Spaced Ranger

For what it's worth, the YouTube's movie, overlapped onto it's LD test capture video, shows an over-shoot similar to the other fullscreen-widescreen compare:

BTW, sometimes, when shooting fullscreen to be soft-matted for widescreen, the area around the widescreen safe-area is not "clean" of things like microphone, or no front-cockpit-of-the-plane, or some such. That might require a fullscreen release to take the extra step of cropping. The US laserdisc was "officially released" as fullscreen (beats me why) and all those public domain DVDs probably used it as their source (beats me why, too).

@ jerryshadoe

Thanks for the alternate links -- sendspace just plain works.  :)

.

If I had to guess from these previously noted YouTube videos ..

.. I'd say we couldn't get that fullscreen cutting into the matte area of the widescreen if it was a hard matte -- unless the documentary and/or the laserdisc did some cropping on it's own widescreen.

Are there any matching shots to compare the new 35mm trailer to the available documentary and/or laserdisc caps?

Initially, you're good for making quick caps of the individual shots -- for excellent color-correction reference (if you do, please post them).

Thereafter, contact other(s) here who can do this trailer justice with a pro-quality scan. That, of course, would be awesome.

Whoa! That is in excellent condition! (Definitely use clean cotton gloves when handling it.)

I did a quick straighten, lighten, and contrast & saturation increase (but no color correction). It looks gorgeous (and widescreen)!

DoomBot said:

Use jdownloader ...

Thanks, but I see it's called JDownloader because of ... Java. I don't allow Java (security concerns).
Besides, my problem was getting onto the site without being stuck on their update-your-browser page. Talk about nerve!  :O

How about "sendspace"? I see that being used here without problem ...

AntcuFaalb said:

Also, can someone hook me up with that extended SEN scene scan?

About a year ago, for me to continue msycamore's project, he mailed out a copy of it's resources, only for the carriers to "lose" it. To this day, it (or any of it's pieces) never arrived ...

• Is this any way to run global delivery services? "For more enjoyment and greater efficiency, lost mail is being standardized."  :/
  
  

He had a link to sample scenes from the 16mm, which included the lost SEN scene. In quickly scanning this thread, I found that all previous download-links were dead (being short-timed or low activity). Also related, a certain image posting shack (who's name I shall not mention) completely wiped away all their holdings of our early snapshots displayed in this thread!

• Is this any way to run an Internet posting service? "For more enjoyment and greater efficiency, lost pictures is being standardized."  :O
  
  

I think he started to do something with that sample, using my Avisynth script that put it together in sync. Check with him if it's any form to use.

If not, I can give you what I've got. As a raw-red 16mm sample, complete with sprocket holes showing, it's pretty cool! (I was doing some restoration proof-of-concepts, as previously posted, but that's far from finished and I'm presently out of time for any more real work on it or any of the rest of the project).

I'm sure all the original people can chime in to update you on resources thought to be included ..

.. so you won't need to read through the entire thread.
:)

jerryshadoe said:

... https://mega.co.nz/...

Mega is too fussy for my older setup. Anywhere else?

.

Space Kaijuu said:

Now, if only an actual film print were to show up.

Tempting fate ... again?

Guess I'd better check eBay quick!  :D

StarThoughts said:

An album of the score ... was released by Perseverance Records in March of 2011, but was quickly withdrawn ...

 BTW, thanks for that interesting info. A quick look on eBay shows some high prices for it from sellers worldwide. At least the pictures are free.  :)

AntcuFaalb said:

... unless there's a glitch in the matrix, I should be ready for a release sometime soon.

Cool! (hopefully some raw/processed compared caps?)

And ... wait ... that black cat ... deja vu?

Thanks!

Maybe satanika's access to the JP laserdisc could get things started -- probably the JP widescreen laserdisc overlaid by the US fullscreen laserdisc in the hard-coded subtitles area (with color-matching, of course).

Or ... Pineapples101 has a blog and indicates access to the JP laserdisc. Might be worth a contact, too.

http://movie-memorabilia-emporium.blogspot.com/2014_02_01_archive.html

.

