I collect movies, tv shows and oavs that I like. Many favorites I saw on Saturday afternoons on a local channels as a kid, those were edited for tv; while on disc as they appeared in the movie theaters. Also I have a great 90s and 00s anime collection and many of those companies are out of print and rare now. I try not to double dip movies unless they are great favorites; but I do hand me downs to family and friends that don't have those discs and want them. I only buy boutique films that I will want to rewatch since I have purchased some duds and it costs too much. So my theory on minimalism is give away or sell double dips, share movie appreciation with others and that way you learn films you may not have watched and expose others to great or even not so great cinema. Also I wait for sales or price drops unless it's something I know is limited.
Out of the four years I start collecting, I recently bought my first bootleg 😦. I would frown and look down on those who would buy them and then it happened. I found Netflix Dare Devil SEASON 3 online for 50$. I already own season 1 & 2 on bluray, but season 3 never came out due to Disney buying out Fox Studios. Dare Devil is super rated R and Disney is a family friendly brand, pg13 at most. #SaveNetflixDareDevil 👈🏾
I've been collecting movies on physical disc since I was a teenager, I'm 38 years old now. I just enjoyed collecting them and over the years have now become very knowledgeable on movies. I collect a wide range of genre's including world cinema. I did get rid of hundreds of dvds, blu rays that I didn't really want in my collection. I know have a collection of over 3000 dvds, blu rays, 4k blu rays. Starting to run out of space now........
With respect I think some people are missing Elliot's point. I think he's saying there are so many films he couldn't get to see, so he did a lot of research to find out about amazing films and he found it easier to buy them, to view them. And when you love something a lot, it's difficult to part with. Especially when you identify as being a cinefile, it's lovely to display to say, THIS IS WHO I AM. It's also a conversation starter.
Minimalism isn't so much about getting rid of things, it's more about making room in your life for the things that mean the most to you - and cleaning out everything else that doesn't mean a thing. So, for me, someone who's a passionate film and book lover, I make room in my home and my life for those two things and literally nothing else. I don't collect clothes, furniture, makeup, trinkets, kitchen gadgets ... nothing. I have four walls around me, the basic necessities in terms of furniture, clothing and food and my books and films. This may sound woo-woo but once I started on the path of minimalism, I felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt truly unburdened and free. I also developed a strong penchant for donating to places like hospitals, libraries and shelters. It's a beautiful life and I couldn't be happier. Just remember not to let anyone force you into anything you don't want to do or you don't feel comfortable doing.
You've been a big help already in terms of nudging me to explore minamlism. And yes, I certainly won't be diving in or doing anything radical I will regret later on. Everyone I've spoken to about it has said how liberating it is, and I love that!
I often feel in conflict about wanting a more minimal space while also collecting movies and books. I’m selective in what I own, so I don’t feel that I’m hoarding. I really enjoy it as a hobby and making use of my collection, but also sometimes feel a little bit burdened by the compulsion. It’s really cool that you’ve found a good balance without denying a collecting hobby that you enjoy. It’s very encouraging to see that’s an option.
This is how I feel about minimalism, I get great comfort from my film and book collection and will make room for them. I do use minimalism in other aspects of everyday life.
@@ElliotCoen Yes, very liberating. Plus, there's so much less to dust and clean when you're living in a minimalist space. Just don't do what I did and get rid of all your cases and booklets lol I'm still trying to live that disaster down.
I really try to keep a heavily curated collection. The films that stay in my collection need to be ones I will watch multiple times, they need to evoke a significant response from me (laughter, sadness, joy, passion, hope, thoughtfulness), and I try to focus on specific genres & actors/actresses (ie. black & white films). This has helped me to maintain a collection that is focused and that I am really excited about. Great video!
I had a rule in my early collecting days. Dont buy a film unless you rate it an 8, 9, or 10 out of 10. You can cull a collection by eliminating groups of films that rate low but somehow snuck into the collection.
That's a great method, Chris. The only thing for me is I struggle working out what rating to give a movie sometimes. Is it a 7 or an 8? I guess in that situation I'd hold onto it regardless.
@@ElliotCoen Rating movies is not easy. I have a bookclub at work and when we tried to rate books using a five star method most books came out at a 3. I used and adapted the 10 star rating from IMDB - its not perfect but it's a starting point. For me personally, I never blind buy. I did when I was younger but now I just check movies out from the library. If I love it enough, I will buy it. Case in point this holiday weekend I will be watching some Criterion films to see if they are ones I want to buy in the 50% off sale Barnes and Noble is having. Thanks to your videos, Barry Lyndon is one of them.
It used to be buying my favorite movies. Then it turned into buying any movie I'd ever consider watching more than once. Nowadays, it's any movie that I think I'd enjoy. My blind buying is a bit out of control but it rarely fails me as I get good recommendations from this channel and others. Space is starting to become an issue though and I'm constantly eyeing my shelves wondering how and where I'm going to expand them.
I'm glad I've been able to provide you some recommendations through these videos, my friend! I'm sure if space and money wasn't an issue for me, I would collect to my hearts content. I think Martin Scorsese has well over 10,000 movies in his personal collection. But let me stop before I compare myself further to Scorsese :)
@@ElliotCoen I have a feeling Scorsese has enough personal wealth to ensure storage space isn't an issue! I wish I was in that position! Then again if I sold all the stuff I've collected over the years it would probably net me a fair wad of cashola!
That’s how I started as well lately I’ve reached the new level of oh someone’s selling 50 bluray for 40 bucks, I’ll buy them all. Half I never heard of and half I already have lol been finding some amazing movies though
I love collecting, and the way to discover new movies is like you, I buy/rent a lot of movies, and the ones that are my favorite i try to buy the best version of it, because it’s truly worth it for me, and i think it’s a way to say “thank you” to everyone on that movie that gave me a nice experience. Greeting from Mexico!
I personally don't see the point on collecting everything from a certain label, as I collect only the movies I truly love and feel passionate about. For me collecting is not accumulating stuff, collecting is much more, I may not have a primal necessity for buying movies, but, as same as with cinema as an art form, it passionates me. I feel like collecting so much, regardless of your feelings about the films it's not really healthy, because the way I see it, I collect blu-rays to have my own catalogue of works of art that truly mean something to me. As I said, cinema is an art form I'm passionate about, so when a movie touches me, when a movie truly means something and affects me, that's when I buy it, that's when it transcends its random blu ray status and becomes a piece of art that I want to own for my personal and unique catalogue. I have no interest in collecting everything from a certain label, because I feel like it diminishes the value of having those selected films that really mean something to you. My advice? Make that list of special films, rewatch some of them if you need to. You can still buy blu-rays as a mean to discover new art, but if it doesn't move you, just get rid of it. Make your collection your own, no some random label else's. What you should be thinking when looking at your shelf is "Wow, this is the art that brings me joy and passion" no "Wow, I have a lot of these things".
Very well said, and what a wonderful comment. Your words have definitely given me a lot to think about. Now I really want to see what is in your collection that you treasure so much!
Some people get compensation for advertising/ making videos. Then they can subsidize the cost of the movies or whatever they're promoting. I would do the same if I was more computer savvy/motivated.
I agree with this comment completely. It’s should mean something to you, nostalgia always plays the biggest part but as you get older (I’m 37...), you appreciate things in different ways and that meant I had to review what I truly loved in my collection. Films At Home channel is the worst kind of collector for me, but I respect his decision to but up everything.
@@ElliotCoen Thanks so much. I really appreciate my words have value for you. Sadly, I don't have that many movies so, instead of giving you a list, I will give you a single one film that, despite feeling absolutely random, perfectly encapsulates why I collect: The Lego Movie. Yeah, I know, not the artsiest or special thing but, hear me out. When I was a little kid, my grandfather was always taking me to the movies, pretty much every weekend. He is the reason why I love filmmaking nowadays. But when kids grow up, they get gradually stupid, so I stopped doing anything with my grandpa, including going to the cinema, which made me spend around three years without stepping into a theatre because, you know, "I'M to0 oLd f0R GoiNg oUt wItH GranDPa!" That changed when a cousin of mine invited me to his birthday and we all went to my childhood cinema to watch The Lego Movie. At first, the idea wasn't anything special, but when I put a foot there, everything changed. The comfy seats, the caramel popcorn, the enormous screen and loud speakers... Every single element of that room was captivating and, all of a sudden, I remembered why I fell in love with cinema in the first place, why I felt such passion for the experience of going to the theatre. That's why I keep such a seemingly random movie on my collection, because despite considering it one of the most creative and charming animated pieces out there, it's also the film that made me rediscover my passion for the medium, the one movie that made me start my very own path in this art form. All that anecdote, all those feelings, all of that's it's encapsulated on that blu-ray I keep on my shelf and, those are, for me, the kind of films worth collecting.
ha, someone who GETS IT!!! i agree completely with your logic and truly do not understand the desire of those individuals who acquire tons of shit just for the sake of having a large collection of whatever it is they may choose to collect. your shelf (collection) should be a reflection of your tastes and what brings you joy.
I started collecting about 6 months ago, and most of my collection is Criterion. I have gotten all but 3 during half-off sales, and most of what I purchase are blind buys. I like the concept of buying something I haven’t seen and learning about it by watching it along with the special features, and familiarizing myself with different styles
I personally enjoy the physical disc, case, etc. Having grown up with going to the video rental on a weekend basis allowed me to appreciate the art on cases and the descriptions on the back. Definitely enjoy watching and if the internet or streaming services ever go out I have the physical media to watch. I am also born in the time I personally enjoy collecting and love watching film
It was about 6-7 years ago I started “seriously”collecting Blu-Rays. For a while, I almost exclusively bought movies that were already special to me such as Star Wars movies or a handful of comic movies (given i’ve lived almost my entire life as a comic fan as well as a movie lover). Eventually though, I knew I couldn’t just buy new copies and I shouldn’t just limit myself to my comfort zone. For years i’ve built up large lists of movies both in and out of the familiar that I want to see. When I buy movies though, I am cautious about what ai want to devote myself to. As much as I prefer physical media, I can’t exclusively watch every movie on blu-ray. So, a lot of things that i’m watching for the first time are streamed because it’s more monitoring viable. That said, if i’m buying physical copies of movies that I have never seen, I try to lean towards things I know i’m going to want to own and hopefully expect to like. Of course bot everything will be perfect for me but it’s what I need to work with right now without completely breaking the bank. I will, of course, also buy movies that I have seen and care about too. Even though I love and prefer physical, streaming has had an impact on how I do buy things in the grand scheme of things though. As much as i’d like to continue buying more and more movies, there are still a lot of things in my collection that I am yet to watch and there are still hundreds of movies I don’t own that I want to see. So it’s just a matter of figuring out what works best every movie at a time.
I collect mainly for my children. Some movies but mostly physical video games. Our house came with built-in bookshelf’s and for years they were used only for random stuff but as I began growing our collection of physical media, it’s expanded to take up most of the shelves. My kids love shopping for games with me, it’s basically a tradition.What’s awesome about owning physical media is that you have memories of purchasing the items, playing them, and returning to them after years which is always pleasantly nostalgic. Another reason I like collecting physical media is that sometimes we can just browse our collection and find something entirely new. It’s getting so big that we have plenty of games that we haven’t even tried. They might sit on the shelf unused for years only to be rediscovered and played for the first time after not even knowing we had it. It’s those pleasant memories that make collecting worthwhile. Just tonight we played a game that is 14 years old. It was my kids first time and they were experiencing it for the first time with me after all these years. Another reason is because it fills up the bookshelves making the room have a pleasant atmosphere. Just like all those movies sitting behind you in this video. There’s something cozy and inviting about seeing that entire collection filling up an entire wall. It’s something that takes years to assemble unlike a blank wall with a few scattered pictures.
Mines easy! I own one of the last mom and pop videos stores still operating. My personal collection of movies on vhs, dvd, and bluray is over 5000 where i quit counting. And I specialize in hording out of print and rare movies.
After moving to a much smaller home as well, I decided to condense most of my movies into sleeve binders. The ones that are my favorites or have especially cool packaging I keep them displayed, but otherwise they're waiting in my desk to be watched some day.
I started collecting really heavily over the past 4 years. We live in a small 2 bedroom apartment so I wound up where I only keep the disks 90% of the time. Unless the packaging is something special, the disk goes in a sleeve and into the disk drawer. Collection is currently 1500 strong and counting. I blind buy only if I can get it cheap or if I'm pretty sure I will like it. When I eventually have a larger place and have the room, I will put everything in new cases, print out covers, and display with pride and joy.
Man, this is making me reconsider my own collecting habits. I used to buy every movie I could find for a decent price. Now (also thanks to this channel) I focus more on boutique labels and 4K-releases. This video is definitely making me seriously think about getting rid of some titles I know I’m never going to watch again. However, collecting and “hunting” for blurays is a true hobby of mine and something that makes me happy. With that said though, I should probably let go of some of them. I sold off all my dvds about a year ago which cleared up some space.
Access. It’s all about access and the peace of mind that I own copies of films. Because I actually watch my movies. I will watch a film over and over, and I also take great joy in lending out/sharing my library. It feels amazing to always have a curated “film store” in my own home.
I've been a movie buff since I was very little. I've bought and sold my movies many times and was careless. But in these past few years. I feel like I've matured in my feelings and purpose of why I want my collection and how I grow too it. 1. With increase of digital media slowly taking over, preservation is a big one. So I find myself hunting down shows and movies that might not be available in near future that I enjoy ofcourse. Or movies that might get censored. 2. Movies that are nostalgic, keep my inner child alive,others that teach or remind me of some great lesson. 3. Films of my favorite actors and actresses. 4. Sharing what I love with my little children when they are old enough. Hopefully they'll enjoy it too. But I do have a distinct rounded number of films I don't want to go beyond. Right now I'm almost near 200 bluray in my collection. And I feel like 300-350 will probably be my limit. Because beyond that number feels like too many to find space for or keep track of. I just want to have a sizable library that me and my family can enjoy without being too much.
I had about 100 blu-rays that I had collected until streaming started really taking off. Once that happened my discs just collected dust. I was never happy with the loss of quality that comes from streaming, but it’s just so damn convenient. Then a couple of months ago I discovered Plex. You point it at a directory of video files and you get a super nice interface for browsing and watching your own movies. And as a bonus you become your own Netflix-you can stream your movies out to your devices across the internet and even give friends and family access to watch your stuff on their devices. It’s now possible to rip blu-rays and 4K discs with *no loss of quality* (even preserving Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos) and play them back with the same quality as the original disc. Since I discovered this I’ve gone from those initial 100 blu-rays to almost 1,000 in the last couple of months. I’m using 37TB of storage on a NAS in my home network. I stream them to my TV with an Nvidia Shield (the only streaming box that supports Dolby Vision MKV files so far). For standard studio releases I just toss the blue box and store the discs in the nice Bellagio-Italia leather binders. All the boutique stuff like Criterion and Arrow I keep everything since half the draw of those are the amazing inserts and box art. With the binders the majority of my collection takes up a couple of shelves in a bookcase and I’ve got tons of room for the nice ones (currently stored behind doors above my TV). If you haven’t looked into Plex I highly, highly recommend it as a way to consolidate your collection and save space without sacrificing anything really (other than the time it takes to rip them into your computer!)
I buy movies I want to watch. The more I watch, the more I learn and the films I start wanting to watch become more and more obscure. I also never sell any of my collection, because it’s comforting knowing that no matter what happens I will always own that piece of cinema.
