Press Releases

Aftermath Media and DVD International to produce first Made-for-DVD Feature Film

"The Watcher" To Be Filmed As Both Linear and Interactive Production

ASHLAND, OREGON ­ Aftermath Media, creators of the critically acclaimed interactive DVD movie, Tender Loving Care, and DVD International, one of the industry¹s leading independent DVD suppliers, are teaming up to create the premier made-for-DVD film: The Watcher. Production will begin in February 2000 under Aftermath Media¹s new Digital Circus banner, and The Watcher will be developed for  a linear theatrical release as well as for home viewing on interactive DVD.

"Tender Loving Care has been heralded for its creative innovation and use of technology, but I feel we've barely scratched the surface," said Wheeler, co-founder of Aftermath Media. The Watcher will be further advanced in almost every way. DVD technology has allowed us to apply our computer based interactivity to mainstream movie making in a form the public is quite willing to embrace. Our ever-increasing numbers of fans are anxious for our next title and we won't disappoint them."

"Tender Loving Care provided us with a great opportunity to distribute an intriguing interactive film product," said David Goodman, President of DVD International. "With The Watcher, Aftermath is taking digital filmmaking to a new level, and being involved in production on the front end gives us the opportunity to expand our knowledge of, and participation in DVD production."

The Watcher will take advantage of the high-tech digital equipment that has made Aftermath Media innovators in the industry. The film will be recorded on Digital BetaCam, allowing the producers to shoot the production entirely with natural lighting. Following the completion of the film, Wheeler and partner Rob Landeros will spend the next nine months working with Supersonic Media Productions of Vancouver B.C., which will handle all post production including DVD authoring, incorporating interactive properties for the film's DVD release. The entire production will then be transferred to film for theatrical release.

The Watcher is an edgy suspense story about obsession, art, eroticism and murder. It follows the story of a beautiful and mysterious artist named Jane. She is a recluse who avoids all real human contact, expressing herself only through her art. She develops a strange attraction for a neighbor named Frank on whom she spies from her apartment window. She takes photographs of him without his knowledge and from these images creates composite drawings of the two of them together. Jane also observes and draws her friend Mary, who has a Lonely Hearts relationship with an anonymous man whom she's never seen. Eventually they agree to meet and Jane goes to the meeting in disguise but gets mistaken for Mary and is suddenly caught up in dangerous situations and bizarre events, both real and imagined.


DVD International (DVDI), based in Mountain Lakes, NJ, focuses on DVD distribution opportunities and distributes programming from Aftermath Media, Alpha DVD, Bennu Multimedia, Infinite Ventures, Joe Kane Productions, Michael Nesmith's Santa Fe Pictures, Mill Reef Entertainment, NAXOS of America and Planet Theory.

Digital Circus, based in Vancouver, Canada, is a division of Aftermath Media, a company dedicated to creating interactive entertainment with compelling content and extraordinary executions. Co-founded by Rob Landeros and David Wheeler, Aftermath Media explores fresh, new ways to approach the time-honored art of storytelling through the use of up-to-the-minute media. Wheeler and Landeros are renowned innovators in interactive entertainment, having created the extremely successful The 7th Guest series of CDROM games, which has sold over 2 million copies. With Tender Loving Care, they moved away from computer based entertainment to DVD technology and true interactive movie making. 

World’s first award-winning interactive DVD movie, “Tender Loving Care,” arrives at major retailers this week

Small, independent companies miles ahead of Hollywood studios in fulfilling the promise of DVD

Ashland, Oregon; April 6, 1999--While Hollywood studios continue to explore different ways to issue old releases on DVD, a small company in Southern Oregon – with the help of several other small companies across the continent – have already figured out how to use this new platform to completely change the way we experience movies.  The results of their efforts, the interactive psychological thriller “Tender Loving Care,” hits the shelves of major retailers this week.

 “Tender Loving Care” (TLC) is the world’s first extended-play, multi-path motion picture  that both fulfills the promise of DVD and represents a brand new genre of entertainment.  Shot on 35 mm film with state-of-the-art special effects, TLC is new because for the first time ever, you (the viewer) will have a movie experience that is utterly unique and different from that of anyone else who watches it.  And the revolutionary quality and flexibility of DVD is what makes this happen.

