logo Sign In

Anti-Matter

User Group
Members
Join date
13-Dec-2007
Last activity
10-Mar-2008
Posts
66

Post History

Post
#311202
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/311202/action/topic#311202
Time
Hi, frendon...

Not to impugn that work, but I have not drawn any inspiration from Star Wars Revisited. The two projects are most assuredly coincidental. Instead, credit should go to the Dark Times (3-in-1) project. It was that thread that triggered many of my early ideas. These two projects have similar goals and are more creative edits, whereas Star Wars Revisited is a technical edit.

"Are you plannng on keeping the whole midichlorian thing?"
The great thing about midichlorians is that if you remove the few references to them, it CHANGES NOTHING. Thus, there will probably be no talk of midichlorians.

"What about the prophecy of the chosen one?"
My bias is that the less that is said about Anakin and his family, the better it is for the original trilogy. One of the goals of this project is to restore some of the secrecy, mystery and imagination that allowed the original films to work so well.

"Have you uploaded what you have so far to a.b.starwars or just torrent sites?"
The two files released thus far (an early screener of the first ~25 minutes, and the teaser trailer) should still be available on torrent sites.
Post
#311198
Topic
Help Wanted: PAL/NTSC hybrid transfer query
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/311198/action/topic#311198
Time
if you're going to go through the trouble [read: cardinal sin] of cropping it, you might as well crop a full ~12.79%* from both sides so it will completely fill out a 16:9 screen.

At which point you begin interpolating the original PAL footage that you were trying to exploit on an NTSC DVD.

"the black bars are still there"
How many of those lines would appear on your 16:9 TV ? I'm not sure that specific point is the deal breaker for 'everyone' (since you are speaking for all of us).

I'm confused. You suggest further cropping but would not give up the original framing anyway. Aren't you simply saying that you would prefer the (original) 364 lines in case #2?

Post
#311100
Topic
STAR WARS: EP IV 2004 <strong>REVISITED</strong> ADYWAN *<em>1080p HD VERSION NOW IN PRODUCTION</em>
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/311100/action/topic#311100
Time
I'm just an interpreter.

I've not seen anything to suggest that adywan is sending out DVDs in exchange for "donations"


Well, I didn't say that; but it's not even the point. The point is that the donations are intended SECONDARILY to support the completion of the project. Let's not be obtuse: You cannot secure a copy of the DVD until the project is finished, and--if I am not mistaken--Adywan indicated that the donations would be helpful as a means to this end (i.e., MPEG-2 encoding and DVD authoring).

If I donate money to Adywan, it's not because I want to improve his computer equipment. It is because I want a copy of the DVD. End of story.

Really, there is no need to drag this out. I believe I made my point and we seem to agree that these public threads should resist references to PayPal accounts and "gifts." Adywan will be the target of much criticism, and there's not much he can do about it. But posting in THIS forum that he is 'waiting for payments to clear' rings a bit pretentious in my ears, is obvious fodder for his enemies and--frankly--"boggles the imagination" (Ron?).

We now return you to your regularly scheduled fan edit
Post
#311084
Topic
STAR WARS: EP IV 2004 <strong>REVISITED</strong> ADYWAN *<em>1080p HD VERSION NOW IN PRODUCTION</em>
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/311084/action/topic#311084
Time
If I can be blunt...

Adywan needs to refrain from publicly discussing his PayPal account and the recent donations, because when the rumors start circulating that he is profiting from his edit, he will become popular for the wrong reason. I visited the forum mentioned above to see what the fuss was about, and one can sense that the gossip mill is getting ready.

I understand he is accepting donations for hardware failure, but the fact of the matter is, it is HIS edit and HIS equipment, but he is now being subsidized--and the result of those donations (as documented in this very forum) is that he can complete certain operations required to distribute DVDs to others. No one believes for a moment that the people who donate are NOT receiving a DVD, and this is a slippery slope with big, greasy letters: ACCOUNTANT/LAWYER. I posted several times about the DVDs (e.g., PIF chain, torrenting, etc)--long before the donation talk--and was ignored every time. Thus it appears that there is some secret distribution circle. Throw in talk of money (any talk of money) and you are inviting scrutiny and trouble, IMHO.

