The New Content is here!!

[Elder_Haman]

Here's a link to the new video.

It's not exactly a teaser trailer, but honestly it's kinda close. Feels like something more promotional...

 

What do you all think? 

[dssharp]

Cool for sure, but a little underwhelming. I guess I’m getting impatient for more info on release.  I guess I’m a victim of my own excitement and hype. 

[Elder_Haman]

57 minutes ago, dssharp said:

Cool for sure, but a little underwhelming. I guess I’m getting impatient for more info on release.  I guess I’m a victim of my own excitement and hype. 

It's one of those things where you see more each time you look at it. Check out this imgur album a Redditor made of the images.

 

I love this for a few reasons:

1.  It goes a long way to showing us how the show is going to feel visually. They nailed it. The colors are right, the atmosphere is right, the general flavor of the world is right. This eases my anxiety about the quality of the finished product more than any of the other content.

 

2. This confirms one of the shooting locations reported on WotSeries.com. The detective in me likes knowing that.

 

3. This is clearly part of a longer 'behind the scenes' piece. The type of thing that is released at or near the time of an actual trailer for promotional purposes. This one, for example, was part of the promotional materials for Game of Thrones. This makes me feel even more strongly that a bonafide trailer is on the horizon. (*cough* Super Bowl *cough*)  

Edited January 15, 2021 by Elder_Haman

[Borderlander]

Very interesting, and I will pore over the concept art for the next few days... but my first thoughts are more along the lines of, What is this? Like, literally, what is this little, dinky video? I like it, sure, but why did they make it? Who is it for? ?

 

It was not for Wotwednesday, obviously—which I assume Amazon regards as a cute pet project, but clearly not something they pour unlimited time and resources into.

 

Elder_Haman is probably right that it is a promotional snippet for something... but for what? A panel or convention? I didn't think those existed anymore, post-COVID. It's almost too short to be of any great promotional use, anyway... Maybe this is an excerpt of a longer reel? I doubt Rafe sat down for an interview and only gave a 12-second sound bite... so where's the rest? Maybe they are preparing a longer pre-teaser preview for media websites to start sprinkling out, and this was just a quick-cut to keep us happy for another week or so...? 

[dssharp]

I will say that in and of itself the content is very cool and encouraging. I agree with it feeling like the atmosphere and visual flavor is right.  I just think I need to temper my expectations for a release date or full trailer. Also, VERY generous of Rafe and WOT on Amazon to release these snippets and keep us engaged/eager. I just am wanting an escalation and/or timetable. 

[dssharp]

1 minute ago, Borderlander said:

Very interesting, and I will pore over the concept art for the next few days... but my first thoughts are more along the lines of, What is this? Like, literally, what is this little, dinky video? I like it, sure, but why did they make it? Who is it for? ?

 

It was not for Wotwednesday, obviously—which I assume Amazon regards as a cute pet project, but clearly not something they pour unlimited time and resources into.

 

Elder_Haman is probably right that it is a promotional snippet for something... but for what? A panel or convention? I didn't think those existed anymore, post-COVID. It's almost too short to be of any great promotional use, anyway... Maybe this is an excerpt of a longer reel? I doubt Rafe sat down for an interview and only gave a 12-second sound bite... so where's the rest? Maybe they are preparing a longer pre-teaser preview for media websites to start sprinkling out, and this was just a quick-cut to keep us happy for another week or so...? 

I bet it is part of a “behind the scenes” feature to accompany release or come along after the first season. 

[Borderlander]

3 minutes ago, dssharp said:

Also, VERY generous of Rafe and WOT on Amazon to release these snippets and keep us engaged/eager. I just am wanting an escalation and/or timetable. 

 

Agree, and I hope we all do our part to talk up the show to friends ahead of time! 

[Elder_Haman]

7 minutes ago, Borderlander said:

Elder_Haman is probably right that it is a promotional snippet for something... but for what? A panel or convention? I didn't think those existed anymore, post-COVID. It's almost too short to be of any great promotional use, anyway... Maybe this is an excerpt of a longer reel? 

It's definitely an excerpt from a longer reel. As to where - it may actually be just to release to the general public. People may not know much about WoT and they may decide to market the crap out of the show once the trailer drops. Including a 15 minute "Inside the World of WoT" promotional film that you can visit after watching the trailer seems like a legit possibility to me.

 

Or it could be from some type of short promo that is released to entertainment media industry types ahead of Rosamund Pike (and other cast member) promotional interviews so that the non-WoT fan doing the interview can pretend to have some clue about what the show is about.

 

At a minimum it will be included with the "making of" extras that we'll undoubtedly get at the end of Season One (and on the Blu-ray - if those even still exist).  

[Elder_Haman]

8 minutes ago, Borderlander said:

Agree, and I hope we all do our part to talk up the show to friends ahead of time! 

I'm pretty sure my friends and family are sick to death of hearing me talk up the show. ??

[Harldin]

Geeeez Whitebridge is a bit small though?

[Fano'Lan Redux]

On 1/15/2021 at 1:12 PM, Elder_Haman said:

Here's a link to the new video.

It's not exactly a teaser trailer, but honestly it's kinda close. Feels like something more promotional...

 

What do you all think? 

 

Love it.

 

No idea what it means wrt release date but I'm reveling in the growing anticipation.  Any  reticence to change I had harbored has been banished. My ticket is in hand, will be there when the ride opens.

 

Thanks for the link on the pics Elder_Haman.

