B5 TV Movie DVD Set Release Info (August 17th)

[Leto II]

Actually, JMS has apparently *already* done audio commentaries for the set, which were quite critical of the then-management at TNT...the issue now at hand is whether or not WB will allow their *inclusion*.

 

[Jan]

Actually, JMS has apparently *already* done audio commentaries for the set, which were quite critical of the then-management at TNT...the issue now at hand is whether or not WB will allow their *inclusion*.

If so, he did them since May 8. Because on that date, he catagorically stated that he HAD done the movie commentaries but would NOT do the Crusade ones until and unless he could tell the truth about what happened.

Jan

 

[WorkingClassHero]

Not postponed. It's just a question of whether JMS will do commentaries or not. If they let him tell the truth, he will. If not, he won't. At the time of the Hawthorne con, he said time was starting to run out. Haven't heard anything else yet and he hasn't answered a post to the moderated newsgroup inquiring.

Jan

I see; thank you. I have mixed feelings: I'm glad to hear it's not being held up, but I'd rather he were able to discuss it freely. Oh well -- I guess we know the truth.

I wonder if they'll have some kind of tribute for Rick Biggs on the Crusade set, since I'm sure it's too late to do it for the movies. It's not an entirely inappropriate fit, as "Each Night I Dream of Home" was his last appearance in the role.

 

[KoshN]

Actually, JMS has apparently *already* done audio commentaries for the set, which were quite critical of the then-management at TNT...the issue now at hand is whether or not WB will allow their *inclusion*.

As long as a disclaimer is used, and he doesn't mention any specific idiots by name, what's the big deal?

 

[pdoland]

I've got all 5 seasons DVD sets. I've got the original DVD release of The Gathering/In the Beginning. Out of the 5 TV movies, those are the best two. So I'm wondering if it is going to be worth getting the new set. I guess there is going to be commentaries, which aren't on the first DVD. Still, I'm not sure it will be worth it. What do other people think who already have the first DVD?

Although "Legend of the Rangers" rather sucked, I kinda figured it would be a part of the movie set even if strictly speaking it was not a B5 movie. But, aparantly not. Any word on what they do plan on doing with LotR as far as DVD release?

 

[Jan]

Actually, JMS has apparently *already* done audio commentaries for the set, which were quite critical of the then-management at TNT...the issue now at hand is whether or not WB will allow their *inclusion*.

As long as a disclaimer is used, and he doesn't mention any specific idiots by name, what's the big deal?

He hadn't done the commentaries at all the last he said anything to the fans. As for the big deal, accusing companies of conspiring to void a contract tends to make legal types nervous.

Jan

 

[GaribaldisHair]

I still can't believe R2 viewers are getting an inferior set including only the three previously unreleased movies.

R1, here I come for sure this time ...

 

[KoshN]

Actually, JMS has apparently *already* done audio commentaries for the set, which were quite critical of the then-management at TNT...the issue now at hand is whether or not WB will allow their *inclusion*.

As long as a disclaimer is used, and he doesn't mention any specific idiots by name, what's the big deal?

He hadn't done the commentaries at all the last he said anything to the fans. As for the big deal, accusing companies of conspiring to void a contract tends to make legal types nervous.

Jan

He wouldn't be accusing the entire company, just a few people at the company, people who he hopefully will not explicitely name (by actual name or title). If he does it carefully, he could convey an accurate meaning and not expose himself or WB to a lawssuit.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

If so, he did them since May 8. Because on that date, he catagorically stated that he HAD done the movie commentaries but would NOT do the Crusade ones until and unless he could tell the truth about what happened.

One of the summaries of JMS's high school appearance, posted by someone else who'd attended, made it sound like the commentaries were recorded and it was a question of whether they'd be left intact, edited, re-recorded in whole or in part, or omitted entirely. Hence the confusion in this thread and several other places around the 'net. I'd read that version myself and posted the "information" that the commentaries were already recorded on several boards. My apologies for adding my mite to the sum of human ignorance.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I've got all 5 seasons DVD sets. I've got the original DVD release of The Gathering/In the Beginning. Out of the 5 TV movies, those are the best two.

I also have the original "flipper" double-feature disc, and won't hesitate for a second to buy the movie set. The first disc used the existing laserdisc transfer for The Gathering and a very huried widescreen transfer for ItB to keep the disc within the very low budget Warner Bros. mandated to limit what it frankly thought was going to be its losses on the disc. Certainly the studio didn't spring for a remix of the soundtracks or any extras.

