Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

You seriously think he approves each and every product, especially at the same time he's knee deep in production?

Or perhaps he has licensing personnel?

It's his property; he has final authority on the way it's licensed. I don't see how his choice of executing on that personally or delegating to a team that interprets his intentions has any bearing on the point. Either way, $2 billion Pepsico marketing package is an entity he ought to be aware of and if he isn't, that's worse, in my book.

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Is it also possible nobody complained or (gasp) got hurt?

No. I complained.

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Flooding the world with mountains of terrible licensed merchandise. Predicating multi-billion $ deals with Pepsico on the premise that as an "independent filmmaker", his world-beating personal fortune simply isn't enough to allow him to release the most anticipated movie in history any other way than on the back of some Darth Vader tacos made of corn not certified fit for human consumption.

In the grand landscape of unsavory business practices, these things are pretty benign. Sure, he's prostituted the Star Wars license out to every possible outlet and then some, but that's more brand dilution than it is "unethical business."

[jaaguir]

Originally Posted by Paul Arnette

I'm encouraged. However, while the review is glowing, you really can't tell anything about the video quality of the release with screencaps that small.

Originally Posted by Nick Graham

True, but the reviewer specifically mentions an aversion to DNR, and mentions the dense grain structure is in tact.

I had a feeling they were misinformed about the mono track being lossless. Hardly a deal killer, though.

Hey guys, didn't you see that below every screencap on the review, there's a link to the full-rez version of it?

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

It's his property; he has final authority on the way it's licensed. I don't see how his choice of executing on that personally or delegating to a team that interprets his intentions has any bearing on the point. Either way, $2 billion Pepsico marketing package is an entity he ought to be aware of and if he isn't, that's worse, in my book.

Maybe he likes Taco Bell? Millions do (I don't). You feel their food sucks, then take it up with Pepsi. Saying Lucas is a shady businessman because of it is the "reach" I was talking about.



"All restaurants are Taco Bell"

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by kefrank

In the grand landscape of unsavory business practices, these things are pretty benign.

Indeed.

Originally Posted by kefrank

Sure, he's prostituted the Star Wars license out to every possible outlet and then some, but that's more brand dilution than it is "unethical business."

Well, we all have distinct places in which we draw our own personal lines. I'm just saying that while I appreciate his donation, I'm not going to go celebrating the benevolence of a guy who only had that money because of practices I find rather gross.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

It's his property; he has final authority on the way it's licensed. I don't see how his choice of executing on that personally or delegating to a team that interprets his intentions has any bearing on the point. Either way, $2 billion Pepsico marketing package is an entity he ought to be aware of and if he isn't, that's worse, in my book.



No. I complained.

So Lucas made a deal with Pepsi to promote Star Wars?!! That has you all up in arms? This is unethical?!!

Businesses make deals with eachother ALL the time. Thats how business grows and survives.

Hasbro did the same thing to promote Transformers.

Marvel and DC comics do the same thing everytime a new Superhero movie comes out. Its called marketing and promoting the product to reach a wide audience.

Can it be ANNOYING at times? YES.

Unethical or even questionable?

NOT. EVEN. CLOSE.

Apple has a FAR greater problem with business ethics than Lucas could have at his absolute worst.

[Batman1980]

Jeff, just wondering, do you think a JLA movie could work without its 2 most popular founding members, Bats and Supes?

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Jeff, just wondering, do you think a JLA movie could work without its 2 most popular founding members, Bats and Supes?

Personally I am COMPLETELY against a JLA movie.

I have reservations about how they are going to pull off an Avengers movie.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Saying Lucas is a shady businessman because of it is the "reach" I was talking about.

Well, sure- it's all "above board", as far as I'm aware, and I never meant to imply otherwise. This, though, is the difference between ethics and legality. By the same token, I'm not out demanding that anyone put a stop to Lucas' activities; I'm just saying that I personally don't like some of them and that makes it a little difficult for me to celebrate the disposal of some of that income.

Yes, Lucas is a rather mild example, but he's the one that was put to me. Maybe you'd better understand me if we talk about Gates, himself.

Do I prefer that so much of Bill Gates' money is going to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, rather than up his nose? Sure. Does that disposal somehow erase or rectify the criminal activities his company perpetrated in order to acquire some of that money? I'm gonna say no on that one.

So, looking forward, I'm pleased that the money is going in a better direction, but I'm not going to throw a party for the guy who first diverted it into a crappier direction simply because he finally sort of stopped doing that.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by merrick97

So Lucas made a deal with Pepsi to promote Star Wars?!! That has you all up in arms?

No, I'm not all up in arms.

The challenge was, effectively, put to me: Why don't you honor George Lucas for what he's just done?

I answered that question.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

No, I'm not all up in arms.

The challenge was, effectively, put to me: Why don't you honor George Lucas for what he's just done?

I answered that question.

Fair enough. Lets consider that statement the end of Lucas ethical comments.

[Uxi]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

No. I complained.

Anyone important complain?

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Do I prefer that so much of Bill Gates' money is going to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, rather than up his nose? Sure. Does that disposal somehow erase or rectify the criminal activities his company perpetrated in order to acquire some of that money? I'm gonna say no on that one.

