July 10th Release Of "Thirteen Days" Is infinifilm™ Premiere
New Line Home Entertainment Launches infinifilm™
Premium DVD Experience Invites Viewers To "Go Beyond The Movie"
LOS ANGELES (April 16, 2001) New Line Home Video is marking its tenth anniversary by changing its name to New Line Home Entertainment and launching infinifilm™, its new and unique premium DVD label, with the July 10th release of the critically lauded Kevin Costner starrer Thirteen Days.
Beyond The Movie Experiences
infinifilm™ takes home entertainment to the next level. infinifilm™ takes viewers on a "go beyond-the-movie™" experience by providing both the movie itself and new and unique specially crafted, range of highly coordinated, in depth explorations of the film's subject matter and themes.
In addition to the special added-value supplemental material (filmmaker audio commentary, theatrical trailers, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, DVD-ROM script-to-screen capability) and the enhanced picture and sound quality that consumers have come to expect from New Line DVDs, New Line infinifilm™ gives viewers:
- Original content and productions uniquely created especially for infinifilm™ that take viewers beyond-the-movie
- Supplemental material that can be accessed through navigation menus that pop up while watching the film, offering viewers more control of their movie watching experience
- User friendly instructions and navigation
These "go beyond-the-movie™" experiences feature specially crafted, in depth explorations of the title film's subject matter and themes, presented within the context of the film.
"The basic premise of infinifilm™ is special features take you beyond the movie in a consistent manner and format," explains Mike Mulvihill, New Line Home Entertainment Vice President of Content Development. "Each infinifilm™ DVD title contains original content that explores the theme of the movie with the goal being to enhance the appreciation of the film by giving viewers a greater understanding of the film's subject matter in an entertaining way, all presented within the context of the film."
Missile Crisis Title Ready For Launch
Thirteen Days, New Line Home Entertainment's premiere infinifilm™ DVD title, will debut in stores July 10th.
Hailed as the best film of the year and "the most riveting, absorbing political thriller since All The President's Men," by NBC's Jeffrey Lyons upon its December, 2000 theatrical release, Thirteen Days tells the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, widely considered both the decisive moment of the Cold War and President Kennedy's finest hour. The film stars Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves, Bull Durham) as Special Assistant to the President, Kenneth P. O'Donnell, Bruce Greenwood (Rules of Engagement, The Sweet Hereafter) as President John F. Kennedy, and Steven Culp (Nurse Betty, television's JAG) as Robert F. Kennedy.
Moving from top secret meetings at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, to the skies above Cuba, where U.S. spy planes document the progressive Soviet missile build-up, to the high seas, where a standoff between U.S. and Soviet ships threatens to trigger war, Thirteen Days expertly chronicles a moment when the world stood on the brink of nuclear catastrophe.
Seen largely through the eyes of trusted presidential aide and confidante Kenny O'Donnell, Thirteen Days, scripted by David Self, offers an insider's view of the momentous events of October, 1962. Drawing on sources such as White House tapes, memoirs, oral histories, interviews, and CIA documents, Thirteen Days features an impressive array of historical figures including Robert McNamara, Adlai Stevenson, Theodore Sorenson, Andrei Gromyko, McGeorge Bundy, Dean Acheson, Dean Rusk, and General Curtis LeMay.
"Thirteen Days is an ideal title with which to launch the infinifilm™ brand because the historic nature of the film really lends itself to exploring 'beyond-the-movie™' material, and allows us to capitalize on the educational benefits of DVDs," explains Senior Vice President of Marketing Matt Lasorsa of Director Roger Donaldson's acclaimed feature, the second collaboration between the Australian-born director and Costner (following the 1987 thriller No Way Out). "What we're able to do is broaden out from the film to capture core information that's driving the drama and give viewers a greater understanding not only of the film, but of the subject matter and the historical era."
