Warner to celebrate 90th Anniversary in 2013

[Akijama]

Cinema Fanatic participated in a virtual roundtable/Q&A about film restoration and conversion between Jeff Baker (Executive Vice President and General Manager Warner Bros. theatrical catalog),Ned Price (Vice President of Mastering at Warner Bros) and Andy Parsons (who is the chair of the Blu-ray Association of America).

Full interview here.Lots of informative stuff there.One can see how things work at WHV in regards to what films are coming out on Blu-ray

[Show spoiler]Jeffrey Baker: My role in the company is to over-see the film library at Warner Bros. I am responsible from a P&L point of view of the monetization of that film library. When we talk about Blu-ray specifically, there are a number of steps and methodologies that we use in determining which films are ultimately released to consumers. The first step is to do a financial feasibility of the film that we are thinking of releasing in Blu-ray for the first time. Then we look at our film elements to first qualify that we have a 1080p master element, that is the first preferred choice that we go to. Once we have done that, we look at general criteria with regards to what films are coming out on Blu-ray. We look at anniversaries, we look at epic films, Oscar winners and in many cases we look at the consumer demo and the purchase buy-rates of the types of films that consumers seems to have an affinity for in Blu-ray; science fiction, action and other genres that work well. Once we’ve done that, we then look at the type of conversion and restoration that is required, based on the film element and the financial viability of the ultimate film on Blu-ray. So, we have gradations of how we approach that process, which Ned Price will speak about. After we’ve done that we look at what type of E.C. – enhanced content – we want to marry up with the film. In most cases we are, at minimum, taking all the E.C. that existed in DVD format and when it comes to our A titles that we’ve determined, we are actually creating new and interesting archival E.C. that’s available for the first time with the release on Blu-ray for the first time. Finally, we look at the marketing and pricing strategies of that film in the marketplace when it’s ready for general release. That is the general methodology that we use at Warner at looking at what titles are coming out on Blu-ray.

Now,here's the best(and extremely promising) part:

AP: Do you have any kind of wrap-up comment before we go to the Q&A?

JB:Without making a formal announcement, I will tell you this, next year is the 90th anniversary of Warner Bros., we have not yet formally announced what are plans are, but we’re going to be doing that at our lot in early October. We’re going to be converting a lot of films to Blu-ray next year as part of our anniversary, including five Best Picture winners that have never been on Blu-ray. I can’t tell you what they are, but they will be coming out. There are some other boxsets that are absolutely extraordinary and I think it’s going to be the year of Blu-ray next year and consumers are going to go wild over what Warners is bringing to the party.

Wow!I like how it sounds!

"including five Best Picture winners that have never been on Blu-ray"..?

I'm thinking of : Grand Hotel,Mrs. Miniver,The Best Years of Our Lives,Around the World in 80 Days and Driving Miss Daisy (or Tom Jones)

And here's my ultimate WB wishlist:

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by Akijama

Here's mine (bolded ones are my most wanted Warners):

The Public Enemy (1931)
Captain Blood
Angels with Dirty Faces
The Roaring Twenties
The Sea Hawk
They Drive by Night
Sergeant York
Now, Voyager
Arsenic and Old Lace
Gentleman Jim
To Have and Have Not
Mildred Pierce
The Big Sleep (1946)
Dark Passage
White Heat
Gun Crazy
Strangers on a Train
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N.
The Crimson Pirate
Dial M for Murder
East of Eden
Mister Roberts
Rebel Without a Cause
Moby Dick
Giant
Baby Doll
The Wrong Man
Splendor in the Grass
America, America
Days of Wine and Roses
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Wait Until Dark
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
There Was a Crooked Man...
Death in Venice
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Klute
The Devils
Badlands
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Night Moves
Straight Time
Time After Time
Big Wednesday
The Medusa Touch
The Ninth Configuration
Prince of the City
Over the Edge
The Right Stuff
Police Academy
After Hours
The Accidental Tourist
Fearless
The Big Red One
Key Largo
The Night of the Iguana
Advise and Consent
Bad Day at Black Rock
The Shop Around the Corner
The Philadelphia Story
Gaslight
Adam's Rib
The Asphalt Jungle
The Naked Spur
The Bad and the Beautiful
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Time Machine
Ride the High Country
The Hill
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
The Year of Living Dangerously
Diner
My Favorite Year
Point Blank
The Haunting (1963)
Dodsworth
Wuthering Heights (1939)
Blowup
Bringing Up Baby
Gunga Din
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Spiral Staircase
Out of the Past
They Live by Night
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Narrow Margin
Before Sunrise/Before Sunset
Lone Star
Waiting for Guffman
Best in Show
Dolores Claiborne

[benricci]

Just give me Singles and the theatrical cut of Empire Records, and I'll be happy.

