logo Sign In

RidgeShark

User Group
Members
Join date
8-Apr-2006
Last activity
21-Jan-2024
Posts
145

Post History

Post
#1544759
Topic
Army of Darkness | Television Cut Reconstruction - HD (* unfinished project *)
Time

In conforming the 1080p Director’s Cut to the 24p copy of the TV Cut, I’ve come to a new appreciation of how intricately the film was recut to finally arrive at the pacing of the US Theatrical version. Often times they’ve shed 1 or 2 frames per shot and a lot of times it’s been more tightened up than that with a reordering of shots and/or a small deletion here and there. It’s so much more intricate than I ever experienced while working on the Primitive Screwhead Edition which prioritized the original Director’s Cut but with an infusion of audio elements from the US Theatrical and TV Version.

I had an inkling about this in the past, but the majority of the deleted Director’s Cut sequences really were fine-tuned for the U.S. version but those were ultimately deleted for the final US release. They deserve to presented in an uncensored version separate from a recreation of the tv cut.

Time-permitting, I will recreate this lost cut after finishing the recreation of the TV version. You could call it the uncut TV version, but besides restoring censored bits, I will have to make a couple of editorial decisions with two repeated shots in the tv version. Really it’s a lost cut.

Post
#1543330
Topic
Army of Darkness | Television Cut Reconstruction - HD (* unfinished project *)
Time

The manual frame selection process is complete on scenes 1 & 2 (with the possibility of later error correction). But I’ve tried my best.

TV Sequence 1:
Starting QTGMC 50fps Frames: 5027
Ending “Correct” Frames: 2323

TV Sequence 2:
Starting QTGMC 50fps Frames: 5042
Ending “Correct” Frames: 2368

I say “Correct” because sometimes the best matching frame is more like 95% accurate due to the destruction caused by the NTSC to PAL conversion.

Next is the alternate take in the graveyard where Ash is punched in the stomach instead of the groin. The QTGMC 50fps version has 107 frames to sift through. Relatively easy in comparison.

Post
#1542108
Topic
Army of Darkness | Television Cut Reconstruction - HD (* unfinished project *)
Time

Danacky said:

Glad to see you back and that you’ve got this project up and running again. I can’t wait for this

Thank you Danacky! I really appreciate the support and encouragement. I just got to frame 400. I just have to sift through about 635 more frames to find the corresponding 298 “correct” frames for this first shot.

Post
#1541591
Topic
Army of Darkness | Television Cut Reconstruction - HD (* unfinished project *)
Time

I’ve manually removed some more and am now up to frame 300.

Has anyone checked out the 84 Entertainment Mediabook release with 3 Blu-ray Discs? The TV Version is on one of the discs. I’m considering importing on the odd chance they didn’t just rip the Koch DVD encode and instead gave it a different one. Hate to waste the money though.

Post
#1540066
Topic
Army of Darkness | Television Cut Reconstruction - HD (* unfinished project *)
Time

Where have I been? Has it really been 7 years since I started this thread? Yikes! The burnout is real.

Shout has since released the Theatrical Cut in 4K, and there was hope they would do right by the TV Cut, but alas…no.

I’m attempting to restart this project, but I need help on the second sequence.

Bad NTSC to PAL Conversion DVD Source:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aZt1fV5YmtwyAfxPXPKpzlxn7ZUKF_Iq/view?usp=share_link

Lower Quality Recording of Original NTSC (interlaced) for reference:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ueDuU7q9AarazF2_T4ivQZiAjJRK9XTM/view?usp=share_link

Where we last left off: I’m trying to convert a bad NTSC to PAL conversion back to 23.976fps. The film was originally given a 3:2 Pulldown Telecine to NTSC, which I have a lower quality interlaced recording for reference - an inverse telecine on it will give you a decent 23.976fps result. I’ve tried QTGMC+Srestore on the PAL DVD, but there is something else going on here that will require a different method. It appears the PAL is somehow slowed down. I’ve tried figuring out a SelectEvery pattern and have so far failed. I was hoping someone much more talented than myself could help me with this.

The first two shots of the deleted sequence go over 1000 frames each once converted with QTGMC to 50fps and manually selecting the correct frames when referencing my old recording is a nightmare. The 3rd shot isn’t as long, but is still painful. I have completed selecting the correct frames for the rest of the sequence which require less intensive comparisons to select the correct frames.

