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

[Marc Colella]

Similar to what Glenn has suggested...

Maybe someone should create a webpage and register a domain name which will work in conjunction with the ad (instead of just pointing to our forum).

The URL will be posted in the ad, and the webpage can further explain our position. This way the ad is kept simple yet effective, and the webpage will be much more detailed.

Just at thought.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Before We Begin This.....

Before we begin collecting money....
I want everyone to be aware of this....
All of you had some great input in this thread.
It has me thinking.
We are about to put money into a cause whose
probability of making a change within the
industry is about Nil and None.
I know I started this campaign, and I hate
to sound like the pessimist here, but I don't
ever want to mislead anyone into thinking that
anything we do here -- especially when it
comes to collecting money -- is going to make
a difference.
Someone hit it on the head -- if Directors
like Spielberg who are so pro-OAR are letting
Dreamworks release a full-frame version of
"A.I.", how are WE going to make a difference?
The studios are powerful. There are truly
some things we can change, but unfortunately,
this change involves the studios having to
take on the retailers once again.
I am willing to take this fight all the way.
We can create our own website and we can create
our own webring with other sites. We even have
Mike Knapp willing to help us out.
But this is an uphill climb. The studios
are somehow convinced there is a demand for
Pan-and-Scan and that sales would be lost
if they stopped offering full-frame versions.
Of course, we all know this is ludicrious.
I just want some reassurance that before
Parker and I start collecting money, that we
actually have a chance of winning this battle.
I don't want your hard-earned money to be put
into something that is controlled by powerful
and rich studios that will ultimately do whatever
they want.

 

[streeter]

Actually, I've seen evidence that the new re-release DVD of Goodfellas will be a 2-SKU-1-for-each-AR release as well!

Hell is going to freeze over on the day of the release of Goodfellas. Who knew that one day, one could watch a Scorcese film MAR with his commentary. That's such a contradiction.

I am really disappointed. Think about it - how many people are widescreen activists here today because of Scorcese? I am. He is one of the Godfathers of film restoration and preservation, and he has inspired many of us to fight for movies to be available as closely as possible to how they were intended. And now his film serves as one of the bricks in the giant wall that keeps us from reaching that goal. My heart is broken. I can't believe that Scorcese would have contributed to the upcoming DVD release if he knew there would be 2 releases, 1 MAR.

Maybe these directors are given more money if they're hush-hush and don't bitch about pan&scan. Nah, I'm just being paranoid.

Shame on you, minivan soccermom and j6p. Have some respect.

 

[DustinDavis]

But this is an uphill climb. The studios

are somehow convinced there is a demand for

Pan-and-Scan and that sales would be lost

if they stopped offering full-frame versions.

I think here is where we may have an issue. Knowing full well that studios will never get rid of pan-n-scan versions as long as they see money in them, our word should be "That's fine. But you won't find my money in pan-n-scan. My money is in OAR and nowhere else." We should not forsake "better" (a separate OAR version or dual AR releases) for the "best" (eradication of pan-n-scan), even if the "best" is what we all really want.

And Ron and Steve T., you may be right about this money getting flushed down the toilet, but I'm still willing to pay the price of a DVD for the cause.

Let's suppose that the ad never happened--it appears to be the big money pit. We could still have the webring and the campaign for a minimal cost if we get other DVD sites to go along. It's a good start to grassroots education.

The goal here should be to create a voice louder than our numbers suggest relative to the pan-n-scan lovers. We can make a lot of noise, even if we are outnumbered. Take a look at the Disney thread and the results of the Willy Wonka campaign. But we have to keep it persistent, and we have to bring together all the interested parties in a single campaign, and we have to have the same voice even if you don't give a rat's ass about the specific titles (as I did for Snow Dogs and the other BV releases).

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Michael: As well respected as Scorcese is, he may not have any control over that release. I mean, look at the way he's getting screwed over with "Gangs of New York." When he recorded the commentary, it was probably Widescreen Only. Now, they can just port the commentary over and what Scorcese has to say about it won't mean shit.

