A direct to video (also known as direct-to-DVD, made-for-video, straight-to-video, and straight-to-DVD) is one which has been released The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film. For example, a film may be shown at a film festival or trade show in order to attract distributor attention and, if successful, may then be released through a chosen distributor to the public on home video Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The first company to duplicate and distribute home video was Magnetic Video, established in 1968 formats (historically VHS The Video Home System is a consumer-level video standard developed by Japanese company JVC and launched in 1976) before or without being released in movie theaters Most movie theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing a ticket. The movie is projected with a movie projector onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium. Some movie theaters are now equipped for digital cinema projection, removing the need to create and transport a physical film or broadcast on television Television is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic ("black and white") or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission. The word is derived from mixed Latin. The term is also at times used as a derogatory term for films or sequels A sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work of films that are of inferior quality, or are not expected to find financial success. Direct-to-video releases have become something of a lifeline for independent filmmakers and smaller companies.[1]
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Reasons for releasing direct-to-video
A production studio A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, cinematography, animation, radio or television broadcasting or the making of music. The term is also used for the may decide not to generally release a TV show A television program or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television. It may be a one-off broadcast or part of a periodically recurring television series or movie for several possible reasons: poor quality, lack of support from a TV network, controversial Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn against." nature, or a simple lack of general public interest. Studios, limited in the annual number of films to which they grant cinematic releases, may choose to pull the completed film from the theaters, or never exhibit it in theaters at all. Studios then recoup some of their losses through video sales and rentals.[2]
Direct-to-video releases have historically carried a stigma of lower technical or artistic quality than theatrical releases.[3] Some studio A movie studio is, in the established sense of the term, a company that distributes films. Literally, however, the term denotes a controlled environment for the making of a motion picture. This environment may be interior (sound stage), exterior (backlot), or both. In general parlance, the term is synonymous with "major film production films released direct-to-video are films which have been completed but were never released. This delay often occurs when a studio doubts a film's commercial prospects would justify a full cinema release, or because its "release window" has closed. A release window refers to a timely trend or personality, and missing that window of opportunity means a film, possibly rushed into production, failed to release before the trend faded. In film industry slang Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo . It is also used to identify with one's peers such films are referred to as having been "vaulted."[4]
Direct-to-video releases can be done for films which cannot be shown theatrically due to controversial content, or because the cost involved in a theatrical release is beyond the releasing company.[5] Almost all pornographic films are released direct-to-video.
Animated sequels A sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work and movie-length episodes of animated series are also often released in this fashion.[5] The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company , also known simply as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world. Founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader began making sequels of most of its animated films for video release beginning with The Return of Jafar (the sequel to Aladdin) in 1994. Universal Studios Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six major movie studios also began their long line of The Land Before Time The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Originally released by Universal Studios and Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, it features anthropomorphic dinosaurs living in a somewhat fantasy-based version of prehistoric earth. The plot sequels that same year. In 2005, Fox released Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story for DVD DVD, also known as Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc, is an optical disc storage media format, and was invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Time Warner in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage. DVDs are of the same dimensions as compact discs , but are capable of storing just under seven times as much data and Universal Media Disc The Universal Media Disc is an optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on the PlayStation Portable. It can hold up to 1.8 gigabytes of data. It is the first optical disc format to be used for a handheld video game system.
Studios may also release sequels or spin-offs to a successful live action film straight to DVD. These are commonly referred to as "cheapquels"[6] due to the lack of quality and budget in comparison to the original. Examples are the Behind Enemy Lines series of movies.
In the case of a TV show, low ratings Nielsen ratings are audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States. Nielsen Media Research was founded by Arthur Nielsen, who was a market analyst whose career had begun in the 1920s with brand advertising analysis and may cause a network to cancel the show, possibly after having filmed an entire season and aired some episodes. If the show has a considerable fanbase, the studio may release un-aired episodes on video to recoup losses. Firefly Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, under his Mutant Enemy Productions. Its future setting, modeled after traditional Western movie motifs, has been praised as an "oddball genre mix". Whedon served as executive producer, along[7][8] is an example of a canceled show which became a successful cult hit on DVD. Occasionally outstanding DVD sales may revive a canceled show, as in the case of Family Guy Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode. Originally canceled in 2002, the series was revived in 2005 due partly to its excellent DVD sales.[9] Futurama Futurama is an animated American science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for a thousand years, finds employment at is another example of a successful DVD run (along with strong fan support) that causes a network comeback.[10][11]
Direct-to-video films screened theatrically
Once in a while, a studio that makes a movie that was prepared as a direct-to-video film will release it theatrically at the last minute due to the success of another movie with a similar subject matter or an ultimate studio decision. The animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is an example of this. However, despite the film's critically-acclaimed success, its box-office performance was very poor, which has been blamed on its last minute decision to be released theatrically. The film had much better commercial success in its subsequent home video releases. Another example which garnered a large cult following is the 2001 psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre. Also, occasionally this genre will border into the also wide-ranging Horror genre Donnie Darko Donnie Darko is a 2001 American psychological thriller-fantasy film directed and written by Richard Kelly. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell, and depicts the reality-bending adventures of the title character as he seeks the meaning and significance behind his, which was originally slated for a direct-to-video release.
