UPDATE June 30: First 100 Pre-orders are in, the disc is on!
Did you think you had every last HD DVD disc accounted for? You even counted Gary Ugarek’s Deadlands which came out this year, long after the official HD DVD party ended?
Well, pull out that spreadsheet or database program, because there’s soon going to be one more HD DVD title to add to the list (and maybe even more than that if things go well).
Indie filmmaker, and HD DVD fan, Michael Bilinski joins the ranks of fellow independent Gary Ugarek, in making an HD DVD version of his movie, Smokers.
In Michael’s own words:
The movie is a comedic documentary … “Smokers,” better known as stag films, were short adult films that I had heard about as a kid. Growing up in the 80’s video boom the circumstances under which these films were shown, typically consisting of home projectors at a secret gathering, intrigued me as much as their content. This film is a visual scrapbook of that time presented like a drive-in movie. Complete with cartoons before the feature and an intermission.
The description at Michael’s website goes on to add that the drive-in movie presentation is hosted by scream queen Debbie D, and the movie also features an archival appearance by the late George Putnam, who appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster, Independence Day
The disc can be ordered directly from Michael’s website, www.mcbtv.net. Michael does not run a big studio with a disc pressing factory available at his fingertips, but is instead an independent moviemaker who has to jump through a few hoops, just as Gary Ugarek did, to put the title out on HD DVD. As such, pressing/shipping will begin as soon as 100 pre-orders are filled.
The first 100 to order Smokers will be listed under the “Special Thanks” section of the credits and also receive a bonus music track. All orders, not just the first batch, include a digital copy of the soundtrack and a signed/numbered certificate of authenticity.
Lest you think Michael is stuck in the past, he assures us that Smokers will eventually be out on Blu-ray too. However, he is saving the HD exclusive extras and bonuses only for his HD DVD bretheren.
If this goes well, Michael hopes to put out other titles on HD DVD. We’ll write about those titles here when they come out, and definitely follow the story about Smokers as it develops.
- Smokers at MCB Entertainment site
- IMDB entry for the movie
- Discussion over at High-Def Forum where Michael has also joined in (Michael corrects this in the comments below)
June 25th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
The above link no longer works as the site was redone. Just go to http://www.mcbtv.net and visit the store. Also just in the interest of clarity it is not me on High-Def Forum, but I have joined the talk on High-Def Digest & Cheep Ass Gamer. Thanks for all the support everyone has shown!
June 25th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Thanks for the updates, Michael. The article has been updated accordingly.
June 30th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
First 100 pre-orders are in!
June 30th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Mike, thanks for working with HDDVD. The project was abandoned WAY too early and to date I still think it’s better and faster than Blu. Now, if only we could get other people to do this…..
July 1st, 2010 at 11:04 am
Thanks for the support Sam. I hope to release another HD DVD title in the near future if everything continues yo go well with Smokers. I would love to see more indie titles on HD, and hopefully this will help make that happen.