- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,794
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
DVD DISCOVERIES
Studio: DVD ANGLE
Year: 2002
Rated: NR
Film Length: N/A
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame (1.33:1) and 16X9
Enhanced Widescreen (1.85:1)
Subtitles: None
Everything you have always wanted to know about
DVD but probably had no other way of knowing
It had to be nearly a year ago that DVD ANGLE
President Paul Russell contacted me via phone to
tell me about a new DVD that they were working
on that basically took a look at the inner-workings
of the DVD industry.
To be honest, didn't pay too much attention to
what DVD ANGLE was doing despite the fact that they
were sending me regular updates on the project over
the past few months. I wasn't be reing rude mind
you, but with all the work involved in running my
own forum I find it difficult to concentrate on
projects that other forums may be involved with.
I'll also confess that I just sort of pawned off
their project as being some cheap home-made video
about the industry. When the disc arrived at my
door last week, I just placed it out of the way
thinking I'd eventually look at it.
Well, I don't mind saying that I feel like someone
with egg on their face. Having only a few minutes
on my hands this morning to briefly look at DVD
Discoveries, I ended up spending more than an
hour enthusiastically going through all the material
of this disc. What surprised me the most was the
fact that this was no home-made video but in fact
a very professional, informative (and often humorous)
look at what it takes to put together a DVD from
every angle.
Have you ever wanted to know what it takes to put
together a DVD? Ever wonder how menus are created
or how supplemental material is collected or what
the function of a DVD producer is? Ever wonder how
DVDs are manufactured? All of these questions are
answered in one single DVD package and done so in
such an entertaining manner so that none of the
material comes across as "preachy."
What made this really interesting for me is that
many of the people who have taken their time to
be interviewed are very familiar to Home Theater
Forum members. From David Fein to Van Ling to
Producer Charlie de Lauzirika (who participates
regularly in forum threads), this DVD is full of
names of individuals I have heard of over the years,
but now only seeing their faces for the very first
time.
So how informative can one single DVD be and why
do I feel that this DVD belongs in every single DVD
enthusiast's collection? Let's take a look at the
disc and perhaps you can sort out all the answers
yourself....
As you can see here, the MAIN MENU presents the
three major segments of this DVD presentation:
Content Production, Disc Production and
Studio Segments.
Let's begin with Content Production which
consists of a series of unique featurettes that offer
a look at content creator's point of view....
First up a visit to 1K studios/Sparkhill
Productions. This is a company responsible for
creating the navigational interfaces (known as menus)
that you see on DVDs. We get a brief overview on
how DVD menus came together, what they originally
looked like, and how animated menus slowly became
the standard in the industry. We talk directly to
the animators and designers who have not only
contributed to creating DVD menus, but many of
the desktop games that are now appearing on discs.
In one segment we watch how these designers shot
various pieces of footage around LA that would
eventually be integrated into the DVD menu of
The Sopranos.
(length: approx. 11 minutes)
Next is my absolute favorite segment on this DVD,
Automat Pictures, which is absolutely
hilarious as it looks at the making of a fictional
Tortoise and the Hare DVD and what it takes
to turn it from a vanilla release to a content-filled
Special Edition. It even makes fun of the fact that
studios are most anxious to get you to buy their
product twice. You'll see how the director gets
involved in the DVD project from the beginning stages,
and how added various pieces of supplemental material
(such as deleted scenes and original storyboards) are
tracked down and put together complete with added
audio commentary. I was really impressed how this
cleverly produced piece managed to be so funny yet
at the same time extremely informative.
(length: approx. 13 minutes)
Charles de Lauzirika and David Prior are
producers responsible for some of the most
acclaimed Special Edition DVDs ever made. Their
successes include: Fight Club, Gladiator, Legend,
Pearl Harbor Vista Series and many more.
Charles has been a frequent contributor to our
forum, and it is certainly a major regret of mine
that as many times as I have personally shook hands
with him whilst out in LA, I have never had the
opportunity to really get to know him. This
wonderfully produced 15-minute anamorphic segment
really helped me better understand what exactly
Charlie and David do. Charlie shows us his work
on the upcoming Black Hawk Down Special
Edition DVD while explaining the very unique approach
he gave to the disc's documentary. So what exactly
does a DVD Producer do? Charlie and David can't
really pinpoint it themselves but cite it as being
a little of everything: directing, writing, editing
and designing. There are a lot of people involved
in this entire process and we get to meet some of
them while taken on a tour of Sparkhill. You'll
follow Charles as he goes to Morocco (of all places)
to nab director Ridley Scott for an audio commentary.
One of things that interested me most here was
listening to David Prior tell us the frustrations
of not only having to deal with short release windows
but also the immense legalities involved in securing
material for a DVD release. It will certainly make you
wonder how any of this material ever makes it to
DVD in the first place.
