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Jonno

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Join date
3-Feb-2006
Last activity
25-Jun-2025
Posts
868

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Post
#225848
Topic
STAR WARS: The Torrents thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/225848/action/topic#225848
Time
I found www.portforward.com to be a tremendous help when setting up my broadband connection - it's a huge database of configurations for using different routers with different clients/apps. Should be something there to help.

Still stuck on 66.6% of Special Edition Hype myself, though - if there's anyone else out there who can seed I'd be pathetically grateful!
Post
#225844
Topic
Koyaanisqatsi - IRE Fullscreen Version (MORE IMAGE!) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/225844/action/topic#225844
Time
Thank you very much for seeding - I'll be sure to do the same as soon as I can!

Just to add fuel to the fire, when I saw the film theatrically about 3 years ago it was presented 4:3 open matte - this would appear to be the format of the release prints as well as the original negative.
Of course, few mainstream theatres these days are equipped to show 4:3, and I imagine it was much the same situation in the mid 80s - perhaps Reggio and Fricke simple allowed for the inevitable masking when creating the original compositions?

Which makes it kind of hard to reach a definitive answer as to which is the proper version (unless anyone can quote Reggio on this point) - however, if the IRE version contains more picture information, and has a sharper image, that kind of makes it a no-brainer for me
Post
#225464
Topic
Koyaanisqatsi - IRE Fullscreen Version (MORE IMAGE!) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/225464/action/topic#225464
Time
Originally posted by: That Clever Shark
I had no idea. I thought it was shot in the standard 35mm aspect ratio (1.85:1) originally.


35mm's natural AR is 4:3, though it's usually used to create a 1.85:1 image through either masking or the use of an anamorphic lens.

Anyway, this project has my full support - I'm afraid I don't have the original in any form, but I'll certainly have a good hunt around. This sort of thing should definitely be in the public domain...

Didn't it have a PCM 2.0 audio track as well?
Post
#224654
Topic
The Academy Award winning editing of Episode IV
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/224654/action/topic#224654
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Originally posted by: zombie84: The breathless finale of Empire works as well, except the ridiculous "alert my star destroyer" sequence that does some major damage to the flow.


That was an SE alteration, as discussed in another thread.

The single change that annoyed me most in 1997!



Same here - if only for the painful butchering of the 'Losing a Hand / Hyperspace' music cue.


Fair points about Burtt, but let's not convince ourselves that good sound design and good editing are mutually exclusive - Walter Murch sucessfully made the same transition (albeit quite a bit earlier - Apocalypse Now was one of his first picture editing jobs).

His more recent work for Anthony Minghella has been masterful - just look at The English Patient and tell me that the prequel trilogy wouldn't benefit from that kind of restraint...
Post
#223859
Topic
BFI preserving OOT!!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/223859/action/topic#223859
Time
Originally posted by: andy_k_250
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
True, true. But at least they're being cared for.

Knowing that there are prints being kept in appropriate conditions gives an incentive to go on campaigning, don't you think?


And the nice thing is, there is nothing keeping them from making their own "backup" digital transfers/clean-ups of these, since that is protected by copyright law.

Anyone know anyone who works for the BFI?



Nice idea, but it would never happen. The BFI certainly have a DVD division (they turn out some of the best world cinema releases in the UK) but there's no way they'd have the budget to create a digital transfer of a film they could never release commercially.

The only way it can be done properly is if LFL relent and decide to do it themselves. Which would mean either admitting that they were lying about not preserving OOT elements, or conceding that they need someone else's help (e.g. Robert Harris') to curate the necessary materials.

Sorry to paint such a bleak picture, but can you honestly see either of these happening any time soon?
Post
#222392
Topic
Info: British new kid cuddling 3 VHS tapes...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/222392/action/topic#222392
Time


Well, get your PC sorted and take it from there. Don't bother with an all-in-one type graphics card, they're rubbish for serious video work! You're unlikely to get a 'proper' capture card with analogue connectivity in an off-the-peg PC, but it should at least have a firewire socket, in which case you can use an external analogue>digital converter (£150ish).

