MoC Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on

[peerpee]

It's lovely. Only, it's almost identical to the criterion cover.

It's the same still but it includes Welles' full hand gesture, his hat, and that lovely blue colour top left. It omits the smoke effect, and his ear, but I think it's better for doing so.

[CSM126]

or this one.

That's lovely, and it's certainly a better choice (I think) than using a picture all too similar to the Criterion art.

[jamie_summers]

prefer the second one. lovely colour work on it.

[a.khan]

We're toying with going with this one now

Darn, if it ain't broke don't fix it!

With you on that nice blue backdrop.

Just go with this~

[HerrSchreck]

Totally disagree-- you'll catch a lot of heat for jonesing the CC.

[Scharphedin2]

Peerpee, I applaud your openness in this forum!

I generally think the design of your releases are second to none. That said, I do think you can do better than the initial cover for F For Fake. The "Criterion" cover was excellent, and I think you improved on it above. Yet, I am with Scrheck on not doing a cover that is too close to the Criterion. It would also be nice for those (admittedly probably few of us), who will end up with both versions on the shelf that the art is different.

I hesitate to write this (not wishing to inflate anyone's ego ), but I actually like SncDthMnky's original design very much. With the theme of this particular film being what it is, I think there is lattitude to diverge from the original artwork. The image of Welles on SncDthMnky's cover is not contemporary of F For Fake, but the smoke effect and the heavy make-up on Welles' face (along with the conceptual thoughts that SncDthMnky put into the design) fit the film very nicely. With some tweaking this really would make a lovely cover, and one that is very different from the Criterion.

Really nice job SncDthMnky!

[Monsieur Verdoux]

We're toying with going with this one now

Darn, if it ain't broke don't fix it!
With you on that nice blue backdrop.

Just go with this~

I do like this design....

[Cinesimilitude]

Really nice job SncDthMnky!

Thanks. Here's something I'm a lot happier with. The way I imagine this is that there would be a brown frosted plastic slipcover, with the MoC banner and the title on it, and then removing the slip would reveal the background image on black, similar to the fear and loathing criterion package style.

[djali999]

or this one.

I was saying to my friend not three days ago that the original poster would be the best and classiest option for Masters since Criterion already used the great pinching shot. Although I don't disagree that including the hat and blue makes for an attractive alternative, I'd hate for the similar art to lead buyers "out of the loop" to decide that it's somehow a duplication, which using the same cover suggests.

Also, truthfully and utterly selfishly, having that great "sliced" shot of Orson on a DVD cover gives me great motivation to plunk down my money on something I already own. The commentary and booklet's great, but that cover would just seal the deal for me. And I'm speaking from somebody on a pretty tight budget.

It's really wonderful, having a DVD company be so open about this kind of thing. Wish Criterion would do the same.

[Steven H]

The second cover with the spliced face is gorgeous. It fits the film perfectly, and looks great to boot. I remember first being turned on to the film by the poster, actually. If you're thinking about a background, the bit during the film where it has all the "F FOR FAKE"s in diagonal rushing past the screen would make for a nice effect.

[AZAI]

or this one.

this is def. the best of all ideas presented in this thread, very tastefull.....please keep this one!!!

[Andre Jurieu]

I actually thought the original was much better than either of these new versions simply because it was unique compared to anything else that came before. Now the choice seems to be down to one that looks like the Criterion cover-art and another that looks like the VHS cover-art. If it's down to these two choices, I would say go with the 2nd (VHS) one just to avoid the Criterion comparisons.

[rumz]

I actually thought the original was much better than either of these new versions simply because it was unique compared to anything else that came before...

Agreed.

[Ashirg]

Nick,
Fuck everyone! No matter which cover you choose, we will buy DVD. You will never pick a cover that everyone likes with this group of people - there are just too opinionated, often just to contradict each other. So you must pick it yourselves and just throw us the preview for the next cover so we can start whining about it and forget about the last one.

[godardslave]

Nick,
Fuck everyone!

#-o ah, the reasonable approach.

with this group of people - there are just too opinionated, often just to contradict each other.

I disagree!

[Cinesimilitude]

No matter which cover you choose, we will buy DVD. You will never pick a cover that everyone likes with this group of people - there are just too opinionated, often just to contradict each other. So you must pick it yourselves and just throw us the preview for the next cover so we can start whining about it and forget about the last one.

Those are pretty strong words considering everyone's comments since Nick posted the first cover has contained constructive criticism, and no whining at all...

[Anthony]

I vote for the first cover that Nick posted back in July.

[Nihonophile]

clearly what MOC needs to provide is a 'Cafe Press' style online store in which users submit their own cover to the online store and pay them to ship a printed copy of their cover.

[Lino]

I know it'd be plagiarism but I'd love for MoC's future Mizoguchi boxsets to look exactly like these ones. They look so beautiful!

[TheWatcher]

The bottom two especially. Simple, effective and somewhat intriguing. No idea what films they are, tho... enlightenment, anyone?

[Michael Kerpan]

Not sure which pictures you are referring to.

I believe the group of four at the top are posters -- and not box art for the current releases. Of these, the lower right poster is for "Portrait of Madame Yuki" and the lower left poster is for "Osaka Elegy". The upper right is "Princess Yang Kwei Fei". The upper left is "Lady from Musashino".

The two actual box covers at the very bottom of the page are not Mizoguchi films -- but rather Hiromasa Nomura's "Gion no kyodai" (a remake of Mizoguchi's film) and Shindo's "Aisai monogatari".

[TheWatcher]

Of these, the lower right poster is for "Portrait of Madame Yuki" and the lower left poster is for "Osaka Elegy".

These are the ones I was referring to. Didn't scroll down the page...

Some of those down the page are good as well.

[Lino]

Don't mean to intrude but I was refering to the boxset artwork and not the individual DVDs artwork. But yeah, they all look great.

[Michael Kerpan]

Don't mean to intrude but I was refering to the boxset artwork and not the individual DVDs artwork. But yeah, they all look great.

Which do you like better -- the Shochiku ones (the simple ones using art deco fonts) or the Daiei/Kadokawa ones (the really bright and colorful ones)?

[Lino]

Since Mizoguchi for me will always be about simplicity of feelings, austerity of form and thematic classicism, I'll go with the former.