 

[Jack Briggs]

By now it should be apparent to everyone how serious the scope of this situation is. As Ron notes, the studios are powerful. We might appear to be tilting our swords at windmills here. But it's the good fight, as it were.

Truth be told, we early-adopter geeks helped DVD take off. The format spoke to our OAR-lovin' hearts.

Now it looks as if the greedheads at the studios are threatening to take this all from us.

Ever think the day would come when a "special edition" DVD might simply be a widescreen transfer and nothing else? And that most DVDs would be like most standard VHS transfers, only a little sharper?

In the vast scheme of things, pan-and-scan video transfers are the norm. Most people aren't home-theater enthusiasts. And to them, it's "normal" to see their 4:3 screens "filled."

In fact, most people aren't even cognizant of the fact that the screens in commercial cinemas are even shaped differently from their TV screens. It just doesn't click with them.

So that's what, in military lingo, would be described as the "threat assessment."

It's an uphill battle, people. And we have no guarantee of success. But success won't be ours if we sit idly, either.

 

[greg_t]

Count me in for a donation for the ad. I just wanted to add a couple more points:

1. Forward a link via email of Ron's article to everyone you know who owns a dvd player. Email is an incredible tool we can use to get this message out.

2. DVD sales is not what Walmart thrives on. They have so many products that they carry, I would think that dvd is a small portion of their overall revnue. What we need to do is AVOID Walmart altogether. The last time I was at my local walmart, they had both pan and scan and widescreen versions of most of the new releases anyway. To make them really stand up and listen, we need to stop buying more than just dvd's from them. I'm sure a company that is hurting like Kmart would be more than happy to recieve our buisness. Let's try to use some alternatives to Walmart when possible.

We're behind you on this Ron!

 

[Malcolm R]

1. I like the idea of an ad that gets noticed by creative people in Hollywood. It should appeal to the fact that their art is being ill-treated.

I think this is where some of the support is waning. Are there enough Hollywood types that still look at their output as "art," or is it now just simply their "job" for which they get paid to produce.

As someone else said, I never thought I'd see the day when any Spielberg film would be available in MAR outside of VHS. He didn't even want some of his films on VHS in the beginning because it wasn't the "proper" way to view the films. However, since Spielberg has become a "corporate" studio owner, the view of the bottom line seems to be affecting his perception about his "art" compared to when he was just a successful director and could afford to take a harder line on artistic issues and OAR and not have to worry about studio profits.

And as the creative forces continue to make inroads into sharing the money generated by various post-theatrical outlets, are they really going to oppose anything that may limit their take of home video sales? If there is the slightest chance that they'll sell one single additional copy in P&S over OAR only, they'll likely support P&S.

 

[streeter]

But how will an ad not make a difference? It will show that there are some really committed people out there fighting for OAR. One of the best ways of expressing commitment in such a case is by using our wallets.

I think the ad should be a direct attack on the studios and the filmmakers. I'm not serious about any of the following - just being a smartass. I ask that before reading on you consider that I am heartbroken by Martin Scorcese at the moment and not very stable.

Without further ado, the ad ought to be like this:

[c]---- Top of page ----

ATTENTION Ron Howard

Steven Spielberg

and Martin Scorcese!

SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING THE HYPOCRITES THAT YOU ARE

and then here the details of their 'crimes', and of course mentioning that WALMART and the studios are evil as well.

---- bottom of page ----[/c]

Or instead of attacking these people, we should set up an OAR foundation, and appoint Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Martin Scorcese as honorary presidents. Before they can even accept or deny their positions, let alone know that this has been bestowed upon them, we will FIRE THEM. Wouldn't that be funny, to fire them? That will create some headlines in some of the trade papers. Then they'll be exposed for being so-called pro-widescreen people who let their movies be released separately in MAR.

No, seriously, and I'm really serious here: in the ad it should be pointed out that there ARE good releases and studios and directors who ARE able to keep their dignity. Like George Lucas. He could have released TPM in pan&scan separately, and for as much money as he makes, it looks like he at least has enough dignity to release his film OAR only. This was a movie where 2 separate releases could be expected, but he had just one release.

