2011 - Confirmed and Rumoured Releases

[Si Hunt]

Yeah, it's called marketing!

[shada pavlova]

Well, it worked for Planet of Wretched Evil.

[Perry Vale]

I think we can expect Mind Of Evil too.

Or probably not, from Steve Roberts on Roobarbs....

I think in this current financial climate with the sales of DVDs generally dropping across the board and our budgets being cut back all the time, it would be incredibly difficult to justify the expenditure. Never say never and all that, but I genuinely think it's a case of 'wait and see'. We have no clearer picture than you at this point.

And of course Nick Courtney has seen a few minutes of colour footage from the story - as has everyone who bought the VHS release!

[SiHart]

Hmm, but then again, both Tim Coombe and Pik Si-Lim told us earlier this year at Who and Them they had colour copies of the story given to them on DVD, so who knows...

Si xx

[Larry]

Hmm, but then again, both Tim Coombe and Pik Si-Lim told us earlier this year at Who and Them they had colour copies of the story given to them on DVD, so who knows...

Si xx

to be honest as long as the picture is given the vidfire treatment and cleaned up dose it really matter if Mind of evil is released in black n white.

[Si Hunt]

It matters to me! I know some people prefer it in Black and White, but it was broadcast in colour. Whatever your opinion, it's a fact that releasing it in monochrome would be an incomplete version. Would you be happy if the only release "The Mind Robber" got was as a soundtrack?

I'd be intrigued to know the context of the Steve Roberts quote that Steve posted as I don't understand it at all. For one thing, why is he saying Nick Courtney has seen colour footage? Is he trying refute claims that colour footage from the other episodes exists? As Si said, the cast for the story have been given some (possibly all) of Episodes 2-6 in colour to review. And as this expense has already been made, it bemuses me why they're stalling on cost ground. Unless....

Maybe Episodes 2 - 6 have been recolourised cheaply using Chroma-Dot, and they're trying to dodgy paying for Episode 1 (which has no chroma dots) to be recoloured from scratch?

I think as usual he's being clever with words; we're supposed to read from that this it's too expensive to release in colour and deduce that they can't pay for ANY of it to be recoloured, when what he means is that it's too expensive to FINISH recolouring. Also the last bit is cleverly worded too.

Si.

[SiHart]

Also the last bit is cleverly worded too.

It is isn't it? It's not a lie, but it doesn't necessarily follow that those few minutes of part 6 are all he's seen...

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

It's an RT misdirection classic! You're supposed to imply that he means "...so that could be the colour footage people are claiming they have seen" but in actual fact it just states something we all already know!

2E really are tight/on hard times if they can't fork out for just one episode to be recoloured when they've done the other five. But that's presumably exactly what Steve doesn't want us to be able to deduce.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Yes! If they spend more money on recolourising it, how on Earth will they be able to afford the extended documentary 'Mind Out!' detailing the history of Minds appearing in Doctor Who, a neuro-scientist explaining what a mind is and Dennis Waterman comparing 'Minder' with 'Mind of Evil'?

[Perry Vale]

It matters to me!

I was going to reply the same, but thought you'd be along to put it better than I could.

I'd be intrigued to know the context of the Steve Roberts quote that Steve posted as I don't understand it at all.

Si.

Well, I'm picking up snippets, as he has also posted the following on Gallifrey Base...

Actually it was simply that somebody on another forum commented that at last we would know which football team the Master supports (when dressed as the GPO engineer). We did a quick decode of the relevant part and found a reasonably good frame, which showed that he was wearing a black and white scarf - I'm told that suggests Fulham FC.

So make of it what you will....

[Rob McCow]

which showed that he was wearing a black and white scarf

We can see it's black and white!

[Si Hunt]

Not in black and white we can't!

Si.

[Rob McCow]

But if they recolourise it, then he'll be wearing a colour scarf! It's only black and white because it's black and white!

[Si Hunt]

It might be black and white because it's black and white anyway. That is, it would still be black and white in black and white even if it was in colour, but recolourising it wouldn't mean it's in colour if it was black and white when it was originally in colour!

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

Makes sense.

[Captain Tancredi]

I would guess that the decision-making as far as 2E are concerned goes something like this:

A DVD release of 'The Mind of Evil' based on restored black and white film prints will sell (x) copies.

