WHAT IS A STEELBOOK?

With world audiences spending over 40 billion pounds on films in cinemas, pay TV, and on DVDs and Blu-rays in 2012 alone, it’s fair to say that we all love a good movie. More and more though, as the digital media revolution rolls on, we’re looking for a movie experience that transcends just the film itself.

A BETTER CANVAS

This is where the SteelBook comes in. A SteelBook is a limited run of a Blu-ray or game, packaged in a premium metal case - often with classic or specially commissioned artwork. The steel case provides both a better canvas for displaying the fantastic art that accompanies many films, as well as being a more durable way of storing the disks.

ACCESSIBLY EXCLUSIVE

Most of the SteelBooks available here at Zavvi are both exclusive to us and limited edition, making them a very accessible but worthwhile collector's item. Indeed, you should also keep an eye on the collector's edition versions of a lot of games, too, as they often include a SteelBook. Whether you’re a fan of horror movies or romantic comedies, RPGs or Shooters, we’re bound to have a SteelBook you’ll want.

"SteelBooks look and feel so much nicer than Blu-rays.
Why would you want plastic when you could have a sturdy, metal, more superior item?"

Josh Webb - SteelBook Collector
HOW IS A FILM SELECTED TO BE A STEELBOOK?

As mentioned when one of our team was interviewed by SteelBookbluray.com, here at Zavvi we are all massive film fans, and every day one of us will have a new film to champion for a SteelBook release. From the perspective of our own catalogue, Zavvi will propose titles to the various studios and the process will move from there.

Sometimes studios will ask us to release a title exclusively – usually with new cinema releases. Other times certain films will need signing off and approving by some of the biggest names in film – for instance Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have all been involved in signing off various SteelBooks at one stage or another

 WHY ARE STEELBOOKS A LIMITED RELEASE?

Currently the only top limit on how many we produce is consumer demand. We, and many others, can see SteelBooks becoming the main way physical films are released in the not-so-distant future – especially as a way of differentiating them from streaming services. Most of the time we can predict whether a SteelBook will be a big seller or a more niche release, and these calculated guesses form the basis of how many we produce. There are always examples, though, where demand totally outstrips our predictions – or the opposite.

"The SteelBook case design executes in all aspects something that is nice, unique, and has many options for its quality.
It can be simple and elegant all at the same time, or jaw dropping from the amount of detail put into the total package."

'Wreck' - Hi-Def Ninja
HOW IS THE ARTWORK FOR A STEELBOOK CHOSEN?

When we propose a title to the studios, we often also suggest certain ideas about the artwork. There have been occasions where we have decided not to produce a SteelBook version of a film solely due to the lack of solid artwork, and new artwork can take years to be commissioned and signed off.

Final say on artwork, though, is with the studios themselves and no design work is done by us. SteelBooks are produced in Denmark as through a partnership between Scanavo and Glud & Marstrand A/S.

 THE ARTWORK PROCESS

In the ‘Pre-artwork stage’, creative teams from the studios will send over their preliminary artwork to the Scanavo graphics teams for feedback. Scanavo will then send recommendations back concerning colour choices, ideas for embossing, and more. Scanavo will also provide certain templates for the artwork to make sure that it matches the form of the SteelBook in the best way possible.

One of the most important factors when it comes to designing artwork for SteelBooks is the white layer. Usually designs and posters, a common starting inspiration for the cover art, were originally created for paper – where the bottom layer is white. A SteelBook, obviously, has the extra steel layer below. Scanavo will provide ideas to the studio creative teams about how to best work with this.

For example – if a design requires a very bright colour, it will also require a fairly opaque white layer beneath it. The interaction between the steel, white layer and the colours allows for a lot of creativity and variation between designs, and Scanavo advise the studios on this. Likewise the choice of varnish has a significant effect on colours – a gloss finish brings out brighter colours, whereas a matte finish tends to create a subtler, more muted tone.

DESIGNED AROUND THE FILM

All of these recommendations will be tailored to what kind of film it is, the nature of the films artwork, and the audience for the film. For a modern animated feature, you might expect a gloss finish and a strong white layer to bring out vibrancy in the colours. On the other hand, a 70’s sci-fi movie might better call for more revealed steel and a matte finish.

In the ‘Artwork stage’, the studios will then come back with a refined version of the artwork in one of the templates. They may choose not to follow some of the recommendations given to them by Scanavo or may have made modifications based on them.

THE ULTIMATE BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE

Look through our terrific collection of Steelbooks, pick up some new or old favourites, and join a growing community of collectors and enthusiasts today.
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