Communication and sharing: Dot Com/Special Editions/Foreign Editions

[Alfred Urrutia]

--- Peggy Wilkins <mozart@lib.uchicago.edu> wrote:

> - Special Editions <-> PLAYBOY magazine
> 
> I have been impressed with Special Editions ever since Jeff Cohen took
> over this division circa 1995.  These twice monthly publications have
> consistently top quality photography and graphic design/layout, and
> there is ample evidence that the staff both looks for constructive
> feedback and uses it to improve their publications on a regular basis.
> They are willing to experiment.  They have a strong and impressive
> stable of regular, popular models as well as a steady influx of new
> ones.  They employ a wider variety of photographers than the magazine
> uses.  The photographic style in these editions is quite different
> from that used in the magazine; part of this must be the diversity of
> photographers, but I think that editorial choice must also play a
> large part here.  Special Editions clearly has a top rate graphic
> design staff.  I would like to see some of this SE expertise
> (photographers, layout/design, photographic style, willingness to
> experiment) influence the photography and layout that appears in the
> magazine.  Can the SE staff be trained to use the 8x10 cameras used
> for centerfold photography?  I don't see why not, they are clearly
> first rate professionals who can adapt to changing circumstances, and
> they are well versed in photographic techniques.  Why not also employ
> some of the more modern-looking sets used in SE's for centerfolds?
> Published comments about Playmate photography often mention the old
> fashioned look of PLAYBOY's photographic style.  The SE photographs do
> appear more modern, yet they still are entirely consistent with the
> pin-up tradition that has always been the hallmark of the
> sophisticated and elegant PLAYBOY style.


I somehow missed this email but I wanted to add something to this
idea.  I, too, really like the SE photography styles, the ones that
don't appear to show up in the flagship magazine.  I also like some of
the foreign editions photography, especially the b&w stuff that they
do from time to time.  I would like to see a little more cross-over.
But not *too* much.  Because then the SEs would turn into the regular
Playboy magazine without text.  I like that the two are distinct but I
agree that the centerfold style has become a bit constrained.

Another thing I liked when the SEs were new were some of the special
themed ones that seem to have been forgotten.  I like the Denim one
and the Holiday one the best.  They seemed to be shot specifically for
that issue vs. calling something Barefoot Playmates and simply
cobbling together prior pics of Playmates not wearing shoes.  Who
knows, maybe a Christmas themed one with brand new shots of Playmates
and models in specific, Christmas settings and outfits.  Those types
of SEs were always my favorites, even if they didn't include my
favorite models.


> In summary, take advantage of the tremendous talent and expertise of
> the SE staff to work for the magazine.  Experiments in this area could
> really pay off.  Maybe there are even some new opportunities to share
> material or photographers between these two divisions that haven't yet
> been realized.  The division between the magazine and SE enterprises
> seems an unneccessarily artificial one; they could be brought closer
> together to realize advantages on both sides.


The SEs also seem to have their Revisited bents as well, usually in
the Lingerie series where they reprint pics from way way back.  I'd
like to see a bit of that in the Girls of Summer series since that one
is almost as old as the Lingerie series.  Also, maybe in the SEs we
could see more opportunity for a Playmates Revisited (or even favorite
past models revisited) section.  I always thought that Cynthia Kaye
should have been a Playmate.






Alfred.

=====
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"Indiana Jones and the Chamber of Brown."
 
- Logan, describing the fecal horror of our hotel room,
  courtesy of Lukas and Duke.
Alfred Urrutia                     rampagingsloth@yahoo.com