Long Term Strategies for the Serious Collector and Film Buff... (1 Viewer)

[Artur Meinild]

I have a pretty interesting strategy, actually!
Since I live in Europe, I have the choice between R1 and R2.
What I do is this:
If I really want a movie on DVD, and the cost doesn't matter, I usually buy the R1 version, since these are often 'superior quality'/'earlier out'/'more features' etc.
Then for "2nd" priority movies, I go for the R2 DVD's as cheap as possible, usually what equals 10-15 USD.
As an example, I just bought Silly Symphonies R1 and Titanic R2. I wanted Silly Symphonies real bad, and I got Titanic for ~ 12 USD.

 

[BryanZ]

For me the choice is rather easy. If it is one that looks intreaguing or is a SE then I will consider it. Normally I will buy only the dvds I know I will enjoy watching over and over again. Other times I will get it just to complete a trilogy or so I can have the sequel available. Then there are the "must haves" and free dvds. Cleopatra is a must have but I have yet to take the cellophane off of it. Same thing with Lion King 2 (whenever LK is released on dvd). The Mummy I got for cheap ($9) so I bought the sequel to it. There are exceptions to everything but my collection of dvds is gradually increasing. Who knows? One of these days I may break 75.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

There are a lot of people, including my wife, who don't subscribe to buying any movie "sight unseen." This is something I just don't get. At one point, they were ALL sight unseen. If I spend $16, plus concessions, to sit through a stinker at the multiplex- that's OK. If I spend $16-20 to buy it on DVD, that's a waste. Que???

My decision-making process for buying DVDs is no different than when I used to go to the movies. Why should it be?

I feel the same way. We rarely go to the movie theater anymore, so we see most new releases for the first time when I purchase the DVD. With all the problems people are experiencing finding widescreen versions of films at rental stores, I would rather buy the disc. I have a collection of about 500 DVD's, and have probably sold another 60-70 that I decided I did not care to see again. The difference in cost between buying new and selling used is not much more than a rental fee, and I keep the vast majority of what I purchase (because I end up liking the film). Probably a third of the discs I have sold were because a newer version was released -- not because I disliked the film.

 

[Rob Willey]

I was thinking about this the other day too. I buy anything I think I might want to pop into the player at some point in the future. That seems like a good strategy when you consider the discs should last (practically speaking) forever.

However, when the next generation comes along, say HD-DVD, I may well restrict myself to the titles I watch frequently rather than repurchasing my entire library. We'll see....

Rob

 

[Marty M]

I don't have a huge collection, about 200 DVD's. When coupons were always available, I was definitely buying more DVDs than I am presently. I would buy a movie that I had a marginal interest because I could get it for less than $10. With no coupons and no 40% discounts for pre-orders I have become choosier about the DVD's I buy now.

I am also a collector, so I probably won't sell any of my DVDs unless I replace a regular release with a SE release.

 

[Bill McA]

I live close to Gary and have to agree with some of his statements (no Netflix, Blockbuster carries only the 'blockbuster' mainstream films, expensive first-run cinemas), sometimes the only way to see a particular film is to buy it...which explains most of my 600 title collection (too many!)
However....

I don't go to the theatre anymore now that I have my home theatre.

A very, very bad decision!

 

[Robert George]

Long-term strategy? Yeah, right. I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

 

[Jay E]

All the DVDs I own (I'm too embarrassed to say how many but it's over 1000) are films I would re-watch again. There is no way I would be able to cut it down or would want to. Why should I?

If it's a question of space, need for $$$ or if you own films that you would never watch again, that I can understand. But to simply cut it down because you think you own too many doesn't make much sense to me.

I'm a huge, huge film buff and owning films gives me such satisfaction that I could never limit myself, it would be criminal. As a child (in the 70's)I wished that I could own my own films & play them whenever I want. Now I'm able to do that & I feel very lucky & greatly appreciative of the technology that allows me to do so. Butchered, Pan & scan films on T.V are a thing of the past, Hallelujah!!!!!!

 

[Blu]

I suppose I'm more of a collector. Although I'm under 300 DVDs I never plan on selling any of them. I will buy whatever I want whenever I want when it is affordable to me. Long term strategy is to get the movies I want when I can get them and keep them

 

[Rich Co]

I've been collecting for 3 years now but this year saw a huge increase in my disc buying. I am up to about 115 dvd's.

I used to collect Anime dvd's but grew tired of some of them so i began selling them off and focused on movies.

I luckier compared to you guys in the USA, Canada or Europe since the most expensive movies in the Philippines is about US$2 for DD/DTs reserved seating theater. I watch almost all the movies that tweak my fancy before i even buy the dvd. there are some exceptions like Billy elliot and the french Conneciton.

