Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Interesting Article on DVD Pricing vs. CD Pricing
Found via Atrios (http://atrios.blogspot.com/), here's an early look at an article by Barry L. Ritholtz on the differences in pricing strategies between DVDs and CDs, from his blog The Big Picture - Macro perspectives on the Capital Markets, Economy, Geopolitics (with a dash of film & music)
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/03/dynamic_pricing.html
Among the many points made is the fact that nowadays it often costs more to buy a movie's soundtrack CD than the movie itself on DVD!
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/03/dynamic_pricing.html
Among the many points made is the fact that nowadays it often costs more to buy a movie's soundtrack CD than the movie itself on DVD!
Movies AND Politics
If you've been reading my blog, "Random Reflections on Movies & Politics," you've undoubtedly noticed that the overwhelming majority of my posts have been about politics, with only a few about movies. The reason is simple: although I am equally passionate about both subjects, the political matters have been more urgent to write about and/or share.
Well, this morning's post is about movies AND politics.
ITEM #1 - I just became aware of this story which was in last Tuesday's New York Times: A New Screen Test for Imax: It's the Bible vs. the Volcano
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/19/national/19imax.html
The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen.
Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures
* * *
People who follow trends at commercial and institutional Imax theaters say that in recent years, religious controversy has adversely affected the distribution of a number of films, including "Cosmic Voyage," which depicts the universe in dimensions running from the scale of subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies; "Galápagos," about the islands where Darwin theorized about evolution; and "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," an underwater epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish in the hot, sulfurous emanations from vents in the ocean floor.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History showed the IMAX film "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea" to a sample audience. According to Carol Murray, their director of marketing: 137 people participated in the survey, and while some thought it was well done, "some people said it was blasphemous." In their written comments, she explained, they made statements like "I really hate it when the theory of evolution is presented as fact," or "I don't agree with their presentation of human existence."
One theater owner was quoted as saying "We have definitely a lot more creation public than evolution public."
So apparently the jury is still out on the Scopes trial. I guess if Gallileo were alive today he'd fare no better with this crowd than he did 500 years ago.
* * * * *
ITEM #2 - Terri Schivao and the Kuleshov Experiment
In thinking about my post from yesterday, about how the widely circulated 5 minute video showing Terri Schivao's supposed "reactions" to social stimulai was actually edited down from about 4 1/2 hours in which virtually nothing happened I was reminded of the famous Kuleshov experiment.
In 1991 the Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov performed an experiment to prove that by simply juxtaposing two unrelated images through montage (editing) he could create meaning. Kuleshov created a brief film in which he alternated footage of various things (a bowl of soup, a smiling child, and a dead body) with an archive clip of an actor (Ivan Mozhukhin); the clip of the actor was carefully chosen to be one in which the actor's face was totally expressionless, not conveying any emotion whatsoever. The shots were edited as follows: bowl of soup ... actor's face ... smiling child ... actor's face ... dead body ... actor's face. When this film was shown to an audience everyone felt that the actor was conveying a different emotion (hunger, love, grief) with each combination even though it was in fact the very same shot; they were reading a different meaning into Mozhukhin's expression with each combination. This experiment demonstrated the power and effectiveness of film editing.
It's relevance to the Terri Schiavo case is that, as in the experiment, context determines our interpretation of images. Terri has but one facial expression. Though careful editing of the video it is suggested that Terri has a range of emotions or reactions. But it is merely our perception, not the reality.
Well, this morning's post is about movies AND politics.
ITEM #1 - I just became aware of this story which was in last Tuesday's New York Times: A New Screen Test for Imax: It's the Bible vs. the Volcano
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/19/national/19imax.html
The fight over evolution has reached the big, big screen.
Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject - or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth - fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures
* * *
People who follow trends at commercial and institutional Imax theaters say that in recent years, religious controversy has adversely affected the distribution of a number of films, including "Cosmic Voyage," which depicts the universe in dimensions running from the scale of subatomic particles to clusters of galaxies; "Galápagos," about the islands where Darwin theorized about evolution; and "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," an underwater epic about the bizarre creatures that flourish in the hot, sulfurous emanations from vents in the ocean floor.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History showed the IMAX film "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea" to a sample audience. According to Carol Murray, their director of marketing: 137 people participated in the survey, and while some thought it was well done, "some people said it was blasphemous." In their written comments, she explained, they made statements like "I really hate it when the theory of evolution is presented as fact," or "I don't agree with their presentation of human existence."
One theater owner was quoted as saying "We have definitely a lot more creation public than evolution public."
So apparently the jury is still out on the Scopes trial. I guess if Gallileo were alive today he'd fare no better with this crowd than he did 500 years ago.
* * * * *
ITEM #2 - Terri Schivao and the Kuleshov Experiment
In thinking about my post from yesterday, about how the widely circulated 5 minute video showing Terri Schivao's supposed "reactions" to social stimulai was actually edited down from about 4 1/2 hours in which virtually nothing happened I was reminded of the famous Kuleshov experiment.
In 1991 the Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov performed an experiment to prove that by simply juxtaposing two unrelated images through montage (editing) he could create meaning. Kuleshov created a brief film in which he alternated footage of various things (a bowl of soup, a smiling child, and a dead body) with an archive clip of an actor (Ivan Mozhukhin); the clip of the actor was carefully chosen to be one in which the actor's face was totally expressionless, not conveying any emotion whatsoever. The shots were edited as follows: bowl of soup ... actor's face ... smiling child ... actor's face ... dead body ... actor's face. When this film was shown to an audience everyone felt that the actor was conveying a different emotion (hunger, love, grief) with each combination even though it was in fact the very same shot; they were reading a different meaning into Mozhukhin's expression with each combination. This experiment demonstrated the power and effectiveness of film editing.
