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hikarikame
[cumberbatchfans]
20 July 2012 @ 11:37 am
Official Answer Regarding Frankenstein DVD  
Hi everyone. A few days, I wrote a heartfelt, Cumberfeels-filled letter to NT Live, and apparently it was enough to reach David Sabel, the Head of Digital Media, which is the highest we're going to get. This is the reply I got. We're not getting it.



Dear Kaylin,

 

I appreciate your email and thank you for sending us your feedback.  I am the Head of Digital Media at the National Theatre and I produced the broadcast of Frankenstein, as with all of our National Theatre Live programme. 

  

We have received a huge amount of interest in Frankenstein, not only since the original broadcasts but since our encore screenings started this summer. In response to popular demand, we sought the necessary rights from all the artists involved to be able to show the broadcasts again and are delighted we have been able to offer audiences further opportunities to see this production.

 

National Theatre Live is all about creating greater access to the productions on our stage.  It is filmed with the specific intent of it being shown on cinema screens and although it doesn’t replace the theatrical experience, we have tried to emulate it as much as possible and believe the big screen, collective cinema experience comes as close as we can get to the original theatrical event.

 

National Theatre Live is made possible by the support of the artists involved and the National Theatre is keen to be able to preserve this goodwill so we can continue to make future productions available as part of National Theatre Live. We appreciate there is a huge amount of interest in making the broadcast available on DVD.

It is currently the wish of the creators and actors of Frankenstein that it not be released as a DVD.  This is not in any way about money, but is purely about the quality of the experience and the desire that Frankenstein remain, to some extent, ephemeral – the nature of what theatre is by its very definition.  It is something we will always evaluate,  but if you are a fan of anyone involved in the creation of Frankenstein or the National Theatre, we would ask that you respect their wishes for this wonderful recording to be seen as it was intended.  We hope people can understand and appreciate the reasoning behind this decision and we hope audiences will continue to support National Theatre Live.

 

Best wishes,

David

David Sabel
Head of Digital Media
Producer, NT Live
National Theatre

Tel. +44 (0)207 452 3725
Mobile +44 (0)7904 502 463
dsabel@nationaltheatre.org.uk

Join us at facebook.com/ntlive and twitter.com/ntlive


You can get the full correspondance on my blog here:

http://gleelockandrock.tumblr.com/post/27638885232/official-answer-from-national-theatre http://gleelockandrock.tumblr.com/post/27638971947/full-email-correspondance-with-national-theatres-david

July 26 Edit: Hey everyone, I've loved reading everyone's opinions about this, but interestingly, my other post on this matter as garnered a different stance on NT's decisions regarding Frankenstein. Please go check it out!

http://cumberbatchfans.livejournal.com/343689.html

 
 
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( 21 comments — Leave a comment )
Car(e/oline): sherlock: londonxcarex on July 20th, 2012 06:57 pm (UTC)
Disappointing news, but it's pretty fantastic that he wrote you such an indepth reason. Better than just getting shot down.
ailurophile6ailurophile6 on July 20th, 2012 07:18 pm (UTC)
All I can say is I totally disagree with their reasoning and now they have to put up with bootleg copies because of it....
immertreu: Benedictimmertreu on July 20th, 2012 07:30 pm (UTC)
Well, that's too bad, but I guess I kind of understand. :(

It's great that he wrote such a detailed reply, though!
ariadnechan: Johnariadnechan on July 20th, 2012 07:33 pm (UTC)
People in the teather always belive that, the problem is for people like me who live in the lost part of the world ( Chile) so i have no oportunity whatsoever to go to the teather to see the play! ;(

I hope someone find the filming in the net to share it here with Benedict as the moster
Because there is not other way for me to watch his performance at all
Ascendant Angel: Benedict- frankenstein rehersalsascendant_angel on July 20th, 2012 08:58 pm (UTC)
That's saddening news. It's nice you got such a reply and from so high up, but I must confess I don't really understand the reasoning. I do get that the creators/actors wish it to be viewed as intended in the theatre but since it's theatre run ended over a year ago and the NT broadcasts are coming to an end that isn't possible without a time machine so surely a DVD would be better than nothing.
Lauraverbal_judo on July 20th, 2012 09:28 pm (UTC)
I don't get it. I saw the play both at theatre and cinema and yes, cinema has a huge screen and lots of people, but IMHO there's no such thing as almost theatrical experience. I'm sure I would enjoy the play more at home, without people near me eating pop-corn and drinking coke.
black_queenblack_queen on July 20th, 2012 10:02 pm (UTC)
A real pity, because a lot of people (including myself) had no chance of seeing it in cinemas at all.
I am weasel: timelords by kyburgkillerweasel on July 20th, 2012 10:10 pm (UTC)
I figured it was because they could make more money off of butts being put into seats to see the screenings than they would releasing it on dvd. And even if it were to be released on dvd, the odds are fairly good it would only get a UK release (as so many things from the UK do), so we'd never end up with it over here.

