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Starchaser Legend of Orin 3D - 35mm 3D Preservation & Restoration (* Unfinished Project *)

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PLEASE NOTE: New lower fund raising goal…

I have opted to use a different cleaner/scanner which will save some money but I will still be having the print cleaned and scanned at 4K. Without any help I couldn’t entertain the other service offer but the project will continue. The reels are going out next week. My new goal is substantially lower so please PM me if you can help. The print is paid for and the storage is paid for. I just want help to go toward the scan. Thanks folks!

GOAL: $500.00


Hello fellow OriginalTrilogy.com members. This is the official project thread for my first effort here and I think I picked a fun one. First of all let me say that I thoroughly enjoy everything you all do to make MY movie viewing experiences better. You all do some truly phenomenal stuff. Now I know there are folks who have completed or are working on things like THE Original Trilogy and restoring classics like Fantasia and I am sadly not one of them. However, when I saw a 35mm print on ebay of that classic and wholly original animated feature from 1985 that is in no way a rip off of Star Wars called STARCHASER THE LEGEND OF ORIN, and in 3D to boot, well I jumped on it, jumped in it actually, head first I’m afraid. I say that because I purchased the print not having any idea what I would do with it when I got it. It arrived today on 6 2000’ reels. There is no vinegar smell just as the ebay seller had stated and is, as advertised, Over/Under 3D. The print is an Eastman LPP. While I can’t verify, it was said to have zero splices and based on not only the seller rating and reviews on Ebay but on my communication with him, I have no fears. I would like to lay out the game plan for the project before I arrive at the inevitable.

First, I am having each reel cleaned and prepped using a Lipsner Smith ultra-sonic cleaner on them, adding 15 foot leaders and transferring each reel to lab cores. Next up will be scanning. Now I am very excited because the reels will be scanned at 4K on the best scanner currently available on planet Earth. I was told that normally to have a film this length scanned at 4K, it would cost in the neighborhood of $25,000 plus storage. I can’t afford to live in that neighborhood BUT the offer on the table is to scan for the incredible price of $1,000.00 for the entire film plus storage! Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus and apparently he’s partial to 3D animated films from the 80s 😉 With regards to storage, a 2000‘ reel needs a little over 3tb so I’m planning on going with TWO 4tb drives per reel. They can be had for around $130 on Amazon and with two HDDs per reel the risk of data loss is greatly reduced. Now, unless my math is way, way off we’re looking at:

Clean and prep: $720.00
4K Scanning: $1000.00
Storage: $1560.00
Insured Shipping: $250.00

That’s $3,530.00 to get back six HDDs with a 16bit per pixel TIFF image sequence, and a matching WAV file for the audio (plus six backup HDDs).

I’m basing the shipping on what it cost to ship the reels to me here in Florida from the Ebay seller in Cali. I would imagine that the $3500 figure is fairly representative of the total needed. NOW, I have no problem whatsoever passing the raw scans to anyone who wants to do cleanup, color correction, etc. I have no plans to just sit on the scans and insist on doing the entire thing myself. ORIGINALTRILOGY is all about group effort. It should be straight forward enough to sync the image sequence up with the soundtrack and push out a “grindhouse” 3D version since the format means the left and right eye are already perfectly aligned on each frame. A high def “grindhouse" 2D version will probably be simple enough too. But the higher resolution of the 4K scan means that doing a half SBS 3D release will yield a better image. And my ultimate goal is to separate the left and right eyes and create a full resolution frame packed 3D blu-ray. The scans will need to have dust and scratch removal done I’m sure as well as color correction like I mentioned earlier. I am completely open to whatever anyone wants to suggest as how to best proceed once the scanning is done. But obviously the most critical thing right now is getting enough folks on board with the project so we can get to that point. The print is paid for and I am not trying to recoup that. Also,I am going to go ahead and have the first reel cleaned, prepped and scanned immediately. It’s going to cost, I figure, $450-$500 for one reel and while I don’t have the extra cash I do have a credit card and I think it will be important to get started in earnest. Getting that done will not only allow me to show everyone something but it should hopefully help bring some more people on board. I don’t know much about the history of the soundtrack of the film, but in addition to the audio on the print itself, I also own the DVD release from 2005 as well as a laserdisc which is how I discovered the flick back in 1990. I am assuming the content of the soundtrack is the same across all the platforms but we shall see. I know this isn’t as high profile as some of the other projects but I have read great things about the 3D on this movie. It was billed as the first feature length animated film in 3D. It’s a blatantly fun rip off of Star Wars and I just hope there are enough members who want to see it restored as bad as I do. Naturally let me beat the preverbial dead horse and state again that I am needing help in the monetary department first and foremost. If I don’t get the donations to move forward, I will still get the scan done and I’ll still make it available to the members here but it will take a long, long, long time due to the costs. I have set up a paypal.me account so PM me for more information. I will be keeping a thorough accounting of the project costs.

As for the finished project, as I mentioned, I would like to see a straight forward Over/Under 3D release (grindhouse and restored versions), a 2D release (also grindhouse and restored versions), a half SBS 3D version (restored only) and a FULL SBS/Frame Packed 3D version. Again, I am an open to whatever ideas or suggestions any of you have and certainly, if you know of any behind the scenes stuff, let me know. There are a few trailers on youtube and I will recreate them with the restored footage but I have found no making of specials or HBO First Look type specials.

