Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

[dtissagirl]

Yeah, I loved the intern. I truly hope they got an awesomely paid job somewhere.

[doesntworkonwood]

24 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

There was a time around end of S2 and through the summer before S3 where they had someone handling Arrow's SM and, they were good.  People used to refer to them as "the intern" they could very well have been a summer intern but, they did a really good job of engaging people on Twitter/tumblr.

They had the best tumblr tags. Looking through it now, whilst the tumblr is still being updated, it's a bit too detached which is a great shame. 

[tv echo]

13 hours ago, lemotomato said:

Bamford's turn at damage control

Here is the tweet that started the JBam lovefest for jbuffyangel's 502 review...

FYI, here's the "green light" portion of jbuffyangel's 502 review: 

Quote

As Oliver and Felicity talk, they are bathed in green light. Light is synonymous with Olicity at this point in the show. Yet, this light is green. It is the perfect melding between The Green Arrow and Oliver Queen. The man and the mask. The light inside molds with the outside mask. Oliver has tried, and failed, to meld these two personas together for four years. However, perhaps he’s finally getting it right.

Light is used frequently in literature, movies and television. It’s a popular literary device. However, I recalled one story that specifically used green light: The Great Gatsby.

“Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.”

Daisy is Gatsby’s great love and the green light is at the end of her dock. Gatsby describes it as “minute and far away,” meaning that it was close but felt impossible to reach. The green light represented Daisy. She was Gatsby’s hope and his dream. In the end, Daisy was a dream too impossible to reach. It was because, in many ways, Gatsby and Daisy loved idealized versions of themselves.
*  *  *
Oliver and Felicity were living an idyllic life together and by doing so were almost idealized versions of themselves.   After the events of Season 4, any and all facades are gone. That idyllic life, those idyllic selves, were shattered. Now they see one another for who they truly are. They know the good and the bad on a much deeper level than Season 1-3 because they had a relationship in Season 4.

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning– So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

The Great Gatsby ends with green light. The book describes Gatsby rowing against the current, trying to reach his dream - the green light (Daisy). Except, what Gatsby wanted to recapture was the past and you cannot recapture the past. It is the “orgastic future that year by year recedes us.” The past was the impossible to reach dream and Gatsby could never let it  go. Therefore, he could never move forward with Daisy.

Edited October 16, 2016 by tv echo

[Morrigan2575]

I don't think that's damage control, I think that's his ego lapping up praise. I don't care if she's a BNF, jbuffyangel's analysis are mostly fantasy with tons of sucking up to TPTB, IMO. 

Edited October 16, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[looptab]

I don't know that I'd define Jbuffy's writing as reviews - I think of them more as metas. Though to be fair it's been a while since I've read anything of hers. But I will never believe that Bam was thinking of the Great Gatsby. Hahah that's science fiction.

[bijoux]

What's BNF?

Also, thanks for the laugh with that comparison. Even ignoring the haha bit about Bamford or the show paying homage to it, I don't get why an Olicity shipper would think a parallel to Daisy and Gatsby would be flattering.

[apinknightmare]

6 minutes ago, bijoux said:

What's BNF?

Big Name Fan

[tv echo]

I also don't like comparing Arrow to The Great Gatsby, considering

 

Gatsby & Daisy never end up together, Daisy is a shallow character, and Gatsby is ultimately murdered by the husband of Daisy's husband's mistress.

Edited October 16, 2016 by tv echo

[arjumand]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

Here is the tweet that started the JBam lovefest for jbuffyangel's 502 review...

FYI, here's the "green light" portion of jbuffyangel's 502 review: 

Holy overthinking it, Batman!

What the fuck. No wonder no-one wants to listen to any form of concrit, if they have people fellating them like that.

[catrox14]

Look I'm all for the analysis of colors and symbolism, framing to tell the story, I look for it myself but analysis that green is only now associated with Olicity and as a shoutout to the Great Gatsby hilariously pretentious and ignores the entire history of the show. (There is a better, yet still inapt case to be made for Robin Hood.)

