Ian's Newsround - 23/04/04
TOS were so proud of this update that they sent a mail-shout out about it. And with just cause. Your special treat tonight, gentlemen - DVD cover art. I've said it before and I'll say it again: despite the awfulness of the series VII and VIII special effects, Chris Veale is very good at creating still images. The Esperanto background (an idea that was exclusively revealed on G&T ages ago) is a lot less blue than the version we see on-screen, but this is important to get the detail across; you can't really see much of the ship in the episode. Amusingly, the underwater theme was also used for the Series V videos, but I'm sure this continuation is unintentional.
The Last Chance Saloon picture is just lovely. The article informs us that it's not strictly accurate to the episode, but I hadn't noticed. Besides which, if we can accept Lister painting the bunk room in a spacesuit, we can accept this. A couple of notes: by posting images of the cover backgrounds, GNP are giving the ammo to parodists and hoaxers on a plate. Oh, and remember my piece of conjecture about the cover colours? It's coming true, it's all coming true.
Elsewhere, there's some cast news. Christopher Brown will be appearing at the SFX Event, and Norman Lovett will be showing up at Odyssey 2004, the Arthur C. Clarke convention. Call me ignorant, but I can't recall a connection between Norm and Clarke. Other than Norman playing a comedy version of Hal, of course. And finally, Lily Lovett (she's the one with the dark hair) will be in Shane, the sit-com in which Frank Skinner plays a character that is nothing like himself at all, this Wednesday.
By the way, for those who don't know, John and I didn't go to see Weapons Of Mass Distraction being recorded after all. This is probably a blessing in disguise.
Comments
I think I'm going to make the internet mockups myself to get it over and done with.
Seriously.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 23, 2004 09:18 PM
When I saw the cover art earlier, I was expecting
comments about the 'Gunmen' cover getting too far away from the previous 'Space' image........But so far people have been positive which makes a pleasant change, I think it's Smashing :)
Posted by Cpt-D at April 23, 2004 09:46 PM
I must say the covers look fantastic. And Darrell, do it man. At least we'll know it IS a fake.
Posted by Cappsy at April 23, 2004 10:26 PM
I've nearly finished the series V one, the series VI one should be easier as I just need to alter a few things.
They're looking on the whole very nice. I now have an ambition to get them on a shopping website such as Play, and will chronicle my attempts.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 23, 2004 11:53 PM
Oooh, spiffing. I recon you will succeed. Be sure to allow us previews!
Posted by Cappsy at April 23, 2004 11:58 PM
The VI cover does look nice, but I think it's a bit *too* specific. On the other hand, Gunmen is the episode most readily associated with that series, and so I think the cover will do well at attracting the casual buyer.
V, meanwhile, is absolutely lovely.
Posted by Seb Patrick at April 24, 2004 12:40 AM
All I can say is - I WANT SERIES 6 ON DVD NOW.
I'll post the images in about 10 mins!
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 12:41 AM
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 12:53 AM
As you can see, not perfect (specifically the small writing underneath 'Bonus Material' being in the wrong font - I couldn't get the actual one), but a couple of adequate mocks which we know for certain are fakes.
Incidentally, every single thing on them is created from scratch, often via needlessly awkawrd techniques.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 12:56 AM
AWKWARD
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 12:56 AM
Those actually look quite good. How long did it take you?
Posted by Austin Ross at April 24, 2004 02:53 AM
I'd do an American version, but I'm crap at working with images. The Garbage World logo seems to be my greatest creation, and even that was very, very simple to make.
Posted by Austin Ross at April 24, 2004 02:56 AM
Ooooh, i'm liking them alot! By far better than the crock of shit, Series III one. Play will snap them up. Blackstar are pretty bad for fake covers too.
Posted by Cappsy at April 24, 2004 09:28 AM
*phones his lawers*
Posted by ADNEW ELLAD at April 24, 2004 09:30 AM
Damn, they're good. It'd be an amazing coincidence if you'd picked the right Rimmer/Lister images (although they are good ones to use), but even so, as an indication of how the discs will look they're brilliant. You may say that the little text is the wrong font, but I can't say I'd ever have noticed. They don't look fake at all.
All you've done is make me want those DVDs RIGHT NOW, dammit.
Posted by Seb Patrick at April 24, 2004 09:44 AM
I have that font, it is Microgramma Light or something like that.
