Who isn’t on Twitter these days? Millions of accounts are already online. MTV Movies Blog is on there, Oprah’s signed up—even my mom keeps threatening to join. It’s no surprise, then, that the movie industry is getting in on the micro-blogging action.
Folks on the set of “The Crazies,” the remake of George Romero’s horror flick about a top-secret bio-weapon that unleashes a plague of murderous insanity on an unsuspecting small town, have been Tweeting since shooting began in March. When I headed down to the central Georgia set recently, it seemed that the magic that is Twitter was all anyone could talk about.
“There’s a special Twitter Blackberry,” Danielle Panabaker, who plays a local high school student, explained to me. “I learned how to Twitter on this film. I’m so excited.”
Her first Tweet? “Hey its Danielle Panabaker- got my hands on the twitter blackberry! Working at the car wash, accidentally got hit with a rifle today- yikes!”
Radha Mitchell (Judy, the town doctor) has not yet gotten her hands on the Blackberry, but is fully prepared for the opportunity. “I’m sort of a Tweeting virgin,” she confessed to me. “We keep threatening to Tweet. We’ve got all kind of crass Tweets we’re gonna put up there.”
“I’m gonna Twitter that I broke my thumb on set yesterday!” said Joe Anderson (police deputy Russell). “Might have to get someone to Twitter for me because it’s rather large and swollen.”
Sure enough, he Tweeted just that a few weeks later.
For Overture Films, the studio behind “The Crazies” (now being released on February 26, 2010), the exploding popularity of social-networking technology provided a fresh mechanism to both connect with clued-in fans and attract new ones. “Not only were we able to provide updates regularly from set, detailing significant and fun tidbits about production, but photography as well,” says an Overture spokesman. “It also provided those fans an opportunity to “Re-Tweet” our postings to their followers and share a project they were personally excited about.”
Timothy Olyphant (Judy’s husband and town Sheriff David Dutton) has yet to hop on Twitter, but went wild thinking of possible Tweets once he does. “‘Had a makeout scene with Radha today,’” he suggested. “‘Her breath was awful. Still enjoyed it.’ Tweet!”
And then: “‘Joe went Christian Bale on the director today!’ Tweet!”
Olyphant hinted he might even Tweet in character: “‘At the carwash today. Some Crazy a--holes tried to kill me!’ Tweet!”
Panabaker, a horror vet after this year’s “Friday the 13th” reboot, relishes the chance to keep fans plugged into the action, but has to be very careful about what she sends out into the micro-blogging ether. “Every day or so I get on there and send a message out,” she told me. “But it’s hard because we don’t want to give too much away. But we are definitely keeping everybody updated with where we are and what we’re shooting and what’s going on and putting pictures up. It’s great. Love Twitter!”
Are you on Twitter? MTV Movies Blog is! What other films out there should start Tweeting from set?
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