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"The Ewoks Project" DVD set (All discs now on myspleen)
"The Ewoks Project" DVD set (All discs now on myspleen) :: 1 > 7
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerPrevious thread : http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Droids-and-Ewoks-anybody/topic/12463/
Well this is it, the previously mentioned "version 1.0" is almost ready, so I thought it is a good idea to write some "specifications" about the DVDs.
The first season consists of 13 episodes on 5 DVDs. The reason why there are only 3 episodes on each disc (and 1 episode on the last one) is very simple - most of you guys prefer quality, so each stream is encoded with really great bitrate. The average bitrate of every video is 8 Mbps , the audio tracks are encoded as 256kbps ac3 stereo.
Each episode was transferred by Fritz (VideoCollector) from his own UK tapes (check his site : http://www.swonvideo.com/ ) on his standalone DVD recorder with maximum bitrate. The resulting MPG files were sent to me, where a little "restoration" began. The episodes in their raw state looked perfect for a transfer of a 20+ years old VHS tape, but with a closer look many of the episodes were pretty noisy.
What I have done is I have carefully checked what is the best method of removing the noise without "washing out" the details. Some of the episodes required just a touch of one of the most primitive Avisynth filters (Undot()), but most of them were cleaned up using the excellent VirtualDubMod filter NeatVideo. Another change was the colour correction - originally I planned to splice in DVD footage wherever it was possible, so I wanted to have the VHS colours to have as close to the DVD image as possible. The last change was cropping and resizing - the captured videos had a thick black border on the left size and / or the right size (NOT the standard 8 black pixels on each side), and the actual image was "squeezed". I have removed a part of the borders (each episode required different settings), and the rest was stretched to 720x576 (PAL DVD proportions) - now the image looks more natural.
The changed videos were exported from VirtualDubMod to lossless AVI files (HuffYuv codec) and then encoded to PAL DVD -compliant mpg files with Cinema Craft Encoder as interlaced TFF mpgs. I have returned in Womble the opening and closing themes to each episode, the opening looks worse than the episodes, because it comes from a different source.
Just to let you know HOW exactly do the episodes LOOK like, here are 6 pictures (2 from each episode)
HELP NEEDED
This project needs your help !
1) DVD cover - since this first season consists (will consist) of 5 DVDs, I would welcome if somebody could do 2 variants of a DVD cover - 1 variant for 5 individual discs, and 1 variant for a 6DVD box. I know there are MANY talented cover artists here, please help if you want :-)
2) DVD labels - somebody could do some nice DVD labels for each disc ?
3) A better name - "The Ewoks Project" sounds pretty lame, it's just a "temp name" - I'm pretty sure you guys can come up with something more interesting, I'm curious to read your tips :-)
4) BONUS MATERIAL - The last episode will have its own DVD, but it has only 1.3 GB. I want to fill the remaining space with as much bonus features as possible. I currently have :
- the Ewoks comics - quite bad scans of 14 Marvel comic books
- 1985 - WKBW ABC - Saturday Morning Cartoons Christmas promo - a TV commercial
- Star Wars Insider 73 - a Nelvana article
- "A Star Wars CELibration" from another Star Wars Insider
- TV episode guide to Droids and Ewoks
- Paul Dini interview from Starlog Yearbook
- UK Dairylea Droids / Ewoks VHS commercial
- UK Ewoks / Droids trailer from Dairylea tape
and that's it. Does anybody have something interesting to add to the bonus features ?
Video Collector
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Yayy!!
Pittrek to the rescue.
I can make covers and labels for these, but I won't be able to get to them for a few weeks.
Just send me the episode list for each disc and whatever else you think needs to be on there.
Fritz
Visit my *NEW* Star Wars on Video Collection site:
LeoneNut
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I've got some cbr files of the Ewoks comics, which maybe better scans than you have.
Have scans of all the Ewoks related kids storybooks as well.
And the UK Ewoks Annual from 1986 which contains some unique stories.
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerLeoneNut said:
I've got some cbr files of the Ewoks comics, which maybe better scans than you have.
Have scans of all the Ewoks related kids storybooks as well.
And the UK Ewoks Annual from 1986 which contains some unique stories.
That would DEFINITELY help !
darth_ender
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"darth endeor was a meanyhead" - FatherSkywalker, et al--QFTI don't have much to provide for help except more encouragement. Thanks for all your hard work on this project. You're doing everyone a huge service.
The ROTJ collaborative thread is a wealth of ideas, both on how to edit Return of the Jedi, as well as how to collaborate in an edit. Emanswfan has taken leadership of the project.
Password for all ROTJ-related clips: ROTJ
A very rough edit of how the Battle of Endor could go
A very rough idea of how ROTJ could end
Rough edit based on the final script with some deviation:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
LeoneNut
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Currently uploading my stuff.
But here's a print advert for the Ewoks and Droids UK VHS tapes circa 1988
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/683/ewoksvideosadvert.jpg/
pittrek
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Padawan Learnerdarth_ender said:
I don't have much to provide for help except more encouragement. Thanks for all your hard work on this project. You're doing everyone a huge service.
Oh I'm sure you CAN provide something :-)
If nothing else I'm searching for suggestions for some cool "project title" - I'm currently calling it "The Ewoks Project" which does sound pretty lame
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerLeoneNut said:
Currently uploading my stuff.
