canofhumdingers

LexX said:

SilverWook said:

Find a video of a real spaceship swooping down low over a lake, and that will settle the matter. 😉

Exactly, you do that to prove me wrong.

Edit:
well here you go, and these are supersonic while Falcon is slowing down:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWGLAAYdbbc

Good enough for you?

I know I’m late to the party. And: warning, even nerdier alert coming…

Those are NOT supersonic. The Blue Angel is approaching the speed of sound and is very probably transonic (where localized airflow in small areas may occasionally go supersonic but not across the whole aircraft and therefore not generating a sonic boom). If the airplane WAS supersonic it would be entirely out in front of the shockwave, not engulfed in it.

And the F-14 is just a painting, but it depicts the phenomenon of water spray being generated by the engine thrust because it’s so low over the water. NOT a supersonic shockwave. And it’s probably pure fantasy as I’ve seen plenty of paintings like that, but no real photos. Below is a sea dart (an experimental fighter jet sea plane) just after takeoff with its engines at high power pointed right at the water…

For what it’s worth, I liked the falcon making the water spray and chocked it up to repulsor lifts like most others seem to have.

JEDIT: whoops, missed the video link until I’d already typed this. SOME of the shots in the video are supersonic. The video also correctly shows the blue angel as not supersonic. Although it says it’s “high subsonic” when really transonic would be the correct term.

It’s been a while, but didn’t they also destroy Jango’s version of Slave 1 in an episode of the Clone Wars? Didn’t that white, pony-tailed bounty hunter lady crash it or get shot down or something?

For what it’s worth, while the flying controls aren’t perfect, they’re far from the worst I’ve ever seen. 1st person is hard b/c you can’t control the camera and look around or lock your view onto your target (that I’ve found anyway). But third person is fine b/c the view is wide enough to keep track of your target. I’ve had no problem doing fine in aerial battles or blowing away vehicles and troops on the ground.

I’m playing on a PS4 with the standard controller. I can’t imagine ever wanting to play a flying game with a mouse… Blech!

I played some OT soundtracks at breakfast while we got the kids ready for preschool. Tonight I’m hoping to finally sit down and watch the silver screen edition. My goal is to do a 35mm marathon with the SSE and ESB & ROTJ Grindhouse versions (none of which I’ve actually had time to watch properly). But it will probably be spread over several days (as in, one movie per day) because kids. Oh, and TFA bluray to cap it off 'cause there are four Star Wars movies in my marathons now!

Awesome! Didn’t mean to step on your toes, if I did. I just knew my Alamoes (is that proper plural?) have shown both those movies numerous times via DCP. But I’m not surprised at all that an Alamo showed them on film if they had access to prints. I’m rather jealous!

For those of you asking why it’s not going to be at Alamo theater locations, that’s what a roadshow is. When they use that word they are doing so specifically because it will be at a venue other than their theater. Here in Houston they have the “Rolling Roadshow” series where they drag out this big portable screen to various locations around the city (usually a parking lot of a restaurant or bar) and have outdoor screenings after dark where you bring your own lawn chairs or picnic blankets.

@the guy who mentioned Jaws and Close Encounters… You sure they were 35mm? My Alamo has shown both those films numerous times but they are ALWAYS the DCPs sourced from the most recent restorations. I just find it unlikely that any film front of either of those films would be “pristine”… I mean, when was the last print for either actually struck?

But you are right, the Alamo does make a point to show actual film when they can (I’ve been lucky to see a number of 35mm prints for other films there). I really do hope this OT roadshow will be 35mm, but somehow I doubt it. For one, as someone pointed out they’d have to have multiple prints based on the schedule. For two, they’d have to lug around a bunch of big, unwieldy, and (becoming) rare 35mm projectors to unusual locations when their normal roadshows are all digital from what I understand.

For what it’s worth, I actually spoke to the manager of the Alamo closest to me a few years ago when they were converting from film to digital. They had advertised that they would retain the ability to show 35mm. He told me they kept ONE projector that they would cart out for special occasions. Not sure about other locations.

