|
|
 |
August 29. Most of you have undoubtedly put in their pre-orders weeks ago and are now feverishly waiting for the disc to arrive on their doorsteps. Although it seems that the work is over, this may be deceptive. Producer Van Ling has already been doing a lot of work for the “Terminator Special Edition” that MGM will release next year, after he had finished his workload for “Terminator 2” but interestingly, these days he has returned to the T-1000 once again. “I’m currently doing the Japanese version of the DVD,” he tells me as we talk. Apparently Artisan Home Entertainment has been able to make sure the Ultimate Edition will also be available in Japan and instead of simply trying to sell the original American version of the DVD into that market, it was decided to create a localized Japanese release instead. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“All the menus are in Japanese,” Van explains and points out that it is currently considered to have all the text screens of the release translated, which means Van would have to prepare them all anew for the release. “Sounds like a lot of work?” he asks jokingly. “Believe me, it is!” Considering that there are 4,000 text screens with production notes and other detailed information, I have to admit that I do not necessarily envy Van for the job, but then again, that is part of the workload that awaits a DVD producer. He prepares the images as layered Photoshop files of a still frame menu, with the text separated from the background image that is then sent to Japan for translation. They put the translation |
|
|
|
on a new layer in the Photoshop image and send the file back to Van, which he then modifies and builds into his renders for the animations. How well Van does his job becomes evident on an entirely different front these days, too. Last week the final nominees for this year’s DiVi Awards were announced. As you may know, we at DVD Review have been preparing the DiVi Awards in conjunction with IRMA, handling the title submissions, selection of the judging panel, judging, and tallying the ballots. From over 200 submissions in 12 different categories, “Terminator 2” managed to receive no less than 7 nominations, while Van’s previously produced special edition of “The Abyss” raked in another three nominations. It shows that his dedication and love for the movies pays off. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Van Ling and Michelle Friedman accept the DiVi Award for “Best Special Edition” from the hands of Leonard Maltin |
|
|
|
During the actual DiVi Awards ceremony Van Ling and Artisan’s Michelle Friedman, the two people who made this release happen, finally had the chance to pick up two of the coveted industry awards, as “Terminator 2” was honored for “Best Authoring” and as “Best Special Edition,” while Van’s efforts in “The Abyss” were honored by winning the award for “Best Menu Design.” With that, it is time for us to wrap up this Production Diary. The title is finished and in less than 2 weeks you will be able to see for yourself how all the work that went into this project paid off. With everything you read in this Production Diary I am also sure that you will most likely look differently at the release with an added appreciation for all the hard labor that went into it. It is easy to forget that DVDs only look so good because people make them look so good, so never take it for granted. Enjoy it! |
|
|
|
I would like to thank the disc’s producer Van Ling for his never-ending support and openness. For the past months, Van has been constantly supplying me with new information, details and materials to create this diary. It may have been my writing, but ultimately it was his work that made it happen. I would also like to thank everyone at Artisan Home Entertainment, especially Michelle Friedman for her continuous help and support, and Miguel Casillas for making sure we would always have timely clearance of materials as well as information on our hands when we needed it. With his efforts he has saved the day more than once! Special thanks also go out to MPRM’s Alan Amman and David Delgrosso from DTS for the help and information they supplied. Most importantly, thanks go out to the people who made the movie and who allow us fans to take a look behind the scenes, James Cameron and the entire cast and crew of “Terminator 2.” Please let us know if you enjoyed this Production Diary. You can either send us an email or take it over to our Message Boards for public discussion. |
|
|
|
If you want more information on Van Ling’s work
on “Terminator 2”, please also check out Apple’s cool story
“Metal Monsters Mac Motivated” |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|