Live Chat With Van Ling December 9th 2002  

Subject:  Live Chat with Van Ling
Date:  December 9th,  2002


<RonEpstein> Good Evening everyone. I'd like to welcome everyone to our chat
this evening with DVD Producer Van Ling

<ParkerClack> Howdee Van

<VanLing> wow, lots of folks seem to be on.   Hi, Ron!  Hi, Parker, Hi, everybody.
 I sound like Dr. Nick Riviera!

<RonEpstein> Yes you do!

<ParkerClack> That better than Dr. Phil

<VanLing> Fair enough

<RonEpstein> I am going to open up the floor for anyone that wishes to ask a question.  
We have a small group here tonight so I am sure that everyone will have a chance to probe
Van's mind.

<Tony-B> hi Van

<VanLing> Aaack...! Not the mind probes again!!  Hi, Tony

<Tony-B> anyways, great job with the DVDs that you make
What is your favorite special feature on DVD?

<VanLing> Thanks for the kind words. Good question.   I think a good documentary, when
it's possible, is one of my favorites.   I like all sorts of different stuff...but anything that illuminates
the filmmaking or storytelling process  makes me happy, whatever the form it takes, commentary,
doc or whatever.  

<MichaelK> Thanks for stopping by, Van. As an avid Mac user, have you seen any movement
at all toward cross-platform support for interactive features? Do any of the studios seems more
Mac-friendly than others?

<VanLing> I WISH!   Sadly, it's not a matter of one studio over another.  I think that PCs have the
advantage not only because they have probably 95% of the user base,  but because Apple isn't
doing enough to pursue that market or even stake a claim in it.  But if Paul McCartney can get
it moving, that's great!   The studios aren't saying, let's exclude Macs...it's just a cost issue of who
is going to build for Mac users  as companies like InterActual get further along, they are trying to
get more Mac stuff going

<JeffKleist> How does it feel to be known as "The Easter Egg Guy", and do you still have your
Power Loader suit and where can we find a picture?   Oh, and where is your  dog in Abyss? Come
on, it's been over 3 years now! No one's ever going to find it. PLEASE with milk and honey on top?

<VanLing> Lord, am I still the Easter Egg Guy?? ;-)   The powerloader suit is gathering dust in
my parents' basement, where I should belong.  I'm not sure if there's a picture anywhere... maybe in
an old Starlog... maybe I'll hide that on a DVD somewhere.   As for my dog's picture, I've been
wracking my brain trying to remember how to get to it myself!   Seriously.   It's not something
anyone would find, and it involved pressing the down arrow five times and then entering 15 and
then entering 21 and there was something else in there that I missed, so I can't get to it myself anymore.
I'll have to check to see if I wrote it down... sorry!  

<AaronMK> Thanks for being here. I was wondering if you could break down where the production
DVD goes (or percents if easier).  (ie, $x for transfer, $y for supplements, $z for actual discs etc.) And,
all other things being equal, how much of a cost difference is there to the studio when it is a two disc
set instead of a one disc?

<VanLing> DVD producers are normally only involved in the budgeting of the middle item you
mentioned.   The transfer costs are borne by the studios who have a vested interest in doing it right,
so it doesn't just go to the lowest bidder but transfers can typically cost upwards of $50K to even
$150K or more if there's a lot of cleanup.  By the same token, the actual replication of DVDs and the
authoring compression is also done and budgeted by the studio.   They don't want to cheap out there,
either.  Obviously, a 2-disc set costs more to author than a 1-disc set and depending upon the
complexity of the disc design (like some of mine!), the QC cost can be quite high!   I know that some
big special editions can cost as much to compress and author as it costs to transfer to HD, in the
ranges I mentioned earlier.   As for special features, DVD producers are typically given either a
fixed range or are asked to provide a proposal with a budget.

<John_Simon> Thanks for coming, Van.  What can you tell us about the special features that were
put together for True Lies: SE?  And speaking of big special editions, can you give us any word on
what DVDs you've got coming up?

