The Future of Oscilloscope

[MCA4ever]

We should do whatever we can to help Dechen keep Adams company going :) I'm not sure how to do that and know nothing about independent films but I'm willing to watch, buy tickets, spread the word, whatever it takes.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118058902?refCatId=13

[JoLovesMCA]

Yauch left it in good hands but yes I agree. I still visit their site and support them all the way!

[JohnnyChavello]

Movies are a terrible investment. Almost always have been on any scale and the deeper pockets, even the more heavily funded art house distributors, will always have a huge advantage. In order to just stay above water where they're at, you have to be better than everyone else at finding good movies and knowing how to promote them. A lot better. And being a lot better just means you get to stay in the game a little while longer and maybe grow a little bit at a time. I don't see it happening without Yauch's vision. He's like their Irving Thalberg.

[YoungRemy]

I always considered OScope to be known as specializing in DVD releases, packaging, and re-releases moreso than their theatrical releases.

only a small handful of Adam's picks were movie theater type of films, Oscar caliber at that. but I would never expect an arthouse indie flick to do well at the box office.

what was revealing and probably already obvious but never mentioned about that article is that his wife became sole proprietor.

but why does the company need to address its future? is this article much ado about nothing?

[MCA4ever]

Of course I had to look Irving Thalberg up. Pretty amazing guy to have put out 400 films by the time he was 37. Johnny I bet you would be a welcome addition to the O-Scope staff. You seem to know a lot and definitely would fit right in with your devotion to Adam.

what was revealing and probably already obvious but never mentioned about that article is that his wife became sole proprietor.

but why does the company need to address its future? is this article much ado about nothing?

I always thought for some reason there were other owners/investors that ran Oscilliscope. I think that was the part about this article that was the most fascinating to me.

Ever since Adam passed away, I look at news articles in a completely different way. Like the Monster suit. I've probably read at least 25 different articles and each writer puts their own spin on words and twist things and title things to sway readers into thinking what they want you to think. You are probably right. There probably isn't a reason to question the future of the company. The author probably found out that Dechen is the sole owner and HE is questioning the future.

[paperdali]

If you want to support the company you can get an O-Scope membership for about $100.00. It's worth it if you love indie films. You get a DVD/BluRay about every six weeks, along with little cool swag items. You can do gift memberships as well. And then if you want to buy additional films you get a decent discount. The cover art and design of the boxes is beautiful, too. The Banksy doc came with Banksy stickers and postcards and folds out into a little graffiti cityscape.

I get emails for free tickets to premieres and such, but I think they mainly happen in NY and LA, so that might only be a good perk depending on where you live. Highly recommend the membership, the ROI is huge.

Plus they just sent me a bunch of O-Scope stickers and patches to thank me for the MSL stickers I sent, which was super nice and unexpected. Like them on FB and follow on Twitter. Those numbers help them as well.

ETA link: Circle of Trust (http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/circle-of-trust)

[paperdali]

Oh, here's another idea if you want to support O-Scope but only have a few bucks: Buy a download (http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/filter/streaming).

Go forth and get Gunnin' for $3.99. Maybe MsPacMan and Jo can encourage their massive Twitter/FB lists to buy a download in response to Variety's handwringing. It's an inexpensive way to support both Adam's legacy and indie film.

[MCA4ever]

@paperdali
Wow- thank you paperdali! That certainly is a great start. Did you join because of Adam or are you also an independent film fan? Embarrassingly I am totally ignorant about independent films but willing to give it a go. I had just mentioned to someone here about doing my Christmas shopping on the o-scope store :) What does MSL stand for? Thank you again for all the info ;)

[paperdali]

No problem! I worked at a video shop when I was a kid so I could take out movies for free. Love indie film. It was a cool coincidence that O-Scope was owned by Adam Yauch and that I loved the stuff they were putting out. I usually check out the film blogs to see what's going on at the festivals and who has acquired what. They also distributed the Le Tigre documentary, which is on their download catalogue, if you're interested in K. Hanna's band, you could start there. My favorite was The Other F Word, which is about all these old punk musicians becoming fathers, and the difficulty of touring and having to keep up the punk rock persona while trying to be a good dad.

It was an interesting look at working class bands who have to tour constantly to feed their families, but never get to see them. Then there are the more successful bands who can take their families on the road, which seems better.

It didn't occur to me that Beastie Boys fans might be interested in O-Scope as a way to protect and support Adam Yauch's legacy until you posted. I hadn't thought of it that way, but it seems like a good plan. Samsara is their latest film, and the best way to support the company right now is to put your bod in a seat in a theatre, here's the list of cities/theaters playing it: Samsara (http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/film/76/Samsara). It looks gorgeous, I'm planning to see it tomorrow.

