morgands1

May I ask: what exactly does “released in the website of the human organ” refer to? Sounds pretty nasty.

Manos Jetbike Ride said:

With ep7 coming and going from the public eye, I had the idea of reediting the numerous video reviews on it and putting them into plot order. This is mostly inspired by None and his “Thee Backslacpkping” video project, especially with recontextualizing disposable video products.

I have one question though, did someone make a music only track for ep7 yet?

I did a music-only track using the FYC stream, the CD, the Lin Manuel Miranda tracks, and the film’s end credits track, though that only incorporates maybe 80% of the score - Most of the first half is covered, then it’s spotty, until the attack on Starkiller Base.

I’ve edited an isolated score track from the album and FYC tracks, but it only accounts for probably about 80% of the running time. I chose to go silent with the rest, so there are some appreciable gaps.

And he’s the only person in the universe who’s afraid people won’t go to see a Star Wars movie because it’s a war movie.

The best theatre in New York City - the Carnegie Hall of film - has been shut down after a 46-year run, ending with Thursday’s 10 p.m. screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The Gothamist has pictures:
http://gothamist.com/2016/01/30/photos_the_last_night_at_the_legend.php

And here is a CBS News gallery of the Ziegfeld’s history:
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/curtain-falls-on-nycs-landmark-ziegfeld-theatre/

The landlord will be turning the Ziegfeld into a high-end ballroom, because hedge fund managers need a place to dance.

David

35mm films were frequently “blown up” to 70mm to take advantage of the six-track magnetic stereo soundtracks that were used for 70mm release prints. (The extra-wide gate also meant more light was being thrown onto the screen compared to a 35mm print.) The popularity of “Star Wars” and “Superman” led to many more theaters installing 70mm projectors and sound systems. But as digital sound (which could be encoded onto 35mm prints, or played in sync via CDs) came into play, the cost of 70mm prints (much more than 35mm, especially given the magnetic audio stripes) was no longer palatable.

Here is a link to a list of 70mm blow-ups.
http://in70mm.com/library/blow_up/index.htm

For example, in 1982 there were 29 films shot in 35mm that were released (or re-released) in 70mm stereo.

A very dense technical article from Dolby Labs dating from 1981 has been reprinted on in70mm.com.
http://www.in70mm.com/news/2015/mixing/index.htm

Here is an excerpt concerning ESB:

Usually only a few 70mm prints are made for any film, and they play in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other large markets.2 In these cases, the large majority of stereo prints will be in 35mm stereo optical; hence, the importance of monitoring through the matrix. In the spring of last year, however, Bill Varney found himself in a unique position during the mix of The Empire Strikes Back: "Ben Burtt [the supervising sound editor], the crew and I decided that since we were going out with over 125 70mm six-track prints as our initial release, the best thing to do was to make sure that those prints were going to work and work well, and to deal with the Dolby matrix later for the 35mm secondary release. So we monitored the film in a discrete format all the way and, once the six-track was done, went back and put it through the 4-2-4 monitoring. We were pleasantly surprised, and had to do very little in the way of correction; the picture moved into the Dolby Stereo mode easily.

“The two areas where you have to be careful, and that are hard to predict, are the boom channels — speakers two and four — and, more importantly, the surrounds. The idea was to make the film work on the front speakers without any surrounds or booms at all. We mixed the film by recording on just channel one, three, and five. We then went back and added the surround channel and the boom on the other tracks. The advantage to that is that when the film goes out in Spearfish, South Dakota, and the surround speakers and boom channels are not working, at least you know as mixers and creative people that the film is going to play and play well — with just the front speakers working.”

Bingowings said:

In many ways the Jedi are more conspicuous by their absence and true to their initial description by Ben, in the premise of this film, than they actually were in person during the whole of the PT.

The lack of Jedi is the reason why the Rebels need to try fight even harder against the seemingly undefeatable Empire.

So if Ben was supposedly the last Jedi (not counting Vader), why did the general tell his X-wing pilots before the attack on the Death Star, "May the force be with you"? He must have been an adherent/believer. Was it a vaguely-recognized (and ancient) religion, but with no surviving monks? Or were they simply in hiding during the "dark times"?

