Season 5 Cover

[QueenKelly]

Erika

I have read everything you have posted about this. The first thing I have to say is that i didn't read anything I didn't agree with! You are absolutely right. Thank you for mentioning that the letter was behalf of all of us.
I to am VERY upset Elizabeth was not on the cover.
I was just so shocked when I saw the cover. It was just horrible! I don't know much about Lions Gate, although I'm learning alot from the other posts. I own three other TV shows on DVD and none of them are done by lions gate.
For example, I own Xena: Warrior Princess. I believe I paid about $85.00 Canadian(that's including tax) and you wouldn't believe how wonderful it is! I personally think it should be worth more then that, but I'm not stupid, I'm not going to say anything about that.

I do wonder if someone out their who is not a SBTB fan thought it would be fun to make a cover just to make us mad? If that's not the case the only thing I can think of is that Lions Gate thinks of this show as just some stupid Saturday morning teen show and who really cares what the cover looks like. If that's the case, that's obviousley a complete insult to us. I'm really glad that you are defending is the way you are. I am behind you 100%. And the fact that you would take the money out of your own pocket and buy the DVD for the winner, in case you don't get a copy, is just amazing! It leaves me speechless.

As far as Elizabeth sueing Lions Gate? If it turns out that Lions Gate did this, I hope she does sue them!

Once again, thanks for sticking up for us and just remember, I am behind you 100%

[Nick]

Erika said:

I don't understand how any fan isn't bothered by the fact that Elizabeth is not on the cover and her body was brutally altered with Leanna's face. I think all fans do not feel comfortable about it.

I consider myself a SBTB fanatic, but I honestly can say I don't care how the cover looks, especially not to the extent that a lot of the people here do. I rarely look at the covers of all of the other DVD's so to me the cover doesn't matter, it's what's on the DVD that counts. If there are no extras on the DVD, then I'll join in in the extreme LG bashing! ;D

[tiosrec]

Zach said:

TIM:

All LG released DVDs are not the best quality. Compare any of them to high quality studios such as Touchstone (disney). If you have nice equipment (nice TV, S-video) you will definitely notice a difference. LG DVD transferring is not up to par. Even on their own movies like "Frailty".

What about movies like Dogma:SE (A Lions Gate release). Not only is the transfer flawless, but it's full of extras. I mean am I expected to believe that you have gone through every one of Lions Gate releases?

As for Disney this is the same company who releases "new movies" on dvd which are for the most part reruns with brief bumpers. (i.e. Recess: All Down")

The Shout Factory screwed up one of the extras on the Punky Brewster extra.

Wea Corp told fans that they were not going to use the syndication prints for Too Close for Comfort and then used them anyway.

Paramount and Sony (for the most part) don't even offer extras on their releases and when they do it's just usually commercials (Or as they call them "Sneak Peeks" of their other releases.

My point is mistakes are made (And sometimes things are done on purpose) Yeah it sucks but to single out one company and say act like they are the only one who does is kind of closed minded.



Tim

[tiosrec]

Nick said:

I consider myself a SBTB fanatic, but I honestly can say I don't care how the cover looks, especially not to the extent that a lot of the people here do. I rarely look at the covers of all of the other DVD's so to me the cover doesn't matter, it's what's on the DVD that counts. If there are no extras on the DVD, then I'll join in in the extreme LG bashing! ;D

That's how I feel too. When it comes to the extras though, It's seems like everyone might be expecting a little too much. We all already know that tapes for the bloopers, deleted scenes, and commercials are all long gone. I guess they could do one of those featurettes that Paramount does with the Cheers set, but lets face it those are just clips of the episodes you just watched. The only real thing left would be interviews and commentary and that's up to the individual actor. (Remember the trouble it took for the 3/4 of Seinfeld crew to do the extras?). I am just saying don't get your hopes raised too high or otherwise anything that is released will pale in comparison. Just keep in mind that extras are just that: extras.


