Whenever there is advancement in technology, something is lost or diminished in the process. No one can doubt that the meteoric rise in mobile tech is remarkable and has drastically made our lives more convenient in a number of ways. However, there are also some areas of our lives that have faded to th
e background in lieu of this tech. We have generally (and ironically) become more isolated and sedentary, seeking to stay glued to our tiny screens while standing in line at the grocery store rather than be bothered with actual conversations with breathing beings.
For filmmakers, and indeed film and media consumers from every walk of life, the rise of digital media and the disappearance of hard media is a major transition that has permanently altered the landscape of the entertainment business. More and more people are converting to a 100% digital entertainment platform. Relying wholly upon streaming services, VOD (Video On Demand) options, and purchasing film downloads rather than an actual disc. This change is quite noticeable and was seen no more obviously than the almost overnight disappearance of Blockbuster, and other brick and mortar video rental stores. They were replaced by online digital purchases and streaming services that eliminated the need for physical hard media. In retail stores, the shelves of movies and television shows are ever shrinking as more and more people eliminate discs from their media purchases. It’s almost to the point where it has become difficult to even purchase as DVD/Blu Ray player; such is the landscape of hard media platforms.
For the average movie watcher who’s only casually interested in watching whatever is ‘trending’ at the moment, this isn’t such a bad deal. You don’t have to take up space of storing a bunch of cases and you don’t even have to get out off your couch to pick a show to watch (again, more sedentary). I know many people have gone as far as to sell off all their discs to secondary sales outlets. However, to the filmmaker or the film lover, this movement to a 100% digital library is a very bad idea.
First, I’ll backtrack just a bit. I very much love the current packaging of including a digital copy along with a disc, which is seen in many new releases. There are even some older classics that are being re-released with higher resolution master discs as well as the accompanying digital copy. Having this option to choose between digital and hard media is great and is what I will purchase at every opportunity.
As filmmakers, be it writers, directors, performers, costumers, set designers, and so forth, the constant study of movies (and television) is an absolute must. A vital aspect of this is going back through the history of cinema and viewing, and reviewing, old classic films. Not only the big critically acclaimed films like Citizen Kane and Casablanca, but essential genre films as well. Good luck trying to find a VOD option for horror classics, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or Nosferatu. When was the last time Netflix had comedy classics like Chaplin’s City Lights, or Buster Keaton’s The General, available? Even more recent classics in television like Cheers or M*A*S*H are difficult to find on digital platforms. To be able to pull what you need, when you need it, is an extremely valuable resource. Also of immense value are older lower budget or foreign films that won’t attract the attention of the larger streaming services, but are known and of great worth to those involved with filmmaking. The other major drawback of the digital or streaming format is that these features rarely, if ever, have the wonderful special features that are present on the discs. Having these behind the scenes glimpses into how the films were made, along with interviews with directors, writers and performers is a gold mine of inspiration and information. To loose out on these great extras is a tragic byproduct of the digital/streaming shift and is an immense casualty to the filmmaker.
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other streaming services are fantastic recourses and, for the most part, are worth every penny. However, part of their business structure is that they have to keep filtering in and out, new content. Therefore, a show or film that might be there one day, can be gone the next. It’s just the state of that format. I recently was making a deep dive into the evolution of the tv series, The X-Files. About half way through my study, Netflix pulled the series from their service. My progress halted and I had to scramble to find another source – which inevitably led me straight back to the discs, which is where I should have been in the first place. Having the media actually in hand is the best and most surefire way of not being in a position to not have access to something you need.
There is another dark side to the world of streaming and digital cloud based entertainment viewing, and that is the horrible state of Internet network connections. No matter how much these various services claim constant and uninterrupted service with lighting fast speeds- they all lie. Everyone has had frustration with loosing connection, or having slow speeds. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting on a show to buffer over and over. Or random area Internet outages putting your entertainment, or research on hold until they decide to do something about it. Even if the connection doesn’t drop all together, frequently the quality of the broadcast is shoddy, resulting in pixelated and out of synch viewings. All these problems simply vanish with the use of hard media.
Another looming problem with 100% digital libraries is that any sort of “cloud” is simply someone else’s computer. With cyber attacks becoming more and more frequent and vicious in nature, how long is it before someone just wipes out iTunes? Even without malicious attacks there have been instances of people losing their digital libraries due to glitches and bugs in the providers system. With as much money as people are spending on their digital copies, it’s a great risk to take hoping that their products will always be there.
On a similar line, as corporate competition and the subsequent greed continue to get larger with each day, companies continue to be guilty with preventing people from getting access to media choices that were not directly purchased through them. It’s possible the consumer outrage might sway them to reconsider these tactics, but in the meantime, it’s a great hassle. And with the current trend of continuing to bleed every cent out of consumers by making programs “subscription based”, how long will it be before you have to pay an additional subscription to view things you already purchased? Again, with hard media, all those problems just disappear.
With the price point only being a few dollars more than a digital copy, having the access, security, quality, and reliability of hard media is a no-brainer. Especially relevant to filmmakers and related industry personnel, the benefits of having a disc in hand vastly outweigh the negatives, especially with most new media having both the digital copy as well as the disc in the box. Nothing is better than knowing you’ll be able to have exactly what you want, when you want it, and with the best quality, every single time. Build that library! Now… Back to One!
And Another Thing... UPDATE
When I wrote this blog back in November of last year, I failed to mention a small but significant additional benefit of not going 100% digital. And that lies in the wonderfully creative packaging and physical bonus content that comes with many special edition releases of movies. Many times, these films are housed in fantastic packaging with fun artwork and alternate cover designs. Many also choose to include bonus content within the casing, such as photo books, comics, film cells, trading cards, art pieces, additional discs with bonus content, etc. No other recent release captures this brilliant marketing strategy more than the Blu Ray and 4K release of Stranger Things, Season 1.
This box is gorgeous. It captures the 80’s tone so beloved in the series by mocking the box up as a VHS tape in perfect detail. Everything from the faux scratches and aging around the edges and corners, to the subtle stock sticker on the front, common to so many video store rental boxes.
The inner box slides out just like the old VHS tapes did and that’s just where the surprises begin! The inner box is another jem as it’s a fantastic replica of a VHS tape, with the details covering all sides. The box is held shut by a simple magnet closing. The graphics on the inner box are perfect, even including the age-old “Please Be Kind & Rewind” sticker.
Inside the box, you have a double layer of discs that contain both the Blu Ray and DVD copies (a very nice and convenient add-in), including some “upside down” artwork as you flip open the top layer. The inside flap has a cute faux post-it note scrawled with the “Friends Don’t Lie!” mantra from the series. It has a pocket, which contains a limited edition poster.
Now, as this is a Netflix Original series, you won’t find it for sale on iTunes, or other streaming services. But by picking up the actual disc set, you not only don’t have to worry about the costs of another subscription, but you can get the high quality viewing every single time, plus the bonus of all this extra, cool content, all for under $16-18. It’s really a no-brainer. Nothing beats hard media!