(no subject)
Feb. 8th, 2008 01:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
word_never_saidSo on January 24th I sent the following email to Masterpiece theatre about the fact of it cutting scenes in Northanger Abbey and others. (I used Northanger as an example because I love this adaption the most of what I've seen, and it was the first to air in the states)
" I loved your version of Northanger Abbey, but I know for a fact that the version you are showing in the US is a good 30 minutes shorter than that in the UK. I'd have thought what was removed would be included in the DVDs. It turns out I'm wrong. Why not air the entire thing? And if not, why not include it on the DVD? I'd gladly buy the UK version if it weren't for the fact that the DVD regions don't match. Will there be a version released with the entire program? I'm quite distressed, and frankly disappointed."
Now, I knew why they cut it. But I was more pissed that they didn't include the cut scenes in the US DVD release. So, I got a response today.
'Thank you for your interest in MASTERPIECE.
Unfortunately, the following may not answer your question succinctly, but we hope it helps:
Regarding the editing of MASTERPIECE productions, we appreciate that it takes a devoted fan to delve into the programs at this level of detail, and we’re heartened by your level of interest and attention.
Our programs are routinely edited to fit our PBS time slot, which is different from the UK’s. Depending on whether our UK partner is producing for a commercial broadcaster or the BBC (i.e., commercial breaks vs. no commercial breaks), the episodes may vary from between 3-5 minutes to 10 or more. In the case of Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, approximately ten minutes were deleted in each.
While we obviously have no control over the amount of time we are given by PBS to air particular films, know that when faced with the need to edit, we take it very seriously and with great care. Almost always, it is the UK producers who determine which scenes should be trimmed from the U.S. broadcast. Our goal is to deliver to you the film that is closest to the original intent of the producers.
Editing to fit television's times slots is a fact of life for almost all programming. Our programs are initially written and produced to comply with UK television time slots. In some cases, they need to add material to fit their broadcast requirements. Our recent Persuasion was originally produced to a 93-minute length to fit the ITV's requirement for a two-hour slot. That length allows for approximately 20+ minutes of commercials on UK TV.
The good news is that many MASTERPIECE films are becoming more widely available around the world than ever before thanks to DVD and home video offerings. However, because of various formats and contract stipulations in different parts of the world, there may be some differences in content. In some cases, a DVD available in the US or Canada (such as those released by WGBH Boston Video) may only contain the US version, while in others, a DVD may contain the original UK version. This is further complicated by the fact that published running times may be an approximation of the running time, or more frequently the timeslot of the film was intended for (e.g., a 100-minute film may run in a 120 minute timeslot, and that longer timeslot information may end up on websites, DVD packaging, etc., despite the actual shorter running time of the film).
While we can’t control the marketplace, we will be happy to post DVD information to the MASTERPIECE website when we have it that may inform your purchasing decisions.
MASTERPIECE Online
http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece/
For up-to-date information on upcoming titles and web site features, subscribe to the MASTERPIECE eNewsletter at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/enewsletter/index.html
In other words---sorry, but looks like it sucks to be you, now doesn't it?
What I don't get is that if they produced the same DVD for all countries with different regions, they'
d be saving money instead of printing different DVDs with different covers. So I really really
" I loved your version of Northanger Abbey, but I know for a fact that the version you are showing in the US is a good 30 minutes shorter than that in the UK. I'd have thought what was removed would be included in the DVDs. It turns out I'm wrong. Why not air the entire thing? And if not, why not include it on the DVD? I'd gladly buy the UK version if it weren't for the fact that the DVD regions don't match. Will there be a version released with the entire program? I'm quite distressed, and frankly disappointed."
Now, I knew why they cut it. But I was more pissed that they didn't include the cut scenes in the US DVD release. So, I got a response today.
'Thank you for your interest in MASTERPIECE.
Unfortunately, the following may not answer your question succinctly, but we hope it helps:
Regarding the editing of MASTERPIECE productions, we appreciate that it takes a devoted fan to delve into the programs at this level of detail, and we’re heartened by your level of interest and attention.
Our programs are routinely edited to fit our PBS time slot, which is different from the UK’s. Depending on whether our UK partner is producing for a commercial broadcaster or the BBC (i.e., commercial breaks vs. no commercial breaks), the episodes may vary from between 3-5 minutes to 10 or more. In the case of Persuasion, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, approximately ten minutes were deleted in each.
While we obviously have no control over the amount of time we are given by PBS to air particular films, know that when faced with the need to edit, we take it very seriously and with great care. Almost always, it is the UK producers who determine which scenes should be trimmed from the U.S. broadcast. Our goal is to deliver to you the film that is closest to the original intent of the producers.
Editing to fit television's times slots is a fact of life for almost all programming. Our programs are initially written and produced to comply with UK television time slots. In some cases, they need to add material to fit their broadcast requirements. Our recent Persuasion was originally produced to a 93-minute length to fit the ITV's requirement for a two-hour slot. That length allows for approximately 20+ minutes of commercials on UK TV.
The good news is that many MASTERPIECE films are becoming more widely available around the world than ever before thanks to DVD and home video offerings. However, because of various formats and contract stipulations in different parts of the world, there may be some differences in content. In some cases, a DVD available in the US or Canada (such as those released by WGBH Boston Video) may only contain the US version, while in others, a DVD may contain the original UK version. This is further complicated by the fact that published running times may be an approximation of the running time, or more frequently the timeslot of the film was intended for (e.g., a 100-minute film may run in a 120 minute timeslot, and that longer timeslot information may end up on websites, DVD packaging, etc., despite the actual shorter running time of the film).
While we can’t control the marketplace, we will be happy to post DVD information to the MASTERPIECE website when we have it that may inform your purchasing decisions.
MASTERPIECE Online
http://www.pbs.org/masterpiece/
For up-to-date information on upcoming titles and web site features, subscribe to the MASTERPIECE eNewsletter at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/enewsletter/index.html
In other words---sorry, but looks like it sucks to be you, now doesn't it?
What I don't get is that if they produced the same DVD for all countries with different regions, they'
d be saving money instead of printing different DVDs with different covers. So I really really