[Fano'Lan Redux]

Saw a Twitter thread about Rafe's participation in a live chat called The Dusty Wheel and some interesting excerpts emerged:

 

- This is actually really early concept art from the process. There's a couple of them that are very close to final product

 

- first piece of concept art for the whole show? Moiraine using the One Power! We hired about 15 amazing artists from around the world to just dig in on that idea of Moiraine and the One Power And then see what it looked like, and did that for a fair amount of things

 

 

[Borderlander]

Since Rafe won't return my phone calls, I did a little 'research.' 

 

The relevant facts:

 

• 20 November 2010: HBO releases a new production photo highlighting props on the show, depicting a dagger and a book.^[245]
• 23 November 2010: HBO releases a new behind-the-scenes video highlighting the use of weapons and swords in the series.^[246]

(this is from https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/Production_timeline )

 

There are lots more entries on the site, concerning trailers and casting announcements... I just included those two because they are similar to what Amazon has shown us recently. The rest are interesting to peruse, though, to get a sense of how these marketing timelines play out.

 

Game of Thrones' first episode premiered on April 17, 2011. (So, a hair under 5 months from the prop reveals. These were the first prop reveals I found; although, to be fair, they had done some minor promotional stuff earlier, most of which involved casting announcements and some still photos released. Perhaps the biggest 'reveal' prior to the props on 20 November was a behind the scenes blog-type video and a short trailer released on 12 September 2020. This obviously differs from what Amazon has done. If you want a fuller picture, check out the website.)

 

 

I know there are a million reasons the two productions are NOT alike, but it does at least give a sense of the timing that the marketing people have. Now, according to my calculations (let's see, carry the one... divide by zero...) Wheel of Time should be premiering in early May, all else being equal. (Which it's not. But still.)

 

Obviously, COVID plays into this hugely. GOT seemed to be releasing promotional stuff even while a lot of filming was still underway, like they were laying down tracks as the train was chugging along. Then we have WOT, ground to a standstill with 6 of 8 episodes already in the can. Further calculations required... ?

[Elder_Haman]

On 1/16/2021 at 3:18 PM, Borderlander said:

I know there are a million reasons the two productions are NOT alike, but it does at least give a sense of the timing that the marketing people have. Now, according to my calculations (let's see, carry the one... divide by zero...) Wheel of Time should be premiering in early May, all else being equal. (Which it's not. But still.)

This has always made sense to me. I believe the original timeline called for an end to filming in May 2020. If they return to begin filming on season 2 in April, they can do the few remaining pickups then which would be perfect timing for a late April / early May type release.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Elder_Haman
Edited for accuracy.

[Carebear Sedai]

I think a late April/May release is entirely possible given they really don't have much filming left. 

 

Could we expect a February trailer though? The Expanse final is airing on February 3, and the Super Bowl is on the 7th. Seems like a good time to start the promotion campaign for a spring release.

[Elder_Haman]

Amazon’s pattern seems to be to release the  trailer roughly a month or two before premier. That would make a Super Bowl trailer nearly perfect for a late April or early May release. 
 

With the vaccine now out, it’s unlikely that COVID will cause any further disruptions. I don’t think there is any serious dispute that the first six episodes are complete. They’ll likely finish up the pickups at the same time they begin Season 2 filming. 

[Harldin]

23 hours ago, Elder_Haman said:

This has always made sense to me. I believe the original timeline called for a May 2020 release. If they return to begin filming on season 2 in April, they can do the few remaining pickups then which would be perfect timing for a late April / early May type release.

I think you will find that filming was meant to finish in May 2020, not when it would be broadcast. It was of course then stopped in March due to Covid-19. 

[Elder_Haman]

9 minutes ago, Harldin said:

I think you will find that filming was meant to finish in May 2020, not when it would be broadcast. It was of course then stopped in March due to Covid-19. 

You are correct. My bad. 

[Harldin]

We are just going to have to be patient, there can be little doubt that Covid-19 has thrown out Amazons plans on all 3 series. We should get an announcement on at least one of the series fairly soon and that may give us an idea on when we will get WOT.

[Elder_Haman]

I’d guess we will get nothing at all between now and February. But I’m still putting money on a Super Bowl trailer. 

[DojoToad]

At $5 million for 30 seconds. That makes the two minute trailer I want pretty spendy. 

[SinisterDeath]

1 hour ago, DojoToad said:

At $5 million for 30 seconds. That makes the two minute trailer I want pretty spendy. 

It's entirely possible if Amazon puts out a trailer, it's going to be a combo featuring footage from all their upcoming shows.

[dssharp]

It’s so interesting to me that were all wondering if it will be this spring or if it will be fall, or if it will be next year.  And it really could be ANY of those options. They’re keeping their release plans tightly under wraps. I wonder the strategy of when to announce a release date and why to do it sooner or later. 

[dssharp]

I’m seeing more and more guesses for fall release. I sure hope to be pleasantly surprised with a earlier release. 

[johnnysd]

On 1/16/2021 at 5:01 PM, Elder_Haman said:

This has always made sense to me. I believe the original timeline called for an end to filming in May 2020. If they return to begin filming on season 2 in April, they can do the few remaining pickups then which would be perfect timing for a late April / early May type release.

 

I think October is the very earliest we will see it. I am not 100% convinced we get it in 2021 with more Covid delays likely. They are going to need 8 months to a year for post production.

 

In terms of the concept art I think it is perfect. Other than a couple pieces it is also the best Wheel of Time art we have ever seen. Especially love the saturation of color. It is perfect.