King Kong - Peter Jackson's Production Diaries

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Anyone have this? Is it worth it? Could this be a new trend, releasing extras before the DVD? Doesn't Superman Returns have an extensive diary site? Doesn't Rocky 6 have one too now? Any thoughts on the Kong diaries?

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

The Dino, he's a torn onna this a one too, eh? I watch a lot of a them onna the interweb inna quicktime format, eh? But I dinna see alla them a 'cos I dinna wanna to spoil the movie.

Prolly be nice a to have, but I donna know iffa they gonna to put them onna the Extended Edition DVD or not, eh?

[jgraphix]

I have watched the PD's since day one..and they are great!...This is on my list for xmas. They don't ruin too much of the story, but go in detail on everyones job on the set and behind the scenes.. I think that the post production diaries are the coolest.

Also, Superman does have them, but they are not nearly as extensive and Rocky just started yesterday, hopefully they do more PD's than superman does.

[Chairman Kaga]

I am hesistant of a double dip with the inevitable extended Edition.....THough somehow I bet based on the LotR they won't appear on the dvd.

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

Did a the LOTR have a the production diaries? I must have a missed a them...

[jgraphix]

Nope
Kong was the first

[jgraphix]

Clerks 2 has done a handfull as well

[Chairman Kaga]

Did a the LOTR have a the production diaries? I must have a missed a them...

No they didnt. I seem to remember that the Extended Edition and Theater cuts on DVD had different DVD extras a little overlap but if you got the EE then you didn't get every extra. Thus I think this box set won't all be included in a Extended Kong. So they can motivate you to pick up both this and the EE of Kong and maybe a Theatrical cut as well if they all feature different extras.

[Gheorghe Zamfir]

Poseidon has done some as well, I don't get the feeling we'll see anyone put as much effort into them as the Kong crew did though.

[jgraphix]

Oh yeah...Poseidon...the only thing that sucks about the poseidon journals is that you have to go site to site and track em down... Not very user friendly.

[BobGobbler]

I would like to see a production diary that talks about the cost of making a movie.

How much did PJ waste in the first hour of the movie?

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

Somebody bump a that record player, eh? She keeps onna skipping anna playing the same a tune, no?

[Chairman Kaga]

Somebody bump a that record player, eh? She keeps onna skipping anna playing the same a tune, no?

I wish I could give you a manly paisano kiss.

[DinoDeLaurentiis]

Heheh... I'm a beginning to think that the BobGobbler, he's a really Howard Shore, eh?

It make a the perfect sense, no?

[MasterWhedon]

Dino... my brother, my kinsman, my king.

I've seen all the PDs and enjoyed them thoroughly. I'll probably eventually get them, but only well after I've bought the Kong DVD. I'm betting it'll have a whole new host of Special Features that'll be even more in depth than the PDs, but I'm still going to wait to make sure.

Regardless, if you've got a sibling or a cousin or whatever who is interested in getting into filmmaking, this is the PERFECT give for the layman filmmaker.

[Pudie]

I got these as an early xmas gift. Havent watched em yet, but the packaging and art prints are fantastic.

[Bill?]

there's no way its worth it.
this is the sort of thing that makes a good 20 or 30 minute extra on the dvd of actual movie. not a $30 boxed set. only Peter Jackson would even think of doing something like this. but I guess those extended LOTR boxed sets that everybody bought went to his head.

and yes, I'll probaby end up buying it anyways.

[Shane]

It looks like the new thing with rocky, Supes, and Clerks, I think the fad has just begun.

[zombieslayer]

Yeah, I think he'll stick to his habit of not repeating extras as well. Although, rather than an "extended edition" I'd prefer one that edits down most of the scenes between leaving on the boat, and Ann getting kidnapped. I loved Kong except for that 30 or 45 minutes.

[jgraphix]

Oh...and to edit what I said b4...I think that LOTR did have PD's.

[Pudie]

No. I think it had a few behind the scenes web things, but it didn't have production diaries.

[jgraphix]

Oh, cause I remember watching 'em, about that one spy trying to take pictures of the set. They called him Gandalf...that was funny

[MasterWhedon]

Oh, cause I remember watching 'em, about that one spy trying to take pictures of the set. They called him Gandalf...that was funny

That was for King Kong. One of the early PDs had a "spy" called Gandalf running around taking pictures of the set. Peter and--I think--Jack Black ran after him. Pretty funny.

King Kong was the first movie to have video Production Diaries, and they've clearly done them the best. A friend at Warner Bros. told me one of the VPs came up with the idea of doing this a few years ago, but no one would put it into effect. Then PJ did it and Singer, Smith and Peterson followed suit. It's very much the new thing.

And, again, there is a very legitimate reason to buy these. If you haven't been following the PDs online all along, if you weren't able to see them, then this is your only way now. Save for the last ten or so, they have all been taken down. You can read all about it over at KongIsKing.

The main reason I would ever buy these is to give them as a gift to a layman filmmaker, a kid in high school who's starting to get into it. There has never been a more comprehensive, more entertaining explanation and exploration of the filmmaking process.