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Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:58 pm
by dwk
Looks like there is a new UK label that will be issuing Blu-rays of a number of TT's (and Mill Creek's) Sony releases:
About

Indicator is a new British Blu-ray and DVD label owned and operated by Powerhouse Films Ltd, London, England.

Founded by industry veterans with a passion for physical media, Indicator aims to release four titles per month. Indicator editions will be expertly encoded using the finest available master materials, offer lovingly assembled extra features, carry new and improved English subtitles, and include accompanying booklets containing newly commissioned and contemporary writing.

List of Indicator editions:

001 - CHRISTINE (John Carpenter, 1983)
002 - BODY DOUBLE (Brian De Palma, 1984)
003 - GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (Stanley Kramer, 1967)
004 - TO SIR, WITH LOVE (James Clavell, 1967)
005 - 10 RILLINGTON PLACE (Richard Fleischer, 1971)
006 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (J. Lee Thompson, 1981)
007 - THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (Orson Welles, 1947)
008 - BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (Otto Preminger, 1965)
009 - FAT CITY (John Huston, 1972)
010 - THE LAST DETAIL (Hal Ashby, 1973)
011 - EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (Blake Edwards, 1962)
012 - THE ANDERSON TAPES (Sidney Lumet, 1971)

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:00 pm
by domino harvey
O shit, this is gonna be good to watch unfold

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:18 pm
by captveg
You know, I can foresee the license agreement between Sony and Twilight Time coming to a close in the near future, now with Sony doing their MOD Choice Collection and having their distribution agreement with Criterion leading to their prestige titles getting releases via the latter. I think the only future Sony titles that have been rumored for Twilight Time are The Mad Magician 3D, Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:21 pm
by Ribs
This seems like it should be a really big deal, and really does kind of make the argument I've refuted for some time, that TT could be a better label and the prices are entirely unnecessary. But the Body Double edition, for instance, includes all the extant TT features as well as a half-hour long interview and a 30-page booklet. And, with the caveat of international shipping, will cost probably about 60% of the average TT release. I have a *really* hard time defending TT if this ends up as good as it looks.

Edit: Ah, looks like they've taken the listings off their site for now.

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:58 pm
by tenia
Can't really say why, but "Indicator" looks like a weird name for an independant label. But I guess, it isn't weirder than "Arrow" or "Twilight Time".
This being said, if we can get an all-around release of The Lady from Shanghai, with extras, Eng SDH and the correct black levels... As for the first titles announced, of course, I bought most of these during the recent TT sales, so I guess you can thank me for that.

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:13 pm
by dwk
Indicator tweeted
We'll be introducing ourselves on Friday 26th August!
And Blu-ray.com has the cover art and details for the first titles

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:23 pm
by domino harvey
15.99 list price, at an eventual 30% or more off on Amazon, these will still be cheaper than TT versions on sale AND the covers aren't hideous

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:25 pm
by bdsweeney
Nick Wrigley's just tweeted about the new label, so I'm assuming he's involved with it.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:28 pm
by domino harvey
Death to the demoness Twilight Time!

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:44 pm
by Finch
Maybe they'll have some Fox titles as well. I did mention Leave Her To Heaven to Eureka on their FB page a few months ago but who knows, perhaps Indicator (wtf?) got there first. Very decent starting line-up.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:50 pm
by FrauBlucher
Redman's prognostication was off slightly. Naming his Co. Twilight Time he foresaw the end of his own label and not the Blu Ray/ DVD.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:51 pm
by perkizitore
domino harvey wrote:15.99 list price, at an eventual 30% or more off on Amazon, these will still be cheaper than TT versions on sale AND the covers aren't hideous
Amazon lists the first pre-orders at 22.99, so I guess 15.99 was their store pricing. I really hope they don't follow Criterion's steps so we could see prices drop further (I didn't mention Signal One, because 12.99 is a far more palatable price and some titles can be found even for 8.99!)

Re: Twilight Time

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 5:53 pm
by med
bdsweeney wrote:Nick Wrigley's just tweeted about the new label, so I'm assuming he's involved with it.
Checking their Twitter page, he was their first follower.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:12 pm
by rapta
This is big news for the UK. I've immediately pre-ordered Christine, Body Double and The Last Detail because those are three titles I was hoping MoC would pick up after hearing about their Sony deal. Others like The Lady from Shanghai, Fat City and The Anderson Tapes are also must-buys, and I'll almost certainly be getting Bunny Lake is Missing, 10 Rillington Place, Experiment in Terror and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? too. That's immediately the most exciting UK slate not coming from Eureka/Arrow/BFI/Artificial Eye/Criterion.

So yeah, I'm guessing they'll be using the most up-to-date restored transfers from Sony, and already seem to be adding more extras than their Twilight Time counterparts. Plus a booklet, a DVD copy, and a Scanavo case (i.e. full artwork). They're already showing a lot of passion for the Blu-ray format, so I can't wait to see the finished product. If they could keep the prices reasonable too, that would be another bonus - StudioCanal had been pretty pricy of late but subsequently added their titles to HMV/Amazon promotions, but Criterion are generally still too expensive for me (I got a copy of L'Avventura for £12 on eBay the other day, so roughly saved a fiver).

