Octorox

JasonN said:

The "Sidious" composites tests are an older version - here's an updated version of the scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFmUhvT_A9g

(and yes, I'm aware that his face is still visible in the reflection on the table - it has since been removed from the final composite)

I'm thinking that we should see Sidious's "sith eyes" there in the darkness.

ben_danger said:

in AOTC, when anakin returns to tatooine to the homestead, perhaps things could be reorganised slightly?

 

anakin shows up at the homestead, to find his mother dead and buried. He kneels at the grave, and like one of the edits, the line 'i miss you so much' is shortened to 'i miss you'.

 

then we cut to them sitting at the homestead, and lars explains how she was taken by the tusken, dialogue is cut so we know she is dead. anakin gets up and he says 'your mother is dead son' (paraphrased) and anakin silently walks off, gets on a speeder, finds the tusken and kills them. (the hunting of the tusken would be shortened and probably just show anakin leaving on the speeder and emerging at the camp)

 

this could make his killing a bit more premeditated, though i understand if it could be a bit too heavy too soon

I personally prefer the Phantom Editor's subtle edits throughout the sequence

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Ok, I think I've figured out how to set the anamorphic flag in TMPGEnc (I already knew how to set the pulldown flag).  I'm testing it out now.  So now I have a question...

Mothr has been touting the avisynth filter Spline36resize, and has provided some numbers for using it to convert to widescreen.  On the other hand, Octorox has touted using the anamorphic DVD flag.  Am I right in surmising that the best approach would be to: (1) use Spline36resize (or something similar) to adjust the size of the content portion of the frame to 4:3, if necessary, and then (2) use the anamorphic flag, -not- Spline36resize, to allow the DVD player to convert it to widescreen?  Or am I missing something?

I'm encoding a test as I write this.

Also, I've recaptured the film (yet again), and so I should have new screen captures posted by tomorrow - with slightly less cropping.  Your highlighting really shows how much cropping was done on this print.  This, plus the hair embedded in two of the reels, and the sloppy edits, tells me that they didn't put much care into it when they produced these 16mm prints.

Going by spaced ranger's post I'd first set the anamorphic flag and then use the percents that he came up with the stretch te video vertically and horizontally. I don't use avisynth so I can't really help you beyond that. Perhaps you could do this in your editor rather than avisynth?

Bingowings said:

Octorox said:

Bingowings said:

A different beginning for C3PO?

 

but how would he go from being In the hands of the Federation to Amidala and then the rebels? maybe he could somehow escape with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and then somehow replace Jarjar in the scenes that follow? (Wishful thinking I know)

My plan many posts back was to have Nute Gunray order Threepio to stay with the Queen (the Federation bods don't speak English so they need a protocol droid) until she signs the treaty...as she never signs he stays with her until the end (including getting on her cruiser) because Padme doesn't reveal herself to be Amidala until the last act he stays with whoever is calling herself the Queen so he doesn't get off at Tatooine but does follow her into the throne room where he refuses to shoot her because it's against his programming.

There is alot of Anthony Daniels material to sample from and get enough dialogue.

It just needs someone with the patience to slip him into the footage.

I thought it would be fitting if R2 and 3P0 came from the opposite sides in the beginning.

 

cool idea but I could see it being very difficult to execute. where could you work in this whole new 3po backstory?

Bingowings said:

A different beginning for C3PO?

but how would he go from being In the hands of the Federation to Amidala and then the rebels? maybe he could somehow escape with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and then somehow replace Jarjar in the scenes that follow? (Wishful thinking I know)

stossmo said:

Can anyone help me?  These inspired me to go out and get a PS3(I wanted one anyway, I swear) and I still cant get a version worth watching.  

