Janice, By the way, this isn't a rant. Just fun musing... I think indie DVD distributors would LOVE to jack up the rates for individual dvds -- with the increased costs of bonus features and limited quantities, a lot of ours cost far more than studio releases to produce and we sell 99 percent less of them. And of course, in the past year, the sales numbers have REALLY disappeared. However, it's really tough to sell a DVD for $50 when The African Queen or Raging Bull can be bought at the local supermarket for $9.99.
Unlike music, where people actually play a CD of Miley Cyrus hundreds of times, most individuals watch a DVD only once and store it on their shelves. But a fairly large number of collectors (including me) have DVDs on their shelves they never opened. Hopefully, an institution will show a DVD a number of times to a larger number of people. And I constantly like to remind everybody, so apologies first. But I was just doing some fun research at UCSB's amazing Cinefiles site ( http://cinefiles.bampfa.berkeley.edu/cinefiles/) yesterday. Go here<http://cinefiles.bampfa.berkeley.edu/cinefiles/DocDetail?docId=9658>and see that in the mid-1960s, if you wanted to purchase the 8-minute film BRIDGES GO ROUND, you had to pay $200 and the older 6-minute film DANCE IN THE SUN was $150. Considering that gas went for 49 cents a gallon, today's DVD at $139 is a bargain. Best, Dennis On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 2:02 PM, Janice Woo <[email protected]> wrote: > I agree completely with Tom. $250 and up is just too much to pay for > a DVD unless it's something really special (that ends up in a special > collection of some sort). > > Why not change the pricing to $100 for institutions and $50 for > individuals? The potential number of individual buyers is several > orders of magnitude higher than institutions -- that is, of course, if > the film is something people actually want to watch, as opposed to > being assigned to view for homework. > > And while I'm at, why are public libraries and community colleges > sometimes charged less than colleges? Seems like circulation of a DVD > in a public library would be much higher than at a educational > institution. > > And, yes, I understand that the economics of being an independent > filmmaker/artist can be difficult. That's why they've printed up the > bumper sticker "Real musicians have day jobs." > > Regards, > Janice Woo > > > > Quoting [email protected]: > > > Hi Curtis, > > > > First, welcome to the crazy world of video librarians. > > > > Second, I think it's safe to say that most of us who find ourselves > > working in media libraries are quite passionate about film and, in an > > ideal world, would love to spend our money with independent filmmakers. > > Unfortunately, we all have limited budgets to work within and these days > > many of our budgets are shrinking at an alarming rate. And in many > > libraries, the media collection does not get the type of budget and > > attention it deserves to begin with. What that means is that we have > > difficult decisions to make. > > > > Without the option of buying the home version, my decision goes from > > buying the institutional version or the home version to buying the > > institutional version or not buying it at all. And with my budget as it > > is, I'm doing a lot of not buying of things I would love to have in my > > collection. There are sellers on this list who can attest to the fact > that > > 2 years ago, I bought many many films from them and now I'm buying a > > handful of titles at best. I don't like it because their content is still > > as great as ever, but I just don't have the money and our collection > > suffers because of it. Difficult decisions indeed. > > > > This is a topic that comes up on this list, so no worries about > alienating > > anyone. I think we're all sensitive to the issue and would love to be in > a > > position to be more financially supportive. MY moral objective is to > > provide the best media collection for our patrons given the limitations > of > > my budget. If that means I have to sacrifice one good $250 documentary to > > purchase ten good $25 documentaries that will support more students, then > > I have to go with the later. > > > > Tom > > > > _____________________________ > > Tom Ipri, MS > > Head, Media and Computer Services > > Lied Library > > University of Nevada, Las Vegas > > 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy > > Box 457035 > > Las Vegas, NV 89154-7035 > > 702-895-2183 > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > From: > > Curtis Chin <[email protected]> > > To: > > [email protected] > > Date: > > 05/13/2010 09:51 AM > > Subject: > > [Videolib] Filmmakers are not your enemies > > Sent by: > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > I know I am a newbie here and at the risk of alienating folks, I need to > > speak up for the filmmakers perspective. > > > > Trust me when I say, we filmmakers are not trying to get rich off our > > projects. We just want to make a living and to be fairly compensated for > > our work. Often times, we embark on our films because they are subjects > > that personally matter to us, in my case, it was a family friend who had > > been murdered, and we devote years to it without getting any monetary > > compensation. We are just trying to recoup our costs. > > > > Now, why the price difference? It's because you will be showing these > > films as often as you like (for years) and you will be making money off > > our work through tuition and other fees. If you amortize it, it's still a > > pretty good deal for your institutions. Would you prefer if we didn't > > offer the home version and just had the one institutional price? > > > > And to show a "home" version when it is specifically stated that is not > > the intended purpose, I think is morally wrong, just like downloading > > copyrighted video or music off the internet. But then, again, some people > > have no problem doing that either. So I suspect that I lot of people will > > be doing that. The loser in that is the artist. Sigh. > > > > In the end, we are all trying to help educate the population. We share a > > common goal and it's wrong to think we are your adversaries. > > > > On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 8:47 AM, <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > Send videolib mailing list submissions to > > [email protected] > > > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > > > > > https://calmail.berkeley.edu/manage/list/listinfo/[email protected] > > > > > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > > [email protected] > > > > You can reach the person managing the list at > > [email protected] > > > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > > than "Re: Contents of videolib digest..." > > > > > > Today's Topics: > > > > 1. When the Levees Broke: PPR (Blaine Waterman) > > 2. Re: Old topic, new rant... (CROWLEY, CHRISTINE) > > 3. ALA vs SilverDocs in DC (Carleton Jackson) > > 4. FW: video dominoes (Hutchison, Jane) > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Message: 1 > > Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 17:04:19 -0700 > > From: Blaine Waterman <[email protected]> > > Subject: [Videolib] When the Levees Broke: PPR > > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > Message-ID: > > < > > 79b252d4661f4642b4be6d6eef6eddd8cd21760...@exchangembx.sf-library.org> > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > > Has anyone on the list screened Spike Lee's Katrina documentary? > > If so, how/who/how much?? :) > > > > TIA, > > > > Blaine Waterman > > Film and Television Specialist > > San Francisco Public Library > > 415.557.4461 > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > Official SFPL use only > > > > -------------- next part -------------- > > An HTML attachment scrubbed and removed. > > HTML attachments are only available in MIME digests. > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > Message: 2 > > Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 19:54:26 -0500 > > From: "CROWLEY, CHRISTINE" <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: [Videolib] Old topic, new rant... > > To: <[email protected]> > > Message-ID: > > <[email protected]> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > > I see no reason that the home video cannot be purchased for that use, > > unless for reason the "seminar" is outside the realm of a classroom > > situation....and the university is clearly not a for-profit institution. > > > > Christine Crowley > > Dean of Learning Resources > > Northwest Vista College > > 3535 N. Ellison Dr. > > San Antonio, TX 78251 > > 210.486.4572 office > > 210.486.4504 fax > > [email protected] > > Northwest Vista College is one of the Alamo Colleges > > www.alamo.edu/nvc/lrc > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > > From: [email protected] on behalf of John Potter-Smith > > Sent: Wed 5/12/2010 5:30 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [Videolib] Old topic, new rant... > > > > > > > > Welcome to Canada !! > > > > > > > > This is what we face every day, we have no choice of not purchasing > > University copies with PPR (Public Performance Rights) like you lucky > > folks do in the US. > > > > > > > > John Potter-Smith > > > > Library - Audiovisual Technician > > > > Kwantlen Polytechnic University > > > > Coast Capital Savings Library > > > > Phone: 604-599-2405 > > > > Fax: 604-599-2106 > > > > > > > > ED00172_< > > > https://mail.alamo.edu/exchange/ccrowley5/Drafts/RE:%20[Videolib]%20Old%20topic,%20new%20rant....EML/1_multipart/image001.png > >> The Library ... Your Information Destination > > > > > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto: > > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Merle J. Slyhoff > > Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 2:31 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [Videolib] Old topic, new rant... > > > > > > > > $300.00 for a