Hi, you can find the links here:

http://wideanglecloseup.com/starwarsaudio.html

Cheers,

David

The Paramus Rte. 4 Triplex (later the Quad, and then later the 10-plex) closed several years ago. It was the largest screen in NJ.  

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7715/photos/21256

The Loews Astor Plaza in NYC is also gone - now a "legit" theater.

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/309/photos/2677

David

FYI re: audience responses, here's video I shot at the Tribeca Film Festival's outdoor screening of "Jaws" last week, with people who obviously did not expect that head in the boat:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7406090n

Cheers,

Another PM sent - thanks!

msycamore said: Thanks for posting this! Well, it's a quite clear audible edit at that point. Hmm, this is weird, is there a possibility that you have repaired this segment at some stage and forgotten about it? It doesn't sound like it, maybe that print was damaged at that point?

No repair was done by me, and the scene doesn't correspond to a reel change.

I don't think it was a case of damage to the print. If there is another 70mm bootleg of ESB (mono even), perhaps it can be compared?

This link will work, too:

http://www.wideanglecloseup.com/Wampa_comparison.mp3

Sorry, didn't realize the 4shared site requires registration to download. Will fix later.

Here is an MP3 comparison of the Wampa scene.

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/hUnu5EyA/Wampa_comparison.html

It begins with the scene from the 70mm in-theatre recording, followed by the 1985 BetaHifi tape. Then I put the two in sync - 70mm in right channel, 85 tape in left - which results in a nearly six-second gap.

David

mysycamore said:

... maybe new 70mm prints with the revisions were made for the US re-releases if not for the foreign markets in '80.

It's difficult to tell without a video of the original 70mm, but perhaps new 70mm prints were struck of reels 1 and 6 (which incorporated changes to Wampa cave, Luke and Vader telepathy and Lando's departure) to switch out with existing prints, rather than strike entirely new (and expensive) 70mm prints as the film opened wider, if other major changes weren't made.

That could also explain why the Luke/Wampa cave 70mm cell exists.

msycamore said:

Should be quite easy to check exactly what shot was added to the 35mm cut after a little closer comparison, nice. :)

The distant roar of the wampa (where we see his shadow lurking) matches on both 70mm and 35mm. If one then ties the music cue where Luke sinks back down after trying to free his frozen boots and then tries to reach for his light sabre, all that - and subsequent sounds - match.

So the extra 5+ seconds occur as Luke comes to and reaches up to find his feet frozen into the ice of the ceiling. The added shot is probably the closeup of him just before he reaches up towards his boots, as seen in the master shot.

Hello,

I've seen a number of posts comparing audio differences between the initial 70mm and 35mm theatrical releases of ESB, and I think some posters are confusing changes made between the original 70mm and the subsequent fine-tuning for the 35mm release, with changes made in the remixing of the soundtrack for the 1993 LD transfer, or editorial changes for the Special Edition.

I've digitized the audio of the 1985 BetaHiFi pan-and-scan Dolby digital surround tape and compared it to the 70mm in-theatre recording and the 1993 transfer that was used on the 2006 bonus DVD. I found VERY few changes between the 70mm and initial 35mm releases, and hardly any between the 1985 and 1993 transfers.

Naturally I couldn’t compare visual changes suggested between the 70mm and subsequent 35mm releases, but the audio of the Wampa cave fight - prior to Luke using the force to retrieve his light saber - is about five-and-three-quarters seconds shorter in 70mm than the 1985 and 1993 transfers, so a comment that an additional shot had been added seems about right. The Bacta tank scene runs the same length in all three versions, so the visuals may match as well (despite my previous postings on that matter).

Below are the audio "differences" which I've pulled together from several postings, with my notes on the 70mm recording; 1985 pan-and-scan transfer (85PS); 1993 transfer; and the Special Edition (SE). 

(I didn’t bother tracking other changes made specifically for the SE, like switched music cues or new footage, because I really don’t want to sit through the whole thing, it's that irksome.)

