logo Sign In

Klingon_Jedi

User Group
Members
Join date
19-May-2004
Last activity
27-Sep-2013
Posts
858

Post History

Post
#105070
Topic
A question in regards to Samuel L. Jackson
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/105070/action/topic#105070
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: greencapt
My 2 Cents:

I don't mind seeing SLJ in the PT anymore than I mind seeing any other 'name' actor (Liam, Ewan, Natalie, etc). One of the things that let one latch onto the OT was the relatively unknown nature of the major players with a few 'genre' actors scattered about. That let you focus on the *story* more than the actors. That said, SLJ is a fine actor and I do feel he has too little to do in the PT. His 'party over' line was atrocious and out of place, but other than that I at least feel he takes the role very seriously and handles it respectfully. I also don't think the quality of a role should be determined by the amount of profanity a character uses- and trust me, I curse like a sailor...


You took the words out of my mouth. That's exactly my thoughts.

My Exile carries a Silver blade and a Purple one. My Revan carried a Red and a Purple(which Revan's shown using to 2). ^_^
Post
#105068
Topic
Tarkin in CG on ROTS!! over on...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/105068/action/topic#105068
Time
Never ceases to annoy me on how people never research what they gush about

"ILM are the leaders in CGI fx and thus far they have done almost every type of natural pheonomena weather wise, brought dinosaurs to life on the screen, created strange galactic creatures and locales...you get the point, they can do virtually anything with a computer. Gollum was a massive achievement, in my opinion the first truly believable digital character I had seen interacting so perfectly with real world environments. Yoda was good and his close ups to all intents and purposes appears real...."

I believe that credit goes to Weta Digital.

It's like that one member was claiming that ILM created CGI, hence they are automatically superior at it. That ignores Tron and The Last Starfighter.
Post
#105066
Topic
I like the Special Editions ..... minus some scenes
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/105066/action/topic#105066
Time
Speaking of future formats.

Quote
Blu-ray and HD-DVD Join Forces
Sony and Toshiba to team up on a new, unified next-gen format. Where does PS3 fit in?
by Matt Casamassina

April 21, 2005 - According to a report by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the next-generation format war may be over before it ever starts. The Japanese newspaper on Thursday published news that Sony and Toshiba are expected to make an announcement later this month that they have abandoned the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats respectively and are working on a new medium that will bring together both standards.

Sony, a leading member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, announced last year that it would include a Blu-ray drive in its forthcoming next-generation console, PlayStation 3. More than 100 companies, including Apple, Panasonic, HP, and Pioneer, support Blu-ray, which promises up to 50 gigabytes of storage on a single disc side. Toshiba leads the opposing format, HD-DVD.

While it is commonly accepted that Blu-ray discs offer more storage space than HD-DVDs, electronics companies and Hollywood studios have remained divided over the two formats due in large to the manufacturing processes. In short, the DVD infrastructures already in place would serve HD-DVD manufacturers. However, costly new facilities and operations would need to be created in order to support the Blu-ray format.

Sony and Toshiba have remained in negotiations on the subject for weeks, with key company executives from each camp dropping hints that a unified standard would be optimal.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that, having reached an agreement that a new, unified standard would be the best thing for the industry; Sony and Toshiba are now in the process of designing the new standard, which seeks to take the strengths from each medium and combine them.

Sony has reportedly suggested using Blu-ray's disc structure and HD-DVD's software technology while Toshiba has suggested keeping HD-DVD's disc structure and applying Sony's multi-layer data-recording technology.

The Japanese paper reports that both companies are eager to reach an agreement in order to avoid the format wars that initially confused consumers and hindered both the VHS and DVD eras. The two electronics giants have already briefed major Hollywood studios including Disney and AOL Time Warner on the idea of a new, unified standard, according to the paper.

The big question is, what does this news mean for PlayStation 3, which is scheduled to release sometime next year? The very probable answer is that the next-generation machine will drop Sony's announced Blu-ray drive in favor of hardware that instead plays this new, still-announced format compromise.


