Manfred Lopez
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2007
- Messages
- 992
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Mexico
- Website
- www.registrodeactores.com
They said the same thing about books... How first computers and then the Internet would kill them off because it is all about convenience or whatever. But exactly the opposite happened: More books are being published now than ever.
I think what some of you are forgetting is that movies have at least two distinct phases in their distribution cycle: INITIAL DISTRIBUTION and SELL-THROUGH.
The first is the phase where people first see a film. This is definitely changing. But the second is when someone likes a film enough to want to 'own' it. This is where dvd's and blu-rays come in. These discs therefore represent no direct challenge or competition to Internet streaming or whatever other new technology is used for initial distribution. I just can’t see someone ‘investing’ lets say $300 on a “virtual” box set of 25 movies from John Ford (like the Ford at Fox box set). For that kind of money the damn thing better have a glossy book, an awesome case, photographs, essays, mementos, drapery and a velvet rope and red carpet welcoming me to John Ford’s works. You are telling me an iPod is going to change this? I don’t think so.
And before anyone points to the music industry as an 'example', please remember that the average person thinks of movies differently than music. With movies there is the view that it is more of an investment (time-wise) to sit through a film than listening to music. So being able to 'own' your own physical copy of a film that you like with all the extras and special features still holds a very strong appeal. With music it just isn’t so (especially after the Music industry failed to understand this and at one point priced CD’s MORE than movies and only gave a crappy disc with an insert booklet in return… wait! At one point they actually used to separate the two in those long plastic containers to make it seem like more and you had to assemble it yourself).
So anyway, I just have a really hard time believing that suddenly an entire phase of a movie's existence is just going to disappear. Sell-through is here to stay. And the best way still is a physical disc. Just look at how excited people are about the imminent release of Blu-Rays from the Criterion Collection. These are films we all have already seen and, in many cases, even already own. But just the fact that Criterion is putting out collector editions of excellent films with excellent transfers and really cool extra features (They invented it!) is enough to make people spend money again on the same films. Long live physical reality where I can actually 'hold' a movie in my hands!!!
***
I think what some of you are forgetting is that movies have at least two distinct phases in their distribution cycle: INITIAL DISTRIBUTION and SELL-THROUGH.
The first is the phase where people first see a film. This is definitely changing. But the second is when someone likes a film enough to want to 'own' it. This is where dvd's and blu-rays come in. These discs therefore represent no direct challenge or competition to Internet streaming or whatever other new technology is used for initial distribution. I just can’t see someone ‘investing’ lets say $300 on a “virtual” box set of 25 movies from John Ford (like the Ford at Fox box set). For that kind of money the damn thing better have a glossy book, an awesome case, photographs, essays, mementos, drapery and a velvet rope and red carpet welcoming me to John Ford’s works. You are telling me an iPod is going to change this? I don’t think so.
And before anyone points to the music industry as an 'example', please remember that the average person thinks of movies differently than music. With movies there is the view that it is more of an investment (time-wise) to sit through a film than listening to music. So being able to 'own' your own physical copy of a film that you like with all the extras and special features still holds a very strong appeal. With music it just isn’t so (especially after the Music industry failed to understand this and at one point priced CD’s MORE than movies and only gave a crappy disc with an insert booklet in return… wait! At one point they actually used to separate the two in those long plastic containers to make it seem like more and you had to assemble it yourself).
So anyway, I just have a really hard time believing that suddenly an entire phase of a movie's existence is just going to disappear. Sell-through is here to stay. And the best way still is a physical disc. Just look at how excited people are about the imminent release of Blu-Rays from the Criterion Collection. These are films we all have already seen and, in many cases, even already own. But just the fact that Criterion is putting out collector editions of excellent films with excellent transfers and really cool extra features (They invented it!) is enough to make people spend money again on the same films. Long live physical reality where I can actually 'hold' a movie in my hands!!!
***
