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BASE AWARDS SPECIAL
UNIVERSAL AMONG THE BIG WINNERS
COMMENT FROM THE STUDIO
WARNER, SONY ALSO PICK UP MAJOR GONGS
STUDIOCANAL EARNS BONUS AWARD
ALTITUDE’S COMING HOME
NO SADNESS FOR LIONSGATE
A BLINDER FOR THE BEEB
DOGWOOF MAKES AN IMPACT
KALEIDOSCOPE GOES FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN
HMV IS BEST PHYSICAL RETAILER…
…SKY STORE IS BEST DIGITAL
FRIEND IS AN INDUSTRY HERO
BASE COMMENTS ON THE EVENT
TALK TO ME MAKES A NOISE
GHOST DOG WALKS AGAIN
STUDIOCANAL BELIEVES IN KING AND COUNTRY…
…AND PREPARES FOR SANTA’S ARRIVAL
BFI IS 23 SECONDS TO ETERNITY
RADIANCE UNVEILS FEBRUARY SLATE
LAST CALL FOR FILM STORIES' PHYSICAL MEDIA COVERAGE
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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It was a good week for… Congratulations to all the BASE winners…
It was a bad week for… And commiserations to those who went home without awards…
We’ve been watching… The excellent KLF-related release at a special screening (see below) and reviewing loads for our Film Stories physical media coverage (again see below) … So, it’s been a long road to recovery over the past seven days as we’ve got rid of our hangover and come down from the BASE Awards and now the list as settled, we’ll look back at last week’s events and add some comment from a few of the winners. The evening, held at the now familiar venue of the Roundhouse, saw a fair spread of winners from across the board, taking in major studios and independents, from Warner,. Sony and Universal to Dogwoof and Kaleidoscope, with more than 30 gongs being handed out on the night.
Chief among the winners was Universal, which picked up four awards for Campaign of the Year, showing its marketing excellence. These included Film - Up to £15m Box Office for M3GAN (the judges said: “There was a clear and well-executed strategy across media-tailored creative by audience and genre, and expert targeting that contributed to an excellent overall campaign”); Specialist for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and TV for Chucky: Season 1. One of its quartet was jointly picked up with Warner for Catalogue and its excellent The Film Vault Range collaboration. On this the judges said: “This exceptional partnership between Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery marks the first time that these two powerhouse studios have united in this way. The judges were incredibly impressed by the cross-studio collaboration, the exceptional teamwork and strategy, and the agile responses to challenges during delivery and the overall excellent results. The bonus features and packaging were incredibly well received by fans, cementing it as a stand-out in the market. Overall, this was an impressive undertaking, with unique execution that required a high level of collaboration to bring in the results that it did, a deserving winner of Campaign of the Year for Catalogue.”
Comment on Universal’s four awards came from the company’s Louisa Mitchell, who also picked up an award for Category Hero in leadership terms. The marketing VP said: “It was great to see the talented team at Universal recognised for their marketing excellence, strategic planning, and creativity. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, and a huge thank you to the team at BASE for organising such a memorable evening.” Warner’s other wins came for Audience Engagement Initiative for The World of Batman in conjunction with Apple TV; Campaign for Film – Over £15m Box Office for The Batman and 2022 Distributor of the Year. On the latter, the judges said: “Warner Bros. Discovery led across the combined formats in 2022, with a 23% market share for Physical, Film EST and VOD combined. This success was led by films such as Dune, The Batman, Fantastic Beasts – Secrets of Dumbledore and the award-winning Elvis.Warner Bros. Discovery led across the combined formats in 2022, with a 23 per cent market share for Physical, Film EST and VOD combined. This success was led by films such as Dune, The Batman, Fantastic Beasts – Secrets of Dumbledore and the award-winning Elvis.”
Sony’s gongs, meanwhile, were for Best in Class - Social/PR for Pink Flamingos: 50th Anniversary, in conjunction with DnA PR and The Criterion Collection and Commercial Initiative for its SVOD and Transactional Optimisation. On the latter, the judges noted: "Sony’s commercial initiative on SVOD & Transactional Optimisation answers the everyday important questions that helps understanding on windowing and the impact of SVOD. The initiative was strategy-led, impactful, methodical and widely beneficial for the industry. The entry stood out in terms of its impact, its ability to overcome challenges – such as the difficulty of attaining data and working across stakeholders with competing internal objectives – and its articulation of data.”
