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INv8r_ZIM

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Join date
3-Aug-2004
Last activity
14-Feb-2016
Posts
275

Post History

Post
#745049
Topic
MOAR 3D!
Time

Called it two years ago. Disney announces Celebration will be the 'first' place to see Sith in 3D.  Throwing this out now - lead up to Episode 7 I think we're going to see special engagements of at least some of the remaining films in 3D.  I'll also go on record saying I actually thought TPM3D was an improvement, and I think I'll took the right approach with their fairly subtle 3D conversion there. 

Post
#720514
Topic
Harmy's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Despecialized Edition HD - V2.0 - MKV & AVCHD (Released)
Time

Had a browse through the first half last night.  Looking phemomenal, particularly the amount of detail you were able to rescue from the whites and blacks, Harmy!  Something I noticed which I hadn't before too - the further LFL pushed the contrast on their transfers, the WORSE the integration of the various composited elements stood out.  DE makes a lot of the worst offending shots look better integrated.

Two things I noticed, but as it was late, didn't go back to check so I'm not entirely sure I saw correctly (plus I was watching on a laptop, so take that for what it's worth):

- the very first establishing shot with the Executor - it looked like the white point had been dropped far enough that the neon lights on the model had been dulled really significantly.  Anyone else see that shot that way?  Could equally be a monitor, hardware, player or codec thing too, obviously.

-when Han and Leia are running toward the Falcon, there is a HEAVY black line between the set and the matte painting, which I don't recall ever seeing before.  Maybe I've just missed it for 30 years, but....Anyways, at the same time, on the screen-left side of the Falcon there appeared to be a moment where there was a fairly significant grey video artifact that just blinked into life, and then vanished again.  Again, it could easily have been the player, codec, or hardware, but it was noticeable. 

 

VERY much looking forward to finishing watching tonight!  Harmy, as always, a brilliant piece of work you've pulled off.

Post
#635191
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

Laserschwert said:

INv8r_ZIM said:


the BEST RotJ poster, and I will brook no argument on that, thank you - pissed no end when they stole it for the ESB:SE poster

If by "they" you mean "Drew Struzan" and by "stole" you mean "re-used his own artwork" and by "ESB:SE" you mean "ROTJ:SE", then you're right.

You know, I do believe I totally boneheadedly misremembered that poster so I'll eat that one.  You're sort of right - he actually didn't use it for RotJ:SE either, but used a different piece that was so similar it might as well have been the same piece.  So if by "re-used his own artwork" you meant "didn't re-use his own artwork" then yes, you were also correct.  Touche!  The point though was that the original RotJ poster had the blade colours reversed.

 

Oh, and, ummmm...I certainly hope that...ah....Harmy doesn't end up using either for this project, which is totally what this here thread is about.  There, that should keep someone's panties out of a knot.

 

Post
#634872
Topic
Lucas and EditDroid photo?
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

INv8r_ZIM said:


Jeesus, to hell with the haters - Lucas is a damn visionary.


What's a "Jeesus"?

 

It's like a 'jeebus', and strays just wide of attracting the out of proportion ire of right-wingers with no sense of humor.

 

And, yeah, the more I think about it, the more I'm POSITIVE that's where the pic is from. 

Post
#634871
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

yoda-sama said:

SOME STUFF AND THEN

Oh, and I love (at least from this scan) how it seems Luke has a red saber and Vader has a blue one.

Actually, if I remember correctly, that poster (the BEST RotJ poster, and I will brook no argument on that, thank you - pissed no end when they stole it for the ESB:SE poster) was always coloured that way.  Strange but (?) true! 

 

And now back to you regularly scheduled pacing the floor waiting for feeding time...er, the BD release.

Post
#634163
Topic
Lucas and EditDroid photo?
Time

Oh, jeeze, I HAVE that photo somewhere!  If I could only remember where the hell it is.  It was attached to an article about how Lucas had pioneered this bizarre electronic gizmo that would let you edit a film non-linearly.  I wonder what ever happened to that idea?  Oh yeah...it became the ONLY way to edit. 

Anyways...I think..I THINK it's from Discover magazine from '84, in a cover article called "Computerizing the Movies".  I'll poke around, but I think my copy is stuffed away somewhere at my parents place.  That should give you a starting place at least. 

 

Hah...just found the text online, and it goes on to talk about this other computer he's developed which can produce animation, and is called a 'Pixar'.  The other tech is some esoteric piece of hardware for mixing audio that probably never went anywhere, called an ASP.  Jeesus, to hell with the haters - Lucas is a damn visionary.

Post
#632242
Topic
Info: The "Lost Cut" Of ANH
Time

darth_ender said:

With Disney owning LFL would it be more possible to get a release of the Lost Cut?  I'd sure love to see it.

Well, given the subtlety and care with which Disney has handled the franchise so far?  I'd bet on "Screw you, fans, it  never existed, in fact, there was no SW before this minute..because we're focused on the FUTURE, Marty, the FUUUUUTURE!!!"

