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I think something like "WEEK 1 - EMAIL WRITING CAMPAIGN- SOUND AND VISION MAGAZINE" (or whatever) would eliminate any confusion.

I post at a forum for a rock group sometimes, and they just recently finished a tour. Every night of the tour, someone would start one thread, like "5/11/06 SHOW #8 - DETROIT, MI - PHOTOS/REVIEWS" and everyone who attended the show that night would post the pics they took, the setlist, and write their impressions about the show in that particular thread. We did this every night until the tour was over, and it worked very well.

I think that same idea would work for this project.

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I'm following this thread, but not often find myself in the position to post a reply, so:

A very big cheers to all the debating and thinking that has been going on here, essential issues have been adressed.

Among them, I find myself very intrigued and in doubt about the question wether it's better - for a possible high-quality (or at least decent quality) release of the OOT - that the poor man's september DVDs sell well or not... ?!?

The subject of how well a newspaper or -channel will take the sending of hundreds or thousands of e-mails within one or a couple of day(s) seems also hard to decide... We want to have them interested in our cause, not feeling harrassed by a bunch of Star-Wars-geeks. But what better way could there be to get their attention?

I'm now convinced that the XXIst century Lucas never cared about releasing the OOT properly; he must have felt there was just more than an insignificant amount of hardcore fans who wanted to see the Star Wars from before the SEs, so he did the least espensive thing he could think of, which is, as has been said, a small victory in itself.
Now he's got to be cornered and forced into doing better, and that'll be achieved through the public exposure we want to carry out here.

While I think that the "standard letter" (everyone sending EXACTLY the same one) is NOT such a good idea, I definitely believe that a list of the five to ten major points to be made should be established by one of the master-experts here (I just don't feel I have everything in mind).
This way, there would be personalised letters all pointing to the same problems, which would be, as I see it, more effective/authentic-looking.
A compromise (maybe to heighten the chance that our sendings are instantly identifiable as supporting the same cause) might be a common "Subject"/title AND an identical list of those "major points"; the introduction and/or conclusion could be formulated as desired by everyone, only keeping clarity and not too many words in mind.
The need to keep our mailings short seems essential to me, as is the need for some physical letters, as has been pointed out.

Please announce the new "posting-thread" HERE in this one, so that we know where to look and anounce that we've posted (I seldomly have time to browse the forum, but certainly want to help with the exposing of Lucas' unworthy options!!!).

Cheers everyone
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I agree with you that we should not all send out identical "form letters", however, we must make sure that each of our letters all make the same major points.

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Originally posted by: fedtho
I'm following this thread, but not often find myself in the position to post a reply, so:

A very big cheers to all the debating and thinking that has been going on here, essential issues have been adressed.
Glad you did. Thanks for the kudos; we're trying.

Among them, I find myself very intrigued and in doubt about the question wether it's better - for a possible high-quality (or at least decent quality) release of the OOT - that the poor man's september DVDs sell well or not... ?!?
I hope they don't need to sell well. The only thing I can see to soften the blow to our push for a better release is to do what were planning to do: show this DVD release for the scandal it is.

The subject of how well a newspaper or -channel will take the sending of hundreds or thousands of e-mails within one or a couple of day(s) seems also hard to decide... We want to have them interested in our cause, not feeling harrassed by a bunch of Star-Wars-geeks. But what better way could there be to get their attention?
Agreed.

Now [Lucas has] got to be cornered and forced into doing better, and that'll be achieved through the public exposure we want to carry out here.
Heartily agreed.

Originally posted by: Mielr
I agree with you that we should not all send out identical "form letters", however, we must make sure that each of our letters all make the same major points.
Originally posted by: fedtho
I definitely believe that a list of the five to ten major points to be made should be established by one of the master-experts here (I just don't feel I have everything in mind).

Neither do I. I think I can come up with some good points, but I'll probably need help with more; and with the sources for the hard facts to support those points.

I definitely agree with both of you. I was planning on proposing some "major points" (and will try tomorrow evening if I can), but the apparent fact that SW:ANH will have the original 1977 title in the crawl without the "Chapter IV: A New Hope" subtitle helped throw my whole train of thought into disarray.

The need to keep our mailings short seems essential to me, as is the need for some physical letters, as has been pointed out.

A letter's probably a little harder to ignore since it obviously took someone some energy to send, but short and written digitally and/or in letter form as each person feels compelled to do is all I'm hoping for.

