Online DVD Rental - Big Businessby Jay Moncliff

Looking for a way to avoid the crowd at your local video rental store? Tired of the one movie you want to see being rented out? You may want to consider one of the new DVD rental services available today.

Online DVD rental has become a big business in the past few years. DVD's are more reliable, and much less expensive to produce and mail than VCR tapes. More and more consumers are skipping the theaters and waiting for the film they want to see to come out on DVD, so the rental business is booming. However, with today's even more busy families, time for browsing the video store is at a premium.

The new online DVD rental services are the answer to long lines, out of stock films and late fees. There are many services, each offering great selections of movies.

The rental service works like this: You sign up for a membership and pay a monthly fee. This fee entitles you to receive one to eight movies per month (depending on the plan you choose). Typically, monthly fee for two and three movies is incrementally higher than the fee for one movie, but you choose the plan that you think you will use.

After signing up, you create a list of movies that you'd like to see. Most of the services have extensive lists and numerous copies, so you aren't likely to miss out on a movie due to unavailability. This is called your movie list or queue, and you can change it at any time.

The first movie(s) on your list are sent to you via the postal service, complete with postage paid return envelopes. You only pay for the membership fee, you don't have to worry about postage. The movies arrive in your mailbox. No more frustrating trips to the video store.

Once you've viewed the movies as many times as you wish, you simply put the movie in the return envelope and drop it into a mailbox. Upon receipt, the online DVD rental service will process the next movie on your list and get it in the mail to you right away.

You can keep movies for as long as you want, since the next one will only be sent when one is returned. If you choose a movie you simply can't part with, you can go to the service's website and purchase the movie at a pre-viewed price (typically).

If you're a serious movie buff, this plan could be quite cost effective. For the monthly membership fee of $39.95 (for example) you could receive eight movies to view. If the video plan takes about a week to turn your order around you could turn this stock over at least three or four times before the month is up. That's about 30 movies that you could view for $39.95. At $5 each for rental, that a savings of about $110. Of course, you'd have to keep churning those movies out, and your social life might suffer, but you'd certainly catch up on all of the movies you'd been meaning to see.

As with anything, read the fine print. Try to avoid plans that charge late fees (yes, they're out there), and select a plan with a mailing center in your area of the country for quicker turnaround.

Renting movies with an online DVD rental company can be fun, entertaining and cost-effective, not to mention convenient. If you enjoy using your DVD player, consider joining one of these services and catching up on your movie nights.


About the Author
Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.go-dvd.info a website specialized on Dvd, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Dvd. For more info visit his site: Dvd

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It Takes an Iron Resolve to Make an Independent Film Production Happenby Michael Connelly

Commitment is an independent filmmaker's most valuable resource. Without a lot of money to grease the wheels of production, a low budget film producer must rely on creativity and determination to get their films made. If a person wants to get their film made badly enough, there is not much in this world that can stop it from happening.

Making a film on your own with your own money is a very daunting task. It can also be very rewarding. When you decide to take on the awesome responsibility of writing, directing, and producing your own independent film, you better know what you are getting into beforehand. Once you set the ball in motion, there is no going back. You either succeed and your film makes to the film festival circuit (which is a major accomplishment in and of itself), or you crash and burn halfway through the film production process and your film vision never sees the light of day.

The next time you watch a movie I suggest that you pay particular attention to the credits at the end of the film. Take a look at how many names scroll across the screen and this will give you an idea of how much work goes into the making of a motion picture. Then take away all of the names on the screen and picture your name in front of every credit for every job and this will give you an idea of how much work YOU will have to do to make your own movie.

When I first graduated from film school I hit the ground running. I landed a decent job as the Director and Animator on an independent film that had Pat Boone's name attached to it. I was hired to film clay animation stories about The Bible. I worked on that job for about four months and was paid fairly well for my efforts. I decided that the best thing I could do with the money I saved was to make another film. I would take the knowledge and money I gained and use it for my own benefit. I decided to make my own movie with the idea in mind that I would enter it in on the film festival circuit and hopefully win some awards. If that happened it would almost certainly be a boost for my fledgling film career.

I wrote a script for a short film that involved a combination of clay animation and live action, and I was ready to make a film. My plan was to use all of my knowledge and talent and do almost all the work. For the parts that I could not do myself I would hire friends and business associates at a substantially discounted rate. These people agreed to work for cheap in return for a little creative control, a credit for their demo reel, and possibly exposure if the film does well at any major film festivals. I only had to hire them for the filming of the live action scenes and for some of the post production work (like sound design, mixing, foley sound effects, etc...). The animation I would do entirely on my own.

I contacted a couple of friends of mine that managed camera and sound equipment rental houses. They set me up with a 16mm camera package and a DAT (digital audio tape) package to rent at discounted prices. I rented these packages on a weekend (to get the extra 2 days for free) and I started filming the live action part of my film right away.

