Now that I think about it, the only one that really dragged was the lightsaber fight at the end. I was expecting Yoda to be sped up like 500%. Sad that it was pretty much just video game music on top of it. Not a lot that can be done with that stuff, probably. On the other hand, Padme's "I'm a senator" had me rolling every time.
Here's the guy's page:
http://skullboy2772.tumblr.com/post/67311967988
Some pretty good compositions there.
Well here's an interesting thing...
Coincidence?! I think not!
Or yeah, maybe.
Just commented on this in the general thoughts thread. I didn't know that Mark has never seen the movies since they ran in theaters. He also likes the prequels, but hates the taste of blue milk. No wonder he wanted to get off Tatooine.
SilverWook said:
You mean like these?
http://www.df.lth.se/~ola/Starwars/StarWars/index.html
http://www.df.lth.se/~ola/Starwars/Empire/index.html
http://www.df.lth.se/~ola/Starwars/Return/index.html
Not sure why the pages aren't linked anymore.
I always wondered what that structure was used for - apparently it's an aerostatic control vane which controls airflow. It would be super cool if Adywan were to show all three of these in the wide shot, then slowly zoom in on the tiny figure of Luke.
Mark Hamill just finished an AMA on Reddit:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1vvul8/mark_hamill_here_in_an_ama_far_far_away/
Interesting stuff, especially this:
I'm not really somehow who goes back and re-watches old stuff I've done. I haven't seen any of the films since they were in the theater - originals or prequels. I thought the prequels are amazing by the way. If we were a garage band, they were a philharmonic.
I'd like for the trilogy to have a villain who has a compelling story arc that allows me to believe that their villainy is justified from their point of view. If they need three movies to do this villain justice, so be it. If they can make a new and compelling threat for each movie, so much the better. But don't make a new villain for each movie just to have a new baddie to fight, or make them all Force users. Bring back a Tarkin-esque character, or an entirely nonhuman threat for a change, such as an impending supernova or the death of a planet due to an asteroid collision. Yay variety!
This is a project index for every Star Wars preservation and restoration, yet I see nothing about Harmy's Despecialized edition or Team Negative1's restoration anywhere in Moth3r's or _,,,^..^,,,_'s posts. This is probably confusing to more people than myself, and it would be very helpful if a running list of projects was kept active in the first post of this thread.
If Moth3r isn't interested in constantly updating a list of this sort I would volunteer to start a thread with links to the currently active and completed projects on this forum in the first post of that thread, if it would be stickied. I think it's very important to direct people, especially new members, to such a thread so that they can see what's been done before, and what's available from this community. Plus it's good to have easy access to projects that may not be updated frequently, so that we don't have to go digging through many pages of past threads to find the project we're looking for.
elmshield said:
is there any way the rancor could be made to fart when it has hold of luke in its little den? and then luke could get a sniff of it and the rancor could say something like "my tits have been digitally enhanced. they may not look much to you, as i grasp you here in my massive hand, but when you see this on BR, they'll be really really awesome and that." there could then be some music from the sound of music (i'm thinking curtain/play clothes song, only backwards) and this could get louder and louder for the next 55 minutes. oh - while i remember - the rancor keeper - get rid of him and replace him with a mist. or tits. or both. or neither. but tits.
BWAHAAHAHAHAHA
*snort*
"this could get louder and louder for the next 55 minutes"
^WAT?!!!
I think that you guys aren't giving the OP enough credit here, and perhaps most people on this forum are biased because they saw the prequels first.
Example: I recently took a mythology class, and my teacher had never seen the Star Wars movies until recently. Our class was aghast at this, and asked which trilogy she liked more. She said that she wasn't a fan of either very much, but did like Episode 1 the most. I find this remarkable because it speaks to a very different mindset from the average poster on this site. The teacher examined the movies from a mythological standpoint, and saw a lot of King Arthur in the prequel story. Our teacher had also watched the movies in numerical order, and because the prequels spoiled so many of the surprises and characters of the originals, this would rightly exclude the originals from being seen as great. Compound this with the fact that she probably saw the Blu-rays and the terrible color grading and additions, and I can fully understand why the prequels are seen at least on par with the originals. Lastly, the originals do have problems, even if many people here consider them quaint and charming.