<VanLing> Nothing I can really talk about, John... and the True Lies DVD is still on hold, but I'm
still collecting materials --  "Still collating", as Ash would say... ;-)

<VanLing> What do you want to see on True Lies?  That's an open question to everybody.
 

<Tony-B> multi angle
<Jake_Jarmel> deleted scenes
<Tom_Ryan> Cameron commentary :)
<John_Simon> My dream would be a commentary by Cameron, but we all know that won't happen
<VanLing> That's an open question to everybody.
<Tony-B> multi angle
<Jake_Jarmel> deleted scenes
<Tom_Ryan> Deleted scenes, as many as possible.
<JohnnyB> arnie,arnold,curtis, and cameron commentary
<Jake_Jarmel> special fx making of
<ParkerClack> any additional footage that was cut out
<Tom_Ryan> A great making-of (the beginning is a great example of the perfect kind of doc).
<JeffKleist> Hour long documentary, deleted scenes, REAL Cameron Commentary and with the cast
<AaronMK> Documentary on real agents.
<AdamWm> I'd love some coolmenus and some great documentaries
<John_Simon> Outtakes...Arnie and Tom Arnold should be fairly funny
<Jake_Jarmel> isolated score
<AaronMK> Yes! Outtakes!
<Tony-B> DTS


<VanLing> Don't think I can get him to sit still for a commentary...

<VanLing> I'll do my best when the time comes!

<Tom_Ryan> Well I'm sorry, I didn't exactly have a question prepared but decided to buzz in anyways.  
I guess you could say "the cliche is strong with this one", but yeah, what can you tell us about any
movement on production of the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD?  Has anyone mentioned any emphasis
on preserving the original theatrical cuts?  Thanks.

<VanLing> Lucasfilm has not made any plans for the original trilogy yet.   I can't speak for them, but
I ask them about it all the time and they'll tell all of us when they are good and ready.  A lot of people
have mentioned preserving the original theatrical cuts --including South Park ;-) -- but that's going to
be up to George.

<JeffreyH> Great you could be here Mr. Van Ling.  I love the terminator movies and I have Terminator 2
the ultimate edition.  It is great because it has three different cuts of the films but most of the features
were recycled from the laser disc version.  I was also a bit disappointed that most of the commentary was
recycled from other features on the DVD.  Anyway its a good set, but I think it could've been better,
any comments on that?

<VanLing> Please tell me what I could do better with it, as I'm always interested in feedback.   Bear
in mind that the laserdisc version was seen by less than half a million people  and even I was
surprised to learn that the big supplement LD set only sold about 15000 copies

<JeffreyH> well I was more expecting a more updated documentary and audio commentary by the
filmmakers.   I think the commentary was a bit disjointed b/c it featured so many cast and crew members,
many of which were from other interviews on the DVD.

<VanLing> well, Jeffrey, the problem I find with commentaries is that very few filmmakers can sustain
an entire two hours... and Jim Cameron won't do them, so by extension, getting anyone else from the
film to sit in for him for 2 hours doesn't make sense.

<JeffreyH> well I understand Arnold do it would cost more than making the dvd

<VanLing> Do people prefer commentaries with one or two people and some dead space, or an edited
commentary with no holes?


<Tom_Ryan> Edited.......nobody likes dead space.
<Tony-B> edited
<Tony-B> just as long as it is good
<Tom_Ryan> Definitely.
<MichaelK> YoNo holes PLEASE!
<Jake_Jarmel> I think the edited FOTR:EE commentary is the best example, Van Ling
<JeffKleist> Live commentaries only, no edited together
<JohnnyB> i dont know, i like it when people are in the same room together talking
<John_Simon> Edited as long as we're not missing some good comments
<Jacob> I like it when two people talk on the commentary.. unless you have a good person who can say alot.
<Jake_Jarmel> its a little of both
<John_Steffens> I like it natural
<JeffreyH> I actually prefer text commentary
<JohnnyB> it depends
<Jacob> like the director of the fugitive dvd.
<MichaelK> The edited is too disjointed to be worthwhile
<PatrickMcCart> Either way
<Jacob> text commentary are awesome.
<JohnnyB> the kevin smith tracks are great becuase they are all in one room
<John_Steffens> also commentary like swingers and made