Apparently this "insider" doesn't follow tech news very well. I don't follow it at all, and I still heard about this.
Post
#104927
Topic
digital projection is RAD - ROTS
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/104927/action/topic#104927
Time
Quote
Originally posted by: CharlieX
I know what you're saying - like the ads for Coke they have on the cheapy video projector. But they were definately screening the trailers on the main DLP system. It looked EXCEPTIONALLY good. These next gen DLP are amazing: the resolution has been increased, the highs, mids, and lows all retain detail and depth, and the color reproduction is spot on. Plus you never get scratches, dirt, or bongwater stains on the print. No jitter in the gate (this is why I think the detail in mace windu's coat was better... every pixel lands spot on so the temporal resolution takes a massive jump). And no color shifts from one reel to the other (a pet peeve of mine).


Maybe it was the quality of the projector. Then again, I grew up hating the look of digital. I even prefer the "look" of VHS. Digital things like CDs sound wrong to me, and DVD just lacks *something*. It looks so hard at times. At least when we got forced into it(being a sub anime fan and a widescreen advocate tends to leave one with no choice). That, and I hate how easily they are scratched, but that's something unrelated.

Quote
I hope everyone can see ROTS in DLP at least once. check out www.dlp.com and see if you have any DLP houses nearby.


i know my favorite theater in my hometown of San Jose switched to digital just for AOTC. Saddened me greatly. i do hope to see it once, if only because AOTC looked horribly pixalated in film. The blues were just awful. I still doubt digital photgraphy. Fortunately, there are enough out there fighting to preserve film, so its not a repeast of VHS/DVD. Though I'd fear the loss a film still photography more. No problem giving both choices. ^_^
Post
#104924
Topic
I like the Special Editions ..... minus some scenes
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/104924/action/topic#104924
Time
Several of Darth Simons points match my own. I too feel that cleaning up matte lines and removing old effects are two different scenes. Compare the battle of Endor with the battle of Yavin. Endor's pretty much the same, minus matte lines, but still garbage matte, plus new sound effects(the first ship destroyed by the DSII sounds different). Yavin on the other hand bares little resemblence in parts. In it, whole sequences are redone.

To work from Bossk's POV, I do agree on the points of preserving the methods. Let's focus not on visible matte lines but invisible ones for a sec. What's more impressive - a perfect matte done by PC, or one by hand? I think that's an easy one. Whenever I watch the Falcon escape the DSII, I'm in awe. Knowing that the tunnel is crafed by hand at remarkable detail, with the fire deftly inserted and augmented, destroying a TIE, with flames engulfing the cockpit setpiece, and the model shooting out of the fire, pulling a trail of flame with absolutly nothing so much as a matte line or garbage matte to spoil the illusion, and knowing that it's all done by hand and camera tricks is far more exciting, and inspiring than knowing that they took the elements and had a PC photoshop it together. Even I could do that. It's just not the same as having a pc do it for you. I'm not knocking digital FX, if done right(usually model aided) they can do great things. There's just a sense of wonder in old school methods. Knowing that the AT-ATs were done by hand for each frame yet remained consistent is far cooler than knowing all the AT-PT's have the gear movement memorized by a pc, and reused in each shot.

I think one factor people forget is feel. It's not just a matter of looking right, but how the scene works and the impression it gives. Take Cloud City. When I watch the OT, the place feels huge. The towers seem so massive that there are plenty of interior hallways. With windows everywhere, they feel thin. It's like they're so small, there's no interior hallways. Plue the new windows are distracting. Instead of concentrating on Lando and Han's conversation, I find myself looking at an elevator. Even when watching the OT, I still tend to look to the wall behind Leia as Lando pulls her to the exit. Why? Becuase their was a busy window there in the SE, and peoples' eyes tend to drift right. So instead of focusing on the action, I'm looking at a distant ship that has nothing to do with anything. That's not enhancing, that's diverting. I won't even get into the fact that the windows revert back to normal in subsequent scenes.

