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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  A lot is to do with small minded mentality as well. Not willing to take a gamble. Except on Polish nonsense that is favoured by their restorers. |
As has already been mentioned, there are plenty of fans of the 'Polish nonsense' - myself included. It's easy to forget sometimes that Arrow are (and have always been) a 'cult' label and not a horror outfit and try to cater to lots of different tastes.
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs The likes of Screenbound and Network release tons of unheard of gems to dvd and in some cases Blu. |
Whilst I have a great deal of releases from the above two companies, I can't say there have been many releases by either company in the last year or so that have been must have pick-ups for me compared to companies like Arrow or BFI. Different tastes and all that though.
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs It doesn't have to be an extras heavy set with posters, booklets, 22 commentaries blah, blah, blah.
The true collectors of films will always seek them out. That's what puzzles me about people who say 'i only buy blu-ray', either need their head seeing to or are just format collectors rather than fans of the actual medium of film. The Arrow interview proves my case. |
Most film fans are also (for the most part) videophiles so the leaps in technology do go hand in hand with their buying to a large extent - people want to see their favourite films in the best quality possible. Most casual fans (of which there are many more than die-hard collectors of course) are fine with DVD or in a lot of cases streaming - which is why physical media is dying, the big studios care little about releasing their catalogues as it isn't profitable enough to bother with anymore so instead an increasing number of indies have sprung up to sub-license their titles. The booklet/slip-cover/limited edition model is something most (if not all) indie labels have tried in order to hook in the fans to buy their physical product (and over a competitors overseas at times too what with a chunk of collectors being multi-region). I can see this model becoming more prevalent as physical media sales slump further. Just slapping a transfer on a bare-bones disc isn't good enough anymore for most collectors - especially when the majority can just stream it as part of their £5 a month Netflix subscription - they want more bang for their buck.
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs Powerhouse have the right idea. |
But Powerhouse are a new company who at present are 100% aligned with Sony. They have no option but to attempt to 'crack open the vaults' when the Sony well runs dry - especially as Eureka also have a deal with them too and they are essentially competing over the same titles.
Overall though I think it's a great time for film fans who enjoy physical media, especially in the UK, as in my opinion we are spoiled for choice in terms of releases, irrelevant of where your film tastes lie. I for one spend a fair chunk of my free cash every month on physical media but always seem to have a wish list as long as the Nile.
I think sometimes we forget that these labels are trying to survive in an increasingly shrinking niche market and are not only 'testing the water' with certain releases but trying to expand their horizons whilst also keeping their core fan base happy to AND attempting to remain profitable and stay in business - some of the more boring/re-release/safer titles are their bread and butter to allow them to take gambles on the more obscure stuff, which not only will often cost more to release but give them smaller returns too. For me, there's plenty of great stuff out there being released every week from multiple companies and long may it continue.
27th January 2017, 06:27 PM
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