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

Glenn Overholt

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My checkbook is ready! If it is going to be seen by just about everybody in Hollywood, I think we would be a lot better off just asking for their help. Make it a plea. All we need are a few big stars/producers/directors to get something going on this, and P&S will stop.

Glenn
 

Rain

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Yes, yes, yes, I love this idea. Let's make a big gigantic fuss!!! I'm in. Let me know if I can be of any help. :)
 

AaronMK

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I would definetly contribute to the ad. Although being on a student budget, I would not be able contribute a large sum, I guess every bit helps.

Ron, if the number of people who pitched in for the server also contributed to the ad, what would the suggested donation be?
 

Nick Graham

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This is a great idea, as I had forgotten about the Star Wars Variety ad. Since I am stuck unemployed right now, (anybody out there in the central Kansas area looking for network support?) I can only support you in spirit, but support you I will.
 

gregstaten

Supporting Actor
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Aug 1, 1997
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I agree that this is a great idea. I like the idea of asking the studios to remember who made DVD the monster success it was. There has to be a way of reminding them that we buy DVDs in frightening volumes that the panandscanners will never match.
Remind them that the panandscanners will buy a widescreen film and perhaps bitch a little bit, but we will not buy a panandscan title and bitch a lot!
-greg
 

Frank Anderson

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The studios should be educating the public but since they are not I guess we need to do what we can. Great idea David.
 

Malcolm R

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The ad idea sounds great and I'd be glad to make a contribution.

You know, I just realized I've bought 20 DVD's in the past 10 days. Not a single one of which were MAR. Four are multi-disc sets and several are blind purchases based on HTF recommendations. Do soccer mom's buy DVD's in that volume? I don't think so. Are you paying attention Disney? Columbia? I admit I'm a DVD-aholic. And the surest way for you studios to cure me of this "disease" would be to release P&S-only discs.
 

David Lambert

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:laugh: Okay, I will DEFINATELY run down the cost of the ad. A few thoughts:
1) We should NOT go the "don't forsake us" route. It isn't going to make a big impact on the studios...they already are sure that a zillion J6P's got more money for them than "a few early adopters and some loud HTF'ers"...which is all we seem to be in their eyes.
2) I *like* the idea of using the space to ask for help from the rest of the Hollywood community. Then it can snowball. We just have to figure out the right way to word it.
3) I will also find out what it costs to have some sample shots in there, that demonstrates the difference between OAR and MAR. THEN, we have to find out how to reproduce such shots in a high-profile paper like Variety without infringing on anyone's rights. Ideas?
4) Before the ad runs, someone should contact Entertainment Tonight TV show and Entertainment Weekly magazine, to help spread the word that this is going down, and why it's important.
Maybe, just maybe, this fight isn't over yet! :D
"The Decepticons are retreating!"
"Prime did it...he turned the tide!"
 

Frank Anderson

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On the first 3 points I agree with you. Especially on getting some comparison pictures. As to point number 4, I guess if ET is game it should be someone willing to give their mug some air time.
 

David Lambert

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Okay, that was easy. Stephanie Lambert, my extra-smart, extra beautiful wife, ran over to www.variety.com over on the other PC, and found their rates listed on-line! :)
Here is the link to the main page:
[c]Variety Media Kit [/c]
It mentions these editions:
  • Weekly Edition
  • National Edition
  • Hollywood Edition
  • Gotham Edition
  • Variety.com
Which one do we want?
If we go with just the Hollywood edition, we get rate charts that look like this:

Page Size________________Open/1x____3x____6x___13x___26x___52x
Tabloid/Full page - 70"____$6110__5810__5690__5620__5560__5500
Magazine page - 40"_________4580__4330__4250__4190__4160__4120
1/2 page - 35"______________3730__3530__3460__3410__3380__3340
2/5 page - 28"______________3000__2840__2770__2760__2720__2700
1/3 page - 24"______________2610__2460__2420__2390__2350__2330
1/2 magazine page - 20"_____2210__2100__2050__2020__2010__1990
1/4 page - 18"______________2060__1950__1910__1880__1870__1850
1/5 page - 14"______________1680__1580__1550__1540__1520__1510
1/7 page - 10"______________1260__1180__1160__1140__1130__1125
Column inch__________________143___137___132___130___129___128

It ain't cheap, folks...but I think it's worth it. I'm down for $50 to start the ball rolling...maybe more. Next?
One more suggestion, and this one for Ron: let's break off this discussion of HTF-sponsored Variety ads in favor of OAR into a separate thread, and lock it at the top. Let's get it noticed for sure!
Thanks, everyone. Maybe this stand we take isn't for anything that anyone will consider important. Or maybe in 50 years someone will recognize that a group of us stood up for something important. Maybe it's artistic integrity, maybe it's something else. Who knows? I just feel that this is the right thing to do. Who's with me!?!?!
 

David Lambert

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As to point number 4, I guess if ET is game it should be someone willing to give their mug some air time.
Hmmm...if anyone's elected, it's probably Captain Ron. It sure ain't me! :D
I didn't actually have in mind that ANYone should go on-air with this, although they (ET) might request it, I suppose. I was thinking of informing them via letter, e-mail, or phone call that the ad was taking place and what it's about. Then they would show an image of the ad on the screen, and give their take on it.
Have you noticed on ET that, when they show a film clip on the TV in the studio, it's a 16x9 set? I'm sure they "get it", OAR-wise. NOW we should help them spread the word to J6P, Wal-Mart, and the studios.
And to the directors, cinematographers, etc. who can also help us in this cause.
 