An abbreviated history of the  use of the color GREEN in ARROW (S1 alone)

--Literally the first shot of the series is the shot of the back of a head wearing a DARK GREEN hood and said person is running through green leafy trees!  Said person is Oliver Queen and he is wearing a FOREST GREEN  HOOD AND JACKET in the pilot before anyone else is even shown!

--Oliver Queen goes to the Queen Consolidated Foundry, which is painted a muted light green. The inside of the lair is bathed in dark green shadows. 

--The nightclub Oliver & Tommy build in the Foundry is named VERDANT and the sign is GREEN

Need I go on?

Green is symbolic not because of Tommy, Laurel, Felicity, Thea, Moira, Robert, Lauriver, Olicity or the Great Gatsby.  Green in this show is symbolic for Yao Fei and was/is/and will always be symbolic for Oliver Queen because he's the GREEN FUCKING ARROW.  Man. 

I guess I feel strongly about this. LOL

Edited October 16, 2016 by catrox14

[Morrigan2575]

Didn't she also have some red/blue thing back in S3?

Quote

Green is symbolic not because of Tommy, Laurel, Felicity, Thea, Moira, Robert, Lauriver, Olicity or the Great Gatsby.  Green in this show is symbolic for Yao Fei and was/is/and will always be symbolic for Oliver Queen because he's the GREEN FUCKING ARROW.  Man. 

Yeah, this show isn't exactly subtle and they have been using "green" as a theme/inside joke/easter egg since the beginning. 

Edited October 16, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[looptab]

Yeah, the red dress/blue dress like the red/blue pill from Matrix. 

[BkWurm1]

4 hours ago, looptab said:

Yeah, the red dress/blue dress like the red/blue pill from Matrix. 

To be fair, they did seem to dress Felicity in red a lot with significant Oliver scenes and blue with Ray and yes, I couldn't help notice she was back in blue again now that she's kissing Detective. Mayo.  It really probably was a coincidence but I get why her head went there with that one, lol.  (Not the Matrix so much as the colors having meaning)

[Delphi]

I read a lot of interviews with costume designers and the like and generally they do put a lot of thought into what the characters are wearing and how it can relate to a characters mind set or current relationship.   I could see Arrow's designer pairing red Felicity with Oliver's green.  And have definitely noticed they put her in blue when she's with someone else or anti Oliver.   I think that might be intentional. 

[looptab]

Yeah, I remember. But did you guys write 5000 words posts about it? :p 

[tv echo]

Some b-t-s pics from Bamford's instagram (501 & 502)...

[tv echo]

Next weekend there will be two comic cons with guest stars from upcoming Arrow episodes (spoiler warning!)...

Grand Rapids Comic-Con, October 21-23, 2016 (Grand Rapids, MI)
http://www.grcomiccon.com/media-guests/

Crystal Coast Con, October 22, 2016 (Cape Carteret, NC)
http://www.crystalcoastcon.com/guests/

Edited October 17, 2016 by tv echo

[romantic idiot]

12 hours ago, looptab said:

Yeah, I remember. But did you guys write 5000 words posts about it? :p 

To be fair, going from her moniker she is used to following shows that would have that symbolism at multiple levels. And brevity is not everyone's gift. (Not mine for sure).

IT would be nice if the Arrow writers did aspire to that depth though.

[dtissagirl]

Yeah, the kind of meta she writes is absolutely derived from the stuff that was commonly written for Jossverse shows. I mean, even after the shows -- I once spent a week analyzing Joss' usage of mirrors in the first Avengers movie, because I couldn't leave it alone. But the Arrowverse doesn't do symbolism that way, which is totally fine, btw. But the in-depth analysis doesn't always apply.

[looptab]

20 minutes ago, romantic idiot said:

To be fair, going from her moniker she is used to following shows that would have that symbolism at multiple levels. And brevity is not everyone's gift. (Not mine for sure).

IT would be nice if the Arrow writers did aspire to that depth though.