I started collecting or buying blu-ray in the year of 2012 and the first title was The Avengers because I want to revisit the film I love when I saw in theaters and want to see the extras. The rest history. I first buying studio release like the film I loved and discovering film that I haven't seen from a standard studio releases. Then I collect Disney blu-ray as well because I am a massive Disney film and my goal to complete the Disney animated films like as well Pixar (which I finally completed and up to date). Then I discover criterion collection in late 2013 early 2014 and my first criterion was Godzilla (not the big set which I also own). I got it because is Godzilla and I want to watch before the remake comes out and I know nothing about criterion and it was an open horizon to discover films that is way out of my knowledge, then I got Seven Samurai because of Luke Ryan. Boom I am now into criterion collection or into boutique label like scream factory and such. I am still a physical media collector and will alway be one. collecting and buying blu-ray or 4K feels satisfying to me. I dreamed to have a movie room when I get my own house. and Film to will be an escape and I have a library of films I own that I love. Take care and thanks for sharing! -Bernardo Cisneros
Movies have always been a passionate hobby of mine, long before the trend of Blu-rays/ UHD Blu-rays, going back as 35 years since I was a kid. It was the videostores and VHS rental tapes which was my way to get introduced to many classic films, watching films every day to about 20 a week for much of my teen years. So I knew and saw many films already. The nineties were my start in collecting DVD's, which were mini film schools on top of my favourite films. The advent of Blu-ray and HD screens made me double dip to Blu-ray for the films I was mostly passionate about and nowadays a Blu-ray is the go-to-standard if there is no UHD Blu-ray release. I've been selling my DVD's I upgraded and only buy the boutique label films when the film means something to me. It's not about the labels for me, it's really the love for film. Arrow Video and Eureka are great, but I won't be buying all of them for the sake of completion when a film doesn't really speak to me. All the physical goodies don't make a mediocre film any better. I'm mostly interested in films that were made before the over-reliance on CGI with practical effects and maverick filmmaking which would be redeemed too dangerous nowadays. The best era of film for me, is the seventies up until the mid eighties. Many titles of that time I'd buy and upgrade as soon as they're getting an UHD Blu-ray release. The films I love in the best possible viewing experience as they were intended by the filmmakers, that's what rocks my boat.
I have a really solid collection of both movies and books and started collecting both similarly. I started with buying visually important movies to me which was coincidentally Jim Hensonesque practical effects and other fairy-tale fantasy of the 80s and getting movies from reviewers who had similar taste to me. I started keeping track of more people like casting directors, a few actors who choose interesting projects, and formats I know I like such as theatrical and surreal movies. Over the years I've gotten movies I haven't seen on basis of everything from music, to costume, to set design and it really helps because often the ones with skill in one area of the art I respect leads to better overall projects to try that other things like popularity or the plot synopsis, which aren't personal to me, can't predict. Then Netflix happened and it opened up finding new directors and used to drop whole collections of similar movies at once, building up my subgenre interests. Nowadays I have a half and half of recognizable and more niche movies and really lean into patterns I know I have to build out around. Shows have really come in handy buying as I am unlikely to buy a subscription service and rather buy the one or two shows I'd be watching and most of what I bought from early Netflix days no longer resides there. Here's hoping shows keep releasing on DVD and this Info about my humble collection beginnings was insightful.
Until about 10 years ago I wasn't into movies. So, when I was almost 30 years old I still had to watch all of those classic movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Shining, Jurassic Park, Alien, Predator, Psycho, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Saving Private Ryan and so on and on. I had a lot of catching-up to do. Now movies have become my life and I watch all kinds of movies. I watch the newest ones, but also very old black and white movies. Not only do I watch the big Hollywood blockbusters, but I watch movies from all over the world. I watch science-fiction, fantasy, animated movies, westerns, drama, horror, thriller, action, war movies, just about everything. When buying movies I like to buy releases from the country where the movie was made. So, I bought movies from South Africa, South Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Israel and Russia, just to name a few. I like it when the original title is on the cover in Norwegian, Japanese, Korean or whatever, instead of an English translation. I also like it when I've got a release that's very hard to get. For instance, I've got the original Indonesian releases of The Raid, The Raid 2 and Merantau. On the internet there aren't even pictures of these releases, let alone a place to buy them. Not every country has stores full of physical media. Some countries still have a very high rate of piracy, so it's very difficult to find any genuine releases. Then there are countries with a very small population, so even though the copies are genuine releases, not many of them are being pressed. So, if you want to buy a movie from such countries, it's very hard to find them, especially since I live on the other side of the world. However, it gives a lot of satisfaction to finally find such release and be able to put it on your shelf. Some releases took me more than two years to find, but it gives a good feeling to finally own them and knowing you've got an item in your collection no one else in the whole country will have. So, I like to own very unique items, even if I'm not going to watch it. For instance, I once found a Chinese copy of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest on Video-CD. I'm not going to watch this Chinese Video-CD as I already own the movie on Blu-ray, but it's a nice collector's item and it was very cheap, so I just bought it. I've also bought a whole stack of Japanese LaserDiscs and even a Japanese VHD (not VHS, but VHD), even though I don't have any device that's able to play these things. I bought them because of the big covers with beautiful artwork. It's just for displaying purposes. I put LaserDiscs on my shelves of those classic movies I like. So, when someone comes to my house, they can immediately see these big sleeves with artwork of movies like Back To The Future, Psycho, Jurassic Park, Alien, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Batman and The Planet Of The Apes. They can immediately see what some of my favourite movies are.
Historically I was a horder of VHS and DVD ...I collected so many and in the end it felt like a ball and chain tied to my ankle ...I eventually.had a huge huge clearout and sold alot ..loosing the money I'd actually.paid for them...and now only buy what I consider a "masterpiece" that requires reviewing ....and some great films only require one viewing ....I now have a small cupboard to keep my collection in ...and I don't allow it to move outside the cupboard...if it ever comes to the point where I cant fit a new purchase in ...something has to come out to allow it in...it keeps control.. so allocating a space for your collection is the way to go....I truly believe in this age of streaming...you don't have to own every movie you like in a physical sense ...no movie is ever going to disappear of the face of the earth ... however a rare pressing of a boutique release might 🤣🤣... however if you love and know you will review it again and again (you know those rare movies that YOU adore) ....go for it...👍👍👍 just an idea to help... movies are something I need in my life....ive loved them since childhood however many of the films I physically now own are movies that mean something sentimental and have made a huge impact on my life 👍👍👍
Collecting since I was about 6 years old! Always been a massive film geek! I work in the industry as well. And I will continue to collect forever. All kinda of movies! Weird b movies classics, everything! :)
Hi Elliot. Very interesting as always. In the past I owned 2-3 thousand dvd and blu rays, and quite frankly it was taking over my house (along with almost a thousand CDs). The weird thing is in general I'm a person who doesn't like clutter, i love a more minimalistic look - i just couldn't help making an exception for my great passions of movies and music. I just loved owning all of these things, knowing I could play them whenever I wanted. But then one time my house was burgled. They didn't really touch the movie collection but it made me change my way of thinking. I decided to ditch the clutter and embrace the new age and take advantage of digital purchases, for movies, music and video games . This meant I cut down on my clutter, and if i did ever happen to be burgled then i would still be able to access the purchases and they would be tied to my account (though I appreciate that the matter of digital ownership is a grey one). How do I feel now? I love that wherever i go, i always have access to my library. However i miss looking through the physical collection and the associated artwork. I particularly miss, the extras, which, in large, are not widely available on digital, although it is getting better. Really interesting subject and look forward to reading the thoughts of others.
I've been asking myself the same things recently. That's pretty much the only reason why I ended up on your channel. Movies have been my biggest passion in terms of media consumption for most of my life and I've been collecting DVDs and blu-rays for over a decade. I used to be an unapologetic defender for physical media growing up. But in the recent 5 years or so, I stopped being interested in physical media more and more. Digital stuff is just way more convenient in so many ways, and hunting down good releases of certain movies can be a pain in the ass due to region-locking, censorship, and lack of bonus features. With each passing year, I had less interest in the physical collection gathering dust on my shelf and I found myself countless times watching a movie via streaming instead of picking it from the shelf because there just was no reason to add those extra steps. I barely bought any movies in the last couple of years and I've been thinking a lot about just getting rid of 90% of the ones I own. The older I get, the more I want to avoid having meaningless stuff sitting on shelves just to collect dust and most of those DVDs and blu-rays just became that. I could still see myself picking up a movie I really love when the physical release comes with great behind-the-scenes features, but otherwise, I don't find any joy or much use anymore in the physical thing.
This was such a great video...I didn't realise I had an issue with "collecting" until fairly recently. Besides blu rays and vinyl, my main thing to collect was, and still is to an extent, Star Wars. Hundreds of action figures, Lego sets, comics etc. and they really don't "spark joy" anymore. I was buying to fill a hole. It gave me such pleasure to hunt down and tick off the item I was after...that pleasure lasted all of a few weeks. I lost my Mum in 2016 to a short battle of cancer and that was when the collecting really snow balled haha buying things I didn't actually have the money for or needed or even wanted. I've stopped buying Star Wars stuff for the most part, as like you were, I am currently looking to move out of my family home next year. The movie collecting is still going strong though, but I'll deal with that another time. Besides, who doesn't want to own Adam Sandler's entire catalogue of movies? (Yes, even Jack and Jill...don't ask).
As you know, this has been a big topic on my mind as of late. It wasn't until I found Vanessa and really started to think about what minimalism and letting go has done for my wellbeing. I've never been happier. I'm beyond thankful for this insightful video Elliot, just remember that it all starts with our first bowel movement 😉
Thank you so much, Nathan! Your videos and blogs about the topic certainly encouraged me. And yes, I thought it best to leave out all the Freudian analysis about collecting!
@@ElliotCoen We've got a great community here, and I'm just happy we have that support system. Even if that support system developed later on past the Freudian stages! Haha
Kondo never said 30 was a cutoff. She said that was her number. She has said many times that you can have thousands of things as long as they give you joy. The Kondo method is all about using and enjoying the things you own versus just owning things to own them.
I started collecting movies that are nostalgic but then I started collecting movies that i do want to get or more recently find movies on sale. For the past couple years i go to stores the day after Black Friday. The stores are empty and there are leftover sales on blu rays. some of them were $2.99 each. I have even found a few blu rays at the dollar tree.
Very interesting video. This year I've got hardcore back into collecting, and I was curious how much I spent, so I spent the last couple of days totalling all of my collecting, and it's hit me pretty hard, just how much money I've sunk into it, which has made me take stock as well about what I'm doing. We see more and more about minimalism and simpler living and I agree that those ideas are really appealing. Our lives are always very full, and having space to breath, rest and not be surrounded by everything all the time, is an enticing idea. However, I think as a whole though, my collectiion sparks joy when I look at it. I'm no where near your numbers, but I think there is something joyful about collecting and having a collection of things you are passionate about, to browse, watch and enjoy. I think for some of us, it's really easy to get into the 'groove' of collecting, and be in a constant state of acquiring new things, monthly hauls etc., and that's where some of the problems lie because we'll get things that we don't really care about watching, and it's more about getting it for the 'collection'. I intend to take 2-3 months off any new purchases in the new year, to think more carefully about what I buy, why I'm adding it to my collection, and to cut down on spending. Hopefully a break will re-set some of my habits and ensure that I think about what I get more carefully, and I'm sure that I really want it.
Hi Elliot. I really enjoyed this video and your perspective on collecting. In general, I'm a minimalist and just keep material things that make me happy and give me joy. Other items, I donate, give away, sell as often as I can. I sometimes upgrade movies to Blu-ray or 4K and donate the DVD so that others can potentially enjoy a film I love. Other than collecting films, listening to music and playing guitar, I don't really have other hobbies. Films bring me so much joy including helping me learn, think and grow and I feel like I will be watching and studying films for the rest of my life. My wife collects books and I collect movies and we love it. For me, it's all about minimalism and balance in collecting along with studying films that I love and have seen many times or new films that I discover which add to my film knowledge and help me to grow, learn, and think in new ways. Thanks for making this video and I hope you are doing well.
I (and my wife) have been collecting books for far longer than movies, and I probably have over 250 books related to work alone.. Movie collecting started for me with the odd movie I loved and had seen; Paris, Texas, Blade Runner; I wasn't very adventurous. This was the DVD-era. After moving State-side around 2010, I realised film is a passion and I'm learning as I go. I am working loosely towards an "objective" best films of all time collection, with my own absolute favourites thrown in. So, I'm starting from a small group of directors and expanding from there. I will never be a completist when referring to specific labels or even directors; there's too much to see and experience for that! I always research what to get next, often based on the BFI top-100 films of all time as a starting point. I suppose I'm educating myself as I go, as with my books; the greats I haven't read are considered and if interesting (Joyce, Musil, Proust, Rumi, Rilke, Lorca, Pessoa, Strindberg...) I get them and read them. Same with music; I haven't touched on my classical music collection, with a special nod to opera.. And of course, the same with film. I'm an avid self-educator, so I'm constantly trying to expand my circles of knowledge. Life's too short.. sigh. I suppose what I'm collecting is emotion- and intellect-expanding in whatever medium fits: CD's for Wagner, books for Rilke, and Blu-ray's for Tarkovsky!
Collecting physical media excites me. They are mine and can't be taken away by the end of license agreements. Movies give me a way to dive into a world other than my own. I don't collect just for the sake of collecting. I collect movies that I'm definitely going to watch again. If I buy one that I end up not liking, they get sold or donated.
I’ve been collecting blu rays exclusively for about 2 years now. I almost exclusively purchase Blu rays second hand from Thrift stores, Facebook market place and pawn shops etc I have about 200ish movies so far and these are some of my guidelines: Whenever I’m near a library, I make sure to quickly check their book sale section as, whenever a new release comes out, my local library chain buys Dozens or hundreds of blu rays to meet up with demand. After a few months or a year, after everyone has watched it en masse, the library is left over with a bunch of copies that they end of putting on sale between 25 cents and a dollar CAD. (I’ve seen some great ones I picked up for 25 census such as Black Widow, 1917, Once upon a DeadPool, F9, Jurassic World 2 to name a few. Then I get loose blu rays from Value Village for around $5 CAD ussualy. I make sure to only purchase movies that I have either watched and enjoyed or know that I will enjoy watching with one of my friends/family members Lastly, I look for places like Facebook Market Place and Pawnshops that sell movies at a discount for $2-3 each
Hi, I collected based on movies I watched in my childhood , collecting is like keeping the movies alive like archiving plus digital versions you might not get the true version eventually when the studio decides this is the version only . Plus. I collect what will be the best quality in sound and video but I won’t just buy any movie unless it’s something I watched
Just discovered your channel last night, instantly subscribed. Love your passion for physical media, the Criterion Collection in particular. I've had a few Criterion DVDs and Blu Ray's for a while, The Red Shoes, Summer With Monika, L'avventura, and Haxan have been in my collection for a while and just recently I've added Salo, M, Diabolique, Valley of the Dolls, and The Phantom Carriage. All have been blind buys and I haven't been let down yet. Good stuff man, keep it up. Cheers from Virginia.
Thank you so much for the kind words! It's a pleasure to meet you. Those recent pickups are brilliant - I especially have a soft spot in my heart for Diabolique!
I started collecting things I loved/knew I would love. Then I would blind buy things that I thought looked cool or had a great price. My collection is only like 400 movies but I’m running out of space so idk I may have to have a new screening process for what I buy because my tiny apartment is getting crammed haha, love the video! Very insightful!
I don't like the idea of getting rid of movies personally, only because I never know when I may want to watch it again. Some movies that I watched once and didn't like, I'll pick up again a year later and re-watch and I think they're fantastic. I have a very extensive knowledge and background of film. It's a big hobby for me. I have approximately 300 discs (both blu ray and DVD) of various genres of movies and some TV shows. I generally don't keep them on shelves, I actually have two CD wallets for storage. It cuts down on space tremendously.
I hear you. Love having a film collection - around 1,100 DVDs, blu rays and 4K discs combined for me film wise, and a LOT of TV box sets. Personally, it’s about having the choice that appeals to me - like you, I watch anything regardless of genre.. The only thing that I do differently to you is that I store them in their cases, on shelves in my living room.