Although it has not been announced I am hoping the WB will spring for new, cleaned-up transfers of both films, in addition to the DD 5.1 remixes that we know are coming. Together with the other extras and the rest of the movies, I think the set is more than worth the money. But then, I rate The Gathering, even the re-edit, below most of the other TV movies because I don't think it holds up as well as a stand-alone adventure. In fact, I'd rank only River of Souls as wose than TG, and depending on my mood I might reverse that order on some days. The Lovecraftian weirdness of Thirdspace is a lot of fun, and as far as I'm concerned A Call to Arms is as good a TV movie as the series produced, maybe just a hair below In the Beginning. (Did I read a post where someone called it "pointless" without Crusade? Well, (a) is isn't. It tells a complete story while opening the door to another. We know from B5 that there is eventually a war with the Drakh, this helps plant the seeds for that, and we know that the plague is eventually cured, so there is no real "loose end" in terms of outcome, only in terms of process. (B) Crusade is coming. (C) Since Crusade was never completed, and we never saw the cure for the plague on-screen, how does its release make ACtA any less pointless? )

Besides the first disc was (deliberately) priced very cheaply. I think I paid something like $12 for it. I'd say I have more than gotten my entertainment dollar's worth out of that disc, and don't at all mind paying a few extra dollars to get improved versions of the two films included in the new set.

Although "Legend of the Rangers" rather sucked, I kinda figured it would be a part of the movie set even if strictly speaking it was not a B5 movie. But, aparantly not. Any word on what they do plan on doing with LotR as far as DVD release?

JMS has said since last September that the Rangers pilot would not be part of the TV movie set and that it would be released sometime later as a stand-alone disc. No word on dates, other than that it will obviously be after the main movie set.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Jan]

If so, he did them since May 8. Because on that date, he catagorically stated that he HAD done the movie commentaries but would NOT do the Crusade ones until and unless he could tell the truth about what happened.

One of the summaries of JMS's high school appearance, posted by someone else who'd attended, made it sound like the commentaries were recorded and it was a question of whether they'd be left intact, edited, re-recorded in whole or in part, or omitted entirely. Hence the confusion in this thread and several other places around the 'net. I'd read that version myself and posted the "information" that the commentaries were already recorded on several boards. My apologies for adding my mite to the sum of human ignorance.

Regards,

Joe

Thanks to StarStuff of this group, I have a tape of most of the Q&A session that I've been slowly working on a transcript of. I've gone ahead and transcritbed the part where JMS talks about the Crusade commentary. Anything in parentheses is my editorial stuff:

Question: Is there anything of your current projects that you can talk about?

Well, the comics. The books (shared universe-Distant Worlds and the Quote Book) um…audience: DVDs?

Oh! Yes, DVDs. Well, we’ve finished up the commentaries for the set of movies that are coming out. And they’re working currently on the Crusade DVDs. The hiccup we have hit on the Crusade DVDs…And by the way, they’re selling great. I’ve heard that they’ve netted – netted, mind you, over 70 million dollars just from the first three and a half seasons. When they said, do you want to do the Crusade commentaries, assuming of course that we get the (not sure), I said “Absolutely.” (they said) What do you want to talk about?” JMS: “I want to say what happened.” (they stutter) “What do you mean?” JMS: “The TRUTH!” I want to put the truth out there. We are now on our fourth (something) of Legal Affairs. “He wants to do what??” “The TRUTH!” I have another conference call scheduled on Thursday with Legal Affairs. We’re running out of time for the DVDs. I said, “Look if I can’t get the truth out, then I don’t want to support the DVDs.”

HTH,
Jan

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Oh! Yes, DVDs. Well, we’ve finished up the commentaries for the set of movies that are coming out. And they’re working currently on the Crusade DVDs.

I'm sure the paraphrase I saw said that the Crusade commentaries were finished (because I remember double-checking it in another window while posting a message to the WB site.) But I can't find that damned paraphrase (it was not one one of the sites I regularly visit) so I can't prove it. However, I can see how someone writing from memory or from hastily written notes could have conflated JMS's statement aboout the movie commentaries (they're done) with the discussion of the Crusade commentaries that immediately followed and understood that both were finished but that the inclusion of the latter was doubtful.

Thanks for providing the actual transcript. Gee, it is so much easier to get things right when you have primary sources in front of you and are not relying on second and third hand information filtered through the often faulty memories, perceptions and prejudices of others. A point that some of the participants in our political discussions might reflect on to their profit - not that I suspect that those who most need to do so will.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Jan]

I'm sure the paraphrase I saw said that the Crusade commentaries were finished (because I remember double-checking it in another window while posting a message to the WB site.) But I can't find that damned paraphrase (it was not one one of the sites I regularly visit) so I can't prove it. However, I can see how someone writing from memory or from hastily written notes could have conflated JMS's statement aboout the movie commentaries (they're done) with the discussion of the Crusade commentaries that immediately followed and understood that both were finished but that the inclusion of the latter was doubtful.

Thanks for providing the actual transcript. Gee, it is so much easier to get things right when you have primary sources in front of you and are not relying on second and third hand information filtered through the often faulty memories, perceptions and prejudices of others.

Yes, I'm sure that's what happened and the sentences did run together some. I don't think I'll ever do a con again without this little recorder because it's so much fun to listen to the session again and because, especially with B5, the details are *important*.

Oh, and thanks again to StarStuff!

Jan

 

[A_M_Swallow]

JMS has said since last September that the Rangers pilot would not be part of the TV movie set and that it would be released sometime later as a stand-alone disc. No word on dates, other than that it will obviously be after the main movie set.

I am wondering why? The Rangers episode was not sufficiently popular that high profits can be expected from selling it separately.