Please announce the new "posting-thread" HERE in this one, so that we know where to look and anounce that we've posted(I seldomly have time to browse the forum, but certainly want to help with the exposing of Lucas' unworthy options!!!).

Will do. We as fans must help ourselves; it doesn't seem like Lucas really cares to.

I mean, what's the explanation if the source for the DVD is indeed the 1993 Laser Disc source? I know this has been touched on in another thread, but it makes me wonder.

I guess we just keep on trucking with the release being hyped as "the original theatrical releases" instead of the actual showcase being for the SEs with the originals as bonus material and the releases being sub-industry standard non-anamorphic; in short, not the usual treatment for any industry-changing, cross-culturally-phenomenal, technologically-ground-breaking movie.

Does this sound like the basic idea we should write about?
Cheers everyone

Thanks for joining the discussion, Fedtho.
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http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa121.html#fr

This is for LFL’s claim that this is the best that they can do. Bill Hunt and particularly Robert A. Harris are quite intelligent, and I’m inclined to believe that they’re right.

A very big cheers to all the debating and thinking that has been going on here, essential issues have been addressed.

Thank you.

Among them, I find myself very intrigued and in doubt about the question whether it's better - for a possible high-quality (or at least decent quality) release of the OOT - that the poor man's September DVDs sell well or not... ?!?.

I am far more concerned with whether or not it will sell well. Sales do seem to be rising slightly. Everyone cross their fingers. Or, as they say on Star Trek “If you believe in a deity or deities, pray to them.”

The subject of how well a newspaper or -channel will take the sending of hundreds or thousands of e-mails within one or a couple of day(s) seems also hard to decide... We want to have them interested in our cause, not feeling harassed by a bunch of Star Wars-geeks. But what better way could there be to get their attention?

Very good point, very good point indeed. We don’t want to tick them off, just get their help. We should do this carefully.

I'm now convinced that the XXIst century Lucas never cared about releasing the OOT properly; he must have felt there was just more than an insignificant amount of hardcore fans who wanted to see the Star Wars from before the SEs, so he did the least espensive thing he could think of, which is, as has been said, a small victory in itself.
Now he's got to be cornered and forced into doing better, and that'll be achieved through the public exposure we want to carry out here.


I think that, with this release, Lucas wanted to just shut up OOT fans (which it would have done if the release had been of acceptable quality), but instead, he has blown the doors wide open by attempting to a loophole by making them bonus material. If they don’t exist, then there will constantly be problems. Now that they do exist, Lucas is creating a whole new set of problems.

While I think that the "standard letter" (everyone sending EXACTLY the same one) is NOT such a good idea, I definitely believe that a list of the five to ten major points to be made should be established by one of the master-experts here (I just don't feel I have everything in mind).
This way, there would be personalised letters all pointing to the same problems, which would be, as I see it, more effective/authentic-looking.
A compromise (maybe to heighten the chance that our sendings are instantly identifiable as supporting the same cause) might be a common "Subject"/title AND an identical list of those "major points"; the introduction and/or conclusion could be formulated as desired by everyone, only keeping clarity and not too many words in mind.


How about this:

1. How would people feel if Citizen Kane was altered, or The Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind? That’s the crux of the issue.

2. This is important, since this seems to be what Lucas always brings it back to: no one is denying Lucas his original visions of the SEs, we just want high quality OOT discs for ourselves.

3. Contact Jay Sylvester of originaltrilogy.com for more info. On that subject, we need to PM Jay to get the petitioners’ assistance, and I wonder if there is anyone here who knows him well and will be able to help. I don’t want to annoy him, but we need him.

4. Lucasfilm can do this (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa121.html#fr). They just won’t. It is important to do this in terms of preserving American culture, to say nothing of the hours of entertainment which could be provided.

5. We need help.

6. Robert A. Harris, who restored Lawrence of Arabia and Vertigo, wants to do this restoration, and he is not just some fanboy. This is an important issue.

The need to keep our mailings short seems essential to me, as is the need for some physical letters, as has been pointed out.


Yes, we don’t want to be long winded, but we want to make a point. Just imagine it now, emblazoned on the cover of Entertainment Weekly: Jay Sylvester and originaltrilogy.com: The Battle Over Star Wars

And we need to keep on Lucasfilm as well. Thanks to everyone for their support! Maybe we can still win this. Or at least get even.

