As you dig deeper and deeper into this mainframe's files, the eye being kept on you watches ever closer. With that said, closer still watches the public eye each time the newest James Bond film is revealed. GOLDENEYE would launch a more than memorable teaser campaign, bringing the new face of Bond boldly into the spotlight like never before…
Your credentials are confirmed, so access to this next file has been granted. The following data is all we have on the teaser campaign artwork for GOLDENEYE, thirty removed from its original launch.
Operative: Janus
File: Teaser Campaign Artwork
Report From: St. Petersburg
Lat: 59.9311 N
Long: 30.3609 E
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TREVELYAN:
This transmission begins with a few preliminary data entries that one must be briefed on to better understand the material further within. So, let’s get on with it, shall we?
Firstly, it's important to understand the James Bond franchise's situation and what a new film would have to face prior to GOLDENEYE's theatrical release. Due to legal rights disputes between production and distribution entities, the series found itself in the midst of its longest experienced hiatus to date. The future of Bond was casted into the shadows, with a new film's chance of coming to fruition at all falling into serious question. By the time the holiday season of 1995 rolled around, it had been a long six years since James Bond had graced the silver screen. Legal trouble, money disputes, and distribution rights can be a filthy business...
Secondly, Timothy Dalton's contract had expired by the end of 1993. With the franchise in limbo and fears of his third Bond film never coming to pass, Dalton announced that he was stepping away from the role in the spring of 1994. So, the James Bond franchise lost its lead, along with any familiar on-screen cast that had aged out or decided not to wait around for the next film.
If those reasons didn’t provide enough turbulence, the world in which Bond operated in had changed quite dramatically. Everything James Bond had risked his life and limb for in the past had changed. The Berlin Wall stood no longer, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and the Cold War had finally thawed. All whiched begged the question: Did England still need the Double-0 section of MI6? Had the world and themes of classic espionage become obsolete? Had the Bond series finally run its course? These were the challenges and questions to be tackled head-0n moving forward. Plenty of pressures faced the franchise and its producers, but a few well-placed bullets, marked boldly with the number 007, would be fired back…
The new face of Bond, Pierce Brosnan, would be a great piece of the revitalization process. Then, it was up to the work of famous photographer, John Stoddart, and art directors Randy Braun and Earl Klasky, to help prove that. Any and all doubts would be silenced with one simple idea; when it came to James Bond, there was no substitute.
Our file suggests that this first teaser-style poster would have appeared in theaters in early 1995. Outfitted with a steady aim and a bold statement, all action movies of the time would be placed on notice at once: Agent 007 was officially on his way. This strong piece would not only get audiences excited to see the debut of a new actor as James Bond, but also confirm the fact that Bond's presence in film could never be replaced.
...and yes, that even applies to you, Ethan Hunt.
A close up of Pierce Brosnan’s eye staring down the iron sites of the famed Walther PPK and the bold, red 007 logo underneath suggested that something big was on the horizon for the franchise. The film’s official title was only presented in the very small credit print at the bottom of this striking poster, on purpose. Despite Janus’ best efforts and the obstacles that the franchise had to clear in the physical (and legal) world, Bond was indeed back and he was to be the focus. To the audience and the filmmakers, that’s all that really mattered.
From the shadows, GOLDENEYE's teaser poster emerged and was all it took to really get filmgoers talking. Through the clever design, fans would be reminded that it was indeed the Bond films that had set the gold standard of espionage/thriller movies that had since followed. As if to silence all the naysayers at once, this bold-yet-classy poster would succeed greatly in its mission to secure the imagination of the public and the iconic imagery of Bond at the forefront of film once again. Bond wasn't dead... very far from it, in fact.
As several Janus operative reports state, partnered with the teaser poster, was the mouth-watering teaser trailer hidden within the previews presented before several movies in early 1995. Unexpected, and well before days of dependable internet, this explosive trailer would cast viewers directly into the action of GOLDENEYE, giving them their first look of Pierce Brosnan in action.