Finally, I have a message to those who think we shouldn't pay for an ad, as well as the studios:

DVD is OUR format. Just like laserdisc, it was ours. We are the main reason for its success. But then it went mainstream. We are now sharing OUR format with j6p and mini-van soccermom. They are on the verge of stealing it away from us. We can't just let this happen. It's not just Snow Dogs, but Midnight Clear as well. What will be next? The studios know that if there were no widescreen releases, we'd buy our favorite movies anyway. We can deny this as much as we want to, but it's true! Let's not let this happen. We can share the format, by having single releases with both versions on the same disc - this makes everyone happy! We don't know if we can make a difference, but we can't go down without a fight! God Bless America!

 

[Malcolm R]

Truth be told, we early-adopter geeks helped DVD take off. The format spoke to our OAR-lovin' hearts. Now it looks as if the greedheads at the studios are threatening to take this all from us.

All the more reason to be cautious, or even boycott, the next "big thing" in HT formats. Apparently they're willing to use us to launch the format, but won't stay with us once it reaches critical mass. We supported laserdisc, we launched DVD. Who are they going to use to launch the next format if we refuse to bite? Personally, I'm tired of making all the inroads but then getting screwed over when the masses finally catch up.

 

[David Lambert]

Hell is going to freeze over on the day of the release of Goodfellas. Who knew that one day, one could watch a Scorcese film MAR with his commentary. That's such a contradiction.

I am really disappointed. Think about it - how many people are widescreen activists here today because of Scorcese? I am. He is one of the Godfathers of film restoration and preservation, and he has inspired many of us to fight for movies to be available as closely as possible to how they were intended. And now his film serves as one of the bricks in the giant wall that keeps us from reaching that goal. My heart is broken. I can't believe that Scorcese would have contributed to the upcoming DVD release if he knew there would be 2 releases, 1 MAR.

Michael Streeter: calm down, and dont' take it quite so seriously...yet. I said "I've seen some evidence". Not the final product! Take it with a grain of salt.

It was preliminary, and plans may or may not change before release of the new edition.

I do hope I was wrong, because I would feel the same way you do, frankly. If these directors allow the studio to release MAR product now along with OAR product, what's to prevent the studio from saying "see what sells better?" later on, and only offering MAR product?

 

[AaronMK]

I just want some reassurance that before
Parker and I start collecting money, that we
actually have a chance of winning this battle.

Even if the chances are slim of winning the battle, I still think it is a battle well worth fighting. Remember, our battle plan should not just be this ad. It consists of phone calls, e-mails, education, and WHAT WE DECIDE TO SPEND OUR MONEY ON.
Even if we decide that taking an ad in Variety is not the best route, it is very clear that the time for a well organized, concentrated effort has come. Studios don't take notice when many of us knock on many different doors, but look what happens when we come together and bring the battering ram on a few doors.
We may not have won our battle with Disney yet, but they definetly took notice. And this was done with a well organized phone-in campaign that started with a single thread in this forum. After seeing this, it makes me feel a little more optimistic for what could happen if this and other forums combined our efforts and brought a much bigger battering ram to those doors.
(BTW, I hope people are still calling and e-mailing Disney regarding this.)

 

[Glenn Overholt]

Here's my nickel (inflation!) This is why I want it to be a plea. We need someone's help! Who? Those that do have influence and can get the word out.

Pick a star - Say Clooney for example. He reads the ad and is all for it. He would now know that we need help, and so the next time he is on Letterman, he lets it loose. I really can't see Letterman being against this, and if J6P watches Letterman, some of the viewers might be converted.

A couple of dozen actors and TV hosts might get this going enough so that the studios will cave in. I don't think there is any other way of doing it without bribing studios, and we haven't got that kind of money.