Post
#1344768
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Slavicuss said:

Hang onto the 30th Anniversary 2-disc set you’ve acquired. There’s some new images in the photo galleries you won’t find in any US release and an interesting interactive feature on GWS anatomy.

Can’t wait to see them. Mail is understandably glacial right now - no idea when I’ll get it. I’m currently encoding an x265 file that may be the finished version - has a few extra revisions and the little extra scene I stumbled onto late in the game.

Post
#1338009
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Hey matoman, I was thinking of creating such a version in addition to my preferred but if you want to do that after I release mine, I’m fine with it. Just might be a bit - still waiting to hear back from a lot of people so I’ve moved onto other projects while I wait for feedback.

Other good news, I found a cheap copy of the Australian 30th Anniversary JAWS PAL release, so I’ll be able to check the deleted scenes out and compare them to the 30th NTSC.

Post
#1329787
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Wanted to show you guys a comparison with the AI Enlargement. First I want to temper expectations for what this tech can currently do - medium to closeup shots of people can benefit greatly - especially if the image takes up the full 480i image. Wide shots and 480i Letterboxed sources still benefit, but the neural network enlarger has less to work with.

Also - before feeding the video to the AI enlarger, I had already performed countless hours of work cleaning and selecting the correct frames from my recording of the sped-up TBS broadcast. Then I aligned the images of my recording and the VHStoDVDR copy, sewed the expanded left side and tried my best to merge any fine edge detail to the image of my recording. Then there’s several different ways to feed the footage to the AI enlarger and it took several run-throughs before I got the thing latching onto the available detail and then doing something with it. It’s definitely not something you can just feed any type of VHS footage into at any resolution. Then it comes out looking too unnaturally, artificially sharp and it requires more processing in Avisynth. So with that out of the way:

https://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/853

https://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/854

Post
#1328556
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Moiisty - I doubt the PAL releases had native PAL transfers for the deleted scenes. Most likely converted from the NTSC laserdisc masters to PAL - and I don’t trust Universal to do that properly. Though maybe someone with a PAL 30th Anniversary could check.

Also - my miniDV recording of an AMC broadcast of JAWS the Revenge is superior to the workprint collection DVD that’s made the rounds over the years. Just has one section that’s a little damaged on what I believe is theatrical version footage. Plus lots of bumpers and on-screen AMC ads that pop up on the bottom after a commercial break. But I believe all the extra footage is fine without obstruction. Also, comparing to the blu-ray - it’s very open matte for the most part - just missing a bit on the left side. Most shots of the shark are properly cropped for 4:3 and you don’t see machinery. Not sure how cropped-in the ending is. The tv-version only shot of the shark near the surface before it encounters Jake does show machinery so that can presumably be cropped accurately. So overall, one can easily crop out the AMC logo and have it remain fairly true to what was intended. Did a test on the AI software and it looks fairly nice upscaled. Crap movie, but its tempting me. Obviously I made the recording back in the early 2000s because I have some misplaced fondness for it, lol

Post
#1328370
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Unfortunately, I found out last week that my employer will be closing down my department sometime in the 3rd quarter. The Bots are officially taking over. Skynet is here…okay maybe not that bad yet. Stressful and delaying the project a bit. “That’s life” am I right?

Slavicuss + Moisty, talking about JAWS 1 has me itching to see a new extended edition similar to what I’m doing with J2. Running the scenes, properly IVTC’d, through Topaz definitely helps a bit when cutting from blu-ray to standard def letterboxed laserdisc masters. Inserting the tackle box will switch the aspect ratios, but it’s so brief I feel it doesn’t matter since it’s for completeness sake. Unfortunately, I gave away my copies of the 25th and 30th Anniversary DVD editions of J1. Never thought I’d do a J1 extended so I’ve only kept the Blu-ray. I’m sure the J1 Blu-ray has slaughtered the deleted scenes the same way the J2 Blu-ray did with abysmal deinterlacing. Any chance you still have your copy of the DVD? I may be able to get mine back. If not, they’re cheap enough online, but I’d like to avoid buying anything given my job situation. Also - It would be good to find out which DVD release - 25th or 30th - has the highest bitrate for the deleted scenes. I’m guessing the 30th does, but you never know.