MSL stands for Mars Science Laboratory. It's the Curiosity Rover that landed on Mars, on Yauch's birthday last month. I work for NASA, and we had tons of stickers and patches, so I sent an envelope full of them in return for the stuff they send. Their customer service is also ridiculously good. I love it when I come home and one of those crazy green cardboard packages is on the stoop. I never really know what kind of cool stuff is inside. Once it was a copy of Wuthering Heights (they're distributing the movie, so they sent copies of the book to members), some band aids, and a packet of Emergen-C. I lol'd when I opened the package. It was just so sweet and unexpected. It reminded me of the crazy stuff I used to get from indie record labels and old-school printed 'zines.

[MCA4ever]

I think I will go see Samsara, it's playing near me next week. Let us know what you thought of it. I'm currently reading thru the many videos on the oscope site to see where to start. I did not even realize they were available to stream.

How exciting your job must be! I had always thought you wrote for a major news paper or something like that. NASA threw me a bit :)

[TreasureEverywh]

Oscilloscope "are currently building a time machine". Awesome :)

[paperdali]

How exciting your job must be!

I love it. I'm fortunate to make a living at a place where I feel honored to be. We employ writers for press kits, educational materials, our website, internal communications, editing/proofing scientific papers and proposals (being a brilliant physicist doesn't necessarily mean your spelling and grammar are stellar!), and external publicity materials. We also have video editors, artists, and graphic designers. There are a lot of conceptual drawings that are done so that the public can "see" what we're working on. It's hard to imagine how a sky crane will deploy and land a rover on another planet, so there are artists who sketch things like that out to give a visual explanation. I call it the Liberal Arts side of the house.

I went to a landing event for the rover, and we saw pictures of people watching it in Times Square. I kept thinking that it would have been a nice birthday thought for Yauch, landing on another planet.

Back to the topic, I was thinking about the Variety piece and feeling pretty sad for his wife. Mourning a huge loss, becoming a single parent, dealing with lawsuits and suddenly becoming sole owner of a film distribution company in a four month timespan is a lot to bear. Whenever I'm blue about the idea that there won't be any more tours, I won't hear a new album every now and again, I think about how absolutely soul-crushing it has to be for his loved ones.

Can't be said enough. Fuck cancer.

[MCA4ever]

@paperdali

I was excited just watching the video of you guys being excited. I can't imagine what it would be like to actually have been a part of it!

I remember remmy writing something about how Adam would have been excited about the rover too. I'm sure he did see it ;)

I can't even imagine what Dechen must go through. Just losing your soulmate has got to be devastating all on its own.

I agree- fuck cancer.

[MCA4ever]

Oscilloscope "are currently building a time machine". Awesome :)

Saw that tweet. I thought they were kidding ;)

[JoLovesMCA]

Oh, here's another idea if you want to support O-Scope but only have a few bucks: Buy a download (http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/filter/streaming).

Go forth and get Gunnin' for $3.99. Maybe MsPacMan and Jo can encourage their massive Twitter/FB lists to buy a download in response to Variety's handwringing. It's an inexpensive way to support both Adam's legacy and indie film.


What a cool idea. I usually blog and tweet their news but something like that would help out so much more no doubt.

O-Scope was Yauch's baby and in the indie world it's considered one of the best. Now yes Adam is gone so could it experience a downfall? Maybe, but Yauch was gone long before he was gone. Fenkel has been the one doing everything since Adam had gotten progressively worse. I noticed a shift in the news articles and they started mentioning Yauch less and less, no more quotes just Fenkel stepping up to the plate and doing it now. :(

Always loved this photo of him and Adam.
http://beastieboysgallery.com/displayimage.php?album=59&pid=3779#top_display_media

Dechen has full control now of all of his businesses but Adam did say that she can do whatever she wants with it, but it appears to me that she's going to keep it going.

[paperdali]

I usually blog and tweet their news but something like that would help out so much more no doubt.

Dooo eeet!

You have like a bazillion followers, so something like, "Support independent film while honoring MCA's legacy" would be sending a nice turn of karma towards his family. It's a two-for-one nice thing to do, plus, you get an awesome film, so it's win-win-win.

Er...sorry if I'm overstepping bounds. It doesn't look like you use the accounts for shilling things, ever. I'm unsure if that would cross a line?

[beasties#1fan]

Dooo eeet!

You have like a bazillion followers, so something like, "Support independent film while honoring MCA's legacy" would be sending a nice turn of karma towards his family. It's a two-for-one nice thing to do, plus, you get an awesome film, so it's win-win-win.

Er...sorry if I'm overstepping bounds. It doesn't look like you use the accounts for shilling things, ever. I'm unsure if that would cross a line?
& I will retweet it;)(y):o

[Hiphopdancer]

We plan on going to see Samsara this Friday (Sept. 14) in DC. And I'll wear my O-Scope t-shirt proudly! (Still waiting for my New Yauch City shirt . . . patiently . . . sigh).

