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Post by Trace on May 4, 2017 2:16:51 GMT
I've hesitated bringing this up on these forums since they're not official BF, and perhaps it would be better to write to BF directly, but I truly want to hear others' feedback as well.
It has felt to me lately (for many months now), that the support for DS as a range from BF (not from our producers Joe and Davy, but more from the higher-ups) has been waning. Once the 2nd place shining star of BF after Doctor Who, DS received regular and enthusiastic coverage--both online and in Vortex. Lately, Vortex articles are non-existent, and the only mention of DS is in the "coming releases" dateline (and even those are hard to find and don't stand out at all.)
Maybe I am wrong in the assumption that DS was in 2nd place to Doctor Who for all those years. I could only go on the numbers of old forum posts. It got MANY more forum posts on the old boards than any other range, except of course Doctor Who. That could have meant nothing more than that the DS fans were just a more vocal bunch, but I don't really know.
At any rate, there used to always be full coverage in Vortex, on BF podcasts, on the website, etc., right up through DS' 50th anniversary. Now, very little at all. The short story collections are wonderful, and perhaps when there is more news of Bloodline to report we will see more....but I just think they should be keeping interest high and creating some publicity! Even "BLOODLINE...DATE TBA!" would be something.
Unless this is all just the natural course of "winding down" and "all good things come to an end". I just recall looking forward to every issue of Vortex, and lately, I feel like I know that there won't be a DS feature in it, so why get my hopes up?
Am I missing something?
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Post by bohnny on May 4, 2017 9:06:57 GMT
Doesn't help that Nick Briggs is clearly disengaged from DS. Not just that he isn't involved (which is fair enough), but he seems to have no knowledge about a range - which is strange given, like you, I had thought it one of BFs flagships.
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Post by omega on May 4, 2017 9:22:15 GMT
Doesn't help that Nick Briggs is clearly disengaged from DS. Not just that he isn't involved (which is fair enough), but he seems to have no knowledge about a range - which is strange given, like you, I had thought it one of BFs flagships. Meanwhile he keeps promoting the prisoner to the point where I just want him to shut up about it. Nick has his favorites and he doesn't usually go outside his comfort range. This is often reflected in his writing as well. Benji is more than happy to indulge him on the podcast. I think a third host like David Richardson would be a good stabilising influence, maybe nip some of the conversational tangents in the bud and bring in some knowledge from other areas Big Finish cover.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2017 17:08:05 GMT
Dark Shadows seems only to have sporadic promotion from BF - but then, BF are the company making it possible for us to hear any new product at all, so I'm grateful for that. I'd love to think it was a flagship for the company - certainly it has been round for longer than a lot of projects, and 'Bloodlust' certainly seemed a big success. Nick has made it clear he has no great knowledge of DS, and as he heads the podcasts, that will be reflected. I notice he very rarely even includes Dark Shadows in the list of 'fine audio products' at the beginning of each podcast now - at least he didn't when I used to listen to them. I'm sad about the lack of promotion for these excellent releases, but when my favourite range is glossed over, I'm bound to be!
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Post by Audio Watchdog on May 4, 2017 21:05:47 GMT
Specifically with Vortex, is it possible with all the shifting of the releases and the uncertainty of the timeline for Bloodline that scheduling features for the in-house magazine has become problematic? And yes I would love Dark Shadows to be a little more front & center on the marketing end but I have to agree with paz, that we have all this new Dark Shadows material from the past decade is kind of a miracle and BF is to be thanked for producing it.
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Post by Trace on May 4, 2017 23:18:19 GMT
Oh don't get me wrong--I am eternally grateful to Big Finish for the ONLY continuing form of DS, and for doing it so faithfully and beautifully! Well, there are Lara's novels too, but I'm pretty sure she has said that the 4th one is her last (although that could change). What Davy and Joe and the writers, production team, staff, sound design, editors, composers, and actors have done and continue to do blows me away. All I'm saying is a little more love on the promotion side from the BF brass! And you could be right nathangervais....but if so, it would be wonderful if they said so! They don't HAVE to do anything--I'll still support every release. I'd just love to hear "We're still behind this range every step of the way!" IF that is the case!
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Post by Trace on May 4, 2017 23:20:51 GMT
Doesn't help that Nick Briggs is clearly disengaged from DS. Not just that he isn't involved (which is fair enough), but he seems to have no knowledge about a range - which is strange given, like you, I had thought it one of BFs flagships. That, I can't comment on because I just don't know.