 Two-time Oscar nominee John Hurt (“Alien,” “Contact,” “Elephant Man”) stars in this suspenseful tale based upon the novel by author Andrew Neiderman (“Devil’s Advocate”).  Hurt plays an enigmatic psychiatrist named Dr. Turner who draws you into TLC’s twisted world of lust, power, and deceit by enlisting your help in analyzing the story’s characters:  a beautiful, deluded patient, her dangerously unpredictable husband, and the mysterious, seductive psychiatric nurse who arrives to provide what may or may not be “Tender Loving Care.”

 You not only play the voyeur, you actually participate in the drama by exploring the household where the story takes place to find out what each of the characters may be hiding and what their personal motivations are.  At the same time, Dr. Turner explores your very own secret desires, predilections and aversions through a series of probing psychological questions.  And your answers to these questions are what ultimately determine how the story will unfold.

 While TLC may be complicated to explain, it’s not at all complicated to play.  In fact, it is so intuitive that even techno-phobic viewers find it simple to interact with – and extremely addictive.  Of course, making the technology “invisible” to the user, while using every available trick in the book to do so, points up the fact that TLC is extremely sophisticated high-tech entertainment.  And only a small group of tireless visionaries – hard to find in any town, let alone in Hollywood – could see this project through.

 Rob Landeros and David Wheeler, the co-founders of Aftermath Media and creators of TLC, have been working on it for three years.  In fact, the story behind TLC has just as many plot turns as any good movie, along with a small handful of characters who have been willing to take a few risks to make it work.  And the risk of working in an unknown medium, more than anything else, may be why nothing this cutting edge has made its way through a Hollywood studio.

 Landeros and Wheeler, however, have been through this process before.  Landeros co-created the first break-through title on CD-ROM, “The 7th Guest.”  Wheeler joined him as director of the successful follow-up, “The 11th Hour.”  These story-based games helped to establish CD-ROM as a viable and popular interactive entertainment medium, which is exactly what Landeros and Wheeler hope to do for DVD with “Tender Loving Care.”

 Helping them on their way to make history is DVant Digital, a small Bay-area company that broke new ground by figuring out how to make the DVD-Video version of TLC (originally geared for DVD-ROM) the most interactive title anyone has ever seen on that platform.  Indeed, when DVant premiered TLC on DVD-Video at an industry conference last fall, they literally stunned the “experts” at that event and walked away with the top award for Creative Excellence.

 Likewise, the two distributors for TLC are both relatively small boutique distribution houses that have specialized in innovative titles that many larger companies haven’t yet figured out how to market.  Digital Leisure of Toronto is releasing the DVD-ROM and CD-ROM versions of TLC.  DVD International is releasing the DVD-Video version, which is available now at Tower, Musicland, Suncoast and hundreds of independent retailers.

 Aftermath entertained offers from much larger distribution companies, but as Landeros puts it, “Digital Leisure and DVD International were the only ones that really understood the potential of this product and had the enthusiasm to get behind it.  We didn’t want TLC to be just another title in a large distributor’s vast array of products because TLC isn’t like any other entertainment product.  And these companies really get that.”  Now they are banking on the idea that consumers will get it too – for $29.95 on DVD-Video and $49.95 on DVD-ROM.*  

 TLC was first released to retailers in Europe last summer, giving Aftermath Media and its partners good reason to believe that U.S. consumers will respond.  European reviews and customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  The Times in London, for example, called TLC “...an adult caper with an enticingly voyeuristic style...Verdict: 9 out of 10. Supreme thriller with a twist." 

 Many would say the twist is that since the story is a reflection of your own psyche, you’ve simply got to like it.  For more information and reviews of “Tender Loving Care,” or to find out where or how to purchase the product, visit Aftermath Media’s Web site at www.aftermathmedia.com.
 