There were a host of Best In Class awards, these covered Video Asset (for The Devil's Hour teaser and trailers, Once Upon A Time and Amazon Prime Video), Insights, for Connected Devices Market Analysis & Insights by Looper Insights; Packaging & Artwork for Three Colours Trilogy: A Curzon Collection from Curzon Film & Wim Wenders Stiftung and Bonus Features for The Queen of Spades, Studiocanal. On the latter, the company’s Chris Sharp said: “At Studiocanal we have an ongoing commitment to quality in all that we do and we were very delighted that The Queen of Spades received the Best in Class BASE award for bonus features. The judges were impressed by the thought, hard work and use of budget that went into the creation and execution of the extras and this is recognition of the continued efforts that go into each of our catalogue releases by Candy Vincent-Smith, in this case supported by Mariana Ledesma and Alison Arber.”
More BASE Awards and the Campaign of the Year for Independent Film went to Altitude Film Entertainment for its work on Lionesses: How Football Came Home. The company’s Adam Eldrett said: "It was testament to the team at ALTITUDE as to how many nominations we had, I noticed after the event the title was highly commended in it's other categories and the comments from the judges really echo what we are all about as a distribution team. It's a great addition to the journey this film has been on from conception to production and its eventual release, it also tells an incredibly powerful story on the history of the women's game.”
Lionsgate won for independent label of the year for digital, with the judges noting: "Lionsgate outdid its competition on digital formats in 2022, with a 19 per cent market share for film EST and VOD combined across over 1.7 million units sold. Big hitters of 2022 included Triangle of Sadness, starring Charlbi Dean and Woody Harrelson, and the thriller Mindcage.” Lionsgate’s Marie-Claire Benson said: "To win this award two years in a row is a fantastic achievement for the digital team and testament to their consistent efforts to deliver the best results. We're so proud of all they do and it's great that this is recognised by our partners.’
On physical formats, the award for Independent Label of the Year went to BBC Studios, with the judges noting: “BBC Studios was victorious across physical formats in 2022, with an impressive volume share of 15% across over 770,000 units sold. With a number of releases such as the thirteenth season of Dr Who and the sixth and final series of the Birmingham based Peaky Blinders.” The organisation’s Lesley Johnson said: “We're absolutely thrilled to receive this award, which is a testament to the outstanding work delivered by our Home Entertainment team and our partners Spirit in a very tough market for DVD."
The Social Impact award went to Dogwoof for Subject & the Human Impact of Documentary Filmmaking. Outlining the awards, the judges said: "The judges were thoroughly impressed by Dogwoof’s submission for Subject & the Human Impact of Documentary Filmmaking. The film seeks to shed light on the duty of care needed for the subjects of documentaries, a hugely relevant conversation for right now, considering the incredible popularity of documentary films and series across all screens and formats. The objectives of this initiative were clear and importantly will deliver a very clear benefit if met. Pushing to incorporate the learnings from this documentary into educational settings will have a real social impact as well as make a genuine difference to the wider film industry. A brilliant, bold and thought-provoking submission with an important issue to bring to light.” The company’s Nafi Gordon-Sy said: “Thank you to BASE for the Social Impact award for our film "Subject". Having spoken to some of the judges on the night, it was really wonderful to see the level of support and appreciation for the films we champion and the messages we try to elevate particularly in the indie sector. Congratulations to the filmmakers Camilla Hall and Jennifer Tiexiera and congratulations to team Dogwoof! I would also like to congratulate BASE for a fantastic night out. You can tell a lot of effort went into planning the evening and it was great to see so many people enjoying the festivities - in particular the literal acrobatics!”
