Plain Archive (Culture Beyond Media) [Korea]
- Thread starter PunkNinja
- Start date
Looks like they extended the deadline. May be they didn't receive enough contestants?
Update: Om Shanti Om
Over the past couple of months, we faced some real challenges with Om Shanti Om from the design to the selection of writers for the booklet.
When we first announced the release, we thought it would be best to make the pre-order available as soon as possible. But that’s now changed.
At Plain Archive, not a single upcoming release gets left behind. We work on multiple projects simultaneously. Delays are mostly caused by not reaching the standard of quality which we set ourselves.
We’re almost done with Om Shanti Om. It should follow soon after the release of Two Days, One Night and Frank.
Out sincere thanks for the long wait. Information on the pre-order are coming soon.
Thank you
Best regards
PLAIN ARCHIVE
Over the past couple of months, we faced some real challenges with Om Shanti Om from the design to the selection of writers for the booklet.
When we first announced the release, we thought it would be best to make the pre-order available as soon as possible. But that’s now changed.
At Plain Archive, not a single upcoming release gets left behind. We work on multiple projects simultaneously. Delays are mostly caused by not reaching the standard of quality which we set ourselves.
We’re almost done with Om Shanti Om. It should follow soon after the release of Two Days, One Night and Frank.
Out sincere thanks for the long wait. Information on the pre-order are coming soon.
Thank you
Best regards
PLAIN ARCHIVE
Meet Plain Archive, the digital-age craftsmen making beautiful Blu-ray releases
We try our best not to slate those who have stayed faithful to the DVD/Blu-ray release in the UK, but when we’re pitting them against the team at Plain Archive...
http://frowning.us/2015/08/12/meet-...-craftsmen-making-beautiful-blu-ray-releases/
We try our best not to slate those who have stayed faithful to the DVD/Blu-ray release in the UK, but when we’re pitting them against the team at Plain Archive...
http://frowning.us/2015/08/12/meet-...-craftsmen-making-beautiful-blu-ray-releases/
Meet Plain Archive, the digital-age craftsmen making beautiful Blu-ray releases
We try our best not to slate those who have stayed faithful to the DVD/Blu-ray release in the UK, but when we’re pitting them against the team at Plain Archive, it’s impossible not to. In an age where the entertainment industry is trying to avoid apparently ‘unnecessary’ costs, the real film connoisseurs are the ones left unsatisfied.
When DVD had found its footing, much in the same way Blu-ray has now, distributors took to releasing the long lost ‘special edition’. Gorgeous designs, teeming with extras; it’s a sight rarely seen on the shelfs of your local HMV. As they cater to the popcorn audience with low cost, bare bones releases with little aesthetic flare, Asia has established itself as the home of quality, cared for home entertainment.
Plain Archive are admittedly one of the collective’s smaller but more attentive companies. With super limited releases and an affinity for the finer details, Plain seriously go the extra mile. With beeswax seals and embossed details on the inside of their slipcovers (often beyond where you can see it), they are the irrefutable kings of this aesthetic revolution.
Such attention hasn’t gone unnoticed. Their now ultra rare releases of Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty and Jee-woon Kim’s I Saw the Devil got the seal of approval from the directors themselves. With a repertoire like this, it is obvious that their love for visual beauty extends to the titles they choose. Recently, they’ve released films from Jim Jarmusch (Only Lovers Left Alive), Abdellatif Kechice (Blue is the Warmest Colour) and Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master); each one absolutely stunning.
We grabbed some time with the team behind these gorgeous Blu-ray releases to discuss the rise of VoD, the thought behind their intricate designs and the release they believe will be the most ambitious in Korea’s history.
It seems as though the Republic of Korea have a special talent when releasing films on to home media platforms. As most studios begin investing money in On Demand services, why are you and your peers holding on to the physical? Video On Demand services are bigger than ever in Korea. But there’s always a small group of those who appreciate the real thing. Purchasing and collecting DVDs and Blu-rays is something that we do on a regular basis. We’re film fans first.
You can’t use IPTV or other streaming services if your home broadband is down. Once downloaded contents are deleted from your computer, that’s it. Gone. It’s somewhat scary to see films being presented in a digital file. Because for us, it’s all about the experience of handling a physical copy of the film you like. It’s the physical media that we could see ourselves working on in the future regardless of the market size. To be more precise, Korean companies are not holding on to the physical. In fact, major entertainment studios work with their partners in telecommunications to expand its IPTV business. For them, physical media market no longer matters. It’s Plain Archive, Novamedia, and others that are catering to the needs of a small number of people.
