1. What's up with your name and how do you say it?
Though we appreciate the occasional lilting, up-at-the-end continental flair some people use ("Hello? Is this…Vid-e-ottes?"), it really is pronounced like the word "idiot" with a "V" in front. We of course don't mean vidiot in any kind of pejorative sense, far from it. We mean it as in the phrase "idiot's delight", which refers to what happens when a person gets lost in the rapture of doing something…so "Vidiots' Delight", someone who loves the pleasure of a prolonged movie trance.

2. How do you get to Vidiots in "real time"?
We're easily found! Take the L.A. area's 10 (or Santa Monica) Fwy West until almost its end and exit at 4th/5th street. Choose the middle or left lanes on the exit ramp and turn left onto 4th. Turn right on Pico, and you'll see us on the left at 302 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. Here's a MAP. If you turn left onto 3rd Street from Pico, you'll find our parking lot behind the store.

4. What movies aren't available on video and why?
Though we've seen some movies get released on video we never thought would see the light of a tv screen, there are still some stubborn titles that just won't budge. The reasons a movie isn't available on video cover the wide range of usual suspects: can't get rights to the music, only designated for institutional use, change of studio, so-called "lack of interest", no good print available, etc. Here are some of the more famous examples of never-released films, so if you ever catch these on cable, hit that record button: Altman's "Three Women", "The High and the Mighty", "The Leopard", "The Furies", "Our Man in Havana", "Groupies", Lubistch's "Trouble in Paradise", commercial tapes of PBS' "An American Family", any of Frederick Wiseman's documentaries, and too many others!

5. What's the best late return excuse you've ever heard?
Well, we've heard a lot so it's hard to choose only one. We can tell you that the list includes someone who persuaded us that dogs don't just eat homework (he brought in the evidence!), a production assistant who left a tape in her VCR while she went to go work on "Eyes Wide Shut", the guy whose car got towed to Alaska and numerous tales involving ex-spouses and significant others.

6. Do you have a nightdrop and how does it work?
Yes, we do and it's found on the outside of the store directly on the corner of Pico and 3rd. Just drop it in the slot when we're closed. If it is returned after we've closed on the day it was due, a late charge will be added and the next time you come in it will show up on your account. When we are open, please come into the store and drop tapes in the "TV" return box (it has a big arrow marked "returns" on top of it) at the far left side of the front counter.

7. Did Quentin Tarantino or Kevin Smith ever work there?
Nope, and nope. However, a number of our clerks have worked or gone on to work as feature writers, directors, producers, playwrights, artists and comedians.

8. Are there other Vidiots locations?
Despite the fact that people have sworn to us that we have stores anywhere from Downtown LA to some "platz" in Berlin, we really do just have the one store, and we've been here for more than 16 years.

9. What's the difference between widescreen, pan-and-scan and normal formats?
Widescreen versions present the aspect ratio of filming in which the movie originally appeared, that is, the way a film maker composed it for a theatre screen. Television screens, though, are obviously not shaped like the rectangular movie screen. In order to compensate, most videos are "panned" by a computer and "scanned" so that they fit into the square shaped ratio. What this means for you is that most videos are not completely faithful to the director's original framing. Obviously this matters more, perhaps, for a film like "Days of Heaven" than it does for "Little Nicky". If you choose widescreen, you will get the original aspect ratio, but bear in mind that there most likely will be black bars appearing on the top and bottom of the screen in order to preserve the original size.

10. What's a "director's cut" and is it better?
The "director's cut" is usually done with only select titles, usually a classic, or wannabe-classic, of some sort. Many directors have seen their films taken away and re-edited by the studio, often for economic rather than artistic reasons. Videos and DVD's make it possible for some movies to finally be released in their original length and intent. Are director's cuts better? You'll find considerable arguments about this among movie lovers. For example, some people will only watch Ridley Scott's director's cut of "Blade Runner", while others prefer the original theatrical release. Wolfgang Petersen's "Das Boot" and Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" are other examples of director's cuts that have attracted interest and debate.

11. What are Vidiots' "Special Events"?
Over the years, we've given the store over to an event we imagined our customers would enjoy. We've had instore concerts by Spain, Limpopo and the boardwalk musicians of Venice. We host the annual PXL Fest, a showing of great short films made with Pixel Cameras. One Sunday we featured a children's music concert and party. Liza Richardson has presented evenings of spoken word here featuring Viggo Mortensen, Exene Cervenka and other great LA poets. Film makers such as Nick Broomfield, Anjelica Huston, Alan Rudolph, Callie Khouri, Henry Jaglom, Todd Haynes and Les Blank have all had nights at Vidiots where they talked about their work and inspired us. We've even had a performance art show entitled "The H Word" written and performed by our creative staff.