I would say if no distributor like Miramax are mentioned at all in the actual film credits, then I don't think we can list them as a studio even if they are mentioned on the cover.
Neither can we list individuals as studios, unless you can show they have a company the same name as them (which happens), so Lawrence Bender is out too.

So I would go with LIVE America and Dog Eat Dog Productions in the studio field (in that order), and I'm assuming Dutch Filmworks released the DVD so they would go in the Media Company field. If there is any mention of Miramax having something to do with the DVD (not just the film) then they can go there too.

Quoting T!M:

Quote:
"Lawrence Bender Productions" actually is a company, though: link.

Yes, but as far as I can tell he didn't form that company until a few years after Reservoir Dogs so it still wouldn't count for this profile.

Thanks for your thoughts so far .

Miramax Film was one part I actually could find on the net.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miramax :
List of Miramax films
See List of films released by Miramax Films
1992
Bob Roberts (co-production with Paramount Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films)
Enchanted April (distributor)
Reservoir Dogs (distributor) (co-production with LIVE Entertainment)

The reason I went looking was in one of the >100 posts I read on the subject today someone pointed out that the theatrical release studio is often not in the credits and sometimes not on the cover either. (Sorry, can't remember the where the post is located at the moment.)

I find this awfully confusing

Ok, so far so good.

So that would make it:
- Live America (as a definite nr.1)
&
- Dutch Filmworks (as a definite MC)

The only reference on film to Dog Eat Dog Productions is the copyright notice at the end of the film.
However : On a couple of sites Dog Eat Dog Productions is listed as the production company, f.e. http://www.variety.com/profiles/Film/main/30247/Reservoir+Dogs.html?dataSet=1

Is that why you'd add them (in the number 2-spot)? Sorry that I'd like it spelled out for me. but I intend to point to this thread when I contribute.

Steve

Don't worry about it. And yes the copyright notice is good enough for a studio slot, though you would list companies listed in the opening credits first. As there are none you can list on this film (all seem to be individuals) then the copyright notice is the next best place to look.

Quoting northbloke:

Quote:
I would say if no distributor like Miramax are mentioned at all in the actual film credits, then I don't think we can list them as a studio even if they are mentioned on the cover.

This is the only part I disagree with.  The rules do not require the studios to come from the credits and not the case.

While I take the information from the credits first, I do not rule out a studio that is listed only on the DVD/Blu-ray case.  Since there is room, and Miramax did release this film, they should be included in the studio list.

Quoting northbloke:

Quote:
My only concern was that, without corroboration from the DVD itself, how can we be sure Miramax were involved in the distribution in that particular territory?

I don't think so: I don't believe Miramax has a local branch here, so I guess it's licensed out to some other company. That's actually quite common over here. But does it matter? I've given this some thought, and let me ask you: do we actually track local theatrical release studios at all? I've come to the conclusion that we don't, generally. Think about it: usually, the various DVD-releases of any given film will be based on one and the same transfer, and as such, usually, the profiles throughout the various regions and localities will be using the theatrical release studio listed in those credits, even when the contributor happens to know, and could maybe even document, that another company actually handled the theatrical release in that locality. Even when we know that, we generally seem to ignore it.

Now that we're talking about The Netherlands, here's a list of about 500 films for which Dutch company A-Film is responsible for the theatrical release in this country. Hardly any of the corresponding DVD profiles will have them listed as theatrical release studio, though, as they're not listed as such on the covers (credits block) nor in the credits: they will just show the original theatrical distributor. And that's the one that we track. A recent example is 'Milk'. The credits will just show "Focus Features", so when it hits DVD, that's what will get entered, even though we have no branch of Focus Features here, and it was released to theaters by A-Film. So I'd be inclined to think we generally don't track local distributors at all. Given that we don't, I'd be inclined to add original theatrical release studio Miramax, even though the DVD distributor went so far as to chop their credit off the film (local DVD distributor Dutch Filmworks is, unfortunately, no stranger to antics like that).

In regard the copyright in the end credits:

It's my understanding that the copyright holder often is the main company in the chain of sister companies. So if Twentieth Century Fox is the production company, News Corporation may be the copyright holder. Probably not the best example, but you might get the idea.