I’ve just started my Blu Ray collection. 4K and standard. This account and various others have inspired me and Elliot, If your stuck, I’ll totally take some of these Blu Rays off your hands? 😂
Been collecting Blu Ray for 3 years, along with vhs and DVD. 17 years old and at 430 blus. Hope to never get rid of them for any reason, I collect because I enjoy the thought of actually owning the movies I own instead of streaming, better quality and of course all the boutique labels putting out movies you can't easily get elsewhere. Don't just collect my favourites but almost anything I might or do like , something of a completionist with series and genres
I'm also running out of space (so much so that I've started placing my new Blu-rays on top of my wardrobe), and yet this November was the month I ordered the most films I've ever ordered. I think that Marie's statement that people should hold onto things that give them joy defeats her comment about how people should only have 30 books (or in this case movies). Cinema is one of the things that give me most joy, and collecting boutique blu-rays is my favorite way to experience it. I love receiving the films, exploring the packaging, watching the film and the special features, organizing and reorganizing them, I love the way they look on the shelf... I live in a relatively small apartment but so far I've always managed to find a place to put my films. I've already got an idea where to put new shelves! :D I try to find an even balance between buying films I love and films I haven't seen. I usually never go completely blind when watching a movie, because years of immersing myself in the film cannon means that I've at least seen images or read some information about most films that attract the attention of the boutique labels (except occasionally Indicator). I don't buy films I don't like (obviously haha) but I don't get rid of films that I've blind-bought and disliked, because I have trouble letting these things go, and I still find them to be a valuable part of my collection. And I can always return to them after some time and reevaluate them.
This is what I have been thinking about recently too. I have a couple of Blu-ray, about 10. I only started collecting Criterion movies this year and currently only own 8!! This is partially because I am a student with no job, so I want to wait for sales, and the other is the more minimalist aspect you are talking about. I watch movies mostly through streaming and then decide if I want a physical copy if I really love the movie a lot. Not only that, but I essentially avoid blu-rays or anything non-Criterion given the depreciation of value they tend to have. However, blind buying can be fun. I have only blind bought 2 criterion movies I have. The first is Sanjuro (since I bought the Yojimbo/Sanjuro set) and was disappointed. The movie was a fun Kurosawa movie, but not as charming as Yojimbo with only the ending really impressing me. The second blind buy was Come and See, which has become one of my favorite movies ever and is the best war film I have ever watched. Blind buys can be fun but for me too risky. I prefer “blind watches” on streams and what not so I know if I can sink my teeth in. I am also, as hard as it is, surprisingly patient. I will mostly buy Criterion movies if they go on sale *on their site* so I can earn credits towards a $50 rather than mass buy at Barnes and Noble. Still saves money and helps me gang more money for more movies. My criterions: - Yojimbo/Sanjuro - Passion of Joan of Arc - Ikiru (my favorite ever!!) - Stranger Than Paradise - Punch Drunk Love - Come and See - The Elephant Man Also coming in the mail is Vampyr (got a tad impatient), so that’ll make 9 :)
Stick the discs of movies you're not sure about in a sleeve binder. Recycle the cases / boxes and fill the gained space with new desirable ones. You really don't need EVERY release. Buying every release pushes you into FOMO and locks you into an ever increasing collection with literally no end in site.
@@ericgeneric135 it's how I manage mine, it's good to cull the collection now and again, and remove the what was I thinking discs. It makes the collection you have even better leaving nothing but the best!
Favorite Video! Great topic. You are a wise man Mr. Coen. I have been on-again, off-again, minimalist living all my life. I do really like minimalism, I am less stressed, less distracted, just keeping focused on what is important. Life is just easier and it allows you to have more time. This pandemic has made things easier for a minimalist but more difficult for someone like me wishes to more minimal.
I usually buy movies I like only. The only blind buys I do are for Criterion’s. I try to always buy 4K Blu-rays if available. I will settle for regular blu-ray or even DVD if it’s almost a guarantee it won’t be released in a higher quality format. I like uniformity, so if the 4K doesn’t have a slipcover, I won’t buy it. I usually buy pre-owned either at a thrift store or ebay. In terms of clutter, I can always find a way to store all of my movies in a way that can displays them well and doesn’t take up a lot of space. That’s why I am very intentional with every purchase. To avoid unwanted clutter. Though my collection is only around 550 movies so far.
Interesting that you mention minimalism. For me minimalism wasn’t decreasing the number of Blu-ray I had but rather how cluttered they looked and how much space they took up. When I thought about how I collected it’s only films I have seen before and I view it very much as an archive. Some form of preservation of films I deem worth while watching again or passing onto others. I don’t care about the monetary value. The value is in the films themselves. As a result I have created my own cases. I like the feel of the thin 6mm cases, I create my own covers for each film using fan art or alternative posters I find online. Each spine is black with white lettering. All same size and font.
I’ve always loved the look and feel of having the movies with the cases but if u want the most movies with the least space u are gonna have to go with binders.
Man, it is indeed a pickle to collect. Almost an art of its own. I started to collect properly last year, and I can tell you that I've gone through many phases. At first, I only collected DVDs because I had the very antiquated understanding that DVDs were much cheaper than Blurays. Several months into the habit, I then found out that Blurays aren't that expensive anymore. In fact, practically the same price as DVDs, so why the hell was I paying for a lower quality product?! All that time I spent on buying DVDs was like throwing money out the window when I could've bought Blurays instead. I henceforth started buying only Blurays - both new additions to the collection but also upgrades that would replace the old DVDs (some of which I didn't even ever get to watch :P). Then - and I can partly thank you for this, Elliot - I discovered the world of Boutique Blurays. Every time I watched your videos and gazed upon your collection in the background, it made me realize that that was my goal. So now I prioritize acquiring boutique blurays. However, challenges have also bloomed. For the first part, and the one that frightens me most, is Brexit. Boutiques from the UK are going to become much more expensive now for us in other European countries. We will soon have to pay for customs and extra tax whenever we receive orders from countries outside of the EU, unless we reach a deal. I have therefore been ordering like a madman recently in order to get my hands on as much as possible before January 2021. And secondly, I am also running out of space. When that happens, I don't know what I'll do. My girlfriend and I are hoping to get a bigger place next year, so that may fix the problem. But if we cannot, then I am afraid that I will also have to start killing some darlings from the collection - maybe the remaining DVDs (even though I am very fond of those that remain).
My general rule for buying films or TV shows on blu-ray is this; is it something that I am going to want to watch again more than once in the future? If the answer for a particular title is yes, then I want to own it. I do my fair share of streaming but the majority of what I own on blu-ray (and even DVD too as I own lots of stuff on that format that never has made the jump to blu-ray yet) is not found on any streaming service. I do occasionally get asked by some friends what I will do with my collection late in life and I do not have an answer for that yet, though the fact that I am turning 46 next year does make me wonder about that every now and then. But I think the main reason why I love owning an extremely large physical movie collection is due to special features. I love knowing how my favorite films and television shows are made and find myself rewatching special features or listening to a great commentary track more than sometimes rewatching the films themselves. I do blind buy but usually only when it comes to buying cheap blurays such as places like Dollar Tree or a pawn shop where blu-rays are only a dollar each. If a film looks interesting and has a decent review score, I will pick it up to check it out. I have never been married and do not have my kids so my disposable income can go towards my movie, CD and book collections. I also own a two bedroom house in which my secondary bedroom I use to store my physical media collections though space is getting limited but I am getting creative with making more space. I will blind buy stuff from boutique blu-ray labels too.
Ivd been buying movies since the early 90s on vhs.I remember getting zombie flesh eaters when it 1st came out after the 'video nasty' era. I tend to keep my collection as trim as possible as in ill get a movie on 4k and give the blu ray version away to a friend. Thats unless its a special set or a favourite. I've got 3 versions of goodfellas and multiple versions star wars but these are special cases. As a result my collection doesn't really grow that much any more ,only with new releases. I've just got the 4k dawn of the dead set but I'd never get rid of the arrow dawn of dead but generally I just want the best possible version of the film.
This is so funny that you brought up minimalism, Elliot. I'm fascinated with the concept as well. I decided to JUST collect Criterion and maybe some 4Ks that I LOVE in an effort to have a hobby that I like but not feel overwhelmed by all the clutter. So far, so good. I love the idea of a personal library of content that suites my style.
Op shops mate. (Or thrift stores or whatever you guys would call them) The bulk of my collection I bought cheap, it's how I was able to build it up so much (I've got about 900 now) And it's how I end up buying upwards of 15-50 movies in one day. I'll legit just check out an area nearby and mark down all the suitable shops on my phone map. And then me and my wife will make a day of it sussing them out haha, I look for movies and she looks for books. So most of my movies I have, I got for an average of 2 dollars each. I don't buy boutique like yourself and I only just started getting into Blu-rays. But I'm getting way more into collecting particularly this year. I try to keep it to movies I like but I also can't say no to a good deal 😂 I had pretty much no Blu-rays at the start of the year, and in the past... Month or so I've gotten about 70 more, nearly up to a hundred now. So yeah, most of my collection are your substandard DVDs..which I regret I have to admit, I wish I was getting the better quality stuff this whole time but I am slowly upgrading now and want to get more 4ks too. BUT, even all the DVDs I did get, again, most of these were fairly cheap. It's rare I'll spend full price for anything tbh, I just can't justify it
I collect based on what I like, not necessarily the company that makes them, and I usually buy them used. Not only is it cheaper, but I feel like there's something special about it having this other life before it was mine. For instance, some of my Criterion have come from libraries, and still have the stickers.
It started with swap cards at school in the early 80s.. Kiss cards , football cards.. films like The Empire Strikes Back ...then it was Choose Your Own Adventures, Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks then other books...all ones I loved and enjoyed... Not for the sake of it....I got into music too.... Initially vinyl, then cds... When VHS became a thing got some of those too. Intially it was the classics I grew up with. . Star Wars, Indy, Rambo, Back to the Future.... Didn't have too many. Then the comic phase came. Got loads of those too.... And video games..... And video game magazines..... Collected loads of each.... But over the years it's really settled on music CDs... But not very often do I buy physical of those these days... Same with books... Magazines and comics and cards have stopped.... Games only here and there.... But I've still stayed collecting films... After VHS I got plenty of DVDs then Blu ray and now 4k. I grew up with my grandparents a lot watching midday and evening movies from many eras and genres and have not only bought and collected my favorites but lots of blind buys to discover new things. Films are history...a time capsule... Nostalgia... not only of personal memories but of human history in general...So does all this indicate I'm il?l...OCD etc..? Maybe... But I feel I have only ever got things because they interest me and unfortunately I get invested and interested in lots of things and tend to delve into them. Eg if I discover and get an interest in HP Lovecraft I'll research and then work out the definitive edition collections to get and purchase those... Pore over them until I've exhausted and soaked them up and eventually go down another rabbit hole about something else. Now I only mainly do that with films and continue to collect those predominantly. But yes .. It is expensive that's for sure and I could probably own another house or two instead lol. And yes I still have ALL those things I mentioned previously and space is becoming a real issue. I don't think I could adopt a minimalist philosophy but I do need to make some hard decisions and let some things go. However many items also have lots of memories and nostalgic value. And I love having a physical archive of so many things. I am eyeing those shelves of yours Elliot and I think I need 3 or 4 but even so could offload some films and books and probably should sell my comics. Collecting is great but yes... If not careful you could end up like me... Totally surrounded by decades of collected artifacts.... More like a museum than house ... Look left.... Nintendo Game and Watches... Look right... Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 with 1541 disk drive.. over there 70 original and near mint Choose Your Own Adventure books from the late 70s/early 80s. Open the cupboard.... The first 100 Spectacular Spider-Mans! It's a blessing and a curse I tell ya! Finally....Quick question for Elliot and anyone else watching.... Who tends to try and leave the shrink-wrap on their Blu Rays? Particularly the box sets etc where you can't really easily find a "protector" for it like you can with say steelbooks. I tend to use a Stanley knife to carefully cut an area to allow me to take the discs out while preserving the shrink wrap. But that's not designed for permanent archival protection so I wonder if in the long run it will actually wreck the sets? The chemicals leak out or something? Does anyone know? Just curious! Cheers all
My mother got me hooked on collecting as a child by going to collecting clubs in my hometown. Then I went on and collected Pokémon cards and other things. Movies became a priority as I went to college for film and at first I collected my favorite films (mostly bought from a second hand store which was my go to place). But as I continued, I started collecting criterion and A24 films because I grew to appreciate both sides of the aisle between blockbuster and indie films. As far as criterion goes, I just snag either the ones I know or the ones I was suggested to watch. As of now, I have around 700 Blu Ray films divided by format and alphabetized. I’m still collecting to this day. It also helps that I buy some that I’m interested in watching as I slowly guilt myself into watching it as it sits there on the shelf. It’s makes me motivated. I usually buy my films second hand, especially criterion where I can usually snag some for under $20. But for special releases I would pay full price for it.
I am a long time collector. Started by buying a DVD back in 2002 before I even owned a DVD player! It seems to me a trend that after the initial burst of rampant collecting, a collector will come to a point where they’ve outgrown their original dedicated space. I had these growing pains that led to the buying of more shelves and eventually a large purge. I think these purges are good and necessary. I once felt the allure of keeping up with a boutique label (criterion at first, then scream, and to some extent arrow). But buying at those prices, for me, has always left me feeling guilty. The rule now is that i’ll pick em up if I find em second hand. And validate the purchase by thinking 1) I’m investing in the value of my collection, as I can sell these at just about what I paid for them (or more) should I decide to sell in the future, 2) the fact that these titles have been hand selected to appear under the label “ups” the likelihood that I’ll enjoy the movie in the case of a blind by. I’ll only collect spine numbers in a label if 1) it’s fun to do AND 2) it’s cheap. For that reason, I try and find weird, niche labels like Asia Tartan extreme, dragon dynasty or midnight movies for the part of me that likes how a collected label looks on a shelf. As is with directors I thought I adore , I’ve been surprised enough times by the junk available in any catalogue ( with defenders abound) not to always be waiting for something that”ll provide me some sort of emotional response. Those, “difficult” or “challenging” or “has technical/historical merit” movies have time and time again been purged. Too, if I see a title on criterion OR scream that looks interesting, I’ll look for the vanilla DVD that’ll no doubt find its way into the second hand market when the other local collectors spring for the criterion release. I have found that many blu ray players coupled with a nice tv will provide a pretty damn good alternative in upscaling to the criterion’s admittedly beautiful, top notch restoration of each movie. What’s more, I try and think of my collection as a fluid like collection. What I love about it at this point of my life might be different than how I view it in a couple years from now, and try and focus on what’s entertaining now, what I might want to share with friends and family and what has some value for when I want to change things around in the future. For myself, I watch, on average 100 movies a year, so getting to everything wether for a first time watch or rematch would take YEARS! Is unrealistic. So picking up only what I’d like to rewatch isnt even great criteria for me. So I don’t think of the collection as static, and look forward to how it’ll change in the future.
I used to buy dozens of DVDs, then I had to buy the DTS DVDs, then the Ultimate Edition DVDs, then blu-ray came out and I started all over again. Most of these disks were unwatched and some not even opened. I have hundreds of CDs that haven't been played since I ripped them in 2011. I just see it all now as a waste of space and money, so I just buy my favourite 4Ks and I'm going to sell off all my CDs and most of my DVDs/BDs. There was a programme on BBC Radio 4 a couple of years ago about how people buy loads of books but never read them - they just have them as a kind of comfort (I do that too).
I had approx 500 titles at one point but something just clicked. Minimalism was a small part of it, having things just for the sake of it. I sold my entire collection off and just started buying movies on iTunes when they’re reduced down. You can pick up big titles for £3.99 in 4K. I’ve not been able to suppress the collector in me fully and I still collect physical media of the movies I love. For example I picked up the 4K of Parasite this week and have the LOTR/Hobbit steelbooks ordered. But I’m so much happier having 90% of my collection digitally (check out Plex which is amazing) and having a small amount of physical media which doesn’t take up loads of space.
I started collecting in 2018, but by 2019 I realized it was a waste of money, and space, as I only loved maybe 10% of the films. I ended up selling maybe 90-95% of them. I now just recently upgraded to 4K, and only buy what I absolutely love, and feel excited to rewatch on 4K.