A release of the same story with recoloured episodes 2-6 and a b/w episode 1 will sell (y) copies.

But releasing it with a fully recoloured episode 1 will sell (z) copies.

So to justify the expense of recolouring episode 1, the costs really need to be greater than the profit from the additional (z-y) copies sold as a result of the extra work. There'd be some, I don't doubt, because some casual buyers will pick a colour release over a b/w one without looking too closely at the content, but I'm getting the impression that one of the consequences of the ramping-up of the releases is that not everybody is buying everything. I suspect that one of the reasons that 'Delta' has been selling cheaply of late is that people held off buying it because they were saving up for 'The War Games'.

[Si Hunt]

I think/hope that they won't even consider releasing it in anything less than full colour. Not being able to afford it means the release gets put on ice until they can. It would be a massive admission of defeat, not to mention a first, to release something 'part restored' due to cost.

Si.

[Simon R]

It's probably a bit of bollocks so that when they announce it on the schedule for next May everyone says "Wow, how fantastic 2Entertainment are for managing to bring this out after all" which will help make up for all the "How awfull 2Entertainment are for not bringing out the Galaxy 4 recon" or whatever else they've done wrong.

[Si Hunt]

Maybe I don't understand how budgets work, but I don't know why they don't just wait 2 years until they have no more stories left to release, then they can save up and put all their energies into "The Mind of Evil" and release it.

Si.

[Larry]

Maybe I don't understand how budgets work, but I don't know why they don't just wait 2 years until they have no more stories left to release, then they can save up and put all their energies into "The Mind of Evil" and release it.

Si.

problem is once all the stories are releaesed they'll probably start to spend their money on rereleasing new updated versions with extras of those earlier dvd's that didn't have any.

[Si Hunt]

Which would only take them a few months as there's only four or five max that are below par.

Si.

[shada pavlova]

Let's see...Robots of Death, Spearhead, Caves of Androzani, the Movie, Vengeance on Varos, Tomb of the Cybermen, Ark in Space and Carnival of Monsters could all do with a re-release, IMO.

[Si Hunt]

8 then. I wasn't far off.

What's wrong with "Carnival"?

Si.

[Perry Vale]

I would guess that the decision-making as far as 2E are concerned goes something like this:

A DVD release of 'The Mind of Evil' based on restored black and white film prints will sell (x) copies.

A release of the same story with recoloured episodes 2-6 and a b/w episode 1 will sell (y) copies.

But releasing it with a fully recoloured episode 1 will sell (z) copies.

So to justify the expense of recolouring episode 1, the costs really need to be greater than the profit from the additional (z-y) copies sold as a result of the extra work. There'd be some, I don't doubt, because some casual buyers will pick a colour release over a b/w one without looking too closely at the content, but I'm getting the impression that one of the consequences of the ramping-up of the releases is that not everybody is buying everything. I suspect that one of the reasons that 'Delta' has been selling cheaply of late is that people held off buying it because they were saving up for 'The War Games'.

I really think you're over-complicating things a bit. It's more of a case that they look at how many copies (of MoE) they expect to sell, full stop, and set a budget in relation to that. Then the team (RT or whoever) look at all their options as to how best make use of that budget. I don't think, and I seriously disbelieve, that they would attempt guessing any difference in sales some/none of it being b&w might make. And if you don't agree with that, you really only need to take a look at the majority of 2|e ouput to see what I'm saying makes sense.

And I'm pretty certain that any recent drop in budgets would be down to general (current) economics, rather than any supposed drop in sales of the range.

Maybe I don't understand how budgets work, but I don't know why they don't just wait 2 years until they have no more stories left to release, then they can save up and put all their energies into "The Mind of Evil" and release it.

Si.

Like I said above, from my understanding, you can't "save up" a budget. It's set by how many copies they expect to sell. Now you could reason that in a couple of years time, with no other DW releases coming out, that more fans may make a purchase (with more money to spare), but again I really doubt a commercial company would look at it that way.

Having said all that, I do agree with Si Hunt's comment that they wouldn't consider releasing it in anything else than full colour. I really do believe that they will, if at all possible, because for all their faults, I do think that 2|e really take pride in the range.

[shada pavlova]

What's wrong with "Carnival"?

Well, there are no new featurettes or documentaries specially shot, no interviews with cast or crew, and the entire package of extras is only about twenty-four minutes long.