My IMAC G5 has failed mid-burn with 4 DL discs so I gave up on that (I was just burning the ISO right to the disc and burning like a data disc).  I then put the ISO right on my external hard drive and of course the PS3 wouldnt recognize anything on that (I guess I would need to reformat...Fats or something...whatever) so then I spent 40 bucks on a converter program (AVCWare Mac Video Converter) in an attempt to convert it to a DVD format so I could at least Burn it as a standard DVD on popcorn.  Well 10 hours later I converted it to DVD format but it only created a VOB, not the Video_TS folder that I had anticipated.  Popcorn wont recognize the VOB so I stalled on that.  I then just tried to put the VOB file on the PS3 because I read they can play those but the movie stutters and is cropped (not full wide screen).....I think I abused the green too much in my 20s cuz as much I try to research these things I just end up clueless and frustrated.   What generous soul can offer some advice?

Stace

I'm on an intel iMac and had no trouble burning the iso with Disk Utility. Have you given that a try?

thats really cool! I think I'd rather see it on high quality star wars though as opposed to the dusty silent version

TLSO said:

I've built up a DVD collection for almost 10 years, so I'm not keen on converting (until/unless they stop releasing movies on DVD). At a store I saw clips of Spider-man 2 in a video showing off the quality of Blu-Ray on an HDTV, and it made everything look faker (I can only imagine what older movies look like).

I like having physical copies because I don't like having to back things up all the time. Plus I'm sentimental and like displaying a collection. :P

Blu-Ray looks amazing, you can't judge by what you see in the store, those TVs are definetely not properly calibrated. I know, I have one.

Jay said:

lordjedi said:

Not really.  Your entire iPod is usually synced to iTunes on the computer.  Simply plugging your computers DVI into an available HDMI port on an HDTV is a pretty easy process.  From there, you just press play within iTunes.

If anything, the "Digital Copy" that's available on many newer releases makes setting up a media server way easier than it use to be.  Unfortunately, those files can only be played in either iTunes or Windows Media Player.  Combine any of those setups with an XBox 360 or PS3 for doing streaming and it's very easy to set the whole thing up.

You're ignoring a lot of intermediate steps and giving consumers way too much credit. You're also projecting your technical understanding onto the market again.

There is no comparison to be drawn between the process of connecting a media center to a TV and that of syncing an iPod with iTunes. There is no application that automatically rips a DVD for you upon insertion, stores it in a way that makes it accessible to Windows Media Center, and does all this without significant input from the user or the use of additional software like AnyDVD to break the encryption.

I can't think of one person in my entire family who knows what DVI and HDMI are, let alone that they're compatible.

negative1 said: ...

I think the sales numbers will tell a different story once the price drops on the PS3. Ignoring all the doom and gloom from the wannabe tech morons in major publications, while in third place, Sony still sold a respectable number of consoles over the holidays, and a price drop in the spring should help pick up sales gradually throughout the year.

I also think the huge dividends that Sony will reap thanks to Blu-ray's success will help them on their recovery. 2009 is going to be a good year for Blu-ray.

what about AppleTV? Xbox360? PS3? At lot of people use these types of devices to stream media to their TVs. If your DVD has a digital copy or you have some simple software like Handbrake one can easily have a copy ready to go for their AppleTV or 360.

C3PX said:

In all honesty, would you really want to see a Del Toro episode one? Sure it would be fascinating I am sure, but would you really want to see his unique style make its way in to one sixth of a mainstream series such as SW?

Sometimes you love two different things for what they are, but it wouldn't be wise to mix them.

Yes.

You make good points but I think you underestimate Del Toro's versatility as a director. Maybe I'll reserve judgment until "the Hobbit" comes out but from everything I heard about it so far, it seems like Del Toro is quite capable of respecting the universe Tolkien and Jackson have created while still adding his own flair. I think he would able to tone down his signature style to fit the Star Wars universe.  On "The Hobbit", he has already made concessions stating that he is using a 2.35:1 aspect ratio rather than his signature 1.85:1. Also, he has stated that previously established locations like the Shire will be faithful to their Jackson counterparts. He seems interested in preserving continuity. Hellboy II: The Golden Army shows that Del Toro can direct a Star Wars-esque movie. This movie shared a lot in common with Star Wars, from the colorful and quirky main cast, the abundance of strange creatures, the humorous banter between the characters etc.