I've collected over 500 DVDs, but since moving I had to put them all in 3 cases, and throw out the covers. I kept a few, though, especially the ones with commentaries and special features. I'll put them on my shelf again when I move into a bigger house
I have a very large library of movies, music and books. I don't collect to collect. I collect to learn. And then I share what I've learned in different ways. So I don't specialize in one format. It is the content that matters to me more than the format. So I still have some VHS. I'll still buy new DVDs for titles that don't exist on BluRay or don't matter. I have thousands of LPs and CDs. And I tend to have a rather strong sense of the knowledge of history and the history of styles. So I rarely slaughter things off. At the moment my library is all in storage. And I just had a fundraiser to help me bring it 12 time zones away in a container. And people have given me the money to do that because they value my insights. If I was tight for space I'd get very clever with the arrangements before I'd sell a lot. Though I have sold things from time time. I see myself as a librarian and a steward of the material. My videos reflect this.
I collect Blu Ray and DVD's because I just love movies. I've been a film buff since I was five years old and I've been collecting on and off since then. I usually get my movies off of Amazon, or going to my local Walmart and/or Dollar stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc.) I only collect movies that I feel are worth collecting so if I see a movie and I don't like it, I don't buy it. plain and simple. And as a result of that I'm happy with the movies that I have in my collection and I'm happy as a collecter.
We collect Blu-ray or DVDs of old films mostly pre 1980. They are in 3 categories: films by our favourite director(s) but only if they have decent extras features like documentaries or interviews with film historians, people involved in the production who are still alive from when the film was made, or archive interviews. Films by our favourite actors even the rubbish ones they did early in their career, nice to see how they grew as actors and became better and when they really excelled. 1930s quota quickies you get to see how some of the famous names from in front and behind the camera became better as the decade progressed. The older generations are the main target audience for these films but I am a millennial, quota quickies and British films from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s very rarely get played on TV or turn up on streaming sites so I bought the physical copies. I even collect the original books some of these films are adapted from, books that have been out of print for decades. I have read these too, and love to compare them. In 20 years time I doubt there will be much market to release the films we love so I’ve bought hard copies and will never part with them. Some people put them on CZcams but they always get edited so they don’t get pulled. I have nothing against films from 1980 onwards but they are unlikely to be hard to find. I do have some cult films I loved from 1990s and 2000s but these will be the first to go to if space is an issue.
I've got a pretty small apartment so space is a concern for me. Like you, I've started selling off all my standard studio releases every time I'm able to digitally replace the physical copy for cheap. I know a movie can disappear from digital platforms but for standard studio releases, I can live with it since it's pretty easy to find a cheap physical copy of those if I need to. That being said, I've been buying digitally (on Google Play) for a couple of years now and nothing has disappeared yet (knock on wood). I'm mostly reserving physical media for only boutique editions (which I've just recently started collecting) of obscure or classic films. And even then, only if it's a film I could see myself wanting to revisit. Unfortunately, I just don't have the space to start blind buying physical movies.
I'm a physical media guy, records/cds, dvd's/blu rays over digital any day. Santa is (hopefully) bringing me a 4k player this year. Only have the Dark Knight Trilogy and Batman v Superman extended cut (I know, i know) on 4k so far, inanticipation for the Snyder Cut coming out next year, Will have a look for some more. For me, the only films i will have in my 4k collection are films i will watch numerous times that mean something. Sounds silly but part of the whole watching a film ritual is digging out the disk and putting it into the player. On a side note, our internet went down for 2 days during the first lockdown, people were lost and didn't know what to do, wife and I just carried on with our film watching marathon.
I'm fortunate to have a rather large house where I have a quite big room in the basement. I have plenty of space for all my CD's, books, comicbooks and of course films. How I collect films varies a bit. Studio releases I buy when they are on sale mainly. Oh and 4k only. When it comes to boutique labels it varies a bit aswell. I preorder everything Indicator puts out as I find thier releases to be brillant. Most (by far) are blind buys and I've discovered so many great films from them. There's a couple of other labels that I have everything from, 101 Films Black Label and Signal One. Other labels that I trust very much with my money are Criterion, Arrow, Second Sight, Eureka, 88 Films, Scream Factory, Blue Underground, Kino Lorber. Here I more pick and choose between, but I am very likely to blind buy from these labels, especially Criterion (obviously :-D) and Arrow.
Loved the video Elliott and quite thought provoking. I see a lot of people feeling like they need to apologise for how they either spend their money or for the choices they make, which is (frankly) ridiculous. Making thought pieces like this one, that encourages reflection on why we do what we do is much more productive. As for collecting, I'm much like yourself. One of the key aspects is the art of curation and as such many labels have guided my love for cinema as much as anything else. I also enjoy the physical presence and satisfaction of completionist. I know its expensive. I know its not necessary but I derive more satisfaction from having it than the anxiety of missing pieces. I watch a lot of people like Matt D'Avella as well, as minimalism is a pretty interesting topic. I couldn't hard commit to it like he has but there are lots of aspects about that lifestyle that are appealing. The not having to worry about what to wear etc is a key one for me. I just don't care. I may do a more complete response video as its a very interesting topic. Congrats on the 10k as well. Well deserved!
Thanks so much, Chris! I watch a lot of Matt D'Avella too and I agree with what you say about the lifestyle being appealing. I'd love to hear your thoughts in a video on the subject :)
I started collecting movies two years ago after one of my favourite films got taken off of Netflix so I ended up buying the Blu-ray of it. Now I have around 100 Blu-rays and buy around 4 every month. Almost all the Blu-rays in my collection have been bought second hand for around £3 each.
Prudent way of doing it. I go through phases…Some months I’ll buy nothing, the next I could easily buy 10+ movies. I love having the choice of what to watch when I want with no fear of a store pulling it or having to pay for a subscription service.
i collect movies i enjoy and i collect superhero shows and movies. i collect 70s,80s, and early 90s tv series i liked. i have about 900 dvd and blu rays in cabinets. my other great collection is nascar diecast.
To solve the spacing problem, I do the one thing most collectors are loathe to do: I fit the all in smaller 7mm cases. So all rank and file blu rays go to smaller cases. Those that came with special packaging or boutique titles get to keep there special casings. Artwork rarely require cropping so I can return them to regular cases and sell them as needed. Nowadays, I find myself reaching into the past and buying catalog titles more so than buying new releases going forward. After 1000 titles, my buying has slowed to a crawl. Tenet in 4K is my next tentpole purchase but 2021 is gonna be a slooooow purchasing year and they're only going to get slower. As I get older I've come to realize the ultimate futility of my hobby as these movies mean little to anyone else but me - they define me. But one day they're gonna be someone else's burden to unload and playable on machines which no longer be manufactured. There are times I look at my collection and go "what have I done?"
Oh gosh, that Marie Kondo quote about 30 books! Booktube and literary media and social media went crazy with that. I'm pretty sure she sort of backtracked on saying it by responding that 30 books was HER number, how many books she keeps in her collection and everyone will be different. Someone can have 100 books as their maximum. That's their number. As long as it's cutting out the unnecessary and unimpassioning items. (Unimpassioning is not a word, but I'm using it anyway.) I'm pretty bad with getting rid of stuff. I've had many times when I decided to get rid of things and then regretted it not long afterwards. And especially if you have space, it's easy to let things pile up in a way. I'm actually planning on going through areas of my rooms starting this weekend. I have to reorganize my books, and I'm going to try to maybe get rid of a stack that I don't care about anymore or whatever. I'm also going to reorganize my movies a little. Thankfully there aren't a whole lot of things I buy in terms of different categories. I don't spend a lot of money on clothes, I'm not super into makeup, I just have a lot of books, movies, and music. But I'm also a very sentimental person, so that adds to not getting rid of a lot.
I used to own hundreds of DVDs, but backed them up digitally once the technology could support the storage and streaming capabilities (think Handbrake + PLEX). Since then, I only purchase Criterion Blu-Rays for the superior quality and aesthetic, and the occasional Box Set that contains multiple versions would otherwise have too much information to compress to a single file (like Star Wars Trilogy, Alien trilogy, Blade Runner, Back to the Future), not to mention wanting the best quality for those movies. For other movies, I don't mind the compression rate or the DVD rip quality when I stream.
I typically buy a lot of films that I haven't seen. If I buy a film that I've seen before then it has to be a movie I'd watch multiple times or for a really good price. To me it's more about archiving films since films can just up and disappear once they go out of print. Since I buy a lot of blind buys though, there's a handful of films that ended up being bad. I'm getting to the point of needing to downsize so when I get to that point I think anything I wouldn't watch a second time will have to go. Not sure if I'd try to sell or put them in storage until I have more room though.
American here, My collecting habits are pretty minimal. I try to stream first watches of newer releases, and buy the blu ray ONLY if I really enjoyed it and want to see extras (Red Rocket, The Suicide Squad are recent examples). In general I only buy Criterion Blu rays these days, with occasional exceptions for a few A24, Arrow, & Scream/Shout factory releases. I also trim my collection every few months using the "joy feel/rewatchability" spectrum. If I have a movie that I like alot, but never plan on watching again (Manchester by the Sea, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Seventh Seal, Saló) I'll sell/give them away.
Meet somewhere in the middle. You don’t have to trim down to favorites only, that seems stressful and like you could accidentally get rid of stuff that you want later. But there’s also not really a need to have *everything *. The way I approach it is to ask myself these questions: will I realistically ever rewatch this? Are there special features that I haven’t seen that I want to watch or rewatch? Is there something special about the artwork or packaging that makes it worth keeping? If the answers are all no, why have it?
I love my collection and feel as though I could never get rid of it or down size it as I have a multi media collection so for me it's like a history of my collection almost like a museum. I do always battle with the thought of how much plastic it is as I reduce my plastic consumption in other aspects of my life but I will have my collection for my lifetime so it's not a waste
Great video pal! Buying blu rays isn't my problem it is not parting with the films I don't love. I fear that if I want to revisit something after I have sold it, then it will be costly to reacquire later, especially limited edition items. I could definitely part with bunch of the stuff i own currently and I plan on doing so at some point. I also want to support boutique labels and this achieved by buying their products, so only buying my fav films isn't a good model in terms of support. It's a tricky one for sure. Food for thought indeed 🤔
Very good points, pal. Especially about supporting the smaller labels that need to sell many units just to keep afloat. It's gonna be a tough one to crack.
Even if I watch a film just once or twice, I will usually buy it in the best format I can, and then if I decide it's not something that fits in my own collection, I will sell it on the secondary market. I'll buy a load in the sales, and then as I watch them, decide whether to keep or sell. I keep my collection personal, and I get to watch films on and support these amazing labels.
I buy lots of blu Ray's 4k and criterion s I buy recommended movies from all my favourite CZcams s and then build more from the book movies you must watch before you die . I miss the days of blockbuster so I turned my room into a massive collection and I love it. Love your channel got alot of criterion recommended movies from you cheers bud . 😉
I started collecting DVDs from MoC and Criterion and some other companies back in 2007, and then in 2010 I kinda stopped doing that. Sold some of them, kept some of my favorites and ones I still had to watch. Then in 2016 I started buying blu-rays, cause I realized how much great stuff is coming out from all these labels. Buying and watching blu-rays (mainly from boutique labels) is my preferred way to discover and experience films. I'm not a completionist or anything when it comes to labels, it all depends if the actual film intrigues me (although you can rarely go wrong with MoC). At the same time I don't want to clutter my whole apartment with blu-rays, so I try to sell the stuff I don't feel like ever re-watching. Many of them have a pretty good re-sale value, which is great.
I try to keep my collection related to my interests. I mainly collect superhero and sci-fi titles. I will occasionally buy a stack of DVDs from Goodwill, but those are far less important to me. Everything else I can do streaming.
First of all, thanks for the informative video. I’m subscribing to your channel and, I imagine, will be watching more of them. I just retired and decided I wanted to start collecting SOMETHING. Comic books looked intriguing, but I’ve never really been into reading them, so I decided to pass on those. However, I love movies, but in order to get some focus I’m starting with 4K blu rays and steel books based on comics, graphic novels, and Japanese manga. I’m also interested in 3D movies even though that technology seems all but dead in the States. If you get a spare moment, please let me know what you think. Thanks.
I collect blu rays mainly because I love cinema and I appreciate a lot the work that Criterion Collection and other Boutique labels are doing to preserve all classic films and all films from the most important and brilliant directors of the world. I don’t have any interest to be completionist purchasing every title that Criterion Collection releases , therefore, I collect only titles only of my preferred directors or titles that I find interesting or with very good reputation.
Hey. The way i collect blu rays is that i only have one full shelf of blu rays. I just started not too long ago but i ONLY get films i love/wanna rewatch/or look interesting enough to buy. I also get blu rays for real cheap (always $15 or under) AND i resell the digital codes and the bonus copies i don't need. For example, i bought The Goonies on 4k Blu Ray for $15 and i sold both the regular blu ray copy and digital code for $5 each. I own a total of 79 different movies all ranging from the 70s-2019
So I live on the US Mexico border, 40 minutes from Tijuana. There's a constant flow of used moving that makes it's way to Mexico. I've had the fortune of acquiring around 2500 movies at dirt cheap prices. When I mean cheap I mean for less than a dollar. Any criterion or arrow releases i have cost maybe 2 dollars or less. I collect what I can afford. Since I live an hour from San Diego, buying in the US is also an option.
As i get older (currently 21) I'm watching more classic and more unusual films. Discovering new directors for me is really broadening my view. If i blind buy and don't think I'll watch it again I'll re-sell. For a collector it's hard to say no to something if it's either cheap or expensive but the re-watch factor is something i live by to keep it manageable for both price and space
I began collecting when DVD first came out in the late 90s and they were expensive. I would buy one per month instead of paying for cable tv. Over the years, I've pretty much only bought movies that I would be interested in seeing more than once because of the expense. Then, a few years back, the prices completely dropped because of streaming. So, nowadays I only collect by thrifting DVDs/Blu-rays, and by getting new ones from online sales. I've made it a point not to pay full retail price for anything that I collect. And, I still only collect the movies that I plan on watching multiple times -- ones that I know I will want to see again. I also collect to upgrade some of my favorites.
i started collecting games 5 years ago and started doing movies this year. i've only ever collected what i wanna play or watch. then i keep what i loved. what i could watch any day or play any day. i have about 450 games and 400 movies and I'm happy. love collecting criterion, arrow, scream
This one was a bit different to my usual videos so I hope you enjoy! How and why do YOU collect things? I'd love to know!
I collect movies, tv shows and oavs that I like. Many favorites I saw on Saturday afternoons on a local channels as a kid, those were edited for tv; while on disc as they appeared in the movie theaters. Also I have a great 90s and 00s anime collection and many of those companies are out of print and rare now. I try not to double dip movies unless they are great favorites; but I do hand me downs to family and friends that don't have those discs and want them. I only buy boutique films that I will want to rewatch since I have purchased some duds and it costs too much. So my theory on minimalism is give away or sell double dips, share movie appreciation with others and that way you learn films you may not have watched and expose others to great or even not so great cinema. Also I wait for sales or price drops unless it's something I know is limited.
Out of the four years I start collecting, I recently bought my first bootleg 😦. I would frown and look down on those who would buy them and then it happened. I found Netflix Dare Devil SEASON 3 online for 50$. I already own season 1 & 2 on bluray, but season 3 never came out due to Disney buying out Fox Studios. Dare Devil is super rated R and Disney is a family friendly brand, pg13 at most. #SaveNetflixDareDevil 👈🏾
Now I'm trying to get into more Anime.
I've been collecting movies on physical disc since I was a teenager, I'm 38 years old now. I just enjoyed collecting them and over the years have now become very knowledgeable on movies.
I collect a wide range of genre's including world cinema. I did get rid of hundreds of dvds, blu rays that I didn't really want in my collection.
