A Question about the upcoming Buffy and Angel Sets (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

Martin,
you do realize your request is a violation of the show's intended AR right?

If Joss and the creative team behind Buffy wanted and composed for 4x3 primarily, then why do you want them in 16x9? It's not to fill your screen no matter what I hope, because if that's the case, that makes your attitude towards OAR no more enlightened than Joe and Jane's.

Hopefully, more level headed thinking towards the benifit and importance of OAR will prevail.

 

[Scott Buckholdt]

I am a new fan to Buffy and Angel and have only watched the first two seasons of Buffy. Is there a certain order i should be watching Buffy season 3 and Angel season 1? A friend of mine told me that some episodes overlap between the two series. I want to make sure i watch them as they were shown when first released. thanks

 

[Lyle_JP]

The overlap happens between Buffy Season 4 and Angel Season 1. Angel is still a Buffy cast member in Season 3.
-Lyle J.P.

 

[Scott Buckholdt]

Thanks for the quick response. I will ask my question again when Buffy Season 4 comes out in June. Do you recommend waiting on Buffy season 4 before watching Angel season 1? I believe Angel season 1 comes out next month.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

You you alternate episodes of Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1, with Buffy coming first. You should continue this with Buffy season 5 and Angel season 2, although it doesn't matter as much there. Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3 have no crossovers, so do what you like there.

 

[EricCr]

As i've stated plainly in the season 3 problem thread, I don't care how good these shows look in 16x9, if they're not supposed to be in 16x9 I don't want nor will I buy them that way even though I own a 16x9 set.

So will you stop watching reruns of Buffy when they go to 16x9? My understanding is that the vast majority of shows being filmed today and in the last few years are filmed in 16x9 even if not shown that way today so that once HD gets bigger they can show reruns that will "fill the screen" 5-10 years down the line. As was stated earlier, as long as Joss says ok I will watch Buffy either way it comes out.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

quote...
"So will you stop watching reruns of Buffy when they go to 16x9?"

Yes. Because Joss intended 4x3 primarily, I won't watch theatrical film's open matted or panned and scanned and I won't watch a tv show presented wrong either. Besides, with any luck we'll continue to get our R1 season sets in the intended 4x3 ratio so I won't even need to watch the MARRED 16x9 reruns.

Just as a sidenote, and this is highly unlikely, but if Joss was to state at some point that he composed for and intended both 16x9 AND 4x3 at the same time i'll be sorely disappointed in him. You can't COMPOSE for two separate ratios and claim that both are what you intended. Any attempt to make such a claim can't be considered as anything but sheer nonsense.

You either compose the show for 4x3, or you compose the show for 16x9, one or the other, you can't have it both ways. I can't imagine Joss ever making such a statement though, he's already stated that he intended 4x3.

You'll notice that I put the word 'compose' in italycs in my statement above, I did this because many confuse PROTECTING for another ratio, in this case 16x9, with COMPOSING for it.

Simply because Joss protected the 16x9 area does NOT mean he composed for it, his primary concern was the 4x3 area within the 16x9 area...and he framed the action accordingly. Hence the feeling of 'dead space' on the sides of the 16x9 version.

 

[Martin Rendall]

John,
I understand your perspective, which is the same "official" position this forum, so I'm not going to argue vehemently.
Two thoughts: Joss may prefer 4:3, but he still protected for 16:9, which makes your OAR stance a little wishy-washy. Certainly he must have been willing to compromise somewhat, or he would never have protected for 16:9 at all!
Second, regardless of what you or Joss want, I want the best experience of Buffy and Angel possible in my home, on my HDTV. A really nice compromise would be to support both framings.
So I'll change my declaration to:
I want a selectable 16x9 or 4x9 presentation for S4 and beyond!
Are you listening Fox?
Otherwise, I want 16x9!
Martin.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Two thoughts: Joss may prefer 4:3, but he still protected for 16:9, which makes his OAR stance a little wishy-washy. Certainly he must have been willing to compromise somewhat, or he would never have protected for 16:9 at all!

Umm, the 16:9 protection issue was a studio/network directive. Not really a real CHOICE mind you.

 

[Martin Rendall]

I'll also just say that I watch Buffy because it's a great show. It's a great show because of great character development and brilliant plotlines. You might appreciate it on a very different level, but for me, I'll take it however it's presented, 'cause it's worth it no matter what it looks like.

Martin.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

He didn't just prefer it Martin, more importantly, he INTENDED it, and even more important than that, he COMPOSED for it. There's a great distinction between merely preferring something and actually shooting for it.
Yes, he did protect the 16x9 area, but that's all he did, and from what i've heard he didn't do that very well. He didn't frame vital charactors and objects in the 16x9 area, that's the difference between protecting and composing.
Don't let my techno babble lead you to believe my enjoyment of the show is somehow clouded with technical issues such as this, when it's on and i'm into an episode, all that melts away and I love it. That's why I only want the best from it, that's why I care enough to want it in it's OAR.
I bitch because I care.

 

[Martin Rendall]

John,

If they do (evil!) do a 16:9 presentation, you can always make side mattes for your TV so that you don't see the extra info. Unless you have a projector, I guess.

That would work, right? The 16:9 framing just means there's extra information to the sides, of constant dimension? Or does the 4:3 framing drift around in the 16:9 frame?

Martin.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Buffy does its 4:3 extraction from the center of the 16:9 frame

 

[James Reader]

Season 4 is not protected for widescreen. Erroneous visual details (stage hands, filming equipment etc can occasionally be seen creeping into the sides of the widescreen frame.
Season 5 is the first season to be filmed with the proper widescreen protection (but is still composed for 4:3)

 

[Jeff Kleist]

If you want to get picky, then it's ATTEMPTED to be protected. Like Malcom in the Middle, where they actually havea featurette on why they released it 4:3