* * * * *

On Hoth, right after C-3PO tells R2 to "Switch off," R2 gives out a little "blurp." No "blurp" in 70mm; No "blurp" in 85PS; No "blurp" in 93; "Blurp" is in the SE

When Luke finally collapses in the snow, he lets out a grunt as he lands on his face.  No grunt in 70mm; No grunt in 85PS; No grunt in 93; grunt is in SE

Luke says an additional "Ben… Dagobah…" just before Han says "and I thought they smelled bad on the outside."  No additional "Ben…Dagobah" in 70mm; not in 85PS; not in 93; extra dialogue is in SE

The following dialogue is the same in 70mm, 85PS, 93 and SE:
ROGUE 2: Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue 2. This is Rouge 2. Captain Solo, do you copy? Commander Skywalker, do you copy? This is Rogue 2.
HAN: Good morning. Nice of you guys to drop by!

When C-3PO tells Luke "It's so good to see you fully functional again," Luke replies "Thanks, 3PO."  There is no "Thanks 3PO" in 70mm; not in 85PS; not in 93; extra dialogue is in SE

The line "Headquarters personnel report to Command Center" is repeated three times instead of two.  Only 2x in 70mm; only 2x in 85PS; only 2x in 93; 3x in SE

When R2 is being loaded into Luke's X-Wing, C-3PO says the word "and" before saying "do take good care of yourself."  "And" is heard faintly in 70mm; it is MUCH fainter in 85PS; I can’t hear it at all in 93; it is MUCH louder in SE

Han's line "Transport, this is Solo. Better take off, I can't get to you. I'll get her out on the Falcon" is followed by, "Come on!" No "come on" in 70mm; No "come on" in 85PS; No "come on" in 93; extra dialogue is in SE

In the asteroid field, after C-3PO says "Oh, this is suicide," he says, "There's no where to go." "There's no where to go" is not in 70mm; Not in 85PS; Not in 93; extra dialogue is in SE

Yoda makes a frightened "Ehhhhh!" sound just before Luke says "Like we're being watched" and points his blaster at him.  No frightened "Ehhhh!" in 70mm: not in 85PS; not in 93; "Ehhhh!" is in SE

Yoda says the word "Run!" before "Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the force." "Run" is in 70mm; "Run" is in 85PS; "Run" is in 93; also in SE

The following lines "But beware the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side of the force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight" are also much louder and clearer.  The lines are softer in the 70mm, the 85PS and the 93; dialogue is louder in SE

The Imperial fleet establishing shot after the magic tree scene has a different TIE fighter sound effect. The same TIE sound effect is in the 70mm, 85PS, and in the English language track of the 93; the French/Spanish tracks of the Bonus DVD have a DIFFERENT effect - Why?; SE effects sound different too, but hard to tell because it also has DIFFERENT MUSIC

In Cloud City, after C-3PO says "That sounds like an R2 unit in there. I wonder if it…" he says "Hello?" only once instead of twice. "Hello" is said 2x in 70mm; 2x in 85PS; 2x in 93; only says "Hello?" once in SE
 

Before C-3PO gets shot, a different voice says "Who are you?"  Line reading sounds same in 70mm, 85PS and 93; different actor's voice in SE

While C-3PO is on Chewbacca's back when they enter the carbon freezing chamber, the line "Now remember, Chewbacca, you have a responsibility to me, so don't do anything foolish" is louder and heard more clearly. Dialogue is soft in 70mm, in 85PS and in 93; a little louder in SE

During the duel, when Luke knocks Vader from the platform, Vader lets out an "ooooh!" instead of an "aaargh!" "aaargh!" is in 70mm; "aaargh!" is in 85PS; "aaargh!" is in 93; the "ooooh!" is in the SE

Lando's line at the end, "Luke, we're ready for takeoff." is a different take. This reading sounds identical in 70mm, 85PS and 93; it's a different take in the SE

Dialogue at end:

70mm:

LANDO: Luke, we're ready for takeoff.
CHEWBACCA: Growl.
LUKE: Good luck Lando. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tattooine.
LANDO: Princess we'll find Han, I promise.
LUKE: Chewie, I'll be waiting for your signal.  Take care you two. May the force be with you.
CHEWBACCA: Growl.

