The viral campaign for Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated return to sci-fi, Prometheus, kicked off in a big way with a chilling TED Talk video featuring Guy Pearce’s character from the film. During the pic’s WonderCon panel earlier today, fans were given cards from Weyland Corp that directed them to a website and a phone number. If you call the number, an operator informs you that all Weyland Corp lines are busy, but calls your attention to a text message you’ve just received. The text message gives you a link that directs you to a truly spectacular video narrated by one of the film’s stars. Meet me after the jump to check out the video, talk about it in more detail, and to get a look at the card. If you’d rather be kept in the dark concerning certain plot points for Prometheus (albeit that are being revealed by the studio), I’d advise you to turn back now.

Last week, the viral campaign for Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus began with a TED Talk from the future given by Weyland Industries CEO, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce).  This led to the Weyland Industries website, and now the website has yielded an amazing image.  The high-resolution image shows the star map room glimpsed in the teaser trailer.  It doesn’t really offer up any clues about the film’s plot (at least not that I can see), but the image would make for an awfully pretty desktop wallpaper.

Hit the jump to check out the stunning image.  The film also stars Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, and Michael Fassbender.  Prometheus opens in 3D on June 8th.

TED Talks certainly has a high opinion of itself.  They absolutely earned that opinion, but they think they’re going all the way to 2023.  Through TED magic, they’ve managed to bring us a clip of a TED Talk from Peter Weyland, who is played by Guy Pearce in Ridley Scott‘s upcoming sci-fi film, Prometheus. It’s a clever and captivating piece of viral marketing, and it makes me want a spin-off featuring just Weyland.  Pearce is hypnotic as the ambitious, eloquent, and somewhat terrifying CEO.  His monologue also reveals some important details about the film: 1) His TED talk takes place at least a few years before Prometheus since Weyland mentions that they’ll soon have human-looking androids (Michael Fassbender‘s character is an android); and 2) The thinking behind the man who will send the spaceship Prometheus on its journey.  The speech ends with a line that gave me chills and which I won’t spoil here. One additional note: this appears to be the beginning of a viral/ARG. Click here to go to the Weyland Industries website.

Hit the jump to check out the TED Talk from 2023.  Prometheus also stars Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, and Idris Elba.  The film opens in 3D on June 8th.

Given that Fox’s Alcatraz is produced by J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot production company, the show features a pretty hefty mythological bent alongside its “criminal of the week” procedural aspect. Bad Robot has gone all out on a viral campaign for the show, and we’ve already brought you our report from the viral scavenger hunt event at the actual Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. Today we’re bringing you yet another report on a viral event for the series, this time in the form of a video. Fans were sent to investigate a robbery at Skylight One Hanson, former home of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank in Brooklyn, New York. They followed clues, interrogated “witnesses”, and used tools given to them in order to solve the case.

One of the more crucial aspects of the viral event was the use of a Ford Mustang in their investigation. Participants had to use UV light inside the car to search for fingerprints that lead them to a cryptic Bluetooth message. Interestingly, Ford Motor Company seems to be integrating themselves pretty heavily into the viral campaign in order to advertise their new car. It’s definitely a different approach, and one that we’ll probably see more of in the future. Nevertheless, you can watch the video wrapping up the entire viral event after the jump. Alcatraz airs Mondays at 9/8c.

Last night, Sony Pictures released a new trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man.  We should no longer trust trailers to be just trailers.  New policy: when it comes to blockbuster movies, watch the trailer in HD and then go through frame-by-frame for a hint of a viral campaign.  That may sound crazy, but that’s what you had to do if you wanted to catch the beginning of the viral campaign for The Amazing Spider-Man.

Hit the jump for more.  The Amazing Spider-Man opens in 3D on July 3rd.

The modern era of media is a fractured landscape. Where once 70 million Americans could watch The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, today networks must fight for viewer attention with TiVo, cable, video games and of course, the internet. Simply making a great show is no longer enough. In order to succeed, advertisers must move beyond their actual programming and create something unique and specific in order to instill a deeper emotional connection with consumers.

Perhaps the master of this approach is J.J. Abrams. Between Lost, Cloverfield and Super 8, Abrams has a proven track record of producing Triple-A content matched with innovative and singular marketing. His newest show, Alcatraz, is taking the Brechtian Meta-Reality antics to a whole other level. We’re only three weeks in to the show’s run and already the producer have pulled off one of the best Alternate Reality Game pieces ever. Last Friday, Fox invited the first 312 fans who lined up at San Fransisco’s Dock 33 a chance to participate in a large-scale scavenger hunt on the real Alcatraz. Collider was on the scene and played the game. Hit the jump for a video summary of the action and a detailed breakdown of the ARG madness.

Fox is trying some very fun and innovated approaches to marketing its new J.J. Abram’s produced supernatural procedural Alcatraz. The network began its viral campaign by sending a mysterious box to the Collider offices, then followed up with a premiere party on the island itself (Click here for our red carpet coverage). Now that the show is on the air, the Alternate Reality Game is moving ahead full steam.

Last Friday, the studio held a massive scavenger hunt inside of the prison as part of the www.legendsofalcatraz.com. Collider reader Tucker attended the event and was kind enough to send us a write up and a photo.  Read on for Tucker’s thoughts on the game and a picture of his prizes.

