"Amazing Stories" season 1 coming to dvd July 18 (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

According to www.tvshowsondvd.com the complete first season of "Amazing Stories" is coming to dvd July 18.

 

[Pete Battista]

I can't wait!... a shame about the extras though... I was hoping for some more.

 

[MattHR]

As expected, Universal has taken another one of my favorite shows and treated it to one of the worst cover designs possible.

It looks like some cheap, public domain biblical story, with the gold lettering and sepia-toned photos. Why not use the show's classic title logo? It makes for a far more striking, and eye-catching, design. That generic lettering they've used stinks. And why they chose just those four stars (Costner, Keitel, Sheen, Hines) to feature, when there are so many others (Drew Barrymore, Keifer Sutherland, Milton Berle, Joe Pontoliano, James Cromwell, Forrest Whitaker, Mark Hamill, Sam Waterston, Tim Robbins, John Lithgow) to name just a few.

I wish they didn't feature any of the stars on the cover. The show was never about the stars. The cover should emphasize the show's supernatural, fantasy and adventure themes...like this. (It took me about 5 minutes to create it.) I think it evokes the nature of the show much better, by featuring the supernatural elements, rather than celebrities. But what do I know...:rolleyes

I know, I know -- I should just be happy the show is being released at all. And I am. It's just frustrating that Universal gives seemingly no attention to their cover designs...not to mention their lack of extras. I guess beggars can't be choosers.

edit: I realize the images on my cover aren't necessarily from "Season One". I took the images from an AS website to use as an example of what I thought would make a better cover design.

 

[Pete Battista]

Nice work Matt! I definitely would prefer your cover. I know that the cover is not the most important thing... but... I for one... always want my collection to look as nice as it possibly could... and that does include nice looking covers for when I... or other people look through my collection.

 

[michael_ks]

Very nice, indeed. You have an excellent grasp here of the show's aura. Based on what you accomplished here, I'll bet you could come up with a superior "Night Gallery" design in nothing flat!

 

[streeter]

I really liked the original show logo, and the cover that Universal is going with is indeed shameful. This looks like a religious DVD.

 

[Roger_S]

I would put up with the bad cover art if they gave us better extras. Deleted scenes is, to me, one of the least interesting extras. I'd kill for some commentaries on this set from some familiar names who were getting their first directing opportunities.

 

[Pete Battista]

I like deleted scenes... but some commentaries would be awesome. Through in an interview or 2 and a featurette or 2... and this would turn into a really nice set. But unfortunately looks like all we will get is deleted scenes.

 

[TravisR]

I normally laugh at people who complain about the cover art but, man, that cover does look awful. If I saw that in a store and didn't know that the show was available on DVD, I'd just assume that it was some religious DVD that happened to have the same name as the Speilberg show.

 

[MattHR]

Agreed. But, we shouldn't look at bad cover art and decent extras as an "either/or" situation. They are completely unrelated, and are produced by different departments within the studios.

While budgetary limitations and source material availabilty may hinder a set's extras, there is NO REASON for poor cover design. Time and effort HAS to be spent by someone to design the cover. Is it too much to ask that just a little attention be paid to its creation? A good start would be to have the designers be required to actually be familiar with the shows. Or better yet -- let the fans take a crack at it -- like Fox is doing with their "24" Season Five cover poll.

 

[MattHR]

Your wish is my command.
http://home.mn.rr.com/starvinmarvin/...TEGAL2AND3.jpg


EDIT: FIXED LINK

 

[todd s]

I wonder if Gord or Dave know anyone at Universal to tell them how poorly received the cover art is getting? It really does look like a religious dvd.

 

[MattHR]

It's possible. Or maybe they have personnel who actually read these forums and take notes. Universal just announced a change to the cover for The Incredible Hulk. It'd be nice to think we had something to do with that decision.

 

[Pete Battista]

Matt...
Looks Awesome! I have a friend that is going nuts wanting season 2... I showed her your image... she got all excited and asked when... when I told her the truth she got mad at me... she thought it had to be the real thing!

 

[MattHR]

I created another version of the cover using the photo-strip of the actors that appear on Universal's announced cover. I figured they'd probably insist on using famous "faces" to help sell the set. I replaced Uni's awful title design with the show's original logo.

I posted it next to the previous one I created:
http://home.mn.rr.com/starvinmarvin/images/AS_V2.jpg

Instead of the black background I used, another option would be a "textured" background, to emulate a bound book cover. Uni's version seems to have this effect, but with the sepia-toned photos and gold lettering, it's just too "biblical" looking to convey the accurate themes of the show.

C'mon Universal... please do the right thing and change your cover design! You did it for The Incredible Hulk, but this one really needs a make-over! Pretty please?

 

[MattHR]

Pete,
Tell her I'm sorry! I want Season Two as much as she does. I've had tons of people e-mail me to see if they can get covers printed for the designs I posted for this, Hulk, Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Earthquake, Golden Girls, Planet of the Apes, etc. I hate to tell them they're just "mock-ups" -- created as examples of what I feel would make better covers than the ones the studios released. I'm no pro -- I just do it for fun.

 

[Pete Battista]

LOL... nothing to be sorry for... I just used your image to play a joke on her... it is me she is mad at! LOL and of course nothing serious! just to pick at each other type thing. I haven't gotten season 1 yet myself... but do plan to and do want the rest of the series out!

 

[michael_ks]

Night Gallery season 2 looks great, Matt. This is how season one should have been presented. "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" appeared in S3, but I won't quibble over that--besides, using a montage of gallery paintings is spot on for the cover design. Rod Serling standing in a dreary hallway, how the heck does one come up with that?

As for the 'Amazing Stories' cover design, I think it should be re-titled to "The Greatest Amazing Stories Ever Told".

 

[MattHR]

Thanks, Michael. I knew the paintings weren't necessarily from Season Two, but I just "borrowed" a few images from a website to use an example of what I thought Universal should have done for the cover. You're right: the Season One cover with Serling just standing there isn't very indicative of the theme of the show -- but the framed paintings are. I did think Serling should be featured somewhere on the cover, so I replaced one of the paintings with his photo. It seems to work.

Hopefully, we'll see Seasons Two and Three before too long. And with a little luck, they'll have much better covers...and maybe a few extras.

 

[MattHR]

Pete,
I updated the link to the Season Two cover. It now includes a Season Three cover -- in case you wanted to tease your friend again.

http://home.mn.rr.com/starvinmarvin/...TEGAL2AND3.jpg


edit: fixed link