Why Musicals SHOULD be VIDEOTAPED — Page 8

I find it humorous that one poster here wants to liken Doug posting his passion for his web site to that of a sleazy salesman. If we were to utilize this poster's definition of what theater should be then I think his tactics of being original, unique, inspiring, creative, moving, thought provoking and academic would indicate that he's elevated salesmanship to fine art.

I would rather applaud his effort than besmirch him.

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I’m sorry this thing got so extremely out of control and that I didn’t get into this earlier. Doug seems like a nice guy here, and people who are against the situation and being jerks about it are just exposing themselves as idiots.

First, makiemaniac “People who want shows taped so they can enjoy them in their own homes are twirts who are wither too lazy to travel to NYC to see them... or lack the brain power to retain what they have seen on stage to enjoy it forever in their memory.”

I resent that. I for one, don’t have the money to see a broadway show nor do I have the money to buy myself a pair of sneakers this year. The only reason ig ot to see sweney todd this year is becauseit was a replacement of my non-existant sweet-sixteen birthday party. People who want to see the theatre at home enjoy it but can’t afford it. Those who can afford it should go by all means. You must remember that there are definitely some people who shouldn’t be in live audiences because of their behavior who would also probably enjoy it more at home.

Also, I wanna be able to see shows that have gone off the air already. For example, Wonderful Town with Donna Murphy. I’m never going to be able to see that. NEVER. Because it was never televised when it went off broadway. If someone recorded right before it went off then I don’t see the harm in that.

Basically you should put broadway shows on ppv or whatever until it’s about to go off, or right before a cast member leaves.

Everyone who is against this and who is putting doug down should grow up. He’s said nothing so far to provoke this anger within you. You don’t need to put others down with your distasteful sarcasm and “witty” comments. Just calmly state what you think otherwise no one will respect you.

Doug, I applaud you for your effort, you kindness and you maturity. I hope you are able to do what you want to do as long as everything turns out for the better.

Best12bars I also applaud you for being supportive of this situation and for your healthy advice towards doug. You’re a saint.

For those who don’t quite understand:
Good Feedback: Calm statements that help a cause grow and fix mistakes.
Bad Feedback: Rash statements that provoke anger, fear, and annoyance.
Ex. Of bad feedback
“Well, do you expect ALL good feedback? Do you expect for your site to be a winner in everyone's book?

I expect for your damned site to be shut down, that's what I expect.”

“you wiiiiiiiisssssshhhhhhh! by the way..oooo sry GAV!! lol..”

“So, your idea of "decent" is seeing illegal bootlegs of shows?” ?--- That’s definitely not what was implied.

“*lights pitchfork* Let me at this guy!”

“yea suuure...yr TAPING A BROADWAY SHOW..how isnt this illegal?!! and u never answered my question...have you ever experienced the thrill of a live broadway show USTheater.TV ???”

“GAV: The pitchfork thing... Can I gladly join you? *Lights pitchfork*”

“well this is wht people think of your idea of tapping musicals!”

“i still dont think it is a good idea...theater should b LIVE!! wht dont u understand?”

‘"I just felt being ganged up on and bullied."’
Boo hoo.”

“I guess all it takes is a fool like Doug to promote his senseless and destructive idea for the fans and employees of the Broadway/theatrical community to stand up and take notice.”


How old are we again? Did your mother not love you enough or something?
You people just keep saying the same things over and over and over…… we get the point, and it’s not a very good one.

I think that 442namffug is the biggest hypocrite by constantly jabbing at a situation and making people angry and then saying: “Don't agree with me? Fine. Deal with it elsewhere. I don't want to hear it here.” Listen to your own advice. By the way, in that orevious statement i was personally accusing you, no mistake there buddy.

This thing will work. Just look at Saturday Night Live. Hardly anyone can get in to see it live because it’s so packed yet it’s broadcasted on tv every week.

jimmirae “You do, However, Run into a lot of very young teenage girls here who only know their Theatre from things like "WICKED" their parents bought them $100+ tickets to so they wouldn't have to endure their squealing and squeekings at home and they only love a Play or Musical for some "Hot Bod" young nobody-as-of-yet Actors in some parts.”

I’m a 16 year old female of new york city and although I have little watching experience I enjoy Sondheim, Bernstein, Mozart and more. My favorites are passion, Ariadne auf naxos, Die Zauberflote, Sweeney Todd, Candide, Le Nozze De Figaro and much more. You see? I’m not one of those girls.

