REPOST: Django Unchained Action Figures: Boycotted, Bagged, Now Selling For Thousands

Image Source: time.com

 















Author: Lily Rothman

Reposted from: time.com

The Weinstein Company decided to stop distributing the action figures following a slew of controversy and rampage by concerned citizens. This article discusses the surprising impact of this move to the film's marketing strengths.

Action figures promoting an action movie are a pretty basic merchandizing technique, particularly when you’re Quentin Tarantino. The director has had such collectible tie-ins made for each of his films, according to the Associated Press. But recent uproar over Tarantino’s Django Unchained toys shows that the basics don’t always work.

The Django edition of those toys may have been intended somewhat ironically—yes, Django has action-movie qualities, but the bloody take on slavery is no Transformers—but if the people behind the toys had thought things through a little more, the irony might have taken on another level: it’s not hard to see why somebody might be offended that eight-inch versions of the movie’s enslaved characters are available for purchase for $39.99. (Non-slave characters are also available as action figures.) Those offended people included Rev. Al Sharpton, who called for a boycott of the set of character dolls, according to the New York Daily News.

So, on Jan. 18, The Weinstein Company, the studio behind the film, changed course and told the public that the toys would no longer be distributed. “In light of the reaction to the Django Unchained action figures we are removing them from distribution. We have tremendous respect for the audience and it was never our intent to offend anyone,” said the studio in a statement, according to Deadline.

The move, unsurprisingly, has only served to boost the value of the now-rare items. As of the afternoon of Jan. 22, a collectible 10-piece set of the figures was available on eBay with an asking price of $8,000, which is actually a pretty good deal. The same set was available on Amazon.com for $19,999.99—a whopping 500 times more than the MSRP, leading to a different brand of outrage. Quips one collector: ”I’m offended…by the PRICE.”

The Weinstein Company is also the studio behind Edward Bass' award-winning film Bobby. If you're a Quentin Tarantino fan, this website wants your thoughts.

Why documentaries about athletes sell

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National athletes are the modern-day heroes. They have superhuman abilities; they move the masses with few words; and when they lead troops into battle, they emerge victorious to the roar of a crowd. The triumph of an athlete brings unity and patriotism to a divided nation in a way not even their government leaders could. Though momentary, athletes bring unanimous pride to their nation.


Win or lose, national athletes are somewhat local celebrities. In some arenas, individual sportsmen even become international stars. Their games are attended by as large an audience as movies garner, and their actions off the field are scrutinized in the same way that actors are hounded. Because athletes receive celebrity attention, the general public tends to assume they also make movie star-level salaries. This notion could not be further from the truth.

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Like all regular workers, athletes earn a salary. In the bigger leagues like basketball and baseball, all players are paid monthly and given a bonus depending on their performance. In lesser known sports, however, some players are actually taking a pay cut just to continue playing the game they love. This predicament is not at all known to most of the world. Most audiences are shocked to discover that their team favorites are actually going broke.


Athletes in documentaries


Documentaries are films known for exposing the truth. They tackle virtually any industry, and sports are not exempted. Documentaries about athletes have become the method for fans to truly understand their idols. It is in these movies that sports fans realize their favorite athletes are no different from who they are. Golden Globe nominee Edward Bass also produced The Gridiron Heroes Story, telling the plight of high school football player who returned to the field after being paralyzed in a game. Revealing the reality behind football injuries, a documentary titled Head Games was released in 2012 to reveal the physical trauma experienced by various athletes in American sports culture.

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The media may treat athletes with reverence, but through documentaries, fans are able to resonate with players and truly appreciate their feats off the field.


Not all documentaries are as truthful or objective as they claim to be. Reliable stories win awards. A Golden Globe nominee, Edward Bass is the producer of several honest films. You can find in this Facebook page more about his work.

Reality on screen: Producing a documentary film

Just like fictional films, documentary films are created to tell a remarkable story of a real person or a group of people. Documentaries often feature the stories of those who have gone through a difficult struggle, usually a matter of life and death, and managed to survive.

Edward Bass  Image credit: veracityfilms.com

In choosing a story to tell, filmmakers, like Edward Bass, agree that it should be something that the producer, director, and all those who will be closely involved in the production are passionate about. This is because documentary filmmaking requires a lot of patience and commitment. It greatly differs from fictional film production because producing a documentary entails a long period of researching, filming, interviewing, and editing, among many others.

Edward Bass  Image Credit: tecca.com

Research plays a crucial role in the production process, especially in documentary films. Before the filmmakers can record the stories of their subjects, they must first conduct extensive research on the topic and possible sources of information, and make sure that they have the right subjects and have found the right filming locations.

Aside from choosing a story and subject, another crucial process in documentary filmmaking is creating a budget. This can be determined by the number of shooting days, the members of the crew, and the type of equipment to be used.

Edward Bass  Image Credit: wordandfilm.com

After the film has been made, filmmakers are advised to submit their work on local film festivals. Though submitting a film to a local film festival doesn’t guarantee a movie deal, what it can give filmmakers is exposure, especially if the documentary deals with a timely issue and presents a thought-provoking subject.

Visit www.edwardbassfilms.com for more on film production.

Alfred Hitchcock, horror legend

Known as the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock is certainly one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His legacy lives on through the countless classics that film directors and producers, like Edward Bass, take inspiration from when making a film under the horror genre.

Edward Bass Image Credit: fameball.com

Raised by strict Catholic parents, Hitchcock described his childhood as sheltered and lonely. His parents would often resort to extreme punishment, such as sending him to the local police or letting him stand on the foot of the bed. As a result, themes of harsh treatment or wrongful accusations would appear on his films.