*(1) Cleaning - Replacing models with CGI is equivalent to cleaning up the movie & erasing the squares from around the models. Same scene, but now it looks real, instead of fake.*

Not in the slightest. How can you say that outright redoing a scene is the same as touching it up? As far as realism, that's subjective. I found the CGI BoY far less real than the old. All the ships were oversaturated in color. Each one had the same marking on the wings, and the same rust patterns and R2 units. Compare that to the original in which all ship onscreen are unique, represented by a different model. They aren't the same scene either. Take the start of Red Leader's run. The original had two X-wings enter followed by a shot of a third going in. They are at a distance from the camera. The preceeding shot to this is of Luke turning his head to look out side of the cockpit. In the original, this gives me the impression that we are seeing Luke's POV. Not in the SE however. The new shot has all three X-wings side by side right by the camera. There's no way this is the same shot. The feel is different, hence the scene is different. If they were to reshot the scenes with different actors performing the same lines the same way, would you consider it as the same scene? It's not just the content of the scene that matters, but the elements that make it up.

*(2) Audio - I have no more desire to hear the original "flat" 2-channel stereo than I want to see fake-looking models w/ black squares around them. Go ahead and remix it for 5.1 surround.*

I have no desire to hear a hollow redo of a stereo source. It often sounds miserable. My only complaint on the 1776 DVD was the sound. It was good at the end, but the beginning was very hollow. Having lived with 5.1 most of my life, I can enjoy films that weren't made with it without it. It's another part of the feel. Surround my be cool, but it can change so much. Now, I don't really mind if the original is intact, or if the 5.1 is the same as some films old dolby surround, but if it's not included, it can suck quite a bit. Take the Manga End of Eva release. The director specifically filmed it in stereo as he didn't care for surround. Not only was the US release remixed(which I hear in more upmixed then anything, with the english version sporting new Sound FX) in Dolby EX, and DTS ES, but the provided stereo was a remix using the 6.1 tracks. If that's not a slap in the face, I don't know what is. At least the sub tape sounds good. Even the japanese remaster had the original stereo IIRC, as well as it's own properly remixed 5.1. I've heard a rip of the japanese, it blows the US out of the water despite the loss of a channel.

Does having sounds going everwhere really improve the film? I remember the theater showing ESB SE, where as the x-wing rose from the swamp, you heard tons of dripping water. I found it cool at the time, but it really adds nothing, just more distraction from what I should be focusing on(Yoda's use of the Force).

*(3) Subtraction - I hate subtraction. I don't like that Lucas took away songs that are burned into my skull (yub-nub & the original song in Jabba's Lair). It's like giving candy to a kid, and then taking it away. MEAN, and the part of the SE I don't like.*

Might I ask how that's any different from changing the BoY? After all, stuff is lost to put in the new. This very arguement practically contradicts most of your statements. So it's ok to "improve" SFX, but not ok to change a song for a new one? About the only way this works is if you mean that you hate it when he replaces something you like(Ewok Celebration) with something you don't (Victory Celebration). There's no subtraction here, merely substitution. So how is replacing a song different from replacing FX in any way other than, "I don't like what replaced it". Some will argue that the new song is better, wouldn't that be "fixing" it? I don't like what they replaced the BoY with. Is that any different from you not liking the new song? That just solidifies the idea that the new CGI as an improvment is an opinion. One you are entitled to, sure, but one nonetheless. "I don't like that Lucas took away *things* that are burned into my skull" can pretty much sum up everyones' arguement on why they prefer the SE. Its imprinting, plain and simple.

*(4) Changes - The added creatures wandering through Mos Eisley don't change the flow of the scene. We still have Luke & Obi-Wan asking for directions, same as always. The good stuff is still there.*

Yet it's covered up. The focus is now Mos Eisley, not Luke and Ben. Look at the scene where Ben plays with the troopers mind. At the beginning, we have a dinosuar(on a desert planet none the less!) block our view of them. While thinking, "oh no, how will they pass", you're interrupted with that. Then, while we should be tense with this scene, and amazed by Ben's skill, we instead get a droid that is beeping(!) and darting around the trooper. So now we're looking at a stupid droid instead of being tense. Yeah, the good stuffs there, but it's not the focus. ME went from spooky small town, to bustling metropolis in the kiddle of nowhere. It doesn't just change the flow of the scene, it destroys it.

