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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga The Official Star Wars Blu-Ray Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by Fat_Rancor_Keeper, Apr 17, 2010.

  1. Drewton

    Drewton Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 8, 2009
    Excellent!

    Hopefully, unlike the mediocre LOTR set, they actually took the time to make new scans of the OT and TPM. That is a must. The current master of TPM especially looks terrible. I'd like to see both the original theatrical editions and new (and extended?) editions made for the Blu-ray, and deleted scenes seem to be implied. The 1997 SEs I don't really care about including and the 2004 DVD editions I'd care less about.
     
  2. drg4

    drg4 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2005
    Did they have to be that definitive? It was disheartening to open the set and find Alien: Resurrection.
     
  3. zombie

    zombie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 1999
    You can buy Alien and Aliens individually, you know. It would be quite silly to not include the 4th film in a set titled Alien Quadrilogy.

    The Alien Anthology set will be including the AVP films too! :eek: Hence the dropping of the made-up "quadrilogy".
     
  4. MeBeJedi

    MeBeJedi Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 30, 2002
    //giggle

    I like Resurrection. I just recently got it in HD, in fact. ;)
     
  5. drg4

    drg4 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2005
    Just a joke. Since I happen to love the first three films, the Quadrilogy was a sure-purchase.
     
  6. Fat_Rancor_Keeper

    Fat_Rancor_Keeper Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 17, 2010
    Funny you guys bring it up...I was actually going through the bonus features on my Alien set today. Truly - that is the BEST "ultimate" set I know of. (I've heard blade runner is excellent also but I don't have that one) The thing is the alien set is more like SW in that it consists of multiple films. When you open up/unfold that box it's hilarious. It keeps opening and opening until you have a monster amount of DVD's before you. Ha ha. It's actually a bit overwhelming b/c you don't even know where to begin it's SO MUCH.

    I want a SW set just like that.


    "I've been holding out for Star Wars to be released on Blu Ray to actually make the move to Blu Ray myself. I'll wait to see what exactly this new set consists of. I won't be purchasing unless they at least fix the lightsaber fx from the OT and insert digital Yoda into TPM.

    I wonder will they release this set on DVD too?"



    ^^ I think a lot of folks are like you and holding out. I have a Ps3 myself and honestly it's the best buy I've ever made. I can watch my DVD's, Blu's, pop in a Netflix disc or play me some Batman Arkham Asylum. Good Q about it also being on DVD. My guess is it'll be released on Bluray only by that point. But who knows.
     
  7. shanerjedi

    shanerjedi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 17, 2010
    I was thinking about this yesterday after I posted earlier in the thread.

    The thing that would be great is to have about 4 to 6 versions of each film on a few discs.

    Then you could fill up a handful of other discs with special features.

    Rick McCallum mentioned a silent"music only" version of each film and a bluescreen only/no FX version.

    Then you could have the theatricals, special editions, and definitive/finished "once and for all well maybe" versions.

    On the no fx version you could use seamless branching from blu-ray to toggle between the theatrical and No Fx/bluescreen versions while listening to the fx artists describe the work.

    And I can't say this enough:

    The commentaries must be split up.

    Give Lucas his own for each and every film. If he stops talking, use a electric cattle prod like those poles in THX-11348 to wake him from his nap.

    Then you can have Rick dropping f-bombs on the other one with some members of his team

    Then give the actors their track

    Then the fx guys their own

    I want this set to be so complete that it would be too much, an overload. That way their will never be a hue and cry to release another set on blu-ray, they can just re-release this one for certain anniversaries.

    Sound fx only track. Isolated score. All the original OT stuff from the Laserdisc sets as well as the PBS shows. Then all the newer features like Empire of dreams, etc.

    All.Of.It.

    Then charge 500$ for it.

    Out.

    :oops:


     
  8. Fat_Rancor_Keeper

    Fat_Rancor_Keeper Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 17, 2010
    I agree. ^^ They really need to give it their best shot and try to please as many fans as possible.

