On Demand Weekly

In anticipation of the upcoming movie MARGIN CALL, we have assembled a Top 10 list of Kevin Spacey movies on demand (all available on Comcast, films may vary with other operators). Disagree with our picks – tell us what yours are.

10. DAD
9.   OUTBREAK
8.   A TIME TO KILL
7.   THE NEGOTIATOR
6.   SUPERMAN RETURNS

On Demand Weekly highlights stories from the On Demand industry. Chris Claro interviews director J.C. Chandor about MARGIN CALL (Roadside Attractions). Read our review of the film here.

3 Questions With MARGIN CALL's J.C.Chandor

ODW: I heard that you wrote a first draft of the script in just 4 days, between job interviews. That's pretty impressive, can you talk about that?

J.C Chandor: Yes, I had the idea for the script and had been working through it for over a year. But the way I like to write is have an idea not fully formed, but fully researched and thought through before I sit down to actually write it. In this case, I had been working on the story off and on in my mind for over a year and finally sat down and wrote the line by line script in just 4 days. I then went back and made many additions and revisions but for the most part, almost all of that 81 page draft is in the final product. I’ve never written anything else that quickly before and probably won't again. But this was a script that at that time, I was clearly ready to write.

Zachary Quinto and J.C. Chandor / MARGIN CALL (Roadside Attractions)


ODW: Did the short shoot also help the actors not know each other so well which fits because Zachary's character and the other young guy did not know the heads of the company that well?

J.C Chandor: Absolutely. Whenever you're shooting a low budget film, by it's very nature, there are going to be many hurdles and barriers due to limited resources. What I always try to do as a filmmaker or writer, no matter the budget, is to use your weaknesses and try and turn them into strengths. In this case, I had a story about very intelligent, Type A people who are trained to never show panic. I was working with highly intelligent, very accomplished actors who also rarely ever panic on a job at this point in their careers. But the pace and scope we were having to shoot in such a limited time period, created an environment that at times even put these accomplished actors through what I later realized was a mild, low-level sense of panic under their performances. Which are used, hopefully, to great effect to express what their characters were feeling as well.

ODW: Margin Call is one of several films recently being released on VOD; what are your thoughts on the importance of a film such as this reaching as much of the American population as possible?

J.C Chandor: I'm very excited to see where this experiment ends up. No one quite knows in this current market/environment what the best way is to distribute the film. But we are getting a 60/70 city release theatrically. For a small budget film, that is a very exciting release. To add to that, most major markets and many smaller markets can view the film on VOD. That's exciting to get the film out to the widest audience. I always believe the best experience is in a theater, but I also have 2 small children and know going to the movies can be a complicated and expensive endeavor so it's nice to know this film is going to get it's widest audience possible.

- Chris Claro

Chris Claro is a contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. He is a former Director of Promotion for Sundance Channel and now works as a writer, producer, and media educator. He is a regular contributor to dvdverdict.com and contributor to the Eyes and Ears section of huffingtonpost.com

Look for MARGIN CALL (Roadside Attractions) on these On Demand providers (Amazon, Blockbuster, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Dish Network, Itunes, Sonic Roxio, Sony PlayStation, Time Warner InDemand, Verizon, Vudu, YouTube, Zune).

See Chris' Other Reviews & Interviews...

Lionsgate Digital Distribution announced the Pre DVD sneak of three-time Academy Awards® nominated ALBERT NOBBS on demand. The film stars Oscar® nominees Glenn Close and Janet McTeer. The sneak peek is available now, a month ahead of the film’s debut on Blu-ray Disc, DVD and Digital Download on May 15th.

On Demand Weekly discussed this VOD strategy for ALBERT NOBBS and past Lionsgate films (including RED STATE, EVERYTHING MUST GO and MARGIN CALL) with Thomas Hughes, SVP, Worldwide Digital Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution.


On Demand Weekly (ODW): Why did Lionsgate sneak peek ALBERT NOBBS on demand?

Thomas Hughes (TH): ALBERT NOBBS is a great movie that in limited release theatrically (in just 75 markets) got notoriety from award nominations. This got the attention of our cable / satellite partners. Because of the early window, our partners are willing to promote it in unique ways and give it premium placement.

Thomas Hughes, SVP, Worldwide Digital Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution

ODW: Has Lionsgate sneaked movies on demand before?
TH: We did with ABDUCTION with Taylor Lautner early on December 22, 2011, before the holidays, in a limited release window until January 4, 2012. The DVD did not come out until January 17, 2012.

ABDUCTION (courtesy of Lionsgate)

It was a huge success. We saw an incremental lift over a similar genre movie.

Movies Lionsgate has sneaked before a particular window:
RED STATE: Kevin Smith (Pre Theatrical)                                 
MARGIN CALL: Kevin Spacey, Zacahary Quinto (Day & Date)  
EVERYTHING MUST GO: Will Ferrell (Pre DVD)                     
TRESPASS: Nicholas Cage, Nicole Kidman (Day & Date)       
ABDUCTION: Taylor Lautner (Pre DVD)                                      
ALBERT NOBBS: Glenn Close (Pre DVD)                                  

MARGIN CALL (courtesy of Lionsgate)

ODW: How does Lionsgate decide what movies will do well on demand?
TH: It's a little bit of the Wild Wild West. We are willing to experiment. Lionsgate's entrepreneurial spirit allows us to experiment where others may not be able to.

ODW: Does Lionsgate make extras and behind the scenes available on demand as they do on DVD?
TH: In some cases we do. It's not always ready when we go out early and if the platform can take. Not every platform can. The digital partners seem to be well positioned. Everybody is familiar with iTunes extras.

I think you are going to see a movement

where everybody will want to be positioned to offer extras.

ODW: When is the release strategy of a movie determined, before or after production?