I’M NOT THERE – DVD COVER

I’m a big fan of both cinema and Bob Dylan. So when a local Blockbuster store closed and sold off its inventory, I picked up a DVD of Todd Haynes’ 2007 film I’m Not There. By that point in the clearance sale, all films were sold without DVD covers. Since then I’ve always wanted to design an original cover for this unique and ambitious film.

I wanted my cover to convey the stripping away of Dylan’s different identities over the years, and to show how they’re all connected to one enigmatic performer. Since the movie itself is centered in and around the 1960’s, even going so far as to mimic filmmaking techniques of the period, I wanted my design to mimic the poster trends of the 60’s as well.

I illustrated Dylan in a simple poster-cut style, and chose his pose from the iconic Subterranean Homesick Blues music video. This allowed me to crop out his head, symbolically removing his individual identity, yet retain much of his recognizability as a pop culture icon. The cards he’s dropping in front of him show clearly the six actors who play different versions of Dylan throughout the film.