Marc Morris has just posted an interview with Onar Films head honcho Bill Barounis. You'll find it here.
PS: If you don't usually read these kinds of interviews with publishers cos none of 'em tell it to you straight... then this is the interview you OUGHT to read. Our friend Bill spills the beans like it is!
If he wasn't so bitter and ungratful to all of us that has bought his releases I would probably buy more.
ReplyDeleteHe has amazing releases and do a wonderful job though, but I just don't like dvd-distributors that are cry-babies :)
Really? You're gonna rob yourself the pleasure of these films just because you don't like the guy who puts them out???
ReplyDeleteNow, obviously this is not a debate as we're all entitled to our own opinions but I think if I were spending heaps of money on putting out cool films and hardly nobody bothered to buy them then I would probably become bitter myself.
Yeah, I know. I'm a heartless bastard.
ReplyDeleteWell, that no one buys - that's life. It's a small genre he's releasing and I think he knows that. But he continues anyway, which is fantastic.
I just have a problem with people that pity themselfs ALL the time. A little bit is okey, but there's no law that everyone should buy his releases.
It just turns me off from buying. That's why I haven't bought any of Marc Morris releases yet - because the only thing he's doing is whining about how mean people aren't buying his dvds.
Why not think positive? Why not thank all those who actually buy the stuff, spend the money (I spend most of my money on dvds for example) and supporting the companies in all kind of ways.
I've spent a LOT of money on movie production. A lot. Never made any money back, because the movies I've made is quite... not so commercial. But I do it because I love it. I have no problem with people not buying the movies, but I'm very grateful to those who actually buy them.
Very grateful.
And with DVD-distribution it's all about attitude. If you keep telling people that no one buys your dvds... then it will scare people away.
Thanks for explaining it, Fred. I might have agreed with you if I hadn't been a grumpy old man who gets annoyed at everyone who's ever stepped on me so... eh, I'm rambling. Thanks for your comments again. XD
ReplyDeleteWe're both grumpy old men here ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, I will make the Onar-guy happy with ordering Cellat now :)
Well, give the Onar guy a bit of a break.
ReplyDeleteHe was simply answering Morris's questions honestly. Did you want him to tell a pack of lies?
Indie DVD companies all over are doing it rough and closing. One I did work for for several years went under not too long ago. There are many others.
I, too, have spent a lot of extra money on my own productions (in addition to investor money), and have often not seen the returns that were expected (on some titles). That's just life. If we don't like it, we can get a different career.
The saddest part about all this is it seems that people like us are a dying breed. I don't think guys (and some girls) in their teens/early twenties have anywhere near the same interest in older movies as we all do, and that we did at that age. We're all a bunch of dinosaurs (proud dinosaurs, of course, but dinosaurs, nonetheless).
It is great, Fred, that the Onar guy continues to push the Turkish barrow, despite flagging interest. I've bought all his releases, sure, but that won't set his cash flow on fire.
The fact that the ONar guy is forging ahead with future releases is an indicator that he's thinking positive. If he wasn't, he'd bow out.
It's good that he's had an opportunity to vent. We all need that now and then.
This was a sensetive issue...
ReplyDeleteBut Phantom of Pulp, I agree totally with you. I'm just telling how the world is.
Yeah, in a way we are dinosaurs, but I never seen that as a bad thing. And if todays kids want to see other movies, I don't see that as a bad thing either. It's their life.
I borrowed my Turkish Superman DVD to some turkish friends, who never heard about this stuff. They didn't like it. At all. Almost was ashamed of it. So that's life.
Bill just need some attitude. He's not selling more dvds with telling people how little he sell.
Uhhh, I think Bill got plenty of attitude. Take no prisoners attitude. And thank fuck for that, there's too many faceless video companies around who'll pad your back and gloss over everything. And this is coming form someone who HAS had run-ins with mr Onar. And even so I STILL prefer his attitude! Hail Bill Onar.
ReplyDeleteI just don't agree with you Jack.
ReplyDeleteAnd this comes from someone who just spent 47 euro at Onars site.
That's such a pity cos as always I'm in the right here. Haha.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I agree that whiners and cry-babies are quite off-putting.
But I don't at all think Bill is a whiner. He comments on an unfortunate situation and is annoyed about it. Bill is punk rock!! It's like saying: "This shit is wrong, fuck I hate it", but in MY point of view he doesn't whine and expect us to feel sorry for him. There is a big difference.
And no we may not agree and that's fine.
And I also ordered Rampage from those other guys, though it only has the new english language track. So it's to much turkish for me now anyway ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm very afraid of the english version of Rampage...
Well, I used to loathe and despise English dubs when I got into Hong Kong films almost two decades ago but when I discovered Indonesian films a few years back I actually started to try and find English dubbed versions since there are NO subtitled versions. And nowadays I'm quite happy with English dubbed Indo films.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, a dubbed version is never the ultimate version but they can be alright. And quite frankly I think the new English dub for TURKISH RAMBO is pretty good. And if nothing else, the sound effects got a boost that was missing from the original version. Done by the wrong people TURKISH RAMBO/Rampage would probably have been a terrible pis-take (like Troma's release of THE FIGHTERS!!) but as it is it was done with respect to the film. But of course, a dub is a dub.
I enjoyed RAMPAGE totally and I hope you will too. No, Ed Glaser isn't paying me to say that. LOL.