Hey there, people of the Private Sector. Hope that those of you who so observe had a great holiday weekend and that it was filled with football, food, and becoming increasingly annoyed with your Uncle Fred’s deviated septum noises.
This week is going to be another column on the interactive side of things. As some, none, or most of you may know: part of my daily job description is creating all of the bonus content that gets sandwiched on the DVDs and Blu-rays that you know and love. Ghostbusters fans were recently treated to another home video release of the film that started it all on the most recent format of Hollywood’s choice. Despite there being a whole lot of new content on the Blu-ray release, the general consensus was a want for more… let’s face it, Ghostbusters is one of Sony’s long-standing evergreen properties, and if one of their franchises deserved the royal treatment (akin to the Alien Quadrilogy, the Ultimate Matrix set, or the Blade Runner Final Cut set), this series of films is it.
So, under the disclaimer that this column and any further discussion therein is being done outside of my professional life, by myself as a fan (ie. NOT as a representative of the wonderful folks over at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), I wanted to set a foundation for what our end-all-be-all, super-awesome, everything-but-the-kitchen sink HD release of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II would contain. Think of this as the Alien Quadrilogy for Ghostbusters. What would you like to see?
If I was in charge (and I hardly ever am, so sadly don’t get any ideas), had an unlimited budget, and the stars aligned to get everyone and everything, here’s what the box set would contain…
The Ghostbusters Compendium (a three-disc Blu-ray set)
Disc 1 – Ghostbusters
- Feature Film (with optional deleted scenes branched in to create an extended cut)
- Theatrical Teasers and Trailers
- 1999 Commentary with Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and Joe Medjuck
- 2010 On-Screen PiP Commentary with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver
- Slimer-Mode (Carry Over from Previous Blu-ray Release) on Theatrical Version
- Interactive Isolated Score (including unused and spotted tracks)
Disc 2 – Ghostbusters II
- Feature Film (with optional deleted scenes branched in to create an extended cut)
- Theatrical Teasers and Trailers
- 2010 On-Screen PiP Commentary with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver
- Slimer-Mode (Newly Created Content to mirror previous GBI Blu-ray Release) on Theatrical Version
- Interactive Isolated Score (including unused and spotted tracks)
Disc 3 – Bonus Features
- “Making Ghostbusters: v2” – Newly Created, Two-Hour Retrospective Documentary Tracking the Ghostbusters Films from 1983 to Current. Breaking down Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, and Release Response for Both Films, along with a glimpse behind the scenes of the development of Ghostbusters III.
- Ghostbusters SFX Team Documentary (1999 Carry Over)
- Ghostbusters SFX Multi-Angle Feature (1999 Carry Over)
- Compilation of Ghostbusters II ILM Home Videos, Test Footage, and newly filmed interviews for a Ghostbusters II SFX Team Documentary
- Comprehensive Stills Gallery for Each Film – Includes Production Images, Storyboards, Miniature and VFX Images, Promotional Materials (Poster Art Explorations, Logo Explorations), etc.
- Raw Dailies, Visual Effects Shoot Footage, and Unarchived and Restored Material from the Cutting Room Floor (also incorporated into new retrospective documentary)
- Full Criterion Laserdisc Archives (Includes all bonus material, production notes, photographs, video, etc. authentically and accurately recreated from the original laserdisc release)
- Full Original Spec Screenplay for Ghostbusters as Written by Dan Aykroyd (intended for Aykroyd and Belushi, accompanied by exploration imagery created to sell the script)
- Full Shooting Script Screenplay for Ghostbusters as Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
- Full First Draft Screenplay for Ghostbusters II (Ghostbusters: The Seed) as Written by Dan Aykroyd
- Full Shooting Script Screenplay for Ghostbusters II as Written by Dan Akyroyd and Harold Ramis
- Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car (2009 Blu-ray Carry Over)
- Fan Documentaries: “Cleanin’ Up the Town” etc.
