Posted by: anneghormley | May 18, 2008

“Animated Interactive Menu Screens!” is not a selling point

Ways to drive me *crazy* with your DVD menu screen:

1.  Before getting to the actual menu screen where I can select what I want to do, include a lot of clips from the movie (as well as animations inspired by the movie) that I CAN’T SKIP THROUGH.

2.  Make the menu’s background music obnoxious and intrusive.

3.  Hide the menu choices (”play,” “scene selection,” etc.) cleverly in the background picture on the menu screen.

4.  Make it impossible to tell which choice I have highlighted.

5.  Include MORE animations and transitional clips, sound bytes, and music when going from the main menu screen to one of the sub-menu screens.

6.  Spoil part of the movie by giving away plot details on the menu screen (either in movie stills or clips & sound bytes from the movie).

7.  [Is there anything I need to add to this list?...]

Posted in Day to Day, Movies

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Responses

7. Arrange the menu choices spatially in such a way that it’s not immediately obvious which direction to click to get to a given option.

Aaa-men on all the rest. Spoiler screens are the worst.

By: Bess on May 19, 2008
at 8:17 am

Spoiler screens on tv series are soooo common and they drive us nuts. Jeremy and I are always reminding each other, “Don’t look”, before we click to that in-between screen. I think Buffy or Angel worked like this. Argh!

Also, Disney (which now includes Pixar) has this intro with dramatic/inspirational movie music that you MUST watch. Kinda inconvenient when you’re starting Toy Story for the millionth time for your kid.

By: RT on May 19, 2008
at 6:11 pm

Maybe this would be a subpoint under one of the things already listed, but I usually watch DVDs on my computer, and I hate HATE when an interactive screen often with a creative “skin” pops up when I’m expecting PowerDVD to pop up, and I am momentarily confused until I realize that it’s an additional ROM sort of feature. GRRR. My black market Harry Potter movie in which the menu is in Russian/Ukrainian is easier to read!

By: Lindsey on May 19, 2008
at 8:31 pm

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