Home Media Magazine - October 14-20, 2007 - (Page 17) www.homemediamagazine.com By Chris Tribbey S U P P L I E R Fans of Akira, Paranoia Agent, Appleseed, Samurai Champloo and a host of other popular anime titles licensed by Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. better buy their Geneon discs quickly: The anime giant is done with DVD. At least for now. In a letter to retailers, Geneon Entertainment president and CEO Eiji Orii blamed the end of Geneon DVD on the failed ADV Films proposal that would have had ADV handling all Geneon’s sales and distribution. “Due to the termination of the proposed alliance, Geneon USA is ceasing the sales of DVDs and all related distribution and marketing operations as of 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007,” Orii wrote. The day before, Geneon’s Japanese parent company, Dentsu Inc., announced a loss of about $44 million due to Geneon’s downsizing. Most of Geneon’s sales and marketing employees had been laid off in anticipation of the ADV Geneon Halts DVD Production W deal, according to the Web site Anime News Network. Orii did leave a sliver of hope to outraged fans who called and emailed the company, asking about the status of series that have not seen a complete DVD release. (Geneon will accept only retailer orders for titles streeting on or before Nov. 6, leaving series such as “When They Cry,” “Hellsing Ultimate” and “Law of Ueki” in limbo.) Orii told members of the disbanded Geneon Spot fan club in a letter that the company was sensitive to their concerns. “At this time, we are internally discussing plans to explore all available options to continue distribution of Geneon titles, both old and new, at a later date,” he wrote. “However, nothing is certain at this time. We will release more information to the public once we have any concrete plans, if any.” Through Oct. 5, Geneon released 719 titles, according to The DVD Release Report, making it the second-largest anime distributor in the United States, behind ADV Films with 902. NEWS Latino Suppliers: Quality, Content Are Key David A. Hernandez, director of multicultural marketing for Warner Home Video, broke it down into rough numbers: If there are 40,000 storefronts in the United States, only 3,500 carry Spanish-language films, he said. Haas also said that even with a perfect script, a known cast and great production values, a film can be lost on the cutting room floor if not for careful, yet swift editing. She said a number of Latino films are too slow for American audiences. An audience member asked if it mattered what country in Latin America the films came from. Chavez said that although Lionsgate, for instance, has released films from Spain, Argentina and Peru, “we can’t forget that 73% of the Hispanic population in the U.S. is Mexican.” And when it comes to Latino documentaries, “it’s even more limited,” said Monica Ricardez, director of business and market development for Laguna Productions Inc. She said it’s a mixed market, meaning that her company has had both successes and failures when it comes to marketing Latino documentaries, which she said take up less than 2% of retail shelf space. The panel agreed that, besides content, there’s something filmmakers might not consider when creating a film that is actually important when it comes to marketing that film: box art. Besides the obvious qualities retailers look for, such as a title’s box office success, notable actors and the genre, retailers care about what’s on the cover. By Billy Gil hen it comes to Latino DVD, it seems the same rules apply as with any film: Content is important. A group of players in the Latino film industry took part in an Oct. 9 panel on distributing Latino films on DVD, as part of the 11th annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), which took place Oct. 7-14. The panel, held by LALIFF in partnership with Home Media Magazine and moderated by HM managing editor Angelique Flores, took place at the festival village at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, Calif. Lee Savidge, CEO and founder of Xenon Pictures Inc., echoed the sentiments of all present when he said a solid, structured story is the foundation of a good film, thus making it vital to putting quality content on DVD. “Make sure the script is as good as it can be,” Savidge said. Arturo Chavez, director of Spanish-language programming for Lionsgate, agreed, saying: “A good story is a good story in any language.” Chavez pointed to films such as Pan’s Labyrinth as examples of quality storytelling that translates beyond language barriers. But speakers also were realistic about those barriers, and others that face the Latino film industry. «IF YOU DON’T THINK ABOUT THE CROSSOVER APPEAL YOU’RE LIMITING THE MARKET SPACE.» LESLIE HAAS, DESERT MOUNTAIN MEDIA “The language your film is in will tend to drive what shelves you’re found on,” Hernandez said. “The minute you do something in Spanish, you will be limited.” Leslie Haas, president of Desert Mountain Media, said retailers don’t necessarily see Spanish-language films the same way they see foreign films in general. Latino dramas, for instance, need to be marketed to retailers as foreign rather than Latino. Crossover appeal is extremely pertinent, panelists agreed. Haas said more than half of the audience for Amores Perros was Anglo, and Chavez said probably 85% was Anglo for Pan’s Labyrinth. “If you don’t think about the crossover appeal … you’re limiting the market space,” Haas said. MERCHANDISING High-Def Not Hidden Best Buy Evan Almighty Universal SRP $29.98; $39.98 HD Target $16.99 $29.99 HD DVD Wal-Mart $19.96 w/Beanie Baby $33.98 HD DVD Circuit City $14.99 $29.99 HD DVD Amazon.com $16.99 $27.95 HD DVD $16.99 $29.99 HD DVD 28 Weeks Later $17.99 $19.99 w/$3 gift set coupon $29.99 Blu-ray Fox 2 for $25 w/Wrong Turn 2 $34.99 Blu-ray SRP $29.99; $39.98 BD $19.96 $23.96 two-movie set $17.99 $10 off Wrong Turn 2 $39.98 Blu-ray $17.99 $27.95 Blu-ray Surf’s Up Sony Pictures SRP $28.95; $38.96 BD $16.99 $29.99 gift set $29.99 Blu-ray $16.99 w/bonus disc $29.99 Blu-ray $19.96 w/music CD & necklace $26.87 Blu-ray $14.99 w/bracelet; $24.99 gift set $29.99 Blu-ray $15.99 $26.95 Blu-ray Reign Over Me Sony Pictures SRP $28.95; $38.96 BD $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $18.98 w/CD or Girl Interrupted $27.87 Blu-ray $19.99 $38.96 Blu-ray $16.99 $26.95 Blu-ray By John Latchem he week of Oct. 9 may have been one of the biggest in recent memory in terms of finding high-definition product on retail shelves. Each of the major theatricals released on DVD last week had prominently displayed high-def equivalents at most stores, while the Best Buy in Costa Mesa, Calif., expanded its high-def section onto nearly an entire sectional shelf, with HD DVD on one side, and Blu-ray Disc on the other. The big titles for retailer exclusives during the week were Surf’s Up and 28 Weeks Later. In addition to the standard exclusives, some retailers had special Surf’s Up gift sets. Circuit City had a $24.99 set that included the DVD and the store’s exclusive wrist-wrap bracelet, plus a plush toy. Best Buy had the DVD with a figurine set for $29.99. Many retailers paired 28 Weeks Later with another new Fox title, the DTV Wrong Turn 2. A twopack of 28 Weeks Later and its precursor film, 28 Days Later, also was available, but only Wal-Mart seemed to display this option prominently. T October 14–20, 2007 Home Media Magazine 17 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Amazon.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.