(length: approx. 15 minutes)
Meet Jason Rosenfeld. He helps studios
go through their archives in order to bring out
niche product to the DVD format. In this case, he
helps analyze potential TV product by giving the
studios some idea if a show will sell well on DVD or
not. Take note on how he talks about Internet forums
and how their petitions actually do help get product
out that would not ordinarily have been considered.
(length: approx. 11 minutes)
Meet David Fein and Michael Matessino of Sharpline
Arts who talk about some of the great DVD releases
they have done including The Alien Legacy, Star Trek:
The Motion Picture: The Director's Edition, The Last
Starfighter and The Sound of Music. We
learn how this company searches all over the world to
garner interviews from every single person involved
in a particular production in order to give the best
DVD presentation they can. Realize, all these acquired
interviews and material serve as preserved historical
documents for future generations to enjoy.
(length: approx. 21 minutes)
I nearly fell off my chair when I watched our friend
Van Ling starring in Confessions of a DVD
Producer. As many times as I have sat across a
table with this wonderful man, I never pictured him
in prisoner's garb being interrogated about his
various DVD efforts. Van's hamming for the camera
really paid off, adding to the overall entertainment
value of this featurette that takes a look at how
one man's unique vision leads to exciting DVD content.
Van explains that he approaches DVD content very
much in the same way he does film. His utmost
concern is being able to bring the same artistry
that went into the film directly to the DVD itself.
Van emphasizes that what is most important in all
the documentaries you watch on DVD is not how much
content is presented, but the way it is edited in
a manner that it most effectively gets its point
across. Van's background in graphics and digital
effects have enabled him to create some of the most
memorable DVD menus to date. These are the first
items you see on a DVD which properly set the mood
of what you are about to watch. We have the
opportunity to watch Van at work as he describes
the intricate details that went into such huge
projects as The Phantom Menace. You gotta
love the fact that Van touches upon the feedback he
receives from forums such as ours and how important
such feedback is to both him and the studios as
long as it is polite and constructive.
(length: approx. 14 minutes)
Abyss/ID4/T2: Exploring Menu Environments
takes us through three of Van Ling's most renowned
menu creations while having the option of hearing
an optional commentary track from the Producer
himself who guides us through his creative process.
Now let us take a look at Disc Production,
a series of featurettes that explore the creation of
a physical DVD, both professionally and at home.
I am certain that many of you will be interested in
learning how DVDs are physically created. In CAV
DVD Replication you'll see how "glass masters"
are coated with a light sensitive material, imprinted
with laser pulses and then sent through an
"electroforming" process that ultimately creates a
"father" disc. From there we look at replication,
printing and packaging. Some of you who have taken
a tour of the Technicolor plant on past Home
Theater Forum meets will immediately recognize much
of the material presented here. For those of you
who have never seen how DVDs are created, I promise
you that this will be an eye-opener and certainly
something you never expected.
(length: approx. 6 minutes)
Cyberlink provides two separate featurettes
on DVD and your PC. The first, DVD Playback on the
PC explores what hardware and software is
necessary for playing DVD product on your home
computer. It's also a plug for their POWER DVD
program (which I personally love). Technically-minded
individuals will be more interested in watching
Home DVD Movie Creation which walks you through
the process of creating your own DVD movie title
using their Cyberlink PowerProducer software.
(approx. 8 minutes each)
Now let's look at the Studio Segments portion
of this disc which brings us face-to-face with two
companies that have been huge contributors to the
DVD format....
THX Studio introduces us to Richard Dean,
Director of digital services at THX, who talks to
us about what it takes to earn the THX seal of
approval on DVD releases. Though this plays out
more as a promotional effort, it is still of
interest to those that have no idea what the THX
label signifies. Also included are THX's Broadway
and Cavalcade trailers that you find on
most THX certified releases.
In Warner Bros. Publications we are shown a
simple montage of their interactive educational
products. Not very impressive for the fact that
it is simply advertisement for the company.
Finally, a music video is included for the group
Stampede Queen.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, this Limited Edition DVD Discoveries
is a mixed-bag of material. On the one hand, its
professionally produced segments on DVD production
are highly educational and alone well worth the cost
of this DVD. On the other hand, some of the material
comes off as being nothing but self-promotion ads by
companies like Warner Publishing and even THX. And
why a video by Stampede Queen is even included
on this DVD, I'll never know.
Still, I was so impressed with what I saw here that
I am giving this my HIGHLY RECOMMENDED seal of
approval. Never before has one DVD given so much
insight into what goes into those shiny 5" discs
that give us so much entertainment pleasure. Not
only is this an invaluable DVD for newbies, but I
am certain it will equally please veterans of the
format as well.
Best of all, it can be had at a $10 price tag (plus
$2 shipping) by Link Removed.
Release Date: NOW
All screen captures have been further compressed.
They are for illustrative purposes only and do not
represent actual picture quality
I love my two copies!