Product available now at www.aftermathmedia.com

Ashland, Oregon; July 31, 1998--"Tender Loving Care," the world's first truly interactive movie for home viewing, debuts this week in the U.S. on DVD-ROM and CD-ROM.  "Tender Loving Care" (TLC) is a provocative, psychological thriller based on a novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman ("Devil's Advocate").  Starring two-time Oscar nominee John Hurt, this ground-breaking new release was designed specifically to maximize the incredible advantages of DVD technology while elevating CD-ROM technology to new heights as well.

"Tender Loving Care" was created by Rob Landeros and David Wheeler of Aftermath Media.  Landeros and Wheeler were two of the visionaries behind the phenomenally successful and award-winning CD-ROM titles "The 7th Guest" and "The 11th Hour" -  which helped to establish CD-ROM as a viable and popular entertainment medium. 

Not surprisingly, Landeros and Wheeler have made another quantum leap with the development of TLC.  They've taken an unprecedented approach to interactivity, seamlessly integrating it into the storyline so that the viewer's psyche serves as the director of this tale, affecting both character and plot developments.  TLC also breaks new ground in its sophisticated use of DVD technology.  Indeed, it may be the first entertainment title to actually fulfill the promise of DVD.

"TLC represents an entirely new genre of entertainment," says Landeros.  "And once people try it out, this new form of entertainment is destined to explode right along with the growth of the technologies that make it possible:  DVD-ROM and DVD-Video."

"TLC can't be compared to anything that's ever been done before," adds Wheeler.  "There are products out there that claim to be interactive movies, but they're really just games with video elements added or feature films with extra scenes and interviews.  TLC is the first motion picture that offers an enhanced entertainment experience through non-game interactivity."

The viewer is drawn into TLC's plot of deception, power and sexual intrigue through John Hurt's character, a psychiatrist named Dr. Turner.  He enlists the viewer's help in analyzing the story's characters  - a beautiful, deluded patient, her dangerously unpredictable husband, and the mysterious, seductive psychiatric nurse who has arrived to provide what may, or may not be, Tender Loving Care.

In addition to playing the voyeur, the viewer can actually explore their cozy little household to find out what each of the characters may be hiding and what their personal motivations are.  By the same token, Dr. Turner explores the viewer's secret desires, predilections and aversions through a series of probing psychological questions - and this, more than anything else, is what determines how the story will unfold. 

Since the psychological profile of no two viewers is alike, experiencing TLC will be different for everyone.  Ultimately, TLC becomes an emotional roller-coaster of plot twists and turns with trust in short supply.  And everyone's sanity - including the viewer's - is open to question.

In another first, the DVD-Video version of TLC, to be released in the fall, will be as fully interactive as the DVD-ROM version available now.  "Absolutely nobody has created anything this interactive for DVD-Video," declares Wheeler.  "When people see what the technology is capable of, and it's paired with a story idea worthy of its capabilities - like TLC -  we think they'll be amazed." 

TLC was shot on 35mm film and features state-of-the-art audio and video, so it will also be the perfect complement to HDTV.

Not content merely pushing the envelope with two new technologies (DVD-ROM and DVD-Video), Landeros and Wheeler have decided to use the Internet to sell TLC directly to consumers via their own electronic storefront.  "The Web is fast becoming the retail channel" says Wheeler.  "And with good reason," adds Landeros.  "It gives us infinite shelf space, we can provide better customer service since we're intimately acquainted with the product, we'll never be out of stock, and we can offer it at a reasonable price due to less overhead."

Their confidence is buoyed by the fact that TLC was released in Europe two months ago to excellent reviews and outstanding sales - landing on the best-seller charts after just one week on the market.  TLC also received a first-place award in an international DVD-ROM competition sponsored by the International Compact Disc Interactive Association (ICDIA) and the Interactive Digital Media Association (IDMA). 

The DVD-ROM version of TLC may be purchased at www.aftermathmedia.com for $45.00 plus shipping.  A CD-ROM version is available for consumers who haven't yet upgraded to DVD-ROM.  A demo version of TLC on DVD-Video is available now for $5.00, which can be credited towards the full purchase price of the product when it's released in the fall.
 

