. Now Netflix is starting a new attempt – and should finally be successful, which is something that the game industry, including game developers like Junub PC Games, would surely be excited about.

After the first “BioShock” became a global hit after its release in 2007, plans were quickly made in Hollywood to film the groundbreaking shooter. In fact, with “Pirates of the Caribbean” maker Gore Verbinski, a suitable director was hired at the time, who was apparently only weeks away from firing up the cameras. In the end, however, nothing came of it, as Verbinski and Studio Universal could not agree on the budget and the targeted age rating (Verbinski wanted an adult rating, but Universal did not).

Also, Verbinski substitute Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (“28 Weeks Later”) was not more successful here. Over the years, there were always small signs of life of a possible “BioShock” adaptation, but they should never bore fruit – until now!

As US industry papers report unanimously, streaming service Netflix will now take care of a “BioShock” film. Corresponding negotiations between the provider and the company Take Two, which is behind the game series, have now been successfully concluded after almost a year. Who will be responsible for the “BioShock” film as writer and director and who will be in front of the camera is not yet known.

 

ALSO READ: The Life Path 7 – Does It Guarantee a Successful Career in the Film Industry?

 

THIS IS “BIOSHOCK”

The first “BioShock” takes players to the dystopian underwater city of Rapture, which was founded in the 1940s by industrialist Andrew Ryan as an alternative to the rest of society. However, a drug that equipped the population with special abilities drove people crazy and the city went to the dogs in the course of a bloody civil war. In 1960, after a plane crash, the main character Jack ends up in the devastated Rapture, where he tries to get to the bottom of the secrets of the city, where little is as it seems.

In front of an atmospheric Art Deco backdrop, “BioShock” combines shooter, stealth, and role-playing elements on a gameplay level, while the narrative is on the move in action, sci-fi, and horror realms and also focuses on all sorts of existential questions. This impressive mix not only ensures that “BioShock” is one of the favorite games of the author of these goals but also appears again and again in all sorts of leaderboards, such as the list of the 250 best PC games of all time on our sister site GameStar.

There, the first part even occupies 14th place, while “BioShock 2” and the second sequel “BioShock Infinite” (in which the dystopian underwater city setting is exchanged for a dystopian cloud city setting) still landed on ranks 161 and 48:

A FAITHFUL “BIOSHOCK” UNIVERSE ON NETFLIX?

The fact that the long-planned “BioShock” film now lands on Netflix should be good news, especially for fans of the template, which is only released from the age of 18. Concerns about the age rating, as Universal once had, should not exist. After all, Netflix is known for spending a lot of money on such prestige productions and still not making any compromises in terms of violence (see also the “The Witcher” series). So, at least in this respect, nothing should stand in the way of production when it comes to capturing the gloomy mood and brutal events in Rapture.

However, it is still unclear how much the content is based on the “BioShock” games. the Hollywood Reporter says that Netflix is now even working on an entire “BioShock” universe. In addition to the already confirmed first film, we could perhaps also expect sequels, spin-offs, and/or series that take up the events of the different games in different ways and/or expand them with their own ideas. But all this certainly depends on the interest in the first “BioShock” movie. When we can expect this on Netflix is not yet clear.

7 Best Movies About Camping Trips

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Hippie Van

 

The next camping trip is still a little long in coming, but you are already in camping fever? No problem, you can sweeten the time until the road trip with our selection of suitable motorhome films! Get your camper covers for winter ready as we have selected seven motorhome films that will really get you in the holiday mood. Wanderlust, freedom, movie night, that’s the motto!

We are the Millers: Motorhome movie with a lot of wit

A holiday with a motorhome is fun for the whole family: relaxation, joint activities, and lots of nature. For David Burke, family vacations are more of a means to an end. The ill-fated drug dealer urgently needs money and is supposed to smuggle drugs from Mexico across the border. Without further ado, he gets a family and a motorhome and the adventure disguised as a camping holiday takes its course. How could it be otherwise: The project does not go quite as David had imagined. “We Are the Millers” from 2013 is an RV movie about a vacation of a different kind. The best choice for a fun evening with friends.

Into the wild: In the Alaskan wilderness

“Into the wild” is perhaps the classic among outdoor films. The 2007 US film starring Emile Hirsch tells the story of a young college graduate who leaves bourgeois life behind. Without money and only with the longing for a self-determined life in his luggage, he sets off on the journey to Alaska. Here he experiences great freedom, the beauty of nature but also its unshakeable hardness. In the middle of nature, he finds an old bus in which he finds refuge from the cold and a home. A film with a lot of depth and breathtaking images. Without giving too much away: Unfortunately, the story does not offer a happy ending. All the more tragic because it is based on a true story. Have handkerchiefs ready!

