Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

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Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

This thread is for discussion of the Shea'79 VHS Bootleg.

The Shea'79 Bootleg is a VHS bootleg of Star Wars from 1979, on a Magnavox tape, introduced to us here at OT.com by PhotoDroid, with ownership attributed to a friend of his named "Shea".

PhotoDroid sent me the tape for digitization in March 2013.  I completed the project in a few days, using a Panasonic AG-1980 VHS deck, an AVTools TBC, and a Canopus ADVC-100.  It is letterboxed widescreen, and seems (to me) have the 35mm mix.  I suspect that it was originally telecined from a 16mm print, judging by the additional reel change dots in the same places as the Puggo Grande.

The quality, as expected, is fairly poor, exhibiting the typical bevy of old VHS symptoms - smearing, floating colors, wavering, etc.  But the color balance seems very good and so it may be of some interest as an early color source.

I have added a webpage devoted to the Shea Bootleg on my Puggo website:
http://www.hardbat.com/puggo (then click on Shea bootleg)

Screen caps to follow!

"Close the blast doors!"

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

A couple of screen captures:

 

 

 

"Close the blast doors!"

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

Another:

 

 

"Close the blast doors!"

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

And another:

"Close the blast doors!"

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

As always, I do not distribute my restorations.  If, for example, a copy were to accidentally fall into the hands of someone who does distribute it, I could not take responsibility.

"Close the blast doors!"

bkev's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

uggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

A couple of screen captures:

 

What interests me about these caps is that shot seems to match the corresponding Puggo Grande version quite a bit in terms of color.  I might be looking for that kind of similarity, though.

Last edited on May 12, 2013 at 4:02 AM by bkev

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

While I believe that the Shea tape is a 16mm bootleg, I am almost certain it is a different print than the PG.  The soundtrack is different.

"Close the blast doors!"

msycamore's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

Interesting... by saying 35mm mix, I take it you mean the 35mm Dolby mix and not the Mono?

On your site you state that you believe it's from a different source than Grande because the audiomix on it is different, the print which you used for Grande had the 35mm Dolby mix, yes? so I assume you mean it's different than the DVD audio of Puggo Grande (which used the mono mix from the Swedish 16mm print) am I correct? Sorry, just want to be sure I understood it all correctly.

Does it contain the end credits? I'm also curious to see which X-Wing takeoff matte shot that's on it.

Nice job Puggo, and thanks for sharing PhotoDroid and Shea!

Last edited on May 12, 2013 at 10:08 AM by msycamore

We want you to be aware that we have no plans—now or in the future—to restore the earlier versions. 

Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

Yikes, what a senior moment.  You're right, the mono mix came from the Swedish print.  I still don't think this is the same print as PG, though, because this one seems to have more and sloppier-looking reel-change markers.

Yes it has the complete end credits.  Don't know the answer to your other question.

By 35mm mix, yes I mean the Dolby mix (not mono).

Last edited on May 12, 2013 at 4:46 AM by Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda

"Close the blast doors!"

frank678's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

Thanks for bringing this to light Photodroid+Puggo. It's a shame its not from a 35mm print. I think it would maybe compliment the rest of the bootlegs depending on how certain scenes come out via the balances on this tape where they are distorting on other tapes. It is improved for me (subjective) with an auto-white balance >

http://i39.tinypic.com/35lvi94.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/2zgsrgm.jpg

Last edited on May 12, 2013 at 10:24 AM by frank678
none's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

Thanks for taking the time to digitize this, thanks PhotoDroid for bringing it to this forums attention, and Shea to saving it all these years.

[might want to add PhotoDroid's first post in your first post/webpage: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/NEW-possibly-2nd-Generation-77-78-Bootleg/post/621425/#TopicPost621425 Hopefully more details of where it came from can be established.

Comparisons:

Shea: Catnap: Krig: Grande: PS78:   mthr-swtc1:

 

msycamore wrote: Does it contain the end credits? I'm also curious to see which X-Wing takeoff matte shot that's on it.

Here's an explanation of the X-Wing takeoff variation: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Print-variations-in-77-Star-Wars/topic/14705/ (view the pics full size for better understanding)

 

Do the credits have: or

Further end credit stuff discussed here: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Credits-Leaders-Thread/topic/12960/ (another aspect is the fade in from the static credits to the rolling ones)

On the subject of cue marks, when making these 16mm, the duplicated source would be punched, then the copies run off.  Or does each copy get punched?  Puggo if you want post Reel Change pics to compare to: http://fd.noneinc.com/Reel_Changes/Reel_Changes.html  I'll add pics of this to the page.

Looking forward to checking this out, see what other aspects don't align with what we know.

Last edited on May 12, 2013 at 8:29 PM by none
photodroid's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration

Just checking into the thread to say hi. I will let those who know what they are doing discuss the Shea 79 Bootleg as I am just a novice when it comes to preservation and variation knowledge. If you have any questions about the tape itself or anything not too technical, just ask.

I want to thank Puggo for his effort in preserving this video. 

Photodroid

coltonlolz's avatar
RE: Shea 1979 Bootleg VHS restoration
Where to get the Shea bootleg? And I would like a myspleen invite, too.
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