I think the big "enhancement" is the format itself. If you bought the film in VHS and it comes out in DVD, HD, Blu-Ray etc, you do not have to buy it. You could still use the VHS, but somebody spent a lot of money to remaster it and get it out in digital format. Also $100 Vs $395 is rather a false choice. Most films are either retail at $30 or less or marketed to the institutional market for $100 on up. These more expensive films generally have a much more specific content and limited audience. If you can find what you need in a retail item go for it, since it pretty rare for an institution to need PPR rights, but again most of the higher priced items are far more specialized and hence the higher price. You are not spending money on extras because few institutional films are going to have a lot of extras, you are or would be spending on the content and for an older film the cost of upgrading it to digital format.
Jessica On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 11:18 AM, <ghand...@library.berkeley.edu> wrote: > Hi all > > With almost no exception, DVD enhancements, supplements, add-ons, bonuses, > and the Special Features are almost completely ignored here. There are a > few interesting exceptions. Last year, we bought the TV series "Young > Indiana Jones", which includes (I kid you not) over 20 hours of > supplements. In that case, the supplements (historical background related > to the adventures of young Indie) are the ONLY things ever used. The only > other time that supplements get used are cases in which unique, whole > films (alternate versions, short films by the director of the feature, > etc) are included: e.g.: "White Fawn's Devotion" (the first American > feature by a Native American filmmaker) which is included with Milestone's > redoubtable "The Exiles". Maybe these bells/whistles mean something in > the home video marketplace, but in academia, not so much...at least not in > Berkeley academia. > > Gary > > > > Your point about enhancements is similar to textbook enhancements - > > CD-Roms, workbooks etc. Here is a link to the Government Accounting > > Office's report about the tripling of textbook prices: > > http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05806.pdf Spoiler: It is due to the > > enhancements and extras that come with the textbooks. > > > > Is there any indication that for face-to-face instruction that these > > enhancements or extras are utilized in class or as part of the > > curriculum? In the case of textbooks, sometimes professors actively use > > the enhancements (for instance test banks, many of which are available > > online via password - streaming, as it were) or assign students to use > > them, while some do not. If I had the choice to purchase a film for > > $100.00 to add to the collection and one for $395.00, I'd select the > > $100.00 cut even if I missed out on the enhancements. Because that means > > I could buy two more titles at that price for the cost of one film with > > enhancement. Perhaps some film/media faculty would make a special > > request for a DVD with extras, but as part of a collection development > > policy, I'd have to say that the most affordable item would be the > > priority. > > > > On 9/28/2010 2:43 PM, Dennis Doros wrote: > >> Matt, > >> > >> The simple answer is this. A DVD is a physical item that you have to > >> drop into a player. It is illegal to copy if it's encrypted (in most > >> cases). A streaming version is a digital file, and if it's on your > >> hard drive, it's literally forever. (Though, of course, this is > >> ridiculous because how many people can open files from 1992 even? but > >> let's assume a file can migrate over the years.) > >> > >> As Jessica points out, distributors have limited contracts of usually > >> seven to fifteen years, but even more important, livelihoods (and the > >> filmmakers') are based on repeated licensing of the same film. That > >> was the also case in most leasings of 16mm prints before the video age > >> as well, so it's not a new thing. And of course, if you have a digital > >> file, you can pass that file on to other hard drives so it's like > >> buying ten copies for the price of one. And if you have to stream off > >> of the distributor's hard drive, they would be responsible forever to > >> make it available to you. > >> > >> I'm not saying I'm right, but that is the thought process. > >> > >> And you know, I haven't thought of this before (and this is about us > >> feature film distributors at least), but even though you guys have > >> bought 16mm prints, then VHS tapes, then DVDs and now possibly > >> blu-ray, I can guarantee that with each purchase there was either an > >> ease of use or greater quality provided with each purchase over the > >> years. With each technology, the buyer has gotten better and better > >> film transfers (at least from most of us) and better and better > >> context. In the old days, you would get a study guide. Today, you can > >> get commentaries by the director, short films that the director did, > >> the original script, video interviews of the cast and crew, an essay > >> by a esteemed critic, etc. Back in 1965, how many students outside the > >> major cities would have had the chance to listen to a number of > >> directors talk about his work? > >> > >> I understand at $395 a crack, those various formats get annoying but > >> with a lot of stuff at $9.95, it probably balances out to be pretty > >> good overall. I'd love to see what a media library's budget is > >> compared to 1970 and what percentage of the overall institution's > >> budget would have been compared to today. > >> > >> Best, > >> Dennis Doros > >> Milestone Film & Video/Milliarium Zero > >> email: milefi...@gmail.com <mailto:milefi...@gmail.com> > >> www.milestonefilms.com <http://www.milestonefilms.com> > >> www.ontheboweryfilm.com <http://www.ontheboweryfilm.com> > >> www.arayafilm.com <http://www.arayafilm.com> > >> www.exilesfilm.com <http://www.exilesfilm.com> > >> www.wordisoutmovie.com <http://www.wordisoutmovie.com> > >> www.killerofsheep.com <http://www.killerofsheep.com> > >> AMIA Philadelphia 2010: www.amianet.org <http://www.amianet.org> > >> Join "Milestone Film" on Facebook! > >> > >> > >> On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 2:51 PM, Ball, James (jmb4aw) > >> <jmb...@eservices.virginia.edu <mailto:jmb...@eservices.virginia.edu>> > >> wrote: > >> > >> Hello Everyone, > >> > >> I’m a bit perplexed by the complex licensing and pricing > >> structures of streaming rights, and some of the recent talk on > >> this listserv has helped clarify a question that’s been floating > >> around my mind for a while, so I figure I’ll pose it to the > >> collective wisdom. > >> > >> If I can buy a DVD for, say, $295.00 and I can keep it forever, > >> and I’m allowed to do certain things with it to meet the > >> educational goals of my institution, then why is it different for > >> a streaming version of the same title? Some streaming rights have > >> to be renewed every few years. Or, if there are perpetual rights > >> they are often priced exorbitantly high. Doesn’t it make sense to > >> pay the same price as for a DVD (maybe even less since > >> manufacturing costs wouldn’t be an issue) and keep it forever, > >> just like a DVD? Or even an e-book. And, as with an e-book, I > >> would be bound to restrict access to it only to members of my > >> institution. > >> > >> Perhaps this is a gross oversimplification of something that’s > >> actually quite complex, so consider these the innocent (demented?) > >> musings of a newbie, but I’d be interested in hearing others’ > >> thoughts on the matter. > >> > >> Yours in hopefully not opening a Pandora’s box, > >> > >> Matt > >> > >> ________________________________________ > >> > >> Matt Ball > >> Media and Collections Librarian > >> University of Virginia > >> Charlottesville, VA 22904 > >> mattb...@virginia.edu > >> < > https://mail.eservices.virginia.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=62fe60f092584617be4c37bdfc2dcf42&URL=mailto%3amattball%40virginia.edu > > > >> | 434-924-3812 > >> > >> > >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion > >> of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, > >> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of > >> current and evolving video formats in libraries and related > >> institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > >> working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and > >> video producers and distributors. > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> > >> > >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > >> as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel > >> of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > >> producers and distributors. > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel > of > > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > > producers and distributors. > > > > > Gary Handman > Director > Media Resources Center > Moffitt Library > UC Berkeley > > 510-643-8566 > ghand...@library.berkeley.edu > http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC > > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." > --Francois Truffaut > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. >
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
