Anyone Starting to get Sick of Standard and Deluxe DVD Releases? (1 Viewer)

[Chad R]

Then, I'd argue the movie was poorly made if it needs extra content for you to enjoy it more. If a movie is made well, it should stand on its own without any superfluous content. Everything you need to understand and enjoy a movie should be there on the screen. The only 'extra' I have ever gotten out of a movie is repeated viewings, but then again all that I needed was right there on the screen the whole time.

 

[MarkHastings]

There are LOTS of movies that you have to watch a few times to truly understand what's going on. After watching the movie once, the extras are a nice way of explaining certain aspects that I may have either missed or didn't fully understand during the inital viewing. That's not necessarily the fault of the director, it's more that I'm not on the same wave length.

And also, I've had extras that made me 'appreciate' the movie more. I forget the film, but there was a scene in a movie that I absolutely HATED! It made no sense to me why it was in there. Once I watched the documentaries, the director explained why he did it that way, and it at least made me understand why it was in there. I still didn't like it that much, but it was easier to accept when I found out the reasoning behind it all.

 

[WillG]

I would also have to disagree. That's like saying if I'm eating a steak and I enjoy having mashed potatoes and string beans with the steak, then the steak must not be very good.

 

[Thomas T]

Terrible analogy, Will. You may like the mashed potatoes and string beans with your meat but you don't NEED the mashed potatoes and string beans to enjoy the steak!

Perhaps a better one would be do you need to see a documentary about the raising of the cows and the slaughterhouse process or a commentary by the chef on how he prepared the steak in order for you to fully appreciate the steak?

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

I want to comment on this.

As others have stated, I don't have a problem with the studios releasing different versions like this just so long as we know that they're coming.

Also, regarding the difference in price, its simply the studios taking advantage of what the market is baring. Take the Looney Tunes collections for instance. You had a 2 disc set pretty much without extras, that sold for something like $26. You had a 4 disc collection that sold for $60 and contained a wealth of bonus material. The 4 disc set sold tremendously, and I'm reasonably confident in saying that it far outdistanced the sales of the premier collection. That to me shows that people are willing to pay more if they think they're getting more, and how much more they're willing to pay will depend on how much more they think they'll be getting.

Plus, generally I still pay about $21.19 (tax included) for a 2 disc release sometimes much cheaper than that when it is released, so I've got no problems. Especially since it wasn't all that long ago that I paid $30 or more for a single disc version of Apollo 13, which I believe is the most expensie single disc release in my collection. IMO, good deals even on these premium sets can still be had if one looks hard enough.

As for the question of extra content, for me a lot of it is a rehash of stuff I've already seen. I own a number of animated titles, and after watching the "How Animation is done" feature that seems to be on most of them I kind of know the process by heart you know?

So, the bottomline is simply that right now the studios are just testing to see what the market will bare, and as for the posibility that studios would see the cheaper versions selling better and eliminating extras altogether I really don't see that happening. I remember reading a couple of years ago about how DVD extras would become a thing of the past, especially when people started demanding money for commentaries and such, and yet we're still waiting. The other reason I have doubts about this taking place is because I only think this would happen if the cheaper barebones releases outsold the special editions in every instance and by a large margin. Often though, I see the special editions the more expensive ones doing just as well, or in several cases better than the barebones releases that are priced cheaper.

A great topic, and worth monitoring for awhile. As time goes buy things might happen to make me say "Gee Will G was right" and maybe he's spot on with his fears, but right now I don't see it and am just loving what I'm getting for my dollar. If I didn't think the DVD was worth the monitary investment I wouldn't purchase it.

 

[MarkHastings]

I think the better analogy is with a food that you don't particular care for. I'm not a fan of steak alone, but I like it much better when I have potatoes with it.

This is what the 'extras' can do for us. They make us understand a movie that we didn't like initially, by educating us on certain scenes or perceptions we may have failed to understand during the initial viewing.

Actually, this food analogy made me think of something I learned recently.

There is an ice cream place that serves avacado ice cream. It sounds absolutely disgusting because most of us associate avacado with quacamole, but I recently saw a special on ice cream places and the manufacturer mentions how a lot of people don't realize that an avacado is a fruit. Not that I've tried it, but this new bit of info would at least help me to realize that the ice cream isn't as gross as I thought it was.

Just like movies, our initial reaction to a movie may be biased by many factors. When I first saw Pulp Fiction, I was a bit confused and really had a hard time appreciating it at first. I couldn't get my mind past the back and forth cuts which impeeded my ability to just enjoy the movie. Once I watched the documentaries, I realized how much that confusion was part of the story telling which made me focus less on the confusion and just watch the movie for what it was.I don't even think it's a matter of which version outsells the other...I would assume the studios are figuring the bare-bones will even probably outsell the SE's just by the shear number of 'average DVD viewers" out there.

I would think that as long as the SE's prove to be profitable (and not so much, outsell the BB's), then we have no reason to worry. There may be more people who aren't interested in the 'extras', but there surely are enough of us who want the SE's the allow a profitable market for the studios.

I know this doesn't make any sense when you look at the FullFrame only DVD editions, but I believe that's a different marketing story altogether. Example: The new Annie may be FF only, but it still has DTS and a wealth of bonus material, so while it may seem that they are appeasing J6P's by not offering us a WS option, it still leads me to believe that the studios aren't willing to get rid of extras to satisfy the masses.

