RiffTrax
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RiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedian Michael J. Nelson heckling (or riffing) films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer and, later, host. The RiffTrax are sold online where users can purchase and download the commentaries. The site was launched by Nelson and Legend Films in 2006 and is based in San Diego.
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History
The movies chosen for Mystery Science Theater 3000 were predominantly low-budget B-movies because the show itself was low-budget and producers could only afford films with expired copyright or had otherwise cheap licenses.[1] The idea of RiffTrax came about after Mystery Science Theater 3000 was canceled and Nelson had researched and consulted a lawyer about the possibility of directly releasing DVDs of films with the commentaries included. But Nelson realized this initial idea was not feasible since he would be "sued out of existence."[2] Instead, the best way to distribute the commentaries would be to sell them independently of the films, to avoid having to obtain the rights to distribute the movies themselves.[3] There would be no legal or monetary restrictions to prevent Nelson from producing them,[4] though viewers would have to provide the movies themselves.
Use
RiffTrax commentaries must be synchronized at the start of the movie using a cue.[5] To reassure consumers that the MP3 file is synchronized with the film, a fictional character named DisembAudio occasionally speaks a line in exact synchronization with the movie.[6][7] DisembAudio has also occasionally been known to join in on the riffing. "RiffTrax Presents" commentaries feature a female synchronization voice, Debbie.[8] Though RiffTrax are suggested to be played on an MP3 player or with computer software, they are sold as unrestricted MP3s, allowing users to choose the viewing method that suits them the best. A Rifftrax Player is also offered as a free download.[9]
The movies chosen for RiffTrax are based on two criteria: whether the movie lends itself towards a funny riffing, and whether the film is widely available on DVD.[5][7] These criteria have resulted in a wide variety of genre and era of movies chosen to be riffed. The first audio commentary made available through the web site in July 2006 was for the 1989 film Road House, long cited by Nelson as the cheesiest movie ever made.[10]
RiffTrax Player
The RiffTrax Player is a program which automatically synchronizes the commentary playback to the DVD playback. The RiffTrax Player makes use of a hybrid file (.riff) containing the MP3 of the original commentary as well as synchronization information. The crew at RiffTrax has said that future commentaries will be released in both MP3 and RIFF formats, and older commentaries will also see RIFF-format releases in the future. As of this writing, the RiffTrax Player currently only supports NTSC DVDs.
RiffTrax On Demand
RiffTrax On Demand features DivX video files of films with RiffTrax commentaries embedded. The service offers permanent files available for purchase or temporary files available for rental at a lower price.[11] A majority of the files available through RiffTrax On Demand are sourced from Legend Films DVD releases. Recently, RiffTrax On Demand has begun releasing short, public domain, educational films, similar to the ones that MST3K would sometimes mock before a full-length movie began.[12] The colorized version of Forbidden Zone is also hosted on RiffTrax On Demand, although it was not riffed.[13]
Guest riffers
Nelson has been accompanied by former Mystery Science Theater 3000 co-stars Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett, Mary Jo Pehl, and Bridget Nelson, in addition to Internet personalities Richard Kyanka (of Something Awful fame), Josh Fruhlinger (the Comics Curmudgeon) and Chad Vader, as well as actors Neil Patrick Harris and Fred Willard, and satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic. Nelson has said that he would like to bring in other guests as well.[14] Though Nelson first released RiffTrax primarily as solo efforts, there are now more tracks available with guest riffers than by Nelson alone. This eventually spun off into RiffTrax Presents, which are tracks that are done by guest riffers and sanctioned by Nelson.[15]
Featured catalog
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Main article: List of RiffTrax
Live shows
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
As part of SF Sketchfest in San Francisco, California, Nelson, Murphy and Corbett have appeared several times performing live riffs alongside a screening of a film. As of 2008, they have appeared three times, having riffed Daredevil and Over the Top in 2007 and the classic Plan 9 from Outer Space in 2008, the last being shown in the historic Castro Theater.
Also, on November 2nd, the trio performed another 2 showings of "Plan 9 from Outer Space" in Santa Monica, California at the Aero Theater.
References
- ^ Penny, Damian (10 August 2006). "Review: Rifftrax". Blogcritics Magazine.
- ^ "Interview: Michael J. Nelson". TeeVee (16 October 2006).
- ^ Jurgensen, John (2006-11-18). "Everyone's a critic: DVD commentaries by fans", Wall Street Journal, p. P2. ISSN 0099-9660.
- ^ Kaiser, Andy (2006-08-07). "Please talk during the movie", The Grand Rapids Press, p. D3.
- ^ a b "RiffTrax FAQ". RiffTrax.
- ^ "Mystery Science Theater, round two". The Commonwealth Times (8 February 2007).
- ^ a b "Mike Nelson Interview". Buzzgrinder (14 October 2006).
- ^ Murphy, Kevin; Corbett, Bill. (May 13, 2008). RiffTrax Presents: "Saw". RiffTrax. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ "RiffTrax Player". RiffTrax. Retrieved on 10 November 2007.
- ^ "'Road House' -- it's the cheesiest, book says". CNN.com (16 August 2000).
- ^ "OnDemand FAQ". RiffTrax. Retrieved on 21 December 2007.
- ^ "On Demand Catalogue". RiffTrax. Retrieved on 21 December 2007.
- ^ "Forbidden Zone - VOD". RiffTrax. Retrieved on 17 July 2008.
- ^ Salas, Randy (2006-08-11). "Cheeky remarks now on RiffTrax", Deseret News, p. W06. ISSN 0745-4724.
- ^ "RiffTrax Presents". RiffTrax. Retrieved on 20 August 2008.
External links
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