The Block-Series 1 (2003) |
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The Block-Series 1 (2003) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Documentary |
Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Outtakes Featurette-A Look Back at The Block Featurette-Renovating Tips from the couples Featurette-"Befores" and "Afters" of each apartment Featurette-Cooking with Amity Notes-Floor Plans of each apartment Notes-The Rules Quiz-Learn which of the couples you're most like! Music Video-"The Lighthouse" - Amity Dry Music Video-"Here Comes Another One" - Groove Terminator Featurette-A Special Message from the Couples |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2003 | ||
| Running Time | 522:31 (Case: 600) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
RSDL Multi Disc Set (4) |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Programme | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Martin Hersov |
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Studio
Distributor |
Nine Network Universal Pictures Home Video |
Starring | Jamie Durie |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | $49.95 | Music | None Given |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | None | Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | Yes, Absolutely Everywhere | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
67 Roscoe St, Bondi - a seemingly innocuous address, but one that captured the imagination and interest of more television viewers in Australia this year than any program for nearly three years. You might know the address better as - The Block.
The plot of this extremely high-rating television series was fairly simple. Take a rundown, empty apartment block, get four attractive couples, give them a budget of $40,000 each to spend any way they want in renovations and give them 13 weeks in which to do it. At the end of the series, the fully renovated apartments will go to auction, with the reserve price set at $595,000. Anything the apartments make above that figure the couples get to keep. In addition, the apartment that makes the most at auction will net the lucky couple an additional $100,000 prize money. There is some big money at stake here and no doubt some dramas will unfold over the thirteen weeks, all captured on camera of course in true reality TV style.
Now somehow I have managed to avoid the whole reality television phenomenon. I just couldn't be bothered with any of the Big Brothers and all those Survivors have never really interested me. Seeing a bunch of everyday Joes parading around in front of the camera, doing dramatic things like brushing their teeth, just didn't strike me as entertainment. But on the other hand I'm a bit of a DIY nut and I do tend to watch a few of the lifestyle renovation shows, with Backyard Blitz being my favourite. So when it was announced a new show was coming that was based on a renovation show with reality elements thrown in, my curiosity was piqued. When Nine Network employees David Barbour and Julian Cress thought up the idea of a television show which took elements from two of the most popular genres on television, lifestyle and reality, they could not have imagined the impact or success it would have. The final auction episode was watched by an estimated 3.3 million people, the biggest television audience in this country since the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.
Four supposedly different couples were selected from many who auditioned. In reality they were not all that different, being similar ages, looks, and all appearing from roughly the same socio-demographic group. We got to know them all by their first names only and before long Paul & Kylie, Phil & Amity, Adam & Fiona, and Warren & Gavin appeared in our lounge rooms each Sunday night, arguing with each other over colour selection, water leaks, and fences in between painting and sanding their little hearts out. The latter couple's selection caused instant headlines and publicity for the show when it was immediately realised they were a gay couple. It sparked debate on television and radio immediately after the first episode went to air. Sydney radio shock jocks John Laws and Steve Price were critical of the inclusion of Warren & Gavin in the mix at the family friendly timeslot of 6:30pm Sunday and even suggested Kerry Packer might not be happy when he saw it. Mr Packer might be suggesting otherwise and requesting more of the same when episode one attracted more than two million viewers. From there the ratings just climbed, culminating in one of the most watched programmes in the last ten years.
This DVD box set traces the entire 13-week series and includes each episode and the final hour long auction episode. Interestingly, each normal episode ran for an hour on television, but here in the land of no commercial breaks and more importantly no annoying messages from host Jamie Durie about what happened last week and what is happening this week, we get through each episode in less than 40 minutes. Time just flies when you are renovating! There is also a whole host of extra material showing a few bits and pieces that didn't air on television, which fans of the show will no doubt be eager for a look at.
Talking about commercials, it is important to raise the point about the extreme level of advertising featured throughout the show. It was perhaps the most annoying aspect of the series and a source of constant amusement in our household. In fact it was, in my opinion, one of the most ludicrous and poorly conceived parts of the whole show. The couples appeared to live solely on a certain brand of frozen instant meals, and their fridges were stocked only with chocolate, water, and beer. Blatant close-ups of product names and lingering shots on the label of a particular brand of sauce were among the most amusing parts and just so obvious they will make me avoid these annoying products.