Nick Graham

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I agree with Dave on the disregarding of the "don't forsake us" approach, though I know we all feel that way. I feel we should make the focus of the ad our desire to preserve the artistic integrity and true theatrical experience of films. In the minds of the studios, the business they would lose if we ALL just up and quit buying DVDs would be recouped in a very short time by the families of J6P still converting from VHS to DVD. So I think we should play fairly friendly, and while being firm, not go into attack mode.

I wouldn't make the focus on trying to get the studios to educate either, because we've all seen from various interviews and press releases that the studios feel a lot of J6P would STILL want their TV screen filled up even AFTER they were educated on the benefits of OAR....and I kind of tend to agree with them from personal experience. I know some of you guys want "no compromise", and in a perfect world, that would be the case, but I feel we should focus on making sure there are no more pan and scan ONLY titles, rather than demanding the studios abolish pan and scan DVDs. They simply won't do that, because until widescreen TVs are in the majority of J6P homes, they will always have a sizable market for P&S. Well, I've rambled enough now.

One last thing, as a follow up to Dave's idea of contacting the press about it, I also think that it wouldn't be a bad idea to make Roger Ebert's (and if you've got the contacts, maybe even a guy like Scorcese's) office aware of this ad.

It may sound like a hokey, far-fetched idea, but there are some people in Hollywood even more zealous for this cause than we are. I honestly think we might be able to get at least a mention from Ebert, if only just on his section of the Sun-Times website.
 

Rob T

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I sent letters to Wal-mart, K-Mart and Costco.
If I can get a few bucks together to support the ad, I will.
I remember doing the variety ad thing to help save a TV show a few years back. One of the ads that we did cost about $1000 (I think it was a full page ad), but it did help out quite a bit. :)
 

Kami

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I am willing to contribute whatever I can via PayPal, but it can't be too much since i'm a student, which brings me to my next point.....
If you guys need anyone to design the ad for submission to Variety, I'm all for it. I'm a Multimedia Design student (whose dream it is to get into dvd production :D), so I am familiar with pretty much everything out there whether it be graphic design, digital video, sound, you name it. :) I figure if we raise the money we could do up several ads and have the membership vote on them?
 

Ronald Epstein

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David,
Let me talk to Parker about this today
just so he and I both agree this is a good idea.
From what I see, we need to raise $6,000 for
this advertisement.
I believe we raised almost $8,000 for our server,
but be aware that SV SUBWOOFERS kicked in $2k of
that.
Still, this looks obtainable.
A few things we need to hammer out....
1. Collections should be done via Paypal,
although I am unsure what the current Paypal
situation is with Mastercard payments.
2. What happens if we don't reach $6,000 for
the ad? Do we refund money or do we go with
a sized ad that meets our budget? Refunding
money would be difficult so I opt for the latter.
3. Is VARIETY our best choice? It
certainly is the industry's leading publication
that gets read by whose who of Hollywood. The
problem is, most of the readers are studio people
who are making these bad decisions.
4. Realize that there will be an article about
this situation in an upcoming issue of VIDEO
STORE MAGAZINE, which is read by the retail
industry. That article is slated to run the last
week of this month. I don't know how well they
will present the issues I set forth in my
interview, but it is my hope that if the article
is done right, it will send a message to Hollywood.
I am fine with Variety. Clearly it is
the best exposure we can get. Unfortunately, it
is not going to be read by the retailers, who we
really need to inform.
In any event, I am up for making all the noise
we can. Please be aware that we can't be idiotic
about our cause. This must be done professionally.
Whatever we say on this forum must not look like
newsgroup drivel. I truly believe this forum can
make a difference. I am also sure that Bill Hunt
of The Digital Bits would help us advertise
our cause.
If other forums were smart, they'd campaign
as well. Better to have every single forum on
the net come together to promote this than just one.
We helped kill DIVX. Perhaps we can win this
battle, too.
 

Jeffrey Forner

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Jun 19, 1999
Messages
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Ron;

I look forward to reading your article in the next couple days. I hope it turns some heads and gets this pro-OAR movement moving full steam.

I would go into great detail about my feelings regarding the studios' decision to return us to the antiquated days of P&S, but the way I feel about it has already been said by many others already in this thread. I won't preach to the choir.

Needless to say, I was willing to contribute to the new HTF server, and I am again willing to contribute to an ad in a major trade publication. The dollars I put into that ad may cost me a few DVDs now, but if it helps to convince the studios to not forsake widescreen, I may have more DVDs to buy in the future.
 

Hakan Powers

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The ad is a great idea. I can't Paypal from here, but I'd absolutely be willing to contribute to this cause. I'll somehow set it up so I can send money when we know more.

As has been said, it is very important that this be done i professional manner. We want to send a clear message to the decision makers that we are a group people with a serious interest in film and a high degree of purchasing power - we all come from different backgrounds and probably range from high school students to CEOs in salary, but we all tunnel a large amount of our income towards DVD purchases, no matter how large or small! We can not come off as a bunch of crazy, internet zealots.

Ron, perhaps you should also involve DVDtalk and avsforum in this?
 

Mike Knapp

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Whatever the ad, count me in for some bucks.

Please dont design the ad by commitee. Assign someone in the field to do 2-3 and then vote on them. Too many cooks will most assuredly spoil the broth.

The most effective ad I ever saw was a full page newspaper with only three words on it centered and in regular sized type. Eceryone that read that newspaper read that ad....I guarantee it.

I will direct traffic to this effort once it is up and running.

Mike
 

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