Hey Wreck-
I was curious about the process of designing and acquiring Steelbook artwork and was wondering if you could give me a quick rundown of the process to satisfy a few burning questions I have.
What is the process for what qualifies for a Steelbook having been made? To my understanding- it can be from a few different angles. Most larger, studio released films coming from Disney, Fox, WB, and Sony produce Steelbooks for their newly released films almost by default- or retroactively release Steelbooks of older films when sales for any particular title require reinvigorating. It always seems like these types of titles just pop-up- with very limited or minimal thought involved with the actual design process of Steelbooks- with companies just recycling the amaray artwork on to a new canvas, or by releasing a wave of Steelbooks similar in style- like the upcoming Walmart line.
But then, there are premium companies like HDZeta, MantaLab- etc, etc- who seem to choose which titles they would want to tackle. From there- is it a balance of studio communication? Do certain studios mandate what kind of artwork can and can’t be used-? To what degree does Scanavo have in the actual design process? Do these retailers have more creative freedom in designing the slip-cases for Steelbooks? I think back to certain examples like BluFans The Force Awakens Steelbook and am saddened that the Steelbook itself used the same artwork as the amaray, while Dan Mumford’s beautiful monochromatic illustrations were restricted to the backs of the Fullslips.
What about for film studio distributors in certain countries? I know certain distributors such as Studio Canal and eOne exist only in certain countries, and limit their distribution to said countries- titles like Arrival and Midnight Special (eOne) got Steelbook treatments through Zavvi.com, while the U.S. distributors retaining rights to those films chose not to release those films as Steelbooks at all.
And while I understand certain re-releases, anniversary collections, and 4K editions normally prompt studios to release a Steelbook- what’s with a lot of the titles that Zavvi receives? It’s a bit baffling when titles are announced like Seven Samurai (a film that I love) because it isn’t accompanied with any sort of fanfare- there was no remaster- upgrade- or anniversary to time that to- it just seems to have, like so many other titles, popped up. Is there a steady drip of titles awaiting release that we’ll just see down the line?
I appreciate any and all information.
Thank you!