The inaugural Script to Screen gong went to Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment for Spitfire Over Berlin. The judges said: "Spitfire Over Berlin overcame several challenges to get from script to screen – a young and generally unknown filmmaker, a small budget and newly established partnerships. The budget was the first obstacle to overcome – adeptly navigated by honing in on Kaleidoscope’s strong and established international partners for pre-sales. There were also numerous challenges throughout the film’s production journey, particularly being shot during the height of COVID with a skeleton crew. The brilliant teamwork on display at every turn, and nimble responses to bumps along the road enabled the film to go on to achieve domestic and global acclaim. With the final ROI for Spitfire Over Berlin at 211 per cent, and domestic sales to date sitting at 244 per cent of the production budget, there is no denying that this labour of love was one worth believing in, and a very worthy winner of the inaugural Script to Screen award.” Comment came from Kaleidoscope’s Spencer Pollard, who said: "We are so happy and proud of the win for Spitfire Over Berlin in the From Script To Screen category. The amazing job the producers did during COVID to create such a great film on a micro budget in such difficult filming conditions is testament to their fortitude and can do attitude. For the film then to be so successful in the UK and globally is something we’re all very proud of and is perfect set up for our next upcoming film, Battle Over Britain which is released theatrically at the end of November and digitally in time for Christmas before hitting the shelves on physical shelves and internationally with our partners in January 2024.
hmv was involved in a number of awards, helping with the Fan Choice Award, which its customers voted for (it was won by Stranger Things Season 4: Max Escapes Vecna, Netflix, and also picked up the Physical Retailer of the Year award. In their comments, the judges said: "hmv is the deserved winner tonight as it continues to champion physical formats and support the category. hmv invested heavily in super-serving the High Street and especially entertainment fandoms. This year, the retailer delivered its highest volume of Steelbooks in the past 10 years offering customers ‘only@hmv’ exclusives on three out of four of the biggest market releases in 2022. Their strengths lie in their commitment to growth – through refitting and opening new stores – continuing partnerships for and with the category and giving consumers choice and range at a local and regional level. The retailer provides shoppers with much-wanted browsing space and time, serving physical fans across all formats, from great value DVDs to the strong promotion of premium exclusives, 4K UHD and of course, merchandise.”
Over on the digital side, the Retailer of the Year gong went to Sky Store, with the judges noting: "Sky Store is the worthy winner of this hard-fought category. The digital retailer continues to promote and lead the market on new release transactional content and support the biggest titles across the year. This year, Sky Store has demonstrated its support for the wider market by helping Disney to re-introduce its transactional window. This was a year of huge commercial success and promotional activity, including the first-of-its-kind countdown timers to build awareness and the launch of the best-in-class platform, Sky Glass. Sky Store continues to engage existing customers through strong promotional activity and brings in new customers too. Continuing to innovate and inspire leading with an always-on and ready-to-collaborate approach, Sky Store is a deserving winner this year.”
Other awards saw the 2022 Title of the Year going to Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount, while Silk Factory was the Agency of the Year and the Creative Initiative of the Year went to Wednesday for Outernet, Spark & Netflix. The Hidden Gem award went to MUBI for Aftersun, with the comments from the panel noting; “As voted by the industry, Aftersun was deemed the standout in this category as the title that captured the audience’s imagination and saw success beyond expectation.”
The Category Hero awards were made in a number of different areas with the full list of recipients including in Content Protection Dan Guthrie, Alliance for IP and Sabine Henssler, MPA (Europe); in Positive Impact it was Patrizia Leighton, hmv; in Leadership it was the aforementioned Louisa Mitchell from Universal, Richard Hibbins, Sony Pictures, Kevin Dersley, Elevation Sales, Joe Anderton, Zavvi, Becca Monahan, Official Charts Company; in sales and operations it was Monica Mardarescu, Universal Pictures and Frank Cirillo, Spirit Entertainment and in Creative Excellence it was Tom Evans, Once Upon A Time. Another creative, TIm Friend, earned a standing ovation upon receiving his Category Hero Champion Award. Long-time industry servant Friend, formerly at the likes of TM and Spark, is retiring after years of looking after design elements for studios and indies alike.
Final comment on the awards come from BASE chief executive Liz Bales, who said: "Each year, the BASE Awards are the moment when the whole of the UK home entertainment industry gets the chance to celebrate together. We get to see old friends and make new ones. There has been so much change, growth, challenge, and transformation recently, but some things remain: the importance of visual entertainment, giving fans the films and shows they love, and working as a community to always move forwards. Congratulations to all the winners, and a huge thanks to the BASE team, and our sponsors and partners, who ensure it is such an important night in the entertainment calendar. In a year of growth, with so many new partners and players alongside us and with us on our journey, the breadth of winners last night perfectly demonstrates BASE as champions all of Home Entertainment.”
