From: btd@aemil.uk.cray.com (Bryan T Dongray)
Subject: Re: The Man Trap
Organization: Cray Research (UK) Ltd
Date: 28 Aug 92 06:22:01 CDT

In article <1992Aug27.205607.6121@tin.monsanto.com>, lesnyd@monsanto.com (Larry E. Snyder) writes:
|> In article <Btnppr.GFL@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v116r8ac@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Chris Nasipak) writes:
|> > 
|> > In article <1992Aug27.132010.16971@pyra.co.uk>, jimmy@pyramid.com (Jimmy Aitken) writes...
|> > >In <1992Aug27.112707.29226@gserv1.dl.ac.uk> atb@gserv1.dl.ac.uk (A.M.T. Bell) writes:
|> > > 
|> > >>hi
|> > > 
|> > >>One other strange thing. In TNG we always have a few minutes of action
|> > >>before the credits, at some dramatic point the action stops and
|> > >>Jean-Luc says "Space, the final frontier......". Well in last nights
|> > >>episode we had a pre-credit sequence before Jim says "Space, the final frontier...".
|> 
|> TOS *always* started with an initial scene to get the viewers' attention,
|> then went to the opening sequence, just as TNG does. What you saw was NOT
|> edited. If you saw it any other way, THAT was edited.
|> 

I remember in the UK, TOS when it was "first" shown it did not have the
cliff hanger followed by the titles (as shown in the USA), but maybe
at the time the BBC felt it more appropriate to start with the titles
then go into the story (swapping it around compared with the order in
the USA), remember the BBC does not have adverts (commericial breaks).

I noticed in the episode on Wednesday ("The Man Trap"), there were the
"fade to black" for where the adverts would have been, and (I think) once
there was a two second (or so) repeat of what had just happened.
If the adverts were there, it would have been reasonable "recap", but
without the ads, it is odd.
It makes it so obvious what market the program is intended for,
TV stations with adverts.
Could you imagine the same fade and recap in a film (movie)!
What about actually having adverts every 10 or 15 minutes in the cinema,
I'm glad the BBC do not have them.

Incidentally, ITV & Ch.4 (commercial TV in the UK) normally show adverts
every 15 minutes, but sometimes this is about 20 minutes for shows that
last an hour (or more, such as films).
We never have adverts just after the titles or just before the credits,
it is usually (for a 30 minutes program):
	commercial adverts (5 minutes)
	advertising what's on later
	start of program, and first half
	adverts (about 3 minutes)
	second part of program, and credits
	advertising what is later this week/season/year
	GOTO "commercial adverts" at top of list and loop
I think the UK has a maximum limit of 7 minutes per hour can be adverts.

There are actually parts of TNG that we Brits miss as we do not have
any advert breaks, for one it's the little tune before those ads.
For those who do not know it's like a mini 5 second theme tune, which
very simply goes (get out your "Rolf Harris" stylophones):
	G - - - C E D - - - F A G - - - - - -
	^           ^           ^
where the - is to show keep holding the same last note, and act as some
sort of timing, and the ^ is the first beat in each bar (the note to
put emphasis on).

There might be other little differences due to not having adverts.
Has anyone who normally seen TNG with adverts seen TNG without (or vice-versa)
regularly enough to notice any other differences?
I have seen TNG once in USA, and was most suprised when the program was
interrupted (by the adverts)!
I also have seen M*A*S*H in USA - I normally really like this program,
but yuk! canned laughter! Well done to the BBC, for not using the canned
laughter sound track!

			Bryan Dongray

PS The "T" for my middle name does not stand for "Tiberius"!
-- 
| _____ |			Superman fights for:
|-. | .-| <btd@uk.cray.com>		"Truth, Justice, and the American way",
`-' | `-'			obviously these three are mutually exclusive.
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