<VanLing> wow, it runs the gamut!  Getting more than one person in the same room is always
helpful but getting them all together isn't always easy.   What I'll try to do is to edit , but hopefully
not make it feel edited

<Jake_Jarmel> Hi. What was your biggest dissapointment at some bonus features you had to drop..
say, for bandwidth restraints, or political reasons (star wouldn't sign off on it, etc.)? The one that made
you really FIGHT for it, but you still lost.. the one where you said "man, the fans would REALLY have
loved to have that on there :(" ? as for True Lies, ELiza Dushku audition :)

<VanLing> I'll have to see  if Eliza's audition is available for TL...  I think that the graphic/text
commentary I wanted to do for T2 is one.  That was due to time and budget, nothing political.
The other items are usually "minor", though not to me and you...like having trailers in 5.1 instead
of 2.0, or having full English subtitles for all of the supplements.  Sometimes, the bureaucracy wins.

<Tony-B> I have a few questions. . . First, what is your favorite DVD right now?  Second, do you
have a home theater, and if so what is it made up of? I have another little question that you can
answer if you want to. For a while, it was said that a new T2 DVD was coming out. Is this true?

<VanLing>  I'd be interested in knowing what in the world anyone would still want to see
about T2 that wasn't in the Ultimate... ;-)


<Tom_Ryan> I can't think of anything to add to the Ultimate....I would majorly boo a re-release of that title.  
<BrianLawrence> Guns N' Roses video of You Could be Mine
<Tony-B> good question...
<JeffKleist> Gag reel, Guns N Roses video, better cover
<Tony-B> i don't think anything
<Jacob> music video.
<Tony-B> yeah, what jeff said
<JeffKleist> (for the kecase)
<Tom_Ryan> Oh wait, no that video.  I agree with that, G'N'R would've been cool :)
<AdamWm> Documentaries... wasn't a huge fan of all the text
<MichaelK> Uh...Cameron commentary?  ;-)
<AaronMK> Ultimate was so good that I wouldn't feel it worth buying T@ a third time (flame suit on)
<ParkerClack> I can't think of anything either.
<John_Simon> There are probably rights issues, but I'd LOVE the T2:3D movie from the universal ride!
<Jake_Jarmel> DTS
<PatrickMcCart> Why not the T-2 3-D film as an extra?
<Tony-B> your dog as an egg
<JeffreyH> that text commentary you mentioned and possibly an original audio commentary, an original definitive documentary


<VanLing> some good thoughts.  By the way, to answer the earlier part, I've got a lot of discs still to check out,
but I liked Monsters Inc. a lot, and am just getting into LOTR

<MikeMcGee> Hi Van, thanks for being here. When creating these elaborate DVD menus, (like T2, Abyss),
do you also produce the localized menus for foreign markets? If so, can you elaborate on when dealing with
DVD for overseas markets (Region encoding problems, font issues, content removed for political, legal, etc.).

<VanLing> Yes, I do the internationals.   joy.  For AOTC I had to do day and date menus in seven
or eight languages.   I think I rendered about 200,000 frames of menu animations and graphics.  Region
encoding is not really an issue on menus...but trying to design for different-sized translations is tough.
I've only run into a few content-related cuts. We had to remove the Jango head-butting Obi-Wan shot
from Clones for the UK and the rat-drowning scene in Abyss for the UK as well  but everything goes through
the local censors, including menus which adds another step to the deadline crunch.   More and more films
are being released on DVD day and date to combat piracy so international considerations are only going
to get more pressing.  On the other hand, Lucasfilm insisted that both TPM and AOTC have the same
content worldwide  so that's a good thing.  Abyss and ID4 did not have a lot of the supplements overseas
that they had in the US  and interestingly, the T1 doc I did for MGM is different between US and UK  because
the US version actually came out a year later, and MGM gave me additional resources to make it even better
so the UK got "Other Voices" version 1, and the US got version 2!