Wow, took a while to catch back up on this thread. Some pretty inane things still being said. Case in point from JonnyV....

>>>says someone who obviously LIVES in NEW YORK... and can afford to see EVERYTHING. For God's Sake... We (in the hinterlands) UNDERSTAND that live and recorded are different. If I know I love a play or musical, I will seek it out live... Just Look What the Phantom movie did for tickets. But... like SO MANY new yorkers, your opinion is very "Let them eat cake."<<<<

Ah, more sweeping generalizations from someone. This time not about lazy non-theatergoers, but about all the independently wealthy NY'rs who go to the theater nightly and then sneer at those who don't go.
Obviously you didn't read my post on page 2. I don't think SO MANY NY'rs are so different from me as far as being able to afford to see plays. Except for students, of course, which I am long past. I agree with much of what Mamie said.
Honestly, with ticket prices today, I'm curious how long most of the tourists must save up just to go to a play, let alone pay for hotel and food.

As Craig said, this was tried here and didn't work. If it works for Doug in the UK, more power to him, as long as it doesn't work to the detriment of ticket sales should they be shown during a run. I think I'd prefer to see them shown after a run is over, but if both can be supported without detriment to the theater run, then why not? Simply, not everyone can get to the theater for whatever reason, great as it is, and as much as they may want to.

You know, come to think of it, it would've been great for my mom. There was no way in hell she could sit through a play (or a movie) in a theater due to her illness, not without disturbing other people, so this would've been a great option for her (as long as there was the ability to pause it like a DVD/VCR/Video on Demand. It was one of the reasons she loved pay cable movie channels though she had to watch them several times to get the whole movie since she wouldn't be able to sit through it all at one sitting, even at home.

And iheart....please help raise your credibility a tad....your various versions of taping (tapping, videotapping) were very doubtfully typos. In all but one of the posts where you used some variation of it, you spelled it wrong. Maybe you should direct some of that hyperbolic negative energy to a spelling/vocabulary class.

Morning....

I got some sleep after running from the Broadway lynch mob.

Smoking gun ? Where ? Show me the smoking gun !! We're gonna smoke this guy out !

The posse were rounding up and they were heading my way.

Apart from the comments that Isabella highlights here there were other more assertive comments in my first posting of this idea "CRAP" and "GARBAGE" - were the comments from the same posters.

I'm glad I've had a long sleep and seen that some constructive and calm comments both for and against are coming up.

Marketing strategy ? Well see below for the polls of visitors to USTheater.TV

Where are you clicking from ?
England 7%
Scotland 7%
Wales 7%
Northern Ireland 7%
Republic of Ireland 7%
U.S.A 7%
Channel Islands 7%
Canada 8%
Rest of the world 7%
Australia & New Zealand 7%
Europe 7%
Africa 7%
Asia 8%




How often do you visit the theatre ?
Never 14%
Once a month 13%
Once a year 13%
Once a week 13%
Twice a month 14%
Once every few months 14%
More than once a week 14%


How would you rate UKTheatre.TV ?
Brilliant 36%
Good 30%
Dull 32%


Planning to use UK Theatre TV ?
Yes, for my showreel 15%
Yes, to promote next production 16%
Yes, for my voiceovers/singing 16%
No, too technical 17%
No, not required 15%
No, cant get permission 17%


Which of these are you a member of ?
Equity 13%
Bafta 12%
FST 12%
SAG 12%
The Academy (Oscars) 12%
None of the above 12%
More than one of the above 13%
BECTU 10%

Which age bracket are you in ?
Under 16 16%
17 to 25 17%
26 to 35 16%
36 to 45 16%
46 to 55 16%
Over 55 16%


Got a favourite feature ?
News at UKTN 16%
Tickets 17%
Special Offers 15%
Photo Gallery 16%
PayPerView 15%
Theatre Angels 17%


So you can read lots into this.

32% think the idea is dull. But that leaves 68% who think its either GOOD or BRILLIANT idea.

Only 15% say that they won't use it because they don't require it (I can always make it easier to use and give permissions). 15% say pay-per-view would be their favourite feature.

You can see for yourself its worldwide visitors and also professional membership is high. And lastly how often people visit the theatre shows room for improvement. And as for age its quite well spread.

The 18-25 thing is not a problem for the web but is apparently a problem for UK theatres according to a major study done over here - but its not my core focus group but a nice to have.