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Post by Trace on May 4, 2017 23:25:28 GMT
Meanwhile he keeps promoting the prisoner to the point where I just want him to shut up about it. Nick has his favorites and he doesn't usually go outside his comfort range. This is often reflected in his writing as well. Benji is more than happy to indulge him on the podcast. I think a third host like David Richardson would be a good stabilising influence, maybe nip some of the conversational tangents in the bud and bring in some knowledge from other areas Big Finish cover. Well, it has SEEMED that way, but arguably I'm a bit biased because I really only want to hear about DS, Survivors, and Classics...or an out-of-left-field miracle announcement that Alex Vlahos and Scott Handcock are going back to Dorian Gray...I'm not holding my breath on that one! LOL!
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Post by barnabaslives on May 5, 2017 9:00:12 GMT
I did feel like Big Finish is fond of Dark Shadows when they announced their new licensing commitment some while back, and I think we've been blessed to have what I think are bonus announcements for the short story collections on account of their release dates being moved up, but it's the lack of build-up on Bloodline that's starting to worry me. I keep feeling like they're just going to spring it on us any minute which may be completely wishful thinking, but with Bloodlust we had podcasts with details and we got to see the first artwork, and then the final artwork - all that that was a lot of fun that went on quite awhile. We had the first Bloodline trailer, but it does sort of feel a bit like nobody ran with that ball? I do sort of wish that with the anniversary at hand, they'd hyped it up more even if it's to be a ways down the road.
Nick... I wish he'd get to know Dark Shadows better, I bet he'd love it. I love it for the same main reason I love Doctor Who - they're so different, and there are tons of episodes and such tremendous entertainment value in them. Of course, Nick probably is near the top of my list of people who might be a little too busy to keep up with Dark Shadows...? It would certainly be a shame though for him to be unaware of what brilliant work Joe and Davy and everyone have done.
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Post by acousticwolf on May 5, 2017 9:56:53 GMT
Plenty of Dark Shadows love from BF today Cheers Tony
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2017 10:36:29 GMT
Plenty of Dark Shadows love from BF today Cheers Tony And more to come, apparently! What great news - I never knew this thread would have such an effect
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Post by agentten on May 5, 2017 18:54:34 GMT
Ask and ye shall receive!
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Post by Trace on May 5, 2017 23:41:50 GMT
I'm quite sure my little thread figured into this big news release not a bit! However, I'm definitely feeling the love now!
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Post by Audio Watchdog on May 6, 2017 0:22:25 GMT
I'm quite sure my little thread figured into this big news release not a bit! However, I'm definitely feeling the love now! You should moan about stuff more often
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Post by kimalysong on May 6, 2017 0:56:49 GMT
Whatever magical power Trace has I wish I had it.
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Post by agentten on May 6, 2017 1:25:59 GMT
We should all just start sending Trace our Big Finish wish lists and he can use his magical posting powers to make them manifest into reality.
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Post by omega on May 6, 2017 1:30:56 GMT
Ask and ye shall receive! Student loan fully paid off please!
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Post by Trace on May 6, 2017 1:34:27 GMT
We should all just start sending Trace our Big Finish wish lists and he can use his magical posting powers to make them manifest into reality. I've been studying the Cassandra Collins Method of Spellcasting. Voodoo dolls and well-placed pins, build house of cards, set ablaze, and mutter oaths about hearts of ice, hearts of fire, and all manner of nocturnal winged creatures....oh, and where's my cigarette lighter?
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Post by omega on May 6, 2017 1:41:40 GMT
We should all just start sending Trace our Big Finish wish lists and he can use his magical posting powers to make them manifest into reality. I've been studying the Cassandra Collins Method of Spellcasting. Voodoo dolls and well-placed pins, build house of cards, set ablaze, and mutter oaths about hearts of ice, hearts of fire, and all manner of nocturnal winged creatures....oh, and where's my cigarette lighter? Don't forget dreary dream curses that seem designed to kill time. Through sight and sound and faceless terror; Through endless corridors by trial and error; Ahead a blazing light does burn; And one door leads to the point of return.[Wakes up and launches into sitting up] AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
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Post by gregm on May 6, 2017 7:25:11 GMT
You might want to give The Omega Factor a try for spooky happenings, though with a bit more of a scientific bent in terms of the approach to dealing with them. I wonder if BF might be able to get a few more interest in the DS releases if any of the DS actors were interested in and willing to do guest turns in other BF ranges? I remember back when BF were licenced to make Tomorrow People audios, and some of those actors would appear in Doctor Who stories (you could count the number of such guest starring roles on the fingers of one hand, but those actors were really retired!). If you had David Selby, say, in a substantial guest role in a DW story, they could make a song and dance out of his substantial career and also that he appears regularly in BF's DS audios...
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