Alternatively, I think I might have a card that you could use - will need to look for recent drivers for it before I can be sure. Are your PMs on?

edit: apparently so...
Post
#222377
Topic
Info: British new kid cuddling 3 VHS tapes...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/222377/action/topic#222377
Time
Dual layer should be fairly standard now - the Pioneer 111 is a good one if you have any choice (suppose that depends on where you're getting the PC!) Not that I've attempted any dual-layer authoring myself - the compatibility issues have made me a bit nervous, and I haven't done any projects that have really demanded that much capacity on a single disc.

Still, if you want to encode your VHS transfers at maximal bitrates (for maximum 'transparency') I guess it's the only way to go!
Post
#222372
Topic
Info: British new kid cuddling 3 VHS tapes...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/222372/action/topic#222372
Time
while there are probably professional VHS decks with component connections somewhere in the world, the best commonly available method is to use an S-VHS deck for playback, which will of course have an s-video (Y/C) output (yes, this WILL benefit standard VHS playback, before anyone disputes it!)

You should be able to pick up a relatively cheap S-VHS deck (most on the market are JVC), and most PC analogue capture devices have the 4-pin mini-DIN s-video socket.
Post
#222365
Topic
Info: British new kid cuddling 3 VHS tapes...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/222365/action/topic#222365
Time
I recently invested in a fairly decent standalone recorder - a Panasonic DMRES10 - which is great for Sky stuff as it has an RGB input.

But for this kind of work I'd still capture to the PC (via DV) and use a good software MPEG encoder - the hardware encoder in the Panasonic just doesn't have enough finesse, particularly when you're squeezing upwards of 120 minutes onto a disc. Sure it'll take a lot longer, but the results really do speak for themselves. PM me if you need any more pointers (fellow UKer here!)
Post
#213779
Topic
Blade Runner HDTV (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/213779/action/topic#213779
Time
Ooh! This from HTF:

I can't believe it! Here's the news all of us are waiting for:

Marathon 'Runner' 26/5/06
WB preps 'final cut' of sci-fi classic

By DIANE GARRETT

Warner homevid has disentangled "Blade Runner's" famously thorny rights issues to pave the way for a September reissue of the remastered "Director's Cut" version, followed by a theatrical release of a version promised to be truly Ridley Scott's final cut.

Warner's rights to "Blade Runner" lapsed a year ago, but the studio has since negotiated a long-term license. The pic, now considered a sci-fi classic, has had a troubled history from the start: When Scott ran overbudget, completion bond guarantors took control of it and made substantial changes before its 1982 theatrical release, adding a voiceover and happy ending. That version was replaced by the much better-received director's cut in 1992, but Scott has long been unhappy with it, complaining that he was rushed and unable to give it proper attention.

The helmer started working on the final cut version in 2000, but that project was shelved by Warner soon after, apparently because the studio couldn't come to terms with Jerry Perenchio over rights issues.

The restored "Director's Cut" will debut on homevid in September, and remain on sale for four months only, after which time it will be placed on moratorium. "Blade Runner: Final Cut" will arrive in 2007 for a limited 25th anniversary theatrical run, followed by a special edition DVD with the three previous versions offered as alternate viewing: Besides the original theatrical version and director's cut, the expanded international theatrical cut will be included. The set will also contain additional bonus materials.

The massive "Blade Runner" project comes on the heels of Scott's four-disc treatment for "Kingdom of Heaven," released this week by Fox homevid, less than a year after the pic's initial homevid release.

Credit: Variety.com
Post
#211410
Topic
<em><strong>Official Release Thread - Alien Appendix</strong></em> - Updated with #2 info (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/211410/action/topic#211410
Time
Originally posted by: digitalfreaknyc
Meeder,

I'm no longer PAL-able, any chance of an NTSC version of this? with DGpulldown?

I'm gonna have to start doing the conversions myself at this point.

I'm not keeping an extra player for a couple of discs.



I could actually do you an NTSC transfer from my DV source - I guess there might be others who could use that. It wouldn't have Meedermow's menus though (unless he's inclined to do a full NTSC re-author).

Should be a pretty easy job - let me know if you want it and I'll get it done.
Post
#195102
Topic
<strong><strong>BLADE RUNNER: The Unauthorized OFF-WORLD Box Set</strong></strong> (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/195102/action/topic#195102
Time
Originally posted by: PaulisDead2221The thing of it is that its supposed to be an orchestral adaptation by the New American Orchestra. Is that part of the alternate soundtracks yet? Anyone have the cd or have access to the cd and know what we could do with it?