    I know GL's feelings on the OT but simply releasing them with nice transfers will literally kill years worth of bad feelings.

    For the SE fans (and I am one) we don't mind the changes, they just need to be quality.

    As far as docs go...one thing I think would be really interesting is a comprehensive doc just dedicated to the various versions of SW (from 1997's versions to 2004 to 2011). Some thing like "Evolution of a film series". I'd love to hear the thought process behind these alterations and why they felt the need to fix some things or not fix other things and I'm sure other fans would love something like this too.
     
  9. drg4

    drg4 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2005
    What do you think this is, Lord of the Rings? Where the actors actually seemed to enjoy the experience?

    Trust me, you wouldn't want to hear an actors-only audio track of the series...


    ANH, Mark Hamill: "It definitely changed the face of cinema! But for the next hour, I'd like to talk about how much fun it was recording the upcoming game Arkham Asylum 2. Which should be out..."

    TESB, Harrison Ford: "Kershner was very good with us. And to think of it, I should have taken my bow here. Because in hindsight, there was nothing more that could be said about this thin character..."

    ROTJ, Carrie Fisher: "See that hut in the background? That's where I nailed Harrison."

    TPM, Jake Lloyd: "It wasn't just the kids from my playground, either. There were these college-age weirdos, who would taunt me with shouts of 'Yippee!'..."

    AOTC, Hayden Christensen: "When I saw this scene in the theater, all I could think was, 'Why did George use the first take?'..."

    ROTS, Ewan MacGregor: "Yeah, this one was actually quite good. The other two, oh %@#$..."



    It wouldn't be pretty, boys and girls.
     
  10. zombie

    zombie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 1999
  11. APOLLO608

    APOLLO608 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 18, 2010
    Great post! [face_laugh]

    I'm not sure what to think about all this. I'd have to probably see some nice extras and a noticeable increase in quality to make the investment.
     
  12. d_arblay

    d_arblay Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    I seriously doubt we?ll get new commentaries from the crew. lucas has done his crew one for each movie and as far as cast is concerned, we got carrie fisher on the OT - which is about as much as we could really expect.

    that said, i'd love to have a visual commentary by the cast(s) as they are now - a bit like The Goonies DVD. To both hear and see Fisher, Hammil and Ford etc. in the same room watch the films as we get both in split screen would be a great extra on the OT. And I think the likes of Christensen, Lloyd, Pernilla August, Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid and Ewan McGregor etc. would be keen enough to do a similar commentary on the prequel films. I doubt the tone would be that negative all these years on (at the time perhaps). A John Williams inclusion on any commentary would be nice too. If Ben Burtt gets one for sound fx, I don?t see why Williams shouldn?t have one. There could also be some kind of appreciation commentary with the likes of James Cameron, Peter Jackson and other filmmakers who have been influenced by or have great affection for the movies (I?d suggest Spielberg but we know he doesn?t do commentaries). You could include scholars and authors and many of the types of people who have already added great content to the tv documentaries and books down the years.

    Personally, I?d love Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels to get their own commentary just to hear the pair bickering :)
     
  13. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2009
    What would be nice to see is the interactive/educational presentation that was hinted at years ago, where the viewer could switch between the different stages of the creation of each film - final cut, rough cut, with & without effects & so on, all accompanied by visual & audio commentary to explain just how the film was put together.

    It's been done with other DVD releases, but not on a very extensive level. You can choose to watch an episode of the Simpsons with the deleted scenes included, IIRC a Ghostbusters release had the option of watching scenes where the effects weren't there, you'd see bluescreen instead.

    The potential for a Star Wars release on this level is massive, especially considering just how many tweaks have been made ever since 1977, & I've always thought that LFL has been waiting for a high-capacity format like Blu-Ray to finally do it, but something tells me it's not going to happen, even if it could be done well.

