A
lot of people cal me a geek for being so fluent in 'some' movie areas. I find
out daily, conversing with fellow netizens, that I don't know half as much as
I thought, but still friends and relatives see me as nothing less than a geek.
Especially when they see my two living room walls plastered with shelves to hold
my DVD/VHS/Laserdisc collection.
But
as I said, I'm quite far from possessing the depth of knowledge that so many others
out there do. And I wanted to se what it was like, knowing So much, being so engrossed
in that universe that you can't quite see outside the thick fog. So I set out
to find the ultimate movie geeks and try to probe their mind. What I stumbled
onto was quite the opposite. I literally found my heroes…
Honestly,
I wanted to write up something big and epic to paint a faithful portrait of three
guys who live the fanboy dream, but managed to stay cool as The Fonz, and not
ever look anything like Comic Book Guy on "The Simpsons". But after
having a Q&A to which they graciously submitted themselves.
The
guys I found, Desi, Jeff and Stephan, own and operate a very special shop: they
sell movie props and wardrobes. Not replicas mind you, but the real thing, certified
as such. And wouldn't you know it, its not just stuff that can only be bought
billionaires. Anything, from prop guns to caps and shirts that served time onscreen
can be found and sold by these guys, at their site called Screen Used.
Here,
in their own words, is who they are, followed by a really cool Q&A held 2
weeks ago. Enjoy!
ScreenUsed
is run by three collectors, Desi DosSantos, Jeff Castillo, and Stephan Lokotsch.
They have been collecting screen used props and wardrobe for a combined 38 years.
They have relationships with other collectors and Hollywood personnel with an
infinite amount of experience. ScreenUsed provides authenticated pieces to collectors,
new and old. Many of the pieces we acquire will be put in displays if it enhances
and protects the item.
Desi
DosSantos started collecting in the mid 1990s and lives in Northern California.
At first it was Back to the Future only, but then led to Terminator 2, and other
movies. Top Gun, The Matrix, Rocky, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars have all been
favorites where I have tried to collect. After a while, Jeff and Desi decided
to create ScreenUsed. Desi is also VP of Product Management for a software company.
Jeff Castillo
started collecting back in the late 1980s and lives in Florida. At the time, his
focus was Star Wars, Back to the Future, and several other productions. After
a while, he focused primarily on Back to the Future, with the largest collection
of props and wardrobe from the trilogy. As time changes, so do preferences, so
Jeff started selling many of his BTTF pieces and started acquiring pieces from
other movies that he liked. Most recently, he acquired the "Stop that ship"
Stormtrooper helmet. ScreenUsed is Jeff's full time job.
Stephan
Lokotsch started collecting in the mid 1980s and lives in Southern California.
He is involved in production of features and short films, and has been working
in the entertainment field for over 11 years. He has also written for various
international movie magazines and books. He has collected and brokered props and
wardrobe for many years before joining ScreenUsed in 2004.
A
lot of people would kill to assemble the kind of collection you did. How did you
get started in the collecting business? How long have you been at it?
Collectively, Jeff, Stephan, and I have been accumulating these artifacts for
well over four decades. Our individual tastes for specific movies such as Terminator,
Back to the Future, Alien, etc., combined with the accidental eye-opener that
original movie props & costumes can actually be obtained was what initially
got us started in our respective collections. We soon diversified and expanded
the focus of these collections and eventually felt strongly about teaming up in
these efforts.
Some
of the props you have for sale date from way back, Yul Brenner's "West World"
hat comes to mind. Did you ever encounter a situation where the original user
or his relatives requested to have the prop returned to them, for "old time's
sake"?
That
so far has not happened, though we have had more than one collector we bought
items from come back at a later time in order to purchase their former item back.
What's
your Holy Grail, the one prop you want to acquire and hold on to like your life
depended on it?