I know have a collection of over 3000 dvds, blu rays, 4k blu rays. Starting to run out of space now........
With respect I think some people are missing Elliot's point. I think he's saying there are so many films he couldn't get to see, so he did a lot of research to find out about amazing films and he found it easier to buy them, to view them. And when you love something a lot, it's difficult to part with. Especially when you identify as being a cinefile, it's lovely to display to say, THIS IS WHO I AM. It's also a conversation starter.
Minimalism isn't so much about getting rid of things, it's more about making room in your life for the things that mean the most to you - and cleaning out everything else that doesn't mean a thing. So, for me, someone who's a passionate film and book lover, I make room in my home and my life for those two things and literally nothing else. I don't collect clothes, furniture, makeup, trinkets, kitchen gadgets ... nothing. I have four walls around me, the basic necessities in terms of furniture, clothing and food and my books and films. This may sound woo-woo but once I started on the path of minimalism, I felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt truly unburdened and free. I also developed a strong penchant for donating to places like hospitals, libraries and shelters. It's a beautiful life and I couldn't be happier. Just remember not to let anyone force you into anything you don't want to do or you don't feel comfortable doing.
You've been a big help already in terms of nudging me to explore minamlism. And yes, I certainly won't be diving in or doing anything radical I will regret later on. Everyone I've spoken to about it has said how liberating it is, and I love that!
I'm exactly the same way: books, blu-rays, and otherwise just the basic esentials.
I often feel in conflict about wanting a more minimal space while also collecting movies and books. I’m selective in what I own, so I don’t feel that I’m hoarding. I really enjoy it as a hobby and making use of my collection, but also sometimes feel a little bit burdened by the compulsion. It’s really cool that you’ve found a good balance without denying a collecting hobby that you enjoy. It’s very encouraging to see that’s an option.
This is how I feel about minimalism, I get great comfort from my film and book collection and will make room for them. I do use minimalism in other aspects of everyday life.
@@ElliotCoen Yes, very liberating. Plus, there's so much less to dust and clean when you're living in a minimalist space. Just don't do what I did and get rid of all your cases and booklets lol I'm still trying to live that disaster down.
I collect and watch movies to try to distract me from my hopeless shit life
Oh man 🤣🤣
This just sums it up for me
Oh you guys 😢
Well, damn
Same here buddy 👍
I love collecting but due to space and cost I do not blind buy. I also only get movies I absolutely love.
I completely respect this! Blind buying has done a lot of me over the years, but I might be experiencing diminishing returns on it.
This is how i should do it but i'm i'm a unrepentant blind-buyer, i'm afraid. xD
I agree. Used to be an idiot and blind buy but learnt to do it the same way as u
Totally agreed! Started blu ray collecting this year and love my collection so far. It's not huge but it's filled with movies I just love!!
I really try to keep a heavily curated collection. The films that stay in my collection need to be ones I will watch multiple times, they need to evoke a significant response from me (laughter, sadness, joy, passion, hope, thoughtfulness), and I try to focus on specific genres & actors/actresses (ie. black & white films). This has helped me to maintain a collection that is focused and that I am really excited about.
Great video!
I had a rule in my early collecting days. Dont buy a film unless you rate it an 8, 9, or 10 out of 10. You can cull a collection by eliminating groups of films that rate low but somehow snuck into the collection.
That's a great method, Chris. The only thing for me is I struggle working out what rating to give a movie sometimes. Is it a 7 or an 8? I guess in that situation I'd hold onto it regardless.
You can think of it as 4 out of 5 stars. If the film is not a rock solid four stars, its a 7 or below.
@@ElliotCoen Rating movies is not easy. I have a bookclub at work and when we tried to rate books using a five star method most books came out at a 3. I used and adapted the 10 star rating from IMDB - its not perfect but it's a starting point. For me personally, I never blind buy. I did when I was younger but now I just check movies out from the library. If I love it enough, I will buy it. Case in point this holiday weekend I will be watching some Criterion films to see if they are ones I want to buy in the 50% off sale Barnes and Noble is having. Thanks to your videos, Barry Lyndon is one of them.
It used to be buying my favorite movies. Then it turned into buying any movie I'd ever consider watching more than once. Nowadays, it's any movie that I think I'd enjoy. My blind buying is a bit out of control but it rarely fails me as I get good recommendations from this channel and others. Space is starting to become an issue though and I'm constantly eyeing my shelves wondering how and where I'm going to expand them.
I'm glad I've been able to provide you some recommendations through these videos, my friend! I'm sure if space and money wasn't an issue for me, I would collect to my hearts content. I think Martin Scorsese has well over 10,000 movies in his personal collection. But let me stop before I compare myself further to Scorsese :)
@@ElliotCoen I have a feeling Scorsese has enough personal wealth to ensure storage space isn't an issue! I wish I was in that position! Then again if I sold all the stuff I've collected over the years it would probably net me a fair wad of cashola!
That’s how I started as well lately I’ve reached the new level of oh someone’s selling 50 bluray for 40 bucks, I’ll buy them all.
Half I never heard of and half I already have lol been finding some amazing movies though
I love collecting, and the way to discover new movies is like you, I buy/rent a lot of movies, and the ones that are my favorite i try to buy the best version of it, because it’s truly worth it for me, and i think it’s a way to say “thank you” to everyone on that movie that gave me a nice experience.
Greeting from Mexico!
I love that. Thanks for watching, my friend!
I personally don't see the point on collecting everything from a certain label, as I collect only the movies I truly love and feel passionate about. For me collecting is not accumulating stuff, collecting is much more, I may not have a primal necessity for buying movies, but, as same as with cinema as an art form, it passionates me. I feel like collecting so much, regardless of your feelings about the films it's not really healthy, because the way I see it, I collect blu-rays to have my own catalogue of works of art that truly mean something to me.
As I said, cinema is an art form I'm passionate about, so when a movie touches me, when a movie truly means something and affects me, that's when I buy it, that's when it transcends its random blu ray status and becomes a piece of art that I want to own for my personal and unique catalogue.
I have no interest in collecting everything from a certain label, because I feel like it diminishes the value of having those selected films that really mean something to you.
My advice? Make that list of special films, rewatch some of them if you need to. You can still buy blu-rays as a mean to discover new art, but if it doesn't move you, just get rid of it.
Make your collection your own, no some random label else's. What you should be thinking when looking at your shelf is "Wow, this is the art that brings me joy and passion" no "Wow, I have a lot of these things".
Very well said, and what a wonderful comment. Your words have definitely given me a lot to think about. Now I really want to see what is in your collection that you treasure so much!
Some people get compensation for advertising/ making videos. Then they can subsidize the cost of the movies or whatever they're promoting. I would do the same if I was more computer savvy/motivated.
I agree with this comment completely. It’s should mean something to you, nostalgia always plays the biggest part but as you get older (I’m 37...), you appreciate things in different ways and that meant I had to review what I truly loved in my collection. Films At Home channel is the worst kind of collector for me, but I respect his decision to but up everything.
@@ElliotCoen Thanks so much. I really appreciate my words have value for you.
Sadly, I don't have that many movies so, instead of giving you a list, I will give you a single one film that, despite feeling absolutely random, perfectly encapsulates why I collect: The Lego Movie.
Yeah, I know, not the artsiest or special thing but, hear me out.
When I was a little kid, my grandfather was always taking me to the movies, pretty much every weekend. He is the reason why I love filmmaking nowadays.
But when kids grow up, they get gradually stupid, so I stopped doing anything with my grandpa, including going to the cinema, which made me spend around three years without stepping into a theatre because, you know, "I'M to0 oLd f0R GoiNg oUt wItH GranDPa!"
That changed when a cousin of mine invited me to his birthday and we all went to my childhood cinema to watch The Lego Movie.
At first, the idea wasn't anything special, but when I put a foot there, everything changed. The comfy seats, the caramel popcorn, the enormous screen and loud speakers... Every single element of that room was captivating and, all of a sudden, I remembered why I fell in love with cinema in the first place, why I felt such passion for the experience of going to the theatre.
That's why I keep such a seemingly random movie on my collection, because despite considering it one of the most creative and charming animated pieces out there, it's also the film that made me rediscover my passion for the medium, the one movie that made me start my very own path in this art form.
All that anecdote, all those feelings, all of that's it's encapsulated on that blu-ray I keep on my shelf and, those are, for me, the kind of films worth collecting.
ha, someone who GETS IT!!!
i agree completely with your logic and truly do not understand the desire of those individuals who acquire tons of shit just for the sake of having a large collection of whatever it is they may choose to collect. your shelf (collection) should be a reflection of your tastes and what brings you joy.
I started collecting about 6 months ago, and most of my collection is Criterion. I have gotten all but 3 during half-off sales, and most of what I purchase are blind buys. I like the concept of buying something I haven’t seen and learning about it by watching it along with the special features, and familiarizing myself with different styles
I personally enjoy the physical disc, case, etc. Having grown up with going to the video rental on a weekend basis allowed me to appreciate the art on cases and the descriptions on the back. Definitely enjoy watching and if the internet or streaming services ever go out I have the physical media to watch. I am also born in the time I personally enjoy collecting and love watching film
Right there with you friend!
It was about 6-7 years ago I started “seriously”collecting Blu-Rays. For a while, I almost exclusively bought movies that were already special to me such as Star Wars movies or a handful of comic movies (given i’ve lived almost my entire life as a comic fan as well as a movie lover). Eventually though, I knew I couldn’t just buy new copies and I shouldn’t just limit myself to my comfort zone. For years i’ve built up large lists of movies both in and out of the familiar that I want to see. When I buy movies though, I am cautious about what ai want to devote myself to. As much as I prefer physical media, I can’t exclusively watch every movie on blu-ray. So, a lot of things that i’m watching for the first time are streamed because it’s more monitoring viable. That said, if i’m buying physical copies of movies that I have never seen, I try to lean towards things I know i’m going to want to own and hopefully expect to like. Of course bot everything will be perfect for me but it’s what I need to work with right now without completely breaking the bank. I will, of course, also buy movies that I have seen and care about too. Even though I love and prefer physical, streaming has had an impact on how I do buy things in the grand scheme of things though. As much as i’d like to continue buying more and more movies, there are still a lot of things in my collection that I am yet to watch and there are still hundreds of movies I don’t own that I want to see. So it’s just a matter of figuring out what works best every movie at a time.
I collect mainly for my children. Some movies but mostly physical video games. Our house came with built-in bookshelf’s and for years they were used only for random stuff but as I began growing our collection of physical media, it’s expanded to take up most of the shelves. My kids love shopping for games with me, it’s basically a tradition.What’s awesome about owning physical media is that you have memories of purchasing the items, playing them, and returning to them after years which is always pleasantly nostalgic. Another reason I like collecting physical media is that sometimes we can just browse our collection and find something entirely new. It’s getting so big that we have plenty of games that we haven’t even tried. They might sit on the shelf unused for years only to be rediscovered and played for the first time after not even knowing we had it. It’s those pleasant memories that make collecting worthwhile. Just tonight we played a game that is 14 years old. It was my kids first time and they were experiencing it for the first time with me after all these years. Another reason is because it fills up the bookshelves making the room have a pleasant atmosphere. Just like all those movies sitting behind you in this video. There’s something cozy and inviting about seeing that entire collection filling up an entire wall. It’s something that takes years to assemble unlike a blank wall with a few scattered pictures.
Mines easy! I own one of the last mom and pop videos stores still operating. My personal collection of movies on vhs, dvd, and bluray is over 5000 where i quit counting. And I specialize in hording out of print and rare movies.
Right On! Nice Gig!👍
After moving to a much smaller home as well, I decided to condense most of my movies into sleeve binders. The ones that are my favorites or have especially cool packaging I keep them displayed, but otherwise they're waiting in my desk to be watched some day.
I started collecting really heavily over the past 4 years. We live in a small 2 bedroom apartment so I wound up where I only keep the disks 90% of the time. Unless the packaging is something special, the disk goes in a sleeve and into the disk drawer. Collection is currently 1500 strong and counting. I blind buy only if I can get it cheap or if I'm pretty sure I will like it. When I eventually have a larger place and have the room, I will put everything in new cases, print out covers, and display with pride and joy.
ur gonna regret doin tha ngl
@@gtadude7346 Doing what?
Man, this is making me reconsider my own collecting habits. I used to buy every movie I could find for a decent price. Now (also thanks to this channel) I focus more on boutique labels and 4K-releases. This video is definitely making me seriously think about getting rid of some titles I know I’m never going to watch again. However, collecting and “hunting” for blurays is a true hobby of mine and something that makes me happy. With that said though, I should probably let go of some of them. I sold off all my dvds about a year ago which cleared up some space.
Access. It’s all about access and the peace of mind that I own copies of films. Because I actually watch my movies. I will watch a film over and over, and I also take great joy in lending out/sharing my library. It feels amazing to always have a curated “film store” in my own home.
I've been a movie buff since I was very little. I've bought and sold my movies many times and was careless. But in these past few years. I feel like I've matured in my feelings and purpose of why I want my collection and how I grow too it. 1. With increase of digital media slowly taking over, preservation is a big one. So I find myself hunting down shows and movies that might not be available in near future that I enjoy ofcourse. Or movies that might get censored. 2. Movies that are nostalgic, keep my inner child alive,others that teach or remind me of some great lesson. 3. Films of my favorite actors and actresses. 4. Sharing what I love with my little children when they are old enough. Hopefully they'll enjoy it too. But I do have a distinct rounded number of films I don't want to go beyond. Right now I'm almost near 200 bluray in my collection. And I feel like 300-350 will probably be my limit. Because beyond that number feels like too many to find space for or keep track of. I just want to have a sizable library that me and my family can enjoy without being too much.
I had about 100 blu-rays that I had collected until streaming started really taking off. Once that happened my discs just collected dust. I was never happy with the loss of quality that comes from streaming, but it’s just so damn convenient. Then a couple of months ago I discovered Plex.
You point it at a directory of video files and you get a super nice interface for browsing and watching your own movies. And as a bonus you become your own Netflix-you can stream your movies out to your devices across the internet and even give friends and family access to watch your stuff on their devices.
It’s now possible to rip blu-rays and 4K discs with *no loss of quality* (even preserving Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos) and play them back with the same quality as the original disc. Since I discovered this I’ve gone from those initial 100 blu-rays to almost 1,000 in the last couple of months. I’m using 37TB of storage on a NAS in my home network. I stream them to my TV with an Nvidia Shield (the only streaming box that supports Dolby Vision MKV files so far).
For standard studio releases I just toss the blue box and store the discs in the nice Bellagio-Italia leather binders. All the boutique stuff like Criterion and Arrow I keep everything since half the draw of those are the amazing inserts and box art. With the binders the majority of my collection takes up a couple of shelves in a bookcase and I’ve got tons of room for the nice ones (currently stored behind doors above my TV).
If you haven’t looked into Plex I highly, highly recommend it as a way to consolidate your collection and save space without sacrificing anything really (other than the time it takes to rip them into your computer!)
I buy movies I want to watch. The more I watch, the more I learn and the films I start wanting to watch become more and more obscure. I also never sell any of my collection, because it’s comforting knowing that no matter what happens I will always own that piece of cinema.
Absolutely!
I started collecting or buying blu-ray in the year of 2012 and the first title was The Avengers because I want to revisit the film I love when I saw in theaters and want to see the extras. The rest history. I first buying studio release like the film I loved and discovering film that I haven't seen from a standard studio releases. Then I collect Disney blu-ray as well because I am a massive Disney film and my goal to complete the Disney animated films like as well Pixar (which I finally completed and up to date). Then I discover criterion collection in late 2013 early 2014 and my first criterion was Godzilla (not the big set which I also own). I got it because is Godzilla and I want to watch before the remake comes out and I know nothing about criterion and it was an open horizon to discover films that is way out of my knowledge, then I got Seven Samurai because of Luke Ryan. Boom I am now into criterion collection or into boutique label like scream factory and such. I am still a physical media collector and will alway be one. collecting and buying blu-ray or 4K feels satisfying to me. I dreamed to have a movie room when I get my own house. and Film to will be an escape and I have a library of films I own that I love. Take care and thanks for sharing!
