View Full Version : Official Fox response to Angel and Buffy widescreen
Well, this is interesting...
The R2 Project site has just posted an interview with Claire, product manager in charge of the Angel DVDs at Fox.
First, check this out.....
http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?sectionId=7&articleId=3030
Frankly, this stinks!
What Fox is telling us is that a widescreen version of Angel's first season WAS possible, but that they've no plans to go back and rerelease it in this format either here or in the US.
However, the fan outcry has had a big enough effect to see the second season prepared in widescreen, with S4 Buffy coming in the same format.
Well, not bloody good enough is what I say! It's great to hear that Angel will from now on be in widescreen, but it should have been that way from the start. This is like getting the first Star Wars film in pan and scan, but being told, "it's okay, the others will be coming in widescreen."
If you're a fan of the series want to collect it in the proper format then I'd imagine that seeing season one sitting in your collection as 4x3 when the others are in the proper widescreen is really going to rankle.
:brickwall
Desk
Bapapapa
12-11-2001, 15:53
http://www.bapapapa.btinternet.co.uk/angelpetition.jpg
that really blows..........
i wouldve liked to see that in widescreen.
i guess we have no choice but to buy the full screen versions.
"However there is more good news for fans of "Buffy" and "Angel" , Clair tells us that "Buffy" Season 4 will be widescreen, expect a release to be around the 6th of May. As for "Angel" season 2, expect it around the end of March / beginning of April."
WTF! I thought Buffy Season 4 was January!?!
Originally posted by Digital
"However there is more good news for fans of "Buffy" and "Angel" , Clair tells us that "Buffy" Season 4 will be widescreen, expect a release to be around the 6th of May. As for "Angel" season 2, expect it around the end of March / beginning of April."
WTF! I thought Buffy Season 4 was January!?!
What made you think Buffy S4 was due in January? Fox have pretty much stuck to a 6 monthly release pattern from S1 onwards, as with the X-Files sets too.
Anyone got a picure of the Angel packaging? Is it similar to the Buffy S2 and S3 sets? The Australian set will be Amarays no doubt.
Originally posted by cervaro
What made you think Buffy S4 was due in January? Fox have pretty much stuck to a 6 monthly release pattern from S1 onwards, as with the X-Files sets too.
I was sure that's what I read, ah well.
there's no widescreen DLT master for the release
Really it is time to get over it and just be glad that future releases will be in W/S
there's no widescreen DLT master for the release
Really it is time to get over it and just be glad that future releases will be in W/S as well as be happy that we aren't going to be waiting years for the release on dvd due to syndication rights
Great news about the widescreen versions.
Thanks and congratulations go to 'Claire' for that.
I'm still going to wait before buying S1 Angel in 4:3 though...
I want confirmation from Joss Whedon & co that the masters don't exist. If they do, then they'll just _HAVE_ to make the W/S versions before they're going to get my money... I can not afford to pay ~70 quid for anything twice...
Roll on S4 Buffy and S2 Angel in the mean time :)
Ross.
Lenny Nero
12-11-2001, 17:45
Oh that's great, at least the whole Buffy will be in OAR, and one season of Angel is not bad, just pretend it was shot fullscreen, like Buffy was at first, plus it was broadcast in fullscreen anyway so it's no big deal.
What's wrong with these statements ?
1. There are no masters for widescreen Angel.
2. There are no plans to rerelease them in widescreen.
If there actually were no widescreen masters then a rerelease in widescreen would be impossible and not just "not planned".
And several of the Angel writers/producers have already confirmed that Angel was produced in widescreen for future HDTV airings and the DVD release from the very beginning.
This interview only confirms that Fox begins to understand that they've done something wrong and now try to get us to buy the pan&scam version anyway. I hope nobody falls for this cheap trick - I have almost no doubt that the R1s will be in widescreen.
DarkAvenger
12-11-2001, 18:47
The interview stated that it's going to be at least 2 years before they even consider releasing Angel in the States due I think to the syndication rights. That is a long time to wait for this superb series so I am just going to buy the R2 release. I have never even seen this season in Widescreen so I really don't care about losing some of the picture when I don't know what is missing. I think it really is about time that people just accepted that this is how it is and no matter how much pressure is put on Fox they won't re-release it in Widescreen for a long time. At least we're going to get Buffy Season 4 and Angel Season 2 in widescreen. I wonder if the people who are so up in arms about this felt the same about "The Evil Dead" being released as a widescreen film when it was originally full screen. Okay Sam Raimi approved the new print himself but the new release does actually show less of the film than it originally did.
SqueakyG
12-11-2001, 21:43
There's no sense whinging and moaning about this -- there are NO original masters in widescreen. Just take that as a fact.
Angel season 1 was filmed in a format that -- if widescreen masters were kept available -- would have been just as suitable for 16:9 as for 4:3. The season was filmed in a way that was framed EQUALLY well for 16:9 and 4:3, with preference to 4:3 televisions at the moment (seeing as EVERY SINGLE TV station in the world decided to buy the season in that format), but also making a 16:9 version for when widescreen televisions are the norm. I think it is unfortunate (and slightly incompetent) that the 16:9 version was lost, but I do not think the widescreen version is any "better" or "more preferable" to the fullscreen version.
So in this particular case, the need for the widescreen version isn't very important. The 4:3 framing is perfectly acceptable, and is EQUALLY intentional as the 16:9 framing. We're not talking about a movie with an aspect ratio that is compromised when shown in fullscreen... we're talking about something that was framed in fullscreen equally well as it was framed in widescreen, and the extra picture at the sides is pretty extraneous.
So... two aspect ratios... equal artistically, equal technically. One survives, one was lost. Please get over it.
I think it is unfortunate (and slightly incompetent) that the 16:9 version was lost
I'd bet a pound to a bucket of ferrets that the 16:9 versions are very much in existence - it's just that Fox aren't willing to go back and spend the money required to remaster and release them for DVD.
They know they'll sell bucketloads of the 4:3 discs, and anyway, it gives them a future sales opportunity - a year or two down the line, once the 4:3 sales have slowed, they can do the "for the first time on DVD in widescreen!" release... :(
Is there any actual evidence anywhere (and I don't mean from raving fans, rather from the shows producers) as to what the intended framing was for Angel?
Not flaming or anything, I just have never seen any evidence to support the "fight for widescreen" and want to be sure this isn't just a case of widescreen for widescreens sake.
Anyone point me in the direction of some facts?
Originally posted by SvenL
What's wrong with these statements ?
1. There are no masters for widescreen Angel.
2. There are no plans to rerelease them in widescreen.
If there actually were no widescreen masters then a rerelease in widescreen would be impossible and not just "not planned".
And several of the Angel writers/producers have already confirmed that Angel was produced in widescreen for future HDTV airings and the DVD release from the very beginning.
This interview only confirms that Fox begins to understand that they've done something wrong and now try to get us to buy the pan&scam version anyway. I hope nobody falls for this cheap trick - I have almost no doubt that the R1s will be in widescreen.
Its was "There were no widescreen DLT masters", NOT "There were no widescreen masters", this means Fox couldn't be bothered to go back to the original master to create a widescreen DLT.
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