Another thing in Del Toro's favor is his love of practical effects like animatronics, puppetry and makeup. He has created a variety of interesting creatures in his movies using both cg and practical effects and seems to only use cg when necessary. No doubt Del Toro's episode I would feature and amazingly lifelike puppet Yoda, an interesting JarJar and a scene that's puts Episode IV's Cantina to shame. I have no doubt that Del Toro could do Star Wars.

I'd love to see a Del Toro Episode I. Pan's Labyrinth shows that he works well with child actors and the somewhat whimsical, fantasy nature of the film would be well suited to his odd fantasy style. He could have made JarJar a very interesting character.

doubleofive said:

mrbenja0618 said:

I'm personally looking forward to the Taun Taun action figure complete with gutted belly!

I have the vintage Taun Taun with the open belly you could stick Luke in.  Admittedly, it didn't have guts that spilled out, but that wouldn't be too hard. :-P

Speaking of Tauntaun guts, I wonder if Ady could do something to improve them. They look like paper worms or something as it now stands. Maybe some real blood and gore?

mrbenja0618 said:

There is also this option... http://dvfilm.com/maker/index.htm

 

If you were to find an HD cam cheaper that doesn't have 24p or 25p.... This could help you in huge ways.

I think that would have the same "jerky"problem that Ady is talking about.

Moth3r said:

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Indeed, the frames are not complete... that was clear when I noticed that the bottom of Greedo's subtitles (on the 2-line subtitle) was chopped - not just on my capture, but on the film itself!  My captures are really close to the boundaries of the film.

From the screenshots posted above, it looks like it's only the bottom that has been cropped. It probably wouldn't be that obvious if it weren't for the subtitles, which is disappointing. Not knowing much about 16mm film - is this just a badly cropped print or do you often find 16mm transfers that are over-cropped?

I will take your advice and eyeball it with the DVDs.

Your version of my vid is nice.  What did you use to change the aspect ratio?  I've been wrestling with an older version of Vegas, and not completely happy with the results.  And I tried using "resize" in VirtualDub, but I keep getting an error message that it's incompatible with the compression (it works if I do it uncompressed - I was attempting it with the Panasonic codec).

That's because the DV codec only supports resolutions of 720x576 for PAL and 720x480 for NTSC - however, I assume your final resolution will be 720x480 anyway for DVD authoring.

If you are going the AviSynth processing route, just add the following to the end of the script:

Spline36Resize(720, 362)
AddBorders(0, 59, 0, 59)

This will give you a 2.35:1 image letterboxed for a 16:9 anamorphic NTSC DVD. Adjust to suit your source, but note that the final resolution must remain 720 by 480 (= (2 x 59) + 362).

I would think that would not be correct because the video is no longer 2.35:1 because part of it was cropped off, making it an even wider aspect ratio.

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Octorox said:

Sadly, I'm on a mac rather than a PC, so you cant use the exact same software. I used Final Cut Pro for everything. The aspect ratio tool allows you to squash the video until you're happy with it. I'm sure Vegas has something similar though.

It's times like this I'm jealous of you Mac guys... not that we can't do the same stuff, but it always seems a bit more cryptic.  BTW, that was very impressive how quickly you did all that stuff ... finding the same frame from another edition, redoing the clip, and the still image, and figuring out a good proportion, all in about a half a day!

Quite honestly, half an hour, including converting and uploading the video. It was easy as import, squash, tweak colors, export, upload. of course final cut pro isn't exactly cheap either...

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Octorox said:

It's seems like a lot of the top and bottom of the movie on the 16mm film has been cropped off, making my 853x358 comment incorrect sorry :(. 853x358 is the dimensions of a scope movie stretched anamorphic and with the letterbox bars cut off

I'd just look at the DVDs and use that to decide how much to squash the picture.

