[UA] Currency (was America by Prime Time)

[John Scott]

At 06:12 18/05/01 +0000, you wrote:

>Some landmarks in Australia, such as Uluru, the Sydney Oera House and the 
>Harbour Bridge, are probably worth a significant charge to cliomancers 
>already. They might start influencing the production of films that are 
>being shot over here to make a few more landmarks "familiar" to the world 
>consciousness.

Or to ruin the familiarity.

Imagine a Cliomancer in LA, tight in the movie business, picking up charges 
from Hollywood.

Imagine said Cliomancer is a dog in the manger type, and doesn't really 
want other cobweb farmers to get on.  Perhaps he's bought in heavily to the 
Atlantean story, and wants to be the High Priest.

So he starts pushing movie makers towards the countries like Australia, the 
UK, New Zealand.  Places that _could_ be in the US, or bits of it.  Places 
that have history.

And he starts muddying the waters.  Make a film ostensibly set in Chicago. 
Really push that in the script - it's the Chicago Police, they wear badges, 
it's painted on the sides of the cars..  Film it in Sydney.  Somewhere in 
the background, show the Sydney Opera House, out of focus, perhaps, but 
there.

Film Buffs with decry the film for this glaring continuity error, but the 
majority of the Sleeping Tiger won't notice, especially if there's a large 
enough explosion centre screen at the time.  But in the back of their head, 
they know that they've seen this weird white building in Chicago.

And as that spreads, the Cliomancer in Sydney, used to picking up his 
sig.charge from the Opera House, suddenly finds that there's not as much 
mojo as there used to be.

John


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