How Do You Approach Building Your Collection?

[bluerthanyou]

With so many great films available and seemingly being released from all studios and regions, rather unpredictably I might add, how do you tackle the prospect of building your collection? Do you stick to a favorite studio like Criterion or BFI or do you focus on a particular era of films? Perhaps there is an iconic director or actor that you focus on or do you randomly add movies from all eras, studios and individuals like I do? Sometimes I purchase something recently produced and end up wishing I had checked off one of the classic films missing from my collection. My goal is not to have an all inclusive collection but rather a diverse and personal one. Just curious...

[Salamurai]

my collection, its creation, its curation, and its continuation, largely amounts to "SQUIRREL!!"

[blufellas]

For me Criterions are my main priority, they have their own shelf. I also separate my Digibooks, Box sets, TV shows, Star Wars, and Marvel. The rest are in alphabetic order. One day I would like to sperate my horror.

[Heapashifter]

Buy everything!

[bsend]

I buy films I know I like, and blind buy from genres I love like horror, exploitation, arthouse, and classic Hollywood. Then I add based on recommendations. I trust Vinegar Syndrome, Criterion Collection and Arrow for film selections.

[PoorCampBlu]

Every year I consider where I want my collection to go and develop goals; pending funding. These goals are generally either General Goals (buying strategies) or Specific (Enumerated) Goals.

General Goals: 1) buy every DC animated release for the year; 2) buy every superhero movie of the year; 3) Dollar Tree budget; 4) Wish list titles

Specific Goals for this year is: 1) buy every dvd/blu DC animated title that is plausible (that I will watch and isn't crazy town priced). 2) Continue to develop my Animation (US-20th C) collection.

Next year I am planning that I might switch the specific goal to buying all Marvel animated and live action titles - at that time the DC goal gets reduced to the Wish list. Also I watch for trends - I had no plans at the end of last year to begin going after Hanna Barbera collections, but... so that becomes a general collection goal. Often I use the goals to decide where to spend the money at (if I was only mega-rich! lol).

[joeys1313]

I tend to go for limited editions first and then buy anything else when there are sales. Since a lot of the horror, exploitation etc. that I buy are blind buys and I'm not the type to hold onto something I don't like I at least like to be able to get back what I paid for it if I don't like it. I have a better chance of doing that with LE's once they go OOP. It's very rare that I end up selling anything though.

I have such a huge pile of BR's and 4k's that I haven't watched yet I can pretty much wait for anything with a standard release. No sense rushing and paying full price if it's just going to sit in a pile for who knows how long.

[78deluxe]

Originally Posted by bluerthanyou

With so many great films available and seemingly being released from all studios and regions, rather unpredictably I might add, how do you tackle the prospect of building your collection? Do you stick to a favorite studio like Criterion or BFI or do you focus on a particular era of films? Perhaps there is an iconic director or actor that you focus on or do you randomly add movies from all eras, studios and individuals like I do? Sometimes I purchase something recently produced and end up wishing I had checked off one of the classic films missing from my collection. My goal is not to have an all inclusive collection but rather a diverse and personal one. Just curious...

My collection is already built and only took 6 years to do so. It is simple, buy what I want when it is on sale.

I add to the collection as titles are released and go on sale.

I'm interested in the history of cinema, and primarily focus on films of high quality that might be worth more than one viewing in a lifetime. Exceptions are those I buy for less than $3 which I view as the price of a single viewing. This there are mediocre films in the collection too.

[dallywhitty]

I shall consume everything.

[Deadguy2322]

I see something I want at a good price, and if I can afford it, I buy it.

No overthinking needed!

[oilers73]

If I like the movie, I buy the Blu-ray.

[D00mM4r1n3]

For the most part I only pre-order movies that I love, I am deeply interested in, or that I think will be hard to find after 6 months to a year due to limited release. Mainstream catalog stuff I toss into my Amazon Wish List and wait for the price to drop below $15. Every few months when I have more cash than brain cells I go through the Wish List and order a couple of movies I had been holding out on. I'm also a sucker for Black Friday sales and other sales events like the recent Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow sales. Besides all of the above, I have signed up for Disney Movie Club 4 times to get Disney films at a significant discount.

[Nailwraps]

Originally Posted by oilers73

If I like the movie, I buy the Blu-ray.

My philosophy too! Do I make blind buys, sure but better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Though sometimes you have to adjust buying things accordingly whether its money or if there's a new edition of a film like RoboCop coming out and you save money by not buying the edition(s) that are out already (unless there's material not ported over).

[popcorntreect]

I buy a lot based on directors I like. Whether that's adding to my Hitchcock or Welles movies or blind buying movies from Bong Joon-ho or Hirokazu Kore-eda.

[Jar Jar Stinks]

Dollar Tree.

[DNSK]

I’m very picky about what goes into my collection. I will not blind buy and I only buy movies that I love and will watch over and over again. I look at it as my personal elite collection and a reflection of what I love.

[glennstl]

Like many responses, if the price is right for me... I’ll buy the Blu.

It also needs to be something that I know I will watch more than once. I’m not talking rewatching something like monthly... but I prioritize buying Blu’s if I know it’s something I will rewatch maybe a few times in a year or so.

I also buy any Alfred Hitchcock.

I tend to also buy movies from the 1930s-1960s more than I do more contemporary movies.

[Worship.my.wreck]

When I first started collecting, my plan was just to collect Horror films. Then I decided to add non horror titles, but only of films I really liked, and then I just started buying everything and even blind buying stuff.

I have no "loyalty" when it comes to labels though, because this is not sports and and there are no teams here. If a label releases a particular film I like or am interested in, I'll buy it and that is that.

Yeah, there are some labels I like better than others, but ultimately, it's about the films.

When it comes to pre-ordering, I tend to pre-order stuff I think will sell quickly like box sets and limited editions. For newer (non catalogue) titles, I usually just buy them in store on release date.

I think that's pretty much it lol.

[Retroj23]

I just strictly only collect what I will see at least twice a year. That's my number one rule now.

[XavierTheaterPotato]

Depends, I will buy the movies I love and have seen, hell even something I thought was just okay(or disappointing but was fun to watch). Very rarely will I blind buy a movie or show, and possibly rarer for me to even remotely own a movie I despise for when I'm in the mood to suffer immensely.