ATMachine said:

I noticed that TFA put glass in the Falcon laser turrets and had the turboguns outside controlled by separate consoles on the other side. Which is a nice improvement on the OT-era tech where if your forcefields failed you presumably got sucked out into space.

What? The design of the falcon turrets didn’t change. While the actual filming set might not’ve had glass in the windows, it certainly wasn’t intended that they were just open holes. NONE of the full scale or miniature ships in the original film had glass in the windows because it was too big of a risk for reflecting the camera crews, lights, etc. which was a huge problem for optical compositing back then.

They did make the guns move differently than they were originally designed to, though. It’s something that’s been done in the eu and toys and things before, but this was the first time it was seen in a film. One is that the larger “disc” assemblies on top and bottom of the falcon that contain the gunner turrets could rotate independently of the ship and each other. Problem is that if that were to actually happen, it would shear the ladder tube that you climb up or down to get to the turrets… The tube is clearly lined up with the turret windows, but the windows are NOT centered on the discs…

Second is the way the gun itself actually moves. This is something that a LOT of material seems to not understand. The gun is cradled in a “U” shaped bracket where it can pivot up and down along the longitudinal axis (nose to tail) of the ship. This “U” bracket is then attached to the ship via a horizontal (relative to the ship) post that can rotate left and right. When you consider the orientation of the gunners (the top gunner is lying on his back relative to the ship and looking straight up, the bottom gunner is lying on his stomach looking straight down) you see that from their perspective, it’s like operating a gun mounted on a tripod that can swivel left, right, up, and down. The default position of the guns when powered up is, therefore, pointing straight up and straight down relative to the ship.

When Finn jumps into the gunner position you can clearly see the swiveling post ALSO can swing around in pretty much any direction. I don’t really have an issue with that as it just means the gunner has more options, but it’s clearly not the way it was originally intended to move if you study the model.

Interestingly, as I was searching for pictures to illustrate this, I found the one below that shows the swiveling U bracket on the 5ft (the very first falcon) model had been damaged and replaced with just a rod by the time of ROTJ…

JEDIT: found a couple more images that do a good job illustrating my point

ZkinandBonez said:

One of the things that really stands out to me in the trailer is how amazing this shot of the Star Destroyer looks.

It looks so much like the miniature ships from the OT, however I can’t find any reason to rationalize this effect as being anything other than CGI.
It could of course just have to do with the resolution of the trailer, and maybe when I see it on the big screen it’ll look more like the CG ships in TFA, but maybe they’ve done something somewhat different. This is really just a wild speculation (based off one shot at that), but maybe they’ve done something similar to what was done in Star Trek: Insurrection, where they photographed the miniature of the Enterprise from the previous film and then made a 3D CG model out of those photos to make it look more convincing. Maybe they’ve done something similar with one of the old Star Destroyer miniatures?
Or maybe it’s just an exceptionally good CG shot, I just thought it look strangely better than the AT-AT’s in the trailer, as well as all of the spaceships in TFA (both the film and trailers).

It’s definately NOT an old miniature. The original Star Destroyer model still exists and goes on tour with other props (I’ve seen it in person twice) but it has been damaged and repaired (the “X” shaped antenna has been re-attached lying flat, matching the later star destroyer models from ESB)

It IS an extremely faithful, but much more detailed recreation of that original model from '76. Which is awesome because that model is significantly different from all other Star Destroyers featured in the films. The most obvious detail being the upright “X” antenna atop the bridge, and a couple others being the radar dish things at the forward corners of the large hangar bay and the three cannons lined up on the spine of the ship just ahead of all the conning tower stuff.

As for what is the model, my guess is pure cgi. Though I do agree it looks GREAT. But so did a lot of TFA’s cgi ships (watch that shot of the Falcon in space leaving Jakku and tell me it’s not amazing! It looks VERY much like another shot of that ship leaving a desert planet from the 70’s…)

you know what made me geek out more than anything? They had the “X” shaped antenna on top of the star destroyer bridge standing upright like it did in the original film - it was laid flat in the subsequent movies. But the fact they’re paying attention to those kind of tiny details is AWESOME.