    Even if it was just for one film, something like this would really get people interested, far more than yet another box set with an extra 15 hours of interviews. Do it for ANH & it would be a huge step forward for the medium itself. Then there's another five films to do, one at a time, & by the time they're finished, plenty more money in the bank & a genuine excuse to release all 6 in a box set with whatever other bits & pieces have been discovered along the way.

    While this does sound like a silly fanboy pipedream - "You know what would be @#$%ing AWESOME?" - it's the sort of educational concept GL & Lucasfilm have been banging on about since the 1980's, but have yet to deliver. They developed Editdroid, which became AVID, but past that, it seems as if all the real innovation went into video games & the like.
     
  14. d_arblay

    d_arblay Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    Perhaps a letter to Lucasfilm wouldn't go amiss? You never know, you may convince them to step up :)


     
  15. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Well, according to your hypothetical commentary tracks at least Carrie Fisher probably enjoyed her "experience."
     
  16. Darth_Nub

    Darth_Nub Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 26, 2009
    Not a bad idea, I'll ask them to cut Jar-Jar & midichlorians out of future PT releases while I'm at it. And recast TPM Anakin as the 12-yo he was originally conceived as.;) 'They' can fix it in post-production, I hear all the time.

    As one of 'they', sadly, I know the truth...

    I wouldn't have brought the interactive concept up, except for the fact that if you read LFL publications from the late 1980s - early 1990s, it's exactly the sort of thing they talk about doing, & I seem to recall talk earlier this decade about doing such a thing, but there's little to indicate it'll happen anytime soon. Certainly not for this upcoming release.
     
  17. d_arblay

    d_arblay Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    well as Lucas has no desire to recast TPM and take out midichlorians, you're right, they wouldn't obey that command :p But as you said, your other wish is a realistic one that chimes in with the modus operandi of the company to produce innovative things. You could outline your ideas in a letter and maybe just convince them to invest in such a project on the next release. Perhaps we could sign a petition of some sorts to go with any such letter, thus proving demand. Its not as if this project is very advanced as it is. They may well be planning something similar to what you've outlined... I'm actually think they'll consider such an option as it is. There will be enough people on the inside who'd be equally excited about such a concept themselves. But just because we might not see it doesn't mean it won't be thought about/has not been thought about in the past. If you don't try though, you don't know. They may assume there would be no fan realistically thinking about it outside the industry.

    In fairness to them, they have to believe the ends justifies the means. ESB-ROTS wasn't made with the mindset that they'd lose money and its similar with this - if its calculated you're gonna make $100 on something, you're not gonna spend $101 making it. If your ideas proved to be as expensive a venture to implement as they sound, they might be worried it would create little to no additional demand/hype outside the immediate fanbase (most of whom will purchase the set, regardless of what additional content there is, as long as there is something new). Again, there will be some number-cruncher in there who will be arguing, "if we can make $100 without these new features and just $120 with them, yet the first would cost us only $20 to make and the second $80", you can see the reason why a super-definitive boxset with newly created/manipulated content might just fail to see the light of the day.

    Of course, its not just this - the biggest problem we face in getting a "super-definitive" boxset will be the "why put all our eggs in one basket?" mentality. But part of me thinks we might just get such a boxset sooner rather than later... because with the home 3D revolution about to kick in, you can see how they could then switch their attention to this market and still keep profit coming in the future. I mean, even if you have a hypothetical boxset of epic proportions, when you get your 3D tv by 2014 say, you're still gonna want to get Star Wars in 3D, regardless of bonus content. By then they'll have the live action tv series in full swing too. We'll get most things eventually... maybe just not all at once. Lets face it, at the end of the day its just business.
     
  18. zombie

    zombie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 1999
    I'm not sure what the pricetage of the 2004 DVD set was, but I would highball it at about $4 million, including the restoration of the films but without advertising costs. Let's say when you factor PR and advertising, you have about $14 million in costs.

