logo Sign In

SKot

User Group
Members
Join date
3-Apr-2005
Last activity
12-May-2025
Posts
935
Web Site
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com

Post History

Post
#297833
Topic
old kenner commercial reels
Time
Originally posted by: Jambe Davdar
By the way folks, there's a fantastic new Kenner Commercials DVD sourced mostly from 8mm and 16mm film, out now. Check it out here

It's worth mentioning that I helped make it but have never and will never accept any money for my involvement.
Finally!

I have been waiting forever for someone to do a really good DVD of those in good quality. I recently compiled all the ones I have, and I believe I have every single one, but the quality is crap for most of them, and I couldn't find a better source.

I need to look into this further. Sounds like they may be trying to charge for it, though? If not, and they are making this freely available, then they have my full respect.

--SKot

Post
#297832
Topic
Star Wars Themed Woolworths UK advert
Time
Originally posted by: Moth3r
Saw this ad the other night. Pretty awful.

Was it Sluggo who was making a compilation DVD featuring Star Wars related ads? This one deserves to be included (if only for the cringe factor).
I actually kinda liked this one, partly for the fact that the way Darth Vader is treated is rather indicative of how the franchise is treated as a whole these days.

I was working on a compilation of Star Wars commercials, with help from Sluggo. He was doing a compilation of trailers himself, that I was giving him some help on.

Glad to have this particular ad in much nicer quality (the previous copy I had was a crummy Flash video file, I believe). The main problem that's held me up with doing the commercial compilation was all the varieties of formats I have the material in. Converting it to DVD would be a nightmare, not to mention some of it (particularly some of the older stuff) would look absolutely horrible quality-wise. I was tossing around the idea of just putting them all on DVD in their native formats as a data disc instead.

--SKot

Post
#297826
Topic
"Making of Star Wars" (1977) taped from ABC??
Time
Originally posted by: marioxb
As for preservations, I'm surprised nobody has done a version of the Making of Star Wars with selectable narration, by either the original William Conrad or the re-release by Don LaFontaine.


I was thinking about that as well. Are there any changes other than the audio? It should be possible, right?
The best preservation I've seen out there of the "Making Of" specials is probably on the EditDroid 4-disc Bonus Materials set. But babyhum has talked about doing these in his series as well. It would be nice to have a switchable audio track on that.

--SKot

Post
#294938
Topic
***//BUILDING EMPIRE\\: PAL & NTSC DVD - NEW EDITION NOW ONLINE! ***
Time
Originally posted by: Moth3r
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/BE.jpg

That's your site isn't it SKot? Did you forget that "hotlinking is for monkeys"?
Curses! Foiled by my own website!!

To tell the truth I didn't set that anti-hotlinking thing up, but it is pretty funny... except when it keeps me from linking my own material I'm hosting! Ah, well...

Anyway, I fixed it now.

--SKot

Post
#294924
Topic
The Hobbit (70s animated Rankin/Bass feature) (Released)
Time
Originally posted by: Hoichi, the Earless
Alot of people have asked about the soundtrack to the Return of the King, but I don't have any idea about obtaining that one.
Wouldn't the same source from Rankin/Bass have access to the Return of the King master material as well? Just a thought...

Excellent find, by the way! I spent many hours listening to the double-LP boxed set for this film that I had, and all the songs on it.

--SKot
Post
#294919
Topic
Help Wanted: Original Jabba footage - HELP NEEDED
Time
Originally posted by: Jambe Davdar
Skot, did you make any more progress on this? Track anything else down?
No further progress from me lately, I'm afraid... been out of the loop for a while due to lack of internet access. What's above is pretty complete, I think.

Do you have all the sources now for all the clips? And have you found any sources that aren't on my list above? I found one that came from CNN apparently here while watching your clip on YouTube, but I'm pretty sure it just used the same press kit footage over again.

--SKot
Post
#294914
Topic
//Star Wars Begins\\: HD Version Now on Vimeo
Time
Originally posted by: Jambe Davdar
Hi guys,

I am on the scrounge again.

1) I am looking for all your original Jabba scene photographs. If you have any photos of Jabba as played by Declan Mulholland, I would be grateful if you could post them here or send them to me. This includes hi-res scans of the Marvel adaptation please. I'll look around my archives and see what I have. I may have done a few hi-res scans myself.