Of course, I anticipated his every move from there.
In only about one minute and thirty seconds, United Artists and EON Productions would masterfully present a lightning-fast teaser trailer that not only further expanded on what the teaser poster for GOLDENEYE had put into motion, but supercharged the excitement for the upcoming James Bond film into the next gear!
That was one of my favorite trailer experiences. It was pre internet. I knew about Brosnan losing the role to Dalton, and I knew it had been a long time since Licence to Kill. But I knew nothing about this. I thought Bond was over.... Then this trailer suddenly started playing in the movie theater... Imagine having no idea what this was when it starts. - reddit user 'Zortic' (via r/JamesBond, 2022)
Attached to films “It’s a new world, with new enemies, and new threats. But, you can still depend on one man… 007!” can be read within the first thirty seconds of the trailer. Now, if that didn’t get fans to salivate in their seats, surely the rapid flashing of action starring Pierce Brosnan, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Gottfried John, and Sean Bean must've been. The internet is filled with threads on the very subject, with the witnessing of this trailer considered as some of viewers' fondest film preview memories of all time!
I must admit, even now, any time I watch it back, I want to watch this film…
Erm, strictly for archival purposes, of course.
The trailer is capped off with Pierce Brosnan uttering the famous line that no Bond film should go without, a graphic of the film's title, and text announcing, “Christmas 1995”. If I can appreciate this teaser trailer for only one thing, it is its ability to make a rather impressive impact in a very short amount of time. I daresay some of the very best and most memorable sequences from the film are compressed and presented here.
Directed by MGM/UA's Executive Vice-president of worldwide advertising, Joe Nimziki, this ad campaign ensured moviegoers that 007 was still relevant in the 1990's and that Pierce Brosnan would be more than up for the job as the Bond for a new generation.
There really wasn’t anything at the time we looked to for inspiration. I knew I wanted to do a special shoot to introduce Pierce in a cool a way. And I knew I wanted to up the ante on the typical adrenaline and visceral experience in that first piece. - Joe Nimziki (via GOLDENEYE DOSSIER interview, 2021)
The full interview hosted by my opposite number within THE GOLDENEYE DOSSIER can be found here.
Our data also suggests that the theme music heard in the teaser trailer is widely considered to be another key to the success of the teaser campaign of GOLDENEYE. Sources indicate that American, partner-composers Starr Parodi and Jeff Eden Fair would provide this fresh and modernized spin on the James Bond theme, specifically made for the 1990s and this teaser trailer. This version of the theme would become immediately iconic, earning the duo a RIAA Gold Record.
Side notes for this file are rather scarce, but out of all the Bond films’ promotional campaigns, GOLDENEYE’s still resonates with many fans as a benchmark shift in the series. With all things considered, the effectiveness of the teaser campaign of GOLDENEYE could not be denied. It would undoubtedly redefine who and what Bond was to become into the mid-nineties and beyond. The promotional work of the past for the Bond franchise would not be forgotten, just built upon, expanded, and ultimately taken much, much farther.
The teaser poster and subsequent trailer for GOLDENEYE would serve as a new launching pad for the film and the series as a whole. Thus, all the criticism and worries that the had surrounded the Bond franchise during a six-year absence was erased... no small feat. Before the film itself, you can thank this campaign for its aid in that!
In conclusion, it's in the best interest of this organization to take note of this teaser campaign. As you continue on, referring back to this strong, iconic work from time to time may serve you well. It marks the beginning of a new era for MI6, James Bond, and the Janus Syndicate. After all, only the smartest of operatives keeps a close eye on where it all began, all those years ago.
That’s about all we’ve gathered on the subject, old boy. You’ve been given a preview of what’s to come. Your orders are to respond accordingly. Much like the teaser work, I trust you won’t let me down…
Trust? What a quaint idea.
-TREVELYAN
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