It will also be easy for some people to conclude that Adywan is receiving special treatment by the moderators of this forum, because Moth3r probably should have intercepted all the posts dealing with payments. Fan edit + money discussion = red flag

I am not passing judgment here; but I am trying to voice some concern and interpretation about what IS happening and what may happen.
Post
#311072
Topic
Help Wanted: PAL/NTSC hybrid transfer query
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/311072/action/topic#311072
Time

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a hybrid transfer from the Star Wars DVD/HDTV stock, one that exploits the (usually) better picture of the PAL format, but maintains the correct running time and audio pitch of the NTSC format.

Let me set this up and then I will pose a query primarily aimed at NTSC users who already own 16:9 TVs. The following material is uncompressed data from the PAL and NTSC DVDs for EP3.

(1) The film transfer on the PAL DVD is stored natively as 720x576 pixels. During playback, this information is stretched horizontally to 1024x576 resolution, which gives us the following corrected image on a 16:9 display:
http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/8914/framepalxz4.png

(2) The film transfer for the NTSC DVD is stored natively as 720x480 pixels. During playback, this information is stretched horizontally to 854x480 resolution, which gives us the following corrected image on a 16:9 display:
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6114/framentscpx0.png

There is considerably more vertical detail in the PAL version, though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the PAL version must be perceived as better. However, it has been shown elsewhere that the NTSC DVDs suffer from more prominent edge-enhancement artifacts, and this is another reason to favor the PAL footage in your Star Wars project.

In either case, we give up a lot of vertical resolution to the black bars, which are needed to maintain the original Cinescope frame. But if we are willing to alter the frame somewhat, a new option is available for NTSC projects.

(3) Here, the NTSC frame approximates a true, 16:9 image (there is very little letterboxing) and uses ALL of the vertical detail afforded on the PAL DVD. Thus, we are trading off the Cinescope frame for more lines of information.
http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8707/framehybridvv4.png

Here is the question: If you are in NTSC land and own a 16:9 display, would you prefer #2 or #3? That is, would you give up the original frame for PAL-like detail?

Note. Many of us can enjoy either picture on a universal player, but this doesn’t address the audio issue, which is why I am asking people to think only in terms of a DVD that is NTSC compliant with respect to size and frame rate.

Post
#310956
Topic
Star Wars EP3 deleted scenes search
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310956/action/topic#310956
Time
I am hoping that someone can help me track PAL versions of the deleted scenes found on the EP3 bonus disc.

I own the bonus discs for EP1 and EP2, but my copy of EP3 does NOT include a bonus disc (and I am also not in PAL land). I know of one fan edit that used the Degobah cut, but that footage is presumably from the NTSC DVD.

I honestly didn't even know about the deleted scene material until recently, and so I want to review the footage and--if appropriate--make use of it in my own project. I recall reading (somewhere) that the quality is on par with the rest of the DVD.
Post
#310939
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310939/action/topic#310939
Time
i notice you said you were reducing him to an incidental character
i will be interested to see where and how you do use him

Here is one example; this shot does appear in the Prologue:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2221/jarjarappearancetn0.jpg

So, he may appear in sequences that he does not immediately impact. I do not mind seeing JarJar as a background object, but I am committed to removing his dialogue and interaction with principal characters.

do we need any gunguns at all?