I've been off the net for a while, so I apologize for my absence of input.

2) Here is my Jabba reconstruction so far. I've not done any proper colour correction yet, just a few tweaks. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If anyone has compositing experience please get in contact.
That looks excellent, Jambe! I like the use of the still-frame Declan over the animated Jabba slug... although it is a shame to lose the rest of the original footage around the digital Jabba, I suppose. But the new approach is great; I say run with it.

--SKot
Post
#294911
Topic
Preserving the...<em>cringe</em>...Star Wars Holiday Special (Released)
Time
I remember I really liked the way that starwars.com did text commentaries for the DVD releases that you could access through dvd.starwars.com (I think). I suppose something like that might be possible as well, though I don't know how it would be done.

Currently no one I know of is working on a text commentary, though talk of it continues. I'm certainly willing to put my knowledge into such a project. Probably the best thing to do is get the commentary text written first, and then worry about the technical details of making it work.

--SKot
Post
#294881
Topic
Preserving the...<em>cringe</em>...Star Wars Holiday Special (Released)
Time
Originally posted by: MattMahdi
I have two jpegs that I downloaded at some point _long_ ago that are designed as inserts for the Holiday Special.

And both of them claim that the disc has a "text commentary" among other bonuses:

* interactive menus
* behind the scenes photo gallery [only one claims this]
* production art gallery
* text commentary
* vintage Kenner toy commercial
* DVD-ROM content

So my assumption is that someone, somewhere, for some reason produced such a thing.

Which leaves me with only one question:

Does anyone know where to find this text commentary?
Ah, well... the real story here is that the most common DVD cover was done up between Sluggo and myself, basically as sort of a "wish list" of what we'd like to see on the DVD. It was never really intended to reach as far as it did. However, it became the most common cover out there, and started showing up on all the eBay auctions for bootleg HS DVDs. I guess it's kind of flattering in a weird way, particularly for Sluggo, who did most of the graphic work.

I don't think such a thing was ever actually produced, unfortunately. We talked about a text commentary as something that would be very cool to do someday.

--SKot
Post
#290709
Topic
Holiday Special Cartoon/Deleted Scene DVD rumours at CELEBRATION IV
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
"And if the Holiday Special actually gets released, that includes couple of OT deleted scenes right there. The Vader/Bast scene and the "Flash Gordon vs. The Stilt Monster" scene in particular, plus some alternate Mos Eisley footage."

...all in anamorphic widescreen, of course.
Now *that* would be irony. But since it's all formatted for TV... no go.

--SKot
Post
#290356
Topic
Share your Star Wars theater experience
Time
Some of you know this story already...

I have a somewhat unique Star Wars theater experience: in short, I didn't have one at all (even though I was 7 in '77).

See, our family stopped going to movie theaters around 1975 or so after a bad experience while seeing Bambi at the drive-in: the theater showed a trailer for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre during intermission. My parents were so horrified that they decided they would never go back to a theater again... and they didn't, at least not until after I had grown up and left the house.

So I never did see Star Wars in the theater originally.

However, that didn't stop me from becoming the biggest Star Wars fan in my school. I read the novel, the comic books, the Scholastic storybook, listened to the Story Of Star Wars record, and collected the cards and action figures. And I was hooked.

There was actually a point where my 4th grade class took a field trip to go see Star Wars at the local small town theater (a field trip I suspect my teacher may have arranged for my benefit to give me a chance to see the movie). Parental permission had to be obtained for us to attend, though. Sadly, after some debate my parents decided to stick to their guns on their decision... and I ended up being the only student in the class who had to stay at school by myself and do busy work while the rest of the class went to see Star Wars. Oh, the tragic irony!

In fact, the first Star Wars film I saw was actually The Star Wars Holiday Special when it aired in 1978. Which might explain a few things about my acute interest in that particular, er... masterpiece of cinematic accomplishment.

The first time I actually saw Star Wars itself was around 1984, when I was in high school and it had just come out on videotape. Pan-and-scan on a television screen. Not quite the ideal experience, but I was stoked anyway. And it was just as good as it had been in my head all that time.

