The New SerialFest DVD Series

Beginning in January 2009, The Serial Squadron has made cliffhanger movie serials available again as they were meant to be seen -- in individual episode format, collected on a series of DVDs to be released (approximately) quarterly.

This is called a DVD magazine because it will be released regularly in DVD format. Though each issue may include all the fun of a golden age comic book come to life, it's not a printed magazine, it's a 2-DVD set which contains different serial chapters, as a printed magazine might contain various short stories.

Content has included silent and sound cliffhanger serials and series films, most of which have not been seen since their original release, and restored versions of rare existing serials. Some of these short subjects will not be collected on DVD in any other form, and others will carry over issue to issue. Some entire serials may appear in the DVD series and others may break off when a collected edition of the entire serial can be made available.

Each issue of the DVD magazine so far has contained 2 DVDs or approximately 4 hours worth of extremely rare classic serial chapters, series episodes, and shorts. And sometimes a radio series episode or two of interest also.

So far we have put out four issues of the DVD magazine and gotten some feedback about what people like and also just seen how much work has been involved in producing it.

The result has been that people seem to think the magazine is a good idea and are enjoying it but it has turned out to be a little more time-consuming to get issues out than might be desirable -- we would like to continue to offer the magazine but do not want it to take away from other projects, and we've got a lot of them on various burners.

So --

For the foreseeable future we are going to scale the publication down to one DVD instead of 2 and release issues quarterly and see how that works.

Also we encourage you to buy the issue we have up for sale while the offer is posted as depending on various factors we may or may not continue to offer back issues.


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To order the SerialFest DVD Magazine Issue #4 online using the PayPal service click below:




Purposes of this new DVD series

-- To reduce "wait time" and make available chapters of newly restored serials the Squadron is working on as soon as they are completed

-- To eliminate the need for pledge drives and help fund new rare serial acquisitions from film archives (which are very expensive) in installments, by which also substantially reducing the delay between acquisition of rare material and release.

-- To help fund more difficult restoration projects and keep prices of collected editions more affordable

-- To allow re-created versions of completely lost serials to be enjoyed by new audiences

-- To allow a means for chapters from only partially-surviving serials to be showcased

-- To encourage feedback and discussion on the Squadron message boards and input from viewers on projects in progress, as they are completed, and encourage contributions or suggestions for material to be included in future collected editions

-- To allow producers of new and independent chapter plays or cliffhanger-related movie, TV or DVD material to showcase or preview their projects (If you have a new original project you'd like to see represented on the SerialFest DVD, email serialhq at aol.com!)

-- To allow viewers to watch serials an episode at a time, and enjoy the suspense between chapters that they were originally designed to create

-- And mostly, to allow serial fans to invite friends over, pop up some popcorn, and just have fun hosting mini-SerialFests at home all year round!

Future serials in consideration for inclusion in the DVD series include THE DEVIL HORSE, THE PHANTOM CREEPS, silent titles from the Library of Congress and elsewhere, and a fully restored subtitle-free "ultimate" version of the highly-sought-after 1938 Republic serial THE LONE RANGER.

Chapters or promotional clips from an exciting new cliffhanger serial (featuring a new masked hero!) currently in development in Texas by an independent filmmaker may also be featured later in the DVD series.