[pro-bassoonist]

Going wild sounds good to me

Warner again proving that they are the best of the majors...

Pro-B

[octagon]

People still sort of rag on Warner because of missteps with early releases (lossless audio, mostly) or because of swag packs but I've been pretty impressed with their catalog output so far - both in terms of quality and quantity - and it sounds like things are just going to get better.

The boxset line has my scalp tingling too...

Bogart set? Noir set?

It's funny too, less than a year ago people were writing obituaries for the catalog market and it seems like it just keeps getting stronger.

[nolfoc]

as long as they release Ace Ventura as a non combopack (ace ventura 2) i will be happy

[Cowboy300]

The problem is Warner doesn't suck like some do. That being said, the Aces (1 and 2), Starsky and Hutch, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Matchstick Men, and About Schmidt please....

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by octagon

Bogart set?

STOP.TEASING.ME I'd kill for something like that .
They do have a lot of fantastic movies of the (old) major Hollywood stars(Bogie,Grant,Flynn,Davis,Tracy,etc).They could put out a gigantic box set called "Hollywood Legends"...or something like that

[Arkadin]

one word--GIANT

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by octagon

People still sort of rag on Warner because of missteps with early releases (lossless audio, mostly) or because of swag packs but I've been pretty impressed with their catalog output so far - both in terms of quality and quantity - and it sounds like things are just going to get better.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by nolfoc

as long as they release Ace Ventura as a non combopack (ace ventura 2) i will be happy

Alrighty Then Ace Ventura When Nature Calls - YouTube

[*PREACHER*]

Exciting news...here's hoping they go back and try and work harder with the Oceans Trilogy, in my opinion and from the reviews I've seen, it deserves a better transfer/audio.

[Akijama]

Ace Ventura 1 & 2 and a few other Warner comedies for that matter (Doc Hollywood,The Whole Nine/Ten Yards) were aired recently on HDNet.I assume they will be announced soon.Perhaps,all at once,in some comedy wave.

Originally Posted by Arkadin

one word--GIANT

Jimmy Dean box set sounds about right

[jetthead]

As a HUGE Bogart fan, I really, really, really want Key Largo, To Have And Have Not, The Big Sleep, and Dark Victory.

[Yami]

These are the not-yet-released Best Picture winners that Warner have the rights to:

The Broadway Melody
Cimarron
Grand Hotel
The Great Ziegfeld
The Life of Emile Zola
Mrs. Miniver
The Best Years of Our Lives
Driving Miss Daisy

None of them are particularly exciting (Best Years of Our Lives is definitely the standout) and Warner have the rights to much much better films.

I'm really hoping that they can get together with Kevin Brownlow and release some silents. Warner have the rights to some of the best silent films ever made and they haven't released them on DVD, nevermind Blu-Ray:

Greed
The Wind
The Crowd
Show People (was recently gifted an Archive release)
The Big Parade

Other than that, I'm hoping for some James Cagney gangster films such as Angels with Dirty Faces and The Roaring Twenties. Also, The Magnificent Ambersons of course

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by Yami

These are the not-yet-released Best Picture winners that Warner have the rights to:

The Broadway Melody
Cimarron
Grand Hotel
The Great Ziegfeld
The Life of Emile Zola
Mrs. Miniver
The Best Years of Our Lives
Driving Miss Daisy

You forgot Around the World in Eighty Days.Bolded titles are my five predictions.

[Yami]

Around the World in Eighty Days didn't win Best Picture

EDIT: Whoops. One version did, had no idea it was controlled by Warner

[I KEEL YOU]

Ace Ventura
Stephen King's It

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Akijama

I'm thinking of : Grand Hotel,Mrs. Miniver,The Best Years of Our Lives,Around the World in 80 Days and Driving Miss Daisy (or Tom Jones)

MGM has US rights to Tom Jones.

[Akijama]

Edit:Nevermind

Originally Posted by captveg

MGM has US rights to Tom Jones.

Interesting.I thought Warner has it through HBO.

[mzupeman]

Stephen King's IT would be awesome.