Just joking :) I do appreciate lenghty posts and speculations and metas, but with a little more foundation to them than what she usually writes. It's just that her writing is not my cup of tea. 

 

8 minutes ago, dtissagirl said:

 But the Arrowverse doesn't do symbolism that way, which is totally fine, btw. But the in-depth analysis doesn't always apply.

The Arrowverse uses the in-your-face symbolism, like when Sara died and the mask fell at Laurel's feet, to cite one of the worst examples. Or when everybody left and Oliver and Felicity were the only people staying in the lair, to cite one of the best examples. :)

[catrox14]

So, that BTS photo of Laurel's statue being lit with green...what does that say? That Laurel will always be tied to Oliver? That it will always really be the Black Canary/Green Arrow. Or that Oliver's life influenced Laurel to become a vigilante and then died?

[Lily-n11]

I LOVE THIS

 

[catrox14]

[Starfish35]

2 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

Ahahahahaha that's hilarious. :)

[Guest]

They should sell that Lord Mesa 100th episode print on merchandise. Or do fan giveaways to generate some enthusiasm/fun or something.

[Lily-n11]

This is about the lunchbox. OTA being front and center is a message I approve a lot. I hope it translates to the show.

[catrox14]

1 minute ago, Starfish35 said:

Ahahahahaha that's hilarious. :)

Like seriously, EW. How do you get THAT wrong? Stephen's reaction is the best.

[Sakura12]

That just shows that no one knows who Robbie Amell is. 

[apinknightmare]

53 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

So, that BTS photo of Laurel's statue being lit with green...what does that say?

It's the classic way to spotlight the biggest, most prized solid milk chocolate in the Easter basket.

Edited October 17, 2016 by apinknightmare

[wonderwall]

@dtissagirl for you lol

[dtissagirl]

56 minutes ago, wonderwall said:

@dtissagirl for you lol

 

Lol, I've seen that, it's super old.

[Kymmi]

5 hours ago, looptab said:

The Arrowverse uses the in-your-face symbolism, like when Sara died and the mask fell at Laurel's feet, to cite one of the worst examples. Or when everybody left and Oliver and Felicity were the only people staying in the lair, to cite one of the best examples. :)

You mean like the time they literally put Sara in the fridge???

Still not over that.

[looptab]

The lunch boxes are super cute, though I don't know who the guy in the left corner under Lance is supposed to be - or why they put David Nutter on there, and not Wendy.

[Sunshine]

4 minutes ago, looptab said:

The lunch boxes are super cute, though I don't know who the guy in the left corner under Lance is supposed to be - or why they put David Nutter on there, and not Wendy.

Tommy Merlyn.  As for David Nutter I just assumed because he directed the pilot that landed the series.  Seems like they went with the original EPs-GB, AK & WM.

[Morrigan2575]

I just realized Moira's not on the lunchbox

[catrox14]

7 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I just realized Moira's not on the lunchbox

I don't see Robert either.

4 hours ago, wonderwall said:

@dtissagirl for you lol

I'm having major slashfic images of Oliver/Ollie. Oh dear

[apinknightmare]

The had a heroes on the front, villains on the back, so I guess it makes sense Moira and Robert weren't on there. Although Moira could've been on both sides, haha.

[looptab]

Poor Wendy, haha.

I wouldn't have included Robert either, but damn, Moira has been an important part of the series for two seasons. 

[Sunshine]

lordmesa said GB commissioned it.  I wonder if he told him specifically what characters to use or if it was just  heroes on one side and villains on the other.  I am sure he had to specify the EPs, director, Pedowitz, etc.  I also wonder about the design with OTA in the middle.  

I assumed the guy in the front was Tommy Merlyn.  Another thought (especially because of location) maybe it's Barry Allen.  Arrow launched him even though he became The Flash (costume) on his own program.  Ray is in the ATOM suit because he became that alter ego on Arrow.  LOL!

[apinknightmare]

Barry belongs on the back tho!