And it wasn't just what the couples ate that copped the advertisements. Whenever a particular renovation task needed a special tool, a Black and Decker thingy was on hand. Warren joyously extolled the virtues of a sander and how he had sanded an entire room with it - which ironically if he was using the proper equipment he probably would have finished in half the time - but the viewers didn't need to know that did they? And of course who could forget the vehicles. The marketing people at Toyota must cringe every time they see the couples attempting to squeeze all manner of large items into the rear luggage compartment of the tiny and ill-equipped Echos or worse still when the boys attempt to carry home their bed in the pathetically small tray of the Toyota Hi-Lux. Next time get a vehicle better suited to the task please.
There are 13 episodes in this series spread across four discs. The episodes are:
This is the episode which introduces us to the four couples and sees them enter the block for the first time, most obviously shocked at the rundown state the apartment building is in. The audition tapes the couples submitted are included here (which I don't remember seeing in the series as it went to air), as is the original auction of the block when Channel Nine purchased it. The couples arrive at the block on day one and randomly select which apartment they will be renovating over the next 75 days. Welcome to...The Block.
The renovation of the first room required to be delivered continues. The downstairs couples are not happy with the level of noise coming from upstairs, but this problem is virtually forgotten when it is discovered they both have an unwelcome visitor in their apartments - their floorboards are filled with termites and will have to be ripped up. The reaction of Gavin & Warren when their floorboards vanish is priceless.
The first rooms to be fully renovated are almost ready and local real estate expert John McGrath is asked to judge them. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing when the downstairs and upstairs couples can't agree over the layout of the front yards.
The first prize is awarded to the couple with the best room. Meanwhile, renovations of room two continue and Paul is nearly electrocuted when Warren & Gavin inadvertently turn the power back on while Paul is working with bare wires. This is the episode in which Phil goes psycho with a permanent blue marker, writing on the walls in his apartment in a desperate attempt at humour. It is a decision he will later regret.
The block is woken early this week as the builders move in and start constructing the stairs and decks out back. The couples finish their second room and this is judged by the real estate expert - with a very nice prize being awarded. Warren & Gavin have a superb idea with a picture idea for their apartment, but forget to check the copyright issues, and Phil is really starting to regret the permanent marker effort.
More turmoil among the body corporate when Fiona & Adam raise a request to move their hot water system. Some underhanded tactics and name-calling results in the block becoming a little cold and unfriendly. Meanwhile, the couples are busy finishing room three for delivery.
Room three is judged this week and the prize awarded. This is the first episode that indicates Amity might actually be talented enough to have a professional singing career.
Phil & Amity are fast running out of cash and beg their builder for a discount. He agrees, but some help from the couple certainly wouldn't have gone astray. Meanwhile, Adam has to leave Fiona on her own for a few days when a work trip comes up. Fiona is a little nervous about dealing with the tradespeople and the other couples on her own. Room four is due to be delivered at the end of this week.
Room four is judged and the prize awarded, while Amity receives the biggest and best news of her life. Everyone else has to pitch in and help out with the landscaping of the common garden areas. This episode also features the chase game where a prize of $1000 cash is awarded to the couple who can solve Jamie's riddle the quickest - or do they?
The final room is delivered with the couples just about ready to drop from exhaustion. Phil and Amity's grand plan is finally unveiled much to the shock of the other couples.
The final room is judged and a very nice prize of a widescreen plasma television is awarded. Friendships are put to the test when Jamie shows the couples some of the comments passed on each other's rooms by the others. Fiona and Adam are particularly not amused with Warren and Gavin and give them the cold shoulder at dinner.
The last week before auction day. Everyone is rushing around putting the finishing touches on everything, with Phil doing painting even as he is packing his suitcase. There's time for one last look through the block before auction day.
The big day finally arrives and this episode shows the build-up to all the auctions, the home-opens and the inspections. The couples draw lots to see which order the auction will proceed in. Two apartments will be auctioned on the Saturday with the remaining two on the Sunday. The auctions proceed with much drama and tension and we finally learn which couple will win the big money.
This is a lovely video transfer, obviously benefiting from modern digital widescreen cameras. It is presented in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is also 16x9 enhanced. Fully renovated with top quality trades used throughout, that's for sure!
All the vision is incredibly sharp and detailed, and is consistently good throughout. There isn't a trace of edge enhancement and there are absolutely no problems with shadow detail. There is some grain, but it is well controlled and is barely an issue.