Post
#631343
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

Harmy said:

Yes! I win! Up yours Ady! :-D Just kidding - I'm personally really looking forward to ESB:R and also ANH:R HD. I was actually thinking about sometime doing my own personal SE using Ady's ANH:R (PAL DVD9 of course) and HD-fying it and undoing some of the changes I don't really like all that much.

 

Post
#629346
Topic
OT Theatrical Release Stereoscopic 3D (* unfinished project *)
Time

It's out next month, isn't it?  Surprise!

 

Yeah, you're in for a ton of work to do it properly, but it would be very cool to see.  I actually was impressed with the execution on TPM - not absurd 3D but adding subtle depth, and it actually improved some shots (like OOM9 communicating with the TF guys) by making the composition pop.  Very disappointing that Disney has kaiboshed the rest of the films. 

There is software to convert SBS to anaglyph of various flavors (yellow magenta apparently being a good one).  I've run the Nightmare Before Christmas 3D, that I believe ILM did, through one package and it works, so even if the final version is only sbs for 3d sets, the rest of us should be able to make something out of them too.

Good luck!

Post
#627469
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

angryboy said:

angryboy said:

At 42:50 there's  a white ball behind Obi-Wan that looks like it's rolling. Is that in the originals or is it a Special Edition addition?

 

Does anyone know anything about this?

 

Did this ever get answered? If not, nope, that's always been there :)

 

Doing everything I possibly can to keep from clicking on the 'spleen link - trying to keep myself pure for the BD release.  Do have to say, Harmy, that at least from the screenshot comparison package, you frigging NAILED the Dune Sea stuff - they pop now in a way that 2.0 didn't, but without crushing blacks or blowing the whites the way LFL graded the DVD/BD.  Amazing work, and can't imagine how you pulled off getting Ben's cloak out of that goddamn magenta cast it ended up with on the official versions. 

 

Aw, screw it, I couldn't resist  - Dling 2.1 now.  BTW, have invites if anyone needs one.

Post
#626961
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

Ginge said:

Guspaz said:

A theatrical release of Phantom Menace seems like a waste of Harmy's considerable talents. Getting to see Jar Jar in all his theatrical glory is not something I particularly feel a need to do :P

 

I couldn't agree more, a theatrical Phantom Menace is a complete waste of time. You can't polish a turd... the prequels are garbage and should be forgotten. 

In both of your opinions, of course, you forgot to say.  I'll go OT for a second while we wait for updates from Harmy, and understand you're getting to stand in for a whole bunch of people here.  As I get older I find this to be the single most depressing part of the internet; when people get to be utterly anonymous and never have to actually face the people they speak at, they have no problem making sweeping generalizations, using insane rhetoric, acting as if their opinion were fact, and treating anyone who disagrees with them like a drooling moron, clearly not up to their intellectual level. 

In any event, don't worry, I'll make sure to tell my kids, who enjoy AotC and RotS, how wrong and stupid they are because the films are garbage without any merit at all.

Post
#626058
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

yoda-sama said:

I suppose, but the little droid isn't on screen long enough to get proper Torgo theme music going.  Besides Tobor is from the Rifftrax to the Star Wars Holiday Special (totally watch it this way, btw), which makes it a relevant reference for a Star Wars commentary.

If your parents love you, they will buy you Tobor.

Have had it (actually, full confession, along with every single feature riff, and a whack of shorts and iriffs as well...btw, Breaking Wind..er...Dawn pt 2 next week, WOO-HOO!!) since release...don't remember Tobor though.  I blocked out a whole bunch of that one.

 

And there's ALWAYS time for the haunting Torgo theme...

 

 

Btw, what the heck is that last pic from?  Only one I've never seen, and I never realized they shot any of the cockpit stuff against, what, rear projection?  Awesome pic.

Post
#621281
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

Harmy said:

Well, actually, the new version of SW will be quite different. I think I'll end up calling it v2.5 or something, as it won't be done from scratch like v2.0 was but it will have enough new/different stuff to be quite a different beast altogether.

...a few new CG background creature antics, a surprise new scene visiting with Bea Arthur's sultry cantina-owner/siren (ggggrrrrrrr!)...dancing banthas...maybe tweak the colour timing to make it fit in with LOST a little better...you know, just some subtle differences and changes.  It'll be the classic you remember from Fall of 2012, but new and improved! 

Post
#621008
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

johnlocke2342 said:

Hi.

I'm also a Mac user and I use Ivi, available on the Mac App Store for a few bucks (about €4 if I remember correctly). It has a very good Quality/Size ratio. Only downside is you can't convert DVD ripped as a VIDEO_TS folder. So now I'm using MakeMKV to rip them, but that's another story. I can tell it works, I have the despecialized trilogy in my iTunes library.

For playing Mkvs on an Apple TV without RE-encoding, you can try Video stream if you own an iOS device (don't forget to install the Mac client).

Both solutions work great. Hope it helps.