 

Here's your whole vid corrected:

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i128/octolink_64/?action=view&current=grandecorrected.flv

Indeed, the frames are not complete... that was clear when I noticed that the bottom of Greedo's subtitles (on the 2-line subtitle) was chopped - not just on my capture, but on the film itself!  My captures are really close to the boundaries of the film.

I will take your advice and eyeball it with the DVDs.

Your version of my vid is nice.  What did you use to change the aspect ratio?  I've been wrestling with an older version of Vegas, and not completely happy with the results.  And I tried using "resize" in VirtualDub, but I keep getting an error message that it's incompatible with the compression (it works if I do it uncompressed - I was attempting it with the Panasonic codec).

Sadly, I'm on a mac rather than a PC, so you cant use the exact same software. I used Final Cut Pro for everything. The aspect ratio tool allows you to squash the video until you're happy with it. I'm sure Vegas has something similar though.

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Octorox said:

looks good but the aspect ratio isn't correct. It's stretched vertically. 853x358 would be about correct

I presume you mean that an original of 720x480 should be changed to 853x358?  How is that calculated?  Thanks!!

It's seems like a lot of the top and bottom of the movie on the 16mm film has been cropped off, making my 853x358 comment incorrect sorry :(. 853x358 is the dimensions of a scope movie stretched anamorphic and with the letterbox bars cut off

I'd just look at the DVDs and use that to decide how much to squash the picture.

Revisited DVD:

Therefore this might be more accurate, fixed aspect ratio and basic CC:

Here's your whole vid corrected:

http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i128/octolink_64/?action=view&current=grandecorrected.flv

adywan said:

Octorox said:

adywan said:

i just realised that it is the HG-20 and not the 10 model that i tested out. the 10 doesn't film in 1920x1080p but 1440x1080 instead. i just rang up the shop that i tested it at and although their website lists the 10 model they assure me that its the 20 and they no longer stock the 10.

This is the lowest price i've been able to find for the Uk version

http://www.camerabox.co.uk/product.asp?ProductID=6388&gclid=CLGb6ZSf4ZgCFQHHGgodIGfYdQ

Its just over £100 more in the shop i tested it at but i'm still a couple of hundred quid off getting this baby.

I've been checking out some of the HD videos shot with this camera on youtube. This is definitely the camera to get.

Here's a review that might be helpful

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-Vixia-HG20-Camcorder-Review-35510/Performance.htm

And I still have to recommend the tape-based HV30 of the hard drive based HG20. Hard Drives are a hassle to work with. Of you can even get the AVCHD footage into your editor render times will be excruciating. HDV is much more time tested. Also 1440x1080 vs. 1920x1080 doesn't really make much of a difference. One is anamorphic and one isn't. 24p/25p is important though

i was just reading that review then read what you wrote. spooky. lol

i prefer the hard drive cameras over any tape based ones. i do all my editing on the PC and transferring the footage from a hard drive camera is so much easier and faster than tape based ones. rendering times don't bother me as i've been working with Hd for a while so i'm use to that.

yeh i agree that the 24/25p feature is a very important factor with a camera i would be using to film the elements to fit in with the movie . many seem to do 30fps or 60fps so this feature on the canons is the selling point for me.

interestingly i saw some comparisons between the American 24p cine mode and the UK 25p cine mode and the results for the 25p in motion scenes were so much smoother whereas the 24p mode seemed jerky. having the 25p setting will enable me to change the framerate to 23.976 and the very slight slowdown will help with the feeling of weight and size so the PAL version is perfect for me. do you find that the cinemode on your ntsc version suffers with the jerky movement?

 

 

It can be a bit jerky but it generally looks good. This video I shot in the American 24p mode, the "rapping" clips are speed up 2x, the others are mostly normal speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhTTNMjTdXU

Also disregard the color because my CC is a little off on some shots. Auto White Balance is not your friend :(

adywan said:

i just realised that it is the HG-20 and not the 10 model that i tested out. the 10 doesn't film in 1920x1080p but 1440x1080 instead. i just rang up the shop that i tested it at and although their website lists the 10 model they assure me that its the 20 and they no longer stock the 10.

