Summary

Dale Cripps introduces Stonehenge International, a proposed premium HDTV channel concept built around a ten-day post-theatrical release window for major studio films. The project, described as the product of 16 years of study, seeks studio cooperation and open dialogue before any formal agreements or investments are pursued.

Source document circa 1999 preserved as-is

 

 

November 7, 1999

 

The first step in building STONEHENGE INTERNATIONAL has been taken.

To be sure it is a difficult project to realize. Much of this channel's appeal comes from the proposed use of high-profile programming in a very early window--just ten days following a feature's world theatrical premier. The decisions to grant that window is in the hands of the major studios and their auxiliary releasing companies. It will take a groundbreaking agreement by all parties to get that window. I am confident that those who will take part in making a decision on our behalf will be challenged by what is presented here in the coming weeks and months. The idea of STONEHENGE is compelling, hopefully enough to warrant careful consideration. That is certainly all I can ask for now. Whether self-interest and competitive protectionism will foreclose on the possibility for our new channel being great is the key question. As envisaged, STONEHENGE is a win-win concept that makes a promise to raise all ships with a new tide. But if one or more of the ships seeks rewards disproportional, we have serious, if not fatal, trouble. Individual self-interest or enlightened self interest--which will prevail?

I will not deliver a formal presentation of STONEHENGE at this time. It is far too early for agreements to be reached. I am trusting that digestion of bits and piece is better than trying to grasp the whole concept. So, today there is no package you can mull over for coming to a simple yes or no. Nor is anything asked of anyone other than the keeping of an open mind and being part of a dialog on how to best place content in a commanding lead in the digital revolution. No investment is going to be made by anyone in STONEHENGE or those associated with it until it is clearly understood by all parties, and only then after careful deliberation of any assumptions. This is not, as one asked the other day, some Internet scam. What is being rolled out for comment is a project born out of 16 years of uninterrupted study on one major subject. I know that among you there are many years of contemplation about a distinctly new era in motion picture making and distribution. I expect much of that to be integrated into STONEHENGE. Like a movie, STONEHENGE is a project which will not come together until all of the elements are securely in their place.

 

About Vision
Joe Flaherty said to me in his CBS, Inc., NYC office, "A true visionary is one who sees how things will be, not how he or she would like them to be." The vision that has created STONEHENGE after 16 years is consistent with Joe's comment. I will add that a vision is never real without seeing yourself in it.

 

And what is the goal:

 

TO CREATE AND DELIVER THE WORLD'S FINEST
ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION SERVICES TO
A LIMITED AND CAPABLE AUDIENCE *.

 

I am reminded of one more saying: "Make no small plans, for they have no power to move men's hearts."

 

And permit me one more from Henry Ford, who put the world on wheels and made everything in a modern economy possible. He said, "There are people who say they can, and there are people who say they can't, and they are both right."

 

Dale Cripps

November 7, 1999

 

* to be fully outlined in coming weeks.

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Some words to ponder....

From http://www.lvmh.com/...something to consider as we develop Stonehenge International

    Innovate or die
    "We would die if we didn't innovate. But how do you innovate? Create new products? Of course, but also attract new consumer groups, penetrate new retailing networks and new markets, new price points, and encourage new consumption modes."Pierre Letzelter, President, Wines & Spirits group

    To be innovative and efficient
    "In other words, I want innovation in all business areas and not only in the product area because on top of being innovative, we need to be efficient. Efficiency and innovation in all business areas are essential for the successful business managers of the future, and those who oppose the creators and managers are people of the past. To achieve efficiency and innovation, we encourage the attitude of "thinking out-of-the-box". Too often, management tends to be conventional and stick to what has been for a long time the natural territory of a house or a brand."
    Patrick Choël, President, Fragrances & Cosmetics group

    Every activity must be considered essential
    "It is much the same thing for the triangle player at the back of the orchestra: he has spent years learning how to hit the triangle. And though you might think this is funny, the stakes are high for the manager that I am, that you are, that we all are. Imagine a conductor who thinks of the triangle at the back as a third-rate instrument. And imagine that during the rehearsal, the conductor talks to the triangle player like this: 'Hey, you'll play it properly, the 'Ding', won't you?' Ten years of the triangle player's life immediately dissolve because someone said 'Ding' Then consider what happens if, because you ridiculed the triangle player, the triangle note is badly played during the concert: all is lost, the whole concert is a failure Nothing is too minute to be ignored. That is why I believe that the role of the conductor is similar to that of a manager: all the activities he coordinates must be considered essential."
    Philippe Fournier, Conductor

 

     

 


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