But yes, looks pretty great. The one thing that has me a little… worried (for lack of a better word) is the martial arts. That kinda feels out of place in a film set right before the original. Will certainly wait and see how it integrates in the full film, but it was the one thing that kinda stood out in a not-so-good way in the trailer. Everything else looks friggin fantastic!!

This is really impressive. I’m amazed that an automated tool can generate such good results. Do you do this kind of thing professionally, or is this just a hobby?

Is harmy’s uloz version still on tehparadox? I know a lot of people prefer torrents but that’s another good option.

That Vader in flames art seems to be a ripoff of this piece by Dave Dorman.

Wow, thanks for posting that. There’s some really neat stuff in there! I love the landing TIE concept. I’m also really fond of the two man x-wing design.

For some reason I can’t seem to copy the pics using my iPad so I can’t include them in my post, which is a bummer…

But I think the image of Kylo exiting his shuttle has a very 2001-ish vibe going on that is really nice. And the shot of the castle near the volcanoes with the TIE interceptors looks heavily inspired by the old OT concepts for Darth Vader’s castle which is also very neat. Over all some really great looking pieces! And they really make me feel that sense of awe and wonder that sends my imagination into overdrive just like the great art from the OT (and also the SW renaissance of the mid 90’s) used to do when I was a kid. I haven’t experienced that in a long time. Very cool.

I’m pretty sure the black stormtroopers in the battlefront game are shadow troopers, aka black hole troopers. They originated in the comics years ago and have appeared as action figures from Hasbro, sideshow, and hot toys, as well as other video games (I’m pretty sure they’re in at least one of the Jedi knight games)

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_stormtrooper

I like the way Nolan handled the shifting aspect ratios of his films for the blu ray releases. It was the closest he could get to replicating the IMAX theatrical experience on current home theater tech. I’m also ok with the decision to keep the TFA blu ray locked in the scope aspect ratio as I think that will work fine on home video since it only has one short sequence in the whole film that would shift.

HOWEVER, I think ALL of these blu rays should’ve included the full frame IMAX footage as bonus features.

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to see all four of these films at a 15/70 presentation (even got to see TDK twice thanks to a revival screening!) and there is nothing else like it in the world. Interstellar on IMAX was possibly the single greatest theatrical presentation I’ve ever experienced. The escape from Jakku on 15/70 was mind blowing. It was so visceral and nearly overwhelming. You felt like you were right there, in that chase. And you DEFINATELY lose something in the cropped scope version.

MalàStrana said:

I’ll wait for the bluray release to be sure about that :

http://i.stack.imgur.com/lJE7Q.png

But if you’re positive about it, ok I believe you. That’s weird in fact, in term of continuity, making a character being changed off screen. So that way 2 different action figures can be sold ?

I’m 100% positive. I thought I saw it the first time but wasn’t quite sure, but on subsequent viewings (I’ve seen it 4 times now) I saw that it definately was fixed back to gold by the end of the film. And I’m pretty sure I’ve seen someone else mention it on here too. Threepio also makes mention to BB-8 (I think) about getting his proper arm re-installed while he still has the red one at one point.

MalàStrana said:

CHEWBAKAspelledwrong said:
I figured that matte appearance was due to Daniels’ new costume and was perhaps supposed to show off age or refinishing, etc., but then I saw this clip of him at the Oscars just now, and he’s as shiny as ever.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/28/11131240/star-wars-bb-8-academy-awards-2016

… and no red arm ! So the movie version for EpVII might be different after all (doesn’t excuse the fake looking though).

The red arm was fixed by the end of the film. They didn’t make a big point of it and it was pretty easy to miss actually, but it was in the group shot of people seeing off Rey when she goes to find Luke (I think, it was definately a group shot near the end).

Was it Star Wars Chronicles? That’s still considered THE definitive prop and costume book by many I believe. And it is huge, though not quite as huge as you describe.