Meanwhile, in the charts, Altitude's Talk To Me continues to perform strongly following on from its success across all formats from theatrical onwards, with it now performing well on physical and EST, as the company’s Adam Eldrett, noted. He told The Raygun: “Talk To Me continues it' remarkable lifecycle, over £2.5m at the UK box office and we have seen strong results from all our digital partners who got right behind the film on itsPVOD release. The film has also now been released on physical and EST, chalking up more than 4k units in its first two weeks – Steelbook, 4K, BD and DVD options all available!"
Just released form Studiocanal is one of our favourite discs of the year, Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai. It looks a treat and is enabling, as Studiocanal’s Chris Sharp said, a reappraisal of this film. He said: “We’re pleased to be able to do justice to Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai with an outstanding 4k restoration so that a new audience can appreciate Jim Jarmusch’s undiscovered gem of a gangster film. Released as a 4K UHD Steelbook and on all other formats, we’ve had a great reaction to, and recognition of, the love and attention that’s gone into giving this forgotten 1999 cult classic a whole new lease of life.”
Out this week from Studiocanal is another potential BASE winner in the shape of King And Country, and, as the company’s Alison Arber noted: “ Fresh from winning a BASE award for another Vintage Classics release comes the next important British film in the collection, King and Country. This hard-hitting, award-winning film from director Joseph Losey has been newly restored and rounds off an exciting, diverse year for the collection that has included the recent The Wicker Man, Brief Encounters and The Three (And The Four) Musketeers to name a few. With many more titles to come, we’re looking forward to 2024 being an even bigger year for Vintage Classics.”
And next week from Studiocanal’s classic production line and its vast catalogue is something altogether more wholesome in the shape of Santa Claus: The Movie, given a new lease of life just in time for the festive season. Commenting on the release Alison Arber said: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and to celebrate we’re releasing one of the all-time classic Christmas films, Santa Claus: The Movie, with a magical brand new 4K restoration. With new bonus features across all formats plus a limited theatrical run, fans of this much-loved festive film are in for a treat this year!”
Also out this week is 23 Seconds To Eternity from the BFI, which pulls together films and work of the KLF and associated projects the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and The Timelords. It’s a riotous release, celebrating one of the most certifiably bonkers and outré of British pop bands who shook up the charts and a lot more in the 1980s and 90s and to mark the event the BFI hosted a special screening at its mean Southbank theatre, with director Bill Butt taking part in a Q&A afterwards. Butt said: “”[KLF founder member] Bill Drummond called me yesterday, he’d got the Blu-ray and he was really pleased with it. He was actually enthusiastic, he’s never like that, it's normally just a blank stare.” The release is already flying off the shelves and on the way to selling out its initial limited run, testament to not only the quality of the release (it’s thoroughly enjoyable and completely nuts) but also the longevity of a band who long ago left the music industry and still have a huge fanbase of product hungry fans.
This week’s boutique label announcement saw Radiance Films unveiling its February releases, with a brace from Japan and, sandwiched between them, a classic slice of Italian cinema. Black Tight Killers is from the former, with Stray Cat Rock director getting kitsch, stylish and pop-influenced in this spy tale that promises "deadly female assassins, go-go dancing ninjas, buried treasure, chewing gum bullets”. Also from the same territory is influential yakuza tale set in post-war Tokyo, while Italy is represented by Marcello Mastroianni starring in Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's Allonsanfan, a period piece that boasts an Ennio Morricone score also used by Tarantino. Comment came from Radiance’s Fran Simeoni who said: "We are thrilled with our announcements for February, with a continuing release in our Tai Kato collection, this latest a controversial revisionist yakuza tale, the pop spy spoof Black Tight Killers, and finally the Taviani brothers epic period drama Allonsanfan. All three titles are English subtitled world premieres on Blu-ray and in the UK first time on any home video format.”
LAST CALL: The next issue of the ever-excellent Film Stories magazine is looming and The Raygun's Tim Murray is covering physical media in depth again, with features and loads of reviews. To get involved and have your product covered, get in touch at the usual address…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
You like Elvis Presley?
Anxiety joins the Inside Out gang
Due from Altitude…
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