I believe that Sony is going to sell its MOD titles through the Warner Archive website. They're probably working out the kinks in that system.
I believe that Sony is going to sell its MOD titles through the Warner Archive website. They're probably working out the kinks in that system.
Eddie... As a long-time donor to FNF... I believe this January will be the year I begin attending Noir City. Just talked it over with my fiancé -- we're married in November -- and we are planning to take our honeymoon on the road to San Fran for Noir City! Cannot wait!
FANTASTIC! Be sure to say hello, Steve.
Originally Posted by Steve Vincent Furness
Eddie,
Since MOD DVD-rs from both Warner Bros. and MGM have become the preferred method for these studios to release many noirs that might otherwise have never seen the light of day, one of the unfortunate consequences has been a complete lack of special features, such as commentaries from yourself or other noir experts on many top-shelf noirs that the studios might have included had they given many of these recent releases a more official, pressed DVD release.
This got me thinking recently about a viable alternative for those of us who love the insights presented through commentaries that you and other experts have provided on many previous, pressed DVD noir releases. Have you or any other film noir experts considered releasing independently-produced audio commentaries for any of the recent MOD releases from Warner or MGM, something akin to what the MST3K alums do with Rifftrax (except you wouldn't be mercilessly mocking the films in question)? In other words, you would produce a commentary track for, say, "High Wall" that we could then purchase, download, and play along with the film. I know that the market for something like this wouldn't be huge, and since I have absolutely no idea if/how much studios pay someone like you for a commentary track, it might not be economically viable for you do so, but if it was, would you consider doing something like this?
Some Warner Archives releases are starting to have special features, including commentary, such as "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." So maybe there's hope.
Nighthawk,
I have indeed considered the very alternative you suggest, but frankly, I doubt that I'd have the time to do it right. It was very serendipitous to have the studios come to ME with the pre-chosen film; if I had to pick which films I wanted to do tracks for I'd be immobilized. Too many. To be honest, the pay is not remotely commensurate with the effort required. Those casual-sounding tracks take lots of preparation and timing. I sincerely appreciate your interest, but I fear that if I headed down this road, I might not have time for anything else. But, in the interest of market research: what would a fan such as yourself realistically pay for a downloadable commentary track? Don't try to flatter me ... seriously, what would you pay? Then I might have an idea if the notion is even feasible.
EM
First, thanks for answering. Second, I've heard stories of some directors doing an insane amount of prep work for their own films' commentaries--if memory serves, Frank Darabont claimed he spent nine months of prep work for his commentary on The Green Mile--so I can imagine it would take a while to prep all of the material for commentary on a film you didn't actually make.
As for what I would pay? I hadn't thought up a number, but after considering it--five dollars per track? I hope that doesn't come across as insulting; I don't have a clear method for pricing something like this, especially because I don't know the potential market size. I'm just basing this hypothetical price on hypothetical sales figures, thinking that if you sold 200 copies of an audio commentary for a film, you'd pocket $1,000. Whether that's comparable to what you get for the commentaries you've done under the employ of the studios in the past or not, I don't know.
Another factor would need to be the cost of the film + the cost of the commentary, and at what point the cost of the two combined would become prohibitively expensive for the admittedly niche market of those who might be interested, since many of the Warner Archive titles are actually more expensive than basically any noir DVDs other than those put out by the Criterion Collection. I also weighed this factor when coming up the five dollar figure. For example, the cheapest copy of "High Wall" on amazon.com is currently selling for $18 (including shipping), so the price plus commentary would be $23. I'd be willing to pay that much, and I hope many others would be as well, but I'm sure you'd need a larger sample size to determine level of interest, which would vary from film to film.
Which made me just think of something--could we put up a poll here on the forums to see, given several different options, which films would demand the most interest from those would pay for something like what we're discussing? That might help to give you at least somewhat of an idea for how much interest exists, as well as point you in a specific film's (or films') direction.
Eddie,
I'm not sure if you can comment on this or not, but I figure it can't hurt to ask. Will you providing any extras for the upcoming Vol. III of Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics?