<JohnnyB> Nice of you to be here, how exactly do you decide to become a dvd producer?  DId you work
in the film industry beforehand?  Is there a dvd producing college :)?  how exactly did you get into this job.  
And do you know anything about predator or the alien movie getting new special edition treatments (Peter
Staddon hinted at them)

<VanLing> School of hard knocks, baby! ;-)    I kind of fell into DVD producing from LD producing...
and my main background is in film production, so I've worked in the film biz for like 15 years.  That, I think,
is one of the things I try to bring to the DVDs I produce.   As for Predator and the Alien films, I think
Peter Staddon has a much better handle on their plans than I... but feel free to tell Peter I'd love to do the
Aliens and Predator DVDs! ;-)

<AaronMK> What are the most popular special features among DVD buyers?  Have these preferences
changed as DVD has broken out of the enthusiest crowd?  Also, what nifty features would you most like
to see on HD-DVD (besides better picture and sound quality) that would enable you to do some neat
things supplement wise that you couldn't do with DVD?

<VanLing> As of this point, having HD-DVD would make it possible for us DVD producers to retire,
as there wouldn't be room for anything else! ;-)    If we knew what people liked, we'd all do more of it!
I think that DVDs are moving more into the mainstream, as you said, and there's a danger that things
will get LESS special, not more.  We have to fight that.    We need to fight for OAR whenever possible.

<MichaelK> Van, do you speak much with Jim Cameron these days? What's his take on a special
edition of "Titanic"? He must know there's a huge market for one.  Also, which directors have you
found to be most accomodating in terms of doing commentaries?

<VanLing> I correspond with him sometimes... he's kinda busy, you know!   I know there's talk about
Titanic, but it's a matter of timing.   Paramount has the domestic rights, Fox has the international rights
and Jim and Lightstorm need to be available to support it and they're pretty busy.   The real question is
do you as DVD fans want to see something NOW without their support, or wait for something good?


<Tom_Ryan> There's already a barebones Titanic.  It would seem best to wait for real support.
<JohnnyB> wait for something good of course
<Tom_Ryan> But I'm not a Titanic fan, so don't just take my word for it.
<BrianLawrence> I'll wait
<JeffreyH> for titanic, not really sorry I'm not a big fan
<Jake_Jarmel> wait for something good
<Alex> definitevely wait
<JohnnyB> but i dont see what cameron is "so busy with" he hasnt done a movie in  5 years!
<Jake_Jarmel> VanLing we need a rebate system when they double-dip DVDs


<VanLing> As for directors, I haven't done too many full commentaries, so I guess Phil Robinson was
one of the most accommodating on "Field of Dreams" back in the LD days.  About rebates, I feel the
same way whenever I buy computer equipment!

<Jake_Jarmel> what is THE BEST way for us 'little folk' to get a studio to do an SE of a movie we
know they're putting out on disc.. say, Mann's 'The Keep' has several alternate endings, was poised
for a commentary, isolated tangerine dream score, and yet I hear its coming out bare bones from
Paramount.. it breaks my heart :(

<VanLing> well, either they're faking you out and will release an SE at some point after you buy the
barebones, or you need to talk to the home video departments about it, because it's all based upon
what they think will sell or if they need to stay in good graces with a filmmaker who may be doing
their next big project.  That's a factor, too.    What I'm hoping for is to open up the DVD-ROM/web
side so that with broadband established we can have a relatively bare-bones release with a lot of the
special features available online and in sync for films that don't warrant (by the studios' account) an
 SE release

<AdamWm> Van, I am a huge fan of your menus. As with many types of "artists", they admire other
people's work. What menus have you seen, if any, that you say, "Damn, I wish I done that first."  

<VanLing> there's a lot of great menu stuff out there.  I like a lot of 1K's stuff, and Pixar's stuff  and
even clever but basic stuff like on Van Wilder, which I got as a sample, mind you, I didn't go buy it ...!
There are too many nice menus out there for me to even count or name.    I just hope people don't
just try to do the kind of 3D menus for their own sake. It's got to fit the film.
 