-Bernardo Cisneros
Movies have always been a passionate hobby of mine, long before the trend of Blu-rays/ UHD Blu-rays, going back as 35 years since I was a kid.
It was the videostores and VHS rental tapes which was my way to get introduced to many classic films, watching films every day to about 20 a week for much of my teen years. So I knew and saw many films already.
The nineties were my start in collecting DVD's, which were mini film schools on top of my favourite films. The advent of Blu-ray and HD screens made me double dip to Blu-ray for the films I was mostly passionate about and nowadays a Blu-ray is the go-to-standard if there is no UHD Blu-ray release. I've been selling my DVD's I upgraded and only buy the boutique label films when the film means something to me. It's not about the labels for me, it's really the love for film. Arrow Video and Eureka are great, but I won't be buying all of them for the sake of completion when a film doesn't really speak to me. All the physical goodies don't make a mediocre film any better. I'm mostly interested in films that were made before the over-reliance on CGI with practical effects and maverick filmmaking which would be redeemed too dangerous nowadays. The best era of film for me, is the seventies up until the mid eighties. Many titles of that time I'd buy and upgrade as soon as they're getting an UHD Blu-ray release.
The films I love in the best possible viewing experience as they were intended by the filmmakers, that's what rocks my boat.
I have a really solid collection of both movies and books and started collecting both similarly. I started with buying visually important movies to me which was coincidentally Jim Hensonesque practical effects and other fairy-tale fantasy of the 80s and getting movies from reviewers who had similar taste to me. I started keeping track of more people like casting directors, a few actors who choose interesting projects, and formats I know I like such as theatrical and surreal movies. Over the years I've gotten movies I haven't seen on basis of everything from music, to costume, to set design and it really helps because often the ones with skill in one area of the art I respect leads to better overall projects to try that other things like popularity or the plot synopsis, which aren't personal to me, can't predict. Then Netflix happened and it opened up finding new directors and used to drop whole collections of similar movies at once, building up my subgenre interests. Nowadays I have a half and half of recognizable and more niche movies and really lean into patterns I know I have to build out around. Shows have really come in handy buying as I am unlikely to buy a subscription service and rather buy the one or two shows I'd be watching and most of what I bought from early Netflix days no longer resides there. Here's hoping shows keep releasing on DVD and this Info about my humble collection beginnings was insightful.
Until about 10 years ago I wasn't into movies. So, when I was almost 30 years old I still had to watch all of those classic movies like The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Shining, Jurassic Park, Alien, Predator, Psycho, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Saving Private Ryan and so on and on. I had a lot of catching-up to do.
Now movies have become my life and I watch all kinds of movies. I watch the newest ones, but also very old black and white movies. Not only do I watch the big Hollywood blockbusters, but I watch movies from all over the world. I watch science-fiction, fantasy, animated movies, westerns, drama, horror, thriller, action, war movies, just about everything.
When buying movies I like to buy releases from the country where the movie was made. So, I bought movies from South Africa, South Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Israel and Russia, just to name a few. I like it when the original title is on the cover in Norwegian, Japanese, Korean or whatever, instead of an English translation. I also like it when I've got a release that's very hard to get. For instance, I've got the original Indonesian releases of The Raid, The Raid 2 and Merantau. On the internet there aren't even pictures of these releases, let alone a place to buy them.
Not every country has stores full of physical media. Some countries still have a very high rate of piracy, so it's very difficult to find any genuine releases. Then there are countries with a very small population, so even though the copies are genuine releases, not many of them are being pressed. So, if you want to buy a movie from such countries, it's very hard to find them, especially since I live on the other side of the world. However, it gives a lot of satisfaction to finally find such release and be able to put it on your shelf. Some releases took me more than two years to find, but it gives a good feeling to finally own them and knowing you've got an item in your collection no one else in the whole country will have.
So, I like to own very unique items, even if I'm not going to watch it. For instance, I once found a Chinese copy of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest on Video-CD. I'm not going to watch this Chinese Video-CD as I already own the movie on Blu-ray, but it's a nice collector's item and it was very cheap, so I just bought it. I've also bought a whole stack of Japanese LaserDiscs and even a Japanese VHD (not VHS, but VHD), even though I don't have any device that's able to play these things. I bought them because of the big covers with beautiful artwork. It's just for displaying purposes. I put LaserDiscs on my shelves of those classic movies I like. So, when someone comes to my house, they can immediately see these big sleeves with artwork of movies like Back To The Future, Psycho, Jurassic Park, Alien, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Batman and The Planet Of The Apes. They can immediately see what some of my favourite movies are.
This guy has such a nice, calming, lush voice! Can listen for hours!
Historically I was a horder of VHS and DVD ...I collected so many and in the end it felt like a ball and chain tied to my ankle ...I eventually.had a huge huge clearout and sold alot ..loosing the money I'd actually.paid for them...and now only buy what I consider a "masterpiece" that requires reviewing ....and some great films only require one viewing ....I now have a small cupboard to keep my collection in ...and I don't allow it to move outside the cupboard...if it ever comes to the point where I cant fit a new purchase in ...something has to come out to allow it in...it keeps control.. so allocating a space for your collection is the way to go....I truly believe in this age of streaming...you don't have to own every movie you like in a physical sense ...no movie is ever going to disappear of the face of the earth ... however a rare pressing of a boutique release might 🤣🤣... however if you love and know you will review it again and again (you know those rare movies that YOU adore) ....go for it...👍👍👍 just an idea to help... movies are something I need in my life....ive loved them since childhood however many of the films I physically now own are movies that mean something sentimental and have made a huge impact on my life 👍👍👍
Collecting since I was about 6 years old! Always been a massive film geek!
I work in the industry as well.
And I will continue to collect forever. All kinda of movies!
Weird b movies classics, everything! :)
Hi Elliot. Very interesting as always. In the past I owned 2-3 thousand dvd and blu rays, and quite frankly it was taking over my house (along with almost a thousand CDs). The weird thing is in general I'm a person who doesn't like clutter, i love a more minimalistic look - i just couldn't help making an exception for my great passions of movies and music. I just loved owning all of these things, knowing I could play them whenever I wanted. But then one time my house was burgled. They didn't really touch the movie collection but it made me change my way of thinking. I decided to ditch the clutter and embrace the new age and take advantage of digital purchases, for movies, music and video games . This meant I cut down on my clutter, and if i did ever happen to be burgled then i would still be able to access the purchases and they would be tied to my account (though I appreciate that the matter of digital ownership is a grey one). How do I feel now? I love that wherever i go, i always have access to my library. However i miss looking through the physical collection and the associated artwork. I particularly miss, the extras, which, in large, are not widely available on digital, although it is getting better. Really interesting subject and look forward to reading the thoughts of others.
I've been asking myself the same things recently. That's pretty much the only reason why I ended up on your channel.
Movies have been my biggest passion in terms of media consumption for most of my life and I've been collecting DVDs and blu-rays for over a decade. I used to be an unapologetic defender for physical media growing up. But in the recent 5 years or so, I stopped being interested in physical media more and more. Digital stuff is just way more convenient in so many ways, and hunting down good releases of certain movies can be a pain in the ass due to region-locking, censorship, and lack of bonus features.
With each passing year, I had less interest in the physical collection gathering dust on my shelf and I found myself countless times watching a movie via streaming instead of picking it from the shelf because there just was no reason to add those extra steps.
I barely bought any movies in the last couple of years and I've been thinking a lot about just getting rid of 90% of the ones I own. The older I get, the more I want to avoid having meaningless stuff sitting on shelves just to collect dust and most of those DVDs and blu-rays just became that.
I could still see myself picking up a movie I really love when the physical release comes with great behind-the-scenes features, but otherwise, I don't find any joy or much use anymore in the physical thing.
This was such a great video...I didn't realise I had an issue with "collecting" until fairly recently. Besides blu rays and vinyl, my main thing to collect was, and still is to an extent, Star Wars. Hundreds of action figures, Lego sets, comics etc. and they really don't "spark joy" anymore. I was buying to fill a hole. It gave me such pleasure to hunt down and tick off the item I was after...that pleasure lasted all of a few weeks. I lost my Mum in 2016 to a short battle of cancer and that was when the collecting really snow balled haha buying things I didn't actually have the money for or needed or even wanted.
I've stopped buying Star Wars stuff for the most part, as like you were, I am currently looking to move out of my family home next year. The movie collecting is still going strong though, but I'll deal with that another time. Besides, who doesn't want to own Adam Sandler's entire catalogue of movies? (Yes, even Jack and Jill...don't ask).
As you know, this has been a big topic on my mind as of late. It wasn't until I found Vanessa and really started to think about what minimalism and letting go has done for my wellbeing. I've never been happier. I'm beyond thankful for this insightful video Elliot, just remember that it all starts with our first bowel movement 😉
Thank you so much, Nathan! Your videos and blogs about the topic certainly encouraged me. And yes, I thought it best to leave out all the Freudian analysis about collecting!
@@ElliotCoen We've got a great community here, and I'm just happy we have that support system. Even if that support system developed later on past the Freudian stages! Haha
Kondo never said 30 was a cutoff. She said that was her number. She has said many times that you can have thousands of things as long as they give you joy. The Kondo method is all about using and enjoying the things you own versus just owning things to own them.
chill
I collect the movies that I like and put them in malko protectors. Keeps the 4k slipcovers in good condition!
I started collecting movies that are nostalgic but then I started collecting movies that i do want to get or more recently find movies on sale. For the past couple years i go to stores the day after Black Friday. The stores are empty and there are leftover sales on blu rays. some of them were $2.99 each. I have even found a few blu rays at the dollar tree.
It is always a thrill getting a great bargain on a blu-ray. A lot of my pruchases are through sales as well!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It has helped me think through some things as I curate my own list.
Very interesting video. This year I've got hardcore back into collecting, and I was curious how much I spent, so I spent the last couple of days totalling all of my collecting, and it's hit me pretty hard, just how much money I've sunk into it, which has made me take stock as well about what I'm doing. We see more and more about minimalism and simpler living and I agree that those ideas are really appealing. Our lives are always very full, and having space to breath, rest and not be surrounded by everything all the time, is an enticing idea. However, I think as a whole though, my collectiion sparks joy when I look at it. I'm no where near your numbers, but I think there is something joyful about collecting and having a collection of things you are passionate about, to browse, watch and enjoy. I think for some of us, it's really easy to get into the 'groove' of collecting, and be in a constant state of acquiring new things, monthly hauls etc., and that's where some of the problems lie because we'll get things that we don't really care about watching, and it's more about getting it for the 'collection'. I intend to take 2-3 months off any new purchases in the new year, to think more carefully about what I buy, why I'm adding it to my collection, and to cut down on spending. Hopefully a break will re-set some of my habits and ensure that I think about what I get more carefully, and I'm sure that I really want it.
Hi Elliot. I really enjoyed this video and your perspective on collecting. In general, I'm a minimalist and just keep material things that make me happy and give me joy. Other items, I donate, give away, sell as often as I can. I sometimes upgrade movies to Blu-ray or 4K and donate the DVD so that others can potentially enjoy a film I love. Other than collecting films, listening to music and playing guitar, I don't really have other hobbies. Films bring me so much joy including helping me learn, think and grow and I feel like I will be watching and studying films for the rest of my life. My wife collects books and I collect movies and we love it. For me, it's all about minimalism and balance in collecting along with studying films that I love and have seen many times or new films that I discover which add to my film knowledge and help me to grow, learn, and think in new ways. Thanks for making this video and I hope you are doing well.
I (and my wife) have been collecting books for far longer than movies, and I probably have over 250 books related to work alone.. Movie collecting started for me with the odd movie I loved and had seen; Paris, Texas, Blade Runner; I wasn't very adventurous. This was the DVD-era. After moving State-side around 2010, I realised film is a passion and I'm learning as I go. I am working loosely towards an "objective" best films of all time collection, with my own absolute favourites thrown in. So, I'm starting from a small group of directors and expanding from there. I will never be a completist when referring to specific labels or even directors; there's too much to see and experience for that! I always research what to get next, often based on the BFI top-100 films of all time as a starting point. I suppose I'm educating myself as I go, as with my books; the greats I haven't read are considered and if interesting (Joyce, Musil, Proust, Rumi, Rilke, Lorca, Pessoa, Strindberg...) I get them and read them. Same with music; I haven't touched on my classical music collection, with a special nod to opera.. And of course, the same with film. I'm an avid self-educator, so I'm constantly trying to expand my circles of knowledge. Life's too short.. sigh. I suppose what I'm collecting is emotion- and intellect-expanding in whatever medium fits: CD's for Wagner, books for Rilke, and Blu-ray's for Tarkovsky!
Collecting physical media excites me. They are mine and can't be taken away by the end of license agreements. Movies give me a way to dive into a world other than my own. I don't collect just for the sake of collecting. I collect movies that I'm definitely going to watch again. If I buy one that I end up not liking, they get sold or donated.
I’ve been collecting blu rays exclusively for about 2 years now.
I almost exclusively purchase Blu rays second hand from Thrift stores, Facebook market place and pawn shops etc
I have about 200ish movies so far and these are some of my guidelines:
Whenever I’m near a library, I make sure to quickly check their book sale section as, whenever a new release comes out, my local library chain buys Dozens or hundreds of blu rays to meet up with demand. After a few months or a year, after everyone has watched it en masse, the library is left over with a bunch of copies that they end of putting on sale between 25 cents and a dollar CAD. (I’ve seen some great ones I picked up for 25 census such as Black Widow, 1917, Once upon a DeadPool, F9, Jurassic World 2 to name a few.
Then I get loose blu rays from Value Village for around $5 CAD ussualy.
I make sure to only purchase movies that I have either watched and enjoyed or know that I will enjoy watching with one of my friends/family members
Lastly, I look for places like Facebook Market Place and Pawnshops that sell movies at a discount for $2-3 each
Hi, I collected based on movies I watched in my childhood , collecting is like keeping the movies alive like archiving plus digital versions you might not get the true version eventually when the studio decides this is the version only . Plus. I collect what will be the best quality in sound and video but I won’t just buy any movie unless it’s something I watched
I like that, Tyrone! Keep the movies alive :)
Yo Elliot! I responded to this question via a new video (The old CZcams style lmao). Thanks for your videos, as always!
LOVED it!
@@ElliotCoen thanks man!
Your comment reminded me of Elliot Hulse's intro. Yo Elliot!
@@hectoraguilar397 ahaha that's a classic channel as well
Just discovered your channel last night, instantly subscribed.
Love your passion for physical media, the Criterion Collection in particular.
I've had a few Criterion DVDs and Blu Ray's for a while, The Red Shoes, Summer With Monika, L'avventura, and Haxan have been in my collection for a while and just recently I've added Salo, M, Diabolique, Valley of the Dolls, and The Phantom Carriage. All have been blind buys and I haven't been let down yet.
Good stuff man, keep it up. Cheers from Virginia.
Thank you so much for the kind words! It's a pleasure to meet you. Those recent pickups are brilliant - I especially have a soft spot in my heart for Diabolique!
I started collecting things I loved/knew I would love. Then I would blind buy things that I thought looked cool or had a great price. My collection is only like 400 movies but I’m running out of space so idk I may have to have a new screening process for what I buy because my tiny apartment is getting crammed haha, love the video! Very insightful!
I don't like the idea of getting rid of movies personally, only because I never know when I may want to watch it again. Some movies that I watched once and didn't like, I'll pick up again a year later and re-watch and I think they're fantastic. I have a very extensive knowledge and background of film. It's a big hobby for me. I have approximately 300 discs (both blu ray and DVD) of various genres of movies and some TV shows. I generally don't keep them on shelves, I actually have two CD wallets for storage. It cuts down on space tremendously.
I hear you. Love having a film collection - around 1,100 DVDs, blu rays and 4K discs combined for me film wise, and a LOT of TV box sets.