Kudos for my parents for sticking to their word, but in this case I think their staunchness was misguided. Yet, perhaps it's because of all this that I became the kind of dedicated Star Wars fan I am now.

--SKot
Post
#290137
Topic
Holiday Special Cartoon/Deleted Scene DVD rumours at CELEBRATION IV
Time
Originally posted by: pittrek
To be honest, I saw the holiday special once and I don't feel the need to watch it again But I really want the OT deleted scenes, I'm waiting for them since 2001 or when was E1 released on DVD.
And if the Holiday Special actually gets released, that includes couple of OT deleted scenes right there. The Vader/Bast scene and the "Flash Gordon vs. The Stilt Monster" scene in particular, plus some alternate Mos Eisley footage.

--SKot
Post
#289566
Topic
Intriguing new info on Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy deleted scenes gleaned from CELEBRATION IV.
Time
Originally posted by: starwarsmania
The big news, however, was his revelation that he had additional sequences to the one seen on screen, including a death scene on the Blockade Runner which was filmed!!! Our good friend Skot at STARWARSHOLIDAYSPECIAL.COM confirmed to me at the convention that he had previously seen storyboards on the Blockade Runner in which a hidden Rebel soldier/s pops out of hiding and guns down an Imperial Stormtrooper/s. This storyboard can be seen in the extra pages in the deluxe hardback edition of The Making Of Star Wars (which I really need to buy, despite the hefty 75 dollar price tag... ulp!).

On the cut scenes side, Forrest revealed that, for the scene where Fixer, Camie and Biggs follow Luke outside Toshi station and check out the sky, where Biggs debunks Luke’s theories of an overhead space battle, that the sequence continued on inside the Toshi power station afterwards and that it didn’t just end with Camie casually throwing the binoculars back to an offended Luke. Does anyone out there have any more info on this amazing new revelation?
Actually, I took this to mean that the sequence continued with the next scene featuring the conversation between Luke and Biggs--as in, we only got to see about half of the Toshi Station cut scene (there was only time to show the first of the two clips - the one featuring both Forrest and Hagon), and I know the actors as well as the audience wanted to see the rest. But it's hard to say for sure if that's what he meant. I am supposed to be in touch with him later, so I will make a point of asking.

Of the previous introduction sequence, in which Luke is re-united with Biggs, Garrick Hagon would also reveal that the sequence wasn’t just filmed in wide shot (as seen in DELETED MAGIC)-that there were also filmed insert shots of Biggs, Deak and Windy playing the intergalactic pool game as well!!!
One hopes that such a thing survived. What I wouldn't do for just a close-up still of that pool game...

And we still don't know who played Windy. Garrick Hagon didn't even recall there being another actor there. I asked Anthony Forrest about it, and he said that since Windy only appeared in the interior shots (which were done in England), he was likely a British actor and they may not have known him. He couldn't remember his name, but thought maybe Jay Benedict (who played Deak, playing the pool game across from Windy) might be able to help out. Someone needs to get in touch with Jay Benedict next so we can maybe find out the answer at last.

--SKot
Post
#289550
Topic
I just can't watch Star Wars anymore....
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
I really enjoyed watching ESB '80 last night. Crappy transfer and all, I'll take the GOUT over the SE's anyday.
There are days when even ESB is apocrypha to me.

If there was never anything but just that first movie, "Star Wars"... I'd still be happy. Perhaps happier, even.

--SKot


P.S. - Actually, I'll take the Holiday Special too... as craptacular as it was, it was still pre-sequel and still had some of that original Star Wars magic.

Post
#289533
Topic
Holiday Special Cartoon/Deleted Scene DVD rumours at CELEBRATION IV
Time
Originally posted by: starwarsmania
The cut scene of the group outside Toshi Station was shown during Scott Chernoffs STAR WARS CAST REUNION. All of the guests enjoyed watching the deleted scene and many of the fans there had, surprisingly, never seen the footage bfore-a fact that still amazes me!!!

It was only shown because an excellent, forward thinking fan (Skot, take a bow if that was you) brought it along with them... Rumor has it that it was, in fact, me. But remember, that's only a rumor, folks.

