ATTN JMS: Thanks for Jeremiah (and HDTV!)
Robert Levandowski
Thanks for Jeremiah. While others may go on about the unfortunate loss
of B5:LotR, I'm cherishing a new show in a new universe. After watching
tonight's episode, I'm especially glad that Mr. Egan has clearly studied
your "little tricks" of writing that made me love Babylon 5. (The real
test, of course, will be if he can write cliffhangers that leave me
shouting "Egan, you BASTARD!" at the television, and muttering for days,
the way you can... :)
I also wanted to thank you (and Showtime) for filming in widescreen and
with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Two weeks ago, I got a HDTV cable box
from my cable company, and Showtime HD is one of the two HDTV channels I
get. I was very happy to see that Jeremiah is shown in "original aspect
ratio" 16:9, and in DD5.1. The show sounds great in 5.1! An extra
bonus is that Showtime apparently can't "scrunch" credits in HD yet, so
the end credits play full-screen with the unadulterated closing score.
A few questions...
Did Showtime ever consider airing the show letterboxed on standard
definition Showtime, or did the pay-TV industry skittishness about
letterboxing prevent that from even being a possibility from the start?
Compared to a lot of TV and movie music, the opening credits music seems
a bit "thin." The flutes are pretty soft, considering they carry the
theme, and there's not a lot of "oomph" to the theme. In a word, it's
muted. Was this a conscious decision, to set the tone of the show?
You'd mentioned a while back that you didn't think HDTV was ready to be
used in a show of this nature. I notice that Showtime indicates that
Jeremiah is "upconverted," presumably from a 480i widescreen master. It
looks pretty good on my 16:9-capable 4:3 TV at 1080i even so. How'd
this work out? Did Showtime ask you to do anything special to let them
air in "kinda hi def?" Any signs that real 1080i might be feasable for
future seasons?
Rob Levandowski
Paul McElligott
> Did Showtime ever consider airing the show letterboxed on standard
> definition Showtime, or did the pay-TV industry skittishness about
> letterboxing prevent that from even being a possibility from the start?
>
HBO has shown "The Sopranos" and "Band of Brothers" in letterbox.
David Chapple
"Paul McElligott" <mcell...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:c926b0f.02041...@posting.google.com...
I thought that HBO used to first-run the Sopranos in standard format and
only in reruns do they show it in letterbox format.
If this is the case, then maybe Showtime has something similar planned for
Jeremiah.
Just a guess.
Anybody know for sure?
Dave
Mark Private
About the Sopranos, yeah, last season the debut airing of each ep was
simultaneously letterboxed on HBO and full-screen on HBO Plus (or vice
versa). About Showtime/Jeremiah, I have no idea.
As long as I'm posting, I'd like to echo (pardon the pun) the original
poster's praise for the DD5.1 sound. I've spent more time than I
probably should've in pool halls, so I know what it sounds like when
balls are struck behind me. The foley artists and sound mixer got it
perfect. There were also a couple of instances when doors opening OS
made me glance in that direction. (D'oh!)
Mark