The Chaos Campers: Chaos high ten

Yes, camping can sometimes get a bit chaotic, as this motorhome film about the Munro family shows us. The steering of the motorhome, the cramped living situation including teen children or the annoying neighbors – all this has the potential for conflict. And that’s exactly what the 2006 film “The Chaos Campers” is about, starring Robin Williams as a family man. He changes the holiday plans without further ado for professional reasons. A relaxing beach holiday in Hawaii becomes a camping holiday in Colorado and the breakdown holiday takes its course. One disaster follows another: emptying the camping toilet goes wrong, the brake of the motorhome does what it wants and the stress with the family is inevitable. If you want to see a profound motorhome film with a self-discovery strip, you should choose another film, but if you feel like a road trip comedy with camper humor, this is the right place for you.

Little Miss Sunshine: With the VW bus to the Miss election

Olive is a nine-year-old, somewhat chubby girl with glasses. Not exactly the best conditions for a Miss election. But Olive wants to take part in a beauty contest in California and so the whole family sets off. With the VW bus, it goes with the whole chaotic bunch through the south of the country along route 66. There is the drug-addicted grandpa, the suicidal uncle, the mute brother, the highly motivated father, and the permanently stressed mother: a daring constellation for a camping trip. But the motorhome film from 2006 shows: On a road trip with the Bulli a lot can change! A slightly different family movie among the RV movies!

 

ALSO READ: 6 Social Media Marketing Lessons from Netflix

 

The wildlife: hippie feeling on a trip around the world

Uschi Obermaier, icon of the community movement, model, and world traveler. The film “Das wilde Leben” from 2007 tells the story of a young Munich woman, who finds it too boring in the tranquil Sendling at the end of the 60s. Without further ado, she packs her things with a friend and hitchhikes to Berlin in a VW Bulli. In “Kommune 1” she meets Rainer Langhans and becomes the figurehead of the student protests. But she can’t stand it long in political Berlin. She makes the acquaintance of the Rolling Stones, goes on tour with them, and meets Dieter Bockhorn, the King of St. Pauli. With him, she finally travels the world in a converted bus: Lebanon, Afghanistan, India, Mexico, and California are on the itinerary. Life on the bus is full of ups and downs, sometimes it is passionate, then tragic again. This motorhome film shows one thing above all: Breaking out of routine may be dangerous, but it opens up completely new and unimagined horizons. What counts is life in the moment. Cheers to freedom! The perfect film for all those who want to celebrate the hippie feeling for an evening.

About Schmidt: With the motorhome through the USA

In Warren Schmidt’s life, the worm is in it. His wife dies, he gets involved with his daughter, and feels completely useless as a pensioner. When he learns that his wife has cheated on him for years with his best friend, his world collapses. When his only daughter wants to marry a waterbed salesman, he wakes up from his apathy. He makes his way to Denver with the motorhome to the wedding to prevent it. Along the way, he travels not only around the country but also to stations of his past in Nebraska and Colorado. “About Schmidt” from 2003 is a motorhome film that is on the one hand roaring funny and then again very quiet and wistful. Jack Nicholson can be seen as Warren in almost every scene. He convincingly plays the role of the average American disappointed by life down to the last detail. A masterpiece!

The Bus: VW bus as a lifestyle

In his documentary “The Bus”, filmmaker Damon Ristau has dedicated himself entirely to the VW bus. What do people associate with this cult bus? Hippies, surfers, and musicians – The film shows the lives of the people in the camper. The conclusion: A VW bus is more than just a vehicle, it is a lifestyle. Living “on the road” means freedom and has been since the 60s and 70s. A plea to a car that is much more than a motorhome. A must for all VW fans!

Funny, melancholic or a mixture of both: As different as the motorhome films may be, they all awaken our wanderlust and make us want to go on our next trip with the motorhome. If you now prefer to pack your bags directly and drive off, you can rent the right camper van directly from PaulCamper.

6 Social Media Marketing Lessons from Netflix

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Netflix logo on a building

 

Today, Netflix has more than 209 million users, far more than its competitors. For example, Amazon has ‘only’ 1175 million viewers. That high number did not just come to them. Every subscriber is partly due to the smart people who are behind Netflix’s marketing strategies.