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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I've edited my previous post. Any thoughts?

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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Originally posted by: Mike O


How about this:

1. How would people feel if Citizen Kane was altered, or The Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind? That’s the crux of the issue.

2. This is important, since this seems to be what Lucas always brings it back to: no one is denying Lucas his original visions of the SEs, we just want high quality OOT discs for ourselves.

3. Contact Jay Sylvester of originaltrilogy.com for more info. On that subject, we need to PM Jay to get the petitioners’ assistance, and I wonder if there is anyone here who knows him well and will be able to help. I don’t want to annoy him, but we need him.

4. Lucasfilm can do this (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa121.html#fr). They just won’t. It is important to do this in terms of preserving American culture, to say nothing of the hours of entertainment which could be provided.

5. We need help.

6. Robert A. Harris, who restored Lawrence of Arabia and Vertigo, wants to do this restoration, and he is not just some fanboy. This is an important issue.

The need to keep our mailings short seems essential to me, as is the need for some physical letters, as has been pointed out.


Yes, we don’t want to be long winded, but we want to make a point. Just imagine it now, emblazoned on the cover of Entertainment Weekly: Jay Sylvester and originaltrilogy.com: The Battle Over Star Wars

And we need to keep on Lucasfilm as well. Thanks to everyone for their support! Maybe we can still win this. Or at least get even.

All good points. I can imagine "The Battle Over Star Wars" on the cover of EW, or TIME.

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God willing. So, when do we get started?

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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Darkhelmet was going to pick the first target- but he hasn't been here for a couple of days....

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Hey, guys. Sorry I've been MIA; work was out of control this week.

My boss' daughter's wedding and me slammed with projects, and now I'm late to start my vacation. I'll be back Wednesday night.

If someone wants to get this started without me, go for it. I'll jump on the train when I get back.

How about the new thread being called "Sub-standard September DVD Release Complaint Writing Campaign (aka, Sales Aren't the Only Way to See that There Is Demand for an Industry-standard Release)"? I know; a little wordy.

I think the target focus for the emails/letters should be how this release of the OOT is substandard (the movies being included merely as "bonus material", as non-anamorphic [if that really bothers you], as being sourced from a 13 year old laser disc master when so much restoration went into the SE editions theatrically and for the DVDs in 2004 - you know, like a little more work to restore them fully to original would've been that hard, and that this kind of treatment of the movies which MADE LUCAS and which had such cultural impact globally [not to mention that SW won an Academy Award or two] is something that any other studio would not have let happen to the DVD releases)... <deep inhalation>

...AND that it is borderline, if not outrightly, fradulent (see the Star Wars Insider info below).

There. That's what I think we should focus on.

And I think we should use as many authoritative sources of info as possible to make our points (e.g., the email responses of John Singh, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Publicity; maybe the Digital Bits article(s) on the DVD releases; etc. I know there's a juicy tidbit I'm missing, but I can't bring it to mind; I hate that).

I'm gonna start emailing when I get back. Please, don't wait for me; I'll jump in when I get back from vacation.

Maybe we can start with Entertainment Weekly since that's a pretty big magazine, though it looks like we will need to tie our complaints to an EW article (I'm thinking of tying mine to the May 20, 2005 edition (#820) which had Hayden Christensen on the cover as Anakin; the cover was dominated by Star Wars).

Here's all the best contact info that I have:

Star Wars Insider
(Interestingly enough, the "Star Wars Shop" pages of the Sept/Oct issue (#89) lists the upcoming DVDs in a bundled package as "Star Wars Original Trilogy DVD Set $59.99". There is no mention in the item description of the fact that these DVDs include the OOT as only non-anamorphic bonus material with the SEs as the main attraction.)

