Comic-Con 2009 Update #3 – DVD/Blu-ray Producers 2009: Now in Glorious High-Definition!
Being an avid fan of the Blu-ray format myself, one of my favorite panels of the past two years at Comic-Con has been the DVD/Blu-ray Producers Panel hosted by Bill Hunt, editor of Digital Bits. Let’s give credit where credit is deserved. Bill Hunt has been on the forefront of DVD and Blu-ray news ever since I remember and I always relied on the Digital Bits to find out the latest in home entertainment news. Last year’s panel was very exciting as we were on the advent of the rise of the Blu-ray format and this year’s panel was even more remarkable now that Blu-ray has a good share of the home media market. This year’s panel (DVD/Blu-ray Producers 2009: Now in Glorious High-Definition Panel! ) featured Bill Hunt, Adam Jahnke and Todd Doogan (of the Digital Bits), Laura Gross (Coraline, 9), Van Ling (T2 Skynet Edition, Star Wars DVD menus), Robert Meyer Burnett (The Hills Run Red, The Wrath of Shatner), Charles de Lauzirika (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and Cliff Stephenson (Crank 2: High Voltage, Gamer).
Below are a few areas of discussion I left with on my pad of paper to share with all my readers here. I am sorry there is not more, but I was just so captivated by this panel I forgot to write down every pertinent piece of information. If I am not on the panel next year 🙂 (hint…hint), then I hope to be armed with a much better camera and a possible digital recorder. Without further ado…here we go!
Bill Hunts reinforced the fact that this is an exciting time for the Blu-ray format now that it is up 91% in the market and an entry level Blu-ray player can now be bought for $100.
Next up Laura Gross showed us video of the art design behind the stop motion puppet feature Coraline. I have yet to see this movie, but that feat will be accomplished tonight. I was amazed at how much work goes into that stop motion photography and I thank Laura for opening my eyes to the world of Coraline.
Van Ling, currently working on Terminator, showed us clips from his latest project on Bob Burns.
Cliff Stephenson, who I always find very interesting due to the projects he works on, discussed the cameras used on Crank 2: High Voltage and showed us a quick documentary of it as well as scenes from Gerard Butler’s upcoming movie Gamer. After the panel I managed to catch up with Cliff and asked him a question that was burning inside of me. Last year, Cliff mentioned that he was working with the man himself, Sylvester Stallone, on a re-cut of the latest Rambo movie. Being a huge fan of this movie I, of course, was very interested in this news. However, as the year went by with no mention of this Blu-ray release I became worried. Let’s just say that Cliff put my fears to ease. He mentioned to me that he is still working on it and it will either be released when Sylvester’s newest film The Expendables hits the theatres or gets released on the DVD/Blu-ray format. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to hear that this project was not scrapped!
Another welcomed panelist, Robert Meyer Burnett, premiered the trailer for the Dark Castle/Warner Brothers horror film he has been working on, The Hills Run Red. This was the first time ever shown world premiere of the trailer. The DVD release of the movie will happen on September 29th. Why no Blu-ray??! He also showed a video documentary of the killer in the movie, Baby Face. Being a huge horror fan, I find myself very intrigued by this upcoming movie. I am sure my sentiments and excitement level would be even higher if was being released on Blu-ray (hint…hint)!
Last but not least, Charles de Lauzirika premiered clips from the newest documentary he is working on for a Blu-ray/DVD release most of you might be interested in…a little movie known as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. He showed an exclusive video recorded by Michael Bay addressing the Comic-Con audience. That was really cool of him to do that for us. Finally, he addressed the concern that Hollywood studios are facing with the dilemma of how to handle changing aspect ratios and keep viewers happy. When he gave the audience a vote most of us responded we want the changing aspect ratios preserved in the Blu-ray releases, but he suggested maybe a seamless branching mode to appease the people that do not want the aspect ratios changing throughout the movie (like they do on The Dark Knight Blu-ray release).
Well that’s all I have to report from the DVD/Blu-ray Producers 2009: Now in Glorious High-Definition Panel! I hope next year to be even more involved in my passionate hobby of Blu-ray and take the reporting of this panel to the next level. In the meantime, make sure you stop by Digital Bits (http://digitalbits.com/) on a daily basis to get your fill on the latest in home media entertainment news. Bill Hunt and his group will not let you down and will always be there to deliver the latest breaking news to his readers!
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