- This is how the Broad Spectrum of Crow Consciousness works: LLcruize and tWISTEd sPINe brainstorm ideas until one jumps out at us.  Then we write.  Separately.  We DO NOT read each other's articles. We DO NOT discuss what the other has written.  We simply take the same theme and let our minds loose… the end result will be as much a surprise to us as it is to you. Will we agree? Disagree? End up in totally different zones making different points? You'll have to read and find out…just like us.

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Does the Crow belong in the hands of more independent Film Makers?  

 

Is the Crow destined to become another “Hellraiser” series in that its subsequent sequels are straight to DVD/Video releases rather than theatrical events? If we are to believe the current thinking at Miramax, this seems to be the route. But is that all bad? Could the series not find new life becoming an independent film series, rather than constantly conforming to the standards of the mainstream?

 

My first impression is no, if the series is to flourish, it must continue to search for a wider audience. Yet, why does it need a wider audience? To fill the pockets of some Hollywood suits maybe. But strictly from a fan point of few, could the Crow series not be better served AND flourish, if it were allowed to become an independently driven genre? 

 

There is nothing wrong, from a quality standpoint, with movies that are straight to video. The incorrect assumption is that the movie is lacking in quality. That is not always the case. More so, lack of dollars to promote it, than quality, drives many movies straight to Blockbuster.  We must look past the paradigm that the “straight to video” label creates and instead, look at what is best for the future. Would you rather have consistently good stories put out straight to video every other year, or have years and years pass with constant delays for movies that keep trying to adhere to a formula?

 

At one time, Miramax/Dimension would have been the place for such an independent endeavor. However, due to the spoils of success, they are not the little independent house they used to be. They have become a little more cautious, something that independents can not afford to be. Independents must constantly push the envelope.  This is not pointing a finger at Miramax.  It is just reality that money/success changes everything.

 

Does accepting the Crow as more of a cult, independent type of genre with a limited following admit that it can not draw big numbers at the box office? The past would beg to differ with that. The first movie has grossed over a hundred million in worldwide release. The second film, though grossing far less, set records for its first weekend out in 1996. Had the third film, “Salvation”, been allowed a box office release, I think it would have surprised Miramax with the numbers it would have drawn. Would it have matched the first movie? No, reality is, it wouldn't have.  Would it make it past the red and go into the black on the balance sheets? I think it would have. 

 

So do we admit defeat and go the less mass-market route and go independent, or do we continue to try and release the Crow to the masses? Is it something so personal that others will not appreciate it as much as those of us who have followed it since 1989? Can we not still go to the mass market, yet go there with more realistic numbers to meet? Sure, the budget would be about where it is now, 10 million, but it could be done. 

 

Either way, I just want stories put out, on a consistent basis, that are always pushing the envelope and are good. If that will only happen by going the independent route, so be it. However, if we can stay within the mass market and keep the consistency, I would rather go that way. As much as I would love to hold “The Crow” apart from others and not allow it to be tainted, the door should be open for new life to be breathed into it, otherwise, it could die out.

 

Take care,

LLcruize