Here I am again, still breathing.
For those who care about what's going on with KADIN DUSMANI DVD, a few minutes ago I received the subs and I'll shortly start working on them.
Well, lately I've been -and still am- facing various problems with my personal life... lots of shit etc.
A big problem is the cash.
My current super-discounts don't seem to do the trick and I can't say I'm ready to pay for the dvd costs right now.
See, I'm one of those guys who hate owing money to anybody.
I always work in hand-to-hand terms. One hand gives the cash, the other hand gets the stuff.
But since I also hate fooling around I'll save on bread and milk and I'll just go on and release this damn thing in about 3 weeks.
This time, I'm in the unpleasant position of declaring that there's no retail sources you could buy this one from.
Right, I'm out of wholesales.
And I don't give a damn if a couple of small stores buy 2-3 copies from me just to demonstrate they got cool stuff for sale.
At least you can now buy them much cheaper than before since I'm going to combine the old wholesale prices with my retail ones resulting in really attractive prices!
Too bad though, as I'm going to have to wait for a loooooong time before I get back enough cash to release my next dvd.
...Speaking of which, what's it going to be?
I'm not really sure...
I was planning to seal the deal for the ALTIN COCUK films and CICI CAN and release the first ALTIN COCUK film next...
BUT, Yilmaz Atadeniz is back again, asking for more money since I was dumb enough to sign licenses for 18 months ONLY instead of 5 years like ALL companies do!!
This case is a big pain in the ass and I must either throw tons of dvd's in the toilet and never release other films at all, OR pay Atadeniz LOTS of cash!
This situation has caused me so much trouble and grief that I've lost my appetite for the whole Turkish Films story.
I may as well start selling greek cheese-pie in my neighbourhood or something...
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8 comments:
Bill, I only recently discovered your website/films, but read every one of your blog entries going back to 2007, as well as all of the replies/comments.
Reading the entire blog tells the heartfelt tale of a man with a dream to bring the eclectic films he loves to the attention of other fans of the bizarre and unusual.
But what makes your story so compelling is the candor, honesty and take-no-prisoners directness that permeates every one of your blog entries.
I guess what I'm saying is that the story of Bill and his dream [onar] is more fascinating than any of the storylines contained
in these films, and that's saying something folks! Your: "business sucks, no one bought my new DVD, so I guess I'll just stuff them in my ass" comment was truly inspired!
You truly are as much of a "character" and "hero" as any of the masked avengers in your DVD's.
But instead of saving the world, you're saving these films from
a fate worse than death... Is there anything worse for a film than for it to disappear entirely and to be completely forgotten?
It's weird, I only read your story this weekend, but I feel as if I've known you all my life. I too have been obsessed with cinema ever since I was a little kid...
[back in the 60's], and have spent the better part of my life doing things that are in one way or another, related to my love of cinema. If I told you how many films, movie posters and film books I owned, you'd probably think I was insane, and I'd have to agree. But from what I've read in this blog, you're right there with me buddy.
I digress [always]... Look Bill, I'm the listowner of an international film discussion group, based in the USA that has thousands of members, and if it's alright with you, I'd like to bring the story of Onar films to the attention of my membership.
I can't say that you'll sell all of the DVD's you have "stuffed in your ass", or even that you'll be able to talk people into buying Turkish westerns [what were you thinking, you madman?] But I promise you that I'll do my best to communicate the unique charm of your films to my group.
I'm thinking that most of the people that read this blog really want to see you find a way to keep pursuing your dream without having to insert additional shiny discs in your ass... Am I right guys?
Is there anyone here, that
hasn't bought all of Bill's remaining/available DVD's?
Perhaps, like me, you kind of gravitate toward the sleazy spy, superhero, and revenge flicks... Perhaps you too looked kind of cockeyed at 3-4 of Bill's DVD's? But you know what? The market has dried up to the point where, the only way this man is going to be able to continue releasing films, is for fans of Turkish cinema to support ALL of Bill's releases.
At any rate-
I'm going to place an order,
and after watching some sleazy and bizarre cinematic mayhem, I'm going to post a review or two in my film discussion group...