[Tazmania]

So Stephen Amell implied, in his latest FB video, that they have managed to bring back the fans that left the show after S2. If low demo ratings for first two episodes and the fact that Arrow didn't make it to Nielsen's top 5 social media trends for 2 episodes straights after making it for all the episodes last season is any indication, I would say they lost more fans than they gained. 

PS: his comment also makes it unbelievably clear that the audience they seek are the 80k comic fanboys and not the already existing pool of fans that varied between 2.7 to 2.2 million viewers in USA 

[apinknightmare]

SA's comment seemed pretty sarcastic to me.

And I don't think it proves anything other than he's the kind of guy who likes pointing and laughing at people who spent all summer (and probably longer) bitching and moaning about how much the show sucks now admitting that they like it so far this season. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by apinknightmare

[dtissagirl]

I have a bit of a problem with this idea that the CW wants an audience specifically made of GA comic book readers. And not just in terms of the low numbers of comic book readers, but -- HOW IN THE HELL DOES THE NETWORK KNOW if viewers buy comics? There's no way to measure which persons from within the pool of Green Arrow comic book buyers also happen to watch Arrow. Or vice-versa. That's just not doable. And you can't market anything to a portion of audience you *don't know*.

So it's not that they're marketing for comic book readers. They're targeting Male 18-34, which happens to be the same general demo that's more likely to buy comic books. But which is also to whom they have always marketed Arrow, from day one.

The problem is Arrow's online fans have evolved through the years into a VERY VERY VERY extremely different audience from M18-34, thanks to Felicity and O/F's insane popularity. And they don't do targeted online marketing AT ALL for that crowd. For whatever reason we don't know for sure.

Edited October 18, 2016 by dtissagirl

[wonderwall]

2 hours ago, Tazmania said:

So Stephen Amell implied, in his latest FB video, that they have managed to bring back the fans that left the show after S2. If low demo ratings for first two episodes and the fact that Arrow didn't make it to Nielsen's top 5 social media trends for 2 episodes straights after making it for all the episodes last season is any indication, I would say they lost more fans than they gained. 

PS: his comment also makes it unbelievably clear that the audience they seek are the 80k comic fanboys and not the already existing pool of fans that varied between 2.7 to 2.2 million viewers in USA 

He was being sarcastic. 

If you've been watching the show its been hell of a lot better than anything we've gotten season 3 and 4b so it's not even about bringing the comic book viewers back. It's about bringing back people who left because of the dumpster fires the writers created. 

Anyways, if you've been following Stephen, you'd know he really doesn't care about the comic book people. He even outright stated that they're the ones who don't like him. 

[tv echo]

Here's the two SA facebook video chats from yesterday...

Stephen Amell - I'm Back
Published on Oct 17, 2016, by Stephen-Amell™

-- SA: "Hey, Facebook, what is happening? I am back...

 

after five weeks of crossover craziness that consisted of five different episodes of television. Not five different shows, but five different episodes of television being filmed simultaneously. I have emerged from the deep, dark forest of my mind of crossover land, crossoverlandia.

And, uh, and I'm back. It's Monday."

-- SA: "I hope that everyone is enjoying Season 5 of Arrow thus far. I've seen 6 episodes. I'm really, really happy. Uh, this Wednesday, we have

 

Cody Rhodes guest-starring, um, in an episode titled 'A Matter of Trust,' which, um, includes in it towards the end, uh, probably the most inside jokey line that I've ever had the chance to say on the show. I also got to yell 'stardust' again and again."