Aftermath Media' Interactive Move, "Tender Loving Care", Wins DVD Gold

Ashland, Oregon; November 25, 1997--"Tender Loving Care" (TLC), the world's first truly interactive DVD movie, was awarded first place in the DVD category at the awards ceremony on November 15 sponsored by the International Compact Disc Interactive Association (ICDIA) and the newly formed Interactive Digital Media Association (IDMA). "Tender Loving Care" is a psychological thriller created by Aftermath Media that stars two-time Academy Award nominee, John Hurt. Unlike previous self-described "interactive movies," TLC is not a game with video elements added or a re-released feature film that offers added scenes or supplementary information. TLC is a motion picture that offers an enhanced entertainment experience through the use of interactive elements that enable the viewer to affect character and plot developments with varying consequences and conclusions. "Tender Loving Care" was shot on 35mm film and boasts state-of-the-art audio and video, making DVD the ideal platform for viewing it. TLC's 40+ gigabytes of content was engineered specifically to take advantage of DVD's exceptional speed and handling of data as well. 

The first-place award that Aftermath received from ICDIA and IDMA was for the DVD-ROM version of TLC. Aftermath also plans to release a highly interactive DVD-Video version for television set-top viewing. Both versions are slated for release early in 1998. Funsoft of Germany will handle pan-European distribution. Aftermath has not yet committed to a distributor for North America or Asia. The awards ceremony on November 15 capped off a three-day conference sponsored by ICDIA and IDMA for professional developers of television-based multimedia. Attendees from throughout North America, Asia, and Europe converged at this sixth annual event to get the latest information about emerging technologies and discuss the realities of development for these technologies. IDMA was recently formed to advise professional multimedia developers on the migration path to DVD, and this is the first year that IDMA was involved in this event. This was also the first year that DVD awards were presented, so "Tender Loving Care" has the unique distinction of being the first-ever winner in the DVD category. Winners in other categories include Fortune 500 companies such as General Motors Corporation, Sears Roebuck, McDonnell Douglas, Burger King, and General Electric. 

Aftermath Media was formed earlier this year by Rob Landeros and David Wheeler, both of whom were previously with Trilobyte, Inc. - the company that produced the phenomenally successful and award-winning interactive CD-ROM titles, "The 7th Guest" and "The 11th Hour." Landeros was co-founder and Creative Director at Trilobyte, and Wheeler was Writer/Director at the firm. Landeros and Wheeler have similar duties at Aftermath, but take a very collaborative approach to projects. Aftermath Media is dedicated to creating high-quality, interactive entertainment with broad consumer appeal. Aftermath's multimedia products are based upon the well-founded principles of story-telling and combine the best elements of cinema, literature, visual arts and music. Aftermath Media is located in Ashland, Oregon. To learn more about Aftermath or its products, visit the company's Web site at www.aftermathmedia.com. 
 

Ashland, Oregon; July 30, 1997 -- Aftermath Media has just announced that it will release "Tender Loving Care," the first truly interactive movie available for home viewing, this fall on DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). "Tender Loving Care" (TLC) is a psychological thriller starring two-time Academy Award nominee, John Hurt, that includes numerous interactive elements which enable the viewer to affect character and plot developments with varying consequences and conclusions.  

Unlike previous self-described "interactive movies" that were really games with video elements added, TLC is a motion picture that offers an enhanced entertainment experience through non-game interactivity. TLC was shot on 35mm film and features state-of-the-art audio and video seamlessly interwoven with realistic 3-D architectural re-creations of the story's settings. Viewers can explore these settings (which include the characters' personal effects) to gather information about the hidden motivations and emotional subtext of TLC's characters. Viewers will also be able to shape the direction of the story and development of the characters by responding to John Hurt's often provocative psychological questions posed intermittently throughout the story.  

Aftermath Media has recently signed a deal with The Funsoft Holding Company of Germany for distribution of "Tender Loving Care" in Europe and Australia. Aftermath hasn't yet secured distributors for North America and Asia, but hopes to nail those down by the end of the summer.  

