The idea for this interactive initiative started towards the end of September 2003, in Southern Ontario, Canada, when a small group of friends, attending their 'umpteenth' viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl , decided they were so impressed with Johnny Depp's fascinating interpretation of Captain Jack Sparrow, that they felt they had to pay tribute to him in some way.
It had been previously discussed that the proper way to honor Johnny would be during his opening scene, at the moment when he stands to salute the hanging pirates. So on this particular Sunday, these avant-garde fans comprised of both adult men and women, rose and saluted Johnny in the exact manner and in perfect timing to the way that he saluted the pirates. The reaction from the rest of the audience was laughter and applause.
At an online fan forum, Laura mentioned her experience and her ideas of how POTC would be a great movie for audiences to interact with the characters on-screen. Several other members thought that it was a fine goal, to be sure...so together with "neophyte" from Illinois, the website was created.
Immediately, POTC fans signed on to help promote the idea across North America. They were from New York, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, California, North Carolina, Oregon and Utah, as well as British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario....altogether, an able-bodied crew, faithful hands before the mast and definitely worth their salt. Being crazy to boot was an asset.
In the first month, we received inquiries and stories of interactions from people as far as Scotland, England, Europe and Australia and had over 3000 visitors to our site. This was a clear indication to us of how popular the movie is and how anxious fans are to have fun with one of the best movies to hit the theaters in a long time.
Now as long as you've read this far and are still hanging here, pay attention..."The only rules that really matter are these: what a man can do and what a man can't do." Robert's your uncle, Fannie's your aunt and Pirates of the Caribbean will be around in theaters for as long as we can possibly get it to stay. This website seeks to generate enthusiasm for audiences to interact with the film, if they are so inclined to acquiesce!
