DVD text…

[si]

I’ve been to my flat today and collected my Dwarf DVDs. It’s been quite a long while since I watched these properly – at least eight months, if not longer – but I could have sworn they had a text track on them. Am I just imagining things? Am I getting confused with the sometimes very funny text tracks on the Doctor Who DVDs? I know someone round here will solve the prob.

Topic

[pfm]

The Re-bastardized series’ 1-3, found on the Bodysnatcher set, have text tracks across all episodes (provided by Tez Wellard) featuring extra tidbits they couldn’t be arsed to fit into other extras. The usual 1-8 DVDs don’t have text tracks.

[si]

Must be my head. It’s just that I can remember some very funny Doctor Who stuff that seemed more suited to the Red Dwarf DVDs. Ah well.

[JamesTC]

The text track on Doctor Who DVDs are not funny, maybe you are thinking of the Seinfeld ones.

[Seb Patrick]

Am I the only person who’s watched the entirety of the Remastered episodes purely for the trivia track?

[JamesTC]

I did for Series 1 and 2, I beat it at scissor paper stone. Still need to watch Series III with text track though.

[John Hoare]

Series III’s track does tail off towards the end, as I recall. It feels like they ran out of time. Still worth watching though. And I love the rest of it – especially the amusing jibe at the new ending of Polymorph.

God, I love the Bodysnatcher DVD. It’s one of my favourite DVD sets ever. It should have had so much more attention…

[si]

>The text track on Doctor Who DVDs are not funny, maybe you are thinking of the Seinfeld ones.

Okay, two points:

1. Some of them are surprisingly funny.

2. Why the fuck would I be watching Seinfeld?

[JamesTC]

>1. Some of them are surprisingly funny.

I must have missed the funny bits, I generally put them on but get caught up with the story. I have caught the odd funny comment but it is never really funny, it mostly sticks to being informative.

>2. Why the fuck would I be watching Seinfeld?

How am I supposed to know if you like it or not? I’m not a fucking mind reader.

[Carlito]

Yeah, why would he be watching Seinfeld? Seasons 3-6 are only the most perfect sitcom ever to come out of the US…

[Ian Symes]

Other DVDs with amusing text tracks:

1. Hitchhikers
2. The Very Best of HIGNFY.

[locusceruleus]

The Muppet Show DVDs have some interesting ones.

Oh, shut up.

[si]

Regarding Seinfeld – I vary rarely take to US comedies (mostly due to US audiences – that’s the only reason I won’t watch Whose Line…US), so that’s why I wouldn’t be watching it.

[ChrisM]

Evil Dead’s 1 and 2 have an amusing text track. Especially the second where they chat together as opposed to two commentaries (Director/Producer, Bruce Cambell) in the first.

I much prefer the commentaries where people chat together. Especially if they’re mates (for obvious reasons.)

[Turk Thrust]

They`re not text tracks.

[ChrisM]

Nope. My mind went off on a tangent there, thinking about commentaries. My bad.

[si]

If you want a good commentary, Bruce Campbell in character as The King on Bubba Ho Tep is Outstanding.

Hang on, haven’t we got another thread about commentaries?

[JamesTC]

The DVD I am watching now has a really odd text track, it is just all the words they are saying put on the text track.

[Tarka Dal]

WTF is a text track?

[si]

Like trivia/information tracks.

[ChrisM]

It’s essentially a text commentary that appears on screen explaining stuff going on screen. It can be utilised in slightly different ways, i.e. covering stuff not covered elsewhere, or explaining behind the scenes stuff, pretty much whatever the creator wants really.

For example in The Bodysnatcher collection it was used to explain the difference between the remastered episodes and the originals. And to make jokes. On the Spaced DVDs their text track ‘homage-o-meter’ was used to mention the particular film/programme being referenced in a given scene.

[JamesTC]

In Seinfeld it is used to count how many times Kramer enters Jerry’s flat.

[locusceruleus]

>WTF is a text track?

Think ‘Pop-Up Video’.

[pfm]

So what is it?

[Tarka Dal]

So that’s what it is.

Ta muchly.

[Author]

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