Aftermath Media was formed earlier this year by Rob Landeros and David Wheeler, both of whom were previously with Trilobyte, Inc. - the company that produced the phenomenally successful and award-winning interactive CD-ROM titles, "The 7th Guest" and "The 11th Hour." Landeros co-founded Trilobyte to create and design "The 7th Guest," and served as the firm's President and Creative Director. Wheeler, who is an Emmy Award-winner filmmaker, wrote and directed "The 11th Hour," with Landeros providing the game design.  

Having a good deal of experience in this arena, Wheeler and Landeros determined that DVD would be the best platform for showcasing the feature-film quality of TLC, so the title's 40+ gigabytes of content was engineered specifically to take advantage of DVD's exceptional speed and handling of data.  

Currently, TLC is slated for release on both DVD-ROM for computer play and DVD-Video for television set-top viewing. Wheeler and Landeros would like to see both versions released on the same DVD disk, although that hasn't yet been decided.  

"We know we're a bit ahead of the curve by releasing TLC on DVD," says Landeros, "But '7th Guest' was also a little early for CD-ROM, and that ended up being an incredibly successful ground-breaker for Trilobyte and the multimedia industry as a whole. I think TLC is similar in that regard. Besides, TLC represents the next generation in entertainment, so the best way to experience it is with the next generation of technology."  

"Since TLC is an interactive motion picture we want viewers to see it in a format that really does justice to its content," adds Wheeler, "and DVD is the ideal platform for that."  

Funsoft of Germany obviously agrees. "We are excited to have a high-quality product like TLC in our portfolio on a pan-European basis - especially on the new DVD platform," says Funsoft President, Jurgen Goeldner. "Funsoft will dedicate all its efforts to ensure that TLC will become a blockbuster throughout Europe."  

Funsoft is the exclusive European distributor for many popular American products, including "Indiana Jones" and "Rebel Assault" by LucasArts, and "Barbie" software by Mattel Interactive. Funsoft will premiere TLC at the Berlin Consumer Electronics Show in mid-September, 1997. TLC will be available for sale in English and German throughout Europe and Australia in late September.  

"TLC represents a lot of firsts," reveals Wheeler. "It's the first product to offer a truly enhanced movie experience with all the interactive elements that digital media can add to a great story, it's one of the first titles to be developed specifically for DVD, and we expect that it will be the first interactive DVD product available in Europe. We're obviously very excited about it."  

Aftermath Media is dedicated to creating high-quality, interactive entertainment with broad consumer appeal. Aftermath's multimedia products are based upon the well-founded principles of story-telling and combine the best elements of cinema, literature, visual arts and music. Aftermath Media is located in Ashland, Oregon. To learn more about Aftermath or its products, visit the company's Web site at www.aftermathmedia.com. 

Medford, OR. March 10, 1997 -- Trilobyte, Inc. and Aftermath Media, today announced an agreement entitling Aftermath Media to legal ownership of Tender Loving Care, an interactive DVD and full length feature film developed at Trilobyte. Aftermath also received legal license to Graeme's Object Oriented Viewer (GROOVIE) authoring tools. Both decisions were agreed upon February 26, 1997.  

Aftermath Media, wholly owned by Rob Landeros and David Wheeler, is a separate entity from Trilobyte, Inc. Landeros, Trilobyte co-founder and former CEO, co-founded Aftermath Media with the goal to develop high-quality products with broad consumer appeal. Aftermath firmly believes in creating advanced entertainment titles that combine interactivity with a sophisticated, compelling storyline. Landeros commented "My interest is in using elements of all media and, through interactivity, enhance the entertainment value of good storytelling and substantive content."  

Trilobyte COO, David Luehmann, commented "Trilobyte is focusing all production efforts on developing Internet-specific action/strategy products that will provide gamers with what they have been waiting for; persistent, multiplayer environment games specifically designed for online play. Trilobyte has been working day and night to ready Assault!, our first 3D Internet-based game, for beta testing Q2, 1997. The transfer, of TLC, to Aftermath is a natural progression for both companies concerned."  

Luehmann continued "Rob retains an ownership interest in Trilobyte and agrees that Trilobyte's focus is best channeled toward developing cutting-edge Internet-based technology. In the same vein, we believe that TLC and future Aftermath products will flourish under the control and direction of Rob as Aftermath embraces and supports the full potential of interactive storytelling."