<Tony-B> Do you have a home theater, and if so, what is it made up of? Also, do you have any
idea about the status of Indiana Jones? By the way, a lot of people do not like online only extras,
especially those who are on dial-up. So I personally would limit the amount of online extras.

<VanLing> I'm still working on upgrading my home theatre... I live in an apartment, so I can't have
anything to shake the neighbors, but I'm going to get a house soon, I hope,  and then I'll get
something nice.   I don't know the status on the Indy films... Paramount and Spielberg and
Kennedy/Marshall and Lucasfilm all have a say, I think  and they might wait until Indy 4 gets
closer to a reality.  As for dial-up, I completely understand.  But if the choice was getting them via
broadband or not at all, what would you pick?


<Tony-B> broadband
<Tony-B> for sure
<BrianLawrence> broadband
<Keith_Paynter> broadband
<Jacob> even with broadband its still tough for some computers.
<JeffKleist> Please don't make us put in the disc. Interactual is terrible
<Jake_Jarmel> let me say LIVE commentaries ala spiderman are FOOLISH


<VanLing> granted, we don't want the studios to stop doing special editions, but the trick is to make
it worth the $$$ for the studio to do it.  Now, is it really that InterActual is bad or is it that the way it was
used was less than usable?

<Jacob> both.

<VanLing> I think their technology is worthwhile.  But how it's used is up to all of us.  Most of the studios
don't invest the time into ROM that they could, mostly due to schedules  and InterActual is primarily a
provider of enabling technology, not a content provider and it's become easy for the studios to include
what was done before  rather than break new ground.   I talk to the InterActual guys a bit, and I know
they are always looking for cool implementations,  not just the same old script-to-screen.  Sometimes it
works and sometimes it doesn't

<JoeGayeski> Is it true that MGM wanted you to work on their long-awaited Special Edition DVD of
John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK....is this true? Also, what's the #1 SE DVD or DVD of a film
itself that your "fans" want you to work on the most? btw, extremely gratious for all your work on all those
DVDs (especially TERMINATOR)...especially that TRUE LIES SE DVD if its ever made

<VanLing> well, Joe, MGM has never approached me on EFNY, so you'll have to ask them.   I think that
folks seem to want the SW original trilogy, but whether I do it or not is up to Lucasfilm... I hope they ask
me to do it!

<Jacob> whos idea was it for the random menus for the star wars films.. great idea.. did that cost more
to do? since I don;t see other dvds doing that...what dvd have you worked on that.. that you were not
a fan of the film.

<VanLing> I came up with the random menus... what the HECK was I thinking???  ;-)     I did it because
my normal method of covering some key environment for the world of the film was not going to do
it justice so I came up with the multiple random menus idea, which they liked and I ended up tripling
my workload for the same deadline and budget!   So it cost ME more to do... and no one else is
dumb enough to do it just because he thinks the DVD enthusiasts might like it!   As for films that I
worked on that I was not a fan of, it's really hard to work that intimately on a project and not
find SOMETHING to like.  I've been fortunate in that the films' I've done DVDs for I've never hated.  
Some I might start off liking less than others, but as a student of filmmaking I always end up liking
the film, for its strengths and for its flaws.  Sounds like a diplomatic answer, but it's true.

<Alex> Hi Van, thanks for being here. I'm French and I really like the job you did on DVDs and as
vfx supervisor at BFTR! I would like to know the way you work on a DVD menus. Do you first sketch
a storyboad ? Do you create all motion design alone and how long it takes?

<VanLing> Alex, I do some brief sketches first, but never show them to anyone.  Usually, I get some
video footage and just create full animatics for the menus directly.  It depends on the project just
how long it takes to design, but it can take from a month to several months to go from proposed idea
to approved design.  When I can be the final arbiter on menu design, like on T2 or Abyss, it can
be a lot faster.  I have to say I'm surprised a bit by the fact that pretty much all my core menu ideas
end up on the DVDs.   If you were to read my proposals on menu navigation to the studios, it's almost
EXACTLY what I deliver.  I really do try to think it out fully.