No, criminal is releasing a defective phone and not recalling it, having both a hardware & software monopoly for your overpriced platform (& bundling everything in sight, stifling competition), not supporting widely used formats such as Flash, and not supporting Blu-ray because it might hurt sales of your dominant download format.

[Nick Graham]

Originally Posted by jaaguir

Hey guys, didn't you see that below every screencap on the review, there's a link to the full-rez version of it?

Those weren't actually there before. Sweet!

[Jeff Kleist]

Jeff, just wondering, do you think a JLA movie could work without its 2 most popular founding members, Bats and Supes?

I don't think it'll work at all.

The problem with DC is that their classic superheroes are gods, Batman excepted. If you humanize them, you hurt their essence. I've always found their universe pretty uninteresting, though I love the individual characters and concepts, the kinds of mass market stories you can tell with them is pretty limited.

I can't wait to see Green Lantern, and to see what Nolan can do with Superman (though I think I want to see Man of Steel more). I just don't think that a JLA movie will work anywhere near as well as an Avengers one.;

IMO Collecting money from one's own creation's merchandising isn't a sin when it harms no one's ability to do the same, especially when the person under discussion essentially INVENTED movie merchandising in its modern form. A lot of people forget that.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I don't think it'll work at all.

The problem with DC is that their classic superheroes are gods, Batman excepted. If you humanize them, you hurt their essence.

How would you define 'humanizing' them in a problematic way? The essence of drama is effectively human (or vice-versa), so no matter what level of divinity or empowerment you pitch your superheroes (or transforming cars or CGI ogres) at, you're ultimately telling a story about 'humans/humanity' in some way or another, right?

[Jeff Kleist]

How would you define 'humanizing' them in a problematic way? The essence of drama is effectively human (or vice-versa), so no matter what level of divinity or empowerment you pitch your superheroes (or transforming cars or CGI ogres) at, you're ultimately telling a story about 'humans/humanity' in some way or another, right?

But the "human", doesn't have to be the superhero

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I don't think it'll work at all.

The problem with DC is that their classic superheroes are gods, Batman excepted. If you humanize them, you hurt their essence. I've always found their universe pretty uninteresting, though I love the individual characters and concepts, the kinds of mass market stories you can tell with them is pretty limited.

I can't wait to see Green Lantern, and to see what Nolan can do with Superman (though I think I want to see Man of Steel more). I just don't think that a JLA movie will work anywhere near as well as an Avengers one.;

IMO Collecting money from one's own creation's merchandising isn't a sin when it harms no one's ability to do the same, especially when the person under discussion essentially INVENTED movie merchandising in its modern form. A lot of people forget that.

Another problem with excluding Superman and Batman is that after those two DC doesn't really have a whole heckuva lot compared to Marvel. Yes, there is the Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, but I don't know how well they would work on the big screen. Green Lantern could be awesome though.

However, Iron Man is proof that you can take a lesser known superhero and make him popular.

Jeff,
Who do you think should play the Man of Steel? Im hoping they keep Routh just so it can have some sort of continuity. If they want to be bold maybe they could try Tom Welling.

If they do decide to completely reboot Superman they really should use Mark Waid's Birthright maxiseries as the basis of their origin story. That is one of the best Superman stories I have ever read.

One thing DC really needs to do if they want to bring more superhero films to screen is to bring Darkseid as the villian. After the Joker and Dr. Doom, he may be the best comic villian ever.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by merrick97

Green Lantern could be awesome though.

Green Lantern always felt too absurdly, freely powerful for me to care about. When someone can launch an Exocet missile and all you have to do to stop it is conjure up a 10-story-tall baseball glove to catch it with, how would anything feel like a credible threat? As a kid, I remember wishing Green Lantern's abilities were a lot more limited. I really wanted to like him because I dug the whole elite intergalactic space-cops concept.

Originally Posted by merrick97

Who do you think should play the Man of Steel? Im hoping they keep Routh just so it can have some sort of continuity. If they want to be bold maybe they could try Tom Welling.

I thought Routh did a very nice job, considering the material he was given, of keeping the Donner/Reeve characterization going, but I really want to see Superman finally break the hell away from the Donner series.

I saw somebody moot the idea of Jon Hamm, and I kind of like it, but that's probably half just because I'm such a Mad Men prostitute. Who knows what direction they want to take with the script, though? Kind of tough to speculate until we know.

[Jeff Kleist]

Jeff,
Who do you think should play the Man of Steel? Im hoping they keep Routh just so it can have some sort of continuity. If they want to be bold maybe they could try Tom Welling.

Give me a break on Tom Welling. Clark the Supervillain Slayer did one thing right, casting Bo Duke as Pa Kent. John Schneider embodies everything Pa needed to be in his daily life, and he was exactly what that role needs. Welling is a mediocre actor who got lucky, and has fought tooth and nail to keep his butt out of the tights for ten years (that's why they had the "inbetween"costume last year with the trenchcoat and t-shirt).
In addition they've painted themselves into a catastrophic corner by establishing Clark so heavily as his own entity. Rule #1 of Superman- Clark Kent is the disguise

If I can't have Routh, then I want another unknown who will understand the role as deeply as he did, have the commitment and the passion to shoulder the responsibility that cape brings with the respect it deserves.