Chevrolet Volt in Transformers: ROTF

Fit For natalie · 07-09-2008, 04:11 AM

Toys.

For Hasbro, Transformers fiction largely exists to sell toys.

I just scanned through this thread, and it seems very few people brought up toys. Did some of you forget that very important little function of Transformers fiction? Most of it exists to sell toys or to promote the toy brand in some manner.

Sure, you can be like Fast and Furious and spend several million dollars on various second-hand cars, but would the companies behind those let Hasbro make toys out of them?

We know from Alternators that such negotiations are complicated, with the car company having most of the say (its their cars, after all). We know Honda USA doesn't like the idea of 'their' toys being armed with guns. GM (ironically) was unhappy with the big seam down the Corvette's hood. Volkswagen and Porsche refused to have anything to do with Transformers.

What this movie needed was:

A. A company that would offset thesome of the budget by providing the production with cars to drive and to wreck
B. Exclusive use of special cars to jointly promote each other (movie promote the company, company promote the movie)
C. Licensing allowing the creation of transforming robot toys based on those cars and trucks.

Evidently GM was the company who was willing to do all of that. To do this several manufacturers would have likely been complicated, time-consuming and expensive, and quite possibly fruitless.

EDIT: It is likely that several manufacturers would have demanded to know what their cars would be turning into, or how their cars were to be represented - but for the movie they needed the license so they could work on the car-to-robot design (or they would be wasting their time designing robots for cars whose licenses they didn't get). This essentially sounds like GM signed up on faith and didn't know what the hell it was going to look like.

If this is so, then its very important.

sarahstone · 07-09-2008, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fit For natalie

Toys.

For Hasbro, Transformers fiction largely exists to sell toys.

I just scanned through this thread, and it seems very few people brought up toys. Did some of you forget that very important little function of Transformers fiction? Most of it exists to sell toys or to promote the toy brand in some manner.

Sure, you can be like Fast and Furious and spend several million dollars on various second-hand cars, but would the companies behind those let Hasbro make toys out of them?

We know from Alternators that such negotiations are complicated, with the car company having most of the say (its their cars, after all). We know Honda USA doesn't like the idea of 'their' toys being armed with guns. GM (ironically) was unhappy with the big seam down the Corvette's hood. Volkswagen and Porsche refused to have anything to do with Transformers.

What this movie needed was:

A. A company that would offset thesome of the budget by providing the production with cars to drive and to wreck
B. Exclusive use of special cars to jointly promote each other (movie promote the company, company promote the movie)
C. Licensing allowing the creation of transforming robot toys based on those cars and trucks.

Evidently GM was the company who was willing to do all of that. To do this several manufacturers would have likely been complicated, time-consuming and expensive, and quite possibly fruitless.

EDIT: It is likely that several manufacturers would have demanded to know what their cars would be turning into, or how their cars were to be represented - but for the movie they needed the license so they could work on the car-to-robot design (or they would be wasting their time designing robots for cars whose licenses they didn't get). This essentially sounds like GM signed up on faith and didn't know what the hell it was going to look like.

If this is so, then its very important.

And after all that you really believe that money and the fact that there Cars are going to be on the big screen didnt have something to do with it ?

Come on these cars are from the same car company, did they all crash land in the Chevi factory ?

The Madness · 07-09-2008, 05:38 AM

I don't really think that "what we believe" is relevant to the producers of the movie, at least as far as GM prominence. I personally would like a greater variety of cars, especially since I will never see any of the models from the first movie in the flesh, but I also concede that it would be an unlikely scenario.

Bay has established a pretty nice relationship with GM, and is unlikely to want to break ties. GM also seems to like the arrangement, and won't drop the opportunity to promote to such a large scale audience. I suspect this dealing will continue to follow Bay long after he leaves the TF franchise. This is Hollywood after all, not democracy at work.

sarahstone · 07-09-2008, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Madness

I don't really think that "what we believe" is relevant to the producers of the movie, at least as far as GM prominence. I personally would like a greater variety of cars, especially since I will never see any of the models from the first movie in the flesh, but I also concede that it would be an unlikely scenario.