Posted by Mr Flibble at April 24, 2004 10:09 AM
Excellent, Darrell.
Posted by Ian Symes at April 24, 2004 10:52 AM
Cheers for the nice words and that.
They took me about two hours on Microsoft Image Composer, which is a *fucking brilliant* program that nobody's ever heard of. A cross between Photoshop and the graphics elements of Powerpoint, and it makes montages like those above really easy. It also helps to have Paint open at the same time to import/export images from/to - the two programs make a good team.
Cheers for the font tip - if I can be arsed I'll try and do revised ones, I've still got the source files. I'll probably need to ruin the VI cover too by putting a black halo around the pictures.
Now, I wonder if anyone will be taken in by them?
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 12:05 PM
Oh, I'm pretty certain that they'll use the same series 5 images as I have. The Holoship Rimmer is a given (I think the Low Rimmer and naked oily Rimmer aren't that suitable, and the gingham Rimmer blows a big joke), and Sebastian Doyle is the most appropriate 'interesting picture of Lister' you can get (I don't think the Low Lister's right).
Of course, they'll probably use different pictures JUST TO SPITE ME.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 12:12 PM
Yeah great mock ups... although I do have a sneeking suspicion that the Lister and Rimmer at the front of the Series 6 cover will be in cowboy garb ala Gunmen.
The Series V background is fantastic but I'm still a bit disappointed at the DVD makers insistence to use an image that is only iconic to one specific episode and not the entire series. Series VI is so much more than just that one episode... oh well.
Both backgrounds are fantastic don't get me wrong but I would have preferred a ship rather than something that only exists inside Kryten's subconscious
Posted by King of the Potato People at April 24, 2004 12:12 PM
1. I think the Esperanto cover looks cool!!
2. I think the Westen cover looks rubbish! (I don't like Gunnmen that much)
3. Nice work on those fake covers Darrell! How the hell did you get rid of the background so well! I just suck.
Posted by MJN SEIFER at April 24, 2004 01:56 PM
I didn't get rid of anything, I plonked the background on and re-created all the adornments from scratch. The fiddliest thing was the GNP logo, it's far from accurate on those.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 02:34 PM
I mean the Lister/Rimmer pictures
Posted by MJN SEIFER at April 24, 2004 04:04 PM
Erm, just cut round them with the delete brush.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 24, 2004 04:16 PM
Very impressive. They may be fake, but they give a good indication about what the genuine articles will look like.
Posted by Pete Martin at April 24, 2004 06:37 PM
I'm sorry to hijack this thread but does anyone know the TX dates of the big repeat run in 1994. I know Series 6 was aired around June 1994, but I'd like to know the rest for reference reasons. Thanks.
Posted by jebus at April 24, 2004 08:54 PM
Well, originally I wasn't going to do them, but since I have nothing to do and enjoy stealing other people's ideas, here are two possible American DVD cover art examples:
Posted by Austin Ross at April 24, 2004 10:34 PM
As you can see, they're not exactly as professional-looking as Darrell's are. Both the Red Dwarf logo and font size for "Original Series" seem to change between five and six.
Posted by Austin Ross at April 24, 2004 10:38 PM
> As you can see, they're not exactly as professional-looking as Darrell's are.
In keeping with the differences between the real Region 1 and 2 covers.
Posted by Ian Symes at April 24, 2004 11:08 PM
Well. I'm impressed...Good work
Posted by Cpt-D at April 24, 2004 11:57 PM
> In keeping with the differences between the real Region 1 and 2 covers.
Indeed.
Posted by Austin Ross at April 25, 2004 02:11 PM
I wasn't at all keen on the idea of episode-specific covers, but these look very nice indeed and I suppose that's what counts. Surely they won't continue with the space-suited Lister painting on the back, though. Series IV's was quite implausible, Lister painting the Last Chance Saloon would be *too* daft.
Incidentally, if anybody's interested, a 30th Anniversary Edition of Dark Star is released on DVD this week, although the extras aren't up to much, apparently.
Posted by clem at April 25, 2004 03:46 PM
I always thought the back of the series 4 one was Lister painting one of the white bits on the side of Red Dwarf.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 25, 2004 05:18 PM
I like the fact they're keeping the picture of lister on the back. It's not meant to be literal and it's still a nice touch.
