Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by RalphoR

I hope that everyone who wanted a signed copy got theirs.

I didn't. I had to go somewhere shortly after 4. I was hoping to snag the disc and take off. Didn't realize that it rose from the dead for a little while after.

Figures.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I didn't. I had to go somewhere shortly after 4. I was hoping to snag the disc and take off. Didn't realize that it rose from the dead for a little while after.

Figures.

Really sorry to hear that man. You certainly deserved it.

[PuppetMasterBlu]

Originally Posted by Twilight Time

SAE told us that one enterprising huckster somehow gamed the system snagging multiple copies, but he was intercepted at checkout.

Somehow? Im sure quite a few people did that.

[dragon53]

RALPHOR:

No, but some people say I'm Daffy.

[rjg77vett]

Originally Posted by Keyser Soze.

I still buy laserdisc.

Are you looking for any particular LD titles? I have about 2 dozen I want to sell.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Bk_Tan

Yes, this was very long, but I thought people should realize the inherent nature of the industry and the world rather than continuously making idealistic comments about sales and general interest.

Thanks for the great post.

It's time a lot of people around here accepted we're a niche audience and began preparing to pony up the cash if they want to keep collecting discs.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by bruceames.

Really sorry to hear that man. You certainly deserved it.

Thanks. I'll get over it. I'm not bummed about missing out on a Stone autograph, but missing out on a free copy of a movie I want to get anyway.

[Arkadin]

needed: shipping confirmation from SAE.

[duggie walker]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Thanks for the great post.

It's time a lot of people around here accepted we're a niche audience and began preparing to pony up the cash if they want to keep collecting discs.

To play devil's advocate, though, we're in a much stranger situation than we were in during the golden days of DVD.

Because of the collapse of home video sales and the corresponding lack of enthusiasm on the part of studios, we're seeing something of a boom in boutique labels.

Some of these labels are beneficiaries of studio-licensing. Often the studios licence their b-catalogue titles and hold on to their more prestigious films, hoping to exploit them further. The problem is, they end up not releasing those titles.

But many of the boutique labels are - understandably - buying up the rights to very obscure niche-titles, which are no doubt cheaper. Often the participants in those films are more willing to provide themselves for extra materials, as they're just grateful their movies are going to be out there.

The odd result is that we live in a world where HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN can get a fairly stacked release and classics like HIS GIRL FRIDAY or RYAN'S DAUGHTER (or even TRUE LIES and THE ABYSS) are nowhere to be seen.

So whilst I bemoan the lack of quality studio product, I'm still quite amazed by some of the films that DO make it to Blu. It doesn't quite chime with the narrative that there's no audience out there or that home video is dying. There's actually a LOT of catalogue releases coming out every month; it's just that most of them are only of interest to a small fanbase.

It's understandable, then, that people are a little confused/anxious/ unrealistic as regards likely releases.

But I do think - as I said earlier - that people will have to be prepared to put their hands in their pockets or else the boutique labels will run aground. I'm sure we're going to see the TT model being adopted further, with many more titles being limited and exclusive to the label websites, at a fixed price-point which won't drop. The trick is setting that price at the right level. The price point, for example, of the last two Flicker Alley Cinerama releases was prohibitive (especially for international customers) and as a result, they are the only cinerama releases I don't have and I shouldn't think I'm the sole example of that. And if TT ever cease to be customs-friendly, the amount I order for them would be immediately halved, at the very least.

[oleus]

any update on when ZARDOZ might be available for preorder?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by oleus

any update on when ZARDOZ might be available for preorder?

When there is an update, it'll be mentioned in Post #1 in this thread.

[dorothyv]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

needed: shipping confirmation from SAE.

Mine shipped yesterday. I imagine yours will ship soon too.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

To play devil's advocate, though, we're in a much stranger situation than we were in during the golden days of DVD.

Because of the collapse of home video sales and the corresponding lack of enthusiasm on the part of studios, we're seeing something of a boom in boutique labels.

Some of these labels are beneficiaries of studio-licensing. Often the studios licence their b-catalogue titles and hold on to their more prestigious films, hoping to exploit them further. The problem is, they end up not releasing those titles.

But many of the boutique labels are - understandably - buying up the rights to very obscure niche-titles, which are no doubt cheaper. Often the participants in those films are more willing to provide themselves for extra materials, as they're just grateful their movies are going to be out there.

The odd result is that we live in a world where HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN can get a fairly stacked release and classics like HIS GIRL FRIDAY or RYAN'S DAUGHTER (or even TRUE LIES and THE ABYSS) are nowhere to be seen.

So whilst I bemoan the lack of quality studio product, I'm still quite amazed by some of the films that DO make it to Blu. It doesn't quite chime with the narrative that there's no audience out there or that home video is dying. There's actually a LOT of catalogue releases coming out every month; it's just that most of them are only of interest to a small fanbase.

