DVD Extra Features: To Charge OR Not to Charge?
As dumb as the entertainment industry can be, 20th Century Fox has a right to charge those who want extras.
STEPHON JOHNSON: Apparently, Americans have forgotten that we must pay to be entertained.
Last week, 20th Century Fox announced that the DVDs they sell to rental companies won’t include any extras except for movie trailers. For those who want deleted scenes, commentary and the occasional short documentary about the making of the film: you have to actually buy the DVD. Based on the reaction of some people, you think 20th Century Fox just asked them to pay for music or something.
One blog said that 20th Century had “reached a new low.” Another called them “misguided.” One person shot straight to the heart by calling them “stupid and selfish.” Another writer pointed out that the new practice, which begins with the DVD release of Slumdog Millionaire on March 31st, is an attempt to “shore up flagging sales within the industry.”
Of course it is. When you’re losing money, you try to figure out new ways to make money. Sometimes that coincides with realizing you’re giving too much away to your customers and believe the extra goodies should go to those who are willing to pay more. If you want to stick 20th Century’s feet in the fire, get mad at them for 1) Coming up with a too little/too late strategy (regardless of how right they are) and 2) Releasing some crappy product the past 16 months.
Here are some 20th Century films that struggled to make back what the studio spent: Meet Dave, The Rocker, Max Payne, Australia and The X-Files: I Want To Believe, which came out at the beginning of The Dark Knight’s reign and a decade after people cared about Scully and Mulder.
It’s no wonder they want to shore up some quick cash with those bad decisions, but the motive behind it (Money! OMG! Since when did people want to make profits?) doesn’t make 20th Century less credible since, based on principal, they’re right. When it comes to the entertainment industry (and that includes music) people are asking for a lot, but don’t want to pay anything.
We’re so used to Napster begetting Limewire begetting whatever-service-you-use-to-take-free-music-and-movies that we cringe at the thought of opening our wallets for anything other than an ice cold one at the local dive bar. Now the industry shouldn’t start threatening customers with lawsuits (a relative of mine recently received a cease and desist order for illegally downloading Eagle Eye), but they shouldn’t just lie back and allow people to watch the extras on rental (which could decrease the desire to buy the DVD for yourself).
When I first saw it in 2006, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed immediately became one of my personal favorite films ever. While it was a good crime drama (but far from Scorsese’s best work), I found myself relating to Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Collin Sullivan (Matt Damon) really well (I’ll spare you the details). After finding out the DVD’s release date (February 13, 2007) I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I purchased the widescreen edition on sale a t the soon-to-be-no-more Virgin Megastore in Times Square.
But once I got home, I received a call from a friend of mine who had also purchased the movie. He went on and on about the bonuses and extras on the second disc that featured short documentaries on Scorsese and Whitey Bulger: the gangster that Jack Nicholson’s character is based on. I found myself confused at this point. I didn’t have a second disc. Where were my extras? Turns out I purchased the single disc version with just the movie and didn’t notice the special two-disc edition sitting on the Virgin “New Releases” shelf. It would cost me an extra seven dollars to enjoy the second disc.
Even though I ended up borrowing the extra features from my friend for a week, I could’ve easily bought the special version and given the single-disc to my little brother. Why? Because sometimes when you want more, you have to pay more. The professionally outraged and disappointed will tell you that the corporate behemoths are once again exercising their greed. Of course they are. That’s how they became corporate behemoths. Despite my objections with the entertainment industry and their pract ices, 20th Century Fox is right this time.
If you’re just renting the movie, you should only get the movie. The special treats are reserved for those who pay to play.
In terms of DVDs, “extras” should not actually cost extra.
JILLIAN LOVEJOY LOWERY: In terms of DVDs, “extras” should not actually cost extra.
In what seems to be a remarkably short-sighted move, 20th Century Fox has decided that they will not make any “extras” available on the DVDs they provide to rental outlets. Let me say that again. No extras – that means no director’s commentary, no deleted scenes, no “making of” features. Nothing. Call me a socialist (you won’t be the first), but isn’t this incredibly unfair? In terms of DVDs, extras should not actually cost a person extra.
Admittedly, I’m not a huge connoisseur of extras. There are very few instances in which I actually care about hearing the director and cast chat over the film, and deleted scenes were often done away with for good reason. Nevertheless, adopting this practice seems so alienating and capitalistic that I cannot abide it.
Of course, this is the second or third wave of studios trying to gouge fans via DVD sales. Movies released to DVD were then re-released as special editions. Then there were editions that were allegedly even more special. This is the reason that my husband and I own several versions of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, why we have multiple copies of many James Bond movies, and why I insisted on first purchasing seasons one and two of Twin Peaks independently – and why we also have the “Definitive Gold Box Edition.” Sometimes, for the things we love most, we are suckers. And in those certain circumstances, this is ok. But to make everyone pay for these special features, sight unseen, in every circumstance, is simply absurd. 20th Century will likely suffer as a result of this – I predict that no more consumers will be tempted to buy, but that public opinion on the studio itself will continue to fall.
I cannot imagine what would lead a studio – a studio that is struggling, by the by – to arrive at such a choice. Making your audience feel slighted is not good business, and 20th Century is doing just that.
Also interesting to consider is the Netflix conundrum. It isn’t exactly clear if this decision will impact those of us who choose to obtain rentals via Netflix, or just the Blockbuster and brick and mortar video store bunch. Generally speaking, Netflix subscribers tend to be more interested in special editions and extra features – and Netflix has always provided stellar service in providing such rarities. Will this now be taken from us? Will there be an additional charge, on top of the monthly fee?
Time will tell if this is just an embarrassing gaffe, a poor choice that is quickly reversed, or if this move will set the new standard for other studios. Regardless, if 20th Century actually wants to profit from this new edict, perhaps they should focus on putting out more films like Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler and fewer disappointments like Australia and Space Chimps. I’m pretty sure no one cares about those extras.