Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer Contributing Writer on tvdvdreviews.com! Please use this document as a guide as you begin to create your reviews. Each portion of the template is essential for inclusion in your review. Please let the staff at tvdvdreviews.com know if you have any questions or concerns.
I. Opening Quote
Select a quote from the DVD that best summarizes the tone or mood of the program, and/or a catchphrase or "memorable moment" from it. Identify the character and actor who speaks the line, and, if you wish, the character and actor to whom the line is spoken.
Example: "Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis?" - Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson
II. Title
Provide the complete title of the DVD exactly as it appears on the packaging. For example, "Little House on the Prairie: Season 5."
III. Review Body
This section, between 700 and 3,000 words long, should be the main portion of your review. You may choose to include the following elements:
. Introduction to the program, which should assume the viewer has no prior knowledge of the show;
. Available interesting and/or relevant historical information about the program;
. Characters identified with actor names in parentheses immediately following. Example: "Jan Brady (Eve Plumb)." Do this only the FIRST time the character is mentioned; in subsequent uses of the character's name, you don't need to include the actor.
. Summaries of episodes/season plotlines.
. Your reaction to the program. After all, this is a review. How does watching the program make you feel? Nostalgic? Amused? Are you laughing out loud? Try to keep your review in the third person, and limit your use of the word "I."
For example, "Rachel Griffiths provides a standout performance as Brenda Chenoweth. Her quirky line delivery, wry outlook, and loosey-goosey body language all contribute to one of contemporary television's most memorable women" rather than "I really like Rachel Griffiths as Brenda. I think her quirky line delivery, wry outlook, and loosey-goosey body language all contribute to one of contemporary television's most memorable women."
IV. Technical Specifications
In this section, include the following elements:
. Number of EPISODES included in the set;
. Number of DVDs included in the set;
Example: The twenty-one episodes that comprise the third season are housed on five discs.
. Packaging specifics-including package construction, design, photographs or illustrations. The most typical kinds of DVD packaging are black plastic keepcases (the kind that movies typically come in), slim keepcases (thin, versions of keepcases that typically are used for season sets), and digipaks (cardboard foldout cases)
Examples:
The discs are housed in slim, clear keepcases. The front covers each feature a different publicity photo of Mork and Mindy. The back covers include smaller production stills and a list of the episodes found on the DVD. Because the cases are clear, the double-sided coversheets show through to the inside of the case. The interiors include episode titles, original airdates, and plot synopses. The color scheme on the inside and outside of the cases features red (mimicking Mork's spacesuit) and rainbow (mimicking Mork's earthly suspenders) hues. The DVDs have a bulls-eye rainbow design, and when removed, they reveal Mork's spaceship/egg which progresses from whole (disc one) to completely cracked (disc four). The five keepcases slide into a cardboard sleeve which continues the red/rainbow look.
The discs are housed in miniature translucent plastic compartments (roughly the size of CD cases), the kind that are normally affixed to cardboard to form digipaks. In this case, there is no cardboard. Instead, the plastic holders are attached book-style via a clear strip of tape along the left hand side that functions as the binding. Each disc is decorated with an individual member of the Enterprise crew. Also listed on the disc faces are the episode titles, stardates, and original airdates. The case slides into a paper sleeve featuring a picture of Spock and Kirk. A foldout brochure (about the size of a CD insert) gives plot synopses, a brief written introduction to the series, an intro to Starfleet Command, and a brief essay on "The Changing Face of Romulans." Also included are individual coupons for the Borg Invasion 4-D attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton and official Star Trek prop replicas. The plastic DVD holder and the brochure fit into an outer plastic canister. A window on the front shows through to the Kirk/Spock picture on the interior case sleeve.
The deluxe edition also features stunning limited edition packaging designed to mimic a full-sized McKinley High 1980-81 yearbook, complete with faux leatherette cover and embossed class seal. Eighty full-color, high gloss pages are devoted to behind-the scenes photos, messages from the producers, tributes to fans, magazine articles about the show, and a full episode guide. The discs themselves slide into padded safety sleeves and are held in place by four heavy cardboard pages at the back of the yearbook. This packaging was produced with amazing attention to detail, down to inscriptions by each of the show's characters.
. Descriptions of menu designs on the DVDs. What do you see and hear when you pop the DVD into your player. Is there animation, production stills, music? What?
Examples:
The DVD menus begin with William Shatner intoning "Space, the final frontier" while a computer animated Enterprise swoops by. The ship turns, and we venture into the bridge. We are now at the helm of the Enterprise, and the episode choices are listed on its view screen. Choosing an individual episode (there is no option to "play all") causes our perspective to shift. Our episode options are located on the starship's control panel. From here, we can change the audio and subtitle settings by accessing the "Communications" menu, view the "Chapter Log," view a "Preview Trailer" of the episode, or simply play the episode. The animation on these menus is cartoon-like rather than photorealistic, but it again seems perfectly in line with the series.
The simple yet fun menus mimic the series' star-themed animated opening credit sequence. Viewers can play all of the disc's episodes or choose an individual one. The episodes are divided into chapters.
The menu designs on the DVDs are simple and functional. Episodes on each disc are listed, while a montage of memorable Little House moments plays in a widow, accompanied by the show's theme music. The episodes, unfortunately, are not divided into chapters. This forces the viewer to watch the entire episode in one sitting or to fast forward to their stopping point later on. There is a play all feature.
. Descriptions of any non-DVD material included in the packaging
Example: A booklet listing the episode titles, plot synopses, and selected credits, is sandwiched in the digipak.
