I think all of Ron's questions are excellent and on point. I also think that the answer is "all the above". The economy is awful, supply outweighs demand, the high-rollers have acquired many of their pieces and the younger generation(s)would rather text and tweet than watch a film(literally- I was at a theater recently and the kid a few seats in front of me texted for the better part of the film). And after all, like who, you know, would want to, like, watch a black and white film anyway.and stuff.dude.
I don't know whether the hobby is expanding; you guys would know more about that. My sense is that it is not. I can't imagine it is bringing a lot of younger people in. I think the target is 35+ years of age. Maybe older. For example, my wife and I were spending the weekend with some friends of ours who just built a getaway home. They will be retiring in 10 years or so. We got to talking about the website Ken and I have and then the questions started coming: What does the poster to "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" look like? Do you have it? And so on. Bottom line is that they want to do at least one room and maybe more with vintage paper from films that they love. These are professionals with money and grew up on classic films who never knew that this paper existed. I have some ideas about how to tap into that demographic. Regarding the images that Heritage provides, I have to say that they are spot on. I spoke with Ken Schacter about this yesterday and we both feel that the photo/scans are by far the most accurate and highest quality of any site, auction or not. The catalogs are unparalleled and are collectable in themselves. Great reference material. It's an uncertain market to be sure but as Bruce and Grey have pointed out it is a great time to buy. Peter From: MoPo List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ron Moore Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 11:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MOPO] This Gun For Hire. Well, I can't speak for your screen and how your colors are adjusted, but hopefully your computer is pretty accurate. However, I did look at the poster itself quite closely. The colors on this poster were simply blazing! The reds were not painted over as I could easily still see the "dot" pattern of the offset lithography. In fact, I have to say it was one of the best examples of this poster I've ever seen. For the record, I've seen Grey go way out of his way to make sure the colors in the catalogs are as close to the actual colors on the poster as possible. He has a very high level of integrity and, like yourself, wants to make sure that the potential bidders get an accurate image and representation of the poster so they can bid with confidence. I really wish you would attend the auctions yourself and then you could easily respond to some of the comments posted on MoPo that allude to images being doctored. If you could do that, I think you would see that this simply isn't the case. I think the bigger question here, is why the poster passed at the sale? Is it indicative of the economy? Is it simply the case of supply and demand that there are more of these one sheets available out there than previously thought? Could it be that although demand (and desire) is high for this poster, that the higher prices have already been achieved and as each buyer acquires the item, that there is a smaller pool of bidders still out there? Is it a generational thing- and now perhaps the younger generation entering this hobby don't have the appreciation or desire for posters of films in the 1940's- or follow film noir? And honestly, what else can we do to try to bring "new blood" into the hobby? Do we need "new blood" in the hobby? Do you think the hobby is growing or not? I really don't know the answer to those questions but I think they're the ones we should really be asking. As one of the hobby's most public faces, I'd love to hear your take on some of these issues. --- On Sun, 7/18/10, Bruce Hershenson <[email protected]> wrote: From: Bruce Hershenson <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOPO] The Scandal-plus cut, pressed washed, starched & dried.... To: "Ron Moore" <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] Date: Sunday, July 18, 2010, 9:47 AM I trust you and believe you Ron. But why are the reds on the poster unlike the reds on any other example of this poster I have seen? Is it possibly from a variant printing? Or maybe I need to adjust the colors on my screen? Bruce On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 9:07 AM, Ron Moore <[email protected]> wrote: Hey Bruce! I was at the Heritage auction on Friday and Saturday. Dallas is so close to Austin so it's easy for me to travel there and actually attend. If you had come to the show, you could have actually compared the This Gun For Hire one sheet to the photo in the catalog- which I did. The colors were'nt "punched up". Since the poster passed at the sale, there's still time for you to go to Dallas and check it out for yourself! I daresay you'd lose your $100 bet. Ron --- On Sun, 