Film School Reporter

DVD RENTAL: NETFLIX vs BLOCKBUSTER

Film School Reporter — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:33:39 +0000

If you are still renting movies at your local video store or supermarket Redbox, you might be selling yourself short. Read on, for the “state of the art” in movie rentals.

Blockbuster’s Success

For many years, big chain stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video did a great job at providing video rentals. Current releases, reasonable prices, and cheap previewed DVDs were the secrets to their success. The formula served them well. Unfortunately, technology changed along with customer needs.

Enter Netflix

It took a little upstart company called Netflix to show the big boys what the next step was. Netflix took one of the oldest forms of media conveyance–the US Postal Service–and coupled it with the newest form–the Internet. It used this odd pairing of resources to change how people view DVDs.

Toss the Cases

People have always loved DVD cases for their brazen abstracts and cool artwork, making their periodic visits to the local rental store an event. You picked up a DVD case, admired the graphics, read the synopsis, and then moved on to the next one.

When you finally settled on a movie, you took the case to the counter to be filled with the actual DVD disk (some stores kept the disks in their cases at the risk of theft).

How did Netflix respond to this? It tossed out the cases and threw the DVDs into little red envelopes! This allowed the DVDs to be shipped via media mail for pennies rather than dollars. The result was that Netflix could undercut the brick and mortar rental houses because it had no stores and minuscule shipping costs.

When you desired a movie, you went to the Netflix website and read the synopsis. After picking a movie, you ordered it right there with the click of a button. Who needed those dopey cases anyway? You’re not buying the movie, you’re renting it.

Skeptics

When Netflix started this system in 1999, it sounded a bit complicated, but as people became accustomed to the Internet, it became easy as pie. Certainly easier than slogging to your local video store.

Other skeptics viewed it as a bit of a joke–the idea of popping the DVD into an envelope and mailing it! Wouldn’t the disks break? No, the disks didn’t break and the little joke spread via word of mouth. Eventually it caught on in a big way to the point that Netflix became the real blockbuster.

Innovations

Netflix fortified its success with more innovations: rental ques, no late penalties, strategically located distribution centers, and a graduated price structure that allowed one or move movies to be rented at the same time.

The que is essentially a “wish list.” As one movie is delivered back to Netflix, the next one on the list is shipped out to the customer. It keeps the Netflix machine moving and the customer with a constant supply of movies. Each family member can have a que of their own.

Late penalties were the bane of movie rentals. Some stores charged up to $5 per day for new releases. Many customers migrated away from brick and mortar stores to Netflix on the promise of no late penalties alone.

As Netflix grew, it set up distribution centers at strategic locations around the country. DVD turnover became as short as two days. Netflix was able to fine tune this system by regularly requesting feedback from its customers, a technique the company still uses.

The Competition

This quiet revolution in movie rentals was the death knell for most local rental shops and a few big ones as well. Blockbuster and Hollywood Video saw the light in time, barely. They made some changes, the main ones being lower prices and no late penalties.

Blockbuster even went a step further. It modified its business model to include a Netflix-like mail order system. Netflix customers are extremely loyal, so whether Blockbuster implemented this service in time has yet to be seen.

Online Viewing

Netflix didn’t bask in its success, and it certainly wasn’t going to be caught with its pants down like the rental giants before it. The company’s research pointed to the next big innovation in movie rental: online viewing. In true Netflix style, it implemented such a service.

The initial roll-out featured an online movie viewer that would only play on Windows based computers. When the service proved successful, it was extended to include Apple computers with Intel processors.

Initially, the quality of the viewer left something to be desired. The image was noisy with lots of pixelation. Again, using customer feedback, Netflix fine tuned the system. Now, with a high-speed Internet connection, Netflix online viewing is like watching HD television. Not bad, not bad at all.

The Latest

Netflix’s latest service allows you to watch movie rentals directly on your TV or home theater projector. The process is simple. Hook up your Netflix ready device to the Internet via an Ethernet cable. After you pick a movie on the Netflix website, you can have it sent directly to the device.

So that’s the state of the art in movie rentals. Pretty amazing, huh? If you are still driving back and forth to rent your movies, you might want to give this brave new world a look, especially when those gas prices start inching up again. Until then, happy movie viewing! – Antonio Fox

TOP FILM SCHOOLS – INTERNATIONAL

Film School Reporter — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:53:40 +0000

The TOP INTERNATIONAL FILM SCHOOLS directory is organized by country. Each entry is linked to the film school’s website for your convenience. In creating this directory, we kept it uncluttered and easy to use. We hope that you find the ideal film school for your needs. See the sidebar for the best US film schools.

ONLINE
Film School Direct!
SAE Institute of Technology

AUSTRALIA
APA International Film School (Sydney, Australia)
Australian Film, TV & Radio School (Australia)
Bond University Centre for Film (Gold Coast, Australia)
International Film College (Gold Coast, Australia)
International Film School (Sydney, Australia)
Victorian College of Arts (Melbourne, Australia)

BELGIUM
Narafi Film School (Brussels, Belgium)

CANADA
Centre for Arts & Technology (Kelowna, Canada)
Columbia Academy (Vancouver, Canada)
Humber College Film & TV (Toronto, Canada)
Langara College Digital Film Production (Vancouver, Canada)
Langara College Film Arts Program (Vancouver, Canada)
Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema (Montreal, Canada)
Queen’s University Film Studies (Kingston, Canada)
Ryerson Polytechnic Film (Toronto, Canada)
Toronto Film College (Ontario, Canada)
Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, Canada)
York University Film (Toronto, Canada)

