DrDre

Collipso said:

DrDre said:

Collipso said:

hello! i was looking through the index and found this thread - i’ve always loved the dvd colors, so this thread was an exciting find. do you still work on this, dre?

I haven’t worked on this in a while, and in the mean time my hard drive crashed, and I lost all my files. So, I would basically have to start from scratch. 😦 At this point I’m working on a number of other projects, so this one is pretty low on my list of priorities, sadly.

oh, ok. take your time DrDre - i recently came to the conclusion that your projects are some of the most interesting in the site, so i’m pretty much looking forward to all of them. keep up the good work and congratulations 😃

Thanks! 😃

Williarob said:

Reels 1 & 2 I think, which were the only two I had LUTs for. The lights do look a little pink in the image above, but that is how it is on the print. Reel 5 was white balanced using the optical track. White balancing to those lights throws off the colors in other areas of the reel - I tried it, and other shots in that reel with those same lights (without the red lightsaber in them) are not pink. This seems to be a side effect of their rotoscoping process.

The pinkish lights in this scene also shows up in the photos of the Senator print:

Collipso said:

would you happen to have comparisons, dre? between this and 4k77’s original grade.

I will post some comparisons as soon as I have the rendered file. These screencaps were kindly provided by Stotchy. 😃

Collipso said:

hello! i was looking through the index and found this thread - i’ve always loved the dvd colors, so this thread was an exciting find. do you still work on this, dre?

I haven’t worked on this in a while, and in the mean time my hard drive crashed, and I lost all my files. So, I would basically have to start from scratch. 😦 At this point I’m working on a number of other projects, so this one is pretty low on my list of priorities, sadly.

While I’m working on the shot by shot correction for 4k77, Stotchy and I decided to adjust the colors of each of the reels of 4k77 to our personal preferences, or perhaps I should say to what we feel is an authentic look of the film. So, I created some LUTs and Stotchy is rendering them with his powerhouse setup. We’re halfway through the film, so we expect this to be finished in about a week or so. Here are a few screencaps for the first three reels as a first sample:

Once the complete film has been rendered, more HQ screencaps will be found here.

UnitéD2 said:

Dre, I’d be interested in seeing this shot at full res, in 4K77 and BluRay versions. I’d like to check something. 😃

4k77 (1080p):

Bluray:

Here’s actually some raw footage of the Tantive IV door explosion. While this footage has been converted to video, and has not been graded, it might add to the discussion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_PbbaaDYRU

darthrush said:

Wait, I am a bit confused Dre. Sorry in advance for the dumb question.

I thought that your regraded 4k77 and Blu-Ray (btw I like the green cast as well), would be shot by shot and that is why it would take more than 6 months to complete. But it’s just a single set of adjustments with a LUT that you will release?

Just clarifying. Great work as usual.

No, it’s shot by shot, so there’s no single LUT, but roughly 4,000 LUTs, 2,000 for the 4k77 scan, and 2,000 for the bluray.

Collipso said:

hi dre! let me ask you a question that my stupid brain can’t compute: if you’re going to release it as a LUT, wouldn’t it be appliable to both the blu-ray and 4K77 and achieve the same results? or does a LUT depend on the source and that’s why you’re doing one for each?

Yes, it depends on both the source and the reference. A LUT is a set of factors that translate the colors of one value to the other.

bromeo said:

DrDre said:

Yes, but it will be a pretty long time before it’s finished, meaning 6+ months.

I think I can live with the other versions until then. It’s always nice to have something to look forward to.
Thank you for doing this, highly appreciated!

You’re welcome!

Dreamaster said:

Dr. Dre I love that you’re doing both the blu ray and 4K77 simultaneously in the same colors. There is kind of a crystal clarity to the blu ray in places… when you’re finished it might be fun to do a “Harmy style light” rendition mixing and matching the two to make something even more than the sum of its parts.

These are good times for fans of the original films are they not?? We’ve come a long way from having to upscale the GOUT DVD’s. 😃

Thanks! 😃 Yes, we’ve come a long way, and we’re still learning thanks to this brilliant community!

Bluto said:

Guess my eyes and/or monitor are shot… I can’t tell the difference between “tab 1” and “tab 2” in either of the two links above!

Bluto

The difference should be quite subtle. I’ll try to see if I can make the difference more apparent, but it won’t be night and day.

bromeo said:

Did I understand correctly that this color grading will be available for us to watch when it is finished? Because then I probably have no hurry to download the current version available (non-DNR etc).

Yes, but it will be a pretty long time before it’s finished, meaning 6+ months.

hairy_hen said:

I don’t know, when you take the green out, to me it starts to look pretty red.

