‘The Collective’ was a pilot length television programme created by six independent writers, directors and actors, which was filmed in early 2007 and that contained a series of unrelated ‘sketch comedy’ sequences. Originally destined for free to air and pay networks the show was quickly relegated to the vaults of the courts while lawyers and network executives entered into a lengthy and expensive legal battle concerning the programme’s content. Deemed as ‘offensive’, ‘obscene’, ‘putrid’ and ‘not suitable for viewing in any timeslot that exists now or is ever likely to exist in the future’ it appeared that ‘The Collective’ would forever spend its life in legal limbo and eventually in the show’s disillusioned creators (with some moving on to more fruitful, international careers) turned their backs on the project.
Fast forward to mid 2008 and enter German born producer, Horst Jorgner who, having been made aware of the plight of ‘The Collective’ through his dear friend, director and collaborator Kystofe Svez Jr. successfully petitioned for the programmes release through the use of an antiquated European legal precedent known as Hoppflinglers Law. In doing so, Horst (himself a Q.C.) inadvertently obtained copyright to the programme and was given permission to distribute (but not broadcast) the material contingent upon certain conditions according Hoppflinglers - two of which are (D pt ii) That’ the works’ be altered from it’s original format so that it shall become recognisable but not definable as the original work and (F pt ec) The original owners have relinquished all copyright and credit in ‘the works’. Oddly Hoppfinglers makes no provision or enforcement that the title be changed. Immediately the entrepreneurial Mr Jorgner set out not only to re-edit the original programme but also began to include additional material from other films and programmes which he had previously obtained over the years and, as he states on his facebook page, ‘[Were] just lying around collecting dust’. Purportedly these new inclusions consist partly of an earlier Jorgner / Kystofe Svez Jr. feature film venture as well as certain sections of the reality doco Ray Ray which was originally based around the exploits of a failed casting director and his crumbling agency.
In what’s likely not to be a final footnote in the bizarre story of ‘thecollectivedvd’ (and from those who seen it) the programme is now described as ‘far more repugnant, disgraceful and devious than the original ever was’.
The dvd is only available from thecollectivedvd.com and the ‘season 1’ tag on the cover would seem to indicate there is more to come.
You can view the trailer for The collective here:
http://au.youtube.com/user/TheCollectiveDVD
http://thecollective.blip.tv/
"If we pull this off, I'll pull you off." Horst Jurgner.
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