question regarding the Firefly DVD

cooljammer00

I'm watching it now. Are the episodes on the DVD the same as the episodes aired on TV? And by that, I mean, was there any difference between the episodes aired and the eps on TV? Besides the thing with the Pilot ep.

I'm reading transcripts for this show, to see what the Chinese means, and alot of these transcripts have extra scenes not in my episodes. The whole prelude the the Basketball scene in Bushwhacked is excised, for example. Entire dialogues are cut, scenes are cut or shown out of order.

So, by watching the DVD's, am I not getting the full "firefly" experience?

Tomanta

The DVDs are the episodes as they aired (except the 3 that didn't, anyway).

Are you sure you are reading "transcripts" or the shooting script? Because things are cut / changed during filming from the shooting script, and the Bushwhacked basketball scene in particular ended up being mostly ad-libbed .

cooljammer00

Tomanta wrote: »

The DVDs are the episodes as they aired (except the 3 that didn't, anyway).

Are you sure you are reading "transcripts" or the shooting script? Because things are cut / changed during filming from the shooting script, and the Bushwhacked basketball scene in particular ended up being mostly ad-libbed .

i'm reading them off a Firefly wiki and TWIZTV. probably not the most reputable sources, but they're scripts, they do have some extra stuff.

how do scripts get out pre-production anyway?

KalTorak

They're in there pretty much as aired, AFAIK. Except for the screwed up airing order thanks to Fox (wanted a more "actiony" premiere, so they ran "The Train Job" before the actual first episode, etc).

darthmix

Yeah, and Fox messed around with the broadcast order of the episodes they did show, too. They showed Shindig and Safe much later in the order than Joss intended.

The Cat

There were two episodes on the DVDs that never made it to air, so you're actually getting more than the full tv experience.

darthmix

So the overall point is, don't worry about what was on TV. The DVDs, with regard to their episode order and whatnot, are the canonical, "correct" version of Firefly.

blincoln

The one thing I really wish had been included with the DVD set was the rough/early cut of the pilot (the same one that was leaked to the internet by an anonymous staff member when Fox decided not to air the pilot at the beginning of the series). It's a great illustration of just how much something can change between the script and its final version on screen.

deadonthestreet

They changed them a little, I think, to "conform more perfectly to Joss Whedon's vision." Or something like that. Check the deleted scenes on the last DVD, I think they tell you what is up.

Everywhereasign

cooljammer00 wrote: »

i'm reading them off a Firefly wiki and TWIZTV. probably not the most reputable sources, but they're scripts, they do have some extra stuff.

how do scripts get out pre-production anyway?

You'll rarely find an exact script of a show the way it ends up being broadcast. Thing change during shooting and editing. Scenes are shot and then removed, if it's done late enough in the process, the shooting script is never updated. You'll notice this happening all the time if you read enough scripts. Usually there are codes on the front and often colour changes that indicate how far along the script is. The "later" the script, the more accurate to the final product you'll find it.

I've just be re-watching the series with my girlfriend. Man, that was a good show.

Mal: "Soon as we unload, she can holler until our ears bleed. Although I would take it as a kindness if she didn't."
River: "The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems."
Mal: "See, morbid and creepifying, I got no problem with, long as she does it quiet-like."

cooljammer00

see, i'm watching that episode, Safe, right now.

but that whole scene with Zac Efron and so forth, nothing seems to be part of that script. So i guess they must have really hacked that script to bits.

Shame, cause I'm using the scripts to translate the chinese. I've found other sites that do it jsut as well, but it's easier when it's all in one place.

cooljammer00

blincoln wrote: »

The one thing I really wish had been included with the DVD set was the rough/early cut of the pilot (the same one that was leaked to the internet by an anonymous staff member when Fox decided not to air the pilot at the beginning of the series). It's a great illustration of just how much something can change between the script and its final version on screen.

wait, the DVD doesnt have the pilot? what was that two hour episode on it? or was there yet another pilot that was tossed?

Mai-Kero

cooljammer00 wrote: »

blincoln wrote: »

The one thing I really wish had been included with the DVD set was the rough/early cut of the pilot (the same one that was leaked to the internet by an anonymous staff member when Fox decided not to air the pilot at the beginning of the series). It's a great illustration of just how much something can change between the script and its final version on screen.

wait, the DVD doesnt have the pilot? what was that two hour episode on it? or was there yet another pilot that was tossed?

No, it has the pilot, but there was an early unfinished version of it without special effects and the such.

cooljammer00

Mai-Kero wrote: »

cooljammer00 wrote: »

blincoln wrote: »

The one thing I really wish had been included with the DVD set was the rough/early cut of the pilot (the same one that was leaked to the internet by an anonymous staff member when Fox decided not to air the pilot at the beginning of the series). It's a great illustration of just how much something can change between the script and its final version on screen.

wait, the DVD doesnt have the pilot? what was that two hour episode on it? or was there yet another pilot that was tossed?

No, it has the pilot, but there was an early unfinished version of it without special effects and the such.

right, see, i can live without seeing that just cause sometimes, things arent ready yet. i'm sure Joss Whedon wouldnt want us to see it.