Eddie... how long until we can expect another Noir City Annual?
Yea $5.00 is reasonable, to tell you the truth I enjoy the commentaries almost as much as the films.
How about do an "instructional" fair use audio track that is available on line (5$ pay pal, or credit card)), that you can play on the computer while the film is playing on a DVD start it an the opening title credits so its in-sync.
Any More FNF DVDs on the way?
Eddie,
I know that many of us here have enjoyed last year's release of The Prowler on DVD. The print looked fantastic, and the special features were excellent.
Is there any news you can relay about future DVD releases of films the FNF has restored? For instance, The Big Combo and Pitfall are two films that have apparently been restored and were recently screened in L.A., and both of these films have never had a decent DVD release. The same can unfortunately be said for Cry Danger. I know that the FNF is currently working on the restoration of Too Late For Tears; once that work is complete, will we be able to buy a copy of it? I'm hoping that your relationship with VCI can continue and that you can put more of these films into the consumer market, since many of us will never be able to attend a screening of them.
Any information you can provide would be much appreciated.
Last edited by Nighthawk; 03-02-2012 at 11:51 PM.
We HOPE to make a deal to have CRY DANGER out on DVD this year. I continue to be optimistic about TOO LATE FOR TEARS and TRY AND GET ME, although both of those have encountered unique delays ... man, it can get frustrating ... there will be a full report coming soon. When TOO LATE is done, there will be a DVD release, with special features. The FNF won't be putting out PITFALL or THE BIG COMBO, as those were preservations done by the Film Foundation, not us. Frankly, PITFALL needs to be redone at some point, or else digitally restored for a DVD release. I hope to have more definitive news soon. Basically, it comes down to rights issues, and getting them ironed out to everyone's satisfaction. It was never our charter to be in the DVD business, remember. But if the restorations we fund are going to be used to make DVDs, there the FNF will damn well be compensated in some way...
Thank you so much for the updates. It's good to know that you and others are working behind the scenes to make these films available to the mass market. DVD releases of Cry Danger and Too Late for Tears would be fantastic.
It does seem that, in addition to donations and the profit from Noir City screenings, DVD releases are a great way to fund your work and ensure that more restorations are completed.
I bid $10. That's seriously what I'd pay and gladly. Now comes the flattery.
Eddie's commentaries are the very best in the business. When I hear his commentaries I feel almost as though he were right in my living room telling me all about it; hell, sometimes I answer back! I'd do anything I can to keep them coming.
I'd also like to second the suggestion to produce an audio track only which could be synced with a dvd. RiffTrax has been doing that for years, works for me. At first it was strictly a manual sync-up, now they've come up with a more automated approach with custom software. But any way is better than no way.
Agreed $5-10 wouldn't be unreasonable
Eddie's commentaries are indeed great, but I just can't see paying $10 for a commentary in addition to the price I've already paid for a DVD. A price point I would have no problem paying is $5.
However, I honestly think you're only going to get $5 purchases of commentaries from people who are already familiar with your commentaries and your work. While 99 cents might seem insultingly low, charging $0.99 or $1.99 for downloadable commentaries could bring in many purchasers who are curious but unwilling to shell out more money.
I was just reading about a woman whose self-published novel became an e-book bestseller and is currently being optioned for movie rights, but that only happened after she paid for an advertising campaign and dropped the price from $2.99 to $0.99 a download. That's a different situation, but I still think that nearly anyone will pay a buck for something just to try it out, but not much more.
If you charge $5 or more you're probably only going to get die-hard noir fans, but then again, perhaps only die-hard noir fans are going to be buying DVDs of these movies.
I'd like to see a NOIR CITY DVD BOX SET.
Eddie, I gotta know: When will we see Region 1 studio releases for the following: Cry Danger, The Glass Key, The Blue Dahlia, Too Late for Tears (I hear a restoration is finally underway), I Walk Alone and Naked Alibi?
See the above thread. Answers about some of the titles you mentioned are discussed by Eddie.
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