S3 DVDs

[Joseph DeMartino]

JMS made a passing reference to work on the S3 DVDs in the course of a usenet post:

Just finished the commentaries and interviews for the B5 Year 3 DVD set, and I think it's a bit better than the year 2 commentary I did, which I think kinda sucked. Year 2 comes out in April.

I seriously doubt that S2 commentary sucked, but I'm glad to hear that he thinks the S3 commentary(ies?) came out better.

Since they're working on S3 now I wonder if anyone's been in touch with Michael O'Hare?

Regards,

Joe

 

[kin_of_zathras]

Season 1 must have done really well if they're doing S3 just on those sales, or maybe its the S2 pre-orders that also helped. I wonder if we can coax some actual figures out of jms.
And didn't he do 2 commentaries? I'm sure they'll be fine.
I hope the colour scheme for S3 is green, it'll also fit in with the B4 storyline. Then maybe we can get blue then red so the sets will look nice and symmetrical.
PS. I'd never buy the DVD's but have you all seen the R2 packaging for the DS9 DVD's?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/dvd/B000087LOJ/pictures/1/202-8711039-4869417

Looks mouthwatering, much better than the R1 photos I've seen

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Warner Bros. now has the data they need to correlate pre-orders with final sales, so they can project a profit for S2 based on existing consumer pre-orders and wholesale orders. As a practical matter they should now have a pretty good idea of what kind of profit the entire series will return in its initial release, so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a slightly accelerated release schedule.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Shaal Mayan]

Thank the prophets

 

[Kribu]

In the meantime, JMS has posted which S3 episodes he did the commentaries for - Severed Dreams and Z'ha'Dum.

Logical choices, I'd say. Can't wait to hear them.

 

[Recoil]

Season 3 needs to come out in June. This every 6 months crap is for the birds...

 

[LightNZ]

Since they're working on S3 now I wonder if anyone's been in touch with Michael O'Hare?

Joe

very sad, but from jms himself:

I'll second that one Joe.
>
>Getting O'Hare involved would make most fans I know very happy indeed.
>For a guy who was only the lead in one season his popularity has endured.
>
He was asked if he wanted to participate in the DVDs in general, not just for
season one, and declined. WB isn't going to keep bugging him if he doesn't
want to do it."

ALSO followed by:

>Maybe if there's a way of contacting him through his website he could then
>contact whoever originally asked him?
>
>I'd love to have him participate, too.
>

The window's closed, unfortunately, in terms of getting anything filmed for
this set. I barely made it under the wire with the commentaries.

jms

 

[Fas]

Season 3 needs to come out in June. This every 6 months crap is for the birds...

Agreed.

A for Michael O ´Hare, well, he was on the "making of babylon 5" documentary, he talked about the character there. Anyways, as much as we don´t agree with him, i think we should leave him alone if he doesn´t want to do it.

Why some actors don´t want to give WB an hour of their time is beyond me, after all most of them had some wonderful time on the Babylon 5 set, i think.

 

[KoshFan]

Well, it's probably more than an hour, what with transit time and all. If they were just lounging around the recording studio they'd probably be happy to, but they have jobs, lives, things to do. I know I'd be reluctant to jump on a plane and fly across the country just for one day. I've got a schedule, etc.

And remember, we're getting spoiled here. Time was, commentaries didn't exist at all, except maybe written ones!

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I know I'd be reluctant to jump on a plane and fly across the country just for one day. I've got a schedule, etc.

Er, AOL-Time/Warner does have a few facilities on the East Coast that O'Hare could use. It isn't like shooting a guest shot for the series, where you kind of need the sets, the makeup and the rest of the actors. O'Hare coule have sat down any number of places (including his own apartment) with a film crew, or gone to a screening room to record an audio commentary. Pity the time seems to have run out.

Re: "Every six months" It takes time to produce the extras, digitize, master and author the discs, and then fit the series into the replication schedule. Every six months is virtually standard in the biz. They might be able to speed that up a little by over-lapping work on two seasons (which they may have done with S2 and S3) but there are decided limits to how short the interval can be made. TNG and DS9 are not a realistic model. Everything but the replication was done on them a good year before the first set went on sale. Paramount can afford to spend that kind of money a year ahead of time because Trek is a sure thing. Warner Bros. and Fox have to be more careful with their money, because they're still learnig which shows work and which ones don't on DVD.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Leto II]

Here's his latest (as of this evening):

Subject: Re: Attention JMS
From: Jms at B5
Date: 04/02/2003 11:44 AM
Forum: Usenet

--------------------

>Can you tell us who is doing commentary for Season 3 besides you??