It seems, no; largely because I can get to the Naboo palace quite fine without traveling to the "planet core," and I dislike much of the final battle in EP1.
Post
#310872
Topic
Episode 3 - Editing Back in Progress (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310872/action/topic#310872
Time
Also, I have had the ESIR HDTV x264 file available to me but no direct way to import it to After Effects or Adobe Premiere. I really wanted to do an "A to B" comparison of Wookie Groomer's vid VS. the ESIR x264 for optimal source clarity and have finally sucessfully done so via a conversion (River Past Video Cleaner Lite) and reconversion (VirtualDubMod) process to get the stupid file into After Effects.

I have still yet to determine if the ESIR vid will be good for what I would like to do with it (scale it up past 1920x1080 resolution to enable zooming in on a scene closer than WG's vid will allow with reasonable clarity), but preliminarily the ESIR source looks promising as it is noticeably sharper though an interesting frame-rate issue has been introduced that I will be checking into later.


Please do follow up whenever you can. I am very interested in:

1. Your conversion process
2. The results of your comparison and analysis
3. The "interesting" frame-rate issue.

For example, can you elaborate on point #3? There is something dubious (or at least confusing) about WG's WMV files, because he reports the frame rate as 23.976, but the original European fellow who is most reponsible for that material surely captured a PAL broadcast. Are you referring to a similar matter?
Post
#310801
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310801/action/topic#310801
Time
The Prologue now has an official teaser trailer, available from Rapidshare.com and as a torrent. All external links and key information associated with this project will be referenced at the top of the thread (post #1), for the benefit of current and future visitors.

The trailer is a bit long for early production work, but it IS intended and released as the official teaser trailer, meaning that it may contain sequences that will not appear in the final work. I included some of the early JarJar removal scenes for you. The scenes will appear again (more completely) in the next screener clip.

I hope you enjoy it; it was great fun on my end.

P.S.
If you download the torrent, kindly seed the file for 24 hours or until you give back 1:1. Please be considerate.
Post
#310564
Topic
Help Wanted: A pitch-corrected Star Wars for PAL?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310564/action/topic#310564
Time
"...but, after seeing Ady's clips and how the brillaint John Williams soundtrack seems butchered IMO"

Are you sure about this?

It doesn't make sense that he spends all that time creating his definitive version and yet perpetuates the incorrect audio. I haven't gotten around to watching it, which is why I am asking you and why I am scratching my head in disbelief

@ General
For the record, the percentage of normal adults who can hear the effect (particularly on voices) of speeding up a film to 25 fps is HIGH. What is more accurate is that too many people in PAL land are in denial about what they are hearing. If you are skeptical, just do a quick A-B of your favorite actor.

One reason I am posting on this topic is that I've been on the fence concerning which DVD/HDTV sources I should adopt for my own project.

Frame rate has been foremost on my mind.
Post
#310454
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310454/action/topic#310454
Time
"It always bothered me how Owen and Beru didn't recognize the talkative droid in epIV if they owned him before..."

I think this qualifies as a stretch on your part. C3PO was in an entirely different state in EP2 (internally and externally). More importantly, in EP4 he is not only operating with a revised memory, but he does NOT reveal himself as "C3P0" to Uncle Owen. Owen has no particular reason to identify this particular protocol droid--especially after so many years.

In short, there is no contradiction or plot goof--unless you really work hard to make it so in your mind.

That said, I'm not yet certain if those scenes will even be used and/or needed in The Prologue. But please do alert me of any other inconsistencies that exist in--or between--the prequels, because this phase of production requires me to think at the 'story board' level. It is not until later that I will begin to micro-analyze the details in all of the footage that is needed to support the story.
Post
#310419
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310419/action/topic#310419
Time
"Both these events need the illusion of the passage of time"

I agree, which is precisely why the fades are there. In each case, I feel the type and length of the fade is adequate. Granted, it is possible that I have watched this footage too often and that I am missing the novelty of the edit--or maybe you were watching with some biases that impacted your initial perceptions. We'll see what happens when more people watch.

I am reasonable. If dozens of people have the same impression or interpretation that something isn't working, then I will re-visit the material and try to (a) appreciate the problem myself, and (b) devise a creative solution.

