There are a lot of companies out there that release older rare cult movies on DVD and Bluray. Some do a better job than others. There's a number of them that I'm quite fond of and purchase from all the time. One of the newer companies I recently come across is RetroVision Entertainment. Very excited about coming across a new company that specializes in my interest, I decided to reach out to them to get a little more insight on RetroVision and their plans. Co-founder of RetroVision Brannon Carty was kind enough to field my questions and tell me a little more about RetroVision.
Chris Coffel: Can you tell me a little bit about RetroVision Entertainment? How would you describe it to someone?
Brannon Carty: RetroVision Entertainment is a DVD and Blu-ray label that releases everything from shark films to spaghetti westerns. We also make films when we have the time and money. It is basically a company that only specializes in film. We release it, we make it, etc.
CC: What made you want to start RetroVision? Was there a specific moment that triggered it or was the desire always there?
BC: A long time ago, I bought NIGHT OF THE SHARKS (1987) on DVD. Having loved JAWS (1975) for a long time, I wanted to see every shark film I could put my hands on. Upon getting home and watching it, I was disappointed. The menu, the video and audio quality all were absolutely awful. Having only paid $5 for it, I wasn't too upset. But, I knew someone out there could do better. Around that same time, eBay was filled with bootlegs. If you were looking for a rare film, chances are, eBay had it. The rare film I was looking for was THE LAST SHARK (1981). Having read about the film's legal trouble and the roaring shark, I knew I had to see it. So, I got a copy with Greek subtitles (not to be confused with the Japanese subtitled bootleg) and I fell in the love with the film. The problem was, the film was cut and too bright. So, about a year later, I bought a copy of the film from BijouFlix, which was sourced from the Japanese VHS. This copy wasn't cut, but was too dark to see any underwater scenes. The biggest thing about the BijouFlix DVD that I loved was the overall design of the menu and artwork. It was then that I wanted to begin working on my own DVDs. After that, I used my computer to preserve many of my older VHS tapes and make personal DVDs out of them with good menus and great picture and audio quality. Fast-forward to 2013, Nick Maniscalco and I co-founded RetroVision Entertainment, LLC. After years of freelance work on DVDs, I had finally decided to put my skills to good use. From then on, I set off to release films, especially NIGHT OF THE SHARKS (1988).
CC: How do you go about deciding which titles you want to track down and release?
BC: We always check the "cult status" of any film we set out to release. If it has demand, we then look deeper into the history of the film and how it has done on previous releases. If we believe it will work well in our library, we then go find rights holders and contact them with a proposal.
CC: How has the process of acquiring rights been thus far?
BC: It has been pure torture, to be honest. When I work with international companies, I always have to deal with the whole "Rich-American company" stereotype. But, when I license films from American rights holders, it's usually a much easier process, as was the case with GREAT WHITE (1998). The real fun begins when you get the master (Digibeta, Betacam, HDCam) from the rights holders and get to encode it.
CC: What does the future hold for RetroVision? Future releases, plans?
BC: Right now, the RetroVision crew is in pre-production on "The Shark", our first feature film. We plan to release it through the company and produce other films in the future. I am also currently in talks with an Italian company to bring a lost gem to DVD in the states. But of all the things I'm excited about the most, I'm helping a Japanese Blu-ray label release one of my personal favorite films!
For more information on RetroVision Entertainment please visit RetroVisionFilms.com
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