Flickering Myth caught up with the man creating retro VHS covers for your favourite films…
The digital age is fantastic. High-speed broadband, data burning and e-mail has revolutionised the film industry dramatically. Now, trailers can appear on a Twitter post, full-length films can be downloaded in a matter of minutes and interviews of our favourite actors and actresses are a click away on YouTube. But have we lost some of the nostalgia and magic associated with film?
Similar to the transition from vinyl records to .mp3’s, it seems like we’ve lost a whole generation of tangible film collectables in the VHS format, especially with the news that VHS recorders have now been discontinued from production.
In spite of the negative news, Flickering Myth has unearthed one man by the name of Steelberg who is creating his own VHS covers for the newest films hitting the big screen such as Neon Demon, Deadpool and The Revenant.
Steelberg doesn’t just provide a vintage look, his attention to detail goes further with a focus on VHS store stickers and prices! We caught up with him for a quick Q&A about his inspiration and upcoming projects.
Tell us what inspired your craft for creating VHS covers.
I grew up with this stuff so it’s all I know. VHS was THE format you watched a movie on and you watched what you had in the house. So you watched those tapes over and over until you knew them by heart, then you watched them again, haha! Luckily in my house growing up, we had mostly Lucasfilm, Spielberg and Disney movies. Great times to be a kid. The best!
How do you create the vintage look, is the process long and arduous?
It’s a mixture of all kinds of media for some. It’s like anything, you try to put in as much as you can without overdoing it, ya know? In the end it’s all in the details.
What do you do for a day job?
Day job? What’s that? I always thought the guy that rips the tickets at the movie theatre would be an awesome job. Does that guy even exist anymore? Sigh…
What is your personal favourite from the cover you’ve made?
Dude! That question isn’t fair, don’t make me! Haha. I always go back to the Cabin in the Woods tape. So simple and one of the more believable looking in my opinion.
Have you had any high profile commissions that you can speak about?
Nothing I can speak about yet, but things are happening for sure :).
Do you think the VHS industry is entirely dead? Or do you predict a renaissance similar to what we’ve seen with vinyl?
I’d like to see that happen but looks like the VCR has just been discontinued so who knows. Collecting VHS is definitely on the rise for sure. I have a pretty decent amount myself but I had to slow that down recently. It’s a slippery slope when you are a collector of anything because you’ll never feel like you have enough. There’s still a few I’m looking for so I keep an eye out for sure.
Do you have any upcoming projects?
More Steelberg projects on the way dudes!
Steelberg’s latest works can be seen via his Instagram and his Facebook page. Be sure to head on over, and let us know which are your favourite covers.
Sam Narr
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published August 13, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