- Full 1984 “Making-Of” Promotional Featurette for Ghostbusters
- HBO First Look: Ghostbusters II
- Hollywood One-on-One with Scott Patrick (Ghostbusters II Promotional TV Airing)
- Full June 1989 Oprah Winfrey Show – Promoting Release of Ghostbusters II
- Full Promotional Video of “Ghostbusters: Spooktacular” from Universal Studios Florida
- Archival Photographs, Concept Drawings, and Storyboards for the Ghostbusters: Spooktacular Attraction
- Audio Archive (includes radio advertisements, original 1984 radio interviews, etc.)
- TV Archive (includes TV spots for both films, Hardees commercials, Kenner toy commercials, Fuji Film tie-in commercials, Ecto-Cooler commercials, cereal commercials, alternate “TV/Airplane Version” censored takes of scenes from both films)
- 1999 Promotional Featurette with Ivan Reitman on the Advent of DVD
Okay, I know I’m leaving a ton out. So now is where you come in… what archival materials would you like to see on the super-awesome definitive home video release of Ghostbusters? Feel free to chime in here on one of the excellent Ghostbusters websites kind enough to host the Private Sector, or drop me an email at netsolo@aol.com and let me know what I left out, and we’ll come back to revisit this in a later column to mark a definitive guide to what the fans are clamoring for on home video.
No letter this week, instead I’d like to put out a call to all of the female Ghostheads out there in the webs (I know, I know… don’t get any ideas all you hounds out there). If any of you are interested in answering a few questions for an upcoming column of the Private Sector which will be discussing being a female in what’s predominantly a boy’s club, I want to hear from you! If you’re interested in participating, drop me a line at netsolo@aol.com. Until next time!
[The Private Sector is a weekly syndicated column written by Troy Benjamin presented every Wednesday on GB Fans, Proton Charging, and Ghostbusters.net as an op-ed look at the goings on in the world of the Ghostbusters franchise. Learn more about Troy at www.troybenjamin.com]
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Nice inclusion of a potential look at the evolution of the logo. I’d love to know who exactly came up with the logo, and how many iterations it went through before being approved.
Oooo, what is this GB2 first draft called “Ghostbusters: The Seed” all about?! I know they had an early draft that I think I’ve heard something about where they were supposed to go to Europe or the UK or something and Bill Murray reffered to it as “The Last of the Ghostbusters”, but I wasn’t sure if that was the title or if it was just him reiterating that it was meant to be the final one. Is this the same thing?
Two things I would like to add to the list of dream extras:
1. an extensive documentary that goes into the history post GB films focusing on the cartoons, toys and the craze that swept the up world in the mid eighties
2. a nice meaty hour long documentary on the video game interviews with cast, developers really going into how the game came about with a more retrospective feel rather than the promotional vibe we got with the current GB Blu-ray.
I would also like both GB films to get the Wizard of Oz/North by Northwest Blu-Ray treatment with the transfer, a really hi-res scan of the original 35mm negative.
How could I have been so remiss… I forgot the music videos. You’d definitely need Ray Parker Jr.’s theme on there, the Bus Boys video, the Bobby Brown and Run DMC videos…
@JackIvyGB
It’s the biggest anti-drug statement I think I’ve ever read.
all of that plus the patch for the ghostbusters game
@ChrisM
“1. an extensive documentary that goes into the history post GB films focusing on the cartoons, toys and the craze that swept the up world in the mid eighties”
Just out of curiosity, what’s the most interesting part about the toy and merchandise craze? Would you rather hear about the process in which the Kenner toys were developed? A documentary focusing on the behind the scenes of something you ordinarily don’t get to see?
The reason I ask is that it’s hard to do something “in depth” when you’re just getting a bunch of “Ghostbusters was very, very popular” sound bites out of people. They usually come off as nostalgic puff pieces rather than being all that informative. Wondering what would interest you more than that but on that same topic?