But here's a print advert for the Ewoks and Droids UK VHS tapes circa 1988
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/683/ewoksvideosadvert.jpg/
Thanks a lot for the upload, I hope I'll be able to download it (I'm still getting the odd "temporarily unavailable" message)
darth_ender
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"darth endeor was a meanyhead" - FatherSkywalker, et al--QFTpittrek said:
darth_ender said:
I don't have much to provide for help except more encouragement. Thanks for all your hard work on this project. You're doing everyone a huge service.
Oh I'm sure you CAN provide something :-)
If nothing else I'm searching for suggestions for some cool "project title" - I'm currently calling it "The Ewoks Project" which does sound pretty lame
"Fuzzy Memories: Bringing back the Ewoks"
Or something like that. Take it or leave it, or perhaps tweak it, but it's a thought :)
The ROTJ collaborative thread is a wealth of ideas, both on how to edit Return of the Jedi, as well as how to collaborate in an edit. Emanswfan has taken leadership of the project.
Password for all ROTJ-related clips: ROTJ
A very rough edit of how the Battle of Endor could go
A very rough idea of how ROTJ could end
Rough edit based on the final script with some deviation:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Niphoet
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Padawan LearnerHow about "The Ewok Restoration Project" or "The Animated Ewok Restoration Project"
TyrannicalFascist
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Maybe "Project Endor" or "Project Sanctuary Moon".
"You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend... and you've never watched Star Trek?................Good Lord..." - Patrick Stewart, Extras
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerI like Project Endor
skyjedi2005
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Jedi KnightDoes anyone have the bantha tracks stuff, i cannot remember if they covered this.
"Always loved Vader's wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin's ghost. What a fucking shame." -Simon Pegg.
Darth Bizarro
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Mmmmmeeeeeeeoooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwww!"Project Yub Nub"
"George, we hate you for making more Star Wars movies. Please make more Star Wars movies."
-The Internet
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerDarth Bizarro said:
"Project Yub Nub"
Actually I'm using Yub Nub as menu music :-)
darth_ender
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"darth endeor was a meanyhead" - FatherSkywalker, et al--QFTOn my honor, I swear I will hold my bladder until this is released!
Okay, not true. Just know that I check the preservation forum specifically for this project every day. Still excited about it :)
The ROTJ collaborative thread is a wealth of ideas, both on how to edit Return of the Jedi, as well as how to collaborate in an edit. Emanswfan has taken leadership of the project.
Password for all ROTJ-related clips: ROTJ
A very rough edit of how the Battle of Endor could go
A very rough idea of how ROTJ could end
Rough edit based on the final script with some deviation:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
marioxb
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Look at the picture to see what the XB is MarioXB stands for!
SilverWook
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I am ready for the trials!Not so much changed as they are the theatrical versions shown overseas.
Always wondered how they did at the box office, as the proposed third film was scuttled allegedly because they were getting more expensive to make.
Images of the Kenner toy line might be cool.
pittrek
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Padawan Learnermarioxb said:
Personally, I would just call it what it is, Ewoks: The Complete Animated Series.A good extra would also be Return of the Ewok and the bits of the of the original versions of the two Ewok movies that were changed as seen here:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk/398347-lucas-changes-star-wars-again-ewok-adventures-dvd.html
Yeah, I'll probably stick with something like "Ewoks : The Complete Animated Series".
Return Of The Ewok - what is the best available source for this ? I have OCP's version which looks pretty shitty and is a mixture of 2 sources, did a better version appear somewhere ?
Does ANYBODY have the ORIGINAL version of the Ewok movies ? I read some time ago that the opening credits are new on both movies on the DVDs, but I didn't see any "photographic evidence" till now, so a BIG THANKS ! But it would be great to see the original version, maybe it would be a good extra ?
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerSilverWook said:
Images of the Kenner toy line might be cool.
Do you have them ? I know they were on the old starwars.com but it was lost after the redesign before I was able to download them
SilverWook
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I am ready for the trials!I have both movies on Laserdisc, plus my own VHS recording of Battle for Endor from the original broadcast. The VHS I transferred to DVD quite some time ago. IIRC, someone around here documented some slight dialog differences between the tv broadcast and the early video release of BFE a long time back.
I *might* have an old toy magazine article with pics of the Ewoks and Droids lines, but it will take some time to actually find it if it's not gone for good.
A quick bit of Google fu did find this...
http://retrostarwars.com/post/3792651744/kenners-ewoks-line-1985
pittrek
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Padawan LearnerIs this broadcast recording different from the official LD / VHS ?
I had one big "problem" with these sets, I plan to "release" them as 2 5-DVD sets, but you can't buy cases for 5 DVDs, only for 6 :-) So original / alternate versions of these 2 movies would be the perfect DVD 6 for every set :-)
Erikstormtrooper
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I am ready for the OOT!pittrek said:
Return Of The Ewok - what is the best available source for this ? I have OCP's version which looks pretty shitty and is a mixture of 2 sources, did a better version appear somewhere ?
I think this is the best copy of the complete version. But a shorter, better looking version was released through the SW.com website.
You know of the rebellion against the Empire?
AvP
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Jedi Artistpittrek said:
you can't buy cases for 5 DVDs, only for 6
SilverWook
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I am ready for the trials!pittrek said:
Is this broadcast recording different from the official LD / VHS ?
I had one big "problem" with these sets, I plan to "release" them as 2 5-DVD sets, but you can't buy cases for 5 DVDs, only for 6 :-) So original / alternate versions of these 2 movies would be the perfect DVD 6 for every set :-)
Been a while since I've watched either version, but the one visual difference is the closing credits. Broadcast version credits run over a freeze frame of the Endor sky, LD/MGM home video release is over a black screen.
"The Ewoks Project" DVD set (All discs now on myspleen)