Regarding each instance...

In the first case, Yoda (and company) have already entered local airspace by the time the scene ends (even in the original footage), and so a blend fade is used to get from the ship to the surface. We need only account for the landing. It is not specified where the temple is located, but it seems that the congress hall and temple are situated in the same part of the city.

In the second case, a fade to black is used because we do need to account for a longer passage of time. I am fairly confident that THIS particular transition works, partly because the second sequence is itself delayed (even after the fade is completed). Each time I watch this sequence, I have the sense of a chapter change--and that is exactly what I was going for.

Enjoy the rest of the material as it comes out.
Post
#310355
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310355/action/topic#310355
Time
"No matter how much hard work anyone puts into re-editing, re-mixing, re-grooming or re-rotoscoping Episode 1, it's STILL EPISODE 1!!!"

You might be confused. This project is NOT a re-edit of EP1.

Johnny Ringo gets it


For the frantic and nervous...

Since yesterday, I am officially in "pause" mode while I await some HD footage; but we're only talking a few days if the SEEDERS WILL SEED.

I have roughly 36 mins of solid footage produced; and much of this appeared in the early screener for Part 1. Since then I have revised some of the transitions and the overlay text that appears during the first time arc change--based on early comments and suggestions.

I am now well into Part 2. Please note that a 'part' change does not imply that I have finished one of the episodes; it signifies that I have started editing footage from a different DVD. For example, I first worked with the EP3 DVD to create the opening 22 mins of the new movie. Now I am working with the EP1 DVD, but I will later return to the EP3 DVD when the time arcs are completed.

I will prepare screeners of select footage when I am satisfied that there will be little or no further changes to the edits. The next clip will include the rotoscoping.

As I indicated before, this phase of the project is slower because Jarjar is tagging along with the principal characters. The project will slow down even more when I begin developing the Tatooine sequences, because then I will be dealing with Jarjar AND Anakinda-gets-on-my-nerves-Skywalker.
Post
#310214
Topic
After Effects CS3 help needed
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310214/action/topic#310214
Time
How many contiguous frames are damaged? You can often solve this problem by 'borrowing' elements from the preceding and subsequent frames. This method is particularly effective when the damaged objects are nearly at rest (or have low velocity).

In this particular case, I would likely create a short BMP sequence (e.g., export from VirtualDub) and use PhotoShop to restore the damaged frames one at a time. You don't need AfterEffects for this type of repair task.

If the situation is such that several contiguous frames are damaged, and the face has moved too much, my recommendation is to edit out the damaged footage altogether. There are several clever ways to do this, such as briefly cutting to some other object while the principal is still speaking (i.e., you discard the video but keep the audio). The alternative--REPAINTING THE DAMAGE--is terribly frustrating and rarely turns out properly if you lack drawing and painting skills--like me

Post
#310179
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/310179/action/topic#310179
Time
The production of Part 2 is much slower--only because it requires the most rotoscoping and intra-sequence cutting (re Jarjar). However, I think I've hammered out a few methods that will allow me to re-build desired footage. I've also learned that some sequences cannot be "saved" to reasonable standards due to motion parallax effects. There really is quite a bit of incidental and unnecessary camera movement in these movies that makes it difficult to rotoscope with good results; and if the results are not good, there is no point in using the edit.

Here are some of the results that will appear in the final cut. There is one sequence I still hope to include (the initial droid attack on Ben while he and Qui-gon are meeting up in the forest), but I am waiting for an HD source, which is needed to pull off the edit.

Left: original footage; Right: Prologue edit

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1081/nabooforestge5.jpg
Landing on Naboo

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/3714/palacehuntaky1.jpg
Palace Entry 1

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/4688/palacehuntbkw6.jpg
Palace Entry 2

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/8104/palacehuntckg3.jpg
Palace Entry 3

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1273/palacehuntdpb4.jpg
Sneak Attack
Post
#309288
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/309288/action/topic#309288
Time
@Baronlando

> "Or like Godfather 2, the transitions are from father to son, only here master to apprentice?"