PS: will they get Starman, The Big Heat, The Swimmer, Hard Times, Papillon? Maybe even sex, lies & videotape - I'd literally jump with joy if they did.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:39 pm
by fdm
I wouldn't mind them getting to Marie Antoinette sooner rather than later. Pressed, not burned, please.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:52 pm
by MichaelB
As far as I've been able to establish, the company is run by former Sony people - which makes perfect sense given what they're releasing.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 11:46 pm
by dwk
The specs for the first two titles (Christine and Body Double) are back up on Indicator's site and both are "Limited Dual Format Edition of 5,000 copies"

Re: Indicator

Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 6:58 am
by rapta
dwk wrote:The specs for the first two titles (Christine and Body Double) are back up on Indicator's site and both are "Limited Dual Format Edition of 5,000 copies"
I saw that too. A tiny bit disheartening if it ends up like some LE titles from Arrow which sell out before release date, but so far these have all been released abroad so Region Free collectors are less likely to jump on them (even if they do sound like they'll be improved editions).

What could also be the case is that the "limited" aspect is just the booklet (and possibly the DVD copy), and that if a title does go OOP, they could reissue it a year or two later just omitting the booklet - similar to what Arrow and BFI are doing at the moment. Obviously it's a move to boost initial sales much like Arrow are now known for doing, but I am worried some of these could go OOP before I even get a sniff since I'm already interested in 10 of 12 but know I won't be able to afford pre-ordering all 10. I often find the same thing with MoC, BFI, Arrow, Signal One, but at least I know they're not limited to 5000 copies as standard.

Still, 5000 is a lot and I'd be surprised if any of these sold out in the first 6 months or so. Most likely to do that are obviously Christine and Body Double, both of which have already been released a few times before (in the US and France), so I think we'll be safe.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:06 am
by What A Disgrace
It'd be pretty swell if one of these labels could do a Blu-ray collection of the UPA cartoons.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:21 am
by nitin
Already have most the announced slate from TT and Sony themselves, but this is huge news going forward.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 12:20 pm
by rapta
So here's the run-down about new label Powerhouse Films' Indicator Series, for those that are interested.
  • Initial releases look like they will all be Limited Dual Format Editions (Blu-ray + DVD) with booklets exclusive to these limited runs. Here is the good news: once these sell out, a standard Blu-ray edition (no DVD copy) will be released without the booklet. This means collectors who might have missed out on the limited run of certain titles can still buy them later on, and that a tide of potential scalpers will be held back! This was a big stickler for me as soon as I heard they were LE, so my worries have now been put to rest. :D
  • Titles will be limited to different quantities on a case-by-case basis, but so far it looks like the cult/horror titles are limited to 5000 (Christine, Body Double, 10 Rillington Place, Happy Birthday to Me), whilst the more niche titles are limited to 3000 (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, To Sir With Love, The Last Detail).
  • The first 12 titles seem to be Sony titles, but they're going to be licensing from other studios/licensors in the future. Sounds like they mean business!
  • The artwork will be reversible, with the same design on the reverse so people have the option to display BBFC logos or not. Not a big deal for me personally, but some people care about that kind of thing.
  • You will be able to order from their own website soon, and they mentioned there may be pre-order offers too. Good to see another UK label setting up their own web store, and hopefully it'll work better than Eureka/Arrow too (it certainly looks the part). No word on international ordering though, nor postage costs.
Any more questions, they seem to be quite active on their Twitter account and so far have answered several questions thrown their way. I think everyone will agree when I say that along with Signal One, these are the most promising times for UK Blu-ray collectors. That said, it'll be interesting to see which other Sony titles Eureka have picked up and which Indicator could have potentially released (The Man from Laramie being the obvious one).

Re: Indicator

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 12:30 pm
by perkizitore
Will the standard editions have a lower RRP than the limited ones? I really hope they offer free international shipping, so I can support them by ordering directly from them.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 3:29 pm
by Zot!
Seems like a good model, however, it would be nice if the unlimited editions were available soon afterwards. I've been waiting forever to flog my arrow videodrome box, but there is no sign of a promised standard edition.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 4:37 pm
by rapta
perkizitore wrote:Will the standard editions have a lower RRP than the limited ones? I really hope they offer free international shipping, so I can support them by ordering directly from them.
No idea, but presumably would be maybe 2 or 3 quid cheaper. Booklets are (apparently) expensive to produce, by the sounds of things. I don't actually know why nobody else has gone the Criterion route and done leaflets instead on some titles, and reserved booklets for those with less on-disc extras.
Zot! wrote:Seems like a good model, however, it would be nice if the unlimited editions were available soon afterwards. I've been waiting forever to flog my arrow videodrome box, but there is no sign of a promised standard edition.
They did make it sound like that would be the case, though that's not always possible as they may not be able to react to a title selling out suddenly. Hopefully they just have to pull a trigger when they know how many units are left on a particular LE title to get the ball rolling on the standard edition.

As for Arrow's Videodrome, they released a standard edition last December, a few months after it went OOP! It was even in the HMV 5 for £30 for a while a few months back (and £6 in Fopp), and it's still only £8.99 on Amazon UK. In fact, how did you miss it?! :wink: They've even reissued the second disc in that set as a standalone release, and that came out earlier this month.

Re: Indicator

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 4:54 pm
by chatterjees
A new British company with a "limited edition" model and the SRP of £22.08 for each title sounds really interesting. I am actually going to sell some of my TT editions and buy this Indicator editions, but I am getting lost when I am trying to think about the difference between TT and Indicator. Where is the difference? ](*,)