Region 3 DVD have gone down in price as comapred to Region 1 discs. I recently bought a Swordfish R3 DVD for only $13.50, which is a replcia of the Region1 disc.

I mostly buy the boxed sets or SE unless it's a film i really like.

 

[TheLongshot]

I currently own about 225 DVDs, a good piece of them Anime dvds that I probably won't get rid of. Most of the movies I buy are those that I would want to watch more than once. I skip movie-only editions if I know there will be a SE in the future.

I occasionally buy without seeing first, but not often.

I've now started to trade some of the DVDs that I have, those of which I don't want as much as I though I would.

Jason

 

[Mark-W]

Gary-
I currently own about 600 DVDs.
Originally, I told myself I would
never get more than my current shelving
system could hold.
Then I bought more shelves.
What I do do is this:
1) I go over my entire collection,
barring Criterion or Out of Print titles,
once per season.
Any film that I have not watched in the last 12
months, that is not too hard to acquire again or
rent again, I put in a stack.
This stack will contain films I enjoy,
but just haven't watched in the last year.
(With more than 365 DVDs, you're apt to have
a few titles in this category.)
And I tell myself as I do this,
"If I want to see Starship Troopers again,
I can always rent it."
Then I check my stack for DVDs that are scratched,
even slightly, that won't get a good price on eBay.
(There are usually VERY FEW that are scratched.)
Then those scratched ones go back in the wall,
or from time to time,
I give them to family memebers or friends.
Then I am off to eBay with the others.
(I do the same with any films reported
to have Special Editions in the works.)
So far, I have sold about 200 DVDs, and
I am VERY happy about it. No regrets.
(And I haven't had the urge to rent 90%
of the films I've trotted off to eBay, either.)
Most of the time, I get near something like
75% of my cost of a DVD back from a buyer on eBay.
Sometimes, they even pay more for them than I did
BRAND NEW. (I still don't understand why people
pay me $28.00 for a DVD they can go buy at the local
Best Buy for $3.00 less new, but I am NOT complaining!)

At any rate, I highly reccomend this practice.
I, like you, find that I need to buy obscure titles
if I am going to see them at all. Also, a film that
seems thrilling at the time of its release may just
be so-so many months later...or a better film in the
same genre is relased...and whenever I am in the mood
to watch great John Woo film, I always turn to The
Killer and not Face/Off (as
an example).
Mark

 

[ScottR]

Gary, I have no idea if we watch the same kinds of films. But it does seem that buying all of these dvd's, many of them sight unseen, may be becoming a problem for you. I suggest that you do a little more research on a film before purchasing it. Just reading the back of a dvd case, or seeing it in the store is probably not enough. You may find that by reading up on a film, it may cull more interest than it otherwise would for you. On the other hand, I could never imagine owning as many dvd's as you have right now. I really couldn't...and I am a huge movie buff. Of course, my library will continue to grow. Buying a film and watching it once though is, I hate to say it but will, somewhat of a waste of money and space. With all of the money you have spent on movies you only partially like, you could have bought a new home theatre system!! One other piece of advice, don't simply go on popular hype when buying...you will get burned by your own expectations. One good thing has come out of all of your movie buying...your passion for experiencing new things. That is a trait I am sure that people should strive towards.

 

[Gary Tooze]

I suggest that you do a little more research on a film before purchasing it.

Sorry, is this a joke ?
Scott you have no idea the research that I do before buying a DVD/film... PLEASE don't infer that you do. This is not a simple pastime for me, but a large part of my life. You may visit my website if you have any doubts. I have a strange feeling that you are again projecting your own personal attributes rather than accept that someone is very different than you are...
Regards,

 

[Gary Tooze]

Buying a film and watching it once though is, I hate to say it but will, somewhat of a waste of money and space

How strange... so you are a "huge film buff" who does not advocate going to the theatre ?... at the Cinema I would spend more money ( with my wife ) and only see a film once... I don't think you have listened to what others are saying in this thread at all...

 

[TedD]

I have solved the space issue by buying the big CD binders. Each one will hold 300+ DVD's. I then put the cases in storage boxes in the back room, and use my database to reference the binder and page that the DVD is stored in.

Works great, I have no more storage problems, and I can continue to collect DVD's. If I need to check on stars or the plot, I use IMDB.