PLEASE no...

I have the CD, and the best way I can use it to contribute to this project is to provide photos of me burning it...
Post
#192376
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: a Preservation of Alien Evolution doco?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/192376/action/topic#192376
Time
Just to put in my 2p (while we still have p... maybe this isn't the best place to discuss common european currency, though )

1 - That cover is fantastic, and absolutely representative of our project, i.e. a new contribution to a subject we thought we already knew everything about!
I think its purity might be diluted if more covers are made, since they will likely have to resort to more familiar images (I'm not doubting your graphic design skills, Ash, it's just that there probably aren't that many more like that one). Still, I'm happy to turn it into a cover for a multi-disc case myself if I still feel that way when I've seen the others - I'm prepared to be surprised!

2 - Meedermow's re-authored my disc with a menu, without compromising the quality of the feature presentation - I don't see how this can be a bad thing! Aside from ease of chapter selection, it will also have the benefit of tying disc one to the others (which will absolutely demand menus) in terms of presentation.

3 - The text tells it the way it is, and though 'preservation' is perhaps a strange term (easily confused with 'restoration', perhaps?), it does seem to be accepted terminology for what we're doing.
'Uncut' might not be the best way to describe the original version of Evolution, since we all know the reality is a little more complex than that. But it is certainly the earlier production, and you can be quite certain that the modifications made for the Quadrilogy version were ONLY made in order to 'paper over' the removal of the more controversial material.

4 - I will defend 'Appendix' to a bloody death
Post
#191094
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: a Preservation of Alien Evolution doco?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/191094/action/topic#191094
Time
Alien: The Special Effects collects the three main articles for the first three films, and I can't imagine the Alien Resurrection issue is all that rare.

But while these articles are good to read on paper, I'm not sure how well they would work on screen - were they really included on the laserdiscs? I thought they were just used as reference in the old supplements (they're cited in the bibliography), but I'm only basing this assumption on having looked at the Quadrilogy version.
Post
#191083
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: a Preservation of Alien Evolution doco?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/191083/action/topic#191083
Time
UPDATE!

First off, a huge thank-you to TB1971 for his VERY generous contribution to this project – the breadth and quality of his collection is quite staggering, and his input has really raised this compilation to another level.

Now, here’s a summary of the materials in hand, in film by film order. This is not an attempt at a final list – for one thing, I have followed triffid’s earlier guidelines in terms of what should/should not be included, so for now such items as the short making-ofs from the Legacy set aren’t here, but could easily be added if there is sufficient interest.
The second point is that this list is, of course, wide open for further additions, or for superior versions to be substituted when found (I am well aware that better copies of certain elements are already in the pipeline).

Ok, here’s the story so far. All elements are PAL format unless otherwise noted.


Alien Evolution

ALIEN:

Giger's Alien (Ebay DVD - NTSC)
Shock & Awe - The Return of Alien (TB1971 – a huge improvement on the archives version)
Excerpt from Ridley Scott documentary - Eye of the Storm (Jonno)
Alien DC featurette (ASH595 - NTSC)
Alien DC trailer x2 (ASH595 - NTSC - and TB1971)
Alien DC TV spots x6 (TB1971)
Alien DC Yaphet Kotto interview (TB1971)

ALIENS:

Aliens: James Cameron - A Director and His Work (Alien Archives)
Aliens TV spots x2 (from TB1971) and x6 (en route from fezza2000)
Saturday Night Live: Alienses (TB1971)

ALIEN 3:

Making of Alien 3 UK (Alien Archives)
Entertainment Tonight - Alien 3 visual effects (TB1971)
Entertainment Tonight - Alien 3 Charles S Dutton interview (TB1971)
MTV Alien 3 preview (TB1971)
MTV Alien 3 visual effects (TB1971)

ALIEN RESURRECTION:

