Category_Collecting, Category_Groovy Stuff, Category_VHS, Category_Weirdness -

Australian Fresh VHS Label Celluloid Apocalypse Unleashes A GUN FOR GEORGE in Deluxe Limited Edition Fashion and Feeds the Need for Videovores of the PAL Persuasion!

Way down under in an analog-adoring portion of Australia, a gathering of too groovy Tapeheads have joined forces to assemble a team hellbent on high-quality video vindication under the banner of Celluloid Apocalypse. Their first slab of black plastic glory delivers an action-packed short film peppered with comedic sensibilities from one of the minds that brought us the wacky, wonky and totally hilarious sitcom Garth Meranghi’s Darkplace, all anti-digitally decked out in a super-deluxe package. A Gun for George has already sold through the Limited Edition run of 50 copies (in one day, I might add!), so Videovores with the power to play PAL might want to keep an eye peeled as Celluloid Apocalypse gears up to unload their next slab of undoubtedly awesome analog redemption . Read on, my fellow Videovores, and get ready to consider finally splurging on that all-region magnetic munchin’ machine…

CA LOGO

The rippin' rad logo for CAHV. Hey, man... is that thing loaded or what?

You also run ItsOnlyaTshirt.com, a site offering radical threads for horror movies housed in VHS clamshells. Can you tell us how about the move to put a film out on VHS, and how it came about? The T-shirt label was always about trying to get my foot in the door. I wanted to work on key art for horror films, and that’s kind of hard to do when you don't have a body of work behind you. Putting myself out there helped me make this happen, and I met a lot of like minded people along the way. Myself, and these ‘like minded’ chaps were all VHS fans, and they all worked within the film industry in various roles. So we talked about the idea of starting our own boutique label, using the skills each had, and here we are today, with our first release Tell us about the film you’re releasing A Gun for George. How did you come to get involved in releasing it, and what can Tapeheads expect from the flick? It was done by a guy that worked on Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place, right? Damn, I love that show! Shot on 16mm, A Gun For George is a super short film… think Get Carter with a slight touch of humor. Thanks to the power of the internet, we thought we would just contact Matthew Holness (who worked on Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace), and he was really keen on the idea, and has been heavily involved every step of the way, along with producer Ally Gipps and Warp Films.

Front BoxDuck and cover, Tapeheads! That thing IS loaded! Dig that most excellent retro artwork and feel, mang.

The package for the flick looks dope, man. Can you give us the rundown on the full edition? Box style, extras, etc.? These are a limited, aren’t they? PAL? The release is PAL (Sorry, North America!) and it comes packaged in a big book box. It comes with a slip case that makes it look like its a paperback, which can be seen in the film. We also have an issue of a Fanzine which Matthew Holness created. Theres a mini daybill, which is a smaller version of the daybill poster format you find here in Australia. And a postcard featuring the Director’s notes.

thewholekit

A look at the full package for A GUN FOR GEORGE. Dang, thas'alotta analog awesome, mang.

Will you be able to make any NTSC copies for the Videovores over here in the States? Maybe team up with a label here in the States and do a release over here if the demand is there? I’m afraid our agreement with the powers that be was to release 50 copies only. Considering it takes about 30 mins to put together each box- we’re OK with this! But a ‘team up’ with a label in the future would be a real cool thing to look at! And i guess would help a lot of people with shipping prices and the problems with PAL/NTSC etc. You know I can dig it! Why put this movie on tape? What is about the VHS format that inspires you? I could go on about lost trips to video shops, holding a clamshell in your hand, being driven home from the shop and devouring every bit of text and every image on the box, but I’m sure its something your readers are all familiar with. This film is available on DVD, and it’s easy to find on the net (what film isn’t?)… But if you yearn for the experiences of old (as mentioned above) then this is for you. Ultimately, we (Celluloid Apocalypse) wanted this... so we made it!

slipcoverA closer look at the slip cover case that emulates the paperback that appears in the film. Attention to anti-digital details? Chickity-check.

The video vindication is in high-gear here in the States. What’s the video vibe down under? Do you see a lot of VHS culture happening? Any other VHS labels that you know of there? There are no VHS exclusive labels that we are aware of. There are the odd few releasing something here or there on VHS. The collectors scene here is good. Lots of people chasing after titles from the Palace Explosive label, and a small fortune being dropped on films like The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio. Recently here in Melbourne we have seen a few VHS swap meets take place, combined with screenings. I can speak more so for Melbourne, and say it’s a small, but busy community.

giving birthA look at the slippin' and slidin' VHSexiness of this totally amazing analog edition. DIG IT.

What’s next for Celluloid Apocalypse, mang? We have a number of releases lined up, A Gun For George is release #0000 so our next one will be #0001. We have a mixture of popular titles that have never been on VHS, and films that have yet to be released on any format. Each of them will come packaged with extra bits, and for some of them we hope to have intros from directors, Q&A’s etc. All limited in number, of course! Anything else you wanna shout out to all the Videovores here in Lunchmeat Land? Hope you like what you see! I hope there’s still some left by the time you read this! And may the only tracking you gotta deal with in your life be that of a parcel heading across the ocean, from Australia!

I’m not exactly sure what ya mean, but I got auto-tracking on all my machines, so I think I’m good! Either way, Tapeheads, this is one kick-ass slab of video love and it sold out in the blink of an analog-inlcined eye, so be sure to stay tuned to the Official Celluloid Apocalypse Site and give ‘em a like on their Facebook so you can stay updated on all of their upcoming fresh-to-death video releases. And who knows? Maybe as time grooves on CA will put their heads together with an American set of magnetic magic movers and get some NTSC glory to go along with their already radical PAL creation… ‘cause that would be pretty groovy.

Groove and Groove and Stay on the Fast Track.

Josh Schafer


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