The colours are excellent, with deep saturation and even and consistent shading. Reds and blues come out especially well and the skin tones are perfect.
There are no MPEG artefacts and video artefacts are also absent. All up, this is a very, very clean image with no problems to report.
Unfortunately, there are no subtitles available at all on this disc. This is disappointing.
All four discs are dual layered. At first I thought two episodes would be on each layer, but it appears I was wrong. Unless I am very much mistaken there are layer changes at 2:18 during week three on disc one and at 34:06 during week ten on disc three. Poor placement indeed when there are so many other, non-obtrusive places to put them (like between episodes).
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There is only one audio soundtrack on the disc, that being an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack encoded at the bitrate of 224 Kb/s and, despite the surround flag not being embedded in the bitstream, there is certainly enough separation across the front and rear left/right channels to suggest it is surround encoded. It is quite a decent soundtrack despite its low bitrate and the fact it really needs to be cranked up a few extra notches to be fully appreciated.
Dialogue is extremely important here. The odd word or two is a little muffled, more than likely a result of the poor surroundings in which they were recorded. I noticed no obvious audio sync issues.
There is only minimal surround and subwoofer use.
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8:43 minutes of bloopers and other miscellaneous funny bits picked up while filming the series. Lots of behind-the-scenes style shots with several of the crew popping up in the bloopers. Quite entertaining.
Each of the couples is sitting in their apartments watching some of the highlights of their time on the show and recounting some of the more interesting tales. Running time for each of the four sub-sections are: Fiona & Adam (8:37 minutes), Warren & Gavin (4:34), Amity & Phil (10:00), and Kylie & Paul (6:07).
All the couples provide a few tips and tricks on renovating that they learnt during their time on the block. Runs for 8:13 minutes and all the couples get almost equal screen time except Amity & Phil, who appeared a little out of their depth during most of the show.
Broken into four sub-sections (one for each couple), this is a series of images showing the before and after of each room and the courtyards. Running time is around one minute for each apartment.
Not only does Amity Dry sing, but she cooks as well, and here she does here best Nigella Bites impersonation. Two cooking segments are presented.
3:42 minutes of Amity knocking up a quick meat and veg meal for her hungry man. Filmed in the early days of the block when the kitchen was old and dusty.
Filmed later in the series when the kitchen was fully renovated, here Amity is cooking veal parmigiana for the whole block. Much classier surroundings. Runs for 2:30 minutes.
Four static screens showing the floorplans of each of the four tiny apartments. It's amazing that people could pay in excess of $600,000 for something so small.
Seven static text screens showing the rules under which the couple took part in the series.
Want to know which couple you are most like? - Well this quiz is deigned to tell you. A rather tame set of 10 questions on what your favourite colour is, what car you would have chosen, and what cooking you like. I was a sort of cross between Gav & Waz, and Paul & Kylie! - scary.
This just had to be here didn't it? The most played song during the series, this is the complete music video of Amity's first single. Just one more time and that will certainly be enough. Running time is 4:10 minutes and it's nice to see a music video presented in 16x9 enhanced widescreen. The aspect ratio is 1.78:1.
The very cool theme song to the series and this is an equally cool video. Running time is 3:03 minutes. Na na na....na na na na naaaa.
Each couple gets a few seconds to thank everyone who bought the DVD set and explain how much fun they had on the show. They all tend to say the same thing, but at least it is short. Running times are: Fiona & Adam (35 seconds), Warren & Gavin (29 secs), Amity & Phil (25 secs), and Kylie & Paul (19 secs).
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
This box set is not available in Region 1.
The Block certainly made an impact on Australian television when it aired during winter 2003. It produced ratings the like of which are rarely seen - the blend of lifestyle and reality show was obviously a hit with viewers. I'd certainly expect more of the same sorts of shows to start appearing across all the networks.
The video is very nice indeed. The modern digital image in 16x9 enhanced widescreen is near perfect.
The audio is functional, with the absence of a full 5.1 surround soundtrack the only negative.
The extras are numerous if perhaps a little rushed and repetitive in nature.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Loewe Xemix 5106DO, using RGB output |
| Display | Loewe Calida (84cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Harmon/Kardon AVR7000. |
| Speakers | Front - B&W 602S2, Centre - B&W CC6S2, Rear - B&W 601S2, Sub - Energy E:xl S10 |