What is a Screener?

A DVD screener is an advanced film release for the purpose of screening a new release or re-release of a DVD previously on the market.  DVD screeners are genuinely developed and distributed by movie studios for early reviews and for award season.  During award season, from the time of the SAG Awards through the Academy Awards, you will see an increase in the amount of leaks of DVD screener films.  These screeners are sent to critics and award voters to make reviews and to choose which films, actors, actresses and more deserve praise for their works that season.

DVD screeners are the closest quality to a market DVD release. However, DVD screeners come with a digital watermark that sometimes obstruct the view of the film. This helps alert viewers that they are watching a screener copy and that it is not to be shown to anybody who did not receive it. It is a legal warning to those who might distribute it illegally; however, many people who get their hands on screener copies do hand them out and share them because of the high-quality the DVD is released in. Those receiving screeners are getting the best possible pre-DVD release of a given film before the consumer audience might even see it on the big screen.

The primary way to get a DVD screener from a studio is to be a top of the line reviewer or award show voter.  Only those on select lists get DVD screeners, especially during award season when many of them go out and can be easily leaked.  In fact, in 2003, the MPAA fought to stop sending out DVD screeners to Academy Award member voters.  These voters rallied together, sued the MPAA and won the right to be able to view DVD screeners before voting to make the process continue to be as fair as possible to nominees.