Sanctuary Discussion (Spoilers for the most recent episode)

[RepliCartertje]

I just checked and the HD version for wepisode 001 is there. But no HD bundle yet.

So I keep waiting then Cause I want the budle

[morjana]

From the blog pause and reflect: "Sanctuary" Review:


http://laughing1wolf.blogspot.com/20...ary-redux.html

(There are screencaps at the site. This is a LONG article, please follow the link for the complete review.)

16 May 2007

sanctuary redux...

The Future is Now for Sanctuary

Tara DiLullo Bennett gets the scoop on Sanctuary, which marks a new media experiment for sci-fi shot in HD and made with XSI and ZBrush.

Sanctuary is breaking new ground this month with an Internet-only series. Web-based, episodic storytelling might render network television production and advertising models obsolete.

There's an intriguing experiment launching on the Internet this month, that finally moves forward the long-simmering chatter about creating high-quality television programming, targeted specifically for dedicated genre fans, right to the Internet.

We're not talking about repeated episodes from broadcast networks, or fan-funded projects, with low budgets and questionable talent, but brand new, scripted programming, created by television and film professionals who think the time has come to bypass fickle networks by offering niche programming directly to their core audience.

The name of this Internet-only endeavor is Sanctuary, and it's the brainchild of sci-fi veteran, Damian Kindler.

**snippage**

Tara DiLullo Bennett is an East coast-based writer whose articles have appeared in publications such as SCI FI Magazine, SFX and Lost Magazine.

She is the author of the books, 300: The Art of the Film, and 24: The Official Companion Guide: Seasons 1 & 2.

© 1996 - 2007 AWN, Inc.

[RealmOfX]

Damian has just updated his blog with news on the pricing policy, the help desk and a higher quality free version of webisode 1.

I was going to post a comment protesting their pricing policy but it looks like my friend Trace beat me to it and she said it way better than me.

[RepliCartertje]

okay question for people who might now it or not...Will they ever give you the HD bundle or not?? and if they do when?? cause I am waiting for that atm...

as to the price issue, I don't even have an idea cause the conversation isn't on it

But the normal ones are 2,49 and the HD eps are 3,09...

I am getting so confused with all of this honestly

[antoa]

I assume they will offer the HD bundles again as soon as the glitch is fixed. I must have lucked out and bought mine before the glitch.

[tagger]

question...I have watched the first ep a few times..

Spoiler:

.what is up with the little boy? how does he kill people...and why? is he feeding off their gray matter? did he kill all the people...or just the cops and old man? are those women part of his family?

Hi Cindyz!

Here is the concept art for the character (the picture is even better on Damian's blog which is where I got it):

Spoiler:

The extra limb/ appendage looked insect (exoskeleton?) or tentacle-like in concept art, and a little worm or snake like in webisode 1... I'm sure we'll know more soon! I think you are right, the morgue staff (?) or someone mentioned gray matter was missing - yick! More mysteries to solve!! More stories to tell!

I am sorry about the pricing policy, I don't know what is fair, but I know I hate for my international friends to feel ripped off.

In my position of extreme power and influence, and speaking as I do for the ENTIRE United States of America, I would be willing to pay a little more to even things out.

I guess I worry for those who live in countries where 8 dollars US is a much greater sum of money; I would prefer they pay what their markets usually bear for equivalent downloads/ DVD's/ etc...

I don't know what the solution is, but I feel bad.

[the fifth man]

Just watched the first webisode. It definitely has a lot of potential. Only real downside to it - way too short.

[the dancer of spaz]

Damian has just updated his blog with news on the pricing policy, the help desk and a higher quality free version of webisode 1.

I was going to post a comment protesting their pricing policy but it looks like my friend Trace beat me to it and she said it way better than me.

No offense to your friend or anything, but if she's the Trace I think she is, she seems to have a lot to comment about.

I dunno. Maybe I'm too indifferent about the whole thing. I know people like Trace are very passionate about the series, and want it to be done right. I want it to be done right as well (hence my gripe about the lack of promotions/ads). But it seems to me like these problems were bound to come up, and that no one's perfect. When money's involved, I know that it's serious business. And this is first and foremost a business. But like Julia said earlier, these are the good guys. They're being proactive about a lot of this stuff, I think.

[RealmOfX]

No offense to your friend or anything, but if she's the Trace I think she is, she seems to have a lot to comment about.

I dunno. Maybe I'm too indifferent about the whole thing. I know people like Trace are very passionate about the series, and want it to be done right. I want it to be done right as well (hence my gripe about the lack of promotions/ads). But it seems to me like these problems were bound to come up, and that no one's perfect. When money's involved, I know that it's serious business. And this is first and foremost a business. But like Julia said earlier, these are the good guys. They're being proactive about a lot of this stuff, I think.

