Laurence Price
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2003
- Messages
- 101
I finally got a personalized response from Alliance Atlantis Vice President of Home Video David Partridge. Thanks ChristianB for the Email address that you provided. The Email though does not reveal much more than we already know. It does supply some more details and insight.
"Dear Laurence,
Thank you for your feedback regarding Alliance Atlantis releases.
It was with great regret that we were unable to obtain a clearance for the bonus comic shipped with Punisher in the US. Unfortunately, where intellectual property is concerned, we cannot distribute items for which we are not licensed. None of our advertising or trade materials featured the comic and we do not feel that we misled the consumer in this regard.
In fact, any special feature that is not included on the Canada release is excluded because rights and clearances were not available. Conversely, many of Alliance Atlantis' releases contain special features not available on US editions. The bonus discs on Bowling For Columbine and Foolproof and the extras on The Fast Runner and Fubar come to mind.
Regarding pricing, we purchase the rights to these films in US currency and have obligations to our suppliers to maintain a price that does not encourage the export of Canadian product to the US. In spite of these challenges, I think you'll find that the Canadian Suggested Retail Price of Punisher and most Alliance Atlantis DVD releases is actually less than the US SRP when the exchange is factored in.
With regard to the French language elements of our releases, it is a fact that 25% of all sales across this country are to Francophones. We work very hard to accomodate as many Canadian consumers as possible. Often, the storage capacity of a disc prevents us from offering all sound options as well as both official languages. Usually, the Spanish tracks are sacrificed but sometimes its the DTS track that cannot be included. It is not an easy decision but because substantially more Canadian consumers speak French than own a DTS system, our obligation is to enable the maximum number of consumers access to the film. Ironically, I have received feedback from Francophone consumers requesting French 5.1 instead of the usual Stereo French tracks. The absence of 5.1 in French is also a matter of disc capacity.
I'm sorry that you find bilingual packaging hideous but I must assume that you share this view regarding a wide range of Canadian consumer goods including the releases of most of our competitors. We stand by our inclusive packaging policy.
I'm not sure with which image transfers you take issue but I can tell you that the masters on almost all of our releases are done in the same US lab using the same transfer as the US release. Unfortunately, our determination to use these same materials often means that we have to wait until after the US master is created to access the elements, making some street date delays a reality. I am pleased to say that due to substantial diligence by this company, the number of delays have been dramatically reduced in the past 3 years.
Thank you for voicing your concerns. I hope that the above sheds some light on the issues you raise.
Sincerely,
David Partridge
Vice President, Home Video
Motion Picture Distribution"
"Dear Laurence,
Thank you for your feedback regarding Alliance Atlantis releases.
It was with great regret that we were unable to obtain a clearance for the bonus comic shipped with Punisher in the US. Unfortunately, where intellectual property is concerned, we cannot distribute items for which we are not licensed. None of our advertising or trade materials featured the comic and we do not feel that we misled the consumer in this regard.
In fact, any special feature that is not included on the Canada release is excluded because rights and clearances were not available. Conversely, many of Alliance Atlantis' releases contain special features not available on US editions. The bonus discs on Bowling For Columbine and Foolproof and the extras on The Fast Runner and Fubar come to mind.
Regarding pricing, we purchase the rights to these films in US currency and have obligations to our suppliers to maintain a price that does not encourage the export of Canadian product to the US. In spite of these challenges, I think you'll find that the Canadian Suggested Retail Price of Punisher and most Alliance Atlantis DVD releases is actually less than the US SRP when the exchange is factored in.
With regard to the French language elements of our releases, it is a fact that 25% of all sales across this country are to Francophones. We work very hard to accomodate as many Canadian consumers as possible. Often, the storage capacity of a disc prevents us from offering all sound options as well as both official languages. Usually, the Spanish tracks are sacrificed but sometimes its the DTS track that cannot be included. It is not an easy decision but because substantially more Canadian consumers speak French than own a DTS system, our obligation is to enable the maximum number of consumers access to the film. Ironically, I have received feedback from Francophone consumers requesting French 5.1 instead of the usual Stereo French tracks. The absence of 5.1 in French is also a matter of disc capacity.
I'm sorry that you find bilingual packaging hideous but I must assume that you share this view regarding a wide range of Canadian consumer goods including the releases of most of our competitors. We stand by our inclusive packaging policy.
I'm not sure with which image transfers you take issue but I can tell you that the masters on almost all of our releases are done in the same US lab using the same transfer as the US release. Unfortunately, our determination to use these same materials often means that we have to wait until after the US master is created to access the elements, making some street date delays a reality. I am pleased to say that due to substantial diligence by this company, the number of delays have been dramatically reduced in the past 3 years.
Thank you for voicing your concerns. I hope that the above sheds some light on the issues you raise.
Sincerely,
David Partridge
Vice President, Home Video
Motion Picture Distribution"
