Camera Obscura (Germany)

[buggenhagen]

Slightly off topic I guess but does anyone have any links that could get me more info on Camera Obscura and their releases? I know they've got Wild Beasts coming up and I'd just like to find out a bit more about it - do they have a website at all? I can't seem to find one, and not for lack of trying. From the screen shots I've found it looks like they'll finally be putting out a watchable version of the film. Also, where do people pick up their releases?

[mlink73]

Camera Obscura did not only "encourage" people to wait, in some forums they were actually bashing people for buying foreign discs and questioning their motives in a very bad way, something like: why do you buy more than one disc of the same movie it's just silly.....very unprofessional, but then some of those CO employees have been working for companies before that took VHS tapes, burned them on Video Discs and sold them as "DVD Compatible" or released cut versions and claimed the missing footage was filmed years later and inserted by some distributors.....I personally avoid them, no matter how good their products may be (something I doubt actually) as they always send out people to trash the competition in forums. Not a very professional move.

[mlink73]

Update: Camera Obscura just posted on their message board earlier this weekend, the release has been cancelled as they don't hold the license. Another label: Koch Media, will release it in given time........nothing more to add. So much for their "superior" BR..........LMFAO

[Pete]

[Peter Neal]

Like I wrote earlier: I really like and appreciate CO's previous releases but their whole handling and marketing of their "Inferno" release rubbed me the wrong way, so I can't say I feel too sorry for them in this particular case.

[keirarts]

Perhaps arrow and camera obscurer could make friends?

I know people have had issues with the arrow releases, the same posts crop up all the time on amazon. Usually they say wait for the blu-underground release. Then when the Blu-underground release is the same (because they share prints duh!) immediately its 'wait for the obscure euro release that will definately be better!'

For hardcore horror fans thats great, we will mostly jump through any burning hoop to get the best prints available, wherever they may be.

However the future of the genre, relies on new fans discovering these films, usually from picking them up out of curiosity.

If these companies are somehow sourcing prints that are better than the uk/us releases then how?!

Arrow put a lot of effort into their packages, some of the critisisms of their releases are wrong, (ie bay of blood, it looks fine) some have justification (some stores are still selling b/w beyond discs, why?!!, Bwcp in wrong ratio!).
Either way I find myself wondering if certain bloggers suggestions that the prints being sold are not up to standard, and if that is the case what are these european distributors doing differently?

The whole issue needs looking at, perhaps any film journalists out there might want to try an investigation.

[mlink73]

As far as I understood there are some rumors about "Koch Media" being the license holder and CO tried to get a "sub-license" for their release....no official comment on that though, all we got was a statement about not having the rights for that release and Koch Media will take over. I think that CO messed up big time, announced 2 years ago, numerous attacks on other labels and especially fans that double dip doesn't make the guys look too trustworthy. I guess the "outstanding" bonus features they announced (CO: "We went the extra mile to get all people still alive today that were even slightly involved in Inferno in front of the camera") won't show up on the new Koch Media release either I mean how can we tell if we never got any official specs?

As far as the print is concerned CO stated that they used the same print as Arrow but gave it a better treatment and it would look more natural as both BU and Arrow tempered around with the master.....so even they had to use the same print. It's easy to say our disc is better especially without any comparisons, I like both releases of Inferno so far, I may would have gone for the CO release if the extras were somewhat compelling, I guess a lot of people thought the same and that's why CO's focus suddenly shifted from making us believe they have the superior image to them delivering superior extras that would blew all competitor's discs out of the water over the last months. As I said before: I wouldn't be surprised if those won't even show up on the new disc.

Last but not least, I 100% agree with Peter, I don't feel sorry for CO, we have 2 very good discs of Inferno already available so that's no real loss here, and I rarely seen a company being a pain in the ass with their arrogance not only towards competitors but also fans, basically their customers, with comments on their message board. I have to confess I actually smirked when I read the announcement on their page, but yet if you were hoping for some appologetic posts from them...not by a mile....still very cryptic and shifting the blaming on others....well so much for CO's public relation.

[keirarts]

So it is the same print.

heh!

I suppose the only thing I could add is that blu-ray being a new medium the occasional error is bound to occur, nuff said.

I'll stick with my arrow release, until inevitably somewhere down the line the film is re-issued yet again in another difinitive edition.

[mlink73]

I am very happy with my Arrow too, I don't know if I would buy another edition, well maybe if the extras are really good and unique but I doubt we have much room for picture improvement as the Arrow looks fine to me. It had some mixed reviews but I don't care how it looks on the reviewers equipment, it looks great on mine and that counts.....

[Pete]

Originally Posted by mlink73

I am very happy with my Arrow too, I don't know if I would buy another edition, well maybe if the extras are really good and unique but I doubt we have much room for picture improvement as the Arrow looks fine to me. It had some mixed reviews but I don't care how it looks on the reviewers equipment, it looks great on mine and that counts.....

That's how I feel - as long as my eyes like what they see then I'm happy. I hate all these blogger 'experts'.

Well, I'm sorry to say that the image has one piece of grain less than it should have, therefore it must be destroyed. They must go back and spend another $100,000 to restore it (and I don't want none of that 'fake' grain either). They'll probably go bankrupt doing it again and many people will lose their jobs but so what? They aren't looking at the bigger picture - DNR, EE etc have now become a bigger problem than famine, HIV, cancer, child abuse, seal clubbing, poverty, war and all those other stupid things. In fact I predict that if distributors keep on using these methods the world will explode! Midnight Legacy wouldn't let a thing like that happen. Love ya Dolph! xx*



*I have no problem with ML or anyone involved with the company but have you noticed how all these bloggers seem to be in love with them and trying so hard please them?