It may be that Rangers comes from SciFi channel where as the other films come from TNT. The exception is “The Gathering”.

A nicer alternative. JMS said something like "Babylon 5 ... in spades". I know that they have all got on with their lives but have any of the Ranger's actors posted recently?

 

[Jan]

A nicer alternative. JMS said something like "Babylon 5 ... in spades". I know that they have all got on with their lives but have any of the Ranger's actors posted recently?

Sorry to be a wet blanket again but when asked if he had any plans for 'Rangers' during the Hawthorne con, JMS said "Not at present, no"

Jan

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I am wondering why?

I'm wondering why you're wondering.

>What a weekend! Does all movies include B5LR by the way?
.
Not in the big set, no... that will be a separate DVD since it's really not a part of what comprised the original B5 movies.
.
jms - On Usenet 30 Nov 2003

Seems pretty clear to me.

The Rangers episode was not sufficiently popular that high profits can be expected from selling it separately.
.
It may be that Rangers comes from SciFi channel where as the other films come from TNT. The exception is The Gathering.

No, the Rangers pilot, like all of the other TV movies, was from Warner Bros.. The fact that the films were commissioned and originally paid for by PTEN, TNT and The Sci-Fi Channel means nothing whatsoever when it comes to the home video release. The studio owns 100% of the films. (If Warner Bros. had been willing to cut Sci-Fi in for a piece of the action on the Rangers film and subsequent series, the show would have gone into production, as I concluded long ago and as JMS has since confirmed.)

All the other films were produced by Babylonian productions when it was a going concern and overlapped with the production of either B5 or Crusade. Rangers is just a whole 'nuther animal, and precisely because it was less popular with B5 fans (just as Crusade was) it makes sense to release it on its own rather than leave the bulk of fans feeling that they had to pay extra for a movie they didn't want. (Probably the same reason the U.K. edition of the movie set omits TG and ItB, which fans over there were charged full price for the first time around.) Those who specifically want Rangers can buy it separately. I'm sure WB has figured out what percentage of fans are likely to buy it and has already concluded that it can make a profit from that level of sales. (Don't forget, even as a ratings "disappointment" Rangers was seen by about a million and a half people on average. If only a fraction of those buy the DVDs it will still be enough to break even. And lots of folks who first discovered B5 on DVD have never seen the film - ditto plenty of fans overseas - so the studio will surely make its money back. Same as with Crusade, which is why that "marginal" show with only 13 episodes is also getting a DVD release.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[GaribaldisHair]

The studio owns 100% of the films. (If Warner Bros. had been willing to cut Sci-Fi in for a piece of the action on the Rangers film and subsequent series, the show would have gone into production, as I concluded long ago and as JMS has since confirmed.)

Now that's an interesting snippet - must have missed that one.

So, basically (and without wanting to stray too far off-topic ) the reason Rangers didn't get picked up ultimately had little to do with its quality (still much better than most of the pants that passes for SF these days) or its ratings, but the fact that WB refused to allow SFC a part share in the show?

Hmmm ...

 

[The_One]

Bloody capitalism. Ruins everything.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

...the reason Rangers didn't get picked up ultimately had little to do with its quality (still much better than most of the pants that passes for SF these days) or its ratings, but the fact that WB refused to allow SFC a part share in the show?

Well, maybe I over-simplified just a little for rhetorical effect.

It really breaks-down this way:

If the movie had scored a 3.5 or 4.0 rating, it probably would have been picked up as a series, even if Sci-Fi didn't own it.

If it had scored a 0.5 rating it wouldn't have been picked up even if Sci-Fi had owned 100% of it.

The actual rating of around 1.5 or 1.7 that the movie did score put it right in the range where it would have been worth Sci-Fi's while to take a chance on it had they own a piece of the action. They still might have turned it down, it would not have been an automatic decision by any means, but JMS (who understands this stuff better than I do) thinks they probably would. It is also fairly likely that Sci-Fi would have come up with the extra cash needed to build the weapons system JMS originally envisioned if they were either already part owners of the property of if Warner Bros. had agreed to cut them in at that point.

But you have to understand that until just the last couple of years (as FCC ownsership regulations on the broadcast side have changed, and as various other factors have increased the financial risk for scripted TV) that studios have become willing to share ownership of series with either broadcast or cable networks. Although home video did not become a serious factor until the arrival of DVD as a truly mass-product in the last three or four years, the studios made lots of money selling reruns of shows to independent stations and cable channels in the U.S. and around the world. The profits from these shows helped off-set the losses that the studios incurred on shows that were cancelled after less than four or five years. (Since it was almost impossible to re-sell a show that had fewer than 100 episodes.) The networks that originally broadcast series did not share in these losses, so the studios saw no reason why they should share in the profits - plus the aforementioned FCC rules limited which shows a network could own. (In part this was due to one of the many side-effects of the quiz show scandals of the 50s, believe it or not.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[masaru]

i have a question that i can't seem to find any info about. is the version of The Gathering on the movie set the re-edit (the new version with new music) or the original (the one on the flipper disc)?

jeez...i can't wait for a Crusade release date...