Special Content, In Context
If the viewer chooses to watch a New Line DVD with the infinifilm™ option (in addition to many other enhancements), special navigation menus frequently pop up in a band at the bottom of the screen. These unobtrusive menus - visually akin to subtitles in foreign language films - invite viewers to explore certain aspects of the film in greater depth. The viewer can then choose whether to continue watching the film, or click-through and "go beyond-the-movie™". "That's one of the really cool, interesting things about DVDs," offers Evan Edelist, New Line Cinema Vice President of Post Production, Video, and Technical Operations. "They offer the viewer a non-linear experience."
Created especially for inclusion on the Thirteen Days infinifilm™ DVD is the documentary The Roots Of The Cuban Missile Crisis, which frames the Cuban Missile Crisis in the larger context of the Cold War. Viewers have the opportunity to watch this 48-minute documentary as a linear piece, or experience this content within the context of the film.
"What that means," begins Mulvihill, "is that if you're watching a scene of a briefing in the Oval Office you'll have the ability to click through to background information not only about the historical figures involved in these scenes, but also see interviews with actual participants and the historical events they're enacting." Unique to infinifilm™, this new feature is in addition to more traditional supplemental material that viewers have come to expect from the format such as deleted scenes, audio commentary, DVD-ROM capability, and behind-the-scenes footage.
Infinifilm™'s standardized user-friendly navigation system also encourages viewers to have a fuller DVD experience than ever before. "In our market research one of the things we discovered is that some consumers didn't know how to use their DVDs properly, or they weren't getting everything DVDs have to offer, or they needed help in certain areas," explains Lasorsa. "With the launch of infinifilm™, we've taken extra care in helping the consumer along. There are question marks throughout the infinifilm™ DVD menus which viewers can click on to find more information about what options are available."
Branding The Infinite
The name "infinifilm™" was chosen after exhaustive research, a months-long naming process, and is meant to reflect both the brand's boundless reach, and the belief that the film remains the core attribute of each DVD. "We developed between 500-1,000 branding choices, before deciding upon infinifilm™," explains Lasorsa. "It's really the perfect name because 'infini' expresses the limitless nature of the experience, and the 'film' is why we're all here. The movie is still the foundation of the experience."
Each film is derived from high definition anamorphic video masters and specially remastered sound specifically designed for home theater enjoyment. The features make New Line Home Entertainment's infinifilm™ DVD the premium home entertainment experience.
Three Tiers of Excellence
The infinifilm™ brand enhances the already critically acclaimed offerings from New Line Home Entertainment. Each and every DVD produced by New Line Home Entertainment offers viewers superb sound and picture quality, and much more. The following are the DVD categories offering consumers a diverse selection of quality and content.
- Infinifilm™ DVDs offer viewers a brand promise. In addition to a myriad of features that delve into the movie, the content allows viewers to "go beyond the movie™."
- Platinum Edition™ DVDs take viewers deep into the movie. In addition to the film, viewers will have a variety of viewing options, as well as a robust collection of features.
- Standard Edition DVDs are anything but standard. They offer viewers state of the art sound and picture quality as well as viewing options and features as they are available.
New Line Home Entertainment distributes all of the New Line Cinema and Fine Line Features theatrical films on video and select titles on DVD. The company also distributes feature films and non-theatrical programs acquired or produced by New Line Home Entertainment and New Line Television. New Line Cinema is the leading independent producer and distributor of theatrical films. New Line also licenses its films to ancillary markets including cable and broadcast television as well as in all international markets.
For more information on infinifilm™, visit www.infinifilm.com. For more information about Thirteen Days, visit www.thirteen-days.com. To download Thirteen Days DVD box art and screen shots, and for other New Line Home Entertainment press releases and photos, visit New Line's website at www.moviepublicity.com.
For screening cassettes or artwork, please mail your request to Meg O'Hara, New Line Home Entertainment 116 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 or fax your request to 310-854-0602.
Contact: P&F Communications
212-861-2100
or
New Line Home Entertainment/Amy Gorton
310-967-6536