I like prequel bashing as much as the next guy, but let's keep it civil.
And yes, some parts of ROTS were great.
Your points are good, and probably more in keeping with the original intent of the story than mine. Obi-wan does say that Anakin was seduced to the dark side, and not forcibly turned in a moment of weakness. It is true as you say that Anakin is very devoted to the Dark Side, I just don't think we need to see that level of devotion twenty years earlier in the prequels. Notice how much darker Vader became between ANH and ESB. He went from simply dealing mercilessly with his enemies to destroying whoever stood in his way, be it friend or foe. It seems to me that if his character could change that much in a few years, tracking that progression back twenty years would show a character who was only on the first steps of his dark journey. However I do think it's important to show that first step, albeit in a way that only becomes clear once the entire saga unfolds.
I imagine the Jedi during the prequels as the last of a noble order, almost gone and far past their days of glory. They are much like the samurai, willing to die rather than compromise their values, which leads to the Yoda-like ideas that one step onto the dark path is enough to condemn an entire lifetime of good works. It's also like Lancelot from The Once and Future King. He has the power to work miracles, but when he besmirches his honor he knows in his heart that it is not his power but the grace of God that allows him to do miracles; he is unworthy of the honor, and this leads him deeper into darkness. Likewise, Anakin must choose whether to admit that his power is tainted, or admit that the Jedi were wrong about the Force. The disconnect is too much for him, and he breaks from the order under pressure of the Emperor. Granted, this should not be stated in such obvious terms, but it's the feeling I'm going for.
Obi-wan is of this old viewpoint, yet in training Anakin he has neglected to tell him all that he should about the Dark Side, for he realizes the absurdity of asking someone to trust their feelings while also making them mistrust these same feelings. In his hubris he believes that he can do better than Yoda and make a better Jedi than he ever was. This leads to Anakin wishing to face the evil Emperor and Obi-wan having second thoughts about his new training method. Obi-wan tries to dissuade Anakin from confronting the Emperor, but Anakin is adamant. It's like the scene from ROTJ where Luke is trying to get Vader to come away with him, and could go something like this:
Obi-wan: "Anakin, please, don't do this."
Anakin: "Before today, I've believed your counsel to be wise. What do you suggest I do?"
Obi-wan: "It doesn't have to end here, like this...come with me..."
Anakin: "Into exile? You have always told me to confront my enemies. Do you think I'm unready?"
Obi-wan: "Anakin, there are things you don't know..."
Anakin: "About the Force?"
Obi-wan: "I...I've failed...as a teacher. I haven't been honest with you."
Anakin: "Don't fear for me, Obi-wan. You've been a good teacher, and a good friend. I know I will always be a student in your eyes, but I am ready. Whatever happens will be my own destiny."
Obi-wan: "May the Force be with you Anakin."
This is the final scene between the two of them, and when Anakin faces the Emperor, the Emperor plays off of Anakin's fears and conjures a story of Obi-wan's previous apprentice:
Palpatine: "Your thoughts betray you, Anakin. Obi-wan didn't tell you about his greatest failure."
Anakin: "What do you know about Obi-wan?"
Palpatine: "In his arrogance, he twisted the teachings of the Jedi to his own devices, breaking every rule of that sacred order to produce a living weapon."
Anakin: "You're lying. Obi-wan has always upheld the Jedi code."
Palpatine: "What do you know of the Jedi code? Yet I see you require proof. Allow me to introduce you to the apprentice Obi-wan doesn't want you to see."
(A dark figure emerges from the shadows of the throne room. The figure activates his lightsaber and attacks Anakin, and they duel, matching themselves stroke for stroke)
Palpatine: "You can see your master's training in him, can you not? Is it clear to you now? You have been lied to, Anakin."