While
we hope that the joy of owning anything will never turn into a somewhat unhealthy
obsession, there are a few items that come to mind that we would not want to part
with, such as the Stormtrooper and Darth Vader helmets from the Star Wars trilogy,
Marty's future jacket and Nike from Back to the Future 2, Rocky's hat, Maverick's
helmet from Top Gun, as well as the costumes from Austin Powers. Sometimes the
next "holy grail" piece in a collection is something that you had not
thought about before until you bump into it.
I
guess in your trade, you must get special request from hunters, to assist them
in finding something outside of your collection. What are the most common requests?
The
most common recurring requests are for any key items from the Star Wars movies,
Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Alien, Predator and Terminator franchises as
well as items from most Superhero films.
-
and the most outrageous or unusual?
The
Batmobile (from the various films), the DeLorean from Back to the Future, and
of course rare items from the Wizard of Oz and other greats.
A
big part of your private collection comes from a partnership with BTTF.org, and
sports awesome memorabilia from "Back To The Future". So I guess I can't
resist the question - Have you ever heard of any kind of plans over the year for
a new film, or a new related project?
We
have been involved with BTTF.com (and .org) for many years as fans, then collectors,
then as a team at some collector shows a few years back. Rumours for a sequel
have been flying ever since the third movie in the franchise was released. Ultimately,
it is up to the main actors as well as director Bob Zemeckis, writer Bob Gale,
and others to decide if they want to take that on. Personally, we would like to
remember the trilogy as they are now, with no modifications or continuations,
in order to preserve the fond memories we all already have.
Ever
come across an Oscar, or a Razzie? How would you base the price for such an item?
Oscars
do show up in auction from time to time, though these all date back prior to 1950,
the year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the organization behind
the Oscars) implemented a rule that no longer allowed for any of the awards to
be resold (in fact, the Academy has a first right of refusal at the price of $1
for any Oscar handed out after 1950). The value for the few Oscars that have been
offered for sale really depends on who it was originally awarded to and for what
movie.
What
would be the biggest sale you ever made, the most expensive item sold?
While
this would be a wonderful opportunity to put on a "bragging hat", our
most expensive item actually sold privately with the collector requesting to keep
the information confidential, but we have sold a number of items upwards of the
$100,000 mark, though these still remain to be the exception to the rule, which
even for us is fortunate, as it would take this hobby into an unreachable stratosphere
for most if those prices were the norm. Ultimately, we believe you can compare
sales of these artifacts to the market of fine arts: The Mona Lisa (if it ever
were for sale) would obviously command a significantly higher price than an equally
crafted painting by an unknown artist. Likewise, you can often obtain fantastic
pieces with extraordinary craftsmanship from a film without a massive following
for reasonable prices, while items from the ever-lasting blockbusters with an
established fandom around the globe (such as Star Wars), will always reach higher
prices.
Without
asking for specific and confidential financial details, what would be an average
business year for your collection? How many items move, and how much would that
amount to?
You
will probably understand that we cannot disclose financial information, so unfortunately
the majority of this question will have to remain unanswered. Throughout the years
since its inception, ScreenUsed has not had an average year. Fortunately, we have
grown steadily, due to increased exposure in the market place, repeat business
through satisfied customers, extremely positive word-of-mouth and our well-received
customer service.
I guess you've met your share of celebrities since you started out collecting.
What encounter sticks out the most on your memory?
We
can cover two in this answer. First is Tom Wilson, who played Biff, Griff, and
Buford Tannen in the Back to the Future trilogy. Jeff and I have spent many days
with him at several conventions. He is a very down to earth guy, and extremely
funny. As a stand up comic, he is always on his game, and engaged with people
around him. As opposed to just sitting and signing autographs, he interacts with
fans and gives them a great memory of their time with him. The stage is his playground,
so if you give him a microphone, be ready; he will have the audience rolling and
is more than happy to discuss his movies, recent work, and the other many projects
he is involved with.
Secondly,
one of Stephan's most memorable encounters was on set of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
He had only lived in the U.S. for less than a year when he found himself amidst
one of his favourite directors and a cast that today reads like the who-is-who
in Hollywood: Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Tom
Waits. The interaction with Anthony Hopkins not only had him somewhat perplexed
(as he was the one instigating it during lunch), but stuck with him to date, as
you could not expect to encounter a more courteous A-list actor (and at that point,
he did not know WHAT to expect - having just been given the chills from his -
at the time - recent performance as Hannibal Lecter).