Attention Bay Area readers: how’d you like to spend a strange night on Alcatraz Island? A special exclusive event as part of the viral campaign for Fox’s Alcatraz is set for Friday, January 27th on Alcatraz Island. The event is free, and will be “an exclusive adventure” for the first 302 people who show up at pier 33 tomorrow night at 6pm. The description for the event is as follows:

“Dr. Soto has arranged exclusive night-time access to the Rock for those interested in helping him solve the mysteries for his new book – Legends of Alcatraz”

I’ve watched the first couple episodes of the show, and I found it definitely intriguing. The J.J. Abrams touch is not lost on the series, and this event sounds pretty damn cool. Those wishing to venture onto the island are instructed to bring a flashlight, warm clothes, and a comfortable pair of shoes. Check out more of our coverage of the Alcatraz viral campaign here and here. Hit the jump to check out the official invite for the event.

As you may or may not have seen, a number of outlets have been sent a mysterious metal box containing contents from the new Fox series Alcatraz.  Produced by J.J. Abrams, the hook of the show centers on the sudden appearance of a number of inmates from Alcatraz prison who mysteriously disappeared decades ago.  The contents of the metal case sent to Collider headquarters include a prison cell key, an Alcatraz tour book, a page from a magazine touting Dr. Diego Soto’s (Jorge Garcia) non-fiction book Inmates of Alcatraz, a newspaper clipping, and some postcards.  It’s pretty impressive stuff.  Hit the jump for more, including images of the box’s contents.

As we continue towards the release of The Dark Knight Rises, the film’s viral campaign soldiers onward.  After letting fans know where they could go to see the six-minute prologue (answer: anywhere but Georgia), various websites have received a cylinder with a map on it with a Bane t-shirt inside the cylinder.  When I first saw the t-shirt, I cracked up.  Apparently, Bane’s goals are to take over Gotham, bring down Batman, and make some money from CafePress on the side.  The map of Gotham City is more interesting.  It contains five “strike zones”, but this isn’t a real-world Alternate Reality Game hunt since—and I hate to be the one to tell you this—Gotham City is fictional.

Hit the jump to check out the shirt and the cylinder map.  The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.  The six-minute prologue will be attached to some IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol tomorrow.

UPDATE: We’ve been sent the t-shirt and map. We’ve added 17 high resolution photos.

Recent UCLA film school graduate Tim Schechmeister has spent the last few months on the festival circuit with Viral, the horror short film he wrote with his brother Matt.  Schechmeister met Stephen Susco (writer of The Grudge and its sequel) at a screenwriting event in the summer, and handed him a business card with a link to the short.  Susco was impressed, and showed it to his Grudge producer Roy Lee.  Lee brought fellow producer Lawrence Grey in to pitch it to Screen Gems, who has now picked up the rights to adapt the short into a feature-length movie.  The system works!  The Schechmeister brothers will write the film, with Tim set to direct again.  Susco, Lee, and Grey will produce alongside John Middleton.

Viral is an 11-minute tale about a cyberbully that incorporates supernatural elements.  Hit the jump more info on the short, plus a trailer.

As The Dark Knight Rises revved up their viral campaign earlier this week , it overshadowed other movies in the midst of their own marketing. The Dark Knight Rises’ “Operation Early Bird” granted early access to the prologue for people close to specified IMAX theaters and a new trailer is expected to drop on Monday. However, there are other properties that are vying for your attention and your dollars, such as Men in Black 3, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Darkest Hour and The Hunger Games. Hit the jump for an update on each of these unique campaigns.

After The Dark Knight launched its viral “Why So Serious?” campaign way back in 2007, the movie obviously went on to be a smash. How much of that was due in part to alternative marketing is up for debate, but with The Dark Knight Rises just around the corner, it’s no surprise that we might be seeing the beginning of another viral run-up. Recently, The Wrap (via Movie Viral) interviewed Jeff Robinov, the President of Warner Bros. Motion Pictures, who said that the “marketing strategy will definitely evolve” from the previous Batman installment.

Hot on the heels of that quote, Empire and Wired (via Movie Viral) received two separate “CIA documents” concerning a Dr. Leonid Pavel. While that name doesn’t yet ring a bell, readers over at ComingSoon connected Pavel’s mugshot to that of actor Alon Aboutboul, who has a role in The Dark Knight Rises. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but hit the jump to check the documents out just the same. [Update: A new document has been added along with a link to a countdown timer ; you can check them out after the jump.]

The official Tumblr for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, “Mouth Taped Shut”, has released a new viral video filled with fun moments to scour.  For those unfamiliar with the story, Dragon Tattoo centers on a disgraced journalist (Daniel Craig) who’s hired to investigate the mysterious 40-year-old disappearance of a young woman.  The Super 8 style clip from Mouth Taped Shut has the viewer driving down a bridge, but the time period appears to be in the 1960s when the girl disappeared (the novel came out in 2005; I know how to do math…kind of).  One sharp-eyed commenter has pointed out that one of the license plates has the word “Glance” written backwards.  Another deduced that one of the tags on the article, “WIHIS” stood for “What Is Hidden in Snow”, followed to a URL, and then discovered that the grid on the site changed if she added a slash to the URL (although I tried this and couldn’t get it to work).

Check out the video after the jump and see if you spot anything.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo opens December 21st.

As I type these words, I’m sitting in my hotel room in Bucharest.  I’m here in Romania for something that I’ll write about at some point next year.  However, while walking towards Old Town (a very popular location filled with bars and restaurants) with a few people tonight, I came across an awesome viral campaign for True Blood that I had to share.

While True Blood has already aired the 4th season on HBO in the United States, over in Romania, the show only returned a few days ago.  So to help promote it, someone had the great idea to take a busy fountain in the center of town and turn it blood red.  Trust me, it looks fantastic and it’s one of the coolest viral campaigns I’ve seen.  Hit the jump for some images and I also shot some video on my flip.