Yikes...that's a hell of a chore to go through just to play a common video format.  I don't get the appeal (or 'Apple-eal' if you will) of AppleTV.  For the same price you can pick up a halfway decent media streamer that can mount a 3tb drive internally, connect USB3, stream wifi or wired from the home network, doesn't care if you use iTunes or not, AND can cope with virtually every codec ever used (except the original MP4 AVI codec - damn you, DAP MST3K episodes!!!!!  DAAAAAMN YOOOOOOOOO!!!!).  I'll admit I may just not have heard about it, is there something AppleTV actually does that makes it a better choice in any circumstance?

Post
#619651
Topic
Harmy's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Despecialized Edition HD - V2.0 - MKV & AVCHD (Released)
Time

Well, in the very VERY first shot of the Imperial fleet (the port-side of the bridge passing overhead) the BG destroyer that was medium-shadow density is utterly black in the '04s, and all of the shadows on the TIEs chasing the Falcon prior to entering the asteroid field likewise are the same black as the BG starfield, making chunks of wings bleed seamlessly into the BG.  I probably notice it because of how much I have loved both of those sequences since 1980.  It's obsessive, but then again, we're talking about minute re-construction of details to a thirty year old film at this point :) All of the space stuff suffers from this re-timing of the film.  Anyways, it occurred to me by the end of my last post  that you likely would have to be deep into prep-work on v2 before you'd know what you wanted to address anyways, and therefore there wasn't much of a head start we could get for you. 

Post
#619552
Topic
Harmy's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Despecialized Edition HD - V2.0 - MKV & AVCHD (Released)
Time

Obviously this would only be if you think it would help, and I'm sure no one wants to see the frothing madness that are the demand/suggestions/insane co-ownership attitude on the Revisited projects, Harmy, but maybe a bit of pre-pro scut-work we can help with is if you identify a few shots you feel are in the worst shape, we can get them to Snicker to run some sample frames and see if there's anything worth pursuing further?  'Course, that would depend on you already knowing where the problems are, so might have to wait until you get to the project anyways.

Post
#618442
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

Harmy said:

So, some time ago msycamore pointed out that in the SE more shake was added to a few shots when the Falcon is caught in the tractor beam. I knew it would be really difficult to remove without removing the original shake as well, so I left it alone. But recently I saw a direct comparison of the two and the added shake is so violent that I decided to go through it and remove the added shake manually frame by frame and here's the result:

http://uloz.to/x9Si3nS/shake-sample-mp4

 

Egads, Brain, you as-tound me!  nnnnNNNNNAAAAAAAAaaaaarrrrrfff......On the other hand, do you realize how hard you make waiting, Harmy?

Post
#617474
Topic
Harmy's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Despecialized Edition HD - V2.0 - MKV & AVCHD (Released)
Time

Well, I know where in ESB the clipping and crushing bug me the most - in the first Imperial fleet shots and in the Falcon's escape from Hoth.   The loss of detail in those is so atrocious that it distracts me every time.  Would there be any point in running those sequences, or those and and a handful of others through your custom scripts and plugs, Snicker?  Would certainly cut down on the render time if the process can be targeted where it really needs it.  Encode lossless and Harmy should be able to just drop those shots into his timeline.  As  understood it, Snicker, these are on your work machines, no?  Can you tie up render time if that's the case?

Post
#617357
Topic
Rick McCallum Exits Lucasfilm!
Time
The revised version was an improvement, but the skin color still seems off, unlike the TPM Jabba.

 

Ehrm....pssst, that was the TPM Jabba - they had it, so used it to update those shots.  And I'll repeat what I said at the time - yeah, the replacement looks better as a model, too bad it moves like absolute shit.  Williams was able to give the original CG Jabba more weight and a more convincing performance using much older character tools.

Post
#615907
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

Spaced Ranger said:

Would Star Wars "clapper" clips help as definitive color references and do we have them like the Star Trek community has (the black & white board would help, but one with a color strip would be better)?

I don't think so.  It would of course give you a definitive idea of what the colours on set really were, but SW was shot with a variety of filters, lit specifcally, and, as has been pointed out, intentionally graded after the thing was assembled.  Knowing the grey point wouldn't give you any idea of what the film looked like when Lucas was ready to send it for duplication.

Post
#614750
Topic
When/Why did you become an OT purist?
Time

I was happy to let the SE co-exist with the real films when the SEs came out.  I had grabbed TR47s LD rips, and those were my goto versions.  There were some cool things about the SEs that I enjoyed on occassion.  But the transition to real purist?  Got to be when the DVDs were finally released - being told I was no longer allowed to remember what I grew up with because it was only an in-progress version was the last straw.  Each subsequent release has only pushed me further into 'militant' territory.

Post
#614655
Topic
Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released)
Time

New video looks good!  Probably as good as that footage is ever going to look (having spent years professionally restoring still images, I'm starting to think that section may have been victim of particularly bad colour fading based on what I'm seeing - looks like you've boosted saturation on at least a couple of channels, but there's info missing from the source).   The dynamic range looks like a good compromise too - we've got shadow detail back and the high end of the gradients are nicely defined too.  Must have been a real bitch, but it looks sooooo good, Harmy!

 

Also, am I seeing things or did you manage to fix that weird colour issue on the up-wipe between threepio and Ben's hut?  I commented months ago that it had some weird stuff going on, and you said yeah, it's on the BD.