The green is actually flattering to the cinematography. It blends well with the other colors and creates an interesting look that totally works. I wouldn’t want it to be eliminated, just brought to a point that certain anomalous shots aren’t ludicrously swamped in it.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Don’t worry my preferred version is also with the green, but since the balanced version is only a single LUT correction I might also create a balanced version for those that don’t like the color cast.

Here’s an update for both versions.

Technicolor version:

Balanced version:

Here are direct comparisons between the two versions:

http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/FJ2JNNNU

http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/FJ21NNNU

Here’s what the color grading would look like without the technicolor green cast:

SilverWook said:

This might be a factor in why some think the movie is drab looking?
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/05/solo-star-a-wars-story-theatre-projection-problems-bradford-young-1201969989/

I saw the movie in a pretty new theatre and with 3D especially the opening scenes were really dark, and hard to see. I think it’s just the movie. I’ve seen a ton of movies there and never had this problem.

Indeed, it will be quite a while before it’s complete.

The LUT I posted does very little to reduce the green for such scenes, sadly.

dlvh said:

ChainsawAsh said:

Well, the Tech print is going to have a green cast just because it’s a Tech print, and the 4K77 colors are meant to show what’s on the print, green cast and all.

Yes, but it has more than just a ‘cast’ to it. Something went amiss, but it was caught:

This is from NeverarGreat’s Tech V1:

Anyway, it looks like Dre’s Lut fixes this. Dre, is there any chance you can show us this particular shot, using your new Lut?

I think the green in this shot is specific to this print/scan as it doesn’t look green on the 1977 bootleg (which has somewhat of a yellow cast):

It also doesn’t show up on the 1997 SE scan by poita, while the Leia corridor is also green on that print:

towne32 said:

Interesting. So there is definitely not a mishap where it’s too green. Would appear slightly greener, if anything.

Indeed. The strangest shot I came across is this one, which has turned completely magenta:

oojason said:

DrDre said:

oojason said:

DrDre said:

yotsuya said:

DrDre said:

SilverWook said:

I’m almost at the point where I will have no use for the community at all. I hope that guy gets paid by the word.

I’m not even sure that guy is part of the community. He seems to be writing about film in general, but I share his view, that Star Wars has become a franchise, that doesn’t go forward, because it’s obsessed with looking in the rearview mirror.

Funny, I thought TLJ moved to new territory and broke the pattern. And Solo should be fun, not epicly serious.

I seriously wonder if we will ever get a Star Wars film, that isn’t in some way a remix of Lucas’ greatest hits. What’s wrong with just telling a story about a new smuggler type character (or any other new character for that matter) set in the Star Wars universe, where we don’t know where all the characters end up? How about getting people to view your film simply on the merit of telling a good original story with good original characters, rather than relying on the classic characters, story tropes, nostalgia, and fan service to draw people in for another deja vu experience.

Well, this is the just 2nd Standalone film so far - and it seems Lucasfilm/Disney will be making more, so I’m not questioning why they haven’t made a ‘wholly new’ Star Wars film yet. I didn’t know most of the R1 characters, and I didn’t know most of the Solo characters either - and was quite happy to let the story tell me about them.

Yes, but the problem is, that except for Qi’Ra these new characters have no future, because they’re either killed in the film, or have been killed in other media. As such these new characters don’t stand on their own, but were created in the service of expanding the canon of classic characters (Solo -> Han & Chewie) or stories (RO -> ANH). In many ways they are equivalent to the redshirts in Star Trek - the original series:

Solo continues the trend of RO, where a good villain in the form of Krennic is ultimately the warmup act for Tarkin & Vader. In Solo Dryden Vos, another good villain played by a good actor who might have had a bright future, turns out to be the warmup act for another legacy character Maul, who we know is going to die at the hands of Obi-Wan, meaning he’s another dead end.

How can Solo continue ‘the trend’ of R1 - where the trend is one film previously?

I see where you’re going in trying to establish a pattern - though that pattern has been just the two films - like your complaints that we’re not getting new stories or characters… yet we are, and have. Now you point out some characters will die - will it’s kind of the nature of the film and the universe they are set in (especially R1) - some characters will die, some will live - all part of the emotional aspect of the story. The same would likely happen if set in a different era or story. And besides, not everyone died in Solo; I’d like to see more Enfys Nest and her crew - those few bands of people coming together… more Maul / Crimson stuff too - and to be honest if the films want to re-write/ignore the events of Rebels then they should.

2 standalone films in, 2 new separate trilogies to come, likely more standalone films to come, a tv series filling in between events of ROTJ and TFA (?) - seems strange to ask for new stories and characters - when they are in fact coming already.
 

Anyway back to Solo - what aspects did you enjoy about it, Dre?

I’m actually not asking for new characters in general, I’m asking for new characters that aren’t being propped up or overshadowed by classic characters and storylines.