85PS, 93 and SE:

LANDO: Luke, we're ready for takeoff.
CHEWBACCA: Growl.
LUKE: Good luck Lando.
LANDO: When we find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter we'll contact you.
LUKE: I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tattooine.
LANDO: Princess we'll find Han, I promise.
LUKE: Chewie, I'll be waiting for your signal.  Take care you two. May the force be with you.
CHEWBACCA: Growl.

It appears the only major audio changes between 70mm and original 35mm are extending the Wampa scene, and the final scene (more dialogue and music to cover the added FX shots).  

Apart from the mix-down from LCRS+booms to Dolby Analog Surround, only Reels 1 and 6 would have been affected in terms of revising audio tracks to match changes made to the internegative for the initial 35mm release after the 70mm debut.

Cheers,

After the opening spot, the 2nd 3rd and 4th are some of the TV spots from the 1978 reissue, audio of which I'd posted previously.  

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

• Where is this stereo 70mm Star Wars recording that was also described in the original post? Is it available for download somewhere?

The link was in the original post, but here it is again:

http://www.wideanglecloseup.com/starwarsaudio.html

Cheers,

morgands1

Nope, sorry.

Hi,

I've posted this in the theatrical comparisons forum:

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/ESB-70mm-Soundtrack-1980-in-theatre-recording/topic/12501/

..but thought I'd duplicate here:

Hello, originaltrilogy-ers,

A few years ago I posted audio files of a stereo recording I'd made of a 70mm screening of "Star Wars" in 1977. 

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/1977-70mm-Soundtrack-Recording/topic/5685/

 This was done taking two mono recordings – one taken at the far right front of the theatre, the other far left front – and marrying them together. Though there were sync and phasing issues, and clipping of the loudest sounds, it at least documented the film as it existed then, compared to the 35mm and mono soundtracks – let alone the subsequent special edition.

I'd written at the time that the process of doing this was complicated and time-consuming, and it was, but while I'd remembered doing a similar in-theatre recording at a 70mm screening of "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980, I did not have the tapes and figured they had not survived. 

But, they did.

I recently located the raw right and left channel tapes, and have put them together, using a different process than I'd done with the reel-to-reel deck three decades ago.  Transferring both channels into WAV files, I used the right channel as a guide track and sped up/slowed down the left channel to sync as closely as I could, though it's not always perfect. There are still sync and phasing issue, and a few dropouts, but the sound is good enough to provide a window on how the film existed in a 70mm engagement in the summer of 1980. 

I did no equalization or adjustment of the original audio, and the stereo doesn’t kick in until the opening crawl ends. (At least I didn’t READ the crawl out into the mic as I did with "Star Wars.") The two instances where I had to flip over cassettes necessitated that the sound would be briefly in mono. 

Also, for part two (about half an hour) I have not located the left channel cassette, so that section as presented here is in mono only. If I ever find it I'll process and re-post.

Still, for those researching differences in the soundtracks of the 70mm and 35mm versions of ESB, let alone with the special editions and various video releases, I figure these files will help answer those questions. 

Here are the files:

http://www.4shared.com/audio/rhGezR3U/ESB_Part1_stereo.html

ESB_part1_stereo.mp3   (62MB) (approx. 54 mins.)

http://www.4shared.com/audio/rRqaINgX/ESB_part2_mono.html

ESB_part2_mono.mp3  (44 MB) (approx. 38 mins.)

http://www.4shared.com/audio/S8JFlAEB/ESB_Part3_stereo.html

ESB_part3_stereo.mp3   (36MB) (approx. 31 mins.)

And yes, life is still too short.  :)

Cheers,

morgands1

For more on Star Wars audio see:

http://www.wideanglecloseup.com/starwarsaudio.html

I can attest to the fact that shots of Leia, Han, etc., observing Luke in the medical center were not in the 1980 70mm version. I only saw those production stills taken on set after the film's run.