Very Special Features
I am a HUGE fan of the TV programme 'Friends', so much so that I got the entire 10 season DVD set in a collector's box and haven't stopped watching them over and over - the episodes just never stop being funny! But this is besides the point really, the reason I bring this up is because of the Special Feature available on each disk. Each season has unique Special Features specific to events and guests etc that have happened/appeared throughout, along with certain ones that are available in every season.
On each DVD there is Commentary by the directors on an episode which describes how they came up with certain ideas, how many takes they had to take on certain scenes and so-on. As well as this there is a 360 degree view of different scenes in the show available, similar to the 'Gangs of New York' example given to us in the lecture this week. With these you are able to select different items and a caption then comes up with information about what it is and/or the history behind it. On the fourth and final disk of each set there is "Gunther Spills the Beans about next season".
I think some of these features are almost a remediation of other mediums. The 360 degree view is very similar to the way you can look through 'Monica's Apartment' and other scenes in the show on the 'Friends' website (URL provided above). The website was created in 2002 and the full 10-season DVD set did not reach store shelves until late 2005, meaning the idea of this 'view the set' option was available on the Internet first. The "Gunther Spills the Beans" special feature could also, although more far-fetched, be considered remediation of a kind as informing viewers of what to look forward to in future seasons is a traditional 'trick' on TV and in magazines/newspapers done by producers to get people looking forward to watching the next episodes. In fact, the DVD itself is actually remediating the programme on it's own from the medium of TV (which screened and re-screened the different seasons until 2005) to a disk format, each season coming out on DVD approximately two years after it was originally aired!
I have watched nearly all the special features on the 'Friends' DVD's even though usually I don't bother with movies I watch etc. I have found with these ones that it almost brings the show more 'alive' in a way so I can see how audiences would find special features just as enjoyable to watch as the show/movie etc itself. You can also see how something such as DVD Special Features can remarket a programme or show that has already been aired by adding those little extras, making people feel more involved and get into certain shows that much more! I loved 'Friends' already but being able to watch interviews, behind the scene shows, and much more all on one disk can entice me for hours.
On each DVD there is Commentary by the directors on an episode which describes how they came up with certain ideas, how many takes they had to take on certain scenes and so-on. As well as this there is a 360 degree view of different scenes in the show available, similar to the 'Gangs of New York' example given to us in the lecture this week. With these you are able to select different items and a caption then comes up with information about what it is and/or the history behind it. On the fourth and final disk of each set there is "Gunther Spills the Beans about next season".
I think some of these features are almost a remediation of other mediums. The 360 degree view is very similar to the way you can look through 'Monica's Apartment' and other scenes in the show on the 'Friends' website (URL provided above). The website was created in 2002 and the full 10-season DVD set did not reach store shelves until late 2005, meaning the idea of this 'view the set' option was available on the Internet first. The "Gunther Spills the Beans" special feature could also, although more far-fetched, be considered remediation of a kind as informing viewers of what to look forward to in future seasons is a traditional 'trick' on TV and in magazines/newspapers done by producers to get people looking forward to watching the next episodes. In fact, the DVD itself is actually remediating the programme on it's own from the medium of TV (which screened and re-screened the different seasons until 2005) to a disk format, each season coming out on DVD approximately two years after it was originally aired!
I have watched nearly all the special features on the 'Friends' DVD's even though usually I don't bother with movies I watch etc. I have found with these ones that it almost brings the show more 'alive' in a way so I can see how audiences would find special features just as enjoyable to watch as the show/movie etc itself. You can also see how something such as DVD Special Features can remarket a programme or show that has already been aired by adding those little extras, making people feel more involved and get into certain shows that much more! I loved 'Friends' already but being able to watch interviews, behind the scene shows, and much more all on one disk can entice me for hours.
posted by Anonymous at 2:58 pm
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