Bryan Tuck
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2002
- Messages
- 1,987
- Real Name
- Bryan Tuck
I realize that there have been various threads directed at specific studios regarding this issue, but I want to address this to all studios, because it is a trend that more and more have been following. It is, as the thread title suggests, simply a request.
One of my favorite DVD extra features is the original theatrical trailer for a film. I always look forward to watching this for a variety of reasons. It can get me in the mood to watch the movie, or it can provide a bit of nostalgia for an older film that I remember being excited about seeing, or it can provide an opportunity to see how the film was originally marketed.
Recently, some trailers that I have thought were brilliantly conceived and edited have been left off their respective film's DVD.
DreamWorks' Road to Perdition, The Ring, and Catch Me If You Can all had magnificent trailers. Why couldn't these be preserved? And I do realize that the Catch Me trailer is on the DVD for The Ring, but I shouldn't have to buy The Ring to get the trailer for Catch Me If You Can.
Another example of this sort of thing is Fox's recent releases of Drumline and Antwone Fisher. Both films had excellent trailers, yet the one for Drumline is only available on the Antwone Fisher DVD, and vice versa. What is the reason for this? I understand that including trailers for other films is a way of promoting them, but why couldn't the trailers for both films be on both DVDs. Once again, I shouldn't have to buy the Antwone Fisher disc to get the trailer for Drumline.
I understand that there is the issue of music licensing that impedes the inclusion of a trailer, but for newer movies, this shouldn't be a problem. Because we are several years into the DVD format, and because the trailers have been such a standard feature on most DVDs since the format's inception, why can't these issues be worked out when the music is originally licensed for use in the marketing?
And the cross-promotion like that of the Drumline/Antwone Fisher example leads me to believe that this is not always a music licensing issue.
At any rate, I realize that most people probably don't care, but the inclusion of original theatrical trailers has been such a standard practice on DVDs, that it doesn't make sense that it's suddenly not anymore. And although the movie itself is the most important thing on a DVD, extra features have long been a selling point for DVDs, and trailers are surely among the easiest possible features to include.
I would just like to ask DreamWorks, Sony, Buena Vista, Paramount, Fox, and any other studio that is following this trend of excluding trailers from DVD releases to please re-think this position. I would ask that all theatrical trailers, if available, for a movie be included on future DVD releases. TV spots I will leave to your discretion, but please start including theatrical trailers again. Please take care of music licensing issues when the music is initially licensed for use in the trailer; we are at a point now when that should just be part of the negotiations.
I know that I am not alone in this opinion, as there has been quite a bit of discussion about this topic on these boards. I appreciate your time, and I thank you for your concern for the opinions of your customers.
One of my favorite DVD extra features is the original theatrical trailer for a film. I always look forward to watching this for a variety of reasons. It can get me in the mood to watch the movie, or it can provide a bit of nostalgia for an older film that I remember being excited about seeing, or it can provide an opportunity to see how the film was originally marketed.
Recently, some trailers that I have thought were brilliantly conceived and edited have been left off their respective film's DVD.
DreamWorks' Road to Perdition, The Ring, and Catch Me If You Can all had magnificent trailers. Why couldn't these be preserved? And I do realize that the Catch Me trailer is on the DVD for The Ring, but I shouldn't have to buy The Ring to get the trailer for Catch Me If You Can.
Another example of this sort of thing is Fox's recent releases of Drumline and Antwone Fisher. Both films had excellent trailers, yet the one for Drumline is only available on the Antwone Fisher DVD, and vice versa. What is the reason for this? I understand that including trailers for other films is a way of promoting them, but why couldn't the trailers for both films be on both DVDs. Once again, I shouldn't have to buy the Antwone Fisher disc to get the trailer for Drumline.
I understand that there is the issue of music licensing that impedes the inclusion of a trailer, but for newer movies, this shouldn't be a problem. Because we are several years into the DVD format, and because the trailers have been such a standard feature on most DVDs since the format's inception, why can't these issues be worked out when the music is originally licensed for use in the marketing?
And the cross-promotion like that of the Drumline/Antwone Fisher example leads me to believe that this is not always a music licensing issue.
At any rate, I realize that most people probably don't care, but the inclusion of original theatrical trailers has been such a standard practice on DVDs, that it doesn't make sense that it's suddenly not anymore. And although the movie itself is the most important thing on a DVD, extra features have long been a selling point for DVDs, and trailers are surely among the easiest possible features to include.
I would just like to ask DreamWorks, Sony, Buena Vista, Paramount, Fox, and any other studio that is following this trend of excluding trailers from DVD releases to please re-think this position. I would ask that all theatrical trailers, if available, for a movie be included on future DVD releases. TV spots I will leave to your discretion, but please start including theatrical trailers again. Please take care of music licensing issues when the music is initially licensed for use in the trailer; we are at a point now when that should just be part of the negotiations.
I know that I am not alone in this opinion, as there has been quite a bit of discussion about this topic on these boards. I appreciate your time, and I thank you for your concern for the opinions of your customers.
