ATTN JMS: Should we pass the plate around?
UnltdLife
During that whole DVD/video transfer discussion you said:
"So there is no NTSC format widescreen. But you can HAVE an NTSC format
widescreen by just transferring the PAL digibeta tapes to NTSC.
It costs about $1,500 per episode to do this, because it has to be carefully
tweaked to avoid digital artifacting and line trading and the like. (See how
much tech stuff you learn being an exec producer?) WB has been unwilling to
pony up the dough for that transfer. ($1500 x 110 episodes + the 5 movies is a
good chunk of change.)"
Okay. Used my trusty calculator to calculate and came up with $180 000. Now,
if we took up a collection... I'm sure there are at least 180 000 B5 fans out
there that would be glad to part with a buck... I could stick a donation box
out back...
Of course, I'm being silly... and maybe just a little bit serious. If someone
sent WB a check for $180 000 and said, "This is to transfer those pesky
widescreen B5 episodes from PAL to NTSC...," would they do it?
Actually, considering that it cost you guys an average of $800 000 (I think you
said) to produce each B5 episode, $180 000 to transfer the ENTIRE series from
PAL to NTSC seems like it would be pretty trivial for the budget guys at WB.
So what am I asking... In your opinion, is $180 000 pretty unreasonable from
WB's perspective? Are they just afraid it would be a moot investment? Could
the money actually be rasied for that purpose from an outside source?
Thanks.
Jason
PS -- Just got my Centauri Doomsday videos in the mail the other day. It's
been fun rewatching them. Especially reliving the memories of that
cliff-hanger you left us with last year... you evil, evil man... heh.
Jms at B5
>Now,
>if we took up a collection... I'm sure there are at least 180 000 B5 fans out
>there that would be glad to part with a buck... I could stick a donation box
>out back...
No, I think that would be an unfair exploitation of B5 fans. The reality is
that, sooner or later, it *will* be done, because they're marketable
commodities and WB has never missed the chance to make a buck, though in some
areas it just takes 'em a while to figure things out.
jms
(jms...@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
(all message content (c) 2000 by
synthetic worlds, ltd., permission
to reprint specifically denied to
SFX Magazine)
UnltdLife
>that, sooner or later, it *will* be done, because they're marketable
>commodities and WB has never missed the chance to make a buck, though in some
>areas it just takes 'em a while to figure things out.
>
> jms
That's definately a positive and encouraging outlook. Can I hold you to that?
Just kidding. Thanks though.
Jason
Corun MacAnndra
>
>Okay. Used my trusty calculator to calculate and came up with $180 000. Now,
>if we took up a collection... I'm sure there are at least 180 000 B5 fans out
>there that would be glad to part with a buck... I could stick a donation box
>out back...
You need a new trusty calculator. 1,500 x 115 (I included the 5 movies in
the total number) = 172,500 not 180,000.
As fo WB ponying up that much money, heck, my house just sold for more
than that.
Corun
Corun MacAnndra
analysis thing. Let's see if I get this right. JMS, please correct me
if any of my deduces are wild here.
We have 110 episodes plus 5 films multiplied by $1,500 per to produce
in widescreen DVD format for a total cost of approximately (since you
never know what hidden or unexpected additions to cost are going to
occur) $172,500.
Now then, if you put two episodes per DVD disc (but only one film per
disc) to round each disc to (approximately) two hours, you get 60 discs
total. Now if you sell the discs for (oh, let's be generous to WB) for
$25 apiece, Warner Bros stands to make $1,500 per fan (because we're
going to buy all 60 DVDs now aren't we). At this point I'd have to guess
at the total number of Joe's People there are in the world, but let's
take a conservative stance and say there are only 50,000 of us. That
comes out to $7.5M. Now that's what I call a chunk of change.
Maybe it's time to have the boys and girls in Accounting pay a visit
to the WB program directors.
Corun
Mac Breck
news:20000423180226...@ng-fz1.aol.com...
> >Okay. Used my trusty calculator to calculate and came up with $180 000.
> >Now,
> >if we took up a collection... I'm sure there are at least 180 000 B5 fans
out
> >there that would be glad to part with a buck... I could stick a donation
box
> >out back...
>
is
> that, sooner or later, it *will* be done, because they're marketable
> commodities and WB has never missed the chance to make a buck, though in
some
> areas it just takes 'em a while to figure things out.
a while? Tim Conway playing the old man, moves faster!
Remember the skit where Tim played the old man as a fireman and broke every
window in Harvey Corman's mansion? A classic!