To answer the other question of filming while the audience are there ? Or should it filmed live or after the show closes ? I don't have fixed ideas here. Whatever is agreed with the production team and the film crew. So far I have filmed most of the material at DRESS REHEARSAL with some on opening night. The opening night footage is at the back behind the audience and unobtrusive but captures the audience feedback, while the dress rehearsal is all close ups. The two nights will be edited together in a seamless way.

It's just one idea at the moment and I haven't seen the finished article. Filming theatre is a BLACK ART and in need of the talents of film crew and theatre professionals to work together to come up with the best possible product. I haven't written anything off yet and I am listening to the feedback here which says do it after it closes. Which sounds right and would probably enhance the exclusivity of the finished product.


Finally, as its largely pioneering work, I don't have ALL the answers, but with your help and feedback from the polls on my site we can shape it in the right direction.

THanks again for your continued comments. I won't be able to reply for about 10 hours now. Got a day job to earn some money to keep the idea going

Doug

USTHEATER.TV - Visit and register FREE (if you want)

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Updated On: 10/31/05 at 02:33 AM

I think it's a great idea and I'm tired of reading "THEATER SHOULD BE VIEWED LIVE". Well, what happens if we can't get our (your words) lazy asses up to see a show. What happens if we don't have hundreds of dollars to blow off. What happens if your so far away you need money for a plane ticket. What happens it your schedule conflicts and on and on. Sometimes there is no way to view theater live. That's why I say it's a good idea. I'm glad Into the Woods is on DVD because I couldn't see the Revival because I was too young (well, in 6th grade...in 9th grade now) nor could I see the 1987 Original cast because I wasn't born yet. See my point?

Who else thinks that the idea of this thread is sick?
"and I'm tired of reading "THEATER SHOULD BE VIEWED LIVE"
If it is not viewed live then its not theater is it, its film which is a perfectly good art which i also respect.

wow...this thread is still going on? i thought the war was over..lol

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Horton

That's a good point. It's definitely not a feature film. A good example here would be the feature film "Phantom of the Opera" with my good friend Gerard Butler (a fellow Scot), in the lead. I personally did not like the film. I would have much preferred a filmed recording of the musical on the West End or Broadway stage with a few flying cameras and closeups of the actors and high quality 5.1 sound.

The idea has just launched in the UK and the first lot of low-budget filming is in action. A lot of big investors are waiting and watching. Tonight I am at the National Theatre of Scotland launch. I have a film crew lined up and interviewers ready to put this historic event online for the world to see. There are no other interested film production or TV company who are there. Only UKTheatre.TV - does that not say something ? If we cannot support our own theatrical colleagues in promoting an important historical theatrical event, the TV and Film industries won't.

How many TV programmes can you watch tonight about theatre ? Count them in one hand ? Perhaps there is one little cable channel somewhere....... why ? How can people know about the experience of theatre if they are getting daily doses of new films being launched and reality TV and product commercials and politics....... get theatre in front of their noses.

USTheater.TV is an idea of its time. Musicals are an ideal format though I appreciate the dilemmas raised in this thread. Drama will also be great and comedies will be delightful. Let's go do it folks and support theatre in our cities around the world.

Anyone interested can click on NEWSLETTERS and get the weekly update with news, reviews and ticket offers. I am expanding this to include U.S. material and I have a top New York theatre critic who writes for us as well.

Doug
USTHEATER.TV - Passionate About Theater

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Updated On: 11/1/05 at 02:03 AM

Doug- your money would be better invested in a new bird flu vaccine. I've been lurking on this thread for some time now and I see both sides. That being said, you will never generate the interest you would require to make this a profitable venture. It has been tried here before with limited to no success. The obstacles are too great to overcome in regard to the finished product. The production costs alone will prove too great if all your looking for is a "souvenir" product. You will never be able to replicate the sense of "live theatre", I don't care how many cameras you are allowed to use, and it would never be able to replace a cinematic production ie. Phantom, Chicago, etc. I say bring back the movie musical and allow the stage to remain the live venue that it is for those that choose to, however they can, get their butts in the seats whether it be regional theatre, the West End or the Great White Way.

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Where did Doug go?

He was so strongly for this then...bang. Disappears....

Well I'm all for it, so good for you.

The thing that got to me more than anything else was not being able to watch the Tonys.

I can cope with living off Cast Recordings and Librettos, but I had to follow the Tony awards step by step on this forum, as other people announced what happened.

There's a major problem with this attitude of, "if you can't get to New York, or don't live in America, tough..."

hi i think that musicals should be tape is for history and that's why we should put shows flops and hits on cd.