I'm trying to remember which episode they did, if it was Interludes and Examinations or Ceremonies of Light and Dark, but the three who did the commentary were (I believe) Bruce, Jerry and Jason.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

 

[Recoil]

Joe,

I realize the constraints, but that doesnt change my wishes. Sigh. I just dont like having to wait that long. Is that so hard to understand?

 

[kin_of_zathras]

Looks like we're only getting 3 commentaries a season and no O'hare
Why Ceremonies of Light and Dark of all the great S3 episodes? I wanted Andreas and Peter for Dust to Dust.

 

[MOmega]

"Interludes and Examinations" is good choise for Bruce's commentaries, but why Ceremonies of Light and Dark?
There are much better episodes: Voices of Authority (for Jason or Claudia), Dust to Dust (Peter and Andres), Messages from Earth (for all of them) and WWE (for all of them).

 

[LightNZ]

remember of course that warner doesn't pay the actors for doing extras (I think).

And while i would love a commentary on every episode. 2 per season, is not too bad really, when you look at other dvd's

still, i just can't wait to own the entire b5 series on dvd!!! - yay, bring it on!

 

[Fas]

And while i would love a commentary on every episode. 2 per season, is not too bad really, when you look at other dvd's

I think JMS wants to remain consistent with the season one set, thats why we only have two commentaries per season. Quite frankly im dissapointed, i think the more the series gets into the arc (as s1 was mostly episodic), there should be more commentaries. perhaps 4 per season.

Here´s my wish list for commentaries (specially by the cast).

Season 4:
- Mira Furlan for "Times of Transition"
- Bruce and Jerry on "The Face of the Enemy"
- I would like JMS to be with the CGI effects guy on either "No Surrender, No Retreat" or "Into The Fire".

Season 5:

- Definitely Patricia Tallman and the guy who played Byron, maybe in "Secrets of the Soul".
- Peter and Andreas on a Gkar-Londo Episode.
- JMS on Phoenix Rising, Fall Of Centauri Prime, The Wheel of Fire, and Sleeping In The Light. Will never happen, though, i think he will go for Wheel of Fire and Sleeping In The Light.

 

[LightNZ]

it's not about consistancy...........he only has time to do a certain amount. And I believe he has stated so himself

06/09/2002

Season One will be out in a boxed set this Fall, and they're going to be
including at minimum two commentaries from me, probably on Signs and Portents
and Chrysalis (it's a matter of how much time and energy I can give to it given
that there's no fees involved and I'm in the midst of Jeremiah), and if
possible, Babylon Squared, maybe Sky Full of Stars. They'd also like to film
an on-camera intro by me (but I guess folks will buy it anyway, even with that
particular horror included).
-jms

 

[The_One]

They need Andreas and Peter for one the Season 5 episodes. Some of the best writing from JMS, and acting from Andreas and Peter in those episodes.

We can't exactly complain guys, we are, after all getting B5 on DVD - something many of us thought was not possible. AND, Warner are going ahead with Season 3 without even waiting for the results of the Season 2 sales. It's likely the gap between S2 and S3 will be shorter than the 6 month gap between S1 and S2, since they didn't start on S2 (to our knowledge) until a couple of months after S1.

I don't think anyone has the right to moan and complain.

 

[Fas]

Well, i was dissapointed with the quantity of commentaries, but im still quite happy with the DVDs. I think everyone is.

 

[Recoil]

They need Andreas and Peter for one the Season 5 episodes. Some of the best writing from JMS, and acting from Andreas and Peter in those episodes.

From JMS's latest post, that may not happen.

>Hrm. Does this mean we have to wait for season 4 for Andreas and Peter?
>

Andreas and (I believe) Peter have thus far declined to be interviewed or to do
a commentary because they would like to be compensated for their participation,
and WB isn't able to do that for any of the cast. I could probably intervene
and push this with them, but I don't think it's right or fair to get between an
actor and a chance to get paid. I think they *should* get paid for doing this.
I think *anyone* who does a commentary or the like should get paid, but the
budget just isn't there for it, and I don't feel comfortable telling somebody
that it's okay not to get paid for doing a day's work.

jms

However as you said, we are lucky to be getting all we are. I for one can certainly live without commentaries. They are neat, but I rarely watch them. There is enough goodies coming with these sets to keep me happy.