Truly, Madly, Deadly_ The Unofficial True Blood Companion - Becca Wilcott [36]
Fowles’ take on Bill’s actions is different. She says, “I felt that when Bill had proven that he respected Sookie as an equal she was able to be in a more submissive role.” She continues, “With any dom/sub relationship, when trust is established that opens the door for ‘play.’ I have often viewed Sookie as a powerful and empowered female character who used her relationship with Bill to — for lack of a better word — rest. Her individuality was intact, yet she was able to submit to a more traditional role with Bill because his respect and her trust allowed that to happen.”
When asked how she reconciles the inherently violent nature of a vampire feeding off mortals, Fowles suggests, “I think that’s where the escapism and fiction of pop culture entertainment comes into play . . . it provokes discussion . . . The dynamic between Sookie and Bill, the violent nature of their sexuality, and the subsequent popularity of their romance, all suggest that we can be attracted to and aroused by things we intellectually know are problematic.”
Finally, when asked how as viewers we should reconcile the violent fantasy with our daily lives, Fowles suggests, “The reality of life is that we [should] negotiate safe words and have long and even boring discussions about our desires before we enact them with a partner. The fantasy of entertainment leaves those parts out . . . [Ultimately], what is really important is how we view [these scenes], whether or not we question it, and how it makes us feel.” No one knows this better than True Blood’s creator Alan Ball. “There’s definitely an erotic basis for why vampires are such powerful symbols in our psyches. You know, the fact of hard fangs penetrating skin,” he says. “That was definitely a part of Charlaine’s books. They’re this great amalgamation of satire and horror and humor and romance novel . . . And the romance and the thrill of surrendering to a vampire is such an inherent part of it, I thought, I’m not going to shy away from that, that’s the fun part.”
Viral Vampires
HBO’s Contagious Promos
What better way to put television viewers into the headspace of a society in which vampires are already mainstreaming than to create a pervasive media campaign that sneaks up as quietly as the undead?
Before season 1, hbo hired CampFire NYC to create a viral marketing campaign. Viral marketing capitalizes on existing social networks to increase the chances of users talking about your product in the hope of solidifying your brand through invaluable, and unpaid, word-of-mouth. An early example of viral marketing would be the “Pyramid Scheme,” in which investors depend on the exponential word-of-mouth of a network of friends. Other examples include Mystery Science Theater 3000, which encouraged viewers to make and share copies of the show hoping to increase distribution. And Nine Inch Nails’ viral campaign for the 2007 album Year Zero included leaving usb drives containing their music in various public places throughout Europe while they toured. In fall 2008, thousands of dvds of the first episode of True Blood were handed out to attendees of the Toronto International Film Festival’s annual Midnight Madness screening. Blockbuster Video also offered a free rental of the first episode in the days before the premiere.
But how did hbo plan to send out their message online? By having would-be fans follow a series of clues. Leading up to the show’s premiere, hbo sent press releases to vampire enthusiasts and bloggers. Then they set up BloodCopy.com, a blog that purported to be written by a vampire to “chronicle the amazing days we live in as vampires attempt to integrate with humans.