Hey, guys.
I know it's weird, me posting in Distribution, but this is a deeply personal project of mine. My greatest challenge so far comes not as a writer, but as an aficionado of anime and an ambassador of the obscure. As some of you know, I adore classic anime from the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the adaptations of the works of Leiji Matsumoto - "Galaxy Express 999", "Queen Millennia", "Space Pirate Captain Harlock" and "Space Battleship Yamato". I love the Leijiverse because of its strong writing and deeply introspective and philosophical themes.
My challenge, my goal, is to find a way to get the 1982 "Queen Millennia" anime movie (not the TV series, which is already out on Blu-ray) a wide release (outside of Japan, it's only been released in Italy, France, Germany and Spain). I don't care if I have to guarantee an English-language dub for it (I prefer subtitles), I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see this film get unearthed from obscurity, because I believe it's one that deserves to be seen. I came to know about the movie thanks to part of its soundtrack featuring in the 1986 Michael Mann film "Manhunter", and I've been on a one-man mission to make the "Queen Millennia" movie well-known ever since.
I know what you're thinking: who gives a smeg about a 40+ year-old animated film? Let me tell you: stranger things have happened - the 1991 Studio Ghibli flick "Only Yesterday" eventually got an English-language release, the "Virtua Fighter" anime series, despite being less-than-well-received on transmission (but well received enough to get a cult following), got a Blu-ray release some years back (with the first season featuring both English and Japanese audio tracks, and the little-seen-outside-of-Japan second season being in Japanese), and even "Miami Vice", with its complicated musical licensing deals, eventually got DVD and Blu-ray releases, so don't tell me that this can't be done. There's no such thing as "can't", not for me.
I've been able to get a list of the rightsholders for the movie - production rights, distribution rights, soundtrack rights - but I have no idea where the hell to begin. I know the film's obscurity is largely in part due to the theme song, which plays at the end of the movie, but I'm not sure how to conduct myself in this manner. I've started writing a letter to the party involved, and I've set up a Discord server known as the "Queen Millennia Legacy Project". Any advice would be appreciated.
S. P.
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Stefano Pavone Add me to your network, and DM me here. We can go from there. My partner and I at Diamond Shadow Productions are anime lovers as well.
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It sounds like you want to start a Blu-ray label? You might consider theatrical too — I recently saw a new restoration of the decades old anime The Angel’s Egg in the theater.
I’d hit up folks at Deaf Crocodile, Vinegar Syndrome, or some of the VS partner labels to see if they have advice on tracking down film elements and who to ask for rights. Knowing how to speak Japanese would probably be an advantage.
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I studied Japanese in college, so I can understand it (not fluently). Nothing will go ahead until the website for the project is completed, which I will be building personally.
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Website and Discord is nice for marketing, but you need to make sure you can get the elements and distribution rights first. Then price out a service for doing the film scan.
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QMLP is a nonprofit movement - my goal is to raise awareness of the 1982 "Queen Millennia" movie and to draw the attention of the rightsholders. I'm not making any money from it. The website is the first step, because that way, the rightsholders (Toei Animation, who own the film rights, and Pony Canyon, who own the soundtrack rights) will take me more seriously. Distribution deals and restoration plans can be worked out as the project continues, as long as I get the OK from Toei and Pony Canyon.
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Sounds like you have a plan. It’s backwards from what I would do, though.
So you’re doing something similar to a petition— show the rights holders there’s interest so they’ll take a chance on putting out a release. They take the risk, get all the profit (or lose money if it doesn’t sell). Mobilizing the fan base might help convince them. At the end of the day, you’ve spent money and time on websites and community building, and then you get to spend $40 on a disc like the rest of the public.
My approach would be to treat it like a business plan. Find out what the typical costs are for transfer, authoring, and replication. Ask Toei for a licensing price, then figure out your unit cost with shipping. Raise that money upfront via Kickstarter. Build in enough overhead to pay for more discs than are ordered so they can be sold at a profit later. No backers? End it right there. Don’t take the risk if people won’t buy it. But you would have control over the product and learn something in the process.
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You’ve already done the hardest part: identifying the rightsholders. That’s the crucial first step. My advice is to begin with a clear, professional, and passionate inquiry to the primary production rightsholder (likely the studio, such as Toei Animation). You should tap into some of Stage 32's distribution experts like Sean Flanagan (https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/coverage/buy?id=19&exec=2681), he's a a producer who built his career in film distribution. Over a decade behind the scenes, he has overseen the release of over 2,000 titles and been involved in acquiring nearly 1,000 additional films. He previously oversaw distribution at NARRATIVE CAPITAL, BUFFALO 8, VISUAL DATA MEDIA, PREMIERE DIGITAL/QUIVER, and CINEMA LIBRE. In this capacity, he has licensed content to NETFLIX, HULU, TUBI, PLUTO TV, and dozens of other platforms, while representing titles for SUNDANCE INSTITUTE, SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS, POKÉMON, and other rights holders.