    The 2004 DVD set sold $100 million dollars worth of business in it's first day of release.

    I don't know what it's done to date, but clearly it must be close to the billion dollar sales range.

    The excuse of "profit margins" is patently absurd when it comes to LFL and Star Wars.
     
  19. shanerjedi

    shanerjedi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 17, 2010

    [face_laugh]:p

    d_arblay, the idea would be a super definitive set would be a limited release like the Blade Runner "case" set from a few years ago. Then you would have the more readily available super-duper box set that would have less content, but more importantly, not different content. The idea would be so fans wouldn't have to buy both to get all the content. They could just buy the Kitchen sink set with all the content, or the more readily available super duper set that holds back on the content somewhat.

    At this point, I will not just rush out and buy a blu ray set they release. No, I'm done doing that. In order for me to justify buying any more official releases, they have to do something really amazing and sincere.

    Otherwise, I'll be perfectly content with all the official copies and fan edits I have. Really, I don't need any more SW.

    Lucas has to give me a compelling reason. And this idea of "holding out for future releases to entice fans to keep buying sets" ain't it.
     
  20. d_arblay

    d_arblay Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    I never intended to imply it was an "excuse" - not a valid one at least. I used it as method of reasoning inside the system. LFL will be tactical and justified in any release - same as the next company. I don't think its absurd to suggest they might be. Your quotes of the figures for the 2004 dvd set is exactly what im talking about. They didnt give us a definitive set then, yet it still made a fortune. And im speculating they may well not want to give us one on blu-ray for the same reason - they may be expecting to make a similar amount for any blu-ray release, with or without the "everything but the kitchen sink" mentality that we would desire them to have. I would imagine phasing out the release of all of this material is strategically the wisest business decision - and we are talking business here.

    I wasnt trying to highlight lucasfilm as some desperate entity in need of our money or a body that couldn't afford to produce whatever content it desired. but projected profit and profit percentage will, i imagine, be a factor in any future release. why give us more when they can give us less and probably make more money long-term doing so? Of course there's some fans that will refuse to buy the blu-ray editions but not enough to see a significant drop in profit, I wouldn't think.
     
  21. zombie

    zombie Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 1999
    I agree. I'm just saying the only reason not to provide a worthwhile set, along with remastered originals, is because they are greedy, callous jerks that don't really care about the fans and are more concerned about their own massive paycheques. They don't have to care, they will bring home their million dollar salary bonuses even if we hate them because most of us will buy whatever they put out no matter how poor it is. It's a sad situation. Maybe the reason Lucasfilm was so ahead of the game in the 80s and 90s with their video releases was because the company wasn't worth billions and had to actually put effort into quality releases that would appease the needs of their fans that they relied on for business.
     
  22. d_arblay

    d_arblay Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 26, 2005
    exactly
     
  23. Jumpman

    Jumpman Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2003
    zombie,

    Lucasfilm can deliver a worthwhile set without including the original theatrical cuts, which, we all know they're not going to include them.

    You mean to tell me that if Lucasfilm provides a complete set with over 8 to 12 hours of exclusive and archival content along with the definitive versions of all six films with lossless audio that just happens to not include the original theatrical versions that it won't be worthwhile?

    If you say yes, that's how far the fanbase has fallen....
     
  24. Jumpman

    Jumpman Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2003
    I hope and pray that Lucas surprises us all and does include them for only the simple reason to quiet the fanbase because without this constant back and forth about the theatricals and the special editions, they wouldn't have anything to rip the guy on...which has gotten out of control in 2010.

    And yet, I hope he takes the theatrical cuts to his grave. Just out of pure spite.

     
  25. shanerjedi

    shanerjedi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 17, 2010
    Didn't you just suggest that if the fans wouldn't take a new blu-ray set with yet more "recently discovered" extras that the fanbase would have fallen?

    Well, what does your comment suggest?