(The figure attacks relentlessly)
Palpatine: "Which of you is the stronger, I wonder? Obi-wan's failure, or his success?"
(The dark figure gains the upper hand)
Palpatine: "I sense fear in you, Anakin. My apprentice, Darth Vader, is beyond fear. He is better than that. Better than you."
(Anakin becomes angry, drives the figure back)
Palpatine: "Good, you have some aggression yet. It may save you."
(Anakin realizes what he has done)
Anakin: "No...I can't..."
(Anakin backs off, realizes that he cannot defeat Vader. He deactivates his lightsaber.)
Anakin: "I am a Jedi. A Jedi. You cannot take that from me."
Palpatine: "So Anakin Skywalker will not serve me?"
(Anakin says nothing)
Palpatine: "So you would die, rather than betray your code? Always the Jedi, even in death. So be it. Henceforth, Vader shall be my servant."
(the dark figure moves in for the kill. He swings his lightsaber and the scene ends)
Obviously Obi-wan has no other apprentice, and Vader is simply an apparition such as in the Dark Side cave. The final scene, which may be weeks or even months later, probably after aggressive mental and physical torture at the hands of the Emperor, Anakin emerges as the cloaked figure of Darth Vader. The torture wouldn't be shown or even implied, but it would be assumed that Vader was a real apprentice who won the fight and serves the Emperor loyally.
It's finally here, for the first time this year:
Thanks! Glad to know I wasn't crazy for putting red into the sky.
I don't know about that monitor, there's a few too many zeroes on the end of it for my budget ;)
JEDIT: Here's a comparison from the Senator Technicolor video, which is darker than the photos of the same event. It's actually pretty similar in color, once the brightness has been boosted:
40:32 mark (The shot continues through 40:33). In particular the first frame of the last shot of that scene (the wideshot of the entire homestead with Luke).
JEDIT: Whoa, that is very underexposed as well! My suspicions seem to be correct that the Tattooine stuff looks very different than the later releases.
There seems to be a lot of pink in the lights of the Obi-wan/Vader duel, especially compared to the GOUT. perhaps this is systemic?
That could work, but a big part of the fun of Star Wars was knowing that our three friends were on an adventure, not our three bickering acquaintances. It'll be tough to balance plot and character in a single movie.
That's good news poita, the community owes you a debt of gratitude for all you continually do!
I've a request, if you have the shot in question: The final shot of the burning homestead scene has given me no end of trouble this last week. Actually, any scenes of Tatooine would be very good, as the color seems to fluctuate so dramatically between releases.
I've realized that there's potentially a major problem with omitting the end of ANH and a lot of the Hoth material: these are the only times when Han demonstrates his friendship with Luke, first by returning to help in the battle of Yavin, then in searching for Luke on Hoth. This is a problem as Luke's major motivation for leaving Dagobah is that his friends are in danger.
Here are all the settings. Disclaimer: Will not make every shot better. May make some shots worse. Anyone who goes insane attempting to successfully implement these settings has only themselves to blame.