Glenn

 

[Heinz W]

Like it or not, DVD is now mainstream. It will NEVER, EVER go back to the early adopter, OAR only releases, except perhaps on a select few titles. We can forget that. But we CAN fight for BOTH OAR and MAR to be available on the same set. Do you want to be forced into a new format already?
I don't understand all this discussion; this is the only practical solution to keep everyone happy. DVD is not the final, ultimate format as we all know. It is a transitory format at a time when television itself is changing. Unless we want to be forced into a new format so soon after DVDs' arrival on the scene we MUST lobby for BOTH VERSIONS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE SAME SET.
The advantages here are many:
1) First and formost, everyone is happy; studios, early adopters (aka as OAR advocates), and "J6P".
2) One SKU. End to consumer confusion regarding all the different versions of the same film.
3) The giant retailers are happy; ALL releases contain both formats and reduces shelf space for multiple-version titles freeing up room to carry more titles.
4) We (the early adopters) won't be forced into another format already.
5) Will help ease consumer confusion when they finally do get a 16:9 TV; simply flip thie disc over or put in the OTHER disc (OAR) that has been gathering dust hitherto. (I realize this has its own subset of issues but for the sake of brevity I'll not address them here).
6) It allows for a comparison between OAR and MAR for every film, and can be done by the consumer. People are not ALL nitwits, and many will gradually see the light. But they NEVER will if they keep bringing P&S/MAR versions home only. Consumers can educate themselves on this issue.
7) Include a short visual explanation prior to each feature what happens when a film is 'modified to fit your screen'. That can be the studios contribution to educate the masses, and may promote No. 6 to a greater extent.
Remember, the studios don't care that we buy DVDs at a 10, 20, 50, or 100 to 1 ratio vs. J6P. They outnumber us by at least 5000 to 1, and I'm sure they feel this more than compensates for our higher rate of purchases. For every call, letter or e-mail asking for widescreen there are hundreds asking to do away with the black bars.
Our only chance is to lobby for BOTH formats on EVERY release, lest we regress back to the old days (pre LD) when everything was MARred as a matter of course.
The studios bottom line is to make money for the shareholders, this course will maximize their profits way more than MAR or OAR only will. Everybody is happy, everybody wins.
Any ad we put out must address these things to succeed.
Let's do it!

 

[Mike Knapp]

We cannot forget one thing here people. The studios have to create a pan and scan version of the film already. They must make one for the VHS market which is still quite large. They look at having to make more than one transfer as less profit. So our OAR version is eating into their profits just by being created.
This day was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before we were outnumbered by those that dont care about OAR. That day has come. I hate it as much as the next guy but we now need to push for both versions. I detest pan and scan but the studios are not going to release OAR only if they begin losing sales (as it seems is happening).
So there it is....they already have to make a pan and scan version, we need to convince them that there is still profit in making an OAR version as well if we want to continue getting films in the correct ratio. 3 years ago when I said this would happen some very knowledgable people said "No way will the studios ever release pan and scan only titles"...
Lets nip this in the bud.
Mike

 

[Frank Anderson]

I like the idea for the current proposed ad campaign but is there something we can do to help educated the uneducated? Smaller cheaper ads in more popular mags?

 

[Jacques C]

