Scene-by-scene?

[Shelob]

For purposes of discussing the translation from book to movie it's cool...Book and Film are two completely different mediums and you can't express in one what you can in another. To look solely at the movies, without any reference to the books, will harm the movies and to compare them in to stringent a manner will harm both movies and books. It's balance, or a juggling act...

However, given that it's to be a discussion of the movies, I agree the discussion should be focused towards the movies, with the books as simply supporting material.

[Kath]

I like the idea. It'd be good to see what other people really think of the films and why rather than just posting a little and then having to stop because it's off-topic.

alatar since it's not too much work (as you said yourself) why don't you be 'moderator' since it was your idea?

[The Saucepan Man]

Seems like a good idea to me. I doubt that I'll get too deeply involved myself, as I have been over and over many of the scenes many times, but I'm happy to take overall "modding" responsibility for it.

Alatar, would you be prepared to take on the day-to-day running of the discussion (starting new threads, posting links to the script etc)? If so, how do you propose structuring it? Do you envisage having a new thread for each new scene? If so, then I'll have to think about whether a sub-forum in the Movies Forum might be a sensible option.

[Boromir88]

And I think that we should stick with the DVDs as they are presented. Hopefully all participants will have access to the EE versions, as PJ "made these ones for us."~Alatar

Call me a heathen, but I don't got 'em. I have seen each of them several times, but as for owning the...nadda, though I can get my hands on the script and stuff like that.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

I think it's a cool idea, although I agree that a separate forum should probably be established because we are talking a TON of scenes here. Alas, I do not have the extended editions yet, though I've seen each of them. I'm saving up to get all three of the Collector's Edition Gift Sets (complete with figurines) from Amazon. Forty bucks apiece with free shipping, in case anyone's interested.

[Essex]

for our uk viewers, HMV a doing a sale on the complete extended trilogy (without the statues - so not the collecter's editions) - can't remember exactly how much, but it was less than half price if my memory serves me correctly. (and i only saw them a few nights back - i must be getting old)

[Mister Underhill]

I like the idea of a complete movie discussion, but there are some logistical details to hash out. For instance:

I reckon that the three EE movies combined represent 188 chapters, not counting end credits or any extras. It's impractical to do a chapter a week -- if the discussion never took a break, it would take over three and a half years to plow through it all.

The good news is that, based on the run-times listed on Amazon, the average chapter length is somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5 minutes, though it's probably closer to 3 since the run-times probably include the credits.

So the options are to do each chapter but on a faster than one-a-week pace, or to organize the chapters into logical blocks. For instance, we might do the Prologue all by itself to get our feet wet, then group Concerning Hobbits, The Shire, and Very Old Friends into one discussion sequence. This is where a good moderator would come in handy -- his or her duties would include grouping the chapters into sequences.

As for the books, I think they should absolutely be fair game for discussion. These are adaptations, and analyzing their relation to the source is a key aspect of discussion. Here again we'd need a moderator with steady nerves and good sense to keep the discussion focused and civil (is there any way we can clone Esty? -- she's worth her weight in mithril).

I like the idea of the project, but I think it would need a committed discussion leader at the helm to be successful.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

Alatar, would you be prepared to take on the day-to-day running of the discussion (starting new threads, posting links to the script etc)? If so, how do you propose structuring it? Do you envisage having a new thread for each new scene? If so, then I'll have to think about whether a sub-forum in the Movies Forum might be a sensible option.

Yes. It's gonna take a bit of thought to get it started, and to collate all of the great thoughts posted here, but I hope to get something up soon. I want to look over the CbC and see how that's constructed.

Not sure what to do in regards to everyone having the DVDs and having the same versions. As I have the EE versions, those obviously are the ones that I would prefer to use. And taking Mr. Underhill's suggestion, I would group the scenes accordingly.

Anyway, actually am busy at work this week, but will post here when I'm about ready to launch.

Thanks for all of the advice, input and help, present and future.

[The Saucepan Man]

Thanks alatar.

I'm running the idea past BW, just to check that he's OK with it. In the meantime, would you be able to do some research on the likely breakdown of scenes per thread - for FotR at least - and give some thought as to how long will be alloted for each scene grouping before moving onto the next group, so as to get an idea of how long the project will last?

I'll look into opening a sub-forum in the Movies Forum to accomodate the project.

[Tuor in Gondolin]

This is an interesting idea. But which would be the reference dvd used, the
movie version or extended dvd?

[The Saucepan Man]

OK, BW's given the thumbs-up, so it can go ahead.

Mister Underhill will make the necessary arrangements for a sub-forum in the Movies forum.

Originally Posted by Tuor in (formerly of) Gondolin

But which would be the reference dvd used, the movie version or extended dvd?

I see no reason why the process should not include the additional scenes. If people are not familiar with them, then it's up to them whether they contribute with regard to those particular scenes. The discussion could then cover the impact on the films of the addition of the extra scenes, ie comparing the films with and without them.