(5) Adding - The toppling emperor's statue and parties on distant worlds are added scenes. We still see Luk
Post
#104870
Topic
digital projection is RAD - ROTS
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/104870/action/topic#104870
Time
My theater now plays commercials digitally before playing a the film. I can just tell they're digital, and that's not what I should be thinking while watching it. Aside from being annoying, they lacked the sense of depth the film had. I'm more sold on digital projection suckage because of it. It just didn't look right. I go to a theater to watch a film, not a glorified DVD. That's my experience though. ^_^;;
Post
#104692
Topic
Star Wars Slot Machine
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/104692/action/topic#104692
Time
I went to Reno for the past weekend and found out that the recent lotto game isn't the only way to gamble on Star Wars. There were new penny video sklot machines there. I'm not much of a gambler(I was there with my parents). I only gambled about three dollars in penny machinces, and made about thirteen bucks when you count losses and arcade. I had to try it though, and the most I could get was 80 cents. It just wasn't my machine. I got my dad to play it and he won eleven bucks, and I've seen other clean up on it. i just found it weird that i couldn't win on a Star Wars game for once. ^_^ Maybe it's the small SE influence on the machine or something.
Post
#102770
Topic
Under-Rated Sci-Fi Films
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/102770/action/topic#102770
Time
I always liked Krull, even though that's more fantasy than Sci-fi. If one considers The Last Starfighter in that group, so be it. It had some excellent moments. I second Blade Runner, Gattaca, Star Trek Nemesis, Flight of the Navagator, and the odd numbered Star Trek films. I always thought the the DC of Star Trek TMP was how the SE could've been handled. It was a real improvement. Logan's Run is great. If you count anime, most people have never heard of Gunbuster or Roujin Z. Even Key the Metal Idol is a tad obscure now. As a kid i really liked a Disney movie called The Cat From Outer Space. Jake ruled.
Post
#101870
Topic
Thought on de-SE'ing the DVD
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101870/action/topic#101870
Time
I just now noticed this.

4. When 3PO and R2 are in the pod, the Star Destroyer recedes into the background. Unfortunately so do the stars, which is not what they should see. I've replaced the stars with non-receeding ones.

I never noticed that one.

14. I've painted out (but kept the shot) the humanoid droid smacking down the floating droid as the speeder enters Mos Eisley.

That might make the shot salvagable. ^_^

19. Han fires first!
20. The single frame of Greedo before he fries is no longer a poor dummy.
21. Jabba - you're cut! I've done my best to reconstruct the OT here, right down to matching the number of frames in the transition.

Always a good thing! I'm surprised Lucas never fixed that himself.


23. I've painted in the radar dish on the Falcon as it sits in docking bay 94 (just before "What a piece of junk!").

More things Lucas should've fixed.

25. Before Leia is brought to Tarkin, there's a shot of him and another officer standing in front of a poorly projected picture of Alderaan. I've replaced the projection with a shot of Alderaan from later, replicating the original shading and size.


The pic you have looks pretty sweet. Now if only you'd ditched the stupid praxis ring.

42. In various shots, I've painted out the power cable that led from Ben's sleeve to his lightsabre.


Yet another thing Lucas should've caught.

43. When Ben gets cut down, I've added in his face so it looks less like an empty cloak.


Intriguing. Can I see a pic of that one.


54. I've fixed the Death Star schematic that appears on the monitor and in the briefing. The weapon bowl should appear above the equatorial trench, not on it.


THANK YOU! I've always though that that shot sticks out as something that should've been fixed but wasn't ever since the SE came out. AOTC's made it even more painfully obvious. The DS countdown clock is a nice touch too.