This is the lowest price i've been able to find for the Uk version

http://www.camerabox.co.uk/product.asp?ProductID=6388&gclid=CLGb6ZSf4ZgCFQHHGgodIGfYdQ

Its just over £100 more in the shop i tested it at but i'm still a couple of hundred quid off getting this baby.

I've been checking out some of the HD videos shot with this camera on youtube. This is definitely the camera to get.

Here's a review that might be helpful

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-Vixia-HG20-Camcorder-Review-35510/Performance.htm

And I still have to recommend the tape-based HV30 of the hard drive based HG20. Hard Drives are a hassle to work with. Of you can even get the AVCHD footage into your editor render times will be excruciating. HDV is much more time tested. Also 1440x1080 vs. 1920x1080 doesn't really make much of a difference. One is anamorphic and one isn't. 24p/25p is important though

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

I uploaded some frame grabs and a short sampler video:

http://www.hardbat.com/puggo/grandePics.html

The video is XVid compressed, but still in scope aspect ratio. The pictures are converted to 720x405 to bring them closer to the proper ratio.

looks good but the aspect ratio isn't correct. It's stretched vertically. 853x358 would be about correct

sketchrob said:

Yup, done deal :) I figure, its prob what  I would have spent on Lucas merchandise since 2004 when  I officially gave up, at least now it's getting put to good use :)

Yeah, thanks a lot sketchrob! I'm sure Ady will be very happy tomorrow :) and Ady, I have to put a word in for the HV30. It really is a great little camera. Here's a vid I shot with it (it's in Hd on youtube, but of course that's not full quality) This was shot in 24p cinema mode but I did color work on it afterwards (in case any colors seem a little off to you) Also sorry if this seems like shameless self promotion, I really did want to show off the cam, not my vid lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhTTNMjTdXU

adywan said:

yeh  it would be illegal because i would be using copyrighted elements combined with my new elements to show the finished clips. I don't do these edits for any form of reward so i would never sell any DVD's. I'll be posting the behind the scenes videos online like a sort of video blog and they'll probably be on the DVD-9 too (or maybe a full making of DVD after the saga is finished)

 

It would be great if you could do a commentary track to. And an isolated score as with ANH.

I also wanted to bring to your attention that Revisited in it's entirety was put up by someone on youtube, but in low quality and with a stretched aspect ratio. I could put it up on youtube in high quality with the proper aspect ratio with a "fixes and changes" notation track if you want. Otherwise you might want to ask the person to take it down.

adywan said:

Sorry i haven't been around guys but i decided to crack on with ESB:R. I've got quite a bit done but with some of the things i want to do i'm hitting a major obstacle: equipment. Namely a decent HD camcorder. There are shots that i just cannot accomplish without filming new elements. The asteroid sequence where the TIEs collide, the inside view of the slugs mouth to name but 2. i have tried filming some new elements with a SD camcorder (tried a few  different one thanks to a few mates) but the quality is shocking and doesn't fit in with the existing footage in any way.

And here is the main reason:

I was hoping to keep this a secret and unleash the news once ESB:R is finished but now you'll see why i need a HD camcorder to get this baby done....... ESB:R will be in 720p AVCHD alongside the standard DVD versions. There was no possible way that i could do it in 1080p but 720p is viable and everything i have done so far has actually been in 720p.