I have the Hasbro Force FX Luke lightsaber from a couple of years ago. If this is the same as the one they’re currently selling, it’s pretty nice. It’s a replica of the ANH saber hilt with the bubble switch and no rivets in the rubber grips. As far as I can tell it’s quite accurate to the original prop. It also has the really neat feature of the fx blade being removable. It comes with an insert to put in where the blade comes out so it looks totally screen accurate when “off”. The blade is nice and vibrant and the sound effects are good. The motion control and impact activation of the sound effects works well. I also have an older Master Replicas Vader ANH force fx lightsaber. Comparing the two, the master replicas sound IS louder, but not so much so that it makes much difference, IMO. The master replicas also seems to have more individual lights in the blade so that the power up extension and power down retraction of the blade looks a bit smoother or more natural. But again, it’s a minor difference.

But with the awesome removable blade feature, I actually kinda prefer the Hasbro saber. I wish they were still in the $100-$120 range but even at $150 it’s really hard to go wrong. The removable blade Hasbro sabers are really fun to play with and they make wonderful display pieces with or without the blade.

JEDIT

Here’s a little illustration that might help you figure out the differences between the props. It doesn’t show how both OT sabers hung from the belt via a “D” shaped ring bolted to the bottom, whereas the ROTS hilt has the standard prequel style attachment where a black plastic circle on the side of the hilt snapped into a clip on the belt.

In all honesty, I have no idea what that even is that you posted. But it’s ok, I’m getting the BD compatible version (with the corrected errors, whatever they were) as we speak. And I’ve got the mkv to play around with too, so best of both worlds. Not sure I’ll keep the mkv forever since it’s apparently got technical glitches and my archaic computer can’t even play it (probably due to the color space issue mentioned above). But part of me also wants to hoard every version of all of these releases, just in case…

Density said:

CHEWBAKAspelledwrong said:

I find it interesting that Vader is referred to as Tarkin’s “henchman.”

You certainly sense in the movie that Tarkin has some authority to restrain Vader, but hardly that he is in charge.

“I should have expected to find you here holding Vader’s leash,” Leia says. I mean I think it’s pretty clear that Tarkin was the man in charge and Vader was just sort of the muscle.

That’s another thing retconned in the prequels, making Vader into some kind of god figure (complete with virgin birth) and centering the entire saga on him. He wasn’t even originally supposed to be second in command, at least not officially. Even in Empire, we see him storming Hoth on foot at the front lines. He’s the muscle, not the brass.

Yeah, going strictly by what we see in the films, Vader was always the emperor’s enforcer. He’s given command/authority over whatever resources he needs for a particular task. He operates outside the formal hierarchy of the imperial military. But he’s not always the guy in charge of the situation. In ESB he seems so powerful because he’s been given charge of a decent size fleet to complete his task of hunting down the rebel base, and more specifically, Luke. I’m sure the emperor was willing to throw any and all resources the empire could muster to capture a new force user, especially once he knew it was another Skywalker…

That’s something I’ve actually really enjoyed in the new marvel comics. Vader is running around both doing the emperors bidding but also secretly seeing to his own agenda. And he’s working both within and against the imperial structure at the same time. He’s not always in charge and often at odds with the people who are. But he does generally seem to get what he wants b/c he’s the emperors right hand man, and he’s also cunning and powerful in his own right.

Thanks for the help, gentlemen. That muxing stuff is way beyond me, I’m totally new to it all but I’ll keep at it. In the meantime, is the BD formatted file on the spleen? A couple of people were kind enough to send me invites so maybe I’ll go check that out. Not sure what I’ll do with the raw mkv if I find the BD file, but it’s nice to have options.

Does anyone know what the original MKV file size is for this? the copy I have is 23,358,979KB which is apparently too big to burn to a BD-R (according to my new blu-ray shaped coaster…). Should I look for another copy, or should I go visit the technical forums for instructions on remuxing (?) it to a slightly smaller ISO file before burning to a disc? My end goal is to have a standard single layer bluray to pop into my player.

Thanks guys, got what I needed!

JEDIT: autocorrect…

Does anyone know if this ever made it to tehparadox or any other place where it’s obtainable through jdownloader? I’ve never been able to track it down. I’m far too computer illiterate to try Usenet, and I’m not able to seed torrents so I’ve never bothered to try the spleen because I’d be one of those “grab and go” guys everyone dislikes so much.