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.: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *) — Page 48

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Exact same process but different resolution output, so the problems are the same, but because of the resolution difference the final result varies a little.
We are taking advantage of variances between versions to recover missing information and detail in scenes, but there is no 'great' single version of this shot, but I'm reasonably happy with the results I'm getting so far.

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Originally posted by: Laserman
Well it means is we are trying to restore the shot to its original state, so vasocam will be retained for the archives.

I'm also having a look at what some minimal colour correction can do to minimise the effect and clean it up in an unobtrusive way for my own version.

I expect if an untouched version (exception: DVNR) isn't released there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mini-rant re: pink area under speeder specifically:
I know the story of the shot vasoline etc..., but I have to wonder if people would even care if Lucas had said he intended the area underneath the speeder to blurred.
How do we know the technology (in this fictitious world) wouldn't produce a distorted effect underneath the speeder? Wouldn't it be more likely that there *would* be some kind of visible evidence? Even after I knew how the shot was done it never bothered me for those reasons.

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Does anyone know exactly how the vasoline trick was done? (i.e., was it applied to the lens at the time of filming, or was it applied to the print during editing?). I ask because it just occured to me that if it was done during the editing process, couldn't they have done a "Ralph McQuarrie special" and just cover the bottom of the speeder with a matte painting?

“It’s a lot of fun… it’s a lot of fun to watch Star Wars.” – Bill Moyers

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Lens at the time of filming. You don't want to put vaseline on a print, not even a workprint. Matte painting wasn't an option as the shot was moving.
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Originally posted by: Tomland Flash
Originally posted by: Laserman
Well it means is we are trying to restore the shot to its original state, so vasocam will be retained for the archives.

I'm also having a look at what some minimal colour correction can do to minimise the effect and clean it up in an unobtrusive way for my own version.

I expect if an untouched version (exception: DVNR) isn't released there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mini-rant re: pink area under speeder specifically:
I know the story of the shot vasoline etc..., but I have to wonder if people would even care if Lucas had said he intended the area underneath the speeder to blurred.
How do we know the technology (in this fictitious world) wouldn't produce a distorted effect underneath the speeder? Wouldn't it be more likely that there *would* be some kind of visible evidence? Even after I knew how the shot was done it never bothered me for those reasons.


I've thought about that before and if it had a pink glow under it in every shot it would make sense, but it is only there in those few shots and not there in others.
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Originally posted by: Laserman

I've thought about that before and if it had a pink glow under it in every shot it would make sense, but it is only there in those few shots and not there in others.


good point, I guess I'm not that familiar with the film since I didn't recall any other shots that would reveal the underside of the speeder.

Good ole vasoline. you can always count on it to give you a pink glow <--- there wasn't a "smiling, winking & pink" emoticon
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If you take a look at the shot, you will see that it distorts all over the place around the bottom third of the screen.
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Originally posted by: Tomland Flash

How do we know the technology (in this fictitious world) wouldn't produce a distorted effect underneath the speeder?


Because it wasn't there when Luke was going back to the Lars homestead.
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Zion, MebeJedi, Laserman, et al:

Originally, you were gunning for a release of Star Wars to coincide with the release of GOUT, but realized that you needed more time. Now that the X0 team has stated that they're "in the final stretch," should we hope for a Christmas/Hannukah release, perchance? I know I shouldn't be expecting anything, but a person has to dream, right?
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Won't be Christmas, Zion is still trying to finalise moving, and I will be working on ANH over the Christmas break and feeding it back to him for final CC and authoring etc.
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I feel Zion's pain.....I hate moving. All in all its a big pain in the ass.

I love everybody. Lets all smoke some reefer and chill. Hug and kisses for everybody.

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I guess what I was wondering was how the orange blur only appears under the speeder. Was that not the vasoline but really drawn in by hand. I'd love to see a reel of the different elements of the shot.
And "feeding it back for final CC and authoring." What does CC mean? And does that also mean... Star Wars is close to being finished?

Take back the trilogy. Execute Order '77

http://www.youtube.com/user/Knightmessenger

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CC = Color Correction I'd guess


Or maybe Colour Correction "from a certain point of view"

However, in practice you must take into account the “fuckwit factor”. Just talk to Darth Mallwalker…
-Moth3r

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XØ Guys and SW Fans: have a great Christmas and New Years. Enjoy it to the fullest with your Family and Friends. May the force be with you, always!
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Originally posted by: netgurucr
XØ Guys and SW Fans: have a great Christmas and New Years. Enjoy it to the fullest with your Family and Friends. May the force be with you, always!

What? No lame threats demanding the X0 team refund your money back? Refreshing.

I love everybody. Lets all smoke some reefer and chill. Hug and kisses for everybody.

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Originally posted by: vbangle
Originally posted by: netgurucr
XØ Guys and SW Fans: have a great Christmas and New Years. Enjoy it to the fullest with your Family and Friends. May the force be with you, always!

What? No lame threats demanding the X0 team refund your money back? Refreshing.


Yeah, and for more than an entire page also! Extremely refreshing.

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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Originally posted by: Knightmessenger
I guess what I was wondering was how the orange blur only appears under the speeder. Was that not the vasoline but really drawn in by hand. I'd love to see a reel of the different elements of the shot.
And "feeding it back for final CC and authoring." What does CC mean? And does that also mean... Star Wars is close to being finished?


CC is Colour Correction, we have been using parts of various film prints as our guide to reduce the guesswork when it comes to this.

ANH is nearing completion as much as getting the shots completed, we are at the stage of having to balance between eternal tweaking and just getting it done. It is hard to sign off on a shot when you know it could be better, but there comes a point where you need to - we can't work on it forever.
Even from there though it still needs to be CC'd and reviewed and then authored to DVD.
I don't really have an ETA or a feel for one at the moment, I'm without a computer until I can source a replacement, and the internet cafe doesn't really have the resources required
Once Zion gets into his digs and the discs I've posted to him get over to the US then we will have a better idea of how far we have to go.
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It is hard to sign off on a shot when you know it could be better, but there comes a point where you need to - we can't work on it forever.



I know someone from Modesto who could learn a thing or two from this.
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Re: the landspeeder shadow. There's a lot more going on in that shot than just petroleum jelly (if in fact there is any. I think Lucas was talking about different, locked-off shots and possibly an abandoned technique). If you oversaturate the color you can see that the orange blur is the vehicle's real shadow, painted out frame-by-frame with an animated shadow composited below it. They positioned the animated shadow lower so that daylight would be visible under the hull, but unless the speeder is suddenly a lot higher off the ground that means that the shadow is being cast towards the camera while all the other (real) shadows in the shot recede into the background. The SE and DVD versions have the same problem.

I mean OK, two suns, but really.
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Any updates on how the X0 Project is going?

The Star Wars trilogy. There can be only one.

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Yes

However, in practice you must take into account the “fuckwit factor”. Just talk to Darth Mallwalker…
-Moth3r

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We haven't really done anything in the past month, two of us have been moving and I've been sick, so we are all just catching up with each other again now to start work on it again.