Lost University
By Dan Birlew | Posted July 24, 2009 in Television | Comments OffYesterday the ABC network launched LostUniversity.org, which appears to be a fictional college where Lost curricula is taught. Who wouldn’t want to get a degree from there? The site appears to be in the early stages, but already contains a lot of tiny details worth mentioning among Lost fans.
LostUniversity.org, this summer's LOST viral promo.
First and foremost, the school logo is really cute. The mascot is obviously a polar bear, and the seal depicts a flight taking off and a tropical island. Can’t quite make out the Latin inscription surrounding the shield, but if anyone wants to take a crack at it I’d appreciate it.
The video also includes an interesting clip. In one shot, a student walks past a group seated in the grass. The group is attired in 1970′s clothing, indicating that the clip might be from the 70′s. All the other clips in the video feature people in modern dress. Two people seated on the right, appearing to lead the group in discussion, resemble the DeGroots. The DeGroots are the doctorial candidates whose scientific studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor led to the formation of the Dharma Initiative. Last season, Daniel Faraday visited Ann Arbor in the submarine. When he returned to the island afterward, he’d completely changed his mind regarding his philosophy of immovable destiny, or “whatever happened, happened.” Perhaps the Lost University site is giving us some clue that we’ll find out whatever happened in Michigan to change Daniel’s mind, setting in motion the events that led to Season 5′s jaw-dropping conclusion.
In this out-of-place shot in the video...
Gerald and Karen DeGroot appear to be teaching the class.
LostUniversity.org has a sign-up form on the right side of the main page, along with a countdown to student enrollment in September. Meanwhile you can click the various topic links and notice dozens of other clever little details, such as rush week starting at the Epsilon Kappa Omega (EKO) fraternity, or sign-ups for the Smokey Patrol safety commitee.
UPDATE
In what is either another part of the campaign or a separate one altogether, ABC.com will begin releasing segments of a really well-done “documentary” from the 80′s about The Dharma Initiative as a secret society. [Click here] The video even uses old ABC logos from that time period for authenticity. While the first video appears to be just the lead in to the show, the following image flashes onscreen for a moment at 1:22, when the narrator mentions “evil intentions”:
Flashes onscreen during "Mysteries of the Universe"
Though the image is scrambled, notice how there appears to be white wolf’s head in the upper left quadrant of the screen (Since it’s scrambled it would actually be near the bottom right corner of whatever image it’s taken from). If anyone can identify the source of the original image, please let me know.
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