JMS to remove commentaries from Crusade DVDs.
02-03-05, 10:29 AM
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JMS to remove commentaries from Crusade DVDs.
From TVShowsOnDVD.com
Well, looks like I may have to buy this set soon if I want these commentaries.
Last June we reported that Babylon 5 and spin-off Crusade creator/producer J. Michael Straczynski had recorded commentary tracks for the Crusade - The Complete Series DVD set that was released this past December 7th. Now Straczynski has posted info that his commentary tracks will be removed from future pressings of the set!
Fansite FirstOnes.com has posted the text of Straczynski's recent message about his latest goings-on, and from his long note, this is the portion which talks about his insistance to Warner that the commentaries be removed:
On the subject of the Crusade DVD commentary...I see another fairy tale looming in the future...WB has agreed, after quite a bit of noise, to remove the commentary that I did from all future pressings of the set, since that was the deal that we had made: use it all, including the explanation of what happened, or use none of it. So those of you who have your DVDs now, and for the next bit, will have that commentary. Those afterward won't. I don't know when the next pressing will be, but whenever that is, is when the change takes place.
So we imagine that the existing sets will now fly off the shelves, in order for fans to get Straczynski's commentary tracks on them. But don't forget that this is the edited-down version of his comments, and that the whole story isn't on there.
Fansite FirstOnes.com has posted the text of Straczynski's recent message about his latest goings-on, and from his long note, this is the portion which talks about his insistance to Warner that the commentaries be removed:
On the subject of the Crusade DVD commentary...I see another fairy tale looming in the future...WB has agreed, after quite a bit of noise, to remove the commentary that I did from all future pressings of the set, since that was the deal that we had made: use it all, including the explanation of what happened, or use none of it. So those of you who have your DVDs now, and for the next bit, will have that commentary. Those afterward won't. I don't know when the next pressing will be, but whenever that is, is when the change takes place.
So we imagine that the existing sets will now fly off the shelves, in order for fans to get Straczynski's commentary tracks on them. But don't forget that this is the edited-down version of his comments, and that the whole story isn't on there.
Well, looks like I may have to buy this set soon if I want these commentaries.
02-03-05, 11:04 AM
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DVD Talk Hero
Why do studios edit commentaries anyways? They already put up disclaimers absolving themselves of everything. And it's not like the commnetary says that the studio eats children. What are they scared of? The truth? Everyone already knows what happened, it's just nice to get the details from the creators.
(though imagine how pissed people would be if the future pressings had the unedited commentaries instead)
(though imagine how pissed people would be if the future pressings had the unedited commentaries instead)
02-03-05, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by slop101
Why do studios edit commentaries anyways? They already put up disclaimers absolving themselves of everything. And it's not like the commnetary says that the studio eats children. What are they scared of?
Burning bridges is not the Hollywood way.
02-03-05, 01:18 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by Mike Lowrey
I assume that by what he means "what happened" is what happened that caused the cancellation of the series before it even began?
This post provides a bit more context for the pulling of the commentaries, straight from the horse's mouth:
http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-17253
02-03-05, 05:57 PM
#8
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Ouch. Guess I'll have to pick this up sooner than I had anticipated.
02-03-05, 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted by nemein
um... it all kind of smells like a marketing gimmick to me.
I bought every one of the B5 releases on or about release day, but with Crusade, I just haven't picked it up yet for several reasons. One being just that above (incomplete season/series), and quite frankly, not all that interested in the story line (mainly because it wasn't finished.)
02-04-05, 06:14 PM
#11
DVD Talk Hero
Here's JMS on the subject:
Yes, that's exactly what happened.
I sat down to watch the DVD set yesterday, having picked it up at the local
store, and went to the commentary. I'd put that information at the very start
of my commentary.
Now, understand: what I'd told WB was this....if you want me to do the
commentary, my requirement is that you let me tell what really happened. If
you want to use the commentary, you have to leve that in. If you don't want to
have that in, then don't use the commentary at all. Everybody agreed.
So I started it up...listened...and it was gone.
In its place is a segment taken from the on-camera interview.
This was the one tape they didn't send me for approval, which being busy I
didn't track back, but I was always told there wasn't a problem. At no time
did ANYONE from WB or New Wave Entertainment tell me that this was being done.
Doing these DVDs was the only way I had to date to get the bad taste of that
experience out of my mouth, the sheer dishonesty and rudeness of it all.
So much for that goal.
The term "furious" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm normally a very quiet,
soft spoken kind of guy.
But last night I broke the sound barrier and the dictionary all at the same
time.
Furious.
You have no idea.
jms
I sat down to watch the DVD set yesterday, having picked it up at the local
store, and went to the commentary. I'd put that information at the very start
of my commentary.
Now, understand: what I'd told WB was this....if you want me to do the
commentary, my requirement is that you let me tell what really happened. If
you want to use the commentary, you have to leve that in. If you don't want to
have that in, then don't use the commentary at all. Everybody agreed.
So I started it up...listened...and it was gone.
In its place is a segment taken from the on-camera interview.
This was the one tape they didn't send me for approval, which being busy I
didn't track back, but I was always told there wasn't a problem. At no time
did ANYONE from WB or New Wave Entertainment tell me that this was being done.
Doing these DVDs was the only way I had to date to get the bad taste of that
experience out of my mouth, the sheer dishonesty and rudeness of it all.
So much for that goal.
The term "furious" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm normally a very quiet,
soft spoken kind of guy.
But last night I broke the sound barrier and the dictionary all at the same
time.
Furious.
You have no idea.
jms
