Veronica Mars Gets A Clue On DVD!!! (1 Viewer)

[Ryan_Guah]

The marketing is not the problem. UPN is marketing the HELL out of this show. The problem is that the show is on UPN. That in itself is a blessing AND a curse. The blessing side, is if it were on any other network, it probably would have been cancelled by now. The curse however, is that UPN is still considered a "weblet", which means it doesn't have nearly as many affiliates as NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS. Many people aren't watching, not because they don't like it, but because they don't have legal access to it. Hopefully DVD can expand the audience, as well as the airings on CBS coming up.


When was the last time a show on a network like UPN was believed in enough to get an airing on a major network such as CBS? I've never seen it before.

Also, UPN has nothing to do with the cover art. They don't release the DVDs, they don't do anything but broadcast the episodes and submit notes and such during the initial production of the show. Warner Home Video is completely responsible for how the show it produced on DVD and other media.

 

[MaraKM]

If they have to put Lilly on the cover, I would have prefered they did it in some way that made it clear that she was dead or ghostly. And, since "Who Killed Lilly Kane?" is the central mystery of season 1, they could have tried to set that up in the cover art.

And I would have included Enrico Colantoni & Kyle Secor glaring at each other in the background, since their rivalry is also set up in the pilot

Ryan - I agree with most everything you said, but, the only thing I'll say in defense of this crappy cover is to wonder how many usable images Warner has to work with, and if it's Warner or UPN that commissioned the photos. I've seen what my company's art department goes through trying to come up with a decent cover when all they have a handful of group shots and headshots to work with. But I still wish they'd take another crack at it, because this just doesn't convey what a smart & moving show Veronica Mars is.

 

[Ryan_Guah]

The artwork for this release doesn't look like it's made from photographs, but instead a painted graphic. The way the skin is done, and many of the features on the faces..

I'm not sure there are shots of Lilly of Duncan like that, anyway. Lilly is identified as being the least bit hurt, as you can see evidence of a head wound on the cover.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

The Lily one was taken from a screenshot I'm sure, and the Duncan one was from a publicity still. I've seen the real one and it looks almost exactly the same.

What I blame UPN for is the HORRIBLE way the market the show. If I didn't know how good it was, I'd never have tuned in at all. My mom was even really troublesome to get into the show. She'd see ads before an episode and just give me a look. They don't market it ... RIGHT.

 

[Rakesh.S]

I wouldn't mind watching this show, but I don't even have a UPN affiliate here in Dayton. Cable carries a feed from a low power station out of cincinnati, but it's only analog and I refuse to watch a grainy, ugly looking picture, especially when the show itself is broadcast in HD.

Kind of sucks, but whatever.. It would be nice if CBS picked up the full run, 2 episodes every friday over 11 weeks during the summer. Whatever..I guess i'll catch the pilot on CBS and wait for the DVD.

 

[CherylJ]

I disagree that this DVD cover art is designed to make Veronica Mars look like the second coming of Buffy. I own every Buffy DVD and imho the cover art fits the show perfectly: dark, angsty, moody, with definite hints that this is a show about vampires, if the title alone didn't do it.

This proposed VM cover art, on the other hand, makes VM look like a freaking Nickelodeon show. Sweet Valley P.I.! She tracks down secret admirers, and still manages to make it to the prom on time! Tee hee.

I would love it if the cover art suggested a "second coming" of Buffy, but this art in NO way suggests that VM is anything like Buffy. Except that the lead is a blonde teenager and the show is set in high school. There is nothing suggesting that this is a murder mystery - yes, I see the blood on Lilly but it is definitely downplayed and she certainly doesn't look dead. I wish they'd show her body sprawled out next to the pool instead if they are going to show her. This show is all about noir - jaded heroine, seedy motels, sleazy characters, murder, corruption. Where is the noir in this cover art?

And Veronica's relationship with her dad is key to the show, much more than her relationship with Duncan, so I'd prefer to see Keith in the background somewhere, much more so than a stupid school bus. I only remember one scene on a bus, and it was a bus taking the basketball team to a game that Veronica was't even riding on.