I worked extremely hard that first weekend. I basically filmed most of the time with only about two to three hours of sleep each day. When I was not filming/acting/directing, I was setting up lights, moving furniture, making meals for everyone, setting up props, distributing and apply makeup, rehearsing with actors, fixing costumes, and performing script rewrites on the set, to name only a few things. By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was mentally and physically exhausted, but I still had to bring back the camera and sound equipment packages by 10:00 am or I would be charged for another day of rental. You do not have that luxury to just sleep in and not worry about it when you are making an independent film on a shoestring budget. There is no rest for the weary when you are making your own movie. Time is money, and you do not have a lot of either one of these resources.

I returned the camera and sound equipment packages just in time on Monday morning. Then I went straight to the film lab and dropped off my film. I then made an appointment for the following week (the soonest date I could get) to see my dailies (developed film), and counted the days until the day of my appointment arrived.

I arrived at the film lab a half hour early for my appointment to see my dailies. As I sat in the lobby waiting for my big moment, I began to get very nervous. Unnerving thoughts began to fill my head. What if one of the rolls of film somehow got damaged in the lab? Maybe the machine that develops the film broke when my film was running through it and all of my film rolls are scratched? What if the cameraman I hired was not as good as his demo reel implied and all my rolls are under or over exposed? What if the guy who took my film at the front desk of the film lab is a disgruntled filmmaker who only took that job so he can ruin other people's film when they hand it over to him? What if there was a mishap in the film vault involving fire sprinklers and all my rolls of film got ruined? Of course, all of these are irrational thoughts, but nonetheless they are the kind of thoughts that go through the mind of an independent filmmaker as they are quietly waiting in the lobby of a film lab facility prior to their appointment to see the fruits of their efforts.

As it turned out, everything was fine. My dailies looked great and that only inspired me to keep the ball rolling with my film project. I put every ounce of effort that my body and soul possessed into that project, and it paid off. That film (Mike And The Magic Lamp) won several awards at several film contests that year (1998) including a Silver Award at the Houston Worldfest in the same category that had seen past winners with such names as Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, and Quentin Tarantino. It was a perfect springboard for my film career. I have made several films since then and all of them have led to bigger and better projects. My latest film is a ninety minute science fiction love story. I already have a couple of distribution offers for this film, and I have yet to enter it in a single film festival. I should be able to make a very decent profit if it does well on the film festival circuit, and I owe it all to my iron resolve to make my film career dream a reality. Where my budget was lacking, my determination picked up the slack.

Copyright 2006. Michael P. Connelly

About the Author
Michael P. Connelly is an Author and Filmmaker who travels the world making low budget independent films and writing about his enriching exeriences. His latest book can be purchased at: http://www.makealowbudgetmovie.com For photos or additional info send an email to: measeburl@aol.com

Shopping For DVD Movies by Vic Abrugar Sr.

Technology has taken us from Beta to VHS and now to DVD movies. With each new step of technology, the pictures became more clear, the sound more defined and an improved experience overall. However, nothing has matched the quality of DVD movies. With crystal clear images, incomparable sounds and tons of added features, DVD movies are a hit.

Gone are the days when a movie rental was just a movie. These days, a DVD rental includes not only the movie, but also deleted scenes, cast interviews, commentary and often even a documentary on how the film was made. Video store rentals are excellent, but what if you don't have a local rental store? No problem. Several big name retailers offer online rentals, which mean that a video store is now just a click away. For a monthly fee, online rental companies will allow you to create a wish list of DVD movies that you want to see.

They will send a movie from your list and, after you watch it, it is returned in exchange for another selection on your list. This process goes on and on without any additional cost to the customer. The only thing you pay for is a monthly membership fee. So, whether it's online or in person, a video store is a terrific place to rent Hollywood's latest hit movies.

If you are looking to purchase a video, the options are equally unlimited. Virtually every retail store has an electronic section in which they offer DVD movies for sale. The new releases are generally more expensive than others so, if you're on a budget, check out the titles that have been released for a year or longer. You may be surprised at the bargains to be found.

Another purchasing option is through a video club. With this type of membership, you simply sign up and select several movies at an unbelievable low price. In exchange for the bargain, you agree to purchase a predetermined number of movies over the next several years. Each month, the video club will send a video catalog and selection card. Be sure to read the selection card carefully because you may have to return it to the company. Typically, a director's selection is chosen every month and is automatically sent to the customer unless they indicate they do not wish to receive it.

A customer can indicate that they do not wish to receive this selection simply by marking the appropriate box on the selection card and mailing it back. Or, often times, customers may indicate their wishes online without having to spend money on postage to mail the selection card back. Video clubs are a terrific way to build a nice collection of DVD movies and they offer terrific deals every month.