No worries about offense, my friend and I always have very spirited discussions. For me, I was a tad ticked off when I twigged to the fact that I was paying more in Australia for the eps, mainly because Aussies always get ripped off and we have traditionally paid more for movies, music and books. I never thought beyond this.

Trace does have a point though, why follow an outmoded pricing scheme when it is unfair and unnecessary? The Sanctuary folks are making inroads in rewriting how things are done in the entertainment industry. So why not one price for all? It is the same product, delivered by the same method, with the same costs involved, with one worldwide market. So why not one price?

For me, I'll wear these prices for the pilot (which are way higher than I thought they would be) and then see what they come up with for the continuing series. I'm hooked and I don't mind paying for quality entertainment. However, I know of others here who won't pay simply because they see it as once more being ripped off because we live in Australia.


The Sanctuary folks are ironing out their problems. The help desk emailed me and told me my bundle was all sorted out and available. I quickly checked and there it was but it was HD instead of SD. So I emailed them again and they fixed it straight away. Kudos for that. They are addressing their problems quite well. Considering what they are trying to do, I think that they have done well, even though I was cranky because of the stuff up with the bundle purchase (have I mentioned that patience is not my strong suit?).

So I'm going to look at the pricing policy through both the half empty / full scenario.
Not happy because I'm paying more
Happy because it could be worse, I could be in the UK or Europe (they are paying even more).

[majorsal]

The download worked! Yee ha! No lip sync problem! Nice quality--though I did crank up the contrast on my monitor to see a bit better.
I think we'll really get into the story in the next episode.
One of the things I thought was interesting is that

Spoiler:

Helen seems to have "regular" life outside the Sanctuary. I suppose she would need a day job.

i'm a bit bummed that i couldn't see a really good version of this, but outside the bumsville , i REALLY liked the webs!!

i agree with you, jckfan, that it was great

Spoiler:

to see that helen had a normalish life.

i wish i could d/l this to my computer, even the lowres version.




sally

[the dancer of spaz]

No worries about offense, my friend and I always have very spirited discussions. For me, I was a tad ticked off when I twigged to the fact that I was paying more in Australia for the eps, mainly because Aussies always get ripped off and we have traditionally paid more for movies, music and books. I never thought beyond this.

Trace does have a point though, why follow an outmoded pricing scheme when it is unfair and unnecessary? The Sanctuary folks are making inroads in rewriting how things are done in the entertainment industry. So why not one price for all? It is the same product, delivered by the same method, with the same costs involved, with one worldwide market. So why not one price?

For me, I'll wear these prices for the pilot (which are way higher than I thought they would be) and then see what they come up with for the continuing series. I'm hooked and I don't mind paying for quality entertainment. However, I know of others here who won't pay simply because they see it as once more being ripped off because we live in Australia.


The Sanctuary folks are ironing out their problems. The help desk emailed me and told me my bundle was all sorted out and available. I quickly checked and there it was but it was HD instead of SD. So I emailed them again and they fixed it straight away. Kudos for that. They are addressing their problems quite well. Considering what they are trying to do, I think that they have done well, even though I was cranky because of the stuff up with the bundle purchase (have I mentioned that patience is not my strong suit?).

So I'm going to look at the pricing policy through both the half empty / full scenario.
Not happy because I'm paying more
Happy because it could be worse, I could be in the UK or Europe (they are paying even more).

I totally see where both you and Trace are coming from. And I do hope that the pricing scheme is evened out once they "break even" - or whatever goal they have in mind for these first four eps. But I don't blame them for needing to adhere to an admittedly corporate-esque bottomline in the beginning... to an extent. In a perfect world, DK and Co. could do what they want with this series for even less than they've already put into it, charge us all half the current cost, and still make a decent living off of it while doing what they love. I don't know all that much about the industry they're dealing with, but when I read the figures, I was floored. There's a lot of money at stake there.

Personally, I wouldn't mind paying more for the episodes if it evened things out among all of the countries, but I know that not everyone feels the same way. I figure, I don't consume a lot of network television because a lot of it is meh. And I haven't gone to the movies nearly as much as I used to because the prices are beyond insane, with ads to boot (yet I can't bring myself to watch those same movies online for free, because I *heart* the quality of the big screen, and I really don't dig the illegal downloading bit).

So, I'm cool with paying more for the quality, the content, the usage/legal allowances, and the principles behind this product, if it means (a) I'm watching something I actually enjoy, and (b) we get even more of it in the future.

But, again, I know not everyone is like that. And for good reasons. Hopefully the next four episodes will be more equitably priced.