video for universities and colleges vs $25.00 for a video > > for home use and one faculty member wants to view it to maybe show to a > > seminar of 15 students... and I have to say no because I can't fit it > into > > the budget at $300.00. No one will ever convince me that this cost > > differential is justifiable when it's being used in the classroom for 15 > > students. > > > > > > > > OK, said it, no need to reply because I know what you'll all say. J > > > > > > > > Merle > > > > ******************************************************************* > > > > Merle J. Slyhoff V: 215-898-9013 > > > > Collection Development & F: 215-898-6619 > > > > Resource Sharing Librarian E: [email protected] > > > > Biddle Law Library > > > > University of Pennsylvania > > > > 3460 Chestnut Street > > > > Philadelphia, PA 19104-3406 > > > > > > > > -------------- next part -------------- > > A non-text attachment was scrubbed and removed. > > Name: not available > > Type: application/ms-tnef > > Size: 9447 bytes > > Desc: not available > > Non-text attachments are only available in MIME digests. > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > Message: 3 > > Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 08:55:12 -0400 > > From: Carleton Jackson <[email protected]> > > Subject: [Videolib] ALA vs SilverDocs in DC > > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> > > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format=flowed > > > > > > Greetings VRT-ers: > > > > Well, not really a "VS" but a concurrence. > > > > Just wanted to let you folks know who are trying to do both at DC that > > the SilverDocs schedule is slowly being revealed. Each year there is a > > theme that precedes and follows the Guggenheim honoree. We can finally > > tell you that this years honoree is Frederick Wiseman. He and his films > > will be present at both the Festival and Conference. Those of you who > > are trying out the educator pass for Friday or are around Saturday night > > may have access to an event or two with him. I'm trying to see if one or > > a combination of vouchers can get you into the big Guggenheim event too. > > Stay tuned... > > > > > http://silverdocs.com/news-links/2010/05/06/frederick-wiseman-named-guggenheim-honoree/ > > > > > > Also: if some of you were thinking of the educator pass, but couldn't > > decide or were sold out, there are a few back, however at $150 price > > now. Still, if you missed out on an ALA preconference but still have at > > least Friday free, its well worth it, and cheaper then most > > preconferences. > > > > > https://secure2.convio.net/afi/site/Ecommerce/1989794434?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=1481&store_id=1301 > > > > > > As usual, any questions feel free to contact me directly. And it is > > possible to be two places at the same time. > > > > Carleton > > > > > > -- > > Carleton L. Jackson > > Librarian, Nonprint Media Services Library > > University of Maryland Libraries > > 0300 R. Lee Hornbake Library > > College Park, Maryland 20742-7011 > > 301-405-9226 voice / 301-314-9419 fax > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > Message: 4 > > Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 11:43:35 -0400 > > From: "Hutchison, Jane" <[email protected]> > > Subject: [Videolib] FW: video dominoes > > To: <[email protected]> > > Message-ID: > > < > > 4d509e6f1d635043bc720a5b2a4eae6507dd5...@callisto.unv.campus.wpunj.edu> > > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > > Many of you have brought up the fact that your video collections were > > going. > > > > > > > > I thought you'd get a kick out of this. > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Qup0kA6kw > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jane B. Hutchison > > > > Associate Director > > President > > > > Instruction & Research Technology CCUMC: > > Leadership in Media & Academic Technology > > > > William Paterson University > > http://www.ccumc.org > > > > Wayne, NJ 07470 > > > > 973-720-2980 (work) > > > > 973-418-7727 (cell) > > > > 973-720-2585 (facs) > > > > [email protected] > > > > -------------- next part -------------- > > An HTML attachment scrubbed and removed. > > HTML attachments are only available in MIME digests. > > > > End of videolib Digest, Vol 30, Issue 23 > > **************************************** > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel > of > > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > > producers and distributors. > > > > > > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > -- Best, Dennis Doros Milestone Film & Video/Milliarium Zero PO Box 128 Harrington Park, NJ 07640 Phone: 201-767-3117 Fax: 201-767-3035 email: [email protected] www.milestonefilms.com www.arayafilm.com www.exilesfilm.com www.wordisoutmovie.com www.killerofsheep.com AMIA Philadelphia 2010: www.amianet.org Join "Milestone Film" on Facebook!
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
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