7/18/10, Bruce Hershenson <[email protected]> wrote: From: Bruce Hershenson <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOPO] The Scandal-plus cut, pressed washed, starched & dried.... To: [email protected] Date: Sunday, July 18, 2010, 8:57 AM I had a chance to look at the This Gun for Hire image, and I will bet $100 that either the image or the poster itself (or both!) have had mucho "punching up"! When you say, "I know you err well on the side of unflattering in your listings, and I think it's a smart policy. And though you wouldn't "punch up" pics, I assume you still have to adjust for accuracy?" know that our goal is ALWAYS to present an image that accurately represents the item you will receive. I have SO often received purchases where the buyer photographed it in such a way that defects were hidden or obscured (my favorite was one where the seller placed a drumstick on the top border, ostensibly to "hold it down", but it also served to hide the rat chews in that area!). Of course, there is also the issue of auction images where no matter how much you "zoom" or "pan and scan" you still can't see the pinholes or foldlines that somehow magically disappear (until of course you get the actual item). I think this proves to be "penny wise and pound foolish". If you are solely looking to sell one item, it may benefit you on that one item, but if you are in this for the long term, then you have to wonder if such deceptive advertising doesn't lose you the trust of many bidders, causing them to bid less on your items (or not bid at all) due to the "fear factor". Bruce On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Richard Evans <[email protected] <http://mc/[email protected]> > wrote: I'm not automatically assuming that example was punched up, it may well just be the case that the reds were originally extremely strong and have remained so, and that the online reproduction is accurate, (within it's limits). Washing, bleaching etc may have had the effect of intensifying the colours, dunno. (Though if that is how This Gun for Hire appeared when it was fresh off the press, in this instance I certainly prefer a little faded grandeur.) Generally, and especially with something in this price range I still think using some kind of a colour correction system like Pantone would be more professional, (with the colour bar appearing beside poster) rather than relying on adjusting by eye. I know you err well on the side of unflattering in your listings, and I think it's a smart policy. And though you wouldn't "punch up" pics, I assume you still have to adjust for accuracy? Even if you don't go near photoshop, presumably in some way, like adjusting lighting so repro appears true to the eye, as in the case of the Vertigo? On 17 Jul 2010, at 17:11, Bruce Hershenson wrote: I actually had one of my employees suggest to me that we should "punch up" the images of items we sell, and I told him that we NEVER do that (he is new, or he would have already known that). Of course, there is no way to know if others feel the same way (at least until you get your package and compare the item you get to the image you saw). Bruce On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 11:06 AM, Richard Evans <[email protected] <http://mc/[email protected]> > wrote: I thought the This Gun for Hire went beyond strong colours and looked unflatteringly garish. Presumably not a result of restoration judging by the listing, but was it really actually that vibrant, or did the colour reproduction exacerbate it online? On 17 Jul 2010, at 16:44, Bruce Hershenson wrote: I personally agree with this. I didn't like the "make it look perfect" school of restoration even BEFORE the Haggard scandal broke. First, because the restorers were in effect hiding their restoration, making it impossible to see exactly what was done (and a long time pro like myself could spot some restoration that most amateurs would never see, creating a "fear of restoration" among many collectors). Second, because many of these items were SO restored that they looked almost like "recreations". I LIKE the items in my collection to show at least SOME signs of age, unless they are in truly mint unrestored condition, because that is part of the joy of owning an original, knowing that it survived all these years. If you want a perfect looking item, why not just get a reproduction? But don't take your "very good" condition and have someone make them look like new. If you MUST restore, why not simply do minimal restoration to the areas that most need it? Bruce On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 9:58 AM, glenndamato <[email protected] <http://mc/[email protected]> > wrote: Regarding the Heritage auction: I do believe the fakes scandal hurt the hobby, plus many of the restored posters look like they were cut, bleached, washed, starched & dried. I'll take old Igor back anyday....... Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] <http://mc/[email protected]> In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] <http://mc/[email protected]> In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