Darrell, those pictures are bound to fool online stores. I wouldn't be suprised if they fool Andrew, to be honest (LOL!!!11)
Posted by Cappsy at April 25, 2004 07:02 PM
Yeah, I don't have a problem with the Lister pics. You don't have to assume that he's painting what's behind him. It's become quite a nice uniform thing for the DVDs now, and I don't think they should change it.
I'm betting series VIII will be that central tower thing in the tank that they always showed at the beginning of those episodes. That's kind of orangey. Can't think of anything purpley from series VII. In fact, can't think of anything iconographically memorable from series VII.
Posted by Seb Patrick at April 25, 2004 09:42 PM
There's the long swirly blue thing from Ouroboros that Kochanski arrives through. Too close to the series 2 cover really though.
Posted by Darrell Jones at April 25, 2004 10:02 PM
I thought maybe the 'Military' Grey T72 tank from
beyond a joke...Possibly, OK, I'll shut up...
Posted by Cpt-D at April 25, 2004 10:38 PM
Since they seem to have given up with using ships and crafts for the covers, Series VIII could be that putrid yellow of the Canary uniforms, or that dull purple of the Prison clothes.
Posted by Pete Martin at April 25, 2004 10:40 PM
The gelf ship in Ouroboros was kind of dark maroony purplish... Maybe if the artist took a good bit of artistic license and brightened the hull it could be used to make a violet case
Posted by King of the Potato People at April 25, 2004 10:43 PM
Or perhaps just one of those spreads of purple light that hover around in space during series 7, 8 and the remastereds?
Posted by Sockhunter at April 26, 2004 03:32 PM
I really think the last chance saloon should be the last one like it though. VII and VIII should be space-crafts or some such, to tie it back to the I, II and III releases.
Posted by Vanity Fairline at April 26, 2004 03:40 PM
Just so long as they use something that's iconic of that series. I find it odd that people dislike these two beacsue they are episode specific, when all of the RD VHS releases were themed on one particular episode. In the main, anyway.
Posted by Cappsy at April 26, 2004 04:07 PM
I love the series V one, and like the VI one in isolation. But if they don't anchor back to the outside or inside iconic vessels theme for the last two DVD releases it will be like they went off on a tangent and didn't come back (= bad). Imagine they just used a CGI version of a still from Beyond a Joke (like Kryten in the tank or something, with the grass and fields becoming predominantly green for the spine and back) for the cover of VII, that would be lame. The reason I can't be more helpful about what they *could* use is that I've blocked most of VII and VIII from my consciousness. Definitely the yellow/orange of the central tower of the tank for VIII. That could be nice, a perspective shot looking down, like they have in the series. And yeah, the gelf ship in Ouroborus, I'd go with that for VII.
Posted by Vanity Fairline at April 27, 2004 09:34 AM
"There's the long swirly blue thing from Ouroboros that Kochanski arrives through. Too close to the series 2 cover really though."
Yes! Of course! I know they've already designed the Series VI cover, but that would have really gone well with their original idea, but in reverse - green for VI, blue for VII, and red for VIII. Having beige and turqoise for IV and V wouldn't have been bad in this respect because they would have been framed by the the red, blue green theme. Also they needn't have been *exactly* the same shades of the original covers, so it wouldn't have been just a repeat.
Could have worked really well, that.
Posted by Vanity Fairline at April 27, 2004 09:41 AM
God, I never noticed this before. I had a look at play.com for the first time ever at the Red Dwarf section. At first I was thinking the "Red Dwarf IV" logo on the front of the DVD was too tall, then I noticed their pile of shit series I disc cover. You think they'd have corrected it by now?
How do we go about getting Darrell's covers there anyway? Or do we just wait for time to take its course?
Posted by jesley carrion at April 27, 2004 10:05 AM
I assume Darrell will need to email them with the covers. If a researcher found them on here they might just small a rat regarding their validity...
Posted by Cappsy at April 27, 2004 10:47 AM
Perhaps set up a temporary hotmail account to string them along! grantnaylorproductions@hotmail.com!
Posted by jesley carrion at April 27, 2004 11:20 AM
*phones his lawyers*
Posted by ADNEW ELLAD at April 27, 2004 01:20 PM
Oooh, someone's using my clever satires...or taking the piss out of it.
Posted by Cappsy at April 27, 2004 02:38 PM
Prediction: The series V cover will be exactly the same but with Rimmer & Lister swapped around.
Posted by Nighty Night at April 28, 2004 09:17 AM
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