And while we’re on the topic of the JAWS franchise - digging into my collection, I found my own recording of JAWS the Revenge from AMC that I recorded directly from the satellite box via S-Video to Digital 8. So it’s essentially a MPEG-2 satellite stream converted to MiniDV format. Might look better than the Workprint Collection DVD. Also - I found my old early 90s recording of Jaws the Revenge recorded over the air from Fox TV. Not nearly as good looking as the AMC, but no channel logo and that could be used to remove the AMC logo if they’re the same pan and scanned master. Unfortunately, my VCR is in need of servicing - getting a lot of white streaks/comets. Sometimes they go away though. Anyway, that’s a lot of potential projects and I still need to finish J2. I’m willing to collaborate of course.

And thanks Moiisty - glad you enjoyed the Primitive Screwhead Edition - that was such a fun time in my life. With the new tech, I bet those deleted scenes could look even better these days. I intended to recreate the tv edit in widescreen, but ran into problems with the Koch DVD of the Tv Version. Best looking release of the TV Version that I know of, but the framerate is all jacked up - massive headache just like trying to get these J2 scenes from the spedup TBS broadcast running at the right speed.

Post
#1328149
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Slavicuss, that sounds like a great effort even with pic quality not being good. Its a shame Universal still sticks with old laserdisc masters for the bulk of their extras. I mean, I get it from a financial perspective, but as a fan of course I would love to have new HD/2k/4k transfers of this alternate material.

Are there any other deleted scenes from JAWS 1 not available in widescreen and exclusive to the tv version other than Quint’s tackle box?

Post
#1327481
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

thank you Moiisty! Means a lot to know people are excited. I actually just found another deleted shot in the Brazil tape this past hour. I was trying to match the english soundtrack to offer a separate audio option for when that is released - but also used it as an opportunity to be meticulous and make sure I wasn’t missing anything. Then there it is, after Brody wakes up and checks his son’s room, there’s a shot of him walking in the house before he comes to the mirror and sticks out his tongue. Nothing major, but not in the tv cut or theatrical. I’ll keep scrubbing to make sure I’ve got everything. Some shots are cut shorter on the Brazil tape and it throws everything off.

Post
#1327470
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Very close to finishing. Unless a revelatory VHS of the tv cut appears, I think this will be quite sufficient. I’ve given all the deleted footage a pass through the new Topaz AI Video desktop app. Required tons of experimentation - not a silver bullet, but it helps to retain or refine some detail in the upscale. One particular deleted scene from my VHS recording responded very well due to there being a lot of sharp close-ups. The added detail in hair and skin was very nice but too artificial-looking so I went to refining those edges via avisynth. Looks a lot more natural now.

Getting the sound-mix right is a pain, but that’s getting there too.

Post
#1306856
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

After a long hiatus (long story), I’m back and last month I finally got the tape from Brazil. It’s a very soft, low quality image of a grainy print (not VHS grain, but actually a grainy film print - maybe 16mm?). There’s a brief preview of Cat People before the movie which looks like a much better film to tape transfer than JAWS 2 received.

The tape itself is very difficult to transfer - I believe the tape is sticky on the inside of the cassette and my Panasonic AG-1980 has nothing but difficulty playing it - I’ve never encountered anything like it. After a few minutes the tape starts squealing and the picture becomes unstable - but I pop in a different tape and everything plays fine. After many short bursts - I finally managed one full capture of the film that I stitched back together.

I did a test of averaging/merging 7 captures on the unique footage since it was so short - however, no capture is perfectly lined with the others due to tape instability, so it may not be the best method. I’ll do more tests but not planning on doing multiple captures of the full film due to the playback problems. The tape is fine otherwise, but I don’t want to push it! A different VCR deck may tolerate the tape better, but that will likely be difficult to coordinate and I have no money to spend on this project.

Question though - does anyone have an actual VHS of a JAWS 2 tv airing? My VHS is incomplete, the DVD-R is highly compressed, and then there’s the issues with this tape. I’m almost satisfied, but not quite.