COSTA RICA
Global Media Adventures (Samara, Costa Rica)

CUBA
Escuela Internacional de Cine (San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba)

CZECH REPUBLIC
Film Academy of Miroslav Ondricek (Pisek, Czech Republic)
Film & TV School In Prague (Prague, Czech Republic)
Film School Zlin (Zlin, Czech Republic)
PCFE Film Schools & Workshops (Prague, Czech Republic)

DENMARK
Den Danske Filmskole (Copenhagen, Denmark)
European Film College (Ebeltoft, Denmark)

ESTONIA
Baltic Film & Media (Tallinn, Estonia)

FINLAND
University of Art & Design (Helsinki, Finland)

FRANCE
Ecole Superieure Libre d’Etudes Cinematographiques (Paris, France)
La fémis (Paris, France)

GERMANY
Academy of Media Arts (Cologne, Germany)
Film Akademie (Baden, Germany)
University of Applied Sciences (Berlin, Germany)

GREECE
Stavrakos Academy (Athens, Greece)

ICELAND
Icelandic Film School (Reykjavík, Iceland)

INDIA
Asian Academy of Film (Noida, India)
Film & TV Institute of India (Pune, Maharashtra, India)

ITALY
Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografi (Rome, Italy)

INDONESIA
Digital Studio College (Jakarta, Indonesia)

IRELAND
Digital Film School (Dublin, Ireland)

MEXICO
Centro Siseño Cine Televisión (Mexico City, Mexico)
Westbridge School of Film (Mexico City, Mexico)

NETHERLANDS
Maurits Binger Filminstituut (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Nederlandse Film en Televisie (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

NEW ZEALAND
South Seas Film School (Auckland, New Zealand)
Unitec School Screen Arts (Auckland, New Zealand)

NORWAY
Lillehammer University Film School (Lillehammer, Norway)
Noroff Instituttet (Oslo, Norway)

PHILIPPINES
Asia Pacific Film Institute (Manila, Philippines)
International Academy of Film & TV (Cebu, Philippines)
Marilou Diaz-Abaya Film Institute (San Juan, Philippines)
University of the Philippines Film Institute (Quezon City, Philippines)

PORTUGAL
Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (Lisbon, Portugal)

SOUTH AFRICA
CityVarsity School of Media (Cape Town, South Africa)
South African School of Motion Picture (Johannesburg, South Africa)

SPAIN
Escuela de Cinematografía (Madrid, Spain)
Escuela Profesional de Nuevas Technologias (Madrid, Spain)
Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisual (Barcelona, Spain)
Escuela Superior de Dibujo Profesional (ESDIP) (Madrid, Spain)
Kinema Escuela de Cine (Bilbao, Spain)
Metropolis Escuela de Cine (Madrid, Spain)
Septima Ars Escuela de Cine y TV (Madrid, Spain)

SWITZERLAND
European Film Actor School (EFAS) (Zurich, Switzerland)

TURKEY
Mimar Sinan University Film Institute (Istanbul, Turkey)

UNITED KINGDOM
London Film School (London, UK)
Metropolitan Film School (London, UK)
National Film & TV School (Beaconsfield, UK)
Screen Academy Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)
University of Westminster Film School (London, UK)

UNITED STATES
See our directory (Thanks for looking!)

TOP FILM SCHOOLS – IN THE US

Film School Reporter — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:42:41 +0000

The TOP US FILM SCHOOLS directory is organized by state. The individual entries are linked to the film school’s website for more information. In assembling the directory, we avoided the clutter normally found with such lists. We hope that it is helpful to you in tracking down a film school that suits your needs. See the sidebar for the best international film schools.

ONLINE
Film School Direct!
SAE Institute of Technology

ALABAMA
University of Alabama Film Department (Tuscaloosa, Al)

ARIZONA
Alpha Pacific Institute (Phoenix, Az)
Arizona State School of Theatre and Film (Tempe, Az)
Collins College School of Film, Video, and Visual Effects (Tempe, Az)
University of Arizona School og Media Arts (Tucson, Az)

BOSTON
Boston University Film Program (Boston, Ma)
Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts (Boston, Ma)

CALIFORNIA
Academy of Art University School of Motion Pictures (San Francisco, Ca)
American Film Institute (AFI) (Los Angeles, Ca)
Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, Ca)
Berkeley Digital Film Institute (Berkeley, Ca)
Brooks Institute (Santa Barbara, Ca)
CalArts School of Film and Video (Valencia, Ca)
California State, Long Beach (Long Beach, Ca)
California State, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Ca)
California State, Northridge (Northridge, Ca)
Cinema Arts Tech (Los Angeles, Ca)
Chapman University School of Film and Television (Orange, Ca)
Columbia College Hollywood (Tarzana, Ca)
Los Angeles City College Cinema and Television (Los Angeles, Ca)
Los Angeles Film School (Hollywood, Ca)
Loyola Marymount School of Film and Television (Los Angeles, Ca)
New York Film Academy, Universal Studios (Hollywood, Ca)
Orange Coast College Film Department (Costa Mesa, Ca)
San Diego State University School of Communication (San Diego, Ca)
San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking (San Francisco, Ca)
San Francisco State Cinema (San Francisco, Ca)
Stanford Graduate Program in Documentary Film (Stanford, Ca)
University of California (UCLA) Theater, Film, and TV (Los Angeles, Ca)
University of California (UCLA) Extension (Los Angeles, Ca)
University of California (UCLA) Visual Arts (San Diego, Ca)
University of Southern California School of Cinema Arts (Los Angeles, Ca)
Video Symphony (Burbank, Ca)