Movie puzzle cache?

[+BirdSearcher]

I am considering making a puzzle cache which would require watching a Hollywood movie in order to get the answers. I have solved a similar one in which most of the answers were in clips that could be found on Youtube, but for my potential puzzle , clips are not available for all the scenes that I want. What are your thoughts on whether this would be interesting or frustrating or would it even be allowed…?

Edited December 10, 2021 by BirdSearcher

[+kunarion]

This has previously come up in the Fori, and it seems like it could be allowed.  I think it would be both interesting and frustrating.

 

Some movies are pretty rare or require a subscription to a particular streaming site, or are only on disc, locked to certain regions.  Those might be challenging.  If you want it to be a cache often found, the trick is ensuring it's a movie that's readily available.

[+BirdSearcher]

Thanks for your reply! Do you have a link to the other forum discussion you mention? 
The movie is available through our library system, therefore ‘free’ in our region ( not sure about other regions though - people who like to solve puzzle caches that they will never search for might be out of luck) 

[+niraD]

1 hour ago, BirdSearcher said:

I am considering making a puzzle cache which would require watching a Hollywood movie in order to get the answers. I have solved a similar one in which most of the answers were in clips that could be found on Youtube, but for my potential puzzle , clips are not available for all the scenes that I want. What are your thoughts on whether this would be interesting or frustrating or would it even be allowed…?

This falls under the "pop culture" section of the guidelines, as explained in the Help Center article Commercial guidelines explained.

[+kunarion]

45 minutes ago, BirdSearcher said:

Thanks for your reply! Do you have a link to the other forum discussion you mention? 
The movie is available through our library system, therefore ‘free’ in our region ( not sure about other regions though - people who like to solve puzzle caches that they will never search for might be out of luck) 

 

Here are a couple that at least touch on the subject:

https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/244865-cache-idea/

https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/111471-puzzle-cache-questions/

 

[+GeoElmo6000]

2 hours ago, BirdSearcher said:

I am considering making a puzzle cache which would require watching a Hollywood movie in order to get the answers. I have solved a similar one in which most of the answers were in clips that could be found on Youtube, but for my potential puzzle , clips are not available for all the scenes that I want. What are your thoughts on whether this would be interesting or frustrating or would it even be allowed…?

 

What are you trying to accomplish with this puzzle?  Is there a certain part of a certain movie that you are trying to highlight?  Or are you trying to make getting an answer a difficult thing to do?

 

There are certain limits to what I'll do for a movie puzzle.  If I'm asked how many times something occurred during the course of a movie, I probably won't do it.  If it has to do with a certain scene then I'll consider seeking out the info.

 

Also, will the finder learn something from this effort, or will they put on blinders to only the information they need to get the green light?

 

Just things to think about, based on puzzle cache experience.

[+BirdSearcher]

Thanks for the tips! I will do a bit more reading & thinking.

Edited December 10, 2021 by BirdSearcher

[Darwin473]

One of my caches is a a Puzzle cache that asks searchers to watch four movies, and the page lists specific scenes in which some numbers are clearly visible on the screen. The movies I picked were old enough and famous enough that the average searcher should be able to get hold of a copy to watch without incurring any costs. Plus since I named specific scenes, it's possible for searchers to find just those scenes online on YouTube, Vimeo or other video hosting sites.

 

I thought it was an interesting enough concept, and it got FTF'd in two days (that's pretty quick for here in Darwin, where we don't have any hard-core FTF chasers), but after the first three finders, nobody else has logged a find since May. So maybe I was wrong on that front?

 

The main tip I would give is to make sure there is no ambiguity in the answers in order to get the coords. For mine, spotting a number on the screen is quite definite. Identifying a colour, naming a brand of clothing, getting a direction are all things that can be subjective (my left / your left, is the dress black and blue or white and gold?) and can lead to frustration. And make sure to include a checker so people can be sure they have the right coords before they go trampling all over the countryside.

[+barefootjeff]

4 minutes ago, Unit473L said:

thought it was an interesting enough concept, and it got FTF'd in two days (that's pretty quick for here in Darwin, where we don't have any hard-core FTF chasers), but after the first three finders, nobody else has logged a find since May. So maybe I was wrong on that front?

 

Eleven of my caches haven't had a find since May, and three haven't had a find this year, something you just have to expect for anything that's not a P&G in a popular spot. Back to the OP's question, there's a puzzle I solved a few years back that required watching at least some of the movie Finding Nemo. We still had video stores then where you could rent older DVDs for a dollar so no problem doing it, but it might be tougher now if you don't have the right streaming subscription.