Monroville

Now I have to watch the AT-AT attack scene again, to see how effective the GO-motion camera was during the sequences.  Even so, I remember some scenes (like one where the multi-colored dish laser hits the AT-AT leg and you see it return fire) where the leg movement was a bit jerky, like the Cyclops in SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD.

adywan said:

Bravo Zulu said:

Adywan,

Will you be doing anything with the AT-AT stop-motion to make it look not-so "stop motion"?

 

no. The stop motion of the AT-AT's has always worked perfectly for me. It gives them a more mechanical feel. The versions we see in the PT just look so fake and too fluid

Will you be adding any sort of subtle "bass" sound FX to the footfalls (especially in the mid shots and close shots)?  Also, I think what Bravo may be referring to is the "jerkiness" of most stop-motion effects.  I can understand keeping the stated "foot hits down, stays for a moment, then picks up again" as opposed to something too fluid for a machine (especially one that weighs a few 100 tons), but will you slightly tweak them in the case of the stop-motion being a bit jerky in the mid movements of the models? 

Even in the case of something lumbering, taking specific steps (such as the foot hitting the ground and then waiting a beat before the foot picks up again, to emphasize the weight of the object), there is going to be some motion blur.  It has been a while since I've seen the AT-AT attack scene, so I can't say if it is real noticeable.

I guess it is akin to the Space Slug scene; nothing major but even a slight bit of tweaking may improve the effectiveness of a scene.

Not to mention: doesn't Fanedit.org have a restoration/extended edits section?  I guess as long as it's on theparadox, that'll be just as easy to find as fanedit.org...

Awesomeness.  Pure awesomeness.   If I were to make any extra suggestions, I could see adding a star field behind the opening paragraph, so when it segways to the Tatooine shot, it blends right in (so the stars behind the scroll are moving from bottom to top).  I would also try a version deleting the vocals and just having the SUPERMAN music and audio FX, though I could go either way.  Otherwise, it makes me want to see the rest of the credits!

I also like how the "Krypton" theme peaks when the Star Destroyer completes its run above us and fills the screen.  The music flows really well with the action on screen.

vaderios said:

Yeah! Considering the failed fan efforts to save starwars it might be a good idea that can help the people that brought star wars in life and they were treated like carbage by lucas..

-Berry

Is this the carbage you are looking for?:



Or is this it?:



Fishman: even knowing the music is for SUPERMAN, that was still surprisingly effective... maybe it's just John Williams being so damn good in the '70's and '80's.  If anything, I would play on the SUPERMAN credits and either have the title STAR WARS pop up at roughly the same time as the superman symbol does (at 1:30) or just have it appear larger and recede away, as opposed to zooming to the background and then fading.  "STAR WARS" should fill the screen ala the BEN HUR title.

Also, you have that spot from 1:06 to 1:12 that has no music; maybe do a test where the high point ends on the blockade runner explosion.

Okay, one last one:



I brought the transport behind the 3 amigos closer to bring some added dimension.  Granted, some lighting effects still need to be applied to help seperate the 3 amigos from the transport (as there is too much blue, which makes them blend in).  Things like added light FX and the aforementioned mist floating in front of the lights (as well as having the rebels in the mid-ground go through the lights, lightening and darkening as they move through the general paths of light above them).

This is real sloppy (working with MS paint on my laptop right now.. wish they had a clone function on that thing), but a bit better (just made the mid ground rebels closer):



I would also bring the freighter right behind the "3 amigos" closer (about a quarter inch bigger, expanding it 1/4 inch down and to the right, so the upper tip of the nose would slightly cover the first ceiling light)

I agree, to the degree that it would add some life to essentially a freeze frame image.  But it would have to be an effect added after any and all fixes on the matte itself (be it creating a new matte or an actual miniature set to achieve the proper camera angle).

Okay, here are some suggestions in regards to perspective:



This vanishing point example is still a little too high, and the matte perspective needs to be completely changed (hence I can understand why Ady is building a miniature set to account for this).