Comlink Letters:
comlink@insider.starwars.com
Comlink, P.O. Box 23500, Oakland, CA 94623-2350
_________________
Empire
Mappin House
4 Winsley Street
London
W1W 8HF

empire@emap.com
http://www.empireonline.com/
___________________

All following magazines owned by Visual Imagination Ltd.of the U.K.:

Starburst (Sci-fi mag;DVD reviews)
http://www.visimag.com/starburst/
starburst@visimag.com

Film Review (British Movie Mag; DVD reviews)
http://www.visimag.com/filmreview/index.htm
filmreview@visimag.com

Ultimate DVD (upcoming DVD releases)
http://www.visimag.com/ultimatedvd/index.htm
ultimatedvd@visimag.com
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Entertainment Weekly Magazine (has an "Obsessive Fan of the Week" spot on the letters page for good-natured and quirky fan opinion)
Letters reference articles in previous issues; tie the DVD discussion to an article you've read in EW):
letters@ew.com
http://www.ew.com/ew
__________________
Total Film Magazine
http://www.totalfilm.com/
Letters are article-related and non-article-related opinions and commentary:

Total Film, 2 Balcombe Street, London, NW1 6NW
Editor - Mark Dinning (not sure if this is the correct contact; website had a list of people)
mark.dinning@futurenet.co.uk

Reviews Editor - Andy Lowe (maybe this person is the one)
andy.lowe@futurenet.co.uk
____________________

Uncut DVD Magazine (U.K.)
Editorial Enquiries Uncut, IPC Media, 25th Floor,
King’s Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS

Tel: 020 7261 6992 Fax: 020 7261 5573
http://www.uncut.co.uk/magazine/uncutdvd/

Let's do this! See you in 5 days.

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I'm in. Anyone else contacted Jay?

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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OK, why don't we start with EW then. I'll start a new thread.
here

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I checked out this month's issue in the book store recently and think this magazine would be a GREAT one to write to:

Widescreen Review

http://www.widescreenreview.com/

Editor-in-Chief Gary Reber - Letters to the editor, comments, ideas you’d like to share with your home theatre enthusists, or questions that are relevant to audio/video consumers and the industry will be answered here or in the magazine.

editorgary@widescreenreview.com
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Originally posted by: ESHBG
I checked out this month's issue in the book store recently and think this magazine would be a GREAT one to write to:

Widescreen Review

http://www.widescreenreview.com/

Editor-in-Chief Gary Reber - Letters to the editor, comments, ideas you’d like to share with your home theatre enthusists, or questions that are relevant to audio/video consumers and the industry will be answered here or in the magazine.

editorgary@widescreenreview.com

We're writing to Sound and Vision magazine this week.
Please join us here.

Maybe we can target Widescreen Review in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for the input!

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Originally posted by: darkhelmet
Originally posted by: Mielr
Originally posted by: Mike O
Given that about 75,000 people signed the petition, perhaps Jay could enlist their support and we could all agree on a specific day to send e-mails. Given the influx of new members, if these addresses all receve 75,000+ e-mails on the same topic on same day, it'd be hard for them to ignore. Just a suggestion.

That's a fantastic idea- Jay has the email addresses for everyone who signed the petition, maybe he could send out an email to everyone on the list and ask them to help out.


This seems like a logical step! Can this be done? I don't want our side of this stupid situation to come out sounding like we're just a bunch of whiners when other lesser movies get the honor of anamorphic transfers from high quality sources. I mean, for heaven's sake! Star Wars is on the Academy's "100 Most Important Films" list, isn't it?


Can someone ask Jay?

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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Hi Mike,

I hadn't visited the forum in weeks; you might notice the last post before yours here is from the end of August... I learned in another thread from Mielr (a thread I have unfortunately lost track of...) that until further notice, the writing campaign is off, due to a lack general of enthusiasm. There seem to be only a few of us who took part in the first two or three attempts.
Furthermore, several Forum-members seem to agree the OOT released in September isn't that bad, some stating it's better than their original laserdiscs...

If you do a search on Mielr's posts, you might find the thread I'm refering to...

All the best
fedtho
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This isn't pinned anymore? Does Jay have some new plan? Has he given up? What's going on?

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”

Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death

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Sorry, but what I posted above is all I know. You have to pm Jay if you want to know more...
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Originally posted by: Mike O
This isn't pinned anymore? Does Jay have some new plan? Has he given up? What's going on?


The release already happened, so this thread is kind of obsolete. As for giving up...it's hard to tell at this point.
Watch DarthEvil's Who Framed Darth Vader? video on YouTube!

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Originally posted by: fedtho
Hi Mike,

I hadn't visited the forum in weeks; you might notice the last post before yours here is from the end of August... I learned in another thread from Mielr (a thread I have unfortunately lost track of...) that until further notice, the writing campaign is off, due to a lack general of enthusiasm. There seem to be only a few of us who took part in the first two or three attempts.
Furthermore, several Forum-members seem to agree the OOT released in September isn't that bad, some stating it's better than their original laserdiscs...

