Synapse and Panik House Collaboration Coming Along Nicely...

Back on the 9th of December 2006 it was, "Currently, just as I write this, I'm in the studio on Reel 4 of Malformed Men. We've finished the video transfers of Female Demon Ohysku, Ginza Butterfly and Ginza She-Cat Gambler. You'll be happy to know these transfers FAR exceed our expectations. Because of the age of the films (going on almost 40 years old for some of these), I expected them to be, well, somewhat of a mess... they aren't." and now it's, "I've been working every day, non-stop, on the video transfers and I'm as pleased as punch on how they are turning out. I've done 6 of the 7 films and, right this very second, finishing up the color-timing on Reel 6 of KAIDAN HEBI-ONNA (aka SNAKE WOMAN'S CURSE). So, I'll be totally done with the HD transfers by tomorrow, then it's off to work on the audio and some minor digital clean-up on a few splices... but that will all have to wait until after Christmas. I'm totally worn out doing these practically non-stop. These films just ROCK! The materials received from Toei were in such good condition that my jaw was dropping at how beautiful these transfers are turning out. Unfortunately, we don't yet have a set release date for these. I still have to coordinate with Panik House for many things concerning these films. But, rest assured, these look fantastic and fans of these films certainly won't be disappointed."

As a reminder, this is the full list of films they have underway : Edogawa Ranpo Zenshu: Kyofu Kikei Ningen [aka Horror Of The Malformed Men], Kaidan Hebi-onna [aka Snake Woman's Curse], Yoen Dokufu Den : Hannya no Ohyaku [aka Sexy Deadly Legend: Female Demon Ohyaku], Yoen Dokufu Den : Hitokiri Okatsu [aka Sexy Deadly Legend: Quickdraw Okatsu], and Yoen Dokufu Den : Okatsu Kyojo Tabi [aka Sexy Deadly Legend: Okatsu's Epic Journey], Gincho Wataridori [aka Wandering Ginza Butterfly]. Gincho Nagaremono Mesuneko Bakuchi [aka Wandering Ginza She-Cat Gambler].

Personally, these work-in-progress reports are somewhat pointless (my position has evolved over the last couple of years) if they don't serve an alterior motive as well; I wouldn't look half as obsessed with the mechanics if their weren't blindingly obvious issues still plaguing us all, and if there were more obvious opportunities for more to get vocal about them, in an effective manner. For me, somewhat obsessed as I am with the workings behind the scene, of both how the film and DVD markets work hand-in-hand, and also as someone who hopes for less frustrating and en mass dealings with issues which negatively impose themselves on both the quality of the work which appears, the subsequent financial implications or other knock-on effects, and the reaction / benefits to fans (of which I am one, obviously), I point out all these goings one because they're a great selection of films that, although I am not going to be able to be entirely familiar with the films (the nature of what's perhaps a transitionary period, if not a revolution at the hands of the opening-up caused by DVD, the history of how things have been in the past) it's not without cause that I say that these are worth the effort to pass along the underlying snippets of.

Because companies generally have a poor fan-to-company relationship in terms of information and promotion (i.e trailers, the key example) that I point out a company (or companies) like Panik House for their positive use of their own actual interest in what they pick out (well, much more than most, at least in their Pinky Violence titles for example; at least 50% of their releases so far), their ability to exploit the gaps left gaping by ineffective use of imagination by so many other companies. Synapse too, show the imagination and attention to detail, to offer good quality work that bypasses all the sneeking that seems to go on at the hands of those not so willing to go their own way and tell us what they're doing, and why. [Source : Synapse Blog / DVDManiacs Forum].