I really like Space Kaijuu's suggestion of film ...

eBay - SLIPSTREAM: 35mm CINEMA MOVIE FILM TRAILER:1989: Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SLIPSTREAM-35mm-CINEMA-MOVIE-FILM-TRAILER-1989-Mark-Hamill-Bill-Paxton-/221532044285

Granted, it's only a trailer ... but it could be a good color-correction source. If you get it, definitely post caps!

Thanks for the Aleks.J's hardware-upgrade info! He went M.I.A. on the 2 forums after some posts and we never found out about the final result of the upgrade. Too bad about The Law Of Diminishing Returns. I hate that law.

BTW, somewhere in that thread (or one of it's references) was mention that the 3D motion adaptive comb filter (as hardware implemented) is practically ineffective. It only works on static images (to make use of temporal filtering, from images before & after) and switches back to 2D filtering when movement is detected. Aside from the theoretical proof offered by test patterns, the picture is almost always moving in the real world and therefore is almost always being 2D filtered. (I hate The Real World law, too.) Hopefully, AntcuFaalb's usage of "pixel motion estimation" will allow the use of the 3D filter all the time. (I like temporal filtering.)

@ poita & SilverWook

Leave the UCLA to me, Prof. S. Ranger (the "Spaced" should get me in the door no problemo).

I'll do some research into Fanboys to hatch a plan of attack. Just don't tell me the odds.

@ AntcuFaalb

Thanks for the update! Too bad these things must be dragged along, kicking and screaming.

On the chance you may have already seen this -- I came across a thread, Best VP for Laserdisc playback, under Video Processors of the AVSforum. Those few pages there are a wealth of information and learned opinion (some basic & some in-depth) ... and worth a read.

Aleks.J posted there about a laserdisc player he was upgrading with higher quality components (the man sure knows his electronics -- must be an engineer). He even posted about some of his progress here at OriginalTrilogy, too. For example, this thrilling note:

AVS Forum: Best VP for Laserdisc playback - Aleks.J said:

I have been modding my player quite a bit now, watching the Star Wars 97' special edition i was unsure i were watching Dvd or Ld

Also, with your mention of the Crystalio II VPS-3300/3800, he had words to answer from bygone years (2009):

AVS Forum: Best VP for Laserdisc playback - Aleks.J said:

The one used in the X0 is indeed an old design, the unit was released in 95. The Runco and its father the Nec Ips 4000Q was released in 99 so that means the filter in the X0 is from 94 wich is pretty weak compared to the newer 3D filters. Compared to the mitsu 3D filter in the C2ex the Nec is still better. Head to head i bet it can beat the Crystalio II on LD performance if it outputs s-video because of its design and strong TBC.

Amazon UK Customer Review: M. Hevingham "Mark Hevingham" said:

Like the VHS and laser disc releases this movie is ruined on DVD by a ten minute cut and pretty awful cropping of the image.

When it was shown on TV (Sky movies in around 1990) it was shown 4:3 but with the full running time which is shorter by around 10 minutes in the home video release. ...

The film was shot in 2.35:1 and is cropped here to 4:3, momentarily appearing in 16:9 within the 4:3 frame to accommodate the movie's title.

I watched beyond some of the widescreen opening (wide only for the title) of a fullscreen Slipstream at YouTube. I also noted that the end credits list Panavision and Panaflex equipment. Could it be that Slipstream was a cinemascreen production, as the Amazon reviewer states? In those early minutes of the pan & scan video, there is a shot that starts at the right and quickly pans left to following the action. Putting together those two extremes showed what the original shot might've looked like:

From my added frame outlines, cinemascreen (in cyan) would've looked awesome. Unfortunately, it seems widescreen (in magenta) contains the entire shot, well-framed for that format.

.

As jerryshadoe mentioned above, there are "HDTV" and "Cinemascope" vids at YouTube. And, yes, they are just poor quality, crop-and-stretch vids (karma will get back to YouTube poster "Gunga Din" & "gunga din" for that bit of trickery).  ;)

.

However, there is a "making of" video there, too. These are interesting because they show original movie clips (interspersed among the interviews) in the movies' released format:

The Making of Slipstream (1989) (by the director of Tron)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67WdIRsBks8

.

Grabbing the same-frame shots from the fullscreen movie ..

