Walden rides 'Ember' to Comic-Con

Media co. creating special 'City' train for event

By TATIANA SIEGEL

Walden Media's pulling out all the stops for its Comic-Con train marketing stunt for 'City of Ember,' starring Bill Murray.

Once the domain of the niche marketer, Comic-Con Intl. has become one of the premier venues to launch a promo campaign for a pic.

As Comic-Con grows in stature, studios are upping the ante to find ways to generate positive buzz for their fan-based properties.

Next month, Walden Media will launch one of the most ambitious Comic-Con marketing stunts ever for its upcoming film "City of Ember." The company behind "The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise will re-create the mythical city depicted in the film on a private two-car train that will transport 25 members of the media on a 2½-hour journey to the convention's San Diego locale.

"We're all looking for ways to stand out, especially with this community," said Jeffrey Godsick, prexy of marketing at Fox Walden. "Good buzz at Comic-Con can be huge for a movie."

"Iron Man" is the latest example of a film that was well-received by the discerning crowds at confab and went on to become a B.O. superhero.

Walden's "Ember," which is based on Jeanne Duprau's bestseller, seems the ideal property to benefit from such an endeavor. Directed by Gil Kenan, the fantasy about a glittering metropolis of lights that is on the verge of plunging into permanent darkness is steeped in an elaborate mythology that the filmmakers feel is best conveyed in a three-dimensional setting.

Walden hired professional set decorators to style the 1949 Pullman Rail Car, which will be chock full of props and costumes from the film.

"Design really matters on this movie," said Kenan, who will be on board the July 23 voyage to discuss the film alongside screenwriter Caroline Thompson and producer Gary Goetzman. "The look of this train was chosen very carefully, and it lines up aesthetically with the look of the film. It broadens the experience of the movie. It's about turning the world depicted in the film into something fully dimensional."

An additional rail car will be equipped to screen 15 minutes of exclusive footage from the film.

"We could certainly assemble a panel and present some footage, but then it will be one of 50 other films that they would see that day," Godsick said. "But that's really not the proper platform to immerse someone in the mythologies of 'City of Ember.'"

Last year, Marvel made a splash when it displayed "Iron Man's" fully built Mark I armor suit at the confab. It became one of the most photographed images from the convention. Walden is hoping to create a similar photo- and vid-op via its "Ember" train ride -- an increasingly significant goal, given the importance of the blogoshpere spreading the word about a film with a single interesting picture.

"Ember's" strategy differs, however, from "Iron Man's" in that it will target only the most influential and widely read reporters covering the convention as opposed to Comic-Con's general attendee. Confab runs July 24-27 at the San Diego Convention Center.

"Buzz now transcends the niche audience and hits the general mass audience," Godsick said. "We think Comic-Con has become a convention of pop culture. It's way beyond comic books or even genre movies. And because of the very nature of the convention, it allows you to take certain liberties that you wouldn't be allowed to take at other times."