Do DVD extras matter?

[Arnold Layne]

I mean who ever looks at a photo gallery? trailers are always good if you intend buying other titles from the company, but just interested to hear what you think, Rude Britannia seem to do nothing other than a scene selection, as do most, but I bought Harmonys "Best of British" a 2 DVD set, and it was full of great bonus features which put a lot of mainstream dvds to shame

Cheers

A.L

[davewells]

Usually the togs who shot the pic's or the crew that might be in the 'funnies'.

[Ace]

I find the PRIVATE range of extra's brilliant.

[goldenballs]

I think extras do make a difference.
Trailers and photos I guess aren't that important, but I do like to see a bit of BTS footage if at all possible. Not too bothered about long boring interviews with talent as the questions are all the same usually, but nice to see the girls before/after the scene or getting changed into different outfits.

I agree though Rude Britannia are the worst for extra features (I think my last post was a rant about Rude Britannia to! - sorry guys).
Although I suppose given the choice between a 3 hour film with no extras and a 2 hour film with extra features, I suppose I like most would go for the 3 hour film.

[Ned]

If I get a DVD with nothing in the extras department I do feel a bit like the company haven't made enough effort. I like the occasional out take, extra mini-documentary or even an interview or two. Sometimes you get something on a DVD, like a certain Ms Lovitt blowing her lines on a Ben Dover disc, that tops the package off nicely.

I can live without the photo gallery. A few trailers and a bit of effort and I am happy. Even had a commentary track on one disc (The Devil in Miss Jones 6).

[qwerty]

I think extras do matter, especially on the classic releases. Recently got myself Babylon Pink, Neon Nights, Debbie Does Dallas, The Devil In Miss Jones and Insatiable from the US, all of which are 2 disk special editions. !pleased!

It's about time porn DVDs got properly produced extras.

[Arnold Layne]

It seems the extras have to be certified too, hence some directors reluctant to put them on, Evil angel dvd's are a perfect example of how DVD's SHOULD be done, it's good maybe to see some candid behind the scenes stuff, but I personally would much rather a professionally authored DVD with prisitine picture quality over a dvd crammed with pointless extras, to hide the poor content quality, how Rude Britannia get away with those terrible dvd's I don't know. just the film, and rarely even any decent chapter points. more and more UK studios seem obsessed with quantity over quality when it comes to releases, and eventually punters will just get bored with no fresh ideas.



A lot of the recent releases are coming in at 3 disc editions with 4hr+ cuts of the movie. Belladonna's Fucking girls # 4 you could get for example for the same price as a Rude Britannia dvd if you know a reliable on line store.
It seems nearly all UK studios have a long way to go before they reach this level, if they ever do.

[DanG]

You've answered your own question here Arnold...I've no doubt there are some UK producers who want to do a good job and put out an extras-laden multi-disc set, but the fact is that said extras must be certified by the BBFC.

Hence, whereas certification for your average film might run you anywhere from ?1,000-1,5000 (depending on the number of scenes and length thereof), a multi-disc set with copious Behind The Scenes Featurettes, interviews, bloopers, outtakes, trailers, galleries, bonus scenes, easter eggs etc. is going to set you back many, many times more. What incentive is there for UK producers to pile on the extras, or shoot features with a fair bit of non-sex footage, or indeed shoot long, tantalising tease sequences as so many of the Evil Angel crew do, when they know that every extra minute is going to cost them money at the BBFC?

Given the fact that the UK R18 market is nothing more than a legalised monopoly, the producer has no leverage with regards to the pricing of their product...they can either take what the licensed stores are offering them, or they can sit on a few thousand DVDs with no hope of shifting them. After all, they can't legally offer them for sale via mail order now, can they?

So, do the math...and you'll see why most UK released DVDs are 'no frills' compared to the Euro or US versions. This is why I don't buy R18s unless there is no other option...the BBFC is little more than another 'taxation by stealth' con, not to mention being a fundamentally stupid idea in and of itself. This is why everyone is flocking to the internet and giving DVDs the brush off, I'm sad to say.