There’s a great amount of intricacy in your releases. Each design is inspired and beautiful. Do the ideas for the artwork come before getting the rights for the movie, or does the business have to be settled beforehand? It really depends on the film. Melancholia is an example where the design concept was fully formed during the screening of the film thanks to its strong visuals. For Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, we struggled for quite a while due to its complexity.
If it’s an arthouse or independent film, we have to use an illustration because of the limited artworks that are available for us to use. It’s a problem a blockbuster film may not have, since they offer a ton of material. We love the process of illustration because the possibilities are endless. To better represent the 1950s, the time period explored in The Master, we searched for the right paper to use for the product. The Rorschach test was also used to design parts of the product since it had a significant role in the film.
We’re confident in our design because we invest substantially in our designers and illustrators. If you can put a value on someone for their time and effort behind an artwork, then you should pay enough. Even if that means lowering the profit margin. Artists that work on Plain Archive’s packaging are getting the highest fee in the industry. A Plain Archive Steelbook product, for example, costs 3 to 10 times more to produce than our competition. We’re also looking for new, unknown artists to collaborate with.
You’ve received the seal of approval for a lot of your releases from the directors of the films themselves. For quite a small company, is it rewarding to get such recognition? It’s a huge deal for us to receive an approval from a director because it feels as though the artwork matches the vision of the filmmaker. Getting a director approval affects our influence, brand and sales. It’s a challenging task, but we always believe in our artwork. We were mostly right in the past for believing that a director would not ignore if he or she would take a look at our artwork for a second.
You seem to post praise for a certain films and filmmakers on your social media accounts, notably Xavier Dolan’s work. Are these subtle hints towards future releases? Yes, those are mostly hints, but we honestly try to point at smaller films that deserve attention from casual filmgoers. We aren’t teasing as much these days, but we can’t wait to announce some of our future releases. Mommy is one of our upcoming releases which will be a part of the Xavier Dolan Collection package.
With a couple of gorgeous releases under your belt, what can you tell us about what you have planned for the rest of 2015? Our Zero Dark Thirty release was a huge success. Two Days, One Night is almost ready to be released. We’re aiming to release Frank, Still Alice, Foxcatcher, and Oldboy this calendar year. Oldboy in particular, will be the most ambitious Blu-Ray release in Korean film history. Several artworks are being developed at the moment. The reason it’s getting delayed is because of a hour long Oldboy documentary film that we’re producing. Director Park Chan-wook, the cast, and the crew are participating in making of this documentary.
- written by Douglas James Greenwood (frowning.us)
We try our best not to slate those who have stayed faithful to the DVD/Blu-ray release in the UK, but when we’re pitting them against the team at Plain Archive, it’s impossible not to. In an age where the entertainment industry is trying to avoid apparently ‘unnecessary’ costs, the real film connoisseurs are the ones left unsatisfied.
When DVD had found its footing, much in the same way Blu-ray has now, distributors took to releasing the long lost ‘special edition’. Gorgeous designs, teeming with extras; it’s a sight rarely seen on the shelfs of your local HMV. As they cater to the popcorn audience with low cost, bare bones releases with little aesthetic flare, Asia has established itself as the home of quality, cared for home entertainment.
Plain Archive are admittedly one of the collective’s smaller but more attentive companies. With super limited releases and an affinity for the finer details, Plain seriously go the extra mile. With beeswax seals and embossed details on the inside of their slipcovers (often beyond where you can see it), they are the irrefutable kings of this aesthetic revolution.
Such attention hasn’t gone unnoticed. Their now ultra rare releases of Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty and Jee-woon Kim’s I Saw the Devil got the seal of approval from the directors themselves. With a repertoire like this, it is obvious that their love for visual beauty extends to the titles they choose. Recently, they’ve released films from Jim Jarmusch (Only Lovers Left Alive), Abdellatif Kechice (Blue is the Warmest Colour) and Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master); each one absolutely stunning.
We grabbed some time with the team behind these gorgeous Blu-ray releases to discuss the rise of VoD, the thought behind their intricate designs and the release they believe will be the most ambitious in Korea’s history.
It seems as though the Republic of Korea have a special talent when releasing films on to home media platforms. As most studios begin investing money in On Demand services, why are you and your peers holding on to the physical? Video On Demand services are bigger than ever in Korea. But there’s always a small group of those who appreciate the real thing. Purchasing and collecting DVDs and Blu-rays is something that we do on a regular basis. We’re film fans first.You can’t use IPTV or other streaming services if your home broadband is down. Once downloaded contents are deleted from your computer, that’s it. Gone. It’s somewhat scary to see films being presented in a digital file. Because for us, it’s all about the experience of handling a physical copy of the film you like. It’s the physical media that we could see ourselves working on in the future regardless of the market size. To be more precise, Korean companies are not holding on to the physical. In fact, major entertainment studios work with their partners in telecommunications to expand its IPTV business. For them, physical media market no longer matters. It’s Plain Archive, Novamedia, and others that are catering to the needs of a small number of people.