Alien Resurrection - Behind the Scenes (Ron Perlman) (TB1971)
Making of Alien Resurrection (Brad Dourif) (TB1971)
Alien Resurrection TV spots x3 (TB1971)
Entertainment Tonight - Alien Resurrection LA Premiere (TB1971)
Entertainment Tonight - Alien Resurrection Weaver/Ryder interview (TB1971)

GENERAL:

Alien War (TB1971)
Aliens - Ride at the Speed of Fright (TB1971)
Quadrilogy Trailer (Jonno)


TB1971 has also provided some short pieces from Croatian TV (HRT). These are essentially very good edits of existing material, focusing on such elements as deleted scenes and other behind-the-scenes stuff.
What’s the general feeling on this sort of thing? I’d like to include them if there’s space, even though they don’t offer anything that’s exactly ‘new’. I think I better pass them on to someone else for a second opinion…

Ok, feel free to comment on things I’ve missed or just got completely wrong! I’m very hopeful that 8t88’s Giger’s Alien will be of a high standard – for one thing, it will mean we have a uniform PAL set.

Between this list and the DVD intro/menus I’ve seen from meedermow, I think this project is going to result in something very special indeed…
Post
#190538
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: a Preservation of Alien Evolution doco?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/190538/action/topic#190538
Time
That’s an excellent poster, Ash. Do you have a higher res version? Might make a nice basis for a cover…
Does anyone else have unusual ‘official’ poster images at high resolution? Thinking along the lines of these:

http://www.alienscollection.com/warriorvideo.jpg
http://www.cinemarts.com/itemimages/item_1905_1.jpg
http://www.cinemarts.com/itemimages/item_1904_1.jpg
http://www.moviemaze.de/filme/0813/poster_lg02.jpg

(though I think I’ve seen that last one as a custom cover already…)


I thought other menu/cover people might be interested in the results of my research into the ‘Mother readout’ font, so loved by the official DVD authors!
I’ve essentially concluded that the actual typeface was purpose-designed for the film, and has never been made commonly available to anyone outside the studio.

Searching for an alternative, the closest I’ve come up with – and it’s damn close - is Dispatch but it’s quite expensive. Anyone got this in their collection already?

By the way, the makers of Alien Evolution just used Courier… if you underscore it and put it in the green-on-black colour scheme, it does the trick well enough!
Post
#188576
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: a Preservation of Alien Evolution doco?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188576/action/topic#188576
Time
Originally posted by: triffid I do not know anything about converting of UMD to DVD. But did you ever checked the normal 4:3 tapes and TV versions? They often offer small portions of picture above and below, not seen in the WS editions. This happens when the 4:3 release is "independent" on any WS version coming out at the same time. I must admit I never tried to study any Alien movie from this point of view, but I found this anomaly in T2 for example.


This usually only happens if the film was shot on super 35 - the larger frame offers separate composition options for 4:3 and 2.35:1. T2 is actually a famous example - there's a demo of the process on the old laserdisc (and, I believe, the Ultimate Edition DVD).

Anyway, in the case of Alien, which was shot in standard 35mm Panavision, there won't be so much 'overhead' but there's always a bit more vertical information on the original negative than is transfered to the release prints (and conventional widescreen tapes/discs), so there's potential for slight re-composition. I'd like to see a side by side example...
Post
#188543
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: a Preservation of Alien Evolution doco?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188543/action/topic#188543
Time
Hi Smurf

Glad you could join us! I'm guessing the most interesting thing you have is the Alien 3 workprint, but since you sound unhappy with the quality it's probably from the same source as other copies mentioned here. What format is it in? If it's a DVD it might be worth sending it to one of the guys here for a comparison...

The Alien UMD sounds like an interesting oddity (maybe to include as excerpts or something), but I don't know how it could be transfered to DVD - maybe someone else knows more? What's the resolution and sound quality on those things, anyway?
Post
#188036
Topic
AC-3 vs. MPEG audio?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188036/action/topic#188036
Time
Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere (links appreciated if so!)

I've noticed that some authors have elected to use MPEG audio encoding on their projects, as opposed to DD.
My understanding until now has been that MPEG is the less preferable option - A, because the quality is lower at an equivalent bitrate, and B, because the format is less widely supported by DVD players (particularly in NTSC territories).

Is this not the case? You guys seem to know what you're doing, so I was hoping that someone could set me straight on this!