Hey guys! Horrorella here...
Listen up, nerds!! We have a job to do! Seattle’s Scarecrow Video is one of the last remining and most kick-ass, privately owned video stores out there. Think of your favorite mom and pop video store from when you a kid, and then give it copious amounts of steroids. THAT is Scarecrow. Movie Geek Heaven.
Their store houses over 120,000 titles on DVD, Blu-ray, laserdisc, and VHS. Every title you can imagine, and about a zillion more that you can't. Much of their inventory consists of well-known favorites, but also includes rare titles, shot-on-video treasures and all sorts of other magic that is hard to find and impossible to replace.
And while brick and mortar stores are going away as digital distribution takes over, collections like this one are in danger. And I don't know about you guys, but if there is one thing I can't stand, it's the thought of all of this amazing film history disappearing from the face of the earth. No, I haven't seen all of it, and from the size of this library, I probably haven't even come close to seeing most of it. But I want it to exist. I love knowing that it's out there - for you and me, and for future generations of film lovers seeking out a treasure.
The good folks over at Scarecrow feel exactly the same way, and have launched a Kickstarter campaign to aid them in the creation of a non-profit group dedicated to the preservation of these titles, as well as seeking new additions to add to the collection.
"Preserving this library means an enormous wealth of film history remains available for public consumption. Accessibility of this collection strikes at the heart of the home video ethos - put the movie selection experience in the hands of the many instead of the few. It is not our job to decide what movies or television shows people should watch. We simply want to make as much available as possible so that current and future generations get to fall in love with them again and again," said The Scarecrow Project Co-Founder Kate Barr.
This project is awesome - not only in that it is finding a way to preserve this rare collection, but also in that it is finding a way to move the classic video store into the modern era. Sure, it doesn't have the place in our culture that it once had, but that doesn't mean it has to vanish. The spectacular examples can still have a place here, with our help.
So read more about the project in the press release below, and check out their Kickstarter page for all the details!
Seattle, WA - August 12, 2014 - Scarecrow Video, the venerated Seattle-based video store, is donating its library to a non-profit collective in an effort to preserve the world's largest "home video" collection of film and television with over 120,000 VHS, laserdiscs, VCDs, DVDs and Blu-ray titles.The Scarecrow Project has launched a Kickstarter campaign to aid in the creation of the non-profit, ensuring this collection's survival, which includes many rare titles and some titles that are the only known copies in existence outside of private ownership. The public's support is needed to make this transition to non-profit with a donation here.
The transition of the video store to streaming & vending machine services has been chronicled widely, but the creation of The Scarecrow Project will ensure the security of Scarecrow Video by creating a non-profit to administer the vast collection, operate the organization and acquire new films. The Scarecrow Project joins the ranks of esteemed institutions like The American Film Institute, UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Film Foundation, American Genre Film Archive, and The Film Noir Foundation with a commitment to preserving film history.
"Preserving this library means an enormous wealth of film history remains available for public consumption. Accessibility of this collection strikes at the heart of the home video ethos - put the movie selection experience in the hands of the many instead of the few. It is not our job to decide what movies or television shows people should watch. We simply want to make as much available as possible so that current and future generations get to fall in love with them again and again," said The Scarecrow Project Co-Founder Kate Barr.
"Scarecrow Video is a treasure that we just can't lose. I travel the world, and it's the most comprehensive video store I've ever seen," said Academy Award-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker (Raging Bull, The Aviator, The Departed) and film preservationist.
Alamo Drafthouse CEO/Founder Tim League said, "Scarecrow Video is one of if not THE most important archive of our movie heritage. It is also the most vulnerable. It is our duty and obligation as movie fans to support their mission and help them evolve, strengthen and grow. A future without Scarecrow Video is an apocalyptic wasteland. Do your part."
The Scarecrow Project will go beyond the continued operation of the video store to save the thousands of films that will never make the transition to digital and streaming media. With the explosion of home video in the 1980s came the birth of the direct-to-video industry. Countless direct-to-video films have never been released as 16mm or 35mm prints. Thousands of these films never made the jump to DVD, and continue to be overlooked during the digital migration. Furthermore, the collection includes films that have never been released in any format in the US. Scarecrow keeps these nearly lost classics alive and available to viewers. Funds from this Kickstarter will allow the continued preservation of these titles, while actively expanding the collection by seeking out other titles available in physical media that have been deemed to have a historical or cultural value. A donation on Kickstarter is not life support for a dying dream, but rather an investment in the future of physical media in film history. Read more about The Scarecrow Project's mission goals here.
To get involved in The Scarecrow Project and donate to the Kickstarter campaign, please visit the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/644154729/the-scarecrow-project
For The Scarecrow Project Media Inquiries contact Ryan Fons
(323-445-4763 / Ryan@fonspr.com)
From its passionate founder George Latsios to its current owners Carl Tostevin and Mickey McDonough, Scarecrow Videos has existed with the sole mission of bringing people and film together. Sitting near the corner of 50th and Roosevelt, what IFC calls the "Best Film Corner in America," Scarecrow Video has been the go-to place for film lovers in Seattle since 1998. Over the last 25 years it has grown from a personal collection of 600 videotapes to become the largest single collection in the world. The Scarecrow Project (aka SV Archive), a non-profit organization in the process of obtaining its 501(c)(3) status, has been formed with the singular purpose of protecting this invaluable collection while guiding its course through the 21st century. Combining the talents of long-term Scarecrow employees, our organization boasts the most intimate knowledge of this library as well as the know-how for managing it. There is no other group better suited or better placed to grow the collection while still making it available to the general public. The Scarecrow Project board members include:
Kate Barr works as the Outreach Coordinator for Scarecrow Video and is one of the founding members of The Scarecrow Project.
Joel Fisher is the Assistant Inventory Manager at Scarecrow Video and one of the founding members of The Scarecrow Project.
Zack Carlson is an all-around cinephile - producer, Fantastic Fest programmer, founder of Bleeding Skull Video, former Alamo Drafthouse programmer, author ofDestroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film, and VHS collector.
Daniel Herbert, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, is a scholar of media culture with particular interests in media industries, geography, and cultural identities. His most recent book Videoland examines the ways that video rental stores altered movie culture from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Robert Horton has been a film critic in Seattle for about 30 years, yet he mysteriously retains the blush of youth. He writes on film for The Herald (Everett, Washington) and Seattle Weekly and is a regular contributor to Film Comment and other magazines.
Tim League is the founder and CEO of the Alamo Drafthouse, which includes the theaters, Drathouse Films, Fantastic Fest, Mondo and Badass Digest.
