TREVELYAN'S MAINFRAME - FILE: Artwork, Teaser Campaign / Twenty Years Removed

As you continue to dig deeper and deeper into this mainframe, the eye being kept on you watches closer and closer. With that said, closer still watches the public eye each time the next and newest James Bond film is revealed. However, GOLDENEYE would launch a more than memorable teaser campaign that would bring the new face of Bond to light like never before… Your credentials precede you, so access to this file has been granted. The following data is what we have on the teaser campaign artwork for GOLDENEYE, twenty years removed from its original launch.

This transmission begins with a few preliminary data entries that one must be briefed on to better understand the material within this file. So, let’s get into it, shall we? Firstly, it is important to understand that by the time the holiday season of 1995 rolled around, Bond had taken a six year hiatus from appearing on the silver screen. After all, legal trouble and distribution rights can be a terrible business! Secondly, the Bond franchise would fall victim to the stepping away of former agent, Timothy Dalton. As if that didn’t provide enough turbulence, the world in which Bond operated in had changed dramatically. Everything he risked his life and limb for had changed. The Berlin Wall stood no longer, the Soviet Union ceased to exist, and the Cold War had finally thawed. Was England still in need of the Double-0 section of MI6? Had the world of espionage finally crumbled? Did the Bond series run its course? These were all challenges and questions that would have to be faced moving forward. Plenty of pressures faced Bond and his producers, but per Bond fashion, a few better placed bullets would be fired back…

The new face of Bond, Pierce Brosnan, would be a great piece of the revitalizing process, and it was up to the work of famous photographer John Stoddart and art directors Randy Braun and Earl Klasky, to help prove that. Every question and more would be answered with one simple idea, that when it came to James Bond films, there was no substitute. 

As our file suggests, this first teaser style poster would grace theaters by early 1995. As a statement addressing popular action movies at the time, this piece would get audiences excited to see the return of James Bond and confirm the fact that his presence on the silver screen could never be replaced. A close up of Pierce Brosnan’s eye staring down the sites of the famed Walther PPK, with the bold red 007 logo underneath, suggested that something big was on the horizon. The film’s title was only presented in the small print at the bottom of this striking poster, on purpose. Because, despite Janus’ best efforts and the obstacles that the franchise had to clear, Bond was indeed back and that’s all that really mattered.

The intrigue pushed forward by this piece was all it took to really get people talking. Through the clever design, theater goers would be reminded that it was Bond that set the gold standard of action films. As if to silence all the naysayers at once, this bold-yet-classy poster would succeed greatly in its mission to get the imagination of the public flowing and Bond imagery at the forefront of film once again. 

As several Janus reports state, partnered with this promotional piece, was the mouth-watering teaser trailer hidden within the previews before several movies in early 1995. The explosive trailer would cast viewers directly into the action of GOLDENEYE, giving them the first sneak peek of Pierce Brosnan in action. Janus calculated his movements from there. Timing in at about one minute and thirty seconds, United Artists would masterfully present a teaser trailer that would not only further expand on what the teaser poster for GOLDENEYE put into motion, but turn the hype for the upcoming film up several notches.  

“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 clap out loud in the theater, surely the rapid flashing of action starring Pierce Brosnan, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Gottfried John, and Sean Bean was. I must admit, watching it back now gets me to want to watch them film… strictly for archival purposes, of course.  The trailer is capped off with Pierce Brosnan uttering the famous line that no real Bond film should go without, a graphic of the film title, and text reading, “Christmas 1995”. If I can appreciate Bond for one thing, it’s his special knack for making a rather impressive impact.

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 partnered composers Starr Parodi and Jeff Eden Fair would provide a fresh and modern spin on the James Bond theme, specifically made for this GOLDEYE teaser trailer. The theme would immediately be considered iconic and would eventually earn the duo a RIAA Gold Record.

Side notes for this file are rather scarce. Out of all the Bond films’ promotional campaign, GOLDENEYE’s still resonates with many fans as a benchmark shift in the series. And to be fair, 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 nineteen nineties and beyond. The promotional work of the past for the Bond franchise would not be forgotten, just built upon, expanded, and taken much, much farther. The teaser trailer and poster for GOLDENEYE would serve as a new launching pad for the film and the series as a whole. And, I suppose without its great success, I might not be relaying this information to you right now. Putting to rest all the criticism and worries that the Bond franchise faced after six year absence was no small feat. You can thank this campaign and the quality of the film for that!

In conclusion, it is in the best interest of this organization to take note of this campaign. As you continue on, referring back to this strong and primary imagery 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 Janus operatives keep in close mind where it all began.

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.

- End transmission, Trevelyan.