FAMILY BUSINESS: KINDER, GENTLER VIDEO

RANDY WEDDINGTON

With national attention focused in recent months on movie ratings, and especially on the marketing of violent fare to children, consumers may be growing more receptive to family-friendly versions of films.

Two recently publicized programs, similar in aim but unrelated, seem designed to test this premise. The first is a studio undertaking; the second is an independent venture by a video retailer.

One project, from New Line Home Video, Los Angeles, adds three sell-through titles edited for family viewing. New versions of "The Bachelor," "Blast from the Past" and "Lost in Space" arrive April 24, with a $14.98 retail for the first two titles and $9.94 for the last.

Last year the studio released its first family edit, "The Mask," to mixed response. "In the main conventional stream of distribution the results for 'The Mask' haven't been significant either way," home video President Stephen Einhorn told SN. "It wasn't completely ignored, and it wasn't completely embraced. But it did get shelf space. People were prepared to try it."

New Line looks to further acceptance from grocers. "I think supermarkets and convenience stores are an ideal place for the product," Einhorn said, citing as an advantage "far more penetration into the consumer marketplace."

And some specialists agree. "Grocery is a good market for family-edited titles," said Greg Rediske, president, Video Management Co., Tacoma, Wash. "And that particularly holds true in the case of Dove OK'ing New Line."

The Dove Foundation of Grand Rapids, Mich., a nonprofit organization which promotes wholesome entertainment both at retail and on-line (at Dove.org), has certified the New Line titles with its Family Edited Seal of Approval.

Declaring Dove "especially pleased" with the arrangement, President Dick Rolfe told SN that "we've been working closely with New Line on this project, and we are grateful for their bold step in making family-edited versions of major movies available to the public."

Meanwhile, other specialists have caveats. "Edited versions would be great for grocers in some types of environments," said Robert Feinstein, president, Supermarket Video, Los Angeles. "We handle supermarkets throughout the U.S., and there are definitely areas where they would be appropriate. But then there are other areas where it would hinder the rentability of the product if it were too sanitized."

And others are indifferent. "We're not interested in putting in older sell-through titles, regardless of their content," said Bill Glaseman, video specialist, Bashas', Chandler, Ariz. "We don't have the space, so we'll pass on them."

But another retailer's approach to video editing has stirred some recent national controversy. Ray Lines, owner of CleanFlicks video stores in Orem and Pleasant Grove, Utah, is supplying his own family edits of several films, a procedure for which some have questioned its legality.

"We have a co-op," Lines told SN. "People can send us their movies and we'll edit them, or they can tell us what movies they want and we'll buy them and edit them for them. We also have a video rental club, so there are basically a lot of options."

Asked about any connection between CleanFlicks' recent publicity and New Line's announcement, Einhorn termed the timing "very coincidental," pointing out that "we were way down the road when we read about that."

The CleanFlicks service has been popular with consumers. "We've been swamped," Lines said. And since news of his operation has spread from trade publications to the general press, "the response across the country has been favorable," he said. "I've been inundated with phone calls." He has also appeared recently on the "Today" show and MSNBC, and has been the subject of a New York Times article.

Some of the attention focused on Lines is due to the legal issues involved. "The co-op angle is an interesting fact-wrinkle that makes [the legal situation] a bit unclear," said Sean Bersell, vice president of government affairs and member communications, Video Software Dealers Association, Encino, Calif.

Bersell outlined the issue. "As a general rule the editing of a video by anyone not authorized by the copyright owner to do so results in the creation of what's called a derivative work ... that would violate copyright law. But the Fair Use Doctrine of copyright law does allow the creation of certain categories of derivative works without incurring legal liability. So under the Fair Use Doctrine a court could possibly find that an individual is permitted to edit a video that they own, so long as it is for personal use only and not for commercial exploitation."

He went on to clarify VSDA's stance. "Regardless of how a court would rule on this particular situation, VSDA does not condone individuals altering the creative works of the writers, directors and actors who make movies."

But the studios have yet to weigh in directly. Asked if any studios had complained, Lines replied, "not to me -- I haven't had one letter or phone call. I read some quotes in the New York Times article but I haven't heard from those guys."

And specialists are following the phenomenon with interest. "I can't see it expanding but it is still curious," said Rediske. "It is evidence that there's some demand for it."

That demand is nothing new. "Everybody and his dog tells me they had this idea 10 years ago," said Lines.

"A number of years ago it sounded like we were going to move in that direction, with airline versions available day and date," said Rediske, "but then it was just abandoned."

Saying that such editing "might as well be put in the control of the studios," Rolfe added that product like the New Line family edits "has been a long time coming. We've been lobbying the studios for it for the last eight years."

The new edits "are based on airline versions," confirmed Amy Gorton, New Line director of public relations, noting the company goal of "making sure that objectionable material and inappropriate content for families are removed."

For further guidance "we look to the TV network version as well, which is often even milder," said Einhorn. "Those are versions that the director has to deliver."

But even Dove has reservations about this policy. "I would never support the release of television edits," said Rolfe. "I think they're an abomination because they're cut not only for content but also for time and commercials and everything else."

In the tug-of-war between art and commerce, Rolfe feels airline versions have more merit. "Joe Eszterhas [writer of 'Basic Instinct' and 'Showgirls'] made a good point ... that airline versions are edited by the directors themselves, and therefore they still maintain some degree of creative control over what happens to the product," said Rolfe. "I think that's as it should be. There's a constant cry about creative integrity and yet the loudest voices are directors who freely admit to editing their material under the right circumstances."

In contrast Ray Lines sets his own standards for the roughly 175 titles he has edited. "We take it one step further than the airlines," he said. "We take out any references to a deity as well as taking out profanity."

So what standards apply in these Salt Lake City suburban communities? "We've edited 'The Iron Giant,' which is an animated kids movie," said Lines. "It had some swear words and some references to a deity that we thought were inappropriate. But most of the movies we do are rated PG-13 or R."

Some specialists think the latter titles offer opportunity for supermarkets as well. "When you can take an R-rated film -- something like "The Sixth Day," an action picture without anything real bad in it -- down into a family category, it's much better," said Rediske.

"It has much more relevance at that point because most parents are going along with the PG-13 rating for the general crowd anyway, so that edit isn't really opening up that wide an audience."

Other films, though, may be beyond editing. "There are many [R-rated] films that come very close, but 'Valentine' would hardly ever qualify as a family movie," said Rolfe.