Kevin Smith reveals his unique release plans for Red State!

/Film did a better job of collecting the information from his morning radio show than I did, so I'll defer to them:

The innovative, controversial but undeniably successful distribution of Kevin Smith‘s Red State will enter its next phase this Labor Day. On Smith’s morning Smodcast Plus One Per Diem Tuesday, he announced Lionsgate will exclusively handle the video on demand and Blu-ray rights to the film and that audiences can watch it beginning this Labor Day. Then, when the film opens in October, theaters showing the film will follow the screening with a live, digital, interactive Q&A and a live Hollywood Babble-On Smodcast. Read more info after the break.

Source Code will be hitting VOD before DVD...

...potentially changing the current structure for home video releasing. Here's the story from Variety:

Summit Entertainment is the latest distributor to experiment with the video-on-demand window, announcing that "Source Code" will be available on VOD and electronic sell through July 8 -- some 98 days after its April 1 theatrical release but two weeks before the thriller bows on DVD and Blu-ray.

That window isn't part of the $30 60-day premium window that Fox, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. established this spring with DirecTV. But the mini-major, which was not a part of those deals, is still bucking the traditional VOD model, in which on-demand titles are available at the same time as DVD releases for around $5. "Source Code" earned $110 million worldwide.

There are no specifics yet on pricing; it's up to the cablers, satcasters and e-tailers to set that figure -- not studios. However, since the early "Code" release is considered a test, none of the service providers are expected to raise the price much beyond the current $5 figure.

"Source Code" DVDs and Blu-rays are released widely on July 26, Other studios have a 28 day delay before titles are available via Netflix and Redbox.

23 Directors and Producers speak out on Premium VOD...

...in this open letter below:

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY ON PROTECTING THE MOVIE-GOING EXPERIENCE

We are the artists and business professionals who help make the movie business great. We produce and direct movies. We work on the business deals that help get movies made. At the end of the day, we are also simply big movie fans.
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk by leaders at some major studios and cable companies about early-to-the-home “premium video-on-demand.” In this proposed distribution model, new movies can be shown in homes while these same films are still in their theatrical run.

In this scenario, those who own televisions with an HDMI input would be able to order a film through their cable system or an Internet provider as a digital rental. Terms and timing have yet to be made concrete, but there has been talk of windows of 60 days after theatrical release at a price of $30.

Currently, the average theatrical release window is over four months (132 days). The theatrical release window model has worked for years for everyone in the movie business. Current theatrical windows protect the exclusivity of new films showing in state-of-the-art theaters bolstered by the latest in digital projection, digital sound, and stadium seating.