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February 2002 | I believe it was Dana Parker, DVD Diva and former EMedia columnist, who proclaimed the need for a Michelangelo of DVD. While some pure technophiles scoffed at the notion of a DVD luminary who would elevate what was nothing more than a "bigger bit bucket" to the heights of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, others saw the potential for an approach to DVD development that was more than technical, but in fact creative. Yes, DVD is a physical repository for art that has already been created, but it is also a tool. And because it is more than just the delivery medium for somebody else's art, but a tool in itself, it seems that in the hands of creative people, DVD could offer something quite new and adventurous for film and technology aficionados alike. The problem is that the bulk of DVD-Videos are made as an aftermarket, supplemental-sale item for Hollywood studios that are in the business of making movies. Glorious films, entertaining movies, and saleable schlock are churned out by studios every year. And while each film may enjoy its moment in theaters, home entertainment execs scrounge what's left on the cutting room floor, tack on a few trailers for like-minded movies, and put out a DVD suffused with these afterthought enticements as "bonus features" soon after theatrical runs end. On better discs or pricey special editions, they might provide additional features like a commentary or "Making of..." documentary. But this is all after the fact. The DVD is hardly conceived during, much less a part of, the creative process. From Fantasy to Film
When the makers of the Final Fantasy video game—renowned in its own right for the quality of its cinematic graphics—decided to make a feature-length film, they set the bar high. Square Co., Ltd. constructed its second Square USA site in Honolulu as the home of Square Pictures. Square Pictures teamed up with the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, to create Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the first computer-generated, animated feature film with photo-real human characters. When the film was only about halfway into production, Blaine Graboyes and then Zuma Digital teammate Jesse Blanco were invited to Honolulu to meet with Javier Soto, worldwide DVD content manager at Columbia TriStar Home Video. In keeping with the film's spirit of technological innovation, Soto wanted to innovate both in the DVD's content and in numerous technical aspects of the disc. He was looking for more than technical expertise on the DVD side—rather, a creative team to develop menus, Web, ROM, and added-value original materials to make certain the disc met the standard of creativity set in the film itself. According to Graboyes, what Square and Columbia had in mind provided Zuma with unprecedented creative freedom in developing the Final Fantasy DVD. However, it quickly became apparent that the DVD production would not be of the scale that Zuma was used to handling, but would be more akin to film production. Also, from the start, the Zuma team knew that they were making content for worldwide release (some versions of the disc contain as many as 17 languages, spoken and subtitled). As Graboyes put it, "Doing one project is one thing, but doing nine projects at the same time is another thing entirely." Graboyes brought in Cinnamon Booth, whose background is in music, video, and television production, to helm the project as executive producer. Graboyes credits Booth with having the production savvy to bring the pieces together and clear rights and permissions for ancillary materials, which ultimately resulted in a two-disc Special Edition DVD release ($29.95 MSRP).
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