68. Denis Lawson's name is now spelt correctly in the end credits.


Another nice touch.

Out of curiousity, did you fix the Rebel Fanfare at the opening of the Battle of Yavin? I watched the shot at a Good Guys and was aghast at how it was so inaudiable. Also, if you're going to keep the CGI BOY, is it possible to touch up the X-wings? I don't know about you, but the fact that every single new one is Red 2 with a blue R2 unit and rust in the same spots just spoke volumes of ILM's laziness and really ruined the believability. At the very least, I'd love to see Luke's X-wing with a consistent stripe throughout the battle(it's a solid stripe in the hangar, and broken in space due to only one X-wing prop on the set).

All in all, it sounds interesting. You and Mverta seem to understand the potential of a SE more than Lucas. Instead of all this CGI junk, simple removals of garbage mattes and fixing continuety errors should have been the focus.



I suppose it's too late to grab a copy, but then, there's always the torrent release.
Post
#101778
Topic
I have to write a Letter to George Lucas...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101778/action/topic#101778
Time
I remember having to do this in school once. Our teacher taught us how to write to celebrities to get autographs. I wond up writting to George Lucas and Dusty Baker when we had to choose a sports one. Neither letter got sent though through my own fault.

I'd ask something like, "How has your vision for Star Wars changed over the years? What influences these changes?"

Ric's second one is really good, as is rebels.

"Do you find that having the freedom technology gives you has any negative impact as well as the positives?" Something to that nature.
Post
#101497
Topic
So, are all the Stormtroopers from IV-VI clones?..
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101497/action/topic#101497
Time
"We're keepers of the peace, not soldiers" - Mace Windu

According to the EU, the Republic was so vast and powerful few had the power to argue with it. That might be why they had no standing army. Strangely enough, even after AOTC, it never occured to me to think that the stormtroopers are clones. It wasn't until some tectless jerk on another forum argued with me that the though occured. After all, the Clone Wars had pasted twenty years. Cloning wasn't common in the EU. That gave the impression that after the Clone War, cloning wasn't necessary or the technology lost. After the establishment of the empire, raising troops shouldn't be a problem. I would think that even civilians fought in the Clone War. After all, how ridiculous is the idea that in the entire galaxy no one wanted to fight for the Republic/Empire? While I might agree that essentially having an army of mindless slaves would add to the evil of the Empire, it just sounds ludicrous. One person suggested that the Imperial Academies were only for officers. Why train recruits as officers when one could raise a specialized clone?

One complaint I have with the prequels is just how bloodless the wars have been. An army of Droids against an army of mindless, ever loyal clones just kind of removes the idea of a galaxy at war. The OT had a divided galaxy. The Empire had its supporters, while others fought in the Rebellion. You had the concept of brother against brother in a galactic civil war. In the PT, you basically have a select few playing a game of galactic chess with seemingly little at stake. If you saw a rebel killed in action, one could think, "There went someone father/brother/etc". In the PT, it's, "Looks like we need to build more droids" of, "We'll grow a new one". Sure, there are the worlds that are ravaged, but I still think it really takes something out of it. It's like the rest of the galaxy couldn't care less so let the Republic have it's little war. That's the image presented in prequels. I too agree that the Jedi seemed to accept the clone army without question did seem a tad odd. I alway assumed the clones were going to be the enemy. Why else call it the Clone War? This seems more like the war of the Sepertists.

Most likely, when Lucas wrote the words "You fought in the Clone Wars?" he was merely thinking up something vague that sounded interesting. With little thought to anything else.
Post
#101473
Topic
Favourite film out of original trilogy?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101473/action/topic#101473
Time
I'm really bad at picking favorites. I usually pick Star Wars. It was the last one of the old trilogy I saw. My favorite as a kid was Jedi, but after awhile it started boring me. It was the first I started memorizing lines from (Vader's taunt to get Luke out of hiding to be exact). I still greatly enjoy the space battle and duel though.

It's probably forever a tie between Empire and Star Wars.