[scarimor]

I will not buy until they amend their price-fixing policy. I will not support a venture that perpetuates the old, unfair model of distribution while they claim to want to engage with their audience in the way they have led us to believe.

[morjana]

From The Amazing Journey Blog:

http://theamazingjourney.blogspot.co...odes-move.html

(Please follow the link for the complete article.)

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Sanctuary, 2007, Online Webisodes

Move over, Blood Ties. Keep on walkin', GW. There's a new guy in town. And from a most interesting source. Amanda Tapping, after 10 years on Stargate SG-1 as Samantha Carter, stars as Dr. Helen Magnus and also serves as executive producer. Robin Dunne is her 'protege' Will Zimmerman. He will, no doubt, be familiar to those few Dawson's Creek fans that may remain, though his resume is quite extensive. Damian Kindler, whose background includes SG-1 and SG Atlantis, is credited as creator. Mr. Kindler's working with another SG alumnus - director Martin Wood.

**snippage**

[scarimor]

Trace does have a point though, why follow an outmoded pricing scheme when it is unfair and unnecessary? The Sanctuary folks are making inroads in rewriting how things are done in the entertainment industry. So why not one price for all? It is the same product, delivered by the same method, with the same costs involved, with one worldwide market. So why not one price?

Indeed. Just because this kind of price-fixing isn't illegal (yet) doesn't mean that it's acceptable. imo it should be made illegal in the same way that price-fixing via cartel is forbidden.

The car industry learned that it couldn't continue with this model, at least not to the extent that they'd been ripping off people in certain countries to subsidise their sales in others. Consumers found out via their watchdog oganisations and took action: going abroad and importing their own vehicles.

Because that's what it is - a manufacturer/distributor charging more in one geographical market to subsidise and improve its sales in another, using the "captive" nature of those geographical placements to get away with it. Why should someone in New Zealand, for example, pay over the mean for a product, contributing to their own economy's inflation, the knock-on interest rates, mortgage costs etc. so that someone in America can get the same product for less to maintain the producer's bottom line? When lots of companies do it it all adds up. Find the bottom line and charge everyone according to the costs and margin - which for this product are all the same.

I don't buy iTunes. I'm surprised that the Sanctuary people have chosen to model their pricing on a scheme which has attracted that kind of criticism too.

It's a very flawed approach. For one thing it depends on consumers remaining ignorant of the price-fixing, and that is obviously not going to be the case with viewers of Sanctuary. If they didn't figure that out before they know better now. And the notion that they can charge "what the market can stand" in different regions depends on accurate comparative data.

Well this market won't stand it. Not the price - that's not a problem - but the business model. Sharp business practises are a deal-breaker for me, and this is one of them. I will not be buying for myself, and I will not be buying the multiple bundles which I intended to burn to disc packs as presents, until they amend their policy.

[Agent_Dark]

Indeed. Just because this kind of price-fixing isn't illegal (yet) doesn't mean that it's acceptable. imo it should be made illegal in the same way that price-fixing via cartel is forbidden.

The car industry learned that it couldn't continue with this model, at least not to the extent that they'd been ripping off people in certain countries to subsidise their sales in others. Consumers found out via their watchdog oganisations and took action: going abroad and importing their own vehicles.

Because that's what it is - a manufacturer/distributor charging more in one geographical market to subsidise and improve its sales in another, using the "captive" nature of those geographical placements to get away with it. Why should someone in New Zealand, for example, pay over the mean for a product, contributing to their own economy's inflation, the knock-on interest rates, mortgage costs etc. so that someone in America can get the same product for less to maintain the producer's bottom line? When lots of companies do it it all adds up. Find the bottom line and charge everyone according to the costs and margin - which for this product are all the same.

I don't buy iTunes. I'm surprised that the Sanctuary people have chosen to model their pricing on a scheme which has attracted that kind of criticism too.

It's a very flawed approach. For one thing it depends on consumers remaining ignorant of the price-fixing, and that is obviously not going to be the case with viewers of Sanctuary. If they didn't figure that out before they know better now. And the notion that they can charge "what the market can stand" in different regions depends on accurate comparative data.

Well this market won't stand it. Not the price - that's not a problem - but the business model. Sharp business practises are a deal-breaker for me, and this is one of them. I will not be buying for myself, and I will not be buying the multiple bundles which I intended to burn to disc packs as presents, until they amend their policy.

Use a proxy to spoof your IP to a US/whatever country is cheapest IP
I have to agree, that I'm less than thrilled about the way they've gone about pricing. This is the Internet were talking about - why do geographical issues need to apply here? It's not a technical issue so it shouldn't have even been brought up.