If
I'm not mistaken, your company offers written certification that the items purchased
are genuine. Have you had any run-ins with frauds and replicas?
-
Would you sell them anyway, providing of course that it's provenance be indicated?
Prior
to the purchase of any item, we extensively research its history & source,
provenance, condition, and whether it can be matched up on screen or not. We take
such research very seriously and pride ourselves in the commitment thereof. On
a couple of occasions in the past, we did end up with items that turned out to
be replicated after all, as it is almost impossible to find all the final answers
based on pictures and without the item in hand for comparison. However, our research
ended up exposing the items as such and we therefore ended up never offering them
to our customer base. Once exposed as fake or replicas, such items would never
be offered through ScreenUsed. While the replica market (licensed and not) is
viable for some, it is something we absolutely have no interest in.
In
your own opinion, why do people (including you and I…) get attached so much
to movie memorabilia? Isn't it better to not demystify the movies we love so much?
Again,
we believe it is rooted in the same reasons why people would collect fine art
(or anything rare for that matter). In this case, it is the idea of bringing a
bit of Hollywood into your home. For some it might be the idea of glamour, for
others, just the satisfaction of owning what millions have seen and admired, yet
only one can own. While we agree that a few specific items may demystify some
films (i.e. when a prop is so crudely made that it just doesn't compare up close
to what you remember it to be on screen), for the most part, it seems to only
enhance the love collectors have for their respective films. You might also say
that "making-of" books and DVD supplemental behind-the-scenes material
would have that affect, yet, it is that material that has turned DVDs into the
success they have become, so ultimately, it seems to be what people want to see
and learn about.
A
lot of this hobby centers on memories; what memory does each person have of their
favourite film? The ability to capture part of that in person, and display it
as art in your home is very unique. On the other side of the picture, you can
invest in stocks and look at a piece of paper hoping it will increase in value.
With a key prop or wardrobe display, you can not only enjoy its presence and ownership,
but in many cases it may far surpass other monetary investments.
In
your experience, are most buyers worthy of the items you sell , meaning do you
feel they take care of the unique items they have in their possession, enough
to ensure the preservation of its history?
An
interesting question; yet a bit too general to encompass the different kinds of
collectors we deal with in one answer. Generally speaking, collectors obviously
do attribute value to the items they purchase and therefore usually care for them,
if only to protect their investment. Many collectors display their items either
at home or work. Many of our customers often request our own custom made display
cases, complete with reference pictures, etc. in order to protect and display
their key pieces.
Some
collectors go to extreme lengths to properly display their treasures; others are
content with the item in storage, knowing it's theirs. You also have to differentiate
between the "beginning" and the "seasoned" collector. Starting
out, many collectors - as we did ourselves - get so excited to obtain their first
"finds", that the focus on their collecting habits might not have been
formulated yet. We had many collectors who eventually resold items through us,
once they determined that their hearts were really set on specific films. Sometimes
it is a space issue, sometimes it's a financial issue and sometimes it is based
on the fact that tastes do shift over time. We certainly encourage anyone owning
original props and costumes to take the proper care, as we consider many of these
items to be of historical significance. In many cases you won't know for decades
which movies stand the test of time and which ones don't. If that was apparent
from day one, we would not all be chasing after items from the classics these
days, most of which were destroyed right after filming, as hardly anyone could
then see the value these items would grow to have one day.
THN wants to thank
Desi, Jeff and Stephan for their time and participation. And for making the movie-mania
world a better place…to shop!
Oscars
do show up in auction from time to time, though these all date back prior to 1950,
the year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (the organization behind
the Oscars) implemented a rule that no longer allowed for any of the awards to
be resold (in fact, the Academy has a first right of refusal at the price of $1
for any Oscar handed out after 1950). The value for the few Oscars that have been
offered for sale really depends on who it was originally awarded to and for what
movie.