If you're still in the market for DVD movies and haven't found a video rental store or local retailer, check out one of the many online retailers who offer a wide variety of DVD movies for sale. With the internet, a customer's options are virtually endless. A never ending sea of DVD movies are just a click away.
About the Author

Vic Abrugar Sr. Invites you to visit his website about dvd movies at http://www.dvdmoviesinfo.com

Rentshark Technologies: The first to make Internet based Subscription rental software available to Video Stores

March 24, 2004 -- Rentshark Technologies a division of Sandstorm Home entertainment has recently introduced the ultimate technological weapon for video stores to compete in the online market space: The Software will allow the video store to rent and sell its DVD's on the Internet.

Over the last two years, video stores in North America and around the world have faced stiff competition from a number of large players in this market space. Companies such as Netflix, Walmart, Columbia and Blockbuster have been offering their clients Internet subscription based DVDs and game rental packages. Video stores have been helpless against this incredible competitive threat, until now.

Rentshark Technologies has developed a robust, integrated and complete internet based subscription software solution for the video store market. Video stores can now provide the same service or better service to their own customers. With the Rentshark internet software solution, video stores will be able to offer DVD's and games to their customers without the need to have their customers come to the store. A definite plus in this highly competitive market. DVD's are mailed directly to the customers door. Under a subscription based system the customer only pays a fixed monthly fee and can receive as many DVD's as the want.

Video Stores can be up and running within weeks renting DVD's to their customers through the postal service. " Someone is finally giving the small video store and the video chain all of the necessary technology they need to maintain if not expand their base of revenue" says Walt Kaon VP of Marketing for Rentshark Technologies. Because the Rentshark video store customer will be servicing their immediate geographical territory, it will be difficult for the larger players to maintain a competitive edge. says Kaon.

About Rentshark Technologies
RentShark is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sandstorm Technologies Ltd. and is one of the first companies worldwide to offer an online rental suite of software for both new and existing businesses. Essentially, we are a software company committed to quality products and excellent support.

With Offices located in New York, and Ottawa, Canada along with hosting facilities in Denver, and New York City we are quickly growing to meet the market demand for online rental software for large, medium, and small businesses worldwide. Our vision is to enable companies throughout the world to rent and sell their products online through our innovative software solutions. For more information on Rentshark Technologies solutions visit: www.rentshark.com.

Corporate Contact:
Rentshark Technologies
Marketing Department
(888) 849-3950

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Movie Rental Release: 'Gothika' Movie Review

Movie Rental Release: 'Gothika' Movie Review
by C Bailey-Lloyd

"Gothika," starring Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Jr., Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Penelope Cruz and Dorian Harewood; is a spellbinding film!

Some critics have entirely missed the context of this storyline, and have given this movie a bad review, I beg to differ. "Gothika," the newest production from Dark Castle Entertainment is the culmination of clairvoyance and poltergeist entertwined into one spectacular ride of an individual's innermost emotions and physical reactions.

Halle Berry stars as Miranda Grey, a criminal psychologist working in Woodward Penitentiary for Women. Counseling "Chloe," (played by Penelope Cruz), Dr. Grey, in her medical expertise, does not fully grasp Chloe's rantings and ravings. As she leaves work on a stormy night, she runs off an embankment, avoiding a nude girl standing in the rainsoaked highway.

Coming to her senses, she awakens to find herself as an inmate in Woodward, herself. Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey, Jr.) another staff psychiatrist and coworker of Grey, attempts to decipher Miranda's mindset and how she violently 'murdered' her own husband, Douglas (Charles S. Dutton) in the preceding three days. Having no recollection of the ensuing events after her car accident, Miranda is traumatized and nearly catatonic.

An unlikely friend, Chloe helps Dr. Grey to realize that neither of the two are insane, but are driven by an outside force beyond one's wildest imagination. As an open channel to clairvoyance and a medium to spiritual entities, Miranda soon discovers her husband's deep, dark secret.

A rivoting film that will leave you breathless and enlightened to clairvoyance in its most harrowing form. I rate this movie 3.5 Stars.

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Gothika is an R rated film. To see the theatrical trailer to Gothika, click here: http://gothikamovie.warnerbros.com/html/trailer.html?id=trailer&settings=true

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Review by C. Bailey-Lloyd Copyright 2004 - All Rights Reserved

C. Bailey-Lloyd/Lady Camelot is the Public Relations' Director for www.holisticjunction.com
To contact her, email ladycamelot@holisticjunction.com

[All work by author is copyright protected. If you would like to use this article, please contact the author for permission.]

C. Bailey-Lloyd is the Public Relations' Director and Staff Writer for http://www.holisticjunction.com

This article courtesy of http://getmovierentals.com.
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