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Post #1285846

Author
alloneword
Parent topic
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends UK Series 1-2 Original Broadcast Version Reconstruction (WIP)
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1285846/action/topic#1285846
Date created
20-Jun-2019, 6:15 PM

Just a little update;

Series is mostly done but I still need to do some freeze-frame credits but replacing the last two still credits with screenshots. It’s coming out well so far. All the DVD episode overlaying is done and I even reconstructed the Screen Legends promo as best I could. I could only do it with footage with didn’t have any effects done to the promo trailer itself. My only issue with the VHS footage is the shift in colour and brightness when it goes from DVD back to VHS (ie. even 2nd episode that leads into scrolling credits). I’ve tried dabbling with the colour corrector plug-ins but I wasn’t happy with my progress. Even if I got close with one episode, it would still be way off on another, so I just left them as they are for now. Like i said before, all warts aside, it’s still a huge leap in quality than just watching bare-bone VHSrips. I already did a remastered audio track for Series 2 via Audacity long before I attempted this (again, sourced primarily from 2004 DVD’s and AUS ToF) which has been ported over to this. So just a few more tweeks left for Series 2 and I’ll release it.

I’ve just started work on Series 1 with the first eight episodes, which is largly the same approach, plus thanks to AUS ToF, I can do some overlaying with some of the nameboard shots. One issue I’ve run into is the the framing on AUS ToF for these shots is shifted a bit, so it’s a bit of a job overlaying and matching seemlessly. The yellow line transitions at the begining of each episode (so far) is working as (unlike Series 2) the 2004 DVD maintains the footage in it’s barest form, so I’m able to crop the DVD frame-by-frame inside the yellow line/borders. Not bad for a newbee like me. The end of each episode doesn’t give me the option to do this, so it’s all VHS footage there. Opening credits for this will be just like Series 2 but the trouble here is the AUS ToF DVD has slightly fewer frames so the odd VHS frame will still be in there sadly. The theme tune, I want to keep it retro and true to how it sounded on VHS (the mixing/mastering of the theme varied between Series’) so that’ll be straight from AUS ToF.

As a break from Series 1, I thought I’d also attempt Series 3, buy restoring the original title’s and 1991 VHS freeze-frame credits for Episodes 1-16 and using the early MA narration. These will look the best as there’s no transisiton between the opening titles and the episodes and VHS will only be needed for episodes titles (except for “Mavis”, which will simply be ported over from “TLoF” AUS DVD in full), end credits and “The Video Collection” Ident. I’ve also ported over the “Britt Allcroft Company” ident from the “Peep Peep Party” UK 2000 DVD.