There’s a great amount of intricacy in your releases. Each design is inspired and beautiful. Do the ideas for the artwork come before getting the rights for the movie, or does the business have to be settled beforehand? It really depends on the film. Melancholia is an example where the design concept was fully formed during the screening of the film thanks to its strong visuals. For Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, we struggled for quite a while due to its complexity.
If it’s an arthouse or independent film, we have to use an illustration because of the limited artworks that are available for us to use. It’s a problem a blockbuster film may not have, since they offer a ton of material. We love the process of illustration because the possibilities are endless. To better represent the 1950s, the time period explored in The Master, we searched for the right paper to use for the product. The Rorschach test was also used to design parts of the product since it had a significant role in the film.
We’re confident in our design because we invest substantially in our designers and illustrators. If you can put a value on someone for their time and effort behind an artwork, then you should pay enough. Even if that means lowering the profit margin. Artists that work on Plain Archive’s packaging are getting the highest fee in the industry. A Plain Archive Steelbook product, for example, costs 3 to 10 times more to produce than our competition. We’re also looking for new, unknown artists to collaborate with.
You’ve received the seal of approval for a lot of your releases from the directors of the films themselves. For quite a small company, is it rewarding to get such recognition? It’s a huge deal for us to receive an approval from a director because it feels as though the artwork matches the vision of the filmmaker. Getting a director approval affects our influence, brand and sales. It’s a challenging task, but we always believe in our artwork. We were mostly right in the past for believing that a director would not ignore if he or she would take a look at our artwork for a second.
You seem to post praise for a certain films and filmmakers on your social media accounts, notably Xavier Dolan’s work. Are these subtle hints towards future releases? Yes, those are mostly hints, but we honestly try to point at smaller films that deserve attention from casual filmgoers. We aren’t teasing as much these days, but we can’t wait to announce some of our future releases. Mommy is one of our upcoming releases which will be a part of the Xavier Dolan Collection package.
With a couple of gorgeous releases under your belt, what can you tell us about what you have planned for the rest of 2015? Our Zero Dark Thirty release was a huge success. Two Days, One Night is almost ready to be released. We’re aiming to release Frank, Still Alice, Foxcatcher, and Oldboy this calendar year. Oldboy in particular, will be the most ambitious Blu-Ray release in Korean film history. Several artworks are being developed at the moment. The reason it’s getting delayed is because of a hour long Oldboy documentary film that we’re producing. Director Park Chan-wook, the cast, and the crew are participating in making of this documentary.
- written by Douglas James Greenwood (frowning.us)
Sales by billing address (TOP 30 countries)
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany
4. Canada
5. France
6. Spain
7. Australia
8. China
9. Austria
10. Italy
11. Sweden
12. Netherlands
13. Brazil
14. Hong Kong
15. Norway
16. Portugal
17. Switzerland
18. Indonesia
19. Thailand
20. Russia
21. Taiwan
22. Finland
23. Denmark
24. Belgium
25. Poland
26. Japan
27. Israel
28. Greece
29. Singapore
30. Ireland
- PA
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany
4. Canada
5. France
6. Spain
7. Australia
8. China
9. Austria
10. Italy
11. Sweden
12. Netherlands
13. Brazil
14. Hong Kong
15. Norway
16. Portugal
17. Switzerland
18. Indonesia
19. Thailand
20. Russia
21. Taiwan
22. Finland
23. Denmark
24. Belgium
25. Poland
26. Japan
27. Israel
28. Greece
29. Singapore
30. Ireland
- PA
Wow!!! They're always coming up with something original. Two Days One Night is a return to form after Ida and Only Lovers Left Alive. Those are very nice but don't have the artful design or originality of Two Days One Night, Rust and Bone, Melancholia, The Master, and Zero Dark Thirty.
The photo contest
Due to the imminent pre-order for Two Days, One Night, we've decided to postpone the announcement date of the contest results.
Winners will be revealed next Monday, on the 7th.
Our apologies for those who have been waiting.
Thank you
Best regards
PLAIN ARCHIVE
Due to the imminent pre-order for Two Days, One Night, we've decided to postpone the announcement date of the contest results.
Winners will be revealed next Monday, on the 7th.
Our apologies for those who have been waiting.
Thank you
Best regards
PLAIN ARCHIVE
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