Personally, it’s about having the choice that appeals to me - like you, I watch anything regardless of genre..
The only thing that I do differently to you is that I store them in their cases, on shelves in my living room.
I’ve just started my Blu Ray collection. 4K and standard. This account and various others have inspired me and Elliot, If your stuck, I’ll totally take some of these Blu Rays off your hands? 😂
Been collecting Blu Ray for 3 years, along with vhs and DVD. 17 years old and at 430 blus. Hope to never get rid of them for any reason, I collect because I enjoy the thought of actually owning the movies I own instead of streaming, better quality and of course all the boutique labels putting out movies you can't easily get elsewhere. Don't just collect my favourites but almost anything I might or do like , something of a completionist with series and genres
I'm also running out of space (so much so that I've started placing my new Blu-rays on top of my wardrobe), and yet this November was the month I ordered the most films I've ever ordered. I think that Marie's statement that people should hold onto things that give them joy defeats her comment about how people should only have 30 books (or in this case movies). Cinema is one of the things that give me most joy, and collecting boutique blu-rays is my favorite way to experience it. I love receiving the films, exploring the packaging, watching the film and the special features, organizing and reorganizing them, I love the way they look on the shelf... I live in a relatively small apartment but so far I've always managed to find a place to put my films. I've already got an idea where to put new shelves! :D
I try to find an even balance between buying films I love and films I haven't seen. I usually never go completely blind when watching a movie, because years of immersing myself in the film cannon means that I've at least seen images or read some information about most films that attract the attention of the boutique labels (except occasionally Indicator). I don't buy films I don't like (obviously haha) but I don't get rid of films that I've blind-bought and disliked, because I have trouble letting these things go, and I still find them to be a valuable part of my collection. And I can always return to them after some time and reevaluate them.
This is what I have been thinking about recently too. I have a couple of Blu-ray, about 10. I only started collecting Criterion movies this year and currently only own 8!! This is partially because I am a student with no job, so I want to wait for sales, and the other is the more minimalist aspect you are talking about. I watch movies mostly through streaming and then decide if I want a physical copy if I really love the movie a lot. Not only that, but I essentially avoid blu-rays or anything non-Criterion given the depreciation of value they tend to have.
However, blind buying can be fun. I have only blind bought 2 criterion movies I have. The first is Sanjuro (since I bought the Yojimbo/Sanjuro set) and was disappointed. The movie was a fun Kurosawa movie, but not as charming as Yojimbo with only the ending really impressing me. The second blind buy was Come and See, which has become one of my favorite movies ever and is the best war film I have ever watched. Blind buys can be fun but for me too risky. I prefer “blind watches” on streams and what not so I know if I can sink my teeth in.
I am also, as hard as it is, surprisingly patient. I will mostly buy Criterion movies if they go on sale *on their site* so I can earn credits towards a $50 rather than mass buy at Barnes and Noble. Still saves money and helps me gang more money for more movies.
My criterions:
- Yojimbo/Sanjuro
- Passion of Joan of Arc
- Ikiru (my favorite ever!!)
- Stranger Than Paradise
- Punch Drunk Love
- Come and See
- The Elephant Man
Also coming in the mail is Vampyr (got a tad impatient), so that’ll make 9 :)
I feel this!! Def can relate to the first paragraph
Stick the discs of movies you're not sure about in a sleeve binder. Recycle the cases / boxes and fill the gained space with new desirable ones. You really don't need EVERY release. Buying every release pushes you into FOMO and locks you into an ever increasing collection with literally no end in site.
I love this idea in theory, but I know I wouldn't be able to do it. Maybe someday!
@@ericgeneric135 it's how I manage mine, it's good to cull the collection now and again, and remove the what was I thinking discs. It makes the collection you have even better leaving nothing but the best!
Favorite Video! Great topic. You are a wise man Mr. Coen. I have been on-again, off-again, minimalist living all my life. I do really like minimalism, I am less stressed, less distracted, just keeping focused on what is important. Life is just easier and it allows you to have more time. This pandemic has made things easier for a minimalist but more difficult for someone like me wishes to more minimal.
I usually buy movies I like only. The only blind buys I do are for Criterion’s. I try to always buy 4K Blu-rays if available. I will settle for regular blu-ray or even DVD if it’s almost a guarantee it won’t be released in a higher quality format.
I like uniformity, so if the 4K doesn’t have a slipcover, I won’t buy it. I usually buy pre-owned either at a thrift store or ebay.
In terms of clutter, I can always find a way to store all of my movies in a way that can displays them well and doesn’t take up a lot of space. That’s why I am very intentional with every purchase. To avoid unwanted clutter. Though my collection is only around 550 movies so far.
Throw the slips away, they’ll all match then!
@@JustinCardiff lol. The slipcover give the films a sense of completion. They also have the possibility of going up in value.
Interesting that you mention minimalism. For me minimalism wasn’t decreasing the number of Blu-ray I had but rather how cluttered they looked and how much space they took up.
When I thought about how I collected it’s only films I have seen before and I view it very much as an archive.
Some form of preservation of films I deem worth while watching again or passing onto others. I don’t care about the monetary value. The value is in the films themselves. As a result I have created my own cases.
I like the feel of the thin 6mm cases, I create my own covers for each film using fan art or alternative posters I find online. Each spine is black with white lettering. All same size and font.
I’ve always loved the look and feel of having the movies with the cases but if u want the most movies with the least space u are gonna have to go with binders.
Man, it is indeed a pickle to collect. Almost an art of its own. I started to collect properly last year, and I can tell you that I've gone through many phases. At first, I only collected DVDs because I had the very antiquated understanding that DVDs were much cheaper than Blurays. Several months into the habit, I then found out that Blurays aren't that expensive anymore. In fact, practically the same price as DVDs, so why the hell was I paying for a lower quality product?! All that time I spent on buying DVDs was like throwing money out the window when I could've bought Blurays instead. I henceforth started buying only Blurays - both new additions to the collection but also upgrades that would replace the old DVDs (some of which I didn't even ever get to watch :P). Then - and I can partly thank you for this, Elliot - I discovered the world of Boutique Blurays. Every time I watched your videos and gazed upon your collection in the background, it made me realize that that was my goal. So now I prioritize acquiring boutique blurays. However, challenges have also bloomed. For the first part, and the one that frightens me most, is Brexit. Boutiques from the UK are going to become much more expensive now for us in other European countries. We will soon have to pay for customs and extra tax whenever we receive orders from countries outside of the EU, unless we reach a deal. I have therefore been ordering like a madman recently in order to get my hands on as much as possible before January 2021. And secondly, I am also running out of space. When that happens, I don't know what I'll do. My girlfriend and I are hoping to get a bigger place next year, so that may fix the problem. But if we cannot, then I am afraid that I will also have to start killing some darlings from the collection - maybe the remaining DVDs (even though I am very fond of those that remain).
My general rule for buying films or TV shows on blu-ray is this; is it something that I am going to want to watch again more than once in the future? If the answer for a particular title is yes, then I want to own it. I do my fair share of streaming but the majority of what I own on blu-ray (and even DVD too as I own lots of stuff on that format that never has made the jump to blu-ray yet) is not found on any streaming service. I do occasionally get asked by some friends what I will do with my collection late in life and I do not have an answer for that yet, though the fact that I am turning 46 next year does make me wonder about that every now and then. But I think the main reason why I love owning an extremely large physical movie collection is due to special features. I love knowing how my favorite films and television shows are made and find myself rewatching special features or listening to a great commentary track more than sometimes rewatching the films themselves.
I do blind buy but usually only when it comes to buying cheap blurays such as places like Dollar Tree or a pawn shop where blu-rays are only a dollar each. If a film looks interesting and has a decent review score, I will pick it up to check it out. I have never been married and do not have my kids so my disposable income can go towards my movie, CD and book collections. I also own a two bedroom house in which my secondary bedroom I use to store my physical media collections though space is getting limited but I am getting creative with making more space. I will blind buy stuff from boutique blu-ray labels too.
Ivd been buying movies since the early 90s on vhs.I remember getting zombie flesh eaters when it 1st came out after the 'video nasty' era. I tend to keep my collection as trim as possible as in ill get a movie on 4k and give the blu ray version away to a friend. Thats unless its a special set or a favourite. I've got 3 versions of goodfellas and multiple versions star wars but these are special cases. As a result my collection doesn't really grow that much any more ,only with new releases. I've just got the 4k dawn of the dead set but I'd never get rid of the arrow dawn of dead but generally I just want the best possible version of the film.
Great comment! I've been trying to get better at not owning multiple versions of the same film, so I've been trimming doubles.
This is so funny that you brought up minimalism, Elliot. I'm fascinated with the concept as well. I decided to JUST collect Criterion and maybe some 4Ks that I LOVE in an effort to have a hobby that I like but not feel overwhelmed by all the clutter. So far, so good. I love the idea of a personal library of content that suites my style.
Op shops mate. (Or thrift stores or whatever you guys would call them) The bulk of my collection I bought cheap, it's how I was able to build it up so much (I've got about 900 now) And it's how I end up buying upwards of 15-50 movies in one day. I'll legit just check out an area nearby and mark down all the suitable shops on my phone map. And then me and my wife will make a day of it sussing them out haha, I look for movies and she looks for books.
So most of my movies I have, I got for an average of 2 dollars each. I don't buy boutique like yourself and I only just started getting into Blu-rays. But I'm getting way more into collecting particularly this year. I try to keep it to movies I like but I also can't say no to a good deal 😂
I had pretty much no Blu-rays at the start of the year, and in the past... Month or so I've gotten about 70 more, nearly up to a hundred now. So yeah, most of my collection are your substandard DVDs..which I regret I have to admit, I wish I was getting the better quality stuff this whole time but I am slowly upgrading now and want to get more 4ks too. BUT, even all the DVDs I did get, again, most of these were fairly cheap. It's rare I'll spend full price for anything tbh, I just can't justify it
I collect based on what I like, not necessarily the company that makes them, and I usually buy them used. Not only is it cheaper, but I feel like there's something special about it having this other life before it was mine. For instance, some of my Criterion have come from libraries, and still have the stickers.
It started with swap cards at school in the early 80s.. Kiss cards , football cards.. films like The Empire Strikes Back ...then it was Choose Your Own Adventures, Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks then other books...all ones I loved and enjoyed... Not for the sake of it....I got into music too.... Initially vinyl, then cds... When VHS became a thing got some of those too. Intially it was the classics I grew up with.
. Star Wars, Indy, Rambo, Back to the Future.... Didn't have too many. Then the comic phase came. Got loads of those too.... And video games..... And video game magazines..... Collected loads of each.... But over the years it's really settled on music CDs... But not very often do I buy physical of those these days... Same with books... Magazines and comics and cards have stopped.... Games only here and there.... But I've still stayed collecting films... After VHS I got plenty of DVDs then Blu ray and now 4k. I grew up with my grandparents a lot watching midday and evening movies from many eras and genres and have not only bought and collected my favorites but lots of blind buys to discover new things. Films are history...a time capsule... Nostalgia... not only of personal memories but of human history in general...So does all this indicate I'm il?l...OCD etc..? Maybe... But I feel I have only ever got things because they interest me and unfortunately I get invested and interested in lots of things and tend to delve into them. Eg if I discover and get an interest in HP Lovecraft I'll research and then work out the definitive edition collections to get and purchase those... Pore over them until I've exhausted and soaked them up and eventually go down another rabbit hole about something else. Now I only mainly do that with films and continue to collect those predominantly. But yes .. It is expensive that's for sure and I could probably own another house or two instead lol. And yes I still have ALL those things I mentioned previously and space is becoming a real issue. I don't think I could adopt a minimalist philosophy but I do need to make some hard decisions and let some things go. However many items also have lots of memories and nostalgic value. And I love having a physical archive of so many things. I am eyeing those shelves of yours Elliot and I think I need 3 or 4 but even so could offload some films and books and probably should sell my comics. Collecting is great but yes... If not careful you could end up like me... Totally surrounded by decades of collected artifacts.... More like a museum than house ... Look left.... Nintendo Game and Watches... Look right... Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 with 1541 disk drive.. over there 70 original and near mint Choose Your Own Adventure books from the late 70s/early 80s. Open the cupboard.... The first 100 Spectacular Spider-Mans! It's a blessing and a curse I tell ya! Finally....Quick question for Elliot and anyone else watching.... Who tends to try and leave the shrink-wrap on their Blu Rays? Particularly the box sets etc where you can't really easily find a "protector" for it like you can with say steelbooks. I tend to use a Stanley knife to carefully cut an area to allow me to take the discs out while preserving the shrink wrap. But that's not designed for permanent archival protection so I wonder if in the long run it will actually wreck the sets? The chemicals leak out or something? Does anyone know? Just curious! Cheers all
My mother got me hooked on collecting as a child by going to collecting clubs in my hometown. Then I went on and collected Pokémon cards and other things. Movies became a priority as I went to college for film and at first I collected my favorite films (mostly bought from a second hand store which was my go to place). But as I continued, I started collecting criterion and A24 films because I grew to appreciate both sides of the aisle between blockbuster and indie films. As far as criterion goes, I just snag either the ones I know or the ones I was suggested to watch. As of now, I have around 700 Blu Ray films divided by format and alphabetized. I’m still collecting to this day. It also helps that I buy some that I’m interested in watching as I slowly guilt myself into watching it as it sits there on the shelf. It’s makes me motivated.
I usually buy my films second hand, especially criterion where I can usually snag some for under $20. But for special releases I would pay full price for it.
I am a long time collector. Started by buying a DVD back in 2002 before I even owned a DVD player! It seems to me a trend that after the initial burst of rampant collecting, a collector will come to a point where they’ve outgrown their original dedicated space. I had these growing pains that led to the buying of more shelves and eventually a large purge. I think these purges are good and necessary. I once felt the allure of keeping up with a boutique label (criterion at first, then scream, and to some extent arrow). But buying at those prices, for me, has always left me feeling guilty. The rule now is that i’ll pick em up if I find em second hand. And validate the purchase by thinking 1) I’m investing in the value of my collection, as I can sell these at just about what I paid for them (or more) should I decide to sell in the future, 2) the fact that these titles have been hand selected to appear under the label “ups” the likelihood that I’ll enjoy the movie in the case of a blind by. I’ll only collect spine numbers in a label if 1) it’s fun to do AND 2) it’s cheap. For that reason, I try and find weird, niche labels like Asia Tartan extreme, dragon dynasty or midnight movies for the part of me that likes how a collected label looks on a shelf. As is with directors I thought I adore , I’ve been surprised enough times by the junk available in any catalogue ( with defenders abound) not to always be waiting for something that”ll provide me some sort of emotional response. Those, “difficult” or “challenging” or “has technical/historical merit” movies have time and time again been purged. Too, if I see a title on criterion OR scream that looks interesting, I’ll look for the vanilla DVD that’ll no doubt find its way into the second hand market when the other local collectors spring for the criterion release. I have found that many blu ray players coupled with a nice tv will provide a pretty damn good alternative in upscaling to the criterion’s admittedly beautiful, top notch restoration of each movie. What’s more, I try and think of my collection as a fluid like collection. What I love about it at this point of my life might be different than how I view it in a couple years from now, and try and focus on what’s entertaining now, what I might want to share with friends and family and what has some value for when I want to change things around in the future. For myself, I watch, on average 100 movies a year, so getting to everything wether for a first time watch or rematch would take YEARS! Is unrealistic. So picking up only what I’d like to rewatch isnt even great criteria for me. So I don’t think of the collection as static, and look forward to how it’ll change in the future.
I used to buy dozens of DVDs, then I had to buy the DTS DVDs, then the Ultimate Edition DVDs, then blu-ray came out and I started all over again. Most of these disks were unwatched and some not even opened. I have hundreds of CDs that haven't been played since I ripped them in 2011. I just see it all now as a waste of space and money, so I just buy my favourite 4Ks and I'm going to sell off all my CDs and most of my DVDs/BDs. There was a programme on BBC Radio 4 a couple of years ago about how people buy loads of books but never read them - they just have them as a kind of comfort (I do that too).