Slipstream (1989)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9A4V9XZweI

.. and from that widescreen portion of the "making of" documentary, and superimposing them, shows further evidence of Slipstream being a widescreen (only) production:

.

Also came across a medley of Elmer Bernstein music from the film (must be from a soundtracks compilation):

Elmer Bernstein - music from Slipstream (1989)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i44tuxPh_0E

and a few minutes video capture from the JP laserdisc:

Slipstream widescreen test clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBRIMhMz0Rg

YouTube coming through big time! Hope this helps.

@ AntcuFaalb

Some time back, you were looking into 2D/3D comb filtering. What is the status of the "phase-inversion trick" and a capture card that properly implements both 2D and 3D comb filtering without AGC problems? Are you using both these in the THX 1138 laserdisc captures? (If so, would you post some pictures & descriptions of the work's application & improved captures?)

BTW, how goes the development of the 3D motion-adaptive comb filter?

Thanks! If you'd like to test it for yourself, here are the numbers for the Histogram Adjustment. BTW, this is a "technique in development". So, following the previous overview of this procedure, some de-fades work like magic and some work like you're doing all the work.  :)

Spaced Ranger said:

... R-G-B histogram manipulation ...

 BTW, this is what resulted from that better (non-blownout) clip. Sometimes viewing the R-G-B separations can help to show what's needed (RED channel is always the major culprit):

NeverarGreat said:

... to correct an almost completely red-shifted frame ... throw everything I could at it in Photoshop.

My general approach is R-G-B histogram manipulation (low-high adjusts to produce known blacks & whites, and gamma adjusts to produce known greys), which wasn't working well with this faded film clip that was also blown-out in the photo (lots of RED artifacts all over, like ants).

Checking the auction's additional photos, I found one where the film & sprocket holes were still clearly delineated (ergo, no blown-out in the photo). That one was fairly simple to de-fade, but by eye (I had no DVD snapshot handy as a proper color target).

That robot could have been beginning to malfunction though.

Wardrobe malfunction.  :D

SilverWook said:

Don't give George an excuse to redo his Director's Cut. ;)

CG malfunction.  :O

NeverarGreat said:

there's a really nice couple of frames from the window shot of ESB ... My best shot at pulling color out ...

That's comparatively pretty good ..

.. especially considering that the auction frame has allot of the RED blown-out. What procedure did you use and how long did that procedure take?

'Nuff said? Gentlemen, start your color corrections!

SilverWook said:

Another interesting bit of ILM film up for auction.

And did you check out all his other offerings?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/wwwpcs/m.html

wwwpcs (3970) said:

"I am a former I.L.M. employee, credited in 'The Empire Strikes Back'."

I just love all these insiders with their insider info! Can we offer him a special "I Am Ready For The Trials" membership to OriginalTrilogy? I mean, we should honor such treasure troves otherwise we'd never discover things like ... all our Star Wars color correction is .. flat .. out .. wrong ...

goHastings The Star Wars Deluxe Edition ad:

"... Han Solo is a big green alien ..."
                              ¯¯¯¯¯

Those studio guys who didn't like the movie never saw a draw for such merchandise. If we haven't seen much to this date (even with "cosplay" events), maybe they were right. There's no want for princess Leia slave girls, that's for sure.  :)

THX 1138 did a good job with it's robot police ... except for that one awkward moment when one robot, searching for THX & SRT, turns to the other robot to point them out. The movement is like the actor's head is turning inside the mask while the mask stuck still. It takes me out of the movie every time.

Right. From our similar results (with one source being film), I'd say not only is this a laserdisc preservation ... it's also a THX 1138 artistic preservation.

"People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, ... There is nothing to stop American films, records, books, and paintings from being sold to a foreign entity or egotistical gangsters and having them change our cultural heritage to suit their personal taste." - George Lucas, before the U.S. Congress (1988)
(http://savestarwars.com/lucasspeechagainstspecialedition.html)

Still, it's always cool to see previously unseen screen area.
(Apparently the LucasFilm crew grabbed every bit of image real estate they could for yet another GL "director's cut" and just disproportionately resized the finished framing to keep it all in.)   <--the squash smiley