Thanks for reading and if you want to see this in high def and in true 3D as bad as I do, PM me. “Never dig up. Up is hell.” (it’s not Star Wars so I couldn’t very well use May the Force be With You)

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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Best of luck on this! If MGM still owns this, it’s probably not on their radar for even a 2D Blu Ray.

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Where were you in '77?

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Thanks. Well if they DO release it at some point you know it will either be scratched and dusted like crazy or digitally scrubbed within an inch of it’s life and I know for a fact that the members here can do a better job with it.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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I have never seen this, but have heard it mentioned in relation to Star Wars so often, that I’d love to see a restoration of it, especially in 3D!
People could watch it in their VR Headsets 😃

Donations welcome: paypal.me/poit
bitcoin:13QDjXjt7w7BFiQc4Q7wpRGPtYKYchnm8x
Help get The Original Trilogy preserved!

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It was released on VHD videodisc in Japan in letterbox and 3D in the late 80’s. There have been bootlegs of that floating around for years. I presume the 3D clips on youtube came from that.

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Where were you in '77?

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Yeah I actually have a rip of the VHD on my home theater server in SBS format but it’s not 2.35 so either it’s either panned and scanned or the scope DVD is cropped to 2.35 which I kind of doubt but need to check. The 3D is impressive but the quality is sub par. Having a high definition, scope, full 3D version will be nice.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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Plus a 2D version for those of us who don’t have 3D gear yet? 😉

IIRC, VHD was a bit better than CED, but not on par with Laserdisc. The bootlegs could be generations away from an original copy though.

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Where were you in '77?

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I’m quite sure the copy o have is a few generations away. It’s watchable, but just. Definitely doing a standard high def 2D release too. No worries. Just got to get the scanning done lol. You know, nothing major… 😉

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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poita said:

I have never seen this, but have heard it mentioned in relation to Star Wars so often, that I’d love to see a restoration of it, especially in 3D!
People could watch it in their VR Headsets 😃

It has so many elements that scream Star Wars (and the Excalibur myth as well for that matter). There’s a sword, a dashing space pirate, a princess and “force type ghost” at the beginning. It’s pure cheese but entertaining cheese. I LOVE animated fare like ‘Heavy Metal’, 'Fire & Ice", 'The Last Unicorn", 'Rock & Rule"… You get the idea. If you are even a little partial to those titles, take the time to watch Starchaser. But wait for the restored high definition 3D release lol

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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SilverWook said:

Best of luck on this! If MGM still owns this, it’s probably not on their radar for even a 2D Blu Ray.

The good news; they have a deal with Shout!. 😉

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Some time back I had contacted Shout Factory (pretty sure it was SF anyway, possibly Kino or another specialty company after researching who had the rights and stuff) and was told that there were currently no plans to release the film but of course that does not mean never and further follow up indicated a music rights issue. Now I find that difficult to believe because it is a film score not a soundtrack like Heavy Metal but the failure of MGM or a licensee such as Shout factory to release this yet is what prompted me to go ahead and buy the darn print. I am a fan of Shout Factory and their releases but if I’m being honest, I trust the resources of the members here more than any studio 😉

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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Just a quick update. Thanks to a friend who found out I have a print and is a fan of Starchaser too, I have some funds to put toward having one reel done as was my hope initially. As soon as the cleaning and scanning can be scheduled we will be on the road to having some raw scans to get to work on. If you have the right software and are inclined to help with the preservation shoot me a PM.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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Please take a look at the first post. I am sending the reels out next week and my goal is much lower. Thanks.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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Yep, I’ve heard of Starchaser, via the Nostalgia Critic in fact. It’ll be brilliant to see it in all its glory again!

Ol’ George has the GOUT, I see.

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I agree. It’s not Heavy Metal but still fun.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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Very cool. From time to time I do a search for it as 3D. Best I found was a multi-part on YouTube at low res. I hope you can get this backed as I’d love to see it again. I saw it in a theater for a friend’s BDay when it first ran.

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Saw this in the cinema in 3d and never since!

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Yes.

Donations welcome: paypal.me/poit
bitcoin:13QDjXjt7w7BFiQc4Q7wpRGPtYKYchnm8x
Help get The Original Trilogy preserved!

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Thanks poita! Yes it is with the scanner. No ETA but nothing has changed.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details

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I have sent my reels to the same scanner as well, so we should be covered for any frames missing from one print or the other.

Donations welcome: paypal.me/poit
bitcoin:13QDjXjt7w7BFiQc4Q7wpRGPtYKYchnm8x
Help get The Original Trilogy preserved!

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Chris Solo said:

Yeah I actually have a rip of the VHD on my home theater server in SBS format but it’s not 2.35 so either it’s either panned and scanned or the scope DVD is cropped to 2.35 which I kind of doubt but need to check. The 3D is impressive but the quality is sub par. Having a high definition, scope, full 3D version will be nice.

I have a VHD player here, I’ll keep an eye out for the discs.

Donations welcome: paypal.me/poit
bitcoin:13QDjXjt7w7BFiQc4Q7wpRGPtYKYchnm8x
Help get The Original Trilogy preserved!

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poita said:

I have sent my reels to the same scanner as well, so we should be covered for any frames missing from one print or the other.

Yes, I was told there was another print there. That’s great to know. Seems the actual restoration/preservation is going to be the challenge but it should be fun. I have the Laserdisc, DVD and VHD “copy” so I think the audio is going to be pretty well covered 😉 I’m looking forward to working on it.

To contribute to The Starchaser 3D project, please pm for details