New Trend: Posting Deleted Scenes to the Web to Promote Movies

'Knocked Up' is only the latest movie using deleted scenes to try to spark online interest. From the Wall Street Journal:

In recent years, deleted and outtakes scenes have become an important weapon in movie studios' arsenal, encouraging consumers to shell out extra cash for deluxe DVD editions. But as online video reshapes the entertainment landscape, studios are trying something new: throwing deleted scenes online earlier, hoping that they will build buzz for their new releases and quietly letting fans trade them on video-sharing sites.

The new marketing approach has been used only for a handful of comedies. Many surplus scenes from "Borat" appeared online before it came out last fall, but now the practice is spreading. New Line Cinema says it will post outtakes from August's martial-arts comedy "Rush Hour 3" online to promote the release, and Columbia Pictures says it's considering posting deleted scenes from its R-rated coming-of-age comedy "Superbad," also in August.

"It's a little something subversive for the Web audience," says Russell Schwartz, New Line's president of domestic marketing. "They're seeing something they shouldn't be seeing."

The strategy can generate all kinds of blog buzz.