The Director's Cut of Hitting the Apex is available now exclusively at fastermovies.com
Order your copy now and get a FASTER T-shirt for free!
What is the Director's Cut?
It's the North America-only, three-disc Collector's Edition first released in 2015. It has been unavailable in recent years.
The Collector's Edition contains a Blu-ray of the movie, a DVD of the movie, and a bonus DVD of seven short films. It is a handsome object - a box set with custom artwork designed by the filmmakers. It also has a unique feature which makes it the best version of the film you can get your hands on - see below.
Why did the Collector's Edition vanish?
Obviously DVDs and Blu-rays are selling in dwindling numbers, but that's not why we stopped making the Collector's Edition.
The Collector's Edition was a labor of love. 'My' version of the film for the only region I hold the rights to: North America. Universal has the rights to the rest of the world
Back in 2015, I had a deadline for delivery to Universal - June of that year. It was a rush to finish.
I wasn't totally happy with the audio. It was good but not great. So after we delivered the film to Universal, I spent a month with top sound designer and mixer Cameron Frankley working on the audio, adding, adjusting and polishing from top to bottom.
It made a huge difference. The sound is fantastic on the Collector's Edition Blu-ray and DVD.
So why did we stop selling it?
Unfortunately for us, Universal released an 'all-region' Blu-ray of Hitting the Apex which quickly made its way onto the American market. As it was 'all-region' - not region-coded - it would play on American machines.
Universal's Blu-ray was available three months before our own. And it cost less.
I found myself in a price war with a giant corporation.
You cannot win a price war with a giant corporation!
Before long, the Universal version was selling on Amazon for less than it cost us to manufacture the Collector's Edition.
So - much as it hurt at the time - I knocked my labor of love on the head.
Of course I complained to Universal. Of course I pointed out that they do not have the rights to North America. What they do have, of course, is a lot of lawyers - and they will tie you up in knots, very expensively, if you want to sue them.
So I gave up.
The only Blu-rays of Hitting the Apex that you will find on Amazon in North America today are Universal product with inferior audio and a cheap plastic case.
We, the filmmakers, do not see a cent from those sales. And you, the buyers, do not get the best version of the film: the Director's Cut with optimal audio and de luxe artwork.
But now... it's back!
For the past few years, we have kept a thousand pristine copies of the Collector's Edition in storage in Philadelphia. They are now available exclusively at fastermovies.com.
$26.95 plus shipping. North America only. Sorry, rest of the world, but those are the rights we have.
If you missed it the first time around, complete your collection now, enjoy the best version of the film (Blu-ray still beats streams and downloads hands down*) - and support the filmmakers!
At the same time, have something on us.
While stocks last - to celebrate FASTER's upcoming twentieth anniversary** -
get yourself a free FASTER T-shirt!
We have a limited number of these fine items. Claim yours quickly - first come first served.
Order your copy of the Hitting the Apex Collector's Edition and free FASTER T-shirt now.
** If you ever wondered how FASTER came to be, give this a listen