It's relevance to the Terri Schiavo case is that, as in the experiment, context determines our interpretation of images. Terri has but one facial expression. Though careful editing of the video it is suggested that Terri has a range of emotions or reactions. But it is merely our perception, not the reality.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
But seriously, folks! - Interviews with three "DVD Makers" in this week's "The Onion"
"The Onion" is one of the funniest regular publications in print and on the internet. But in addition to the humor, it also offers, in its "AV Club" section, inciteful reviews of new movies along with coverage of selected DVD releases; each week a DVD is singled out for special treatment in their "commentary tracks of the damned" sidebar.
If you are interested in learning more about the process of releasing movies on DVD, how titles are selected and why certain classics are not yet available, you should definitely read this week's feature article "The DVD Makers" http://www.theonionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=4111&f=&page=1 which has interviews with three individuals "working to bring classic films out of the archives and into living rooms:" George Feltenstein (Senior VP in charge of Warner Home Video's classic catalog) , Lee Ferdinand (a producer for Home Vision Entertainment) and Mike Vraney (founder of Something Weird Video.) These guys truly are "heroes," dedicated movie lovers who are working in the industry - and, I'm sure, sometimes fighting the "suits" - to keep the virtual flood of great DVD releases flowing.
* * * * *
While on the subject of "The Onion", if you've never read it you definitely should check out their classic article "Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity is Finally Over" from their January 18, 2001 issue. Supposedly about George W. Bush's first inaugual address, at the time the writers believed they were writing a humorous, absolutely worst-case scenario for actions Bush would be taking as President. Unfortunately, the article has become eerily prophetic.
As an example, here's a brief excerpt: "During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years. 'You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration,' said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. 'Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?'"
Although the article is no longer available for free on their web site, there's an annotated version by Dan Chak (via DailyKos) which you can find at http://chak.org/pages/onion/bush_nightmare.html with all of the (unfortunately) fullfilled promises linked to the reality.
What has the world come to when there is more truth to be found in "The Onion" and on "The Daily Show" than in the mainstream media.?
If you are interested in learning more about the process of releasing movies on DVD, how titles are selected and why certain classics are not yet available, you should definitely read this week's feature article "The DVD Makers" http://www.theonionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=4111&f=&page=1 which has interviews with three individuals "working to bring classic films out of the archives and into living rooms:" George Feltenstein (Senior VP in charge of Warner Home Video's classic catalog) , Lee Ferdinand (a producer for Home Vision Entertainment) and Mike Vraney (founder of Something Weird Video.) These guys truly are "heroes," dedicated movie lovers who are working in the industry - and, I'm sure, sometimes fighting the "suits" - to keep the virtual flood of great DVD releases flowing.
* * * * *
While on the subject of "The Onion", if you've never read it you definitely should check out their classic article "Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity is Finally Over" from their January 18, 2001 issue. Supposedly about George W. Bush's first inaugual address, at the time the writers believed they were writing a humorous, absolutely worst-case scenario for actions Bush would be taking as President. Unfortunately, the article has become eerily prophetic.
As an example, here's a brief excerpt: "During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years. 'You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration,' said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. 'Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?'"
Although the article is no longer available for free on their web site, there's an annotated version by Dan Chak (via DailyKos) which you can find at http://chak.org/pages/onion/bush_nightmare.html with all of the (unfortunately) fullfilled promises linked to the reality.
What has the world come to when there is more truth to be found in "The Onion" and on "The Daily Show" than in the mainstream media.?
Saturday, March 12, 2005
For "techies" only! - converting PAL to NTSC
Anyone with a serious interest in movies who collects films on DVD soon becomes aware that many important and/or interesting films (US and foreign) that are not currently available in the US have been released in other countries. A quick search on ebay or on the foreign Amazon websites will amaze you with the riches available.
Unfortunately, due to TV format differences (the US uses NTSC, much of the world uses PAL) and the industry's Region Code system most of these foreign DVDs are not playable in standard US DVD players. There are all-region DVD players which can handle the job. Or, if you have a DVD burner and are computer savvy you can try converting a foreign DVD to be US compatible.
Converting a DVD from PAL to NTSC format is not a simple task and the image quality often suffers. But recently there has been a lot of activity at the Doom9 and VideoHelp forums that, just maybe, a "Holy Grail" software has been created that can make the conversion process from Pal to NTSC much easier and produce quality results. If this topic interests you I urge you to check out this forum topic using the link below - be sure to read the whole thing, it's several pages long - and test the software program.
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=261056
Unfortunately, due to TV format differences (the US uses NTSC, much of the world uses PAL) and the industry's Region Code system most of these foreign DVDs are not playable in standard US DVD players. There are all-region DVD players which can handle the job. Or, if you have a DVD burner and are computer savvy you can try converting a foreign DVD to be US compatible.
Converting a DVD from PAL to NTSC format is not a simple task and the image quality often suffers. But recently there has been a lot of activity at the Doom9 and VideoHelp forums that, just maybe, a "Holy Grail" software has been created that can make the conversion process from Pal to NTSC much easier and produce quality results. If this topic interests you I urge you to check out this forum topic using the link below - be sure to read the whole thing, it's several pages long - and test the software program.
http://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=261056
