If DVDs of Sitcoms are Supposed to Be Uncut..... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jack1000 · 01-10-2005, 05:56 PM

Guys,

My question is, if DVD sitcomes are supposed to be uncut, why do some of the older sitcoms have a quick "fade to black" as if something is missing on the DVD version when it shouldn't be that way? I have episodes of Gilligan's Island and The Munsters on DVD that run at least 25 minutes on average, but every so often, you will still see a quick fade to black, where the screen goes black and comes back out. This is true on both versions of The Munsters and Gilligan's Island. However, sitcomes such as All in the Familiy, although content was cut in syndication and by TV Land, never used the quick "fade to black" and new sitcomes never do. What is the reason for this?

Jack

slackermonkey · 01-10-2005, 06:37 PM

The fade to black is used to signal a commercial break, act break, or to create suspense in a scene. The reason it's different with some newer shows is because this style has been more or less abandoned, and episodes are edited seamlessly without any breaks inserted.

This should really be in the TV on DVD forum, by the way.

01-10-2005, 05:56 PM	#1
Jack1000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 05, 2001 Posts: 2,055	If DVDs of Sitcoms are Supposed to Be Uncut..... Guys, My question is, if DVD sitcomes are supposed to be uncut, why do some of the older sitcoms have a quick "fade to black" as if something is missing on the DVD version when it shouldn't be that way? I have episodes of Gilligan's Island and The Munsters on DVD that run at least 25 minutes on average, but every so often, you will still see a quick fade to black, where the screen goes black and comes back out. This is true on both versions of The Munsters and Gilligan's Island. However, sitcomes such as All in the Familiy, although content was cut in syndication and by TV Land, never used the quick "fade to black" and new sitcomes never do. What is the reason for this? Jack

01-10-2005, 06:37 PM	#2
slackermonkey the big yellow joint Senior Member Join Date: Oct 05, 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,779	The fade to black is used to signal a commercial break, act break, or to create suspense in a scene. The reason it's different with some newer shows is because this style has been more or less abandoned, and episodes are edited seamlessly without any breaks inserted. This should really be in the TV on DVD forum, by the way.
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