DVD Talk review of 'Jason of Star Command - The Complete Series'
05-30-07, 01:07 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Kentucky, USA
Posts: 690
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DVD Talk review of 'Jason of Star Command - The Complete Series'
I read Stuart Galbraith IV's DVD review of Jason of Star Command - The Complete Series at http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=28330 and...
The show was shot on 16mm, not 35, which would go some way to explaining Stuart's issues with the picture quality. Add to that, the fact that Hallmark (previous owners of the Filmation material) had all the 16mm elements converted to PAL video for syndication (but not NTSC) back in the early 1990s, and then presumably disposed of the original film elements, leaving us with only PAL-format masters of the vast bulk of the Filmation library.
Yes, Stuart, if the 15-minute episodes are divided the way you say, then yes, they are derived from the above-mentioned syndiation copies. I have off-air PAL VHS recordings from the UK Sci-Fi Channel, and they always showed two chapters in a 30-minute slot, with the commercial placed between the ending of the first chapter and the beginning of the second. I explained all of this to the BCI people and there's really no reason why they couldn't have at least added the opening credits to all the even-numbered chapters if they were going to the trouble of splitting them back in two.
The end credits for all the odd-numbered ones were probably destroyed with the film (and probably not transferred to tape). I did provide BCI with poor-quality off-air (CBS) recordings of all the odd-numered endings (and all the even-numbered "scenes from last episode" reprises) so they could see what was snipped and restore as extras, etc. if they wished. I've not seen the set yet (still waiting on my complimentary copy), but I would assume they didn't make the grade as extras (as I said, they were poor quality).
The show was shot on 16mm, not 35, which would go some way to explaining Stuart's issues with the picture quality. Add to that, the fact that Hallmark (previous owners of the Filmation material) had all the 16mm elements converted to PAL video for syndication (but not NTSC) back in the early 1990s, and then presumably disposed of the original film elements, leaving us with only PAL-format masters of the vast bulk of the Filmation library.
Yes, Stuart, if the 15-minute episodes are divided the way you say, then yes, they are derived from the above-mentioned syndiation copies. I have off-air PAL VHS recordings from the UK Sci-Fi Channel, and they always showed two chapters in a 30-minute slot, with the commercial placed between the ending of the first chapter and the beginning of the second. I explained all of this to the BCI people and there's really no reason why they couldn't have at least added the opening credits to all the even-numbered chapters if they were going to the trouble of splitting them back in two.
The end credits for all the odd-numbered ones were probably destroyed with the film (and probably not transferred to tape). I did provide BCI with poor-quality off-air (CBS) recordings of all the odd-numered endings (and all the even-numbered "scenes from last episode" reprises) so they could see what was snipped and restore as extras, etc. if they wished. I've not seen the set yet (still waiting on my complimentary copy), but I would assume they didn't make the grade as extras (as I said, they were poor quality).
Last edited by mythmaker18; 05-30-07 at 01:14 PM.
05-30-07, 06:22 PM
#2
DVD Talk Reviewer
All very interesting, and what you say goes a long way to explain the PAL-to-NTSC look of the series. I based my assumption about 35mm after talking with a filmmaker friend who, back in 1978, worked on the series as an extra. He swore that the show was shot in 35mm but I suspect you're right about it being shot in 16.
06-04-07, 04:43 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Kentucky, USA
Posts: 690
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by S Galbraith IV
I based my assumption about 35mm after talking with a filmmaker friend who, back in 1978, worked on the series as an extra. He swore that the show was shot in 35mm but I suspect you're right about it being shot in 16.
