"Ruffian" was filmed in Bossier City during spring 2006. Click here to see a four-minute, behind-the-scenes look at the TV movie.
It will premiere on TV and DVD during the Belmont Stakes in June.
The cinematography looks solid, yes? Let's call it an early Emmy frontrunner.
Incidentally, the story of this movie's multi-platform release will be just as notable as its controversial subject. (Ruffian, the legendary filly, broke her leg during a televised match race in 1975 and was euthanized after a long and unsuccessful surgery.)
During a four-day window, ESPN Original Entertainment plans to release "Ruffian" on ABC, ESPN HD, other ESPN networks, VOD (video on demand) and DVD.
The strategy was partly employed with Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble (2006), an indie film that was released in theaters and on DVD at the same time.
While "Bubble" didn't burst the release-in-theaters-first model, the rules of the mainstream TV market might be different.
If you watched a TV movie on ABC and loved it, would you be inclined to buy the DVD just days later? ESPN is betting big that you will. Why? Simple. You probably will have seen it for free the first time.
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1 comment:
I thought the ESPN movies were simply horrid at the beginning, but they've been getting a little better with each new one .. this is certainly a fascinating subject, so I hope they really do well with it
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