ATTN JMS: Director cuts of episodes
Jms at B5
>and Crusade?
No, because they only existed in digitized form on the avid editing machines,
there aren't any director's cuts on film in TV.
jms
(jms...@aol.com)
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BRETNTRACI
>there aren't any director's cuts on film in TV.
>
But you said that once about the pilot before long before the TNT "Special
Edition" but it happened, so why the point blank "no" this go around.
these quotes are atributed to you on the Lurker's Guide.
"Will there be a director's cut?"
The odds are zero, since the first version of the B5 pilot existed only as a
computer-graphic file edited movie. It wasn't edited on film, for real, until
we'd pared it down. We'd have to go in and totally re-edit and re-score, and I
doubt that's going to happen.
The problem is that, unlike a motion picture, where you produce a cut on film,
which you then trim down, we're editing on computerized image files. We don't
get around to finally cutting the film until we've made our final edits. So no
complete version ever existed on film. The most that could be done is get those
25 minutes and *build* a new version with that footage...which would require
additional scoring, editing, and other stuff.
The computerized cut of the pilot is now dumped out of memory, and those
portions only exist on a few VHS tapes of marginal quality. Also, the footage
in computer file form is *very* low grade, like a poorly scanned gif file, very
low resolution. It would be useless on a laser disk.
Jms at B5
>Edition" but it happened, so why the point blank "no" this go around.
>
The "Special Edition" is NOT a director's cut. It is another producer's cut.
What you saw in the original version of the pilot was with very few exceptions
what the director assembled. What is in the special edition is what Copeland
and I were able to re-edit after having done the show for a while.
Sure, anyone can go in and re-edit the various episodes, but that isn't the
same thing as a specific director's cut, and those are gone.
BRETNTRACI
>same thing as a specific director's cut, and those are gone.
OK, sorry, miscommunication.
I *think* the original intent of the question was pretty much -- Will we ever
see longer versions of episodes (like on DVD editions) with footage filmed but
not used -- a la "The Gathering."
Jms at B5
> I *think* the original intent of the question was pretty much -- Will we
>ever
>see longer versions of episodes (like on DVD editions) with footage filmed
>but
>not used -- a la "The Gathering."
>
Highly unlikely, given the cost and the number of episodes involved and the
need to track down all that footage.
John W. Kennedy
>
> >Sure, anyone can go in and re-edit the various episodes, but that isn't the
> >same thing as a specific director's cut, and those are gone.
>
> I *think* the original intent of the question was pretty much -- Will we ever
> see longer versions of episodes (like on DVD editions) with footage filmed but
> not used -- a la "The Gathering."
In addition to the other points JMS has made, there's a lot of work to
do after a cut is made. Music. Foley. And I wouldn't be surprised if
color balancing, etc., were done at that step, too.
("The Gathering" was redone because JMS _always_ thought the original
cut was _bad_. Cuts within episodes made for time are only "too bad",
which is a very different thing from "bad".)
--
-John W. Kennedy
-rri...@ibm.net
Compact is becoming contract
Man only earns and pays. -- Charles Williams