In any case, I enjoyed Solo overall. I liked the new characters, specifically Becket and Dryden Vos. I thought the humor in the movie worked a lot better than in TLJ. I also felt Donald Glover was a good Lando. I thought the train heist was a pretty effective action set piece, probably the best in the film. I would have liked it, if they would have used the Solo movie to sort of set up a new crew led by Becket, that would star in sequels with Han going his own way. I think Becket’s original crew sort of had the Guardians of the Galaxy vibe, and Dryden Vos would have been a good antagonist for future movies.

dlvh said:

DrDre said:

Deloreanhunter12 said:

I find it really funny that now all main color sources for tantive iv are all primary colors (Revenge of The Sith = Red, Special Edition 2011 Episode 4 = Blue, Dr. Dre 4k77 color grade = Green)

The current color grading is meant to approximate the look of a projected technicolor print, and thus has somewhat of a green cast as technicolor prints do.

However, I do believe there was an error, or mishap, and too much Green Cast is present in the current 4k77, if you look at the current discussion on the Other forum.

I haven’t been following the discussion on the current 4k77. I created LUTs for reels 1 and 2, but for some reason the first two reels are a lot more pink than they should be.

Current 4k77:

LUT colors:

oojason said:

DrDre said:

yotsuya said:

DrDre said:

SilverWook said:

I’m almost at the point where I will have no use for the community at all. I hope that guy gets paid by the word.

I’m not even sure that guy is part of the community. He seems to be writing about film in general, but I share his view, that Star Wars has become a franchise, that doesn’t go forward, because it’s obsessed with looking in the rearview mirror.

Funny, I thought TLJ moved to new territory and broke the pattern. And Solo should be fun, not epicly serious.

I seriously wonder if we will ever get a Star Wars film, that isn’t in some way a remix of Lucas’ greatest hits. What’s wrong with just telling a story about a new smuggler type character (or any other new character for that matter) set in the Star Wars universe, where we don’t know where all the characters end up? How about getting people to view your film simply on the merit of telling a good original story with good original characters, rather than relying on the classic characters, story tropes, nostalgia, and fan service to draw people in for another deja vu experience.

Well, this is the just 2nd Standalone film so far - and it seems Lucasfilm/Disney will be making more, so I’m not questioning why they haven’t made a ‘wholly new’ Star Wars film yet. I didn’t know most of the R1 characters, and I didn’t know most of the Solo characters either - and was quite happy to let the story tell me about them.

Yes, but the problem is, that except for Qi’Ra these new characters have no future, because they’re either killed in the film, or have been killed in other media. As such these new characters don’t stand on their own, but were created in the service of expanding the canon of classic characters (Solo -> Han & Chewie) or stories (RO -> ANH). In many ways they are equivalent to the redshirts in Star Trek - the original series:

Solo continues the trend of RO, where a good villain in the form of Krennic is ultimately the warmup act for Tarkin & Vader. In Solo Dryden Vos, another good villain played by a good actor who might have had a bright future, turns out to be the warmup act for another legacy character Maul, who we know is going to die at the hands of Obi-Wan, meaning he’s another dead end.

There are two new Star Wars trilogies in the pipeline - which may be set past the events of the Sequel Trilogy, or may fill in in the gaps between the OT and ST, again maybe with new characters - who knows - as yet?

I’m patient enough to wait until we have a couple more releases before all new characters and stories after 2 films (and understand why the 2 standalone films covered familiar ground before hopefully branching out into fresh ground - though I also wouldn’t mind a Kenobi film or a Jedi Purge film before newer stories are released - or that of the long past (perhaps KOTOR timeline-ish).

Well, I don’t think the branching out is going to happen any time soon with a Boba Fett film in the works, possible sequels to Solo including a Lando movie, and the rumoured Obi-Wan film(s). I was enthousiastic for an Obi-Wan film, but that enthousiasm is waning fast. In fact I would prefer they focus on an unknown Jedi who escaped the purge, and ends up settling in the unknown regions as far away from the central systems and its characters as possible, just new characters that stand on their own two feet with their own stories.

Deloreanhunter12 said:

I find it really funny that now all main color sources for tantive iv are all primary colors (Revenge of The Sith = Red, Special Edition 2011 Episode 4 = Blue, Dr. Dre 4k77 color grade = Green)

The current color grading is meant to approximate the look of a projected technicolor print, and thus has somewhat of a green cast as technicolor prints do.

SilverWook said:

Those checked boxes are a hell of lot more entertaining than the checked boxes in the prequels. 😃

Sure, but I expect my Star Wars movies to be more than just entertaining. For all their failings the prequels were at least ambitious in their scope, even if they were largely unnecessary in my view, because as with Solo they fill in blanks better left to the imagination.