I'm also going to include a bit
of Bill's fascinating story,
as well as Onar Films web address.
You're a good man Bill-
My hat's off to you for going forward with the release of KADIN DUSAMI in the face of such adversity, and even though I'm brand new here, I hope you'll count me among your friends and supporters.
-Bill Cortner
Bill,
Please accept my apologies for misspelling/typing "KADIN DUSMANI"
as "KADIN DUSAMI" In my defense, I've become so obsessed with Tirkish cinema, that I bought some "learn to speak Turkish" audio casette tapes on eBay... Unfortunately, the seller couldn't speak Turkish, so he mixed up my order with someone elses, and apparently 2-3 of the 12 tapes in my "learn to speak the Turkish language for beginners course" are from a [very] different [and pricier] series called "Learn to pick up Turkish babes for beginners course"
Needless to say, since I just started learning "Turkish", I have no idea what potentially despicable but advertised/guarranteed as being "foolproof" thing I may have accidentally said to the fine people in this forum when I typed
"KADIN DUSAMI"
-Bill Cortner
Dear Bill,
After the PM I sent you, thanking you for your super-kind support, let me explain why your idea about pre-orders etc is out of the question:
1- I just hate getting paid for something I'm not ready to ship.
I prefer: GET PAID -> SHIP, not GET PAID-> WAIT -> SHIP.
2- Lots of people are bound to be confused.
My experience says that many people will pester me with complaints why they haven't received their dvd, and then exclaim: DAMN! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SELLING SOMETHING YOU DON'T CARRY? I THOUGHT IT WAS IN STOCK!
Trust me, I have a 10 years experience on ebay and this shit happens all the time!
3- Many buyers will expect me to stick to a specific release date, BUT I'm such a jinx that dates ALWAYS play tricks on me and I'd hate to let some people down, or even worse have them slandering me for being ridiculous, amateur etc.
I remember a guy was asking me to sell him some upcoming dvd, wholesale.
But I had to change the release dates a couple of times and he got furious and spread bullshit for me in forums like "he's an amateur", " he's not serious" etc.
Guess what... when that dvd finally came out he just said "oops, sorry! I thought I was ready to have an online store but some shit happened and it all fell out, so forget it!"
4- Besides, IF some people want to get my dvd earlier then they will also get it later, right? Nothing to lose. Having 5 or 10 or 20 (the most) pre-orders wouldn't make me any richer...
Bill, Yes, I see that varying levels of analality and other disturbances of the mind could become a real pain in the patootska with pre-paid/pre-orders.
But in order for you to continue doing your fine work, the only work of it's kind in the world I might add... This problem of a shrinking audience vs. fixed acquisition and production costs needs to be resolved.
What about putting a "PayPal Donate" button at the top of Onar Film's homepage? This would serve as a mechanism for fans of Turkish cult/trash/pop cinema to help you
with the general costs of your Turkish film rescue, resurrection and release work...
The RRR fund?
At any rate, I definitely plan to do a
review of KADIN DUSMANI as well as a piece about Onar Film's in my film discussion group. Although the group is USA based, it's a large international film forum and a significant percentage of these folks have all-region/multi-standard devices and an appetite for unusual/eclectic films.
-Bill
Sorry to hear Atadeniz is giving you trouble again, Bill. I was just watching your "Superman" double bill last night and it was a lot of fun, a really great DVD package. I too am really looking forward to Kadin Dusmani and will try to buy it as soon as it comes out. The thought that my Onar Films collection would be incomplete for very long is something I do not want to contemplate. :)
Hopefully things in your life will calm down soon and you can go back to finding more exciting Turkish treasures for us!
I really hope you don't go out of business. I own most of your releases, and plan on completing my collection sometime in the near future. There are a lot of films you haven't released yet that I'm eagerly awaiting. I would really like to see more superhero films even though you have already released a bunch, Orumcek in particular looks really good. Of course I'll continue to support you no matter what.
Is there any way you could market your films more. Perhaps there are lots of potential fans out there that simply don't know of your existence?
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