How did everyone get into designing covers?

[bpmford]

QUOTE (nikerun147 @ Jan 10 2012, 07:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've only used about 4 custom covers, I'm usually happy with retails

:chin: Hmmm, interesting, someone who likes making customs who is also happy with retail works.

Although I guess when you design, you like to keep to the studio templates, so I can see why you like them.

For me, as you all know, I don't like the studio covers at all, so guess that's why I am the odd ball that has to have all customs.

Although i do still use customs from others that follow studio styles!

Guess I'm just obsessed with customs!

I will definitely be the founding member of CCA!

[Kernie]

QUOTE (bpmford @ Jan 10 2012, 02:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What about others, am I the minority using so many customs? or are most people in the middle with some customs and some originals?

I also have not used a single custom cover. I'm sure that sounds odd, since I enjoy making so many of them.

My shelves still contain the retail artwork, despite the fact that I usually think the retail stuff looks like crap, it's still the "official" indicator that I have indeed purchased every item on my shelf (with the exception of a few DVD's of video productions that I've produced myself). I had a friend whose DVD collection appeared to be massive, but over half of them were "obtained through other means" and he used custom covers (usually retail scans) to put them all into amaray cases for his shelf. As a collector, I want to impress people with the fact that I have legitimately purchased every item that rests on my shelf, and the best way to do that is to keep them all in the retail cases.

But that's just me...

[bpmford]

Your reasoning makes sense kernie.

For me I love having customs on my shelf to show my friends and family my work and the work of my friends. The rest of my movies are either in my Blu-Series or Academy covers... I like the symmetry!

All my custome are used on legitimately purchased movies too, but we all know that many customs are printed for 'other means' movies. Labels even more so.

[Jazzy]

QUOTE (bpmford @ Jan 10 2012, 05:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I actually got into cover making by accident!

I live in Canada... and one of our huge drawbacks when it comes to movies is that they all need to be released in French and English. So the covers that come in our cases have everything twice. That includes the spine; even when it isn't necessary (Like writing 1408 twice for both languages). A lot of times this makes the spine of the cover ugly and quite busy, especially on Blu-rays.

... same drawbacks here. I'm also from Canada...but in the East.... and here (in Québec) we go in French!

So I started to look for covers with only French as info on covers. Found a bunch in France...but... Yes there is a "but".. They, most of the time, do not have the same translations as here.

Examples:
Blue Valentine, A Love Story will translate to Bleue Valentine, Une histoire d'amour. This is the title in French Canada or Québec. In France, the translated it to Blue Valentine, A Love Story. !!! They have the same title as in English.

Most recently, the movie I Don't Know How She Does It would translate as Je ne sais pas comment elle fait and this is the title in Québec. In France, it is, Mais comment font les femmes ? and that does not help me.

So, since my reaserch did not get results, I started to do my own covers.

A few years ago, I worked in France for 3 years and a fellow worker had already started to do some labels for himself and got to sites to get resources. So I started there also to look for more resources for my part of the country and got a few press acces to get to those resources.

The first site that I discoverd was 9covers... and got a lot of help from Wysmommy. But that did not stand long with the administrator there...

Afterwards, got into more and more cover making... and discovered more and more sites to help me on making those covers I needed in french.

So... Brad... I think that we have something in common...

[LittleCoolDude]

QUOTE (bpmford @ Jan 10 2012, 03:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL bunny! you are an old fogie in the custom cover biz!



That is actually an interesting comment. I have every one of my blu-rays in covers, but some others like yourself don't use any.

What about others, am I the minority using so many customs? or are most people in the middle with some customs and some originals?

I tend to print alot of covers but thats for other reasons :P

[bpmford]

Lol jazzy, guess we do, in opposite ways! Yours seems worse tho... At least there is only one English to worry about.

... I don't want to know your reasons LCD! ( )

[Arkflip]

A few years ago, somewhere between 2000 and 2001, I downloaded a couple of movies and was looking for a scanned cover for each movie, when I found a portuguese website where people shared some (most of them with poor quality) scanned covers for those like me who wanted them to fill some empty cases at the shelf. One day one guy posted a topic related with a new thing called custom covers. He was excited to share this great thing and his excitement grabbed my attention. That guy’s name is Stalker…

Then one day he and I started talking about the custom covers world and how people were starting to do custom covers at foreign communities, sharing info, techniques and other stuff at dvdcoverart. Due to the Disney a55holes, dvdcoverart closed before I could register there. Beside that, I got the interest to try myself to do a custom cover. My 1st attempt was with Paintbrush and PowerPoint never heard about Photoshop but Stalker helped me a lot at the beginning. I started at Generetic (now offline), then MaDVD (actual R1DB), Dagon’s Den (actual Replace the Case) and that time I wasn’t the wip king, I actually finished my covers and that gave me access to StudioPublicity (actual MRCovers). For those who don’t know, StudioPublicity was a private site runned by Beyound Doubt from UK and the paradise for resources, where only the best artists had access to it and only with invite/recommendation. Those days google was designers best friend

Stalker mentioned my name there and one day Beyond Doubt sent me an invite to his site. Man, that day was one of the best days of my virtual life!! There I found amazing covers, some pure pieces of art, done by Scaramanga, BunnyDojo, JupiterPrime, Dagon, SXS, Irrob and a few others. Obviously my style was rude at the beginning, then I saw Bunny’s work and I decided that retail look was the style I was looking for my covers.

I was also a member at almost every site at that time.. as far as I can remember Daprogger, Euphorix, 9Covers, Customaniacs and finally HiresCovers until now. And like Tim said, I can't believe a decade passed since I started on this!!

[bpmford]

Wow, what a story Ark! Really interesting to hear how the custom cover industry has evolved over the years.

Stalker was one of those guys that I always heard about in whispers, but don't think I ever met him. he isn't around any more is he?

[Arkflip]

Nop Brad, i still talk with him once in a while but he's not doing covers anymore.

I wrote my post when i was at work and i knew i forgot something...

Dude can you imagine how good it was to be part of a group of designers like Scaramanga, B3arstyle (when he was an active designer and not a lazy old dog like now), CavemanLawyer, Ric Easton (his site is still running and you can still see some of his old work there), Scaramanga, BunnyDojo, Shorn, SXS, Dagon, Demonology, Irrob, UBL, Dweez and even iCoty and Maladroit did some covers (i remember a competition we had for "A Clockwork Orange" cover) and later Gsalb, Euroboy, Ace, Zantasha, Syxx0rz, Skallywag, Ruso?

And a few others i didn't had the chance to talk with like Static14, Powers, Evenstar, Corrme, MattD, Giacunda (a polish designer with an amazing talent) and a few others!

I really need to revisit my old drives where i have all this guys work archived!

Would you like to see a small preview of every name listed artwork?

[bpmford]

Definitely! I know a few of them (Zantasha, Dweez, Skally, Ruso), but I'm sure some others don't.

I think that would be cool! Get a taste of some past desigher's works!

The only one you could leave out would be that Dojo guy, hear his stuff isn't all that good any way!