On the other hand, I agree with you that VM and Buffy have some fundamental differences (I happen to like Veronica better, and she's certainly smarter than Buffy), but both shows are very dark and would likely appeal to a lot of the same audience - meaning adults who enjoy complex storytelling, intelligent, snarky dialogue and a great heroine that anyone can root for, even if high school is a distant memory.

If I knew nothing about VM and saw this cover art, I would assume this show is something my 13-year-old niece might be interested in and I would never dream that I could like the show as much as I do. (In fact, I think she's probably not quite old enough for it just yet, because of the sex and drugs and rape storyline, although maybe next year.)

I know that Warners does the cover art and UPN does the regular show promotion, but this cover art is as disappointing as most of the UPN promos are. I just don't think the people who make the promos (or the people who made this cover art) watch the show or "get" what the show is all about. It's all about the tone, the mood, that is completely off.

(ETA: I do think UPN is improving with its promos and the latest one -- the not lost, not desperate one -- is pretty decent in conveying the tone of the show, except for the fact that it completely spoils summer viewers about one key plot point that has not happened yet. I have a friend who has just gotten into the show during the repeats and she was really mad at UPN for spoiling that one very important plot point that she did not see coming.)

 

[Todd Stout]

The back cover art has been posted at tvshowsondvd.com:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3845

I see that it does say widescreen on it!

 

[Gord Lacey]

As promised.....NEW ARTWORK!

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3846

Gord

 

[Kevin Porter]

Much, much better. This actually might change my position as whether I'll buy it or not.

 

[Pete Battista]

Excellent!... This is so much better! Another set I can't wait to add to my collection!

 

[ElijahS]

I like it much better.

 

[Citizen87645]

I agree.

 

[seanOhara]

Much improved, and I really like the back cover. The blurb does a great job of summing up the show in terms of plot and style. "A little bit Buffy. A little bit Bogart. A dash of Nancy Drew" pretty much covers it, though I'd go with "film noir" instead of Bogie.

 

[Todd Stout]

Oh man... that is much better than the original Veronica Mars 90210 cover. I'm starting to get a little anxious to get a copy in my hot little hands now.

 

[CherylJ]

I agree that this new DVD cover is a much better representation of the show than the first one, which stunk. I'm glad to know that somebody out there at Warners Home Video was listening to all the fan complaints.

I'm not sure how much of a difference cover art actually makes, but I know that first version was not going to help make any sales - or if it did, it was going to be mighty disappointing to the person buying it for their 13 year old daughter, thinking it was a Nickelodeon type show. This version at least shows badass Weevil on a motorcycle, indicating that there is some edginess to the show.

 

[Mike_Richardson]

I don't know if any of you folks caught this, but creator Rob Thomas blasted Warner Bros. in TV Guide (can't find the link but I assume it was online at some point) a couple of weeks ago. He was irritated at first that the DVD box set WOULDN'T be out before the second season started, but thought the extra time would allow for bonus features....but unfortunately there aren't any of those on there, either!

He seemed mighty annoyed they were issuing a vanilla box set with nothing on it, and that it was going to be late coming out at that...kind of like adding insult to injury!

 

[Natalie F]

I"m so glad they have a cover now that has Logan on it. Yum. And also to see it's in widescreen. That was make or break for me, although it sucks they took the bloopers out As if it needed any less extras.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Thank you warner, the million e-mails we all sent were probably a factor.

What happened to the bloopers?

 

[Natalie F]

They just took them out I suppose, which sucks, because I love bloopers. It did say the extras were subject to change :frowning:

 

[Joel C]

What happened was, Thomas wanted an extras-laden set, but Warner Bros. gave him the choice between that or getting it out before season 2 began. Realizing the set might help ratings, he bit the bullet and nixed the extras.

Then Warner Bros. pushed the set back to October, a month after the season premieres. So he gets neither extras nor the publicity for S2.