Edward Bass Image Credit: indiewire.com

Before becoming a filmmaker, Hitchcock was submitting short stories for The Henley Telegraph, gaining attention for writing twisted endings and disturbed characters. A few decades later, he moved to Hollywood and made films under various genres, including comedy and romance. It wasn’t until the 1950s when he started making a name for himself as a horror legend, producing classics such as Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), and Vertigo (1958). His most famous film, Psycho, which solidified him as the Master of Suspense, was released in 1960.

Edward Bass Image Credit: telegraph.co.uk

Alfred Hitchcock developed many film styles that are still used today. He popularized the MacGuffin, a plot device wherein a detail greatly influences the plot or the character’s actions but is seemingly unimportant to the audience.

Hitchcock’s legacy inspired the film Hitchcock (2012) which stars acclaimed actors Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, and tells the story behind the making of Psycho.

Learn more about film production on this website.

Edward Bass: Where to take the femme fatale next

Film pundits would argue that no one has quite replaced Belle Gunness as the original femme fatale, despite countless Hollywood vixens who give off the vibe. Edward Bass, producer of the life movie of Belle Gunness, would even be hard-pressed to audition new players into this role.

Edward Bass Image Credit: theapricity.com

Some screenplays are written for stars, and some stars are meant to own a screenplay. It’s either there is a dearth of actresses to get the quills of screenwriters moving or the formula for the new femme fatale has not been discovered yet. After all, femininity is moving, and Belle Gunness’ serial killer mode in the early 1900s could pale in comparison with the utter wickedness of female misdeeds that followed.

Edward Bass Image Credit: bellethefilm.com

How Hollywood is shaping its new notion of the femme fatale is, of course, dependent on its market. This time around, female moviegoers are not easily shocked, but they are also easily bored. Producers like Edward Bass would want an upgrade and a modernization on Belle Gunness. The femme fatale is no longer bent on swallowing men whole, she is also working her way up the corporate ladder, conniving to take out the enemy, and sniffing down mediocrity.

Edward Bass Image Credit: Doug Olsen

In the millennial setting, she doesn’t even work underground. She rules from the surface of solid earth, as planted to her roots as the men who have tilled the ground she walks on with their dominance. She doesn’t even have to kill anyone to succeed.

Edward Bass is most recognized as the producer of the Golden Globe-nominated film Bobby (2006). To see his filmography, visit www.edwardbassfilms.com

Defanged: Edward Bass and today’s less frightening movie beasts

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Edward Bass is a producer who has mastered the technique for inspiring fear among his audience. His movies often play on a person’s deepest insecurities—fear of pain, of death, or of being placed in a precarious position. The fear of the unknown is also one of these fears, and he is not the only producer, director, or writer who incorporates this fear in the art of camerawork.


Ghosts and entities of the paranormal and of legend are often effective tools of bringing across a message laced with fear. The most popular characters include vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and witches. For producers like Edward Bass, these are film characters full of potential.




Edward Bass Image Credit: collider.com


However, recent years have seen a change in these concepts. Vampires have evolved to portray beings with a human-like conscience. Werewolves have also become kinder and in control, far from their established characters as violent, beastly creatures.


Genre often has a lot to do with it. Vampires and werewolves were often featured in adventure and horror films. They used to be frightening even in comedies. However, today’s creatures of the dark are no longer as terrifying.




Edward Bass Image Credit: wired.com


Count Dracula returns to his native Transylvania in Disney’s Hotel Transylvania, this time with a teenage daughter named Mavis. Mavis is being pursued by a teenage human boy named Jonathan—but far from plunging a stake through her undead heart, the pursuit falls on the romantic side. In Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, Barnabas Collins is portrayed as an imprisoned vampire who returns to straighten out his dysfunctional family.


Vampires being portrayed as fathers or patriarchs is indeed strange, detached from their original image of being soulless bloodsuckers who take lives without much ado.




Edward Bass Image Credit: pluggedin.com  


Read more about Edward Bass and his movies at www.edwardbassfilms.com.

Completing the circle: Edward Bass on fame, fortune, and disability

Some time ago, Edward Bass went beyond his role as a producer and set up Born Warriors, a network of talents for the handi-capable. Its stable of talents grew to include directors, writers, and filmmakers of every sort.

Edward Bass Image Credit: Bornwarriors.org

The organization had the purpose of eliminating the challenges posed by a highly mobile industry on talents of every sort. Over the course of Born Warriors’ existence, the organization has arranged collaborations between its members and the behemoths of the film industry, including Universal Pictures and Disney.

If there is anything that Born Warriors has set out to—and succeeded in—proving is that disability should never trump talent. Edward Bass has set up a system based on mutual interest instead of charity, and it has been more empowering than any philanthropic effort.

Edward Bass Image credit: Ralphmag.org

Born Warriors’ point has been proven by years of experience. Some of the world’s greatest leaders have been plagued by mental and emotional disorders, which are, in a way, more crippling than a lost limb. Abraham Lincoln was diagnosed of melancholia, a condition now known as depression.

In Hollywood, icons have had conditions that would have otherwise impaired their ability to thrive in the industry. Multi-awarded actors Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss are among the artists said to have been afflicted with various forms of depression.

Like Walt Disney, actors Tom Cruise and George Burns were diagnosed with dyslexia, the condition associated with learning disabilities. Despite their conditions, they have emerged as talented thespians, producers, and filmmakers.

Edward Bass Image credit: Edwardbassfilms.com

For more information about Edward Bass, log on to EdwardBassFilms.com.