Direct-to-video

Direct-to-video (also known as direct-to-DVD, made-for-video, straight-to-video, and straight-to-DVD) is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats (historically VHS) without being released in movie theaters or broadcast on television. The term is also at times used as a derogatory term for films or sequels of films that are of inferior quality, or are not expected to find financial success. Direct-to-video releases have become something of a lifeline for independent filmmakers and smaller companies.

Reasons for releasing direct-to-video

A production studio may decide not to generally release a TV show or movie for several possible reasons: poor quality, lack of support from a TV network, negative reviews, controversial nature, or a simple lack of general public interest. Studios, limited in the annual number of films to which they grant cinematic releases, may choose to pull the completed film from the theaters, or never exhibit it in theaters at all. Studios then generate additional revenue through video sales and rentals.

Direct-to-video releases have historically carried a stigma of lower technical or artistic quality than theatrical releases. Some studio films released direct-to-video are films which have been completed but were never released. This delay often occurs when a studio doubts a film's commercial prospects would justify a full cinema release, or because its "release window" has closed. A release window refers to a timely trend or personality, and missing that window of opportunity means a film, possibly rushed into production, failed to release before the trend faded. In film industry slang such films are referred to as having been "vaulted."

Direct-to-video releases can be done for films which cannot be shown theatrically due to controversial content, or because the cost involved in a theatrical release is beyond the releasing company. Almost all pornographic films are currently released direct-to-video.

Animated sequels and movie-length episodes of animated series are also often released in this fashion. due to the lack of quality and budget in comparison to the original. Examples are the Behind Enemy Lines series of movies.

In the case of a TV show, low ratings may cause a network to cancel the show, possibly after having filmed an entire season and aired some episodes. If the show has a considerable fanbase, the studio may release un-aired episodes on video. Firefly is an example of a canceled show which became a successful cult hit on DVD. Occasionally outstanding DVD sales may revive a canceled show, as in the case of Family Guy. Originally canceled in 2002, the series was revived in 2005 due partly to its excellent DVD sales. Futurama is another example of a successful DVD run (along with strong fan support) that causes a network comeback.

Family films

The family film segment is a major part of direct-to-video sales. According to the LA Times,

"Often, the downfall of live-action family films at the box office is their strength on video. Their appeal is to families with young children, who may go to only a couple of movies per year but who will watch many videos multiple times. The teens and young adults who drive blockbuster box-office statistics stay away from family movies."

Direct-to-video films screened theatrically

Once in a while, a studio that makes a movie that was prepared as a direct-to-video film will release it theatrically at the last minute due to the success of another movie with a similar subject matter or an ultimate studio decision. The animated film is an example of this. However, despite the film's critically acclaimed success, its box-office performance was very poor, which has been blamed on its last minute decision to be released theatrically. The film had much better commercial success in its subsequent home video releases. Another example which garnered a large cult following is the 2001 psychological thriller Donnie Darko, which was originally slated for a direct-to-video release. Doug's 1st Movie was also intended as a direct-to-video release, but due to the success of The Rugrats Movie, it went into the theaters in Spring 1999. While the film did poorly with critics, it was a moderate box-office success.

Other times, a direct-to-video film may get a limited theatrical screening in order to build excitement for the actual release of the video such as was done for 2010's and Planet Hulk.

Television spin-offs

Television spin-offs are animated or live action television series or made for TV movies which contain either characters or theme elements from an older series or movie (Clerks: The Animated Series). While the most common examples of a television spin off are animated series there are also live action examples (, , and )

Some SpongeBob SquarePants DVD volumes contain episodes not yet aired in the United States. Certain special episodes of Pokémon were released directly on video such as Pikachu’s Winter Vacation. Some Disney Channel shows, such as That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Phil of the Future, and have also had direct-to-video episodes. Some DVD volumes of The Land Before Time also contain episodes not yet aired in the United States or Canada.

"DVD Premiere"

As DVDs gradually replaced videocassettes, the term "direct-to-DVD" replaced "direct-to-video" in some instances. However, the word "video" does not necessarily refer to VHS cassettes. Many publications continue to use the term direct-to video for DVDs or Blu-ray Discs. The new term sometimes used is DVDP ("DVD Premiere"). Such films can cost as much as $20 million (about a third of the average cost of a Hollywood release) and feature actors like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Wesley Snipes and Cuba Gooding Jr..

In recent years, DVD Premieres have become a substantial source of revenue for movie studios. DVDPs have collectively grossed over $3 billion over the last few years, and have matured enough that DVDP divisions of studios now option their own films. Studios realized that DVDP movies can be shot on a smaller budget, thus allowing studios larger profits with the combined revenues of home video sales and rentals, in addition to licensing movies for television and for distribution abroad (where some DVDP movies do see theatrical releases).

Distributing DVDPs is not a practice reserved solely for larger Hollywood studios. Several companies, such as The Asylum, MTI Home Video, and York Entertainment distribute DVDPs almost exclusively. The budgets for films distributed by these companies are even smaller than those of ones distributed by a larger studio, but these companies are still able to profit off their sales.

The V-Cinema and OVA markets in Japan

In Japan, direct-to-video titles referred to as "Original Video" (オリジナルビデオ) carry different connotations, being a niche product rather than a fallback. Despite having lower budgets than features intended for theater release, Japanese direct-to-video productions are rarely marred by the poor storyline and lower quality production often associated with the DTV market in the US. So-called V-Cinema has more respect from the public, and affection from film directors for the greater creative freedoms the medium allows. DTV releases are subject to fewer content restrictions and less creative dictates than other formats.

In the case of anime, this is called Original Video Animation (OVA or OAV), and their production values usually fall between those of television series and movies. They are often used to tell stories too short to fill a full TV season, and were particularly common in the early 1990s. Sometimes OVAs garner enough interest to justify commissioning a full television series, such as Tenchi Muyo!, El Hazard, and Read or Die.

With the advent of the 13 episode season format, OVAs are less common now. This is not to say that they are non-existent: for example, the Japanese anime series Elfen Lied features 13 episodes and an OVA. The majority of OVAs released in today's market are usually continuations or reworkings of recently completed TV series. For instance, the DVD release of a TV series might include a bonus episode that was never broadcast as a sales hook.

See also

B movie

Home video

List of Disney direct-to-video films

Television movie

V-Cinema

:Category:Direct-to-video films for a list of Direct-to-video productions.

References

Further reading

External links

Movie critic on the future of Direct-to-DVD

9 Movies Too Awful for the Theater by The Daily Beast Video

Category:Home video