Editing in the pilot episode of Firefly

POSTED BY: Jenya
UPDATED: Saturday, June 3, 2006 20:42
VIEWED: 3986
PAGE 1 of 1

JENYA

Thursday, June 1, 2006 12:48 PM

Sorry if this has been brought up before, but I need to ask this:

Is there something wrong with the editing in the pilot episode of Firefly? I'm specifically referring to the scene where you first meet Inara. When I watch it on my DVD, there is a bit where the sound does not match the picture; Inara is speaking but her lips aren't moving, only for a second though. And some strange cuts, as well.
I've only ever watched Firefly from my DVDs, and I'm wondering if this is a problem with my DVD or if there were some mistakes with the editing there?

Thanks

ZZETTA13

Thursday, June 1, 2006 1:12 PM

JENYA, yepper

I chalked it up as solar flaring

Z

MAGDALENE

Thursday, June 1, 2006 2:09 PM

It happens in another episode, but I think it's intentional - showing that she's a little disconnected from the 'transaction' taking place. There are a couple of little 'flashes' of movement as if she's thinking something different to what she's doing or saying... pretty sure it's not a glitch - but something far more wonderful and Joss-like! Poetical - you know???

"I love my captain!"

JENYA

Thursday, June 1, 2006 8:46 PM

Thanks, it's good to know my DVD is in order.

Poetical huh? What you're saying makes sense to me, but if that's the case, it was done in a way which made me think of a glitch before thinking it was meant to convey Inara's feelings.
Probably just me!

FLORALBUNNY

Friday, June 2, 2006 4:28 AM

Joss admits to being artsy-fartsy in that scene. And elsewhere. But right there I thought there was something wrong with my player or my shiny new disc set.
(He also mentions that the Chinese on Inara's swirly clock stands for "a brief interval.")

bun
~6/23~Serenity/Firefly Summer~9/30~
----- why's the rum gone? 7706 -----

JENYA

Friday, June 2, 2006 3:20 PM

At least I can explain to people what's going on there when I'm trying to show them how great the show is.
I'll have to watch it again and try to make more sense of it.

Это Курам На Смех

NOSADSEVEN

Friday, June 2, 2006 5:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jenya:
Thanks, it's good to know my DVD is in order.

Poetical huh? What you're saying makes sense to me, but if that's the case, it was done in a way which made me think of a glitch before thinking it was meant to convey Inara's feelings.
Probably just me!

That's more a comment on the technology than the story telling! It's annoying when you can't take for granted that your DVD and/or player are working properly. But you're not alone. I've seen more than one thread address this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

NOSADSEVEN

Friday, June 2, 2006 7:21 PM

Speaking of unreliable technology... sorry for the delayed double post.

RKLENSETH

Friday, June 2, 2006 8:01 PM

Actually this was done because the original unaired pilot was too long so this was Joss Whedon's way of editing it down.

Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.

MALACHITE

Friday, June 2, 2006 8:24 PM

Yeah, as far as I know, the editing hiccups in the Inara sponge bathing scene in the pilot and the Mal/Nandi scene in H.O.G. were both intentional. Other glitches may not have been.

JENYA

Saturday, June 3, 2006 5:46 PM

Now that this issue has been covered, I can say I have observed no glitches or faults in Firefly or Serenity whatsoever...
I have also observed no plotholes so far. After having read some supposed ones on these forums I still hold this view, because they could all be discounted.
A particular example that springs to mind was one where someone suggested that Simon had said in Firefly that he had hired people to break River out of the academy, and is then shown doing it himself in Serenity. I never heard him say that he wasn't involved - he had financed a group of people to get her out, sure, and they were present in Serenity - the ship that rescued them and flew them out. Must have spent quite a while escaping after that, and it wasn't shown. All adds up to me.

Это Курам на Смех

ECGORDON

Saturday, June 3, 2006 7:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jenya:
Now that this issue has been covered, I can say I have observed no glitches or faults in Firefly or Serenity whatsoever...
I have also observed no plotholes so far. After having read some supposed ones on these forums I still hold this view, because they could all be discounted.
A particular example that springs to mind was one where someone suggested that Simon had said in Firefly that he had hired people to break River out of the academy, and is then shown doing it himself in Serenity. I never heard him say that he wasn't involved - he had financed a group of people to get her out, sure, and they were present in Serenity - the ship that rescued them and flew them out. Must have spent quite a while escaping after that, and it wasn't shown. All adds up to me.

Это Курам на Смех

That would be a very large plot hole if that were the case. The ship that rescued them at the beginning of the movie was not Serenity. The first time any of the Serenity crew laid eyes on Simon was on Persephone when he booked passage for Boros in the pilot episode. I have reconciled the discrepancy between what he says in the pilot and what we see him doing in the BDM as indicating Simon did not feel comfortable admitting his full involvement in the rescue to people he had just met, not knowing if they could be trusted.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

JENYA

Saturday, June 3, 2006 8:42 PM

Ahhh, misunderstanding here. I was confused for a minute. When I said "they" were present in "Serenity" I meant the guys who were helping Simon were present in "Serenity" the movie! I didn't mean the ship Serenity. Yeah, sorry about that.

Simon broke River out with the help of those guerrilas. Simon later said, in "Firefly" that he financed some people to break out River. He sure did. He did not however mention that he was involved, as you have pointed out.

Actually I can't think of any other suggestions people have made for plotholes right now... in the thread I'm talking about most of the points were things like "How come that other crew didn't rush Mal in 'Out of Gas'?" and "How come the artificial gravity is so suspiciously good?". Which aren't really examples of plotholes.

I can understand why Joss Whedon chose to have Firefly editied the way he did though, to reduce episode length. Choosing a scene to omit would have been impossible...