I've been checking out some HD camcorders and most seem to be 1080i (most being 1440 x 1080i) but i have found some that are actually a bit cheaper that are full 1920 x 1080p. i can manage to scrape up about half the cost but i'm still about £200 short so i'm going to have to open up the donations once again. I really do need your help here guys. the cost of the materials for the models and new set pieces is costing me a fortune, but i ahve that covered. all i need is to get a decent camcorder to get the elements on film. It is also going to be invaluable when i get to the rest of the Revisited saga for new model shots etc. any help will be greatly appreciated. My paypal email address is in my sig.

now onto what i have been working on.

i really like the slug idea of having the teeth hidden and start to protrude as the mouth begins to close. this would require a new model shot to accomplish this but the original inside model had no tongue and it looked so fake. this way i can make it look more like a cave. the teeth will remain the same and so will the slug puppet. i have always liked the design of the slug and really don't want to change this. i have just completed the escape sequence apart from the inside shots which need changing. i have slowed the slug down slightly and, to me, it looks more realistic now. so here's is a very short clip of the new sequence.

NEW SLUG SEQUENCE

 

Now i have hell of a lot of reading to do to catch up so i'll try to reply to all these as soon as i can

Also, I would stay away from anything other than HDV. SD and Hard Drive camcorders are a pain in the @ss! The Canon HV20/30 are great camcorders. I don't know about the UK market though since I'm in the US.

UK store:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Definition-Camcorder-Widescreen-Multi-Angle/dp/B0012GN76A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1234724132&sr=8-1

US store:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-HV30-Definition-Camcorder-Stabilized/dp/B00114PN1U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1234724194&sr=1-2

For some reason it's way more expensive in the UK. I'm not sure whether or not that's a good value but I know it's a good value in the US.

LordVader said:

ESHBG said:

DGC General X said:

What, exactly, would people have wanted in the PT?

 

Plots that were much more in line w/ the OT, better stories, not as much of a connected universe (e.g. Chewie did not need to know Yoda, Anakin did not need to build C3PO...), things actually being explained, etc., etc., etc.

I always thought of the connected universe as one of the best parts of star wars, I mean the fate of a whole universe for 40+ years revolved around a small group of people. I just find it fascinating. 

 

I have to agree completely. For me it was the writing, acting, and visual style that was mostly at fault in the PT.

adywan said:

Sorry i haven't been around guys but i decided to crack on with ESB:R. I've got quite a bit done but with some of the things i want to do i'm hitting a major obstacle: equipment. Namely a decent HD camcorder. There are shots that i just cannot accomplish without filming new elements. The asteroid sequence where the TIEs collide, the inside view of the slugs mouth to name but 2. i have tried filming some new elements with a SD camcorder (tried a few  different one thanks to a few mates) but the quality is shocking and doesn't fit in with the existing footage in any way.

And here is the main reason:

I was hoping to keep this a secret and unleash the news once ESB:R is finished but now you'll see why i need a HD camcorder to get this baby done....... ESB:R will be in 720p AVCHD alongside the standard DVD versions. There was no possible way that i could do it in 1080p but 720p is viable and everything i have done so far has actually been in 720p.

I've been checking out some HD camcorders and most seem to be 1080i (most being 1440 x 1080i) but i have found some that are actually a bit cheaper that are full 1920 x 1080p. i can manage to scrape up about half the cost but i'm still about £200 short so i'm going to have to open up the donations once again. I really do need your help here guys. the cost of the materials for the models and new set pieces is costing me a fortune, but i ahve that covered. all i need is to get a decent camcorder to get the elements on film. It is also going to be invaluable when i get to the rest of the Revisited saga for new model shots etc. any help will be greatly appreciated. My paypal email address is in my sig.

now onto what i have been working on.

i really like the slug idea of having the teeth hidden and start to protrude as the mouth begins to close. this would require a new model shot to accomplish this but the original inside model had no tongue and it looked so fake. this way i can make it look more like a cave. the teeth will remain the same and so will the slug puppet. i have always liked the design of the slug and really don't want to change this. i have just completed the escape sequence apart from the inside shots which need changing. i have slowed the slug down slightly and, to me, it looks more realistic now. so here's is a very short clip of the new sequence.

NEW SLUG SEQUENCE

 

Now i have hell of a lot of reading to do to catch up so i'll try to reply to all these as soon as i can

I have a Canon HV30 (1080p), it even has a 24p mode. What do you need shot?