Digital Bits interviews Buena Vista's Senior VP of Worldwide DVD Production (1 Viewer)

[EricK]

Rather then spending enormous anounts of $$ money $$ on a Variety ad, why not volunteer some time to go into a retail store and train employees and spend a day on the salesfloor with customers teaching them the benefits of OAR, widescreen, etc...

The ONLY reason why Retailers have so much power over the studios as to software versions is because CUSTOMERS are asking for pan and scam.

When I go into a Best Buy and the sales girl asks me why I am buying the widescreen, when the "full screen" is availible, it makes me sick. I have to educate her. There is obviously NO education where it is most needed! Out on the front lines, which is where we need to be, if we want to win the "war" of OAR.

That being said, it doesn't take much to convince a Best Buy, Circuit City or whatever to allow you to spend a day there. Hell, they aren't even paying you to sell for them.

Make sure if you are going to do this, have RESOURCES. Flyers, paperwork, examples (plenty fo this on the net to download and print out)...stuff that you can give to the employees and customers extolling the benefits of OAR, widescreen, letterboxing, 16x9, etc. Offer to come in an hour before the store opens to train associates. Offer to spend an 6-8 hour day working in both the video department and the TV department. Make sure you dress appropriately and wear a name tag. You might even consider setting up a table near the software section where you could dispaly your flyers and paperwork. Don't be afraid to field questions from customers. Help them choose the widescreen version, and make sure to explain to them WHY they are buying the widesceen version as opposed to the full frame pan and scam version.

My two cents, and an idea I think will hit a lot harder then any ad or boycott.

EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE

Eric.

 

[Jeff]

Post edited by Neil Joseph.

Sorry!

 

[David Lambert]

Since you have a "dialogue" of sorts with Mr. Ebert, can you contact him and have him look over this thread?

 

[greg_t]

Maybe Ron could send an email to Roger Ebert letting him know about our cause and trying to enlist his support. I don't know that it's a good idea for us to flood him with email. I know I'd be pretty hot if I opened my email and had a few hundred messages there.

Greg

 

[Malcolm R]

I agree that one single person should contact him. I don't think it's such a good idea to have his e-mail address publicly posted.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

One of the reasons pan-n-scam is still around is not only because it fills the screen, but because this is the only way movies have been watched (at home) by the general public since the VCR was introduced!

Actually, long before that. As long as movies have been put on TV, they've been hacked.

On the bright side, TCM and IFC broadcast the majority of films in letterboxed format.

What about HBO? And Pay Per View? Have they ever been targeted? I need HBO for their original series - there isn't anything worth watching on network TV -- but I can't watch a movie!

I have sent emails to HBO and have never even gotten as much as a form letter response.

 

[Rain]

I also think that bombarding Roger Ebert with email is not the way to go. We aren't protesting against him, so he shouldn't have to be punished with 100s of emails.

I do think it would be wise for someone (emphasis on "one") to email him to draw his attention to what we are trying to accomplish here.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

If people do feel the need to send 100's of emails they should start by sending some emails/making some phone calls to Disney, then start hitting the other studios and retailers.

-dave

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Jeff,

It is VERY uncool publishing an industry person's private email address, then calling for people to hammer it with mail.

- Steve

 

[Rain]

I do still think it would be a good idea for one level-headed individual to email Mr. Ebert to politely explain what we are trying to do here and to invite him over to HTF.

 

[Tim Hoover]

As I posted earlier, I e-mailed Mr. Ebert Sunday evening and informed him of what we are trying to do. I hope he gets the opportunity to view the site ( and particularly this thread) and provide some support.

 

[Roogs Benoit]

Isn't Ebert a Disney employee?

I think it's a great idea to get him on our side.

One person only, let's not piss him off.

 

[Jeff]

Folks, this is not a private address!!!!!!!! It's been public on the internet for five years and he has never changed it. You can do a goggle search. He also has a numbered compuserve address ([email protected]) which is the same one. This is the one that is widely published on the net but I won't post it though.

If he truly didn't want people emailing him, he would have changed it years ago.

I have more common sense then to post someones private email address.

Jeff

 

[Jeff]

I just want to add, that back in '97 when his email address began floating on the net, it wasn't initially meant for the public but over the years as it became more and more public, Roger, after awhile, didn't mind people emailing him as long as they were intelligent posts about the movies and not, "Hey, are you really Roger Ebert?" type of mail.
Now in 2002 he still has the same address.
BTW, you can email him here too. It goes to the same compuserve account:
http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/answer.html
I've noticed he is appealing to people to cut down on certain types of questions. Perhaps Roogs is right, it would be over kill for us all to email him. Since Tim has already done this, then this should be enough. I hope Roger will atleast check out this thread.
Jeff

 

[Keith Yatsuhashi]

Actually, maybe the answer is for studios to make all movies 4:3 like they used to. Singing in the Rain looks great. Wizard of Oz looks great. I know there was a push in the late 80's early 90's to make fewer wide, wide screen movies and reduce the aspect ratio to make it look more like TV. I remember reading this about Dick Tracy. It was made at an aspect ratio that would make it more friendly for tv.

 

[Kenneth Vestergaard]

Huh!?

You are essentially saying they should release P&S only?

 

[Lyle_JP]

Actually, maybe the answer is for studios to make all movies 4:3 like they used to.

Since all televisions sold after 2006 will be 16:9 (in theory, anyway), this will solve nothing. Besides, some film stories can just be told better in a wider frame, IMO.

-Lyle J.P.

 

[Keith Yatsuhashi]

I was merely pointing out how the studios could change things if they really wanted to. there was a time when all movies were made 4:3. TV made the studios start looking for new ways to bring people to the theater.

 

[Kenneth Vestergaard]

Okay... Let's take for instance, Lord of the Rings. This film was shot in 1:2.35... Do you seriously believe it would have just as beautiful cinematography (and film in general) if it was composed for and shot in 1:1.33, I mean, even in 1:1.78?

IMO (and hopefully the opinion of many, many others), it would most certainly not.