Hello all,
A point to Ron: There is nothing to lose here. A well spoken comment to the studios can do nothing but help. And as far as I am concerned about losing, there is great value in fighting for something you believe in, whether you see a sweeping victory or not.
We shoud all thank Mr. Hunt for doing the interview. It seems to be the proverbial straw at this point. I do wish he had a bit more Heraldo in him than Larry King, though. ;-)
As an engineer, I thought about the most effective way to deliver this comment to the studios. Here it is:
1. The message you want to send is twofold - there is a lot of money to be lost by not catering to our needs and that it is also the "right" thing to do. I would concentrate on the former primarily. My ad (I am in the blunt, iron-fist type message delivery camp) would say:
[c]-------Begin page here-----[/c]
[c]OAR DVD Enthusiast[/c]
[c]Population: Millions[/c]
[c]Income: $35,000+ per annum[/c]
[c]Average DVD consumption: 1-2 DVDs/week[/c]
[c]Number of Pan and Scan DVDs owned: 0[/c]
[c]-------End page here-----[/c]
2. At the bottom of the page make sure you get as many of the big DVD sites to sign as possible:
www.hometheaterforum.com
www.hometheatertalk.com
www.dvdtalk.com
www.avsforum.com
www.thedigitalbits.com
www.dvdfile.com
www.digitallyobsessed.com
Link Removed
www.digitaltheater.com
www.thebigpicturedvd.com
etc.
Make sure that every reader recognizes at least one or two names in this list so they know it is a large concern.
3. Make an attempt to get luminaries involved (there is a reason why you see actors and such testifying to Congress all the time - it works.). Roger Ebert(in particular) and other high profile reviewers. Harry Knowles of AICN (he currently has a ton of weight with the studios). Robert Harris. Any possible director or star.
4. A long shot, but see if a DVD studio is interested in having their names involved. In particular, Criterion and Anchor Bay come to mind. Unlikely, but sure can't hurt.
As a group, we should all be pushing for those things that will allow dual format releases. DVD-18, dual disc sets, and (in particular) P&S on the fly. After all, the gentleman admitted that those viewers that want P&S view small TVs - 19 in. or less. In that case, any loss of resolution is not a pertinent issue at all for P&S viewers (and if the response to Mr. Hunt states that, he needs to go back and correct them immediately with that quote). P&S on the fly is part of the DVD standard for just this purpose. It is about time it is used for such.
I have $20 or so languishing in my Paypal account. It is well worth being part of a fight well worth fighting.

 

[Calvin Watts III]

I,too would like to do something like that.

I push DVD's and having whatever the item is (film,tv.etc.) in its OAR format,on my cable access show,which has been on for a few years now.

My group has done many things - discussions,still screen comparsions,you name it. While I have converted many in my group, & some of our audience (which sometimes I still can't believe we have one). many just don't either understand,or care what the differences are between MAR,OAR,pan & scan, or letterbox.

If we could do something twofold - something in Variety or an industry paper for the studios, & something in like Time or the USA Today to educate the masses.

I'll make a donation regardless - this is worth fighting for.

Calvin

 

[Joshua Clinard]

Ron,
I hope that you wouldn't mind tying this campaign in with Widescreen Advocate. A lot of the ideas that have appeared here, I have been wanting to do for quite some time. It has always been my intention to let the studios know that we want them to educate the consumer about the advantages of widescreen. Here is what I was planning. It's a lot more elaborate than just an ad in variety, but if we could rally behind this idea, I think we could push Widescreen sales even higher.
What I had in mind, is to create an ad similar to the buisiness card that we have on widescreen advocate. This ad would demonstrate the advantages of widescreen to the viewer. Of course, we would make sure the ad is very effective, and we would let the HTF comment, and make suggestions on how we could improve the effectiveness of the ad before we purchase it.
http://www.ncninc.com/cinema_advantage/f_onscreen.htm
I have wanted to do this for several weeks, and if we started a donation drive, I think this would be very effective in getting our message accross.
Also, I will have the results of that survey shortly, when I get enough people to fill it out. So far, the results say, 75% of children prefer widescreen. If you would like, you could post that information in your article. I think I will have enough signatures by wednesday. If that is not soon enough, send me a PM, and I will send you what I have so far.
When you get that contact info, please send it to me, so I can post the contact info to WA.
Here are the retailer's that we need to contact.
Best Buy
Circiut City
Wal-Mart
K-Mart
Target
Sam's Club
Costco
Media Play
BlockBuster
Hollywood Video
Here are the studio's we need to contact:
20th Century Fox Home Video
Buena Vista, Disney (Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Mirimax)
Warner Home Video
MGM/UA
Universal Studio's
Dreamworks
Paramount
If anyone can think of any more, please do let me know.

 

[Carlo_M]

I'm with you, Ron! I'm getting ready to paint my face and moon 'em!
No OAR = No Sale