Home Video (VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, 4k)

Physical media has had a resurgence in recent years, helped by the curating and marketing of 4K heritage titles in attractive packaging for a keen, if niche, market of collectors. That was the consensus of the Heritage Roundtable discussion held as part of the Locarno Pro section of the Locarno Film Festival.

Having seen a drastic collapse in the mass market, the panelists agreed that the one area of growth was the curation of heritage titles, restored to 4 or 2K and presented with an abundance of extras.

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One of the major obstacles to releases is the issue of rights, specifically when held by American studios. Ronald Chammah of Les film du Camélia argued: “We have the feeling that American studios are less interested to have a movie release, either by themselves or by somebody else, on physical media, because their main goal is VOD, and for them, maybe physical media is the enemy of the video platform.”

Manlio Gomarasca of Plaion and Severin noted, “In Italy, the situation is not shiny. The mass market of DVDs is dead. People are going straight to platforms.”

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Speaking as a consumer and collector herself, K.J. Relth-Miller of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures said: “I’m seeing similar trajectories in that those of us who are collectors and appreciate the aspects of physical media – the booklet essays and the special features – this is something that is on par with what vinyl collecting became 10 years ago for my generation.”

She continued, “We’re seeing that with Gen Z, and also with millennials, this real desire to have physical objects because the ephemeral nature of streaming means that something that you want to watch and you put on your watch list, and then you go to revisit it a week later, and it’s gone. It’s ephemeral. It’s never permanent. So, if you’re really invested in learning more about the history of this art form that we all love, I think that investing in physical media is one way to do that.”

Relth-Miller also noted that VHS collecting is growing in Los Angeles and cited the example of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Avery’s Video Archives in Los Angeles, a microcinema that specializes in VHS and 16mm projections.

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Manlio Gomarasca stated, “We talk about the market because we are selling stuff. But for me, Blu-rays are also cultural objects. Think about how many directors were interviewed for the bonus features that have passed away: the witness of their life is there because of the Blu-ray. So, for me, the Blu-ray is a cultural object that has to be supported.”

This support should also come from governments, Gomarasco argued, as it does in France.