It's understandable, then, that people are a little confused/anxious/ unrealistic as regards likely releases.

But I do think - as I said earlier - that people will have to be prepared to put their hands in their pockets or else the boutique labels will run aground. I'm sure we're going to see the TT model being adopted further, with many more titles being limited and exclusive to the label websites, at a fixed price-point which won't drop. The trick is setting that price at the right level. The price point, for example, of the last two Flicker Alley Cinerama releases was prohibitive (especially for international customers) and as a result, they are the only cinerama releases I don't have and I shouldn't think I'm the sole example of that. And if TT ever cease to be customs-friendly, the amount I order for them would be immediately halved, at the very least.

This is actually pretty typical of the history of any format. So far DVD and Blu-ray are following the classic home media trajectory, be it 16mm, 8mm, VHS, laser disc, DVD or VOD:

Stage One: the studios sublicensing a few titles to third party distributors because they don't want to commit resources to a format that might not take off. Prices are high.

Stage Two: the gold rush years with studios breaking their licensing contracts and releasing titles themselves once they release how much money they can make themselves. Prices drop.

Stage Three: once the market starts an irreversible decline and the prime titles in the library are tapped out, sublicensing again to third party distributors because they can't afford to keep the staff levels they had during stage two and still show a profit. Prices go up.

[StingingVelvet]

Yeah.

And I think if physical media continues to decline pretty soon labels like Kino, Scream and Criterion will be releasing "big" movies again. As studios see less and less point in bothering they will see more and more willingness to farm stuff out.

Criterion Silence of the Lambs again on 4kBD anyone?

[duggie walker]

Originally Posted by Aclea

This is actually pretty typical of the history of any format. So far DVD and Blu-ray are following the classic home media trajectory, be it 16mm, 8mm, VHS, laser disc, DVD or VOD

Yes, if you see Blu-ray as a simple continuation of the DVD format. I tend to see it as its own thing but certainly we've never yet - never will? - see the same kind of leap in quality that we saw from VHS to DVD so we can see 4k and any future developments as part of the same long timeline.

The problem is that Blu-ray only came to fruition in Stage 3, in the hope that it would extend Stage 2.

But it's a bit early to lump VOD in there, unless you're distinguishing that from streaming etc That's just going to become the default position for home entertainment, I think. The same questions won't really apply because the idea of collecting/owning won't even make sense.

We'll have access to everything and own nothing.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

But it's a bit early to lump VOD in there, unless you're distinguishing that from streaming etc

VOD and streaming are currently in stage two, though there was a surprising dip in that last year.

We'll have access to everything

Well, except Song of the South, of course.

[biglou114]

Has anybody else's order of Love and Death ship yet?

[The Great Owl]

Lenny showed up in the mail today.

[LucasM2012]

Originally Posted by Aclea

This is actually pretty typical of the history of any format. So far DVD and Blu-ray are following the classic home media trajectory, be it 16mm, 8mm, VHS, laser disc, DVD or VOD:

Stage One: the studios sublicensing a few titles to third party distributors because they don't want to commit resources to a format that might not take off. Prices are high.

Stage Two: the gold rush years with studios breaking their licensing contracts and releasing titles themselves once they release how much money they can make themselves. Prices drop.

Stage Three: once the market starts an irreversible decline and the prime titles in the library are tapped out, sublicensing again to third party distributors because they can't afford to keep the staff levels they had during stage two and still show a profit. Prices go up.

Except in all previous media, there was no 'competition' from streaming. The average person no longer seems to care if they actually 'own' films they like (those of us discussing this obviously being part of the exceptions to those 'average people'). If people don't care about owning their films because they can dial it up from the cloud any time they please and play it on anything from their TV to computer to their tablet or smart phone, that translates to very limited sales of physical product.

The other major difference between Blu-ray and all prior formats is that now such a large number of films are able to be delivered to the average person's home via cable and streaming, that rentals of physical media are becoming rare. Again: no rentals, and way more limited sales of physical product, because there are no longer 2, 3, 4, or more video stores in each town buying multiple copies of the same film to rent to everyone in that town.

Between streaming, and lack of sales to video stores, Blu-ray can never approach the heyday of DVD sales or VHS sales. If the studios aren't guaranteed sales to multiple video stores in each town? They won't make them. Period. Why would they bother making hard copies of films, except for the films they deemed 'most desirable' where they felt there was a huge enough, immediate, fan base willing to buy enough copies to make it worthwhile?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by LucasM2012

The other major difference between Blu-ray and all prior formats is that now such a large number of films are able to be delivered to the average person's home via cable and streaming, that rentals of physical media are becoming rare.

Cause and effect is in question here. I used to rent Blu-rays from Netflix, rather than streaming. Nowadays, I stream instead because I can see a crapload of movies by streaming that I can't buy or rent on Blu-ray.