""Pleasantville"" - Editorís Day Media Event
On March 17, 1999, New Line Home Video invited members of the media to an ""Editorís Day"" event to launch the DVD release of ""Pleasantville"". The event was the first in what may amount to many more such events in the future to help launch new DVDs into the marketplace. The event included viewing several clips from ""Pleasantville"" as well as a tour of the bonus features found in the supplemental section of the ""Pleasantville"" DVD. Technical aspects of the production and creation of the DVD were also discussed. The event was followed by a luncheon as well as a screening of New Line Cinemaís 1999 ShoWest Trailer Reel, highlighting upcoming New Line movies due in theatres during 1999. New Line and ""Pleasantville"" representatives hosting the event were Matt Lasorsa, New Line Home Video Vice President of Promotions & Publicity, Steve Ramirez, New Line Home Video Vice President of Sell-Through Marketing, Jean-Paul Leonard, co-founder of Angry Monkey, Inc., a San Francisco-based multimedia design studio, and Todd R. Collart, President and CEO of InterActual Technologies, Inc. Also on hand were Mike Sowa, Senior High Definition Colorist from LaserPacific, Jay Sherbon, Director of Research & Development at LaserPacific, Special Editions Producer Mark Rance and New Line Vice President of Post-Production, Video and Technical Operations Evan Edelist. Each presenter discussed and demonstrated their contributions to the creation of the Pleasantville DVD. ""Pleasantville"", a New Line Home Video Platinum Series DVD, was released on March 23 (reviewed in Issue of Widescreen Review) and features a host of special features in addition to the highly touted movie. The bonus features include two audio commentary tracks, one by Writer-Director Gary Ross; the other by OscarÆ-nominated Composer Randy Newman which is integrated into the isolated music score. Also included is a 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a theatrical trailer, a Fiona Apple music video, a storyboard gallery and a set-up guide for adjusting the color levels on your TV. The eventís attendees were treated to a demonstration of each of the features. Additionally, Pleasantville includes some DVD-ROM bonus features for use on a home computer, including a link to the Internet Movie DatabaseÆ as well as the feature ""From Script To Screen,"" which allows users to read and print the filmís screenplay as well as a unique feature that can direct the user to the corresponding scene in the movie. The DVD is unique in that the ""DVD is the most representative example of the film,"" according to Evan Edelist. This may be of interest to home theatre enthusiasts seeking high-quality program material and who are keeping tabs on the state-of-the-art. Additionally, says Edelist, the DVD ""mirrors the digital master"" since the entire film had to be scanned into a computer to accommodate the movieís record number of digitally created visual effects before being printed back onto film for theatrical release. Color and contrast values can be manipulated with more precision in the digital domain than in the photochemical realm. New Line Home Video is extremely supportive of ""special editions"" as evidenced by their ever-increasing library of Platinum Series DVD titles. To date, New Line has released over ten Platinum Series DVDs including ""Austin Powers"", ""Blade"" and ""Lost In Space"". And they promise many more in the future says Steve Ramirez: ""DVD is the future of home video and New Line is interested in exploiting the full entertainment experience at the lowest price."" Also of interest to home theatre enthusiasts is that New Line is fully committed to transferring their films in the 16:9 (1.78:1) anamorphic widescreen format. Several future Platinum Series DVDs are being planned, often during a filmís original production period as is the case with ""The Corruptor"" and ""Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"". Other possible releases in the coming months include A ""Nightmare On Elm Street"", ""Short Cuts"" plus about twenty catalog titles.