“The Martian” by Harry Gregson-Williams

Categories: Custom Covers · Deluxe Edition · Mockups · Original Covers · Vinyl CoversTags: · 10 Comments

After last week‘s side blow about custom movie logos and how they are bound to fail in almost every case, it was crystal clear that I would put myself in a spot with this week’s The Martian. This custom cover series more or less served as a playground for my graphic design abilities… or rather inabilities, if you ask me. I’ve not only restrained myself from using the official logo as much as possible, but rather encouraged to go down a totally different route, graphically and also stylistically. But first things first. With The Martian Hollywood finally got it right. After numerous failed attempts to produce a successful Mars-themed…

“Sicario” by Jóhann Jóhannsson

Categories: Alternates/Rejected Covers · Custom Covers · Original Covers · Vinyl CoversTags: · 5 Comments

In Mexico Sicario means hit-man. And in my world Denis Villeneuve means it as well. Man, that guy is on a roll! First the two Jake Gyllenhaal sleeper hits Enemy and Prisoners and now he’s about to show us how visually stunning the Mexican drug wars can get. Oh and there’s a bloody Blade Runner sequel in the pipelines as well… so fuck my ass, David Fincher wrap up warmly! The official artwork (#1) features a brilliantly back-lit scene by director of photography Roger Deakins, who by the way also worked on Skyfall. I really love the atmosphere in this shot and also the well suited sharp-edged title logo. My only complain…

“Vanilla Sky” by Nancy Wilson, Various Artists

Categories: Alternates/Rejected Covers · Custom Covers · Original Covers · Remakes · Singles/EPs · Tribute Covers · Vinyl CoversTags: · · 1 Comment

Vanilla Sky might be one of my favourite Cameron Crowe films, although it’s an almost frame by frame remake (or in the words of the director, cover) of Pedro Almodovar’s Open Your Eyes. Crowe even cast the same lead actress for it. But he created such a stylistic and well-directed film, that you can sense his love for the original material in every scene. It’s like customizing your favourite album art… (we’ll talk about that later) … a true labor of love. I actually created all of these custom covers in a rush sometime late last year – after hitting upon the idea…

“Duel” by Billy Goldenberg

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A few weeks ago a frequent visitor asked me to do a custom covers set for Duel by Billy Goldenberg. This 1971 score for Steven Spielberg’s directing debut is held in high esteem by Soundtrack afficionados and was recently released – for the first time! – by Intrada as a Special Collection Edition. And while they generously opted for a flip cover art, they went with two lackluster designs from the DVD release. I think we all agree, that this artwork makes the film look like a cheap tv movie. And even though it initially was a tv movie, it’s also a Steven Spielberg film and it deserves…

“Inside Out” by Michael Giacchino

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Michael Giacchino’s triple pack of scores concludes with Inside Out and I have the feeling, that this will be his best work out of the three. Given Giacchino’s past with Pixar and the highly creative premise of the film, I’m hoping for an emotional rollercoaster ride. A story revolving around joy, sadness, fear, anger and disgust might be the perfect opportunity for any composer. But with Giacchino Pixar wisely chose the perfect man for the job. Just listen to Up and you’ll know what I mean. The ad campaign for the film had a very nice set of colours. It’s cheerful but not oversaturated. Just the right balance….