Home Release Stuff

Hello there

So, this is a slightly “fishing” post today, as Editor and Simon and I were discussing the potential for an independent Blu-Ray release again this morning, and what that would entail.  Not just for the financial lay-out, but for the actual product itself.

It came about because there was a little discussion on Twitter about the existing Blu-Ray. In case you missed it, and I know I did, the movie has been released on Blu-Ray in the USA, as this was part of the deal with Gravitas, the American distributors.  The reason for the confusion this end, was because I was initially told this would be fourth phase of release, but it appears to have happened pretty much straight off the bat. I’ve not even said where it’s available across the seas, so this is what I was sent in the original carriage letter;

I don’t even know what most of those places are, but I presume it would make sense to the natives. For those of you in the UK that pricked up your ears at the mention of a hard copy release, it is a vanilla disc, so has no extras on it at all.  I’ve had no input on design or anything like that, it’s just something that they do in-house at Gravitas for all their releases.  It’s also region locked to region A, so without a multi-region player, it won’t play on UK (Region B) players.  Again, obviously that’s nowt to do with me, as I strongly object to region locking.  Just don’t want people paying to have it imported when there are so many speed bumps to it.

I haven’t even got a copy of it (although I have just emailed Gravitas to ask them to send me a few…let’s see if they do).  Barry had one imported, found it wouldn’t play on his player and tried to send it to me.  It never arrived, and was ultimately returned to him by Hermes as “undeliverable” and smashed to bits.  That’s “Hermes”…for the record.

Anyway, this is neither here nor there, the point is…

Hang on I just went to Amazon to see if I could get a picture of the Blu-Ray and ended up reading the reviews. Genuinely worth your time.  There’s the obligatory “as funny as a fire in an orphanage”, and people cross that other people like it.  It’s still 4.5 stars out of 5 generally (thank you nice and supportive people, and people who know that if you’ve nothing nice to say then say nothing at all), but I was surprised at how much I just laughed at the bad ones.  I normally say I don’t care, but it can of course be hurtful when people slag you off, howeverI genuinely just giggled loads at people slamming it.  Not just putting on a brave face, real laughing. Have a look, it is daft.

(I know.  I’ve been saying that for literally years)

Sorry, back to the point…

So Simon and I were discussing the feasibility of starting putting a Blu-Ray together.  I always wanted that to be a definite for the film, by hook or by crook, but it’s been held back by finances really.  Also, because I am really not confident it would sell.  Like, properly not, and it’s not as if I still do gigs where I could take a bag of the excess stock to try and shift over time to gullible punters.  I’ve found it very difficult to get any sort of gauge on what the demand (or not) is for a hard copy.  There is the option previously mooted of doing a pre-order, but I’m really not sure I could handle the humiliation of that not being enough to cover the cost of production and having to back out.  This is before we even factor in the admin of the whole thing. As in production admin, getting them produced and posted out, rather than collating admin of what would be on the disc.  Am happy to do the latter.

But let’s hypothetically say, for the purpose of this post, that I take the risk, whack it all on my credit card, and it’s going ahead.

I started planning the Blu-Ray a while ago (I’m pretty sure I told you), and started to put together prospective extra features for it.  There are a ton of deleted scenes, as we know, so they can make up a big chunk of the extra content, but I also want to do some mid-length featurettes of "making of" to incorporate them (rather than just having them as deleted scenes).  I’d obviously record a fresh commentary, and I’d want Barry to do one with me (as well as be in the featurette stuff), but there’s logistics to that in terms of getting him locked down for it.  Again though, let’s say that’s all going in.

However, I think there are other bonus features that I’m potentially missing for this, and I’m coming up blank on them.  I wouldn’t bother with art cards and all that sort of thing, because I always find them a bit filler in Blu-Ray sets.  Even slip cases might shove us out of budget (and I was told that they are a very bad idea anyway as they interfere with potential stockists because of the security tags and slight resizing of the case).

I’m open to ideas though.  I’ve never liked galleries on discs (when it’s just loads of pictures), but there really are a load of proper candid production pictures that are pretty cool.  I’d earmarked them for a “Making Of” book, which I have been very casually writing/adapting from posts on here, but – again – really not confident it’d be a seller.  I don’t think I’m confident in anything at the minute, which is a bit unfortunate.  I feel oddly “knocked”. I’m sure I’ll shake it, but am deffo on a low one over work stuff.

Simon and I are gonna discuss it some more imminently and see if it’s plausible to turn it round smartish.  Even if we just make it so it’s all there ready for if the option of production comes up.  Obviously, in an ideal world, a UK Blu-ray distributor would come in and just make it, but there’s been no sign of that.  Arrow showed interest very early on, and said they would come to the premiere, but they didn’t.  They’d have been a good fit for it too.  Maybe I’m not pushy enough with these things.

Anyway, overall, I’m all ears if you have any suggestions on the content front (ideally stuff that can go on the disc, rather than bonus physical things).  I’m also aware that this isn’t your job, and we will definitely be able to just work it out ourselves, but I thought I’d open the window for you in case you wanted to shout something.

Hope your week is going grand.  I’m off to do some drawing now.  I’ve foolishly started a massive composition that I think is a long shot for completion by Sunday, but I’m having a go.

Lots of love to you

xxxxxxxxxxxx