Netflix is used in 190 (out of a total of 195) countries. How is it possible that the whole world is talking about Netflix? What’s the secret? Part of it is of course due to the range of excellent series, documentaries, and films. And what about the investment in their own productions? But let’s also not forget their brilliant marketing strategy. Like what the cheapest SMM panel can do to maximize social media potential for their clients, the way Netflix uses social media is also part of the success of its marketing strategies. Curious about the recipe, and how you can give a boost to the social media accounts of, for example, the hotel or travel organization where you work? Netflix gives you 6 lessons to create an engaged following.

1. THE PRODUCT SURPASSES THE BRAND, EVERY DAY

When you hear “Netflix,” chances are you’re thinking about the last episode you watched, rather than the red Netflix logo. Just like someone at Shoestring thinks about his or her crazy trip to India. What does that mean? That it is the product that the brand sells. And not the other way around. It’s the quality of the product that helped Netflix get so many subscribers. If the content is substandard, then no matter what strategy you use for social media, it will bring down your brand anyway. Lesson 1 is, therefore: to make sure you sell a super good product (or service).

2. SOUND CHT, AND PEOPLE WILL RESPOND

Connecting people when conversations are fun. And Netflix eagerly exploits this psychological concept by creating an atmosphere with conversations on Twitter that are absurd to some extent. Given the 5 million followers, it seems that people love this conversational style. But they go one step further.

They position themselves as a friend of their followers. This personal style creates a sense of closeness, as the followers don’t feel like they’re in conversation with a company. So think out of the box, especially when it comes to social media marketing. For example, take a look at KLM’s social media accounts: they also have a unique way of being in contact with the target group.

3. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

Other social media experts often talk about the number of times you post, because it would ultimately be about numbers. Netflix disagrees. Of course, it is important that you keep in touch with your followers and regularly publish something on your social media pages. But even more important is the quality of those messages. Because they determine the visibility of your brand more than anything else.

For example, Netflix ensures that every post has a touch of dry humor to make it engaging. Tweeting with a certain goal is not the end in itself. On the contrary, Netflix really wants to connect with its audience, so every post is carefully edited. By the way, a lot of research into the mindset of the audience preceded this. Netflix knows that the majority of its followers belong to the trendy category, and therefore ensures that the majority of the posts have a similar style.

 

ALSO READ: Important Role Of Cars In Filmmaking

 

4. LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING

To meet your customer’s needs, it’s necessary to know what they want. This way you can respond in a way like: “H friend, I’m listening”. This is also called ‘active listening’. One way Netflix demonstrated its active willingness to listen was through the project called Netflix Socks that they launched in 2015. The project was based on the many complaints Netflix received from its viewers about their tendency to fall asleep while binge-watching. As a solution to this problem, Netflix then teamed up with Deeplocal to develop Smart Socks.

This software uses an accelerometer to detect when the viewers fell asleep. In that case, it sent a signal to the user’s device to pause the episode. Thanks to this almost magical technology, the sleep heads could wake up and just pick up where they left off. This project became a great success that it won a Shorty Award in 2016 for the creative use of technology. The gimmick went viral, yielding an average of 1175 tweets daily, from nearly 20,000 different accounts.

5. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CUSTOMERS’ SHOES

What would be the greatest gift for a Star Trek fan? Undoubtedly a collection of all the films in one place. And that’s what Netflix did when they celebrated the latest addition to the Star Trek series. Now Netflix had no relationship with the Star Trek production team or the film itself. But by showing that it was dedicated to the fan base, the company proved that they like to go the extra mile to satisfy the customers.

News of the series quickly spread across social media and won the hearts of many of their customers. Apart from the subscribers, this was even a treat for the employees of Star Trek, who found another reason to fall in love with their company. So come up with a strategy that affects your followers.

6. DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONE IDEA

When it comes to marketing plans, it seems Netflix’s strategists are full of gob-smacking ideas. For example, they have sometimes created landing pages full of hilarious gifs, where followers were encouraged to share them with friends. For example, the website was linked to social media accounts and Netflix participated in informal conversations with the audience. As more and more people started to get rid of the gifs, Netflix got more and more viewers.

CONCLUSION

Aside from the tips mentioned above, there are, of course, many more marketing lessons that travel entrepreneurs can learn from Netflix. They are not called the king of media streaming for nothing.

But if there’s one valuable lesson, it’s this:

When you share something on social media, don’t do it to achieve a goal, but do it to really communicate with your target audience. If you try to look out of their eyes, you’ll get a plethora of ideas that you can test for more interaction. Nothing is impossible.

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