<JeffreyH> Hey Van since you are the dvd producer of star wars I was wondering if you were suprised
by many that Spider-man was the first movie to "TRUMP" star wars so to speak.  Is Star Wars past its
prime and are the prequels not going to catch lightning in a bottle like the originals?  

<VanLing> I don't generally look at it that way, since I think the field is getting bigger all the time, so
you can't expect to be "on top" forever, by whatever standard you might meausre "on top" at any
given time.   I can't think of any franchise that has the kind of blockbuster status after 5 films in 25 years,
even the Bond series... so SW is holding up pretty well.  Personally, good movies are good for all movies
in my book.  It makes people want to see more of them.  As a DVD producer, I just want to celebrate
the films for what they are, not necessarily what they are against other films.    If I were more competitive,
I think I'd be totally depressed that so many other great DVDs are coming out and "trumping" the ones I
do,  but I'm thrilled when I see a great DVD.  It inspires me to keep doing better (I hope)!

<PaulNyman> thanks for your involvment in producing so many wonderful dvd's and for being here
tonight Van Ling! Any plans for Lucas, Lucasfilm, THX  to sell copies of the new Ultimate THX Demo
DVD? I love those trailers!!!  wish Lucasfilm would offer this instead of "R2-D2: Beneath The Dome?

<VanLing> that's a good question.  as you know, THX is no longer a part of Lucasfilm, but a company
unto its own  so I don't know what's going to happen with the Ultimate THX Demo disc.  I hope they
don't just shelve it, 'cause I worked my tail off on that little thing... ;-)    BTW, it's the only DVD out
there with the original theatrical version of the TPM Podrace sequence... which is different than the
one on the TPM DVD.  You can always lobby THX to make it more widely available and if I end up
working on the next one, I'll do my best to include everything I can!

<PatrickLG> Hi Van, First thank you for my credit on SW EP2....So  whats cooking in the oven
now????? I came in late sorry if its repetitious.;-)

<VanLing> Hey, Pat!  Folks, Pat Grandclaudon is one of the unsung audio heroes.  He helps make
sure the menu audio sync up and sound good.   I'll have to talk to you offline for your other
question... ;-)

<Keith_Paynter> Sorry if this has been covered before...What happened to BFTR, and what do
you miss most about it...?

<VanLing> well, BFTR moseyed off into the sunset in late 1999, when I decided that I wanted to
do more of my own work rather than manage others doing it.    I'm more of an in-the-trenches guy
myself, and I also was getting into doing the DVD stuff which I could never have afforded if I had
to do it through the company.   I miss working with a lot of my artists, but some of them who came
into BFTR with no film experience are now running departments up at ILM, so I feel like I've helped
things a little bit

<John_Steffens> Van-Hello! Seasons Greetings:) I enjoy your work, I just want to know what are
the chances of putting Shrek THX trailer on the next THX DVD?? and have you seen it?

<VanLing> how did you hear about that?? ;-)   I doubt it will happen, but you never know.  It's a
 pretty funny trailer, and I'm surprised it's not out there on the web....or is it?  I don't know.
 I will certainly ask THX about it, but I think it may be a sore spot

<BrianLawrence> Thanks for being here tonight. Last year when Episode I was released on dvd,
there where a lot of complaints about what appeared to be edge enhancement in the transfer. Has
the cause of this ever been found?,  Episode II is completely free of such flaws and looks amazing.
And what would be your dream dvd project? (done)

<VanLing> Believe it or not, there was in fact NO edge enhancement on TPM...which is not to say
there wasn't something that people were reacting to.   AOTC is totally clean because it came from
a totally digital source, and the technology has only gotten better in the last year.   TPM was
transferred from film rather than digital, because Lucasfilm felt it was truer to the film-origination
nature of the movie.  But THX and I have been looking at the source of people's complaints, and it
is interesting.  The one guy who posted shots online that he said was proof of edge enhancement?  
I compared the exact same frames with digital files of the HD telecine transfer and the artifacts were
NOT THERE.    This means that the ringing edges happened downstream of the transfer, maybe
during the down conversion or even on his monitor.  The fact that some folks have complained
about seeing EE on AOTC while others swear it's totally clean leads me to believe that there is a
HUGE disparity between people's sets and player decoders but we'll keep on trying to monitor
the issue.  We know it's important to everyone -- especially in this forum.