Tim

[Matt]

I think the reason why so many of us are upset over the cover is not because dvd covers "make" our lives complete or make what's inside good or bad. It's the fact that it's a slap in the face, and so obvious that they cut someone's face off, someone who was a part of a show for so long. The bottom line is: it is INSULTING. To me, you, every fan, but most importantly to Elizabeth Berkley. How would you feel if your body was left in a picture but your face was replaced? They could release the set with a plain blue cover, I wouldn't care. But to chop off someone's head and replace it with someone else's face is beyond comprehendible. I'm upset FOR Elizabeth Berkley...
M

Side note: I'm friends with the owner of tvshowsondvd.com, we've been talking about this, and he says he's not surprised. He said Lion's Gate is the worst dvd producer in the business, and his emails are not being answered.

[Erika]

Matt said:

Side note: I'm friends with the owner of tvshowsondvd.com, we've been talking about this, and he says he's not surprised. He said Lion's Gate is the worst dvd producer in the business, and his emails are not being answered.

LOL Welcome to the club!

[The Animal]

Let's do some basic deductive reasoning:

1) The cover sucks. (I think most of us can agree with that.)

2) Lions Gate made the cover (100% fact. It comes with distribution and marketing.)

3) Lions Gate sucks for marketing a DVD with the cover (Add 1 and 2.)

While it may not seem fair to single out a company for the mistakes of a simple marketing scheme gone bad, we SBTB fans will now be able to associate Lions Gate for butchering the DVD covers of our favorite show.

To those who said they don't care about the cover, think about this. You're buying the DVD set because you're such a big fan of the show, as most of us on this board are. We run out to the store the same day of its release and make a beeline to get a copy, but what about the casual buyer? The cover would appeal to buyers and attract more sales, giving both NBC and Lions Gate a deeper profit. If the cover was nicely done, more people would buy it. It's that simple. You may disagree, but it's basic marketing. If the cover is ugly (and most of us will agree that it is), generally speaking, it will deter sales based on the fact that it is obvious to see that the distributor did not take the time or effort to produce a high-quality cover. Extras will be on the DVD IF AND ONLY IF they are available. We can sit here and complain if the sets have no extras, but if the footage isn't there, we shouldn't blame Lions Gate at all for the lack of them.

We should not judge a book by its cover, but a picture says a thousand words.

[zackschick]

i think some of you just need to simmer down a little. I agree with Tim and Cindy in that we should be glad we're getting the eps on DVD at all..who cares what the cover looks like. I can't even pick out the mistakes that you all are debating over either.only the fact that elizabeth isn't on the cover bothers me, but not to the extent of some of you.

also i heard that they're not even gonna have ALL the rest of the eps on this boxset and why should they if the movies are on there... they wanna make as much money as they can off of this project.

[tiosrec]

Matt said:

The bottom line is: it is INSULTING. To me, you, every fan, but most importantly to Elizabeth Berkley. How would you feel if your body was left in a picture but your face was replaced? .

I am not insulted. The fact of the matter is that can be said about anything. What one person may find insulting another may not (or may not care at all) My dad find's Harvey Birdman insulting because he feels that it desecrates the memory of the HB classic cartoons. I think it's one of the funniest shows on TV.

I wouldn't care if that happened that happened to me honestly, but that's just me.

Another thing I have always found interesting is that the SBTB and TNC boxes look the same, which makes me wonder who is the one actually designing the boxes. Clearly it must be the same company. In today's age of copyright lawsuits (not that I am complaining, I am an entertainment attorney so that's how I get the money to buy dvds and eat) that there is a slim chance that two different companies are doing the design.


Tim

[tiosrec]

The said:

To those who said they don't care about the cover, think about this. You're buying the DVD set because you're such a big fan of the show, as most of us on this board are. We run out to the store the same day of its release and make a beeline to get a copy, but what about the casual buyer? The cover would appeal to buyers and attract more sales, giving both NBC and Lions Gate a deeper profit. If the cover was nicely done, more people would buy it. It's that simple. You may disagree, but it's basic marketing. If the cover is ugly (and most of us will agree that it is), generally speaking, it will deter sales

I understand what you are saying but let's be honest.