:)
Video Layer 1 (Base Layer)
This layer controls the color and luminosity of the deep shadows.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Normal
Image Control:
Brightness 0
Contrast 80
Hue -100
Saturation 85
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red 23
Red-Green -5
Red-Blue 8
Red-Const -3
Green-Red 25
Green-Green 51
Green-Blue -22
Green Const 0
Blue-Red 0
Blue-Green -25
Blue-Blue 27
Blue-Const 0
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation -20
Vibrance 0
Gamma:
10
Lighting:
Brightness 40
Contrast 0
Exposure 70
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 2 (Overlaid on Video Layer 1)
This layer in conjunction with layer 1 controls the color and luminosity of the shadows.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Screen
Image Control:
Brightness 0
Contrast 80
Hue 0
Saturation 85
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red 85
Red-Green 10
Red-Blue 10
Red-Const 0
Green-Red 0
Green-Green 75
Green-Blue -20
Green Const 0
Blue-Red -40
Blue-Green -15
Blue-Blue 150
Blue-Const 0
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation -20
Vibrance 0
Gamma:
10
Lighting:
Brightness 30
Contrast 0
Exposure 50
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 3
This layer controls the color and luminosity of the midtones.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Screen
Image Control:
Brightness 0
Contrast 80
Hue 0
Saturation 85
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red 56
Red-Green -27
Red-Blue 5
Red-Const 0
Green-Red 5
Green-Green 15
Green-Blue 0
Green Const 0
Blue-Red 9
Blue-Green -44
Blue-Blue 28
Blue-Const 0
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation 0
Vibrance 0
Gamma:
15
Lighting:
Brightness -18
Contrast 38
Exposure 90
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 4
This layer controls the color and luminosity of the highlights.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Screen
Image Control:
Brightness 0
Contrast 100
Hue 0
Saturation 100
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red -122
Red-Green -157
Red-Blue -200
Red-Const 0
Green-Red 8
Green-Green 55
Green-Blue 15
Green Const 0
Blue-Red 20
Blue-Green 15
Blue-Blue 60
Blue-Const 0
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation 0
Vibrance -4
Gamma:
28
Lighting:
Brightness 59
Contrast -84
Exposure 100
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 5
This layer limits the oversaturation of blue and red, and green to a lesser extent.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Subtract
Image Control:
Brightness -100
Contrast 100
Hue 0
Saturation 100
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red 22 (This setting controls the amount of red bleed such as in red lights.)
Red-Green 200
Red-Blue 33
Red-Const 0
Green-Red -50
Green-Green 33
Green-Blue 30
Green Const 0
Blue-Red 20
Blue-Green 0
Blue-Blue 135 (This setting controls the amount of blue bleed, for example around the Death Star Explosion. Increasing this number decreases the blue bleed.)
Blue-Const 0
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation 0
Vibrance 0
Gamma:
6
Lighting:
Brightness 0
Contrast 0
Exposure 0
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 6
This layer tweaks the color and luminosity of the highlights.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Screen
Image Control:
Brightness 0
Contrast 110
Hue 0
Saturation 100
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red -200
Red-Green -200
Red-Blue -200
Red-Const -200
Green-Red -200
Green-Green -200
Green-Blue -200
Green Const -200
Blue-Red -150
Blue-Green 0
Blue-Blue 200
Blue-Const -15
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation 0
Vibrance 0
Gamma:
17
Lighting:
Brightness -100
Contrast 100
Exposure -100
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 7
This layer regulates the highlight layers below it, fixing color casts by removing colors.
Applied Effects:
Opacity:
Subtract
Image Control:
Brightness 0
Contrast 100
Hue 0
Saturation 100
Channel Mixer:
Red-Red 0
Red-Green 0
Red-Blue -100
Red-Const 0
Green-Red 5
Green-Green 25
Green-Blue -60
Green Const 0
Blue-Red 40
Blue-Green 80
Blue-Blue -200
Blue-Const 0
Adjustments:
Color:
Hue 0
Lightness 0
Saturation 0
Vibrance 0
Gamma:
10
Lighting:
Brightness 0
Contrast 0
Exposure 0
Black 0
White 0
Video Layer 8 (Original video used as a comparison)
In trying to get some detail into the shadows I did end up overexposing the image a bit. I've toned that down and played with the colors some more. It's not quite as bright as I'd like it to be, but at least all of the highlight detail is preserved.
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58368/picture:0
Mid wipe there is an increase in shadow noise which is more apparent in my correction, which then quiets down after the wipe ends. The Death Star is brighter and more green, which is more accurate IMO.
@kk: There's a lot of yellow in the brightest highlights of your last clip, which is very apparent in that shot. I try for an even white for the brightest parts of a shot unless there's clear evidence to the contrary, so you may look into that.
