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Mondo Cane Collection Box Problems (1 Viewer)

EdwardKarlinski

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A sly joke? It wasn't funny. Since when do companies release DVD's as part of a joke? But, seriously, what is sly about it? Nobody thought this was a real snuff film. Everyone knew that Blue Underground released it. So, no one was fooled by this ploy. What exactly did it accomplish from a business standpoint?
 

Jon Robertson

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Nobody is implying you were meant to slap your thigh and roar with laughter at the prospect, but it was simply trying to carry on the oft-bootlegged tradition of the film's presentation. I've no idea why you the find the concept so inherently offensive.
 

EdwardKarlinski

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Nobody is implying you were meant to slap your thigh and roar with laughter at the prospect, but it was simply trying to carry on the oft-bootlegged tradition of the film's presentation. I've no idea why you the find the concept so inherently offensive.
The real question is why you think that pretending that a DVD, which everyone knows is not a bootleg, is a bootleg is a clever thing to do. You admit it is not really funny.
I am amazed that I have to explain my offense. I would have thought it obvious that ripping off consumers by selling a VHS disguised as a DVD is offensive. That is what Blue Underground did. So, tell me why is it clever?
 

EdwardKarlinski

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I actually find Snuff to be an amusing film. It has a silly plot which attempts to mimic the Manson killings, and it is fun to watch if one likes exploitation films. Given its history, it deserved bonus features. All DVD's deserve menus and scene access. Even Alpha puts those on all discs. By the way, I note that you still cannot explain what specifically is clever about releasing a DVD with no menu and no scene access. I imagine this is because you realize that it is not clever.
 

Damin J Toell

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But, seriously, what is sly about it? Nobody thought this was a real snuff film. Everyone knew that Blue Underground released it. So, no one was fooled by this ploy. What exactly did it accomplish from a business standpoint?
It's not a ploy meant to actually fool anybody. Do you also think that humorous Halloween costumes are meant to fool people into believing the costume-wearer is someone else? The joke isn't in fooling people. It's just a rather quick bit of humor that doesn't work for you. You apparently just don't get the joke. Other people, including people I've seen post online and have spoken to about it with in person, thought differently. Given that I've used the chapter selection feature about 20-30 times out of the hundreds of DVD I own, it's not that big a loss for me. Menus, too, would've been redundant, as there would be nothing to choose aside from "Play."

It's not the end of the world. It's not "offensive," a "rip off," or "clearly indefensible." BU left menus and chapter selection off the disc, they didn't beat up your grandmother.

DJ
 

EdwardKarlinski

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Damin, you are a hypocrite. If some big studio put out a film you liked with no menus and scene access, you would be screaming bloody murder. So would all the people defending this brainless decision by Blue Underground. I note again that no one has yet been able to explain why leaving menus and screen access off a DVD is either clever or funny. It just "is". In other words, no one here can actually answer those questions because it is nether clever nor funny. It makes no business sense to release a DVD with no menu and no scene access. I don't care how many times Damin uses scene access. He does use it. Most people do. I certainly do. There is absolutely no rational business basis for denying consumers these standard features on a DVD. No one on this board has yet named one.
 

Jon Robertson

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Well, if anything, it's nice to see an unusual move by a DVD company that isn't entirely business-motivated. And plenty of people have explained the reasoning behind the disc's presentation in this thread - five, to my count - yet you just ignore them outright.

The whole point is that it's a bootleg disc that could have come from anywhere. I believe the only form of identification on the box is a barcode and a Blue Underground catalog number on the spine. They haven't even put it up on their website, as if you needed more proof behind their aim to make this a real 'underground' release. It's a gimmick mirroring the film itself (ie. no credits, no trace of its makers).
 

Damin J Toell

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There is absolutely no rational business basis for denying consumers these standard features on a DVD. No one on this board has yet named one.
Rational business basis: a very large segment of the target audience for the disc are people who get the joke. As someone at MHVF noted, the "marketing ploy" seemed to "work." Just because you don't get it, it doesn't make it irrational.

DJ
 

Michael Reuben

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Knock off the personal comments, please. There will be no further warning, and accounts will be suspended.

M.
 

EdwardKarlinski

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Well, first, I apologize for violating forum rules. Second, you admit that you are one of the few who defends Lynch's practice. This indicates that you realize that most people consider chapter stops to be essential to a DVD. It is one of the things which differentiates DVD from VHS. Your argument that people get the "joke" means nothing since it does not make leaving off menus and scene access a rational business decision. It did not increase sales. It did however alienate some purchasers such as myself, who feel ripped off. This makes it a bad business decision, as including menus and scene access would have alienated no one. You still cannot address this issue from a business standpoint. That is because the decision makes no sense from a business standpoint. It is indefensible from a business standpoint. You keep trying to say this is only my opinion, but offer no facts to back up increased sales based on this "joke". They don't exist. You also have no idea how many people feel as cheated as I do. I know at least two others personally. The bottom line, once again, is that it can never be a good thing to leave off menus and scene access. It does not reduce sales nor anger customers to include them. It does anger some customers and reduce sales to exclude them. This makes it a bad business decision. That is not even debatable from a rational standpoint. You may like the "joke". That is your opinion. But this has nothing to do with the wisdom of a business decision.
 

Robert Crawford

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It's debatable from my vantage point because I've never heard of anyone not buying a dvd because it doesn't have a menu or scene access.





Crawdaddy
 

Jon Robertson

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What's with the "business standpoint" obsession? Why should you be so concerned that it's "harming sales"? I can only conclude you own substantial shares in Blue Underground.
 

RichSL

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Jun 22, 2001
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Back on topic....received a very pleasant and unexpected e-mail back from DVD Pacific in light of the problem i highlighted earlier...i've cut and pasted it :

-Hi Rich,



Some good news!



BU got back to me and tell me they are having some boxes made for this specific reason. They will also send you one directly when they have them completed and I have passed on your details to them. They were unsure exactly of a time frame but assured me that one would be on it’s way to you soon.
 

Damin J Toell

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You keep trying to say this is only my opinion, but offer no facts to back up increased sales based on this "joke". They don't exist.
I never stated that they had increased sales - I stated the rationale for the marketing technique, which is not the same as it saying it actually worked. You, however, offer no facts to back up your definitive assertion that their marketing technique didn't increase sales. You're just inventing facts and trashing a company over those inventions of yours.

DJ
 

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