A potentially clever idea. GF2 was a great movie! I will keep this technique in the back of my mind as I continue to story-board this project.


@SweHanzon

> "I would suggest that you cut to episode one before Yoda's last line there. It would seem more natural I think."

Your suggestion has merit. I might experiment with this idea and see if the timing works. The "Qui-gon" statement is an obvious trigger, but the question is whether the scene should (or needs to) be terminated precisely at that point.

The original transition points works; but would a slightly earlier transition work better?
Post
#308566
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/308566/action/topic#308566
Time
@GoodMusician

I torrented an early screener for Part 1 last week and seeded it for a few days. I will prepare another screener that extends into Part 2 when I reach the 30 to 40 minute mark (maybe later next week).

@Commander Courage

The fade-to-black at the end of the early screener was just a last-minute join, so that viewers could see how the time arc worked. The actual transition (which you can see below), fades from the last shot of Yoda directly to the star field with the approaching shuttle. So, as you suggest, the transition here is continuous.

Now, there are four fade-to-blacks in Part 1, which are identified below with a rough time stamp. It wasn't until I prepared these clips that I realized all instances occur in the final minutes of Part 1. I believe (and hope) that it is the story flow itself that influenced my decision here. I am not using these fades arbitrarily, so let me briefly explain my thinking for each one, and then you (and others) can elaborate on why you think they do or do not work. It's funny that you mention pace, because pace is foremost on my mind whenever I use fade-to-black as a transition.

fade@17.0m (emperor address 1)
Here we have a strong, semi-climactic sequence followed by a somber scene. The fade-to-black is needed to bridge this disparate mood. [Note. Technically this is a CUT to black followed by a fade FROM black.]

fade@18.0m (emperor address 2)
See previous explanation

fade@19.0m (Yoda confronts Sidius)
Subject moves from scene A to scene B without any intervening action. We need fade-to-black to satisfy passage of time.

fade@22.5m (the duel)
Again, used for passage of time.

fade@24.0m (13 years ago)
This transition, which is NOT fade-to-black, is used to support a major time jump without pausing the movie.

About the overlay text...
(1) The black region is probably not an option because roughly 50% of the letterbox is lost to overscan. On my 16:9 TV, for example, these Cinescope DVDs produce fairly narrow black bands.
(2) The font is actually a member of the Franklin Gothic family, but I completely agree that the choice of font is important. Too many font variations are just as bad as too many colors. The suggestion to adopt the same Gothic font used for A long time ago... is a good one. I will also have to anticipate the subtitle typography.
Post
#308506
Topic
Star Wars Prologue - Epic Prequel Edit (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/308506/action/topic#308506
Time
Thanks for all the references--I am finding some good leads to tutorials (e.g., see CreativeCow.net).

You say your using the raw soundtracks...


Yes. Let me clarify that I am using soundtrack material with sequences ONLY if the cutting demands it. Whenever possible I will use the original AC3 stream. Frequently it is the case that an original scene or chapter, comprised of sequences ABCDEF, will appear in the Prologue as ABDEF (a simple cut), ABF (a heavy cut) or ABFDE (a re-worked scene). Depending on the movements of the score and the physical dynamics of the audio signal, it can be either ridiculously easy or fantastically difficult to construct a seamless music segment for the re-cut sequences. If the music cannot be made to transition in a way that sounds intentional, then I will bring in the original soundtrack and synchronize it to key movements in the new video segment. I then isolate important sound effects from the original AC3 stream (as best I can) and layer those over the new music sequence.

Video cuts seldom have to be seamless; but the audio must be seamless for the edit to be convincing.

I twice had to use this process in Part 1, and the few people local to me who have played the scenes swear that the music was made specifically for my cut. So, whatever trickery I am using, it seems to be producing good results