Other times, a direct-to-video film may get a limited theatrical screening in order to build excitement for the actual release of the video such as was done for 2010's Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Planet Hulk.[12]
Television spin-offs
Television spin-offs are animated or live action television series or made for TV movies which contain either characters or theme elements from an older series or movie (Clerks: The Animated Series and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures). While the most common examples of a television spin off are animated series there are also live action examples (Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a 2008 direct-to-DVD movie written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1's Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of Truth was released as a Region 1 DVD on March 11, 2008. Sky One has broadcast and Stargate: Continuum Stargate: Continuum is a Canadian-American military science fiction direct-to-DVD movie through MGM Home Entertainment , written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. The film is a time-travel adventure and is the second sequel to Stargate SG-1, after Stargate: The Ark of Truth. The film features the season 10 cast of Stargate SG-1 and)
Some SpongeBob SquarePants SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city "Bikini Bottom". The series' popularity has prompted the release of a media franchise, DVD volumes contain episodes not yet aired in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language.[citation needed] Certain special episodes of Pokémon Pokémon is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video game-based media franchise in the world, behind only Nintendo's own were released directly on video such as Pikachu’s Winter Vacation. Some Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, with its headquarters located on West Alameda Ave. in Burbank, California. The channel is owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company under Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. Disney Channels Worldwide is a global portfolio shows, such as That's So Raven That's So Raven is an American television sitcom. The show premiered on Disney Channel in 2003, and ended in November 2007. It is Disney Channel's longest-running live-action series, having been on for four years and airing 100 episodes throughout 4 seasons. It was also Disney Channel's first series to break the 65-episode mark, and the highest-, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series premiered on Disney Channel on March 18, 2005 with 4 million viewers, making it the most successful premiere for Disney Channel in 2005. It was one of their first five shows available on the iTunes Store. The series was nominated for an Emmy, Phil of the Future, and Lilo & Stitch: The Series have also had direct-to-video episodes.[citation needed] Some DVD volumes of The Land Before Time also contain episodes not yet aired in the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language or Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three.[citation needed]
Direct-to-Blu-ray & DVD market
As the DVD format supplanted the videocassette, companies released movies in DVD DVD, also known as Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc, is an optical disc storage media format, and was invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Time Warner in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage. DVDs are of the same dimensions as compact discs , but are capable of storing just under seven times as much data format rather than VHS The Video Home System is a consumer-level video standard developed by Japanese company JVC and launched in 1976, causing the term "direct-to-DVD" to replace "direct-to-video" in some instances.[13] However, the word "video" does not necessarily refer to VHS The Video Home System is a consumer-level video standard developed by Japanese company JVC and launched in 1976 cassettes. Many publications, though, continue to use the term direct-to video for DVDs or Blu-ray Discs Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the standard DVD format. Its main uses are for storing high-definition video, PlayStation 3 video games, and other data, with up to 25 GB per single-layered, and 50 GB per dual-layered disc. Although these numbers represent the standard storage for Blu-ray Disc drives, the. The new term sometimes used is DVDP ("DVD Premiere").[14] Such films can cost as much as $20 million[15] (about a third of the average cost of a Hollywood release[16]) and feature actors like Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Van Damme is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action movies. His most successful films include Bloodsport (1988), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), and Timecop (1994). Due to his physique and his Belgian background, he is known as "The Muscles from Brussels.", Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film actor, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist, and deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an aikido instructor in Japan. He became the first foreigner to operate an aikido dojo in Japan. He later moved to the Los Angeles, California, area where he made, Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. He has starred in numerous action-adventures, thrillers, and dramatic feature films and is well known for his role as Blade in the Blade trilogy. Snipes formed a production company titled Amen-Ra Films in 1991 and a subsidiary, Black Dot Media, to develop projects for and Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.[15] Salaries for such actors range from $2 to $4 million (Van Damme) to $4.5 to $10 million (Seagal).[15] According to Variety, American Pie: Band Camp sold a million copies in one week, despite retaining only two actors from the original trilogy.[17]
In recent years, DVD Premieres have become a substantial source of revenue for movie studios. DVDPs have collectively grossed over $3 billion over the last few years,[15] and have matured enough that DVDP divisions of studios now option their own films[citation needed]. Studios realized that DVDP movies can be shot on a smaller budget, thus allowing studios larger profits with the combined revenues of home video sales and rentals[citation needed], in addition to licensing movies for television and for distribution abroad (where some DVDP movies do see theatrical releases)[citation needed].
