Lost In Space Found On Dvd

Emedia Professional, March, 1999 by Philip De Lancie

MOST (THOUGH DEFINITELY NOT ALL) HOME VIDEO VIEWERS ARE USED TO THE LIMITED RESOLUTION of VHS; QUALITY ALONE MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH OF AN ISSUE TO CONVINCE THEM TO ADD YET ANOTHER BOX TO THEIR HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM.

It's not always easy to explain why one new format is a hit with consumers while another never gets off the ground, but the presence of multiple selling points certainly doesn't hurt. The CD, for instance, won favor not simply for its superior audio fidelity, but also on the convenience of random access and the long-term durability of the design (no physical contact to wear out the disc). So, too, rite DVD-Video format is unlikely to thrive solely on the basis of delivering better video and audio quality. Most (though definitely not all) home video viewers are used to the limited resolution of VHS; quality alone might not be enough of an issue to convince them to add yet another box to their home entertainment system. But enhancing the basic home viewing experience with new "added-value" features can help spark the kind of excitement needed to make the format an easier sell. Among the most extensive attempts at this kind of enhancement so far is the Lost in Space DVD from New Line Cinema. Released in the United States and Canada on October 6--"day and date" with the VHS release--Lost in Space is a dual-layer disc (a "reverse spiral" DVD-9) retailing at $24.98. It contains not simply the 130-minute feature flint, but also added content for both set-top and DVD-ROM playback (Windows 95/98 only). The film is presented "letterboxed" in its original widescreen theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, with the main soundtrack in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital (AC-3). English is the only language option for the soundtrack and the single subtitle track, as well as for two commentary tracks, one of which features observations on the making of the film by director Steven Hopkins and writer Avika Goldsman; the other offers the more technically-oriented perspectives of visual effects supervisors, the director of photography, the editor, and the producer. The product does not use DVD-Video's multiple angle capability.

The user has three basic options for navigating the feature film itself. "In a set-top player or on a PC with a DVD-drive, you can access the film either by simply playing it from the beginning or by using the scene index to access it chapter-by-chapter," says Mike Mulvihill, New Line's director of operations for post-production. (The scene index includes a preview function.) "But on the PC you can also access the film from the screenplay included on the ROM portion of the disc. Within any scene in the screenplay, you can jump to the corresponding chapter of the movie. So if you see something that the screenwriter wrote, and you want to see what that actually looks like within the film, you just click to launch that scene. And at any time you can exit back to the section of the screenplay you started from."

SET-TOP EXTRAS

The inclusion of the screenplay is just one example of New Line's effort to give the DVD's buyers a linear feature film experience and an interactive multimedia experience rolled into one. On the settop side, the added features are accessed through the Features option on the main menu. In addition to being the jumping off point for the audio commentaries in the main film, the Features section includes a variety of materials for space buffs, science fiction aficionados, and die-hard fans of the '60s TV series on which the film is based. Some content was repurposed from the film's electronic press kit, while other sections were custom-created for the DVD.

The extras include three "featurettes," miniature movies related to the main film. One such film, Building the Special Effects, is along the lines of a "The Making of ..." documentary, focusing on the creation of the feature film's record 767 visual effects shots. Hosted by visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton, the film covers four main aspects of effects creation, including the relative merits of computer-generated and model-based approaches. Another featurette, The Future of Space Travel, is an educational piece intended to give the "science fact behind the science fiction." "We interviewed members of the Planetary Society about what in the movie could actually happen, and where are we going in the future in terms of space travel," says New Line marketing manager Donald Evans. Topics range from the long-term implications of environmental trends on Earth to the merits of pursuing space travel.

For the less educationally inclined, a section called "The Television Years" offers a three-part look at the TV series, including written synopses of every episode, TV cast biographies, and a third featurette, made up of video interviews with original cast members. Biographies and "filmographies" of cast and crew for the film, meanwhile, are found in the disc's Jupiter II Crew section. Other sections include a look at color production designs, a music video of the TV series theme song, the theatrical trailer, scenes from the cutting room floor, and a trivia game on the series and film, with a blooper clip as the winner's reward.