@msycamore: The purple persists throughout the shot and into the next one, so the highlights of the TIE fighters and the Death Star are quite reddish blue.
Incidentally, something I noticed after watching this particular clip a million times was that the Death Star stops rotating before the end of the shot. I guess the special effects guys were just like "Eh, that's probably good enough".
Alright msycamore, just for you I scrapped the homestead shot and had another go at it. You're probably right that there's no red in the sky (why would there be indeed!) So I tried to get as much out of it as possible. I also realized that the negative1 workprint had more detail in the shadows than the blu-ray, so now in this version you can see more billowing smoke. The grain doesn't match, but you can't have everything you wish for.
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/58220
Thanks also for the information guys, I'm still very much on a steep learning curve with this.
TheBoost said:
Watching this edit with great interest.
*In Simon Pegg's Scotty impression*
"Watching this edit...are you from the future?"
How about this progression:
Luke arrives at the base on Hoth, and immediately the commander picks up something moving toward the base "Princess, we've got a visitor. We picked up something outside the base moving East." He mutters some orders which we hear at the end of that scene. Then cut to someone searching for this thing, which they assume to be a life form. Luke reveals his face. The audience sees that he's now officially a member of the Rebellion. Luke radios back to base, saying: "I've finished my circle. I don't pick up any life readings." Han (who was in the room with the commander) responds "There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser".
Luke is then knocked out in the Wampa attack. Cut to a different scene, such as his friends' concern for his safety. Cut back to him waking up at dusk:
He collapses in the same shot, and there sees Obi-wan:
He loses consciousness again, but Han has not come looking for him. Another scene occurs where the base is preparing for invasion.
Luke wakes up in the Wampa cave (the Wampa apparently came back for him, after dragging the Tauntan to it's cave first). It is here that he hears Obi-wan's voice in his head, and understands that his vision was not a dream. "Use the Force, Luke" is apportioned from ANH, and he retrieves his lightsaber. He cuts off the Wampa's arm and runs outside (it is clearly bright daylight outside the cave from the lighting here) This shows how quickly Luke has grown in power, and implies that Luke is quite recovered.
Meanwhile, the rebels are deploying their forces in preparation for an Imperial attack. They send out snowspeeders as an advance force:
They find Luke while on patrol (they simply refer to him as Skywalker and not Commander, as he is still untested in battle). From here Luke could be brought back to base quickly to change into his uniform, or it could be implied that he was recovered enough to don an extra uniform and fall in with the troops in the field. In that case the next shot of him would be as the snowspeeders prepare for the attack on the walkers. He quickly gets shot down due to his inexperience, and the story proceeds from there.
Looking good!
There's still a lot of purple in the flashes however.
GOUT comparison:
I included the other frames because I saw something kind of cool; the squib in this shot seems to go nuts, flying right off the wall over the actors! I watched the movie a hundred times and never noticed this.
First of all, those screenshots show a big improvement, good job!
As for the three images of the control room, I'd be careful about directly adding green to the red, as seems to have happened there, because the red lights have turned a bit orange. I like shots like that because you can play with the colors while directly seeing the effect on the primary reds, blues, and yellows, such as the lights in that room.
DuracellEnergizer said:
RicOlie_2 said:
DuracellEnergizer said:
The Empire Strikes Back
Hired a beautiful young actress to play the body of Palpatine (I would have kept Clive Revill to play the voice, though).
May I ask why you think a beautiful young girl is suitable to play Palpatine?
I've grown tired of antagonists who are ugly and misshapen on the outside. IMO, true evil is only ugly on the inside -- on the outside it is beautiful and attractive; if it weren't, if it were as ugly on the outside as on the inside, no one would ever give in to it.
On the flip side, I'd also like to see some protagonists who look like the Elephant Man; stereotypically beautiful heroes are just as tiresome as sterotypically hideous villains.
Beautiful on the inside ;)
Seriously though I agree that more heroes should be unattractive. As long as it stays away from Disney cheapquel fodder.