If you do a search on Mielr's posts, you might find the thread I'm refering to...

All the best
fedtho

The writing campaign really went nowhere- even some of the OOT's most vocal supporters here failed to write letters (or even post in the campaign's thread, for that matter) which is why we gave up.

But like I said- there's still nothing to stop individual members from writing their own letters.

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Originally posted by: fedtho
P.S. I got curious and looked for said thread:

it's at least interesting to read Mielr's strong statement in favour of the new release on page 7 (and then small comments on the following) of this thread: First Impressions of the OOT ...

...oh, and I finally found the thread announcing the end of the writing campaign: DVD WRITING CAMPAIGN - WEEK TWO - "Sound & Vision" Magazine

there, you have some reading for the week-end......

Hey- in my own defense the DVDs looked pretty damn good to me after everyone was saying that they were going to look like old, beat-up VHS tapes!

I STILL want anamorphic transfers (and will be thrilled if they ever materialize), but I think there comes a point when it's time to admit that it's over and you've lost, and I'm afraid that ol' Georgie boy just had a better team this year. Sorry!

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Originally posted by: Mielr
Hey- in my own defense the DVDs looked pretty damn good to me after everyone was saying that they were going to look like old, beat-up VHS tapes!

I just want to state here that I consider you (based on what I saw in the short time I spent here) as one of those who are(/were? ) the most eager to make Georgie bend and expose his disappointing choices - so, at no point whatsoever did I think you were giving up on anything or anyone!
The only thing I meant was indeed that if YOU thought the OOTs weren't that bad, then they HAD to be worthy of interest !!!

I STILL want anamorphic transfers (and will be thrilled if they ever materialize), but I think there comes a point when it's time to admit that it's over and you've lost, and I'm afraid that ol' Georgie boy just had a better team this year. Sorry!


... there, you're saying it yourself. We all hope for a better transfer, but if there is one that has all the qualities you're mentioning, it's hard to overlook it and claim there'll be another opportunity...

As I'm not living in the U.S., nor reading lots of specialised - or not-so-specialised - magazines, I'd love to hear about any treatment our favourite subject of converstion and battle ( ) receives in the media! Maybe there are links to other fan sites who watch for that kind of thing (so no one here has to bother) ?

Anyway, all the best to you and the other members of our team; we fought vaillantly I'd say, and it was interesting to see what even few could be accomplished over a simple fan site - and also were the limits are...

Cheers!
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As expected, there's a brief article about the DVDs in the latest issue of Sound & Vision (though not as in-depth as I'd hoped). I'll try to link to it or copy it ASAP.

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Posted this in another thread about the purpose of the site.

The original mission of this site may be accomplished, but that doesn't mean we give up now. Lucas may have done this release out of malice, but us buying them is kind of like giving him the finger. Buying them is saying "this isn't what you expected, now is it? People embracing the OOT." At the same time we buy, we still want more, which he knows. This is gaining momentum, and I think re-opening the petition or doing something to that extent for Star Wars OOT on hi-def could prove a worthy endevor. I don't need and will not buy another DVD release, but a hi-def release would be very cool. DVD is where Star Wars needs it, I know, because blu-ray and HD-DVD will never ever catch on as the next home video formats, but rather like laserdisc, a niche product. But still, securing Star Wars OOT on hi-def is just as, if not more important, as securing it in good quality on DVD. The home video format that will replace DVD will become big in about ten to fifteen years, and although I'm sure it won't be Blu-Ray of HD DVD, securing the OOT there will secure it for all time in hi-def, which is the way of the future, and if the OOT is to be remembered, then that's where it needs to be preserved.


And the best reason to keep this site going is the forum. I think its the best community on the net. It's small enough that everyone knows each other, and we all get along for the most part. It's a great place to chat about Star Wars, but also to talk about fan edits and technical mumbo jumbo. There are a lot of geniuses in this forum. And that's why I like forums so much better than goddamn chat rooms, especially forums like this. I think its funny how some people are always likening forums to chat rooms. (School presentations, etc.) They're both so different, one filled with internet predators and the other filled with a fun community where you can talk online and have good, worthwhile discussions.
Watch DarthEvil's Who Framed Darth Vader? video on YouTube!

You can also access the entire Horriffic Violence Theater Series from my Channel Page.