However, I in turn ask MoveAlong and Laserman as well to take a bow... for it was MoveAlong's excellent Deleted Scenes DVD and Laserman's brilliant extraction of the material from the CD that provided us with the ability to sneak that scene in there. Believe me, that was not on the agenda until about 5 minutes before the panel opened its doors. It looked fantastic in widescreen fullness on those big screens, and the audience did indeed love it!

Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
What? Not the whole Holiday Special? I want to see Itchy watching Wookiee porn in fully-restored glory. And who doesn't want a remastered sountrack to hear Carrie Fisher sing We Celebrate
A Day of Peace
A Day of Harmony
A Day of Joy
We all can share
Together, Joyously
A day that takes us through the darkness
A day that leads us into light
A day that wants to make us celebrate
The night
A day that brings the promise
That one day we'll be free
To live, to laugh, to dream, to grow
To touch, to love, to be
Be careful what you wish for. Not only did Carrie Fisher sing a line of that song during her two panels, but the song is included (with Lucas and Fisher's approval, mind you!) on a CD with Sansweet/Vilmur's upcoming Star Wars Vault book.

That's the honest truth.

Regarding a release of the HS by the end of the year... I've heard some rumors too, but nothing substancial. I'd expect the cartoon alone before I'd expect the HS to show up in its full, uh, glory.

But you never know...

--SKot
Post
#289531
Topic
Celebration IV
Time
After some uncertainty on how it would all work out, I attended all of Celebration IV. Verdict: I really enjoyed it. Here's the big reasons why:

- heavy emphasis on the Original Trilogy, hardly any on the prequels
- this was the most well-run Celebration yet (I've attended all 4 now, and they finally fixed most of the problems!)

I certainly wish I'd been able to meet more people from here while I was there. As it was, I did manage to meet a few more people than last time, so that was good.

All in all, it was a fantastic time. I had time to do just about everything, and was able to do all the shopping I wanted and then some... and still have time to leisurely take in some of the lesser events and attractions.

The two big things I thought were missing from this convention, though:

- George Lucas (no more SW films to be tied up with, yet you couldn't make the big 30th anniversary?)
- Mark Hamill (this was all about YOU, buddy... what could have possibly kept you from showing up for ONE HOUR?)

</gripes>

--SKot
Post
#287077
Topic
Celebration IV
Time
I'm going to be there for the whole event. I've been to every Celebration so far, and haven't regretted it.

Hoping to run into some of you folks there, but without a method of recognition I know that's just about futile. I do intend to be wearing some kind of Holiday Special t-shirt at some point, so if you see that it's very likely to be me.

--SKot
Post
#284690
Topic
Offical Holiday Special Figure!
Time
Originally posted by: Nanner Split
Now I'm not real big into action figures anymore, but those HS Fett and McQuarrie Vader figures look awesome! (and at least they're now acknowledging the HS's existence.

You know, that HS figure could increase curiosity in the actual special. Do I smell a potential release?
Baby steps. Baby steps.

Who knows what may happen? Progress has been made, at least. There was once a time when the very mention of the thing was verboten.

--SKot
Post
#283915
Topic
Info: Ewok Adventure Featurette - for sale on ebay
Time
Originally posted by: baby hum
I have a copy of this tape winging it's way to me. I'm hoping my Panasonic DVD Recorder/VCR will copy a true NTSC tape. If not I may need to appeal to somebody with an NTSC VCR.
I would like to do an Ewok supplementary disc as a release of mine. If anyone has some material to include I would appreciate it. I have the Eric Walker CD of BTS images and also a so-so copy of the original UK TV spot. PM me if you have anything.
You should see if someone can get you a copy of this to include.

There is also a trailer for the US VHS release of The Ewok Adventure out there. I only have it in file format.

--SKot
Post
#283900
Topic
Info: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back (Michel Parbot)
Time
Originally posted by: The Starkiller
Originally posted by: Marvolo
Originally posted by: The Starkiller
I have the 1999 60 Minutes. It's 640x480, 199 MB Divx. VHS recording quality. I'll usenet it if anyone wants it.


Let me know when this is up so I can get it.

It's already there. I posted it a couple of days ago.
Anybody able to up it to MySpleen (or elsewhere) for the torrent-enabled, binary-newsgroup disabled?

Much obliged,

--SKot