“The transfer of already-completed features and film programs is always performed from prints or intermediate elements that were originally produced as a part of the print-finishing process.”
Facinating statement. So if they didn’t make a specific print that indicates they would use what they had on hand.
I find it interesting that most of this discussion comes across as the typical modern way is the only possible way it could be done. I know for a fact that for a great many movies the typical modern way is impossible, either due to what exists or the age of the film. TCM uses Technicolor prints for those old color movies.
Star Wars is not from a time when every movie came out on home video. I trust reports of what the sources for the Definitive Collection were over what some think how it must be because that has since become the norm. The real world is not that clean and tidy.
And while your detailed description of how Doctor Who was transferred to film is accurate for the situation in 1963-5, they adopted a higher quality standard where they didn’t drop any of the half frames and they retransferred all the older episodes, though not all the existing copies are the better transfer.
Now, when we talk about how the average TV station handled telecines (which I’m sure is a different standard from how a major network would operate or a home video arm of a major studio), I have no doubt that 16mm prints were very common. I know a lot more about how BBC properties were distributed and it was all 16mm film out to the station for transfer and broadcast. Anything important made at those stations would be transferred to film to be archived. Some countries were small enough they only had one BBC affiliate. Australia had several, plus their own censor board. Sometime in the mid 70’s BBC started shipping video tapes to some markets. I have no doubt that the smaller station only had equipment for 16mm so if they wanted to show a movie they needed a 16mm copy. But major networks and home video arms of studios wouldn’t need those. The video posted above is pre HD at the BBC and the machine demonstrated in the video can handle 16mm or 35mm, prints, negatives, or intermediates. So pretty much anything except 70mm.
From a quality perspective, even an SD telecine should be done from the highest quality print available. Every generation adds more grain and degrades the colors. Reducing to 16mm adds even more grain,so unless you have to use that, you wouldn’t want to. If you have a special made high generation print, great. If you don’t, you wouldn’t deliberately have one made if the technical difficulties of using what you have weren’t insurmountable.
I still remember that very expensive VHS of Gone With The Wind that came out on the mid 80’s. I don’t remember how many generations down that was, but it was dark and awful. Then they did a restoration for the 50th in 89 that was outstanding from the original negatives to modern film. Then they finally did it right in full technicolor. So that telecine had to be from a print.
There is the norm and then there are all the exceptions. I have no doubt that Star Wars is full of exceptions. Return of the Jedi was the first one made in the home video era. I think rather than focusing on how some say it should have been done we look deeper and find out how it was really done.