Amyevila_elf on July 21st, 2012 05:52 am (UTC)
Would just need to get an all region DVD player or one with an easy hack to make all region :)

But gah, sad news :(

Some theatre people just have different view points from the rest of us.
whatithink6888whatithink6888 on July 21st, 2012 06:22 am (UTC)
Thanks for sharing the info. I'd love to have the DVD, but kind of totally agree with the creatives' opinion to keep it as a theatrical/ quasi-theatrical event - because people can't OWN it as an asset, it actually makes it more precious.

Edited at 2012-07-21 07:20 am (UTC)
lamardeuse: Benedict Cumberbatch by sarlanialamardeuse on July 21st, 2012 11:25 am (UTC)
What pretentious bull. Nothing approaches a true theatre experience, but if you really want to share theatre with the masses, television has been the way to do it since Playhouse 90 in the 1950s. Are they saying that millions of people who wouldn't have otherwise got to see a play performed, or were turned on to theatre by those shows, should have been denied that experience?
ladyclarice on July 25th, 2012 04:41 pm (UTC)
I think it's fair enough, actually, although I appreciate how sad and frustrating it is for people who haven't seen it and may not.

They're not wrong about the special, ephemeral nature of the theatre experience.

I'm willing to believe that it's not a money-based decision.
lamardeuse: Ann-Margretlamardeuse on July 25th, 2012 04:51 pm (UTC)
Then why even bother showing it in a movie theatre at all? I've seen the movie, and it doesn't even come close to live theatre. To say they can do x but not y is, IMO, disingenuous. But obviously YMMV, and that's fine.
ladyclarice on July 25th, 2012 04:54 pm (UTC)
Perhaps they mean the big-screen experience (although I, and obviously lots of people, have a projector and big screen at home rather than a TV, so for some people that reason is redundant. But for lots of people it isn't).

Also, I think by saying they want to keep the 'ephemeral' nature of the experience they mean keeping control over when it shows, like in a theatre when a play has a limited run.

I'm sorry, I don't know what YMMV means. :-)
lamardeuse: Spock/Uhuralamardeuse on July 25th, 2012 04:57 pm (UTC)
Your Mileage May Vary. Which ours does, on this issue. :)
ladyclarice on July 25th, 2012 05:00 pm (UTC)
Ah, I get it! :-) Good one.
(Anonymous) on July 21st, 2012 07:28 pm (UTC)
That's a shame for us but I do understand the reasoning and, had I been involved in this production, I would support the decision not to release the DVD. It would take a lot away from the production if people began to think of it in terms of the recordings rather than the actual theatrical experience.
hikarikame on July 26th, 2012 06:25 pm (UTC)
What do you mean by recordings vs the actual theatrical experience? Of course it'd never be the same, but that can't be helped...?
ladyclarice on July 30th, 2012 08:37 am (UTC)
I don't think they mean they dislike the recorded format per se; I think the point is that if the NT and cinemas retain control over when it's shown, it retains something of the ephemeral nature of a theatre production, which is on when it's on and when it's over it's over.
hikarikame on July 26th, 2012 06:21 pm (UTC)
Ongoing Copyright Discussion
Hey everyone, I've loved reading everyone's opinions about this, but interestingly, my other post on this matter as garnered a different stance on NT's decisions regarding Frankenstein. Please go check it out!

http://cumberbatchfans.livejournal.com/343689.html
Julie SheltonJulie Shelton on February 21st, 2013 07:45 pm (UTC)
Frankenstein
Gutted that there will be no DVD - it was excellent. Just wish I could have taken my Daughter to see it at the Theatre
( 21 comments — Leave a comment )