12.13.2005
Thinking Outside the Box Office with Steven Soderbergh
By: Xeni Jardin
"Director Steven Soderbergh talks about the copyright cops, the remixing underground, and why he'll debut his new movie on DVD, cable, and in theaters all at once.When Steven Soderbergh releases his next film on January 27, it will have not only the critics squawking, but Hollywood studio execs, too. Bubble, an all-digital thriller, is set in an Ohio doll factory, and all of the actors are completely unknown. But that's not even the interesting part. The movie goes out to theaters, DVD, and high-definition cable TV - all on the same day. It's an experiment that threatens to uproot the film industry's long-standing "release window" formula, which staggers a picture's release on various platforms to maximize profits. Wired caught up with Soderbergh, director of sex, lies, and videotape, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven, while he was in Los Angeles shooting The Good German, with George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.
WIRED: Why did you decide to release Bubble in all formats at once?
SODERBERGH: Name any big-title movie that's come out in the last four years. It has been available in all formats on the day of release. It's called piracy. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Ocean's Eleven, and Ocean's Twelve - I saw them on Canal Street on opening day. Simultaneous release is already here. We're just trying to gain control over it.
So this is a way to combat piracy?
It can be. Warner Bros. has talked about going out with low-cost DVDs simultaneously in China because piracy is so huge there. It will be a while before bigger movies go out in all formats; in five years, everything will." [Via Wired.com]
About Soderbergh
"Steven Soderbergh has made a name for himself with many celebrity-stacked, off-beat productions like his break-out film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Perhaps Soderbergh's crowning achievement thus far was his acclaimed drug war film, Traffic, which was based on the award-winning British TV series, Traffik. The film won him the Best Director Oscar, and won star Benicio Del Toro (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of tortured Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez."[Via cannabisculture.com]
Click the link to read more!
"Director Steven Soderbergh talks about the copyright cops, the remixing underground, and why he'll debut his new movie on DVD, cable, and in theaters all at once.When Steven Soderbergh releases his next film on January 27, it will have not only the critics squawking, but Hollywood studio execs, too. Bubble, an all-digital thriller, is set in an Ohio doll factory, and all of the actors are completely unknown. But that's not even the interesting part. The movie goes out to theaters, DVD, and high-definition cable TV - all on the same day. It's an experiment that threatens to uproot the film industry's long-standing "release window" formula, which staggers a picture's release on various platforms to maximize profits. Wired caught up with Soderbergh, director of sex, lies, and videotape, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven, while he was in Los Angeles shooting The Good German, with George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.WIRED: Why did you decide to release Bubble in all formats at once?
SODERBERGH: Name any big-title movie that's come out in the last four years. It has been available in all formats on the day of release. It's called piracy. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Ocean's Eleven, and Ocean's Twelve - I saw them on Canal Street on opening day. Simultaneous release is already here. We're just trying to gain control over it.
So this is a way to combat piracy?
It can be. Warner Bros. has talked about going out with low-cost DVDs simultaneously in China because piracy is so huge there. It will be a while before bigger movies go out in all formats; in five years, everything will." [Via Wired.com]
About Soderbergh
"Steven Soderbergh has made a name for himself with many celebrity-stacked, off-beat productions like his break-out film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Perhaps Soderbergh's crowning achievement thus far was his acclaimed drug war film, Traffic, which was based on the award-winning British TV series, Traffik. The film won him the Best Director Oscar, and won star Benicio Del Toro (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of tortured Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez."[Via cannabisculture.com]
Click the link to read more!
Pimpin' Thoughts:
It really steams my beans to think that Warner Bros. is even considering rewarding China for its blatant disrespect for copyright law. Putting a fair price on DVDs would be beneficial to movie studios if they did it everywhere. By charging $20, they’re causing some people to feel entitled to pirate because they know they’re being gouged. There's no reason for a movie that’s over 5 years old to cost more than $10 on DVD. Clark Dead-as-a-doornail Gable surely isn’t seeing any residuals for Gone with the Wind. I hope at least Soderbergh’s forward-thinking signals the eventual death of the “release window.”
it is only a matter of time before the old-biz model breaks, just glad it's someone like him to give it a crack!
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