Does Redbox’s Bankruptcy Mean the End of Physical Media?

Plus: Making Digital Cinematography Less Perfect

Author

Steve
July 02, 2024

Happy July Hollywood tech nerds!

In this week’s post:

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Does Redbox’s Bankruptcy Mean the End of Physical Media?

On Friday, Redbox owner Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with some claiming this was the signal of the end of the DVD business (including the afore-linked Fast Company article, which called it “the final nail in the coffin for DVDs”).

This aligns with other recent news on the state of physical media, including Sony cutting back its recordable media staff and Best Buy ceasing to sell physical copies of films and TV shows.

Longtime readers are familiar with my perhaps elder millennial nostalgia, love, and admiration for the role DVDs have played in the history of cinema. However, as the Fortune article notes:

…one might expect an older crowd to be invested in DVD viewing, a recent Statista report found that it was 18- to 29-year-olds who purchased DVDs and blu-ray at the greatest rate.

One might expect that if one didn’t read my newsletter! The early promise of “any movie any time” streaming simply doesn’t exist for younger people. Why wouldn’t they turn to physical media so they can maintain the ability to watch their favorite films and TV shows?

Returning to Redbox: is their bankruptcy truly the “final nail in the coffin” for DVDs? Well, it’s a more complicated story than that. Redbox had only recently been acquired by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, a company that also recently acquired AVOD streaming service Crackle and multiple content owners like Screen Media and 1091 Pictures.

The now-former CEO of CSSE was Bill Rouhana, a controversial figure with a checkered past including a history of allegedly problematic financial dealings. The decision to buy a DVD distribution company whose product was Blu-Ray/DVD rentals via automated, often outdoor machines that needed regular servicing by specialized staff after an industry-slowing pandemic and right before dual industry strikes… I’m no MBA but this was maybe not the best business decision!

However, there are an estimated 42 million Americans without access to broadband Internet! Presumably a significant number of those folks would desire some form of easy access to entertainment content, and physical media is certainly an easy way to provide it. Is there a media company that can figure out a way to service those potential customers?

Making Digital Cinematography Less Perfect

I really loved this article from American Cinematographer on modern lenses that allow for control and tuning of optical “aberrations,” ie the imperfect visual elements in a shot common to film-based cinematography and projection, but frequently lost in the age of digital. From the article:

Since the introduction of digital-cinema cameras — and, especially, digital exhibition… many cinematographers find the purely digital image to be “too sharp” or “too clean,” and more of them have been reaching for less “perfect” optical options to replicate the look and feel of 35mm film projection. This has made the lens a more significant creative choice than ever before.

Provided below via the article is a sample shot from The Batman:

For this shot in The Batman (AC June ’22), Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS used Arri Rental Alfas (customized Arri/Zeiss Master Anamorphics) with induced astigmatic field curvature to make the sides fall out of focus while keeping the center sharp. (Warner Bros. Pictures).

If you’re a cinematography nerd like me, I highly encourage you to check out the full article. One of my ongoing complaints about the digital age of film production has been how flat and bland digital photography can be, and this gives me great hope for the next few years of cinema!

Here’s a round-up of cool and interesting links about Hollywood and technology:

Edgar Wright’s 10 tips on how to actually get your movie made. (link)

Robert Zemeckis on the cutting-edge technology behind his newest film. (link)

Blair Witch at 25: modern horror directors on the film’s influence. (link)