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Author
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Topic: What do you think with US/UK 8mm Boxes?
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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator
Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted July 12, 2005 08:22 AM
Winbert,
Except for the generic Niles and Thunderbird boxes, 8mm releases in the States were packaged very nicely. From the mid 70's to the early 80's the artwork and packaging were quite often more entertaining than the film inside! Ken, MGM, and Warners made great looking clamshell cases with a slightly raised imprint of the studio's logo on the inside. Columbia had their basic yellow box, but they also put out versions with terrific graphics. Universal 8 used white plastic cases, but they were enclosed in impressive cardboard sleeves. As for Derann, I believe they won an industry award for best packaging for the "Robin Hood" three parter.
By the way, I have many MGM digests that have held their color very well.
Doug
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I think there's room for just one more film.....
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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God
Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted July 12, 2005 09:06 AM
Douglas,
I agree with Universal 8 (two parter) they came in good packging. But let me name some terrible boxes came from US/UK.
1. Columbia generic boxes (yellow box)
2. Walt Disney generic box (200 feet, it's funny for me that knowing it came from a big company)
3. All Abbot and Costello generic boxes.
4. Universal 8 single reel (good for the keep case plastic box, but the designed was so funny where there was no title in the side of box, so when we place the films vertically/horizontaly, side by side with other boxes, we could not see the title)
5. All Walton's releases (200 and 400 which was made from very thin card box as most other UK companies' releases)
6. Of course Derann's white box
But thank to Marketing who introduced to US/UK land a kind of very thick box (my favourite). I love to see other Germany companies, such as Picollo, UFA, Revue,Constantine which they came in the clamshell type too but in very good plastic quality (esp. Picollo) where after years it's still clear and keep straight.
Douglas, BTW how was the Return of Jedi (3 x 400)?
regards
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Winbert
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Andreas Eggeling
Master Film Handler
Posts: 467
From: R.I.P.
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted July 12, 2005 09:07 AM
Hi Winbert,
I think it was the competition.
At first there was GLOBUS Film, Munich, which began to distribute regular 8mm films in 1955 in card boxes in cooperation with Film Office in Paris. The prints were made in France. At begining of the 70s GLOBUS distributed french prints of Asterix and Tom&Jerry in card boxes. Also Walt Disney films in their typical US-generic box, but box and prints made in France.
Piccolo Film started in the 60s who distributed american/french 8mm prints. For example Castle Films and a small range of 50 feet versions of german fairy tail films. There was also Globus and Schonger. All films in card boxes.
They began to deliver the films in hardplastic-boxes. Technofilm in Milano, already used hard platic boxes and Piccolo distributed for Technofilm the Warner Cartoons. Then in 1974 the GLOBUS titles were changed to Piccolo Film (or was GLOBUS now part of Piccolo? ....)
UFA-ATB was founded in 1972/73. Who was behind UFA-ATB? A small company called "Büscher", which started a few years earlier. UFA is a subsidiary of the Bertelsmann Group. Their best known lables in the world are BMG and now RTL. When UFA came in the boat they was called UFA-ATB at first. Later only UFA. So a David and a Goliath who began to make competition to Piccolo Film. But UFA-ATB started also with the breakable hard plastic boxes. The different was, that they issued 3-parters from beginning.
One year later, 1973/74, there began a third company to deal with super8 films. Marketing-Film opended the doors in Bochum, Northrhine-Westfalia. They started with full arround color printed boxes.
YEAH!! The "BOX WARS" began. UFA came out with greater hard plastic cases, pictures on both sides but ..... more breakable..... Than, in 1975 UFA-ATB tried soft-boxes made with Polyester. And Piccolo issued their first typical full colored softboxes in 1975, made with red PVC.
Thats the reason why Eurovideo the folow-up company of Piccolo, uses also red colored plasic cases for Video or DVD package.
In 1975 marketing-film issued also new boxes, which were used till the end of their super8 distribution. The first boxes were
difficult to open them.
The competition brought us also better catalogues. The early catalogues were black/white. Since 1973 they are full colored and they became bigger and bigger from season to season.
A strange bloom in advertising 8mm films.
When marketing-film started, they advertised their films that they would been made in "OPTI-COLOR". Every german marketing-film box shows the registered lable "opti-color".... what happened? .... Piccolo Film suddenly advertised their films as made in "Proficolor" and UFA annouced "UFA-Color"...
Card Box of earlier Asterix-prints.
Hardplastic Piccolo box from 1972 ....... ufa softbox 1977
 
UFA-ATB first boxes (hard plastic)
UFA boxes from 1974. More breakable and uncomfortable to open.
UFA softbox from the same movie as above. A 3 x fivehundred feet edition in 400er boxes.
Piccolo softbox from 1975
above:Marketing box card box with hardplastic-box inside. To open
like white boxes of today.
marketing boxes since 1975
[ July 13, 2005, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: Andreas Eggeling ]
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