Nic_II
Grip
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2008
- Messages
- 17
- Real Name
- Nikolas
I've been asking this in several forums and so far no-one has known the answer, so thought I'd try here, since this appears to be one of the biggest and most professional boards around. There was a thread here where people were complaining about missing trailers and where to find them, but as far as I know, no-one mentioned this, so...
How come there are so many studios that don't include trailers anymore with their DVDs? Are there financial reasons? Or do some just see them as only promotional items and once the product has been bought, they see no need to include it?
Lionsgate used to include trailers with just about everything. Not anymore. Fox includes trailers on some releases, not on others (in addition, they often drop trailers from special editions - Commando and Predator come to mind). Universal and Paramount used to include them - that has changed. Weinstein appears to include the trailer on pretty much every release (kudos to them). The same with Warner, with the exception of some recent releases. Columbia Tri-Star used to have the trailer along with previews with almost every release where it was possible, but now, with the DVDs being released by Sony, there are dozens of previews but not the trailer. In fact, I remember seeing the original trailer included on only three Sony DVDs. The special edition of Gandhi, "Rise: Blood Hunter" and, amazingly, "Magma: Volcanic Disaster"(!).
Personally, I love trailers. Indeed, the trailer (whether it's a long 3-minute theatrical trailer or just a 30-second spot for a direct-to-DVD release) is easily my favorite extra and usually the only one I watch more than once. The best of them are like short movies with great editing, great music, great taglines etc. And based on the feedback I've received in other forums, I'm certainly not alone with this opinion.
But I don't want to start a discussion on the entertainment or educational value of trailers nor whether their inclusion is a deal breaker. Those are subjective things. But since a trailer is (with the possible exception of the smallest DTV-releases) always made and it does exist, no matter what, is there an actual reason why so many studios are dropping it? I mean, even if it has only promotional value to them, since there obviously are buyers who like having it included, why not include it on the disc? It would appear to me that the more bang studios are giving for the consumer's buck, the better (especially in these days, with the rampant piratism and everything).
Again, different people like different extras. Some love trailers, others don't. Some always listen to the commentaries, some don't give a damn about them. This is not about discussing trailers in general. This is simply an inquiry on why - despite their popularity - they aren't included anymore? Not even on new HD-releases.
And, of course, if there are people who have influence on this matter, one would certainly appreciate if they would let the studios know that there are a lot of people out there who'd like to see this extra included. Kudos to all the studios that still do! And I am sorry if this sounded like a useless rant you've heard a billion times before
How come there are so many studios that don't include trailers anymore with their DVDs? Are there financial reasons? Or do some just see them as only promotional items and once the product has been bought, they see no need to include it?
Lionsgate used to include trailers with just about everything. Not anymore. Fox includes trailers on some releases, not on others (in addition, they often drop trailers from special editions - Commando and Predator come to mind). Universal and Paramount used to include them - that has changed. Weinstein appears to include the trailer on pretty much every release (kudos to them). The same with Warner, with the exception of some recent releases. Columbia Tri-Star used to have the trailer along with previews with almost every release where it was possible, but now, with the DVDs being released by Sony, there are dozens of previews but not the trailer. In fact, I remember seeing the original trailer included on only three Sony DVDs. The special edition of Gandhi, "Rise: Blood Hunter" and, amazingly, "Magma: Volcanic Disaster"(!).
Personally, I love trailers. Indeed, the trailer (whether it's a long 3-minute theatrical trailer or just a 30-second spot for a direct-to-DVD release) is easily my favorite extra and usually the only one I watch more than once. The best of them are like short movies with great editing, great music, great taglines etc. And based on the feedback I've received in other forums, I'm certainly not alone with this opinion.
But I don't want to start a discussion on the entertainment or educational value of trailers nor whether their inclusion is a deal breaker. Those are subjective things. But since a trailer is (with the possible exception of the smallest DTV-releases) always made and it does exist, no matter what, is there an actual reason why so many studios are dropping it? I mean, even if it has only promotional value to them, since there obviously are buyers who like having it included, why not include it on the disc? It would appear to me that the more bang studios are giving for the consumer's buck, the better (especially in these days, with the rampant piratism and everything).
Again, different people like different extras. Some love trailers, others don't. Some always listen to the commentaries, some don't give a damn about them. This is not about discussing trailers in general. This is simply an inquiry on why - despite their popularity - they aren't included anymore? Not even on new HD-releases.
And, of course, if there are people who have influence on this matter, one would certainly appreciate if they would let the studios know that there are a lot of people out there who'd like to see this extra included. Kudos to all the studios that still do! And I am sorry if this sounded like a useless rant you've heard a billion times before