I had approx 500 titles at one point but something just clicked. Minimalism was a small part of it, having things just for the sake of it. I sold my entire collection off and just started buying movies on iTunes when they’re reduced down. You can pick up big titles for £3.99 in 4K. I’ve not been able to suppress the collector in me fully and I still collect physical media of the movies I love. For example I picked up the 4K of Parasite this week and have the LOTR/Hobbit steelbooks ordered. But I’m so much happier having 90% of my collection digitally (check out Plex which is amazing) and having a small amount of physical media which doesn’t take up loads of space.
I started collecting in 2018, but by 2019 I realized it was a waste of money, and space, as I only loved maybe 10% of the films. I ended up selling maybe 90-95% of them. I now just recently upgraded to 4K, and only buy what I absolutely love, and feel excited to rewatch on 4K.
I've collected over 500 DVDs, but since moving I had to put them all in 3 cases, and throw out the covers. I kept a few, though, especially the ones with commentaries and special features. I'll put them on my shelf again when I move into a bigger house
I have a very large library of movies, music and books. I don't collect to collect. I collect to learn. And then I share what I've learned in different ways. So I don't specialize in one format. It is the content that matters to me more than the format. So I still have some VHS. I'll still buy new DVDs for titles that don't exist on BluRay or don't matter. I have thousands of LPs and CDs. And I tend to have a rather strong sense of the knowledge of history and the history of styles. So I rarely slaughter things off. At the moment my library is all in storage. And I just had a fundraiser to help me bring it 12 time zones away in a container. And people have given me the money to do that because they value my insights. If I was tight for space I'd get very clever with the arrangements before I'd sell a lot. Though I have sold things from time time. I see myself as a librarian and a steward of the material. My videos reflect this.
I collect Blu Ray and DVD's because I just love movies. I've been a film buff since I was five years old and I've been collecting on and off since then. I usually get my movies off of Amazon, or going to my local Walmart and/or Dollar stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc.) I only collect movies that I feel are worth collecting so if I see a movie and I don't like it, I don't buy it. plain and simple. And as a result of that I'm happy with the movies that I have in my collection and I'm happy as a collecter.
We collect Blu-ray or DVDs of old films mostly pre 1980. They are in 3 categories: films by our favourite director(s) but only if they have decent extras features like documentaries or interviews with film historians, people involved in the production who are still alive from when the film was made, or archive interviews. Films by our favourite actors even the rubbish ones they did early in their career, nice to see how they grew as actors and became better and when they really excelled. 1930s quota quickies you get to see how some of the famous names from in front and behind the camera became better as the decade progressed. The older generations are the main target audience for these films but I am a millennial, quota quickies and British films from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s very rarely get played on TV or turn up on streaming sites so I bought the physical copies.
I even collect the original books some of these films are adapted from, books that have been out of print for decades. I have read these too, and love to compare them. In 20 years time I doubt there will be much market to release the films we love so I’ve bought hard copies and will never part with them. Some people put them on CZcams but they always get edited so they don’t get pulled.
I have nothing against films from 1980 onwards but they are unlikely to be hard to find. I do have some cult films I loved from 1990s and 2000s but these will be the first to go to if space is an issue.
I've got a pretty small apartment so space is a concern for me. Like you, I've started selling off all my standard studio releases every time I'm able to digitally replace the physical copy for cheap. I know a movie can disappear from digital platforms but for standard studio releases, I can live with it since it's pretty easy to find a cheap physical copy of those if I need to. That being said, I've been buying digitally (on Google Play) for a couple of years now and nothing has disappeared yet (knock on wood). I'm mostly reserving physical media for only boutique editions (which I've just recently started collecting) of obscure or classic films. And even then, only if it's a film I could see myself wanting to revisit. Unfortunately, I just don't have the space to start blind buying physical movies.
I'm a physical media guy, records/cds, dvd's/blu rays over digital any day. Santa is (hopefully) bringing me a 4k player this year. Only have the Dark Knight Trilogy and Batman v Superman extended cut (I know, i know) on 4k so far, inanticipation for the Snyder Cut coming out next year, Will have a look for some more. For me, the only films i will have in my 4k collection are films i will watch numerous times that mean something. Sounds silly but part of the whole watching a film ritual is digging out the disk and putting it into the player.
On a side note, our internet went down for 2 days during the first lockdown, people were lost and didn't know what to do, wife and I just carried on with our film watching marathon.
I'm fortunate to have a rather large house where I have a quite big room in the basement. I have plenty of space for all my CD's, books, comicbooks and of course films.
How I collect films varies a bit. Studio releases I buy when they are on sale mainly. Oh and 4k only.
When it comes to boutique labels it varies a bit aswell. I preorder everything Indicator puts out as I find thier releases to be brillant. Most (by far) are blind buys and I've discovered so many great films from them.
There's a couple of other labels that I have everything from, 101 Films Black Label and Signal One.
Other labels that I trust very much with my money are Criterion, Arrow, Second Sight, Eureka, 88 Films, Scream Factory, Blue Underground, Kino Lorber. Here I more pick and choose between, but I am very likely to blind buy from these labels, especially Criterion (obviously :-D) and Arrow.
Loved the video Elliott and quite thought provoking. I see a lot of people feeling like they need to apologise for how they either spend their money or for the choices they make, which is (frankly) ridiculous. Making thought pieces like this one, that encourages reflection on why we do what we do is much more productive.
As for collecting, I'm much like yourself. One of the key aspects is the art of curation and as such many labels have guided my love for cinema as much as anything else. I also enjoy the physical presence and satisfaction of completionist. I know its expensive. I know its not necessary but I derive more satisfaction from having it than the anxiety of missing pieces.
I watch a lot of people like Matt D'Avella as well, as minimalism is a pretty interesting topic. I couldn't hard commit to it like he has but there are lots of aspects about that lifestyle that are appealing. The not having to worry about what to wear etc is a key one for me. I just don't care.
I may do a more complete response video as its a very interesting topic. Congrats on the 10k as well. Well deserved!
Thanks so much, Chris! I watch a lot of Matt D'Avella too and I agree with what you say about the lifestyle being appealing. I'd love to hear your thoughts in a video on the subject :)
I started collecting movies two years ago after one of my favourite films got taken off of Netflix so I ended up buying the Blu-ray of it.
Now I have around 100 Blu-rays and buy around 4 every month. Almost all the Blu-rays in my collection have been bought second hand for around £3 each.
Prudent way of doing it. I go through phases…Some months I’ll buy nothing, the next I could easily buy 10+ movies.
I love having the choice of what to watch when I want with no fear of a store pulling it or having to pay for a subscription service.
i collect movies i enjoy and i collect superhero shows and movies. i collect 70s,80s, and early 90s tv series i liked. i have about 900 dvd and blu rays in cabinets. my other great collection is nascar diecast.
To solve the spacing problem, I do the one thing most collectors are loathe to do: I fit the all in smaller 7mm cases. So all rank and file blu rays go to smaller cases. Those that came with special packaging or boutique titles get to keep there special casings. Artwork rarely require cropping so I can return them to regular cases and sell them as needed. Nowadays, I find myself reaching into the past and buying catalog titles more so than buying new releases going forward. After 1000 titles, my buying has slowed to a crawl. Tenet in 4K is my next tentpole purchase but 2021 is gonna be a slooooow purchasing year and they're only going to get slower. As I get older I've come to realize the ultimate futility of my hobby as these movies mean little to anyone else but me - they define me. But one day they're gonna be someone else's burden to unload and playable on machines which no longer be manufactured. There are times I look at my collection and go "what have I done?"
The first three Indiana Jones on 4k blu ray in 2021 will tempt you to buy it 😁
Oh gosh, that Marie Kondo quote about 30 books! Booktube and literary media and social media went crazy with that. I'm pretty sure she sort of backtracked on saying it by responding that 30 books was HER number, how many books she keeps in her collection and everyone will be different. Someone can have 100 books as their maximum. That's their number. As long as it's cutting out the unnecessary and unimpassioning items. (Unimpassioning is not a word, but I'm using it anyway.)
I'm pretty bad with getting rid of stuff. I've had many times when I decided to get rid of things and then regretted it not long afterwards. And especially if you have space, it's easy to let things pile up in a way. I'm actually planning on going through areas of my rooms starting this weekend. I have to reorganize my books, and I'm going to try to maybe get rid of a stack that I don't care about anymore or whatever. I'm also going to reorganize my movies a little. Thankfully there aren't a whole lot of things I buy in terms of different categories. I don't spend a lot of money on clothes, I'm not super into makeup, I just have a lot of books, movies, and music. But I'm also a very sentimental person, so that adds to not getting rid of a lot.
I used to own hundreds of DVDs, but backed them up digitally once the technology could support the storage and streaming capabilities (think Handbrake + PLEX). Since then, I only purchase Criterion Blu-Rays for the superior quality and aesthetic, and the occasional Box Set that contains multiple versions would otherwise have too much information to compress to a single file (like Star Wars Trilogy, Alien trilogy, Blade Runner, Back to the Future), not to mention wanting the best quality for those movies. For other movies, I don't mind the compression rate or the DVD rip quality when I stream.
Ooo a favorite 50 movies vid would be cool.
I typically buy a lot of films that I haven't seen. If I buy a film that I've seen before then it has to be a movie I'd watch multiple times or for a really good price. To me it's more about archiving films since films can just up and disappear once they go out of print. Since I buy a lot of blind buys though, there's a handful of films that ended up being bad. I'm getting to the point of needing to downsize so when I get to that point I think anything I wouldn't watch a second time will have to go. Not sure if I'd try to sell or put them in storage until I have more room though.
Special packages get shelf space, common titles in CD binders. The binders save a lot of space.
American here, My collecting habits are pretty minimal. I try to stream first watches of newer releases, and buy the blu ray ONLY if I really enjoyed it and want to see extras (Red Rocket, The Suicide Squad are recent examples). In general I only buy Criterion Blu rays these days, with occasional exceptions for a few A24, Arrow, & Scream/Shout factory releases.
I also trim my collection every few months using the "joy feel/rewatchability" spectrum. If I have a movie that I like alot, but never plan on watching again (Manchester by the Sea, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Seventh Seal, Saló) I'll sell/give them away.
Meet somewhere in the middle. You don’t have to trim down to favorites only, that seems stressful and like you could accidentally get rid of stuff that you want later. But there’s also not really a need to have *everything *. The way I approach it is to ask myself these questions: will I realistically ever rewatch this? Are there special features that I haven’t seen that I want to watch or rewatch? Is there something special about the artwork or packaging that makes it worth keeping? If the answers are all no, why have it?
I love my collection and feel as though I could never get rid of it or down size it as I have a multi media collection so for me it's like a history of my collection almost like a museum. I do always battle with the thought of how much plastic it is as I reduce my plastic consumption in other aspects of my life but I will have my collection for my lifetime so it's not a waste
Great video pal! Buying blu rays isn't my problem it is not parting with the films I don't love. I fear that if I want to revisit something after I have sold it, then it will be costly to reacquire later, especially limited edition items. I could definitely part with bunch of the stuff i own currently and I plan on doing so at some point. I also want to support boutique labels and this achieved by buying their products, so only buying my fav films isn't a good model in terms of support. It's a tricky one for sure. Food for thought indeed 🤔
Very good points, pal. Especially about supporting the smaller labels that need to sell many units just to keep afloat. It's gonna be a tough one to crack.
Even if I watch a film just once or twice, I will usually buy it in the best format I can, and then if I decide it's not something that fits in my own collection, I will sell it on the secondary market. I'll buy a load in the sales, and then as I watch them, decide whether to keep or sell. I keep my collection personal, and I get to watch films on and support these amazing labels.
I buy lots of blu Ray's 4k and criterion s I buy recommended movies from all my favourite CZcams s and then build more from the book movies you must watch before you die . I miss the days of blockbuster so I turned my room into a massive collection and I love it. Love your channel got alot of criterion recommended movies from you cheers bud . 😉
I started collecting DVDs from MoC and Criterion and some other companies back in 2007, and then in 2010 I kinda stopped doing that. Sold some of them, kept some of my favorites and ones I still had to watch. Then in 2016 I started buying blu-rays, cause I realized how much great stuff is coming out from all these labels. Buying and watching blu-rays (mainly from boutique labels) is my preferred way to discover and experience films. I'm not a completionist or anything when it comes to labels, it all depends if the actual film intrigues me (although you can rarely go wrong with MoC). At the same time I don't want to clutter my whole apartment with blu-rays, so I try to sell the stuff I don't feel like ever re-watching. Many of them have a pretty good re-sale value, which is great.
I try to keep my collection related to my interests. I mainly collect superhero and sci-fi titles. I will occasionally buy a stack of DVDs from Goodwill, but those are far less important to me. Everything else I can do streaming.
First of all, thanks for the informative video. I’m subscribing to your channel and, I imagine, will be watching more of them.
I just retired and decided I wanted to start collecting SOMETHING. Comic books looked intriguing, but I’ve never really been into reading them, so I decided to pass on those. However, I love movies, but in order to get some focus I’m starting with 4K blu rays and steel books based on comics, graphic novels, and Japanese manga. I’m also interested in 3D movies even though that technology seems all but dead in the States.
If you get a spare moment, please let me know what you think. Thanks.
I collect blu rays mainly because I love cinema and I appreciate a lot the work that Criterion Collection and other Boutique labels are doing to preserve all classic films and all films from the most important and brilliant directors of the world. I don’t have any interest to be completionist purchasing every title that Criterion Collection releases , therefore, I collect only titles only of my preferred directors or titles that I find interesting or with very good reputation.
Oh okay, this is about Blu-ray. I'm still on DVD. It's taken 12 years to rebuild my movie collection since the end of VHS.
Hey. The way i collect blu rays is that i only have one full shelf of blu rays. I just started not too long ago but i ONLY get films i love/wanna rewatch/or look interesting enough to buy. I also get blu rays for real cheap (always $15 or under) AND i resell the digital codes and the bonus copies i don't need. For example, i bought The Goonies on 4k Blu Ray for $15 and i sold both the regular blu ray copy and digital code for $5 each. I own a total of 79 different movies all ranging from the 70s-2019
So I live on the US Mexico border, 40 minutes from Tijuana. There's a constant flow of used moving that makes it's way to Mexico. I've had the fortune of acquiring around 2500 movies at dirt cheap prices. When I mean cheap I mean for less than a dollar. Any criterion or arrow releases i have cost maybe 2 dollars or less. I collect what I can afford. Since I live an hour from San Diego, buying in the US is also an option.
My rule of thumb is if I like it enough to buy it and repeat view it many times over the years, then it’s a stay.
As i get older (currently 21) I'm watching more classic and more unusual films. Discovering new directors for me is really broadening my view. If i blind buy and don't think I'll watch it again I'll re-sell. For a collector it's hard to say no to something if it's either cheap or expensive but the re-watch factor is something i live by to keep it manageable for both price and space
Yes the rewatch factor is key! Cheers for watching, George.
I began collecting when DVD first came out in the late 90s and they were expensive. I would buy one per month instead of paying for cable tv. Over the years, I've pretty much only bought movies that I would be interested in seeing more than once because of the expense. Then, a few years back, the prices completely dropped because of streaming. So, nowadays I only collect by thrifting DVDs/Blu-rays, and by getting new ones from online sales. I've made it a point not to pay full retail price for anything that I collect. And, I still only collect the movies that I plan on watching multiple times -- ones that I know I will want to see again. I also collect to upgrade some of my favorites.
If you want to know about movies that you've never seen then you should watch your fellow CZcamsrs. haha! That way you don't need to blind-buy.
i started collecting games 5 years ago and started doing movies this year. i've only ever collected what i wanna play or watch. then i keep what i loved. what i could watch any day or play any day. i have about 450 games and 400 movies and I'm happy. love collecting criterion, arrow, scream