Post
#1242438
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

https://mega.nz/#F!Kuw1yJxb!7I_SndGEV807e_OFWaPTtg

So check this out, give me some feedback 😃 These are all my cleaned-up deleted english scenes and their original sources. The cleaned-up scenes are compiled in 3 different flavors:

  1. High Bitrate x264 mp4
  2. High Bitrate x265 mp4
  3. Lower Bitrate x265 mp4

And the original sources are contained in the following folders:

  1. “TV Version Deleted Scenes” for my raw 1.33:1 DV captures
  2. “Universal DVD Deleted Scenes” for the raw, non-anamorphic 2.35:1 scenes

Feel free to be nitpicky and to try to improve on my work if you’d like. Getting these right is the most important thing.

In the meantime, we wait for the Brazil version. The owner is looking into the price of shipping it to me vs getting it transferred locally. The good news is, he confirmed the tape is actually NTSC - so I wouldn’t have to buy any new equipment.

Post
#1241638
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

You will be pleased to hear that I’m planning on doing just that - with the original Portuguese track and alternate synced English track. The Brazil tape is just too rare and it would be a huge missed opportunity not to. Might do a largely untouched Standard Def version and a HD upscale with 35mm grain plate and careful cleanup and modest sharpening like my deleted scene examples.

The widescreen version will continue as-is. The 4 deleted scenes presented in non-anamorphic 2.35:1 from an ancient video master are upscaling better than expected. This is largely thanks to avisynth filters that reduce the baked-in sharpening halos. The scenes still stick out like a sore-thumb, but I like seeing them in widescreen with proper IVTC, cleanup and upscaling. Also to note - they are presented in better quality on the DVD. Whoever oversaw their addition to the blu-ray extras performed some kind of awful deinterlace job - destroying the ability to perform IVTC.

Post
#1241309
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

digitalfreaknyc said:

Wait. PAL VHS wasn’t sped up??

Not sure which part you’re referring too - sorry, I can be a bit long-winded.

The Brazil tape is in PAL-M format: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAL-M

“It is unique among analog TV systems in that it combines the 525-line 30 frames-per-second System M with the PAL colour encoding system (using very nearly the NTSC colour subcarrier frequency), unlike all other countries which pair PAL with 625-line systems and NTSC with 525-line systems.”

So hopefully the Brazil tape won’t be sped-up since PAL-M uses the 525-line 29.97 frame per second. And hopefully my deck can play the format. If not, I’ll have to find another solution.

If you’re referring to my TBS recording - it’s NTSC but it’s time compressed (sped-up) by TBS.

Post
#1241093
Topic
JAWS 2 - Extended Integral Edition (Released)
Time

Thank you digitalfreaknyc! That’s my personal VHS recording (LP Speed) from the early 90’s - probably recorded when I was about 6 to 7 years old (JAWS fanatic already, like any good child of the era). It’s incomplete - we started recording it a few minutes after it started.

It’s funny - it was a Sunday morning and my mom stayed home from church because she wasn’t feeling well. So I went to church with Dad and my Sis, while Mom recorded JAWS 2 for me and paused on the commercial breaks (sometimes missing a second of the movie as it restarted). But during Marge’s death scene, she paused it for some reason - maybe protecting me from such a traumatic moment? So it had this really bizarre edit that somehow made the scene even more troubling to me. About a year or so later, I found another broadcast and pulled up my tape to that scene waiting for the moment - then I hit record and recorded the whole remainder of the movie. It wasn’t perfect but it captured the missing horrifying moment! My first edit I guess? 😄 - - After my father’s stroke, my parents eventually lost all of their property and I had to go in and salvage a lot of family history. This old JAWS 2 recording was in one of the many boxes I recovered before the property was foreclosed. So it’s special in many ways.

Back to the recording itself - as I recently discovered, it’s actually a sped-up TBS broadcast and that’s why I had so much trouble performing an IVTC. I now went to the trouble of running it through QTGMC to produce a 60p copy, running it through multidecimate, and then going through and removing the remaining dupes and reintroducing frames that multidecimate might have axed. It moves even better now than the version you watched. See it here along with the raw DV capture: https://mega.nz/#F!anIg3YgL!dhX8cj-rCMIG13R90iWpHw

This may all be moot though - I was just contacted by a very gracious collector who owns the Brazil CIC tape and will send it to me. It’s PAL-M format (29.97i fps like NTSC, but with PAL color). It’s possible that tape may have even better quality than my copy.