Distributing DVDPs is not a practice reserved solely for larger Hollywood studios. Several companies, such as The Asylum The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio is best known for producing titles capitalizing on productions by major studios. These titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press, MTI Home Video, and York Entertainment distribute DVDPs almost exclusively[citation needed]. The budgets for films distributed by these companies are even smaller than those of ones distributed by a larger studio, but these companies are still able to profit off their sales.[citation needed]
The V-Cinema and OVA markets in Japan
Main articles: V-Cinema Japanese V-Cinema is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. Unlike its Western counterpart, this industry has a considerably better reputation, with directors sometimes making V-Cinema movies by choice, and Original video animation Original video animation , abbreviated OVA (オーブイエー / オーヴィーエー / オヴァ, ōbuiē, ōvīē or ova?) (and sometimes as OAV by English-speakers), is a term for animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term was first used in relation to Japanese animation (anime). Most OVAs get releasedIn Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is, the direct-to-video movement called "Original Video" (オリジナルビデオ) carries different connotations, being a niche product rather than a fallback medium. Despite having lower budgets than features intended for theater release, Japanese direct-to-video productions are rarely marred by the poor storyline and lower quality production often associated with the DTV market in the US. So-called V-Cinema Japanese V-Cinema is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. Unlike its Western counterpart, this industry has a considerably better reputation, with directors sometimes making V-Cinema movies by choice, has more respect from the public, and affection from film directors A film director is a person who directs the actors and crew in the making of a film. He or she controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors for the greater creative freedoms the medium allows. DTV releases are subject to fewer content restrictions and less creative dictates than other formats.
In the case of anime Anime (アニメ?, an abbreviated pronunciation in Japanese of "animation", pronounced [anime] in Japanese, but typically /ˈænəˌmeɪ/ (help·info) or /ˈænəˌmə/ in English) is animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation", this is called Original Video Animation Original video animation , abbreviated OVA (オーブイエー / オーヴィーエー / オヴァ, ōbuiē, ōvīē or ova?) (and sometimes as OAV by English-speakers), is a term for animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term was first used in relation to Japanese animation (anime). Most OVAs get released (OVA or OAV), and their production values usually fall between those of television series and movies. They are often used to tell stories too short to fill a full TV season, and were particularly common in the early 1990s. Sometimes OVAs garner enough interest to justify commissioning a full television series, such as Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Muyo! , was a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi about a boy named Tenchi Masaki, which has grown into a larger franchise. Along with the likes of Moldiver, Tenchi Muyo! was one of the early successes for AIC, the animation company behind it, which went on to create El-Hazard, Battle, One Piece, Saint Seiya, El Hazard and Read or Die.
With the advent of the 13 episode season format, OVAs are less common now. This is not to say that they are non-existent: for example, the Japanese anime series Elfen Lied features 13 episodes and an OVA. The majority of OVAs released in today's market are usually continuations or reworkings of recently completed TV series. For instance, the DVD release of a TV series might include a bonus episode that was never broadcast as a sales hook.
A Newfound Respect From Studios and Moviegoers?
An upcoming DVD and Video On Demand experiment will see half of the major studio films released on the these platforms after only a month in theaters. Meaning the terms direct to video or direct to DVD may no longer carry the stigma it once did if this experiment succeeds. Even though these films will still have at least a month long run in theaters before their DVD release, while low budget indie films will still be released straight to DVD. [18]
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Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:58:49 GMT+00:00
Superman Super Site (blog) He was hired six years ago by president/publisher Paul Levitz to exploit the DC library, including direct-to-video animation, "Secret Origin: The Story Of ...
unknown
Sun, 30 May 2010 15:24:31 GM
Viewers who are looking for variety, a crisp digital picture, and one-time fee should look no further because the future of television is here.
Q. I don't think there was a direct-to-video sequel where INS tried nailing him and deporting him back to Russia, right? :(
Asked by Samian's Fifteenth Account - Fri Dec 4 15:39:10 2009 - - 8 Answers - 0 Comments
A. ha its been a long time, but i think he went through ellis island, which was all that was necessary at the time. (it was set in a time when naturalization was much easier.)
Answered by olinader - Fri Dec 4 15:43:04 2009