Mac
The Nuclear Marine
Corun MacAnndra wrote:
>
> Ok, I decided to do a little creative speculation on this whole DVD/cost
> analysis thing. Let's see if I get this right. JMS, please correct me
> if any of my deduces are wild here.
>
> We have 110 episodes plus 5 films multiplied by $1,500 per to produce
> in widescreen DVD format for a total cost of approximately (since you
> never know what hidden or unexpected additions to cost are going to
> occur) $172,500.
>
Never hold it to that number. Ask a printer how much it is to make 10
books and the ratio is different than if you asked how much for 10 books
and for each additional 10 books (thanks to Lou Zacchi for that one).
Remember this is jms giving his reasonable takes on the chaos that is WB
accounting.
> Now then, if you put two episodes per DVD disc (but only one film per
> disc) to round each disc to (approximately) two hours, you get 60 discs
> total. Now if you sell the discs for (oh, let's be generous to WB) for
> $25 apiece, Warner Bros stands to make $1,500 per fan (because we're
> going to buy all 60 DVDs now aren't we). At this point I'd have to guess
> at the total number of Joe's People there are in the world, but let's
> take a conservative stance and say there are only 50,000 of us. That
> comes out to $7.5M. Now that's what I call a chunk of change.
>
Oh, I may part for the 4 part Severed Dreams set the finale and go on to
the multi-episode stories that tied together. I would definately skip
the rubber suit episodes (infection and grey 17) and Gethemane (I may be
the only fan that hated it) plus others. I feel it is reasonable that
others would follow suit on grabbing the wham episodes. The Fan Club
can confirm this by the tallies of what scripts sold in greater
quantities.
> Maybe it's time to have the boys and girls in Accounting pay a visit
> to the WB program directors.
>
Oh, I would say they should wait till the first two seasons run on
Sci-Fi then present the four-part Severed Dreams in Letter Box to
promote the DVD release (if this a trade-mark idea I release all rights
to it). Let's face the facts that TNT's tantrum has hurt B5 in the
minds of the common viewer.
> Corun
=========================
Christianity is cool until you have to deal with the idiots who think
they know what they're talking about.
Joseph DeMartino
books and the ratio is different than if you asked how much for 10 books
and for each additional 10 books (thanks to Lou Zacchi for that one)."
Except that JMS was giving the per episode cost of remastering, which is
fixed, not replication in which economies of scale come into play. Creating
a single new master for each episode *from which* the DVDs can be mastered
and compressed and authored is what he's talking about. So either $180,000
or $177,000 should be the correct total. (Assuming that the 2-hour TV
movies will cost twice as much to remaster as the 1-hour episodes, and
allowing for the possibility that "The Gathering" - shot for 4:3 only - may
not need to be remastered at all.)
Ask a printer how much it costs to *typeset* a book, without reference to
how many copies will be printed, and you'll get a similar fixed cost. The
$1500 is not a per-unit cost, it is an up front outlay. (Naturally they'll
factor this into the per unit cost when it comes time to price the things,
but amortized over several production runs for the life of the series on
disc that $1500 shouldn't amount to much.)
And while "Grey 17" seems to be almost universally despised, I'd want it for
the Marcus-Delenn-Neroon "B" story which is good in and of itself and very
important to the arc. While I don't doubt some fans will "cherry pick"
their favorite episodes, I don't think you can draw any conclusions from the
script sales. I haven't bought a single script from the fan club, for
instance, but I'll buy every episode on DVD especially if WHV packages them
in season-at-a-time boxed sets at a reasonable price (as Fox is doing with
"The X-Files.")
The "B5" fan base may be smaller than "X-Files" (in the U.S., at least. I
don't know how the two shows stack up internationally) there is considerable
overlap and their demographics and technophilia are comparable. If the
"X-Files" season one set sells well enough, WB may go ahead with the DVDs.
If they calculate the "B5" fanbase as 1/10th that of "The X-Files" and
figure that they can make a profit with 1/10th of "The X-Files" DVD sales,
they'll have no reason *not* to do the show. So that, rather than the SFC
ratings, is likely to be the biggest single "outside" influence on WHV's
decision.
Most of the fans I've spoken to about this subject in the past year plan to
buy every single episode. Given the nature of the arc, "cherry picking"
will be much less attractive to many fans. I'll do that for "Star Trek" and
certainly for "TNG" (there are only a half-dozen episodes of each show that
I think are really worth owning and watching repeatedly) but not for "B5"
Many of the "B5" fans I'm in touch with plan to buy a DVD player for the
express purpose of collecting the show, something WHV also should keep in
mind. (Those people are also going to watch movies on those players, and
WHV is one of the leading producers of DVD movies.)
Regards,
Joe