You just about covered most if not all of it, slight of Tv Spots…ESPECIALLY for the first film [The only one I have is from Korea]…And the Steve Johnson home videos from GB1…
Oh, and the TV interviews with the cast, save for the Oprah one you already mentioned…The Johnny Carson and David Letterman ones, along with that one with Bill Murray done with that nameless interviewer that looked like a Walker Texas Ranger reject…
And the “Comprehensive Stills Gallery for Each Film” is a nice idea, but it’d be even greater if they included EVERYTHING, and didn’t omit a SINGLE item…That’s always been one of my pet peeves…
Should read “Bill Murray *did*” – UGH I can’t type tonight…
aykroyd’s early home movies of the GB gear…
a special effects commentary on both films…
maybe even an aykroyd-solo commentary on both films… i would love to hear him ramble about the stuff!
i’m not so sure about a LOT of RGB stuff being included. it IS it’s own thing, afterall… but it would be cool to see a segment on the documentary about adapting the film to animation… and how the cartoon effected development of the sequel.
…and since we’re waxing fantasy here, i would LOVE to see more than just first draft and shooting scripts. my inner-fanboy would squeal if every major draft was included. i mean… PDFs don’t take up THAT much space on a br disc, right? …or possibly a little mini-doc about the development of the scripts and early story ideas for the sequel(s)…
…and… above all…. GOOD package/disc design.
@NET
Yeah that’s what I meant, you’re much better at wording it than I am! I’m really interested in seeing how the merchandising we all buy and love comes about start to finish and how much of a say the original filmmakers get a say whether it be cartoons, posters toys etc. Do the filmmakers actually like the cartoon, toys etc? As you mentioned, it’s something the general public doesn’t get see very often
Oh yeah – Let’s not forget the radio trailers for GB1 ;P…
One thing I’d include would be a “then and now” featurette on all the existing filming locations, from the ones you can view publically to rarer-to-see places like Firestation 23. They’d featured shots of the interiors if they appeared on screen and if anyone present at those places remembered the production, a few words from them.
If not, then a small feature going into Fire Station 23, as few people realise how big it really is.
@NET
Thanks mentioning Ray Parker Jr.!
Wow; if Sony’s listening to this and really considering it (or will be…) I just might have to buy a Blu-Ray player after all!! I actually remember the Oprah ‘89 special feat. GBII. Not in detail, I was only 5 years old at the time…that’d be one heck of a souvenier (sp?). Crazy how much the show (Oprah) has changed over the years. Her hair style alone…
@osborn
When I asked Aykroyd about a commentary track, he said he did one for the double gren cover disc. Don’t believe me, we ask him in ‘Fanboys meet Dan Aykroyd’ on youtube.
Net – you forgot the Mick Smiley music video. And since we’re talking “wishful thinking” here, why not throw in Laura Branigan’s performance of “Hot Night” on the Automan TV series why you’re at it.
Heck, let’s up the musical ante and put every notable live performance of the songs the performers did. Ray did his song on Solid Gold back in ‘84 (and probably a dozen other shows at that time), and that can be contrasted with his 2007 performance on The Singing Bee and his parody stuff with that UK phone service. Of course, leave out the lip syncing performances.
Weird Al cut a parody video of Ray’s video for one of this AL-TV specials, which replaces the celebrity shout-outs with Al and his friends. Considering that those celebrity shout-outs are (from what I heard) the reason the original music video wasn’t included on the previous home video releases, Weird Al’s edit might have a better chance of being usable than the original video!
Bobby did “On Our Own” on the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, and a concert version of the song as well (that I taped from some ABC late night show in the early 1990s).
Aside from music… I think it’s obvious that all of the deleted scenes from the 1999 DVD came from a workprint of the film. So why not include the complete workprints for BOTH films. Didn’t Warners include the workprint of Blade Runner on the super-deluxe set? And Disney put out the “work in progress” version of Beauty & The Beast. So including a workprint copy is certainly not unheard of.