Here is a crude example:



Even this is off, as the vanishing point perspective still needs to be even lower (the "3 rebels" camera is roughly between waste and shoulder level, whereas the unaltered matte camera is somewhere around 10 to 15 feet off the floor)... regardless, you get the idea.

savmagoett said:

 

That does look a lot better, but as Bingo pointed out, the lower left area is an issue (specifically the tubes on the ground, as the distance perspective jumps between the rebel on the right edge by the boxes and the X-wing pilot).

I think the biggest issue is that the overall perspective is all wrong.  Considering the perspective of the 3 actors in the foreground, we should see more of the ceiling and less of the floor, as the camera would be closer to the ground and thus have a different angle to achieve the mid and background seen in the matte.

The vanishing point should be somewhere around the X-wing pilot (probably below him).  A potential solution would be to move the rest of the matte down to match that vanishing point - the freighter behind the 3 foreground rebels could retain its position, with maybe an added bit of detail regarding the bottom area of the freighter to consider the different angle.

I will try to create an example in a bit...

Has anyone ever had a problem with copying a laserdisc using an S-VHS connector and had what looks like waves moving through the picture?

They're all pretty comparable.  One thing I look for is the bit rate of the video output (posters putting screen caps helps out too).  There have been a few cases where MKVs with slightly lower bit rates have looked better due to better compression from more experienced rippers, but overall the bit rate level is the best way to judge.

DarkGryphon2048: while you can create AVCHDs out of the MKVs (with programs like TSmuxer), you usually have to start off with the MKVs since that is the original source material (at least if you get your stuff from tehparadox).  I just wound up getting one of these:



I stuck in a 2 TB hard drive and so far this plays everything I've thrown at it: MKVS, FLAAC, MP3 and 4, etc.  It has a GUI, so when you plug it into your HDTVs HDMI connection, you can access all of your programs, create file folders and delete extraneous files.  Bottom line: I don't have to worry about converting MKVs anymore so they will play on my PS3 (as it outputs in 1080p as well).

Believe it or not, it actually looks pretty good throughout.  I don't know what magic is used, but I have plenty of 720p and 1080p MKVs (that are 4.5 to 8gb in size respectively) that, despite having bit rates that are 1/2 to 1/4 that of the original blu-rays, the PQ is near identical.

Granted, there may be compression artifacts that I am not noticing, but I am watching these on a 65" Toshiba DLP HDTV, so the screensize is big enough that any artifacts should be quite visible.  Also keep in mind that said MKV programs are strickly movie only; no menus, chapter stops, extras, etc. (though some do contain subtitle tracks, alternate audio tracks [such as dubs] and even commentaries)

And to confirm it is 720p (which I prefer, as the straight 10 to 12gb 1080i HDTV MKVs have interlacing issues; the 720p versions look just as good and also eliminate the "combing" from the interlacing).

I always thought they were looking at a viewscreen from a gun turret inside the hanger bay (say on one of the edges), hence the downward POV of the camera view (with these guns pointing downward vertically to protect the hanger from any unauthorized entries or escapes).

I've also read that what we are seeing is the main view screen from the Star Destroyer's bridge (or at least what was designed to be the bridge for ANH).

digitalfreaknyc said:

dark_jedi said:

digitalfreaknyc said:

I'm currently making a blu-ray of the HD version with all extras.

I sent you a PM a while ago on an update to this and got no reply, is it pretty safe to assume this is not going to happen?

Does anyone have links to the HD broadcast version of this, would like to make my own if there are still live links.

 Not enough room on one disc for the extras and the D-Theater version.

I just did something VERY basic for the extras DVD.

The prospect of torrenting 30 gigs kinda makes me want to puke.

The D-Theater version on tehparadox is 7.5gb in size; I don't know what compressing it to 6.4gb would do (being that it seems that most 720p MKVs are around 4.5gb in size), but how much space do the extras take up?

Even so, anyone know how to at least create blu-rays with said MKVs and at least create menu and chapter titles?