1. Saved By The Bell is what is called a "niche"(read: Cult) sale (Much like Punky Brewster, Too Close for Comfort, & What's Happening). Meaning that it probably will not reach the sales of Chapelle Show Season 1 or The Simpsons Season 1. You are either going to buy it or you are not going to buy it.

2. Most people think that the cover is "ugly" becuase of the Photoshop job. If the picture had Jessie's head on it, I have a feeling that you wouldn't call it that. Just becuase you don't like the cover, it doesn't mean someone else finds it ugly.

3. The "casual" fans you speak of probably would not even notice the difference on the front, I have to admit that I didn't notice it until I saw the original picture.



Tim

[Cindy]

Concerning Tori's head on Elizabeth's body, I do agree with everyone that it is disrespectful. I would be insulted. In nearly all of my posts on this thread I have stated that:

The coverart is crap

It's sad about the extras (but I expected nothing less)

Yeah, it's an insult

Lions Gate sucks

BUT, it's not going to stop me from buying these. When I watched these growing up, I thought I had to tape every episode, because I never conceived of such DVD releases. And here we are in 2005 and we can buy our fav TV shows on DVD, to watch whenever we please! Maybe I'm just a product of my time, because I think just having SBTB on DVD to watch whenever I want is a miracle! Heck, I remember when the only time I could watch SBTB was on Saturday mornings. Thank God for the WSBK syndication.

Not all Lions Gate DVDs are bad. My Monster's Ball dvd is perfect, and they released a special edition (it has a blue case) with uncut scenes and such. Most of my DVD boxsets have NO EXTRAS. I agree with everyone when they say they were not expecting extras. I wonder if Lions Gate tried to get some of the cast to do some commentary tracks? I mean, they did last time. Is it too much to ask for the WHOLE CAST to do some commentary? Nah, most of them were probably busy or honestly did not care to bother.

And Carrie, I'm not talking about "personal attacks". It's the "personal opinions" that bug me, especially when they insinuate that I am somehow less of a fan because I am trying to prove my own point. Which is, and always will be:

There has to be a reason why they decided to butcher the pictures, instead of just using the numerous others ones out there. Why spend the money or go through all that effort of doctoring a photo when they just could have used the ones SaveMeBelding did for the coverart? It just doesn't make sense, but there has to be a reason for it.

[Nick]

The said:

. Extras will be on the DVD IF AND ONLY IF they are available. We can sit here and complain if the sets have no extras, but if the footage isn't there, we shouldn't blame Lions Gate at all for the lack of them.

I understand that, but when Erika emailed her contacts a while back they said it was taking so long, because they were working on extras.

[Cindy]

Nick, maybe the extras were commentary tracks like the last SBTB dvds had. But maybe it fell through somehow because the cast couldn't or wouldn't participate.

Animal, I doubt the "casual buyer" can even tell the pic was doctored. I showed it to my sister, Mother, and some friends (who all grew up with the show) and nobody could tell! They actually did a good job matching her head to Elizabeth's body, it's just the way they did it, that is a shame. But the million dollar question is WHY?

[Matt]

Cindy said:

Concerning Tori's head on Elizabeth's body, I do agree with everyone that it is disrespectful. I would be insulted.

BUT, it's not going to stop me from buying these. When I watched these growing up, I thought I had to tape every episode, because I never conceived of such DVD releases. And here we are in 2005 and we can buy our fav TV shows on DVD, to watch whenever we please! Maybe I'm just a product of my time, because I think just having SBTB on DVD to watch whenever I want is a miracle! Heck, I remember when the only time I could watch SBTB was on Saturday mornings. Thank God for the WSBK syndication.

but there has to be a reason for it.

EXACTLY!!!!
We'll all going to buy it, it's just upsetting.
...I have loved having a free evening and putting in a random episode or two of the show!

[dannyhass]

The one thing I hope is that Lion gate does not see all of us complaining about the DVD and then they decide to pull the release to get back at all of us. That was just a thought, I am sure it's not going to happen thought.

Thanks,
Danny