Monday, February 9, 2009

LETTER BUGS

For Toobworld to be a truly cohesive universe, situations that occur in one TV show should be recognized in all other TV shows, and that goes for TV commercials as well.
When 'Fringe' premiered last fall, one of its signature features were the giant block letters that appeared at the beginning of each scene to establish the location. But these weren't just graphics that were super-imposed on the scene. They were an actual presence within the shot. From the ground in Iraq, one could have looked up at the underside of the letters to spell out "Baghdad"; "Middletown, Ct." had rain bouncing off of it.

We've yet to encounter a character who can actually see those letters, but it may happen... especially if that character turns out to be tele-cognizant. (That he knows he lives in the TV Universe.) Although I'm two weeks behind in my viewing, so for alls I know, it may have happened!
It's certainly happened in TV commercials, that I know. In a recent Volkswagen blipvert, a new VW model drove through a series of words floating in the air. Some fluttered due to the car's air-stream; others separated to let the car through. And finally, the car just burst right through them, much to the amazement of the sentient VW bug that was observing.

So both 'Fringe' and Volkswagen belong in the same TV dimension.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

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