Ted

 

[Ted Todorov]

Boy, how did I miss this thread
I haven't the foggiest how many I have -- 400+ I suppose. And I don't have a plan, but I'd better get one soon, that or a bigger place.
My main problem is I simply don't rent -- it's buy it or nothing. I probably spend just as much (or more)on movies as I do DVDs -- $500 on this year's New York Film Festival alone.
I have been giving away stuff I upgrade, but I think I should give away some stuff I've watched and did not like (Entrapment comes to mind).
I totally don't go for the idea that I should get rid of stuff that I haven't watched in the past X amount of time. I am a film buff and a collector. My collection is full of DVDs like Tampopo -- I love the movie, I've seen at least 4-5 times on the silver screen, but I'm yet to watch the DVD, which I've had for over two years. I wouldn't dream of parting with it though -- the occasion to share it with someone will present itself one day.
The one thing that prevents me from worrying is my CD collection -- it is around 850 (??) and I have been at it since 1985. I find I have slowed to very, very few CDs --

 

[Ed St. Clair]

I am glad to see you'd like to stop the buy everything syndrome.We've all been there, for something or another. You can help yourself and all of us, to keep your DVD's to only the best movies & transfers.

It's work, but enjoyable to check out reviews. You'll soon find sources you can trust. Just going for OAR & anamorphic WS only, should cut out quite a few.

I'd love to live by that flea market!

 

[Rich Malloy]

Since Gary keeps track of some of our collections at his website (see my signature links), he knows my buying habits rather well. I think my collection may be, if not the smallest, at least the most slow-growing on his site.

When I update my collection with Gary, it's generally something along the lines of "got the following 5 new discs and traded/sold these 3 for a net gain of 2". My collection has grown from about 140 to 180 in the past year.

(I should note that I'm limited to region 1 and regionless discs.)

I even remember when I used to have the largest Criterion collection at DVD BEAVER. And then Gary purchased every one that he didn't have in the space of a couple of months!

And this is where I can recommend the simplest, most obvious strategy. When you went on your Criterion buying spree, you purchased "Chasing Amy", "The Rock", and "Armageddon"... even though you dislike or even hate those movies!

Here's where I think your better instincts should have taken over. Or, better put, you let your "collector's instincts" overwhelm your understanding of what is a good film. Now you have movies in your collection that you despise. I think weeding these out would be a good beginning strategy. Trade them for movies you actually like, or sell them to the highest bidder. But ridding yourself of movies you hate would be the easiest first step.

"Be honest and unmerciful." That was the advice Cameron Crowe claims to have received from Lester Bangs. Had he only followed it, I wouldn't feel so guilty about loving "Almost Famous" even though I dislike the rest of Crowe's ouevre. So, when reviewing your collection, "be honest and unmerciful". If a film isn't up-to-snuff (despite one or two nice flourishes or a good performance here and there), get rid of it! If a DVD presentation falls beneath a certain level of acceptability (like the censored Fejui release of "The Idiots"), get rid of it!

And, for cryin' out loud, never buy a disc thinking that "well, someone else might like it and might want to watch it..." This is your collection. It reflects your tastes. If you're gonna condescend to a film, then make sure it's on the basis of your own personal guilty pleasure... not someone else's potential pleasure. After having "Aliens" and "Terminator 2" sit on my shelf unwatched over the years (hell, I bought T2 twice!), I finally said to myself "I don't like these movies - and neither do my friends! Why the hell are they taking up space in my place?"

Unfortunately, my last strategy suggestion won't work for Gary (and some others) - RENT RENT RENT!!! It used to be that the low-low price of DVDs justified purchases over rentals in most cases. Those days are gone. With Netflix, Hollywood Video, etc., I have access to nearly every title I want to see, with some unfortunate exceptions. Those exceptions weigh on my decision to make a purchase, but those exceptions are fortunately rare. And of all the sight-unseen films I've rented instead of purchased, only a few have I gone on to purchase later - and most of those were rentals of bare-bones discs that I knew would later be supplanted by special editions.

So, go through your collections and "be honest and unmerciful." Your collection is a reflection of yourself. Do some of your films provide an aspect that's not true to you? Then, put 'em on the block and don't look back!

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I recently sold off about 40 discs. I'm down to around 400 titles now. I too have gotten selective. With new films unless it's agenre picture I know I'll watch more than once I usually try to rent. If it's a title that has gotten special Attention like Moulin Rouge I'll buy if I can get around 40% off. I figure if I don't like it I can sell it for very close to the cost and the remainder is like a rental. Titles I'm on the fence On, like "Made" recently I rented. I really liked this movie so I'll look for it used when BB clears out it's stock, probabl aroun $10 bucks. I'll still buy the collections like TNG because I know those will get rewatched often. But I'm definately evaluating each new movie released and if I can wait I'll get them used. I prpbably should have done that on things like POTA recently it's down to $12 used at BB.