TV's Frink said:

Monroville said:

For as much as I am wanting to see EMPIRE:R, I'll let Chuck say for all of us:

If this is being said for all of us, I'd like to know what is being said first.  'Cause I have no idea what this is supposed to mean.

I am disappointed in you, Mr. Frink.  You mean to tell me you haven't seen THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY?  It is the epitome of what one can imagine the fight between directors and producers must be like (BRAZIL and any number of Kubrick films comes to mind).

Besides, you should know by now that most if not all of my pics have links imposed on top of them.

You know guys (and the occasional gals)?  There is an "ignore" button you can click on if someone annoys you.  No need to get upset or fill up a thread with a back-and-forth tennis match on who will get the last word.

Regardless, my thoughts are with you Ady.  I just shake my head at how much Karma has been hitting you below the belt for no reason.  Persevere Ady, and know we have your back.

For as much as I am wanting to see EMPIRE:R, I'll let Chuck say for all of us:

fishmanlee said:

 there's TWO troopers the one that is told to get his "ride" was the sniper, and the other was the "arrester"

Yeah, but it's still stupid as f**k.  If the Empire found anyone on their super-secret Death Star construction site, much less an honest-to-god rebel, they'd kill em and THEN make a report... not to mention: if you're trying to capture someone AND you have a stun ray (like in ANH), why would you shoot to kill TWICE (and miss) and THEN say "freeze"?

You know, now that I mention that, why would ANY of the Empire people say "freeze" if they have an already established stun feature on all of their laser guns?  They would just pop around a corner, fire those blue beams at everyone and take their time tying them up and packing them off to prison.

On top of that, aren't there at least 3 TIMES Empire people say freeze, even after the rebels have proven that they are there to kill?

I say: cut out the stupid stuff (which will probably be about a good 20 minutes of material) which will open JEDI up for 20 extra minutes of space battle stuff.

Just watching that clip I would say to cut down as many of the 3P0 scenes, especially before they get captured by the Ewoks (as they just come across as unnecessarily annoying, much less would give them away pretty easily).

I would probably cut out the scene with the trooper shooting and (ugh) "attempting" to capture Leia.  Jesus Christ, he has the first and SECOND shot and she can't even see him, and then he walks up behind her and says Freeze?!?  If he wanted to kill her to begin with, why do that?  You (or any editor) could just as easily edit that scene to end with Leia following Wicket back to his camp.

I like the idea of Jabba's palace being within an oasis or even a jungle-ish environment.  It would almost be a throw-back to RAIDERS, seeing Luke and/or 3PO working their way through a jungle to come out in front of the gates to Jabba's palace.

Harmy said:

It would make sense to be building the DS near a rich natural resource, which Endor could well be, so that sounds like a good idea.

That would also add some motivation as to why the Ewoks would be fighting/sniping the Imperials (not to mention it would add a layer of social commentary to a fairly straight-forward film).

Maybe scenes from EMERALD FOREST could be used?

Did anyone else think of Ralph Bakshi with that gif?

Bossk makes a comment (in his language) and his lips nor jaw move at all.  It would be nice to add some subtle touches like eye blinks and some jaw/lip movement to account for the sounds/speech he is making.

Any specific examples of the Tweeker shaking?  I'm sure you're speaking of STAR TREK, but I can't really think of anything that was annoyingly obvious... as compared to the camera shaking when Sean Connery was sitting in the humvee (sitting in the garage) during the "chase scene" in THE ROCK.  That scene always has me cracking up.

BTW, any updates on the Falcon's flight path from the frigate at the end (flying away from us towards the star/galaxy, as opposed to wonkily off to the left)?

you know guys, you can keep the basic appearance (with the white-ish look) while making it look more like whatever it is supposed to be.  If it is a star forming, make it look more like a star forming while keeping the whiteness of the original and not make it too elaborate.  If it is a galaxy, maybe put the fleet a bit closer due what I mentioned above (to be at that distance would be 100s if not 1000s of light years away).

Yeah, yeah, it's a movie, but this is also a suggestion thread too.  Even so, is anything going to be done with the flight path of the Falcon?