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Reasons for releasing
direct-to-video or direct-to-DVD
Direct-to-video or
Direct-to-DVD releases can occur for several reasons.
Often a
production studio will develop a TV show or low-budget film which is
not generally
released due to below average quality, lack of support from a
TV network,
controversial nature, or simple lack of general public interest.
Sometimes a film may be in post-production before the studio realizes
how bad it is. Only able to grant a cinematic release to a limited
number of films in a year, they may choose to pull the completed film
from the theatres, but aim to recoup some of their losses through video
sales and rentals but this is not done too often.
In the case of a TV show, a studio may have filmed an entire season and
aired some episodes before cancelling the show due to low ratings or
bad reviews in the press. If
the show has enough devoted fans, the studio may release unaired
episodes on video or dvd, in order to recoup some of the losses.
Clerks: The Animated
Series and Firefly are examples of cancelled shows which were
successful cult hits on DVD.
Direct-to-DVD releases are generally considered to be of lower
technical or artistic quality than theatrical releases but this is not
always the case.
Some studio
films that are released direct-to-DVD are films which have languished
for some time without a release, either because the studio doubts its
commercial prospects would justify a full cinema release or because its
"release window" has closed — that is, it may have been
rushed into production to capitalize on a timely trend and not
been completed in time. In film industry slang, such films are
referred to as having been "vaulted."
This, however, is not always true, as video releases have become
something of a lifeline for independent filmmakers and smaller
companies like Antisocial-Films.
Direct-to-video releases can be done for films which
sometimes cannot be shown theatrically, because of their content (they
may be too controversial or too violent for theaters) or because the
cost involved in
a theatrical release is prohibitive to the releasing company.
Almost
all pornographic and low-budget films are released direct-to-video.
Animated sequels and movie-length
episodes of animated series are also often released this way, But as
like Pokemon the Movie, This was also chown in Cinemas. The Walt
Disney Company began making sequels of most of its animated films for
Direct-to-video release beginning with The Return of Jafar (the sequel
to
Aladdin) in 1994. Universal Pictures also began their long line of Land
Before Time sequels that same year. In 2005, Fox released Stewie
Griffin: The Untold Story for DVD only, a spinoff of Family Guy.
The
Distributors Directory for Independent Filmmakers
is
possibly the most
complete and comprehensive reference source for film and
television DIRECT-TO-DVD distributors in the World.
We have recently expanded the
directory to include a new section on regular Film Festivals-an obvious
extension of the distribution business. Many Company listings now
include staff names and contact information for theatrical
distributors, network contacts, TV syndication companies, home video
and direct-to-DVD distributors, international buyers of UK/US-made
films,
publicity companies and marketing departments.
The Directory features hundreds of Direct-to-DVD distributors from
around the globe,
including UK, USA, Australia, Canada and Europe. Film-Distributors.net
offer a guide to the best Direct-to-DVD Publishers.
The
direct-to-DVD market
In recent years, companies have increasingly released movies in DVD
format rather than VHS, and has caused the term "direct-to-DVD" to
replace "direct-to-video" in some instances.
However, the word "video"
does not specifically have to refer to VHS cassettes or even Betamax
for that matter, contrary to
popular consumer belief. The new term used is DVDP ("DVD Premiere").
Such films can cost as much as $20 million, just under a third of the
average cost of a Hollywood release, and feature major actors like
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal. Salaries for such actors range
from $1 to $4 million (Van Damme) to $4.5 to $10 million (Seagal) But
god knows why!
In
recent years, DVD Premieres
have become a substantial source of revenue for movie studios, as
DVDP's have collectively grossed over $3 billion the last few years,
and has now come to the point that DVDP divisions of studios now option
their own films, never intended to be shown theatrically.
This practice
has risen because DVDP movies can be shot on a budget
much smaller than that
of a film intended to be theatrically released, thus allowing studios
to profit easier with the combined revenues of home video sales and
rentals, in addition to licensing movies for television, as well as in
the rest of the world (where some DVDP movies do see theatrical
releases).
Distributing DVDP's is not a practice only reserved for larger
Hollywood studios. Several companies, such as The Asylum, Screen
Entertainment, MTI Home
Video, and York Entertainment distribute DVDP's almost exclusively.
The
budgets for films distributed by these companies are even smaller than
those of ones distributed by a larger studio, as low as
$6000, but these companies are
still able to profit off their sales.
The
Distributors Directory for Independent Filmmakers is
possibly the most
complete and comprehensive reference source for film and
television DIRECT-TO-DVD distributors in the World.
We have recently expanded the
directory to include a new section on regular Film Festivals-an obvious
extension of the distribution business. Many Company listings now
include staff names and contact information for theatrical
distributors, network contacts, TV syndication companies, home video
and direct-to-DVD distributors, international buyers of UK/US-made
films,
publicity companies and marketing departments.
The Directory features hundreds of Direct-to-DVD distributors from
around the globe,
including UK, USA, Australia, Canada and Europe.
The Film Festivals section has been revised to include international
film and television markets - making it an even greater resource for
independent filmmakers. Also included are publicity companies and
marketing contacts. Everything you need to get your film seen.
There is no other publication that gives such intimate access to the
film industry of the UK, USA, Australia and Europe.
Indispensable for the professional entertainment community and
independent filmmakers, this directory is also great for aspiring
filmmakers and screenwriters, film festival-goers and anyone looking
for production financing.
If you are seeking financing or distribution for your film or TV
project then The newly revised edition of the "Distributors
Directory for Independent Filmmakers" is the
most
complete, reliable and comprehensive reference book on domestic and
international distributors for film and television in the marketplace.
It contains everything you need to get your film seen and sold.
It includes addresses, phone and fax numbers, email addresses and web
sites of hundreds of Direct-to-DVD, film and TV
distributors.
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Features
- Hundreds
of Distribution Companies listed
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Film
Distributors
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Film
Agents
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Distributors
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Distributors & Broadcasters
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Sales
Agents
- Many
Network & Cable Channel contacts
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Financing
Companies
- Includes
addresses, phone & fax numbers, email addresses & Web
sites
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"This Directory is
the best $50 I have spent on my film so far!" Wayne Berwick
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