I was bopping around the internet, and found this interesting subreddit full of tips/tricks/information regarding all sorts of folks who are making custom VHS bootlegs of releases. . . and found this DATABASE OF VHS TAPES RELEASED WITH COLOR SHELLS.
I’m definitely going to be leveraging this in the future. Those Bob the Builder tapes are cheap!
Right now, in the 21st century, there’s a ROBUST community of folks STILL MAKING VHS TAPES! VHS was one of the first home video formats that allowed people of all walks of life to create and distribute their own high-quality moving images quickly & cheaply, and we’re keeping that tradition alive!
PLACES TO MAKE VHS TAPES:
Duplication & Manufacturing Services for hire!
VXPX.INFO – Based in New York, NY
The Basement Labs – Based in Worcester, MA
Cryptic Carousel – Based in Upstate NY
Duplication.ca – Based in Canada
PLACES TO BUY VHS TAPES:
Weirdos, Beardos, and Videopunks of all Stripes!
Lunchmeat – The OG, stocking ALL THINGS VHS
Horror Boobs – Schlocky Horror B-Movie Madness!
The Basement Labs – specializing in Ambient/Experimental Weirdness
Factory 25 – Indie Film Distributor with VHS feature film releases
Retro Release Video – Officially Licensed VHS Re-Issues!
Bleu Nuit Video – Analog Experiments from Montreal
American Piss Video Magazine – NYC based VHS Zine focusing on Graffiti, Raving, and Havin’ a Good Time.
Baudway Video – Vaporwave VHS label
Vill4in – Dark Vaporwave & Industrial
SRS Cinema – Horror/Scifi/KAIJU distro!
Witter Entertainment – Horror Distro!
Black VVideo – VHS label for horror/action/bizarre
Pacific Plaza – Vaporwave Label w/ VHS releases
Unstable King – UK based VHS Bootlegs
Kitty On Fire Records – Vancouver Label with some VHS releases
Oscilloscope Laboratories – NYC Based Film Distributor w/ some VHS releases
Devaughn’s Tapes – Cute Customs for Sale
Black Ring Ritual – Fargo, ND based Noise label that releases on VHS & Beta
VHS DUPLICATION ESSENTIALS
Export presets/templates/etc
NTSC Title Safe Framing Chart (.PNG)
Spine Labels (.PDF
Face Labels (.PDF)
Bottom-Loading Slipcase (.EPS)
Bottom-Loading Slipcase (.SIT)
Bottom-Loading Slipcase (ALT) (.PDF)
Bottom-Loading Slipcase (ALT) (.PSD)
Side-Loading Slipcase (.SIT)
Clamshell/Library Case (.EPS)
Clamshell/Library Case (alt) (.JPG)
Adobe Media Encoder (AME/PPRO) .EPR
Vector Assets & Templates (from Mediafire)
Our recommendation for anyone delivering a file for
VHS duplication would be the following delivery spec:
DV NTSC Quicktime .MOV
720×840
29.97 (30i)
Field Order: LOWER first
0.9091 (DV NTSC) Pixel Aspect Ratio
and ALWAYS full screen 4:3 (not letterboxed)
OTHER RESOURCES
Further down the Spiral
Scanlines.xyz – Forum for Experimental/Analog Video
BPMC – The GOAT of Glitch Video Synthesis
Lunchmeat VHS – the OG VHS Zine
Strange Tapes Zine – Another VHS Classic
Video Circuits – The Biggest/Best Analog Video Facebook Group
Coaxial Arts – Experimental Media Art center in LA
Signal Culture – Experimental Media Art Center in Upstate NY
r/Video Synthesis – Video Synth Subreddit
r/CustomVHS – DIY Customs
Andre Jay’s Resource Page – The GOAT, with LOTS of great stuff
Bootleg VHS – Cool VHS-Themed Merch
Capital Waste Pictures – AU analog video productions
Color VHS Shell Database
r/CustomCovers
Experimental Television Center | Title Safe | NTSC | Aspect Ratio | VHS | Spool Swapping
Wanna get added to the list? Shoot us an email! We wanna hear from you!
I feel like R_E_C_U_R doesn’t get enough love.
Here’s a link dump. . . Tim is fucking incredible.
There are several Raspberry Pi based video instruments. . . but the things that Tim is creating really blow me away. A couple of years ago, I got really stoned with Tim in the East Village, and kinda badgered him into added Midi Controller support. . . and AFAIK we’ve been friends ever since.
Show the boy some love.
Also, here’s a list of most of the current RasPi-based video projects.
https://www.instagram.com/cyberboy666/
https://github.com/cyberboy666/r_e_c_u_r
https://github.com/cyberboy666/i_n_c_u_r
https://github.com/cyberboy666/d_e_t_o_u_r
https://github.com/cyberboy666/recurBOY
https://github.com/cyberboy666
https://underscores.shop/catalog/
https://www.instagram.com/underscores.shop/
This was a trio of ambient video pieces I did under the R. name.
I keep coming back to this project, and I feel like there’s something really special about these videos.
This was the view from my window in the studio apartment I shared with a partner on 17th st in Manhattan.
The goals of these pieces was to capture a certain melancholy that I felt at the time.
Ideally, these would be presented on asynchronous loop, on three separate monitors, in a large, shared space.
R. is an ambient A/V project started by Mike Mazzotta & Diognes the Fox in 2003.
Currently R. is Mike Mazzotta.
You can find more details about the project on Discogs.
mpmazzotta.wordpress.com 