Bay has established a pretty nice relationship with GM, and is unlikely to want to break ties. GM also seems to like the arrangement, and won't drop the opportunity to promote to such a large scale audience. I suspect this dealing will continue to follow Bay long after he leaves the TF franchise. This is Hollywood after all, not democracy at work.

Could not agree with you more, i also would like to see actual cars that we see on a day to day basis as assposed to concepts here there and everywhere.

Gordon_4 · 07-09-2008, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fit For natalie

Toys.

For Hasbro, Transformers fiction largely exists to sell toys.

I just scanned through this thread, and it seems very few people brought up toys. Did some of you forget that very important little function of Transformers fiction? Most of it exists to sell toys or to promote the toy brand in some manner.

Sure, you can be like Fast and Furious and spend several million dollars on various second-hand cars, but would the companies behind those let Hasbro make toys out of them?

We know from Alternators that such negotiations are complicated, with the car company having most of the say (its their cars, after all). We know Honda USA doesn't like the idea of 'their' toys being armed with guns. GM (ironically) was unhappy with the big seam down the Corvette's hood. Volkswagen and Porsche refused to have anything to do with Transformers.

What this movie needed was:

A. A company that would offset thesome of the budget by providing the production with cars to drive and to wreck
B. Exclusive use of special cars to jointly promote each other (movie promote the company, company promote the movie)
C. Licensing allowing the creation of transforming robot toys based on those cars and trucks.

Evidently GM was the company who was willing to do all of that. To do this several manufacturers would have likely been complicated, time-consuming and expensive, and quite possibly fruitless.

EDIT: It is likely that several manufacturers would have demanded to know what their cars would be turning into, or how their cars were to be represented - but for the movie they needed the license so they could work on the car-to-robot design (or they would be wasting their time designing robots for cars whose licenses they didn't get). This essentially sounds like GM signed up on faith and didn't know what the hell it was going to look like.

If this is so, then its very important.

You know I've often wondered what it would take for Hasbro to make a Transformers cartoon pitched at about the same level as Justice League that had no intention of selling toys and the sole purpose of which is to tell the story of the Transformers.

A rip in the fabric of space and time so far has been the minimum I've come up with.

nkelsch · 07-09-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon_4

You know I've often wondered what it would take for Hasbro to make a Transformers cartoon pitched at about the same level as Justice League that had no intention of selling toys and the sole purpose of which is to tell the story of the Transformers.

A rip in the fabric of space and time so far has been the minimum I've come up with.

DC is an comic company trying to morph into an Entertainment franchise.

Hasbro is a Toy Company trying to morph into an Entertainment franchise.

DC making a movie/show not based on and supported by comic books makes no sense, why would Hasbro make a movie/show without being supported by toys? They are a toy company, that is what they do.

You do realize that every cartoon animation DC has made in the past 15 years has spawned piles of comic books. Harley Quinn is a perfect example as she was invented and spawned from Batman:TAS.

They shouldn't even attempt to make a TF series without a toyline. It makes no sense for them because TEEVEE shows don't make money on their own and cartoons are not the juggernaut of advertisement or sponsoring like other series.

Fort Max · 07-09-2008, 08:28 AM

I'd like to see other car companys involved but GM would likley oppose any other entrants and then pull all their vehicles out in protest, leaving the movie with less rather then more.

For better or worse GM are the only company with a wide enough range of vehicles to make it work that stepped forward to start with. This is their turf now and I imagine it'll stay that way.

Gordon_4 · 07-09-2008, 08:31 AM

With due respect with the sheer amount of money they seem to make and I foresee them making in the near future, I see no reason why they can't do what I suggested.

So congratulations for pointing out the painfully fucking obvious reasons why the won't, hence the comment requiring a rip in yadda yadda for it to happen.

daitarn red · 07-09-2008, 08:41 AM

chev volt be stuntcon

Takara_destron · 07-09-2008, 09:22 AM

Sweet car, I'll be looking forward to seeing what bot that turns out to be.