<AdamWm> Van, is there any particular creative steps you take when deciding on design
ideas for menus?   i.e what is your creative process for ideas?

<VanLing> well, I think about what the spirit of the film is, and what memorable scenes or
locations the film had that evoke a mood. Then I try to figure out if there's a way to capture that
 mood in a menu... as a setup for the main film presentation.  It's kind of like a preshow in a
theme park ride.  Mostly, I think about what I think would be cool and would put me in the
mood to see the film in a positive way.  I guess that's pretty subjective, though!  Sometimes
my menus put some viewers in a foul mood!

<Jacob> would you be interested in doing the se for the remake of THE FLY with Jeff Goldblum?

<VanLing> I loved that film!  got any pull at Fox? ;-)

<John_Simon> Van, I'm curious what you consider the best reference DVD for audio?  How
about video?  Also, hypothetically of cource, if MGM were re-doing the Terminator DVDs
for the upcoming sequel...would they give the job to you?

<VanLing> obviously, I'm biased towards Joe Kane's Video Essentials as a reference disc since
I worked on it, but if you mean commercial titles, I'd say the choice keeps changing every day.
Everybody has a different idea of what a reference disc should be... some people choose one
based upon how loud it is and how much it shakes the room.  Others look at dynamic range
of audio, from loud to soft and how well both are reproduced.    I can never answer this question
properly because I haven't seen every disc out there... but I can say that AOTC is up there.
Oh, and as for T1, I'd hope they'd ask me... but I don't see MGM doing T1 again...


<JeffKleist> Van, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that with the number of lightsabers in Episode 2,
that there wasn't nearly enough in the documentaries. How about a full hour documentary on the
lightsaber duel for Episode 3? Fly on the wall style, blow by blow, frame by frame, from first
choreography, storyboards to Nick and his assistants, to Ewan, Sam and Hayden practicing to
the filming of the final product.   Also what can you tell us about your role in DVD Discoveries?

<VanLing> I'll suggest an "all lightsaber" doc to Lucasfilm... ;-)  As for DVD Discoveries, they
asked me to do a little piece, so I threw one together.  I hope it's interesting to people and
somewhat entertaining and I hope it give people an idea of my approach to things on a general
level.  And there are a lot of other cool DVD producers represented as well, so tell everyone to go
out and buy it... ;-)   That's my plug for them!

<RonEpstein> Parker and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Van Ling for spending
his valuable time with all of us.  Van has been a big supporter of this forum, and a dear friend of
ours.  Thanks so much for dropping on by, Van!

<ParkerClack> Van keep up the great work. Have a great Holiday season and Merry Christmas.

<VanLing> Thanks to all of you too!  I really enjoy these chats and I truly consider all of you to
be a part of the DVD creation process with your feedback!!

<Tony-B> thanks Van
<JeffKleist> Thanks van!
<John_Simon> Thanks, Van.  I really appreciate your time here and your great work!!!
<John_Steffens> Thank-you Happy Holidays
<Tony-B> great chat
<SteveK> Thanks Van!
<VanLing> Have a happy holiday season!
<Derek_Bedard> thank you
<BrianLawrence> Have a safe and Happy Holiday
<Tony-B> have an excellent christmas
<Gui_A> Thanks!
*** Stephen_Orr has quit IRC (Client closed connection.)
<Tony-B> keep the great dvds coming
<Kel_Varnson> Happy Festivus

<VanLing> Thanks again to all!

Session Close: Mon Dec 09 23:10:17 2002

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