[JoLovesMCA]

Dooo eeet!

You have like a bazillion followers, so something like, "Support independent film while honoring MCA's legacy" would be sending a nice turn of karma towards his family. It's a two-for-one nice thing to do, plus, you get an awesome film, so it's win-win-win.

Er...sorry if I'm overstepping bounds. It doesn't look like you use the accounts for shilling things, ever. I'm unsure if that would cross a line?


Well there are several ways this can be approached. I can send folks the link to join up and mention how the support of O-Scope will help Yauch’s vision for great film etc.. and for those can’t spend any money I can simply encourage them to follow the lab on twitter and face-book, watch their films, review their films. So yeah this can be done. A lot of people in the fandom are aware of O-scope but I know there are many who don’t know!

Thanks for the great ideas!!!

We plan on going to see Samsara this Friday (Sept. 14) in DC. And I'll wear my O-Scope t-shirt proudly! (Still waiting for my New Yauch City shirt . . . patiently . . . sigh).

Good idea!!! Have a good time!

[b-grrrlie]

I saw that Le Tigre documentary a month or so ago on the roof of Culture House in Stockholm, they showed music related movies every night for a week. Afterwards I felt like I totally wanted a physical copy! Every November I work as a volunteer at the Stockholm Filmfestival and get to see as many films as I have time for for free. I always try to check anything's that's got to do with music and most (American) independents. I've always felt a little proud when Oscilloscope logo has come on... I hope there will be a few of those this year as well....

[WhoMoi?]

Paperdali -

Thanks for links and the great suggestions!

I had noticed that "circle of trust" link on the O-scope webpage, but assumed it was to join the email list, and since I was usually on a mission to find some other info when visiting the O-scope page (very important things, like Hornblower's letter to the Recording Academy, and Losel's hermit crab artwork), I didn't click on it. Now I know...thanks again! :)

[MCA4ever]

Wuthering Heights
http://dcist.com/2012/10/popcorn_candy_126.php

Playing at-
http://www.oscilloscope.net/films/film/58/Wuthering-Heights

[YoungRemy]

Samsara just set an O-Scope record. 1.8 million in box office and rising.

Hey all,

We're not ones to toot our own horn, but once in awhile we can't help but indulge: as of this weekend, Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson's SAMSARA has hit $1.8 million in box office, becoming O-Scope's highest-grossing theatrical release in company history.

To those of you who've seen it in theaters, who've told friends and family to catch it on the big screen, O-Scope and the SAMSARA team thank you immensely for your love, support, and enthusiasm. And for those of you who haven't seen it yet, SAMSARA continues to play in theaters nationwide! Don't pass up this rare, cinematic experience shot on 70mm.

To check out the SAMSARA trailer or find a theater near you:
http://barakasamsara.com/theaters

***

In other O-Scope news, our latest release WUTHERING HEIGHTS is now playing in New York, Los Angeles, DC, and Portland, and will hit more theaters in the weeks to come.

Matt Ross's 28 HOTEL ROOMS (starring Chris Messina and Marin Ireland) is now available on demand / digital and starts its theatrical run November 9th.

And in December, O-Scope will be releasing two excellent new documentaries: the Ross Brothers' ethereal film TCHOUPITOULAS and Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims' coming-of-age ONLY THE YOUNG.

Find more info about these O-Scope releases on our state-of-the-art web presence:
http://www.oscilloscope.net/

Thanks folks and happy Sunday!
Oscilloscope Laboratories

www.facebook.com/oscopelabs
www.twitter.com/oscopelabs

[MCA4ever]

Samsara just set an O-Scope record. 1.8 million in box office and rising.

They so deserve it. Adam had to have been so proud of his company. I have never seen a team of employees that are always so upbeat and positive. I have heard so many nice things about them. I know Adam is looking down with a big smile :)

[WhoMoi?]

Samsara just set an O-Scope record. 1.8 million in box office and rising.
(y):)

They so deserve it. Adam had to have been so proud of his company. I have never seen a team of employees that are always so upbeat and positive. I have heard so many nice things about them. I know Adam is looking down with a big smile :)
They are super nice people who are doing really awesome things. Definitely a reflection of the man who started it all. :)

[JohnnyChavello]

Oscilloscope released A Teacher yesterday on iTunes. If you're into indie movies, you should for sure check it out. I was blown away.

[ericg]

Oscilloscope "are currently building a time machine". Awesome :)

yeah maybe yauch and hornblower just decided to take an interdimensional trip in their time machine to get some great shots and well we'll see them later! or maybe we've already seen them from the future... all the same i welcome all the non believers out there. i want to peer into another dimension too. know what i'm sayin'?! anyway, rock on oscilloscope!