 

[Chad R]

That's why I said multiple viewings will reveal more, but extras in the way of documentaries and such don't. I find it's better to come up with the answers myself than have them spoon fed to me. Movies are passive enough without taking all of the thinking out of it for me.

It's much more fun to speculate on the meaning of something than have the answer laid out in front of you. That's why legends such as Jack the Ripper and the JFK assasination are so appealing; there's no definitive answer and we can continue specualting about them for years to come.

 

[Wouter Heyse]

When 20th Century Fox entered the DVD game, they released such minor fluff as Wing Commander on 1-Disc, barebones editions for the tidy sum of $35. The fact that a studio asks that kind of money for a 2-Disc SE loaded with extras these days isn't a sign of prices going up, IMO, it's a sign of how cheap DVDs have gotten. I remember hardly being able to find even a completely barebones DVD with a sticker price below $20, so a studio giving you the choice of just the movie for peanuts, or a packed SE for the amount of money they USED to ask for just the movie is a good thing.

 

[WillG]

I think it is perfect applicable to what Chad R was saying that if you need extras to enjoy a film more then said film must not be very good. I don't NEED the side dishes, but it would enhance my dining experience.

Frankly, Thomas, I found your choice of words to be a bit rude. I'm sure you did not mean it personally, but you could have just said "I disagree"

But anyway, I don't want to further risk getting this thread closed over a personal arguement.

 

[MarkHastings]

Agreed. Some things just can't be understood through multiple viewings. There was a movie (I forget which one) that had a "private" joke in it. I had seen the movie (on tv) for years and never thought twice about that particular moment. After getting it on DVD, I found out what the joke was and it made the scene that much more funny.

Another example was the X-Men 2 DVD. After watching the extras, I had so much more respect for the film knowing the hard work that went into it. I never would have guessed that the ice wall was a real block of ice? I thought it was plastic. And Hugh Jackman doing his own stunts. The extras definitely improved my enjoyment of that movie.

 

[WillG]

That was cool - No Pun intended.

Now what if the studios started only making the Widescreen version of a film available on a more expensive deluxe edition? Not saying I'm worried that it will happen, although I think it certainly is possible that it could become another "Bright Idea" one day. What is the perspective there?

 

[Chad R]

But, doesn't that take the magic out of it all? I mean, when you see that wall of ice, you shouldn't even think that it was a wall of plastic or ice when they made the movie. You should be thinking, that's Wolverine, and that's a wall of ice, but more importantly you should be thinking about the barrier, now physcially manifested, between Wolverine and the answers to his past. If you care about the character, if the filmmakers have doen their job, then your attention should be there. If they haven't and you're centered on the little technical details of the production, then they've failed in my opinion.

 

[WillG]

You should hang out with Spielberg

I guess it depends on who you are. Seeing how an effect or whatever was done does not ruin it for me. I know that the effect had to have been achieved in some way. It was not magic, after all. I know that going in. But when I watch a film, even if I have seen the making of, or whatever. I'm in the context of the film. And the wall of ice beteween Wolverine and his past is still just that, be it plastic, real ice or CGI in real life.

 

[Mark Philp]

I'm one of these people who couldn't care less about extras. All I want is the movie. I don't want to pay more for a bunch of stuff I'll never watch. It's that simple. I would much rather see a bare-bones version and a special edition version released so everyone can get what they want. I have no problem with you guys who want it all, I just want a choice. I do think however that both versions should be promoted and stocked by stores and both should be released at same time.

 

[MarkHastings]

This is true for me as well.

Perhaps we're talking about two different things here...

I don't need the extras to enjoy the movie, but I like the extras because they help me appreciate the movie for more than just the enjoyment I get when I watch it. So it's not really adding to the enjoyment, it's just adding to the overall experience.

 

[WillG]

Same for me as well

 

[Joshua_W]

Just to add more fuel to the fire, if we start seeing tiered pricing of standard/special editions, how can it be before the studios start charging a premium price for widescreen.?

Take TCM as an example. It would be simple for them to release the standard, featureless edition in full-frame/pan and scan ONLY, and make the widescreen version available only to consumers who purchase the more expensive special edition.

I remember when "Master and Commander" was announced as a 1-DVD version and a 2-disc SE, and there was some controversy as to whether or not the widescreen would be available on its own.

 

[Cees Alons]

At the moment Digital Eyes often have higher prices for the P&S version.

That's correct of course: all the clipping and cutting and panning and cropping and whatever they have to do more to make it no longer fit my screen must be payed for....

Cees

 

[MarkHastings]

But no! They are actually giving you MORE image by filling your screen. So you are paying a premium for the "extra" image



p.s. please read the above as sarcasm

 

[RandyMathis]

I just want to see and hear what I would have seen and heard in the theater.

I want O.A.R.

If it was D.D., D.D. EX, DTS, DTS EX, etc... that is what I want to hear.

Just the movie and sound on one disc with the best quality for the lowest price.

I'm glad that they offer other versions for those who want the extras because it may keep them off of the version that I buy so as to keep the quality up and the price down.

I don't go the the cinema anymore. I haven't in years and I don't plan to go ever again. I may, someday, end up getting stuck taking my Godson or perhaps, eventually, a grandchild to some lousy kids movie but I don't plan to go otherwise. Too many loud mouthed clowns ruining the experience.

Buying a SE DVD is about the same price as it would cost me, and my wife, to see the movie in the theater. That is the way that it should be in my opinion.