‘There’s Danger’: Streaming platforms aren’t enough for this huge Oscar-winning director

In a digital landscape now largely cannibalized by the dematerialized and primarily streaming of everything, there’s something reassuring about seeing great filmmakers still clinging firmly to physical media to get their work discovered. Christopher Nolan, who needs no introduction, is one of them. Not only is he an ardent advocate of 35mm film, he’s also a die-hard fan of DVD/Blu-ray and UHD, just like his co-star Guillermo del Toro.

“I think that on the physical versions of my movies, the final Blu-ray and 4K versions, there’s a lot less compression, it’s a very specific process, we can control the color of the images, the brightness and all that.” Trust the filmmaker in the fantastic show Conbin Video ClubWhen he was out promoting his Oppenheimer.

add: “When you’re streaming a movie, you don’t really control how it’s distributed. You can hold the film in your hand, see the cover, the poster, the names, it’s concrete.

“You are the guardians of these films for future generations”

In an interview given in 2023 The Washington PostHe expressed his fear of losing certain movies forever if they no longer exist in physical format, but only in streaming. “There’s a danger today that if movies only exist in a streaming version, they’ll be deleted, they’ll come and go.”he said.

This is all the more true because, for example, Disney regularly removed dozens of movies from its Disney + catalog, and now they are invisible. If you don’t have the DVD or Blu-ray version. Or the example of the Willow series, which disappeared from the catalog due to the lack of a sufficient audience.

Guillermo del Toro agreed with him and posted a message on his X account. “Physical media is almost a Fahrenheit 451 level of responsibility (where people memorize entire books and thus become a book they love). If you own a stunning 4K HD, Blu-ray, DVD, etc. love… you are for these movies Guardians for future generations.’

From broad market to niche market

Although the physical media market continues to decline over the years, video publishers are redoubled their efforts and passion to offer ultra-quality releases and powerful editorial suites for the ultimate enjoyment. The works, sometimes only printed in 500 or 1,000 copies, sell out almost instantly when pre-orders open.

There are still many publishers in France doing remarkable work, such as Potemkine, The Jokers, Le Chat qui fume, Rimini, Tamasa, ESC, L’Atelier d’images, Coin de mire, Elephant Films, BQHL, Sidonis Calysta. , Carlotta and others. As physical video revenue declines, media continues to struggle.

“We believe that with dematerialization, everything is available through VOD (video on demand) Which is not entirely true.” explained Vincent Paul-Boncourt, director and co-founder of Carlotta Films French movieIn October last year. “And publishers like us add value with very nice restorations and add-ons with archives or analysis.”

The concept of a beautiful object is also of great importance, as we offer high-quality publications that society demands. It seems that physical video, which was a large and popular market, is becoming, all things considered, a niche market where legacy has its place, knowing that the movie-going public is now more interested in Blu-ray than DVD. ‘.