Stephen Amell - I needed cheering up
Published on Oct 17, 2016, by Stephen-Amell™

-- On whether the new season is going to be as good as S2, SA: "You know, people remember Season 2 like, uh - it's become like that fishing trip where the fish gets progressively bigger every time you tell the story. I rewatched an episode of Season 2 recently, because Arrow is airing every day on TNT - Yes! - It was okay. It was good. I think Season 5, to be truthful here, uh - not that I'm not always - um, I think that Season 5 has the chance to be really special. Can't really tell until you get to the latter half of the year, but, um, our first 8 episodes - I'm not counting the crossover because it's literally - I can't spoil it, but, like, the crossover is like an event. Because it's like the closest thing we'll have to, say, a musical episode of Arrow, um, as opposed to actually having a musical episode because I'll quit the show before that happens. Um, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 - I think have the chance to be really, really special. When I read 509 - and this hadn't happened in awhile -

 

I literally went 'uhhhh!' (makes shocked, deep inhaling sound). Reading something that happened in Act 5, I believe. It really took me by surprise.

So, um, I hope it is just as good. I hope that people enjoy it. I think we're off to a tremendous start this year. I've been really enjoying people who swore they'd never watch this show again begrudgingly admit they liked the first two episodes. (smiles) That's been fun."

-- On whether Constantine will return or whether Roy will return, SA said that he didn't know.

-- SA: "Right now we are still filming 509, although I have filmed some stuff for 510. Um, even though technically I am done the crossover in earnest, uh, it won't really be until - kinda like the the end of this week, possibly next week, when I am really officially done."

-- On whether 509 was

 

sad or just shocking, SA: "It just made me go 'uhhhh!' (makes shocked, deep inhaling sound). Like that, so, you can read into that what you will."

-- On whether there'll be any Green Lantern this season, SA just grimaced an "umm" sound (came off as negative to me).

-- SA: "This week's episode is great. Let me tell you something right now, this week's episode -

 

we've been doing a little more slow motion this year, which I'm very excited about. Some speed ramping and stuff like that. Uh, which I think is really cool and adds a new element to the show... We have a scene in this week's episode where - remember, the coolest thing that you can ever do if something explodes is not react at all. And certainly don't look back. It's a superhero trait. And just in terms of - towards the end of this week's episode, um, there's a shot that, just in terms of iconic, um, iconic images and photography, is one of the best that we've ever done in the history of the show. Really, really cool. And, like, uh, it was a shot where, after we'd done it, everyone crowded around the monitors and we literally were high-fiving. So I'm fired up for everyone to see that."

Edited October 18, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

[tv echo]

Another shot of those Lord Mesa lunchboxes...

[lemotomato]

4 hours ago, Tazmania said:

So Stephen Amell implied, in his latest FB video, that they have managed to bring back the fans that left the show after S2. If low demo ratings for first two episodes and the fact that Arrow didn't make it to Nielsen's top 5 social media trends for 2 episodes straights after making it for all the episodes last season is any indication, I would say they lost more fans than they gained. 

PS: his comment also makes it unbelievably clear that the audience they seek are the 80k comic fanboys and not the already existing pool of fans that varied between 2.7 to 2.2 million viewers in USA 

I don't think his comment meant anything more than an "I told you so" to the people that posted on his page hating the show and now have to admit that they're still watching. SA has shown that he's uber competitive and likes to win-- competitions and arguments. 

Not to mention that in the same video he dismisses the argument that season 2 was the best ever, a point that is often brought up by the complainers.

[Midnight Lullaby]

He was being sarcastic but I don't think he doesn't care what the people that said the show became a soap and similar stuff think. If he didn't care he wouldn't mention them, instead he does and he has been doing it the whole summer..not because I think he cares about them in particular but because, despite what he says, he doesn't seem the type to let criticism roll off his back.

Another thing is their PR that apparently made people that said they hate romance happy.

[lemotomato]

15 minutes ago, Midnight Lullaby said:

He was being sarcastic but I don't think he doesn't care what the people that said the show became a soap and similar stuff think. If he didn't care he wouldn't mention them, instead he does and he has been doing it the whole summer..not because I think he cares about them in particular but because, despite what he says, he doesn't seem the type to let criticism roll off his back.

I agree that SA doesn't take criticism well, but I think he addresses all sides, given that half the memes he reposted for Meme Monday were critical of Felicity's BF/Olicity broken up, and one about erasing Sara Diggle.