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CloakedDragon97

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Join date
18-Feb-2021
Last activity
26-Apr-2024
Posts
470

Post History

Post
#1462505
Topic
Last movie seen
Time

I just watched A Whisker Away after a year and a half of it being out. As a lifelong Ghibli fan, I was very hyped. It was even better than what I was expecting. It was an emotional, creative, beautiful and comedic film with so much charm and memorable characters. It was basically everything I can ask for in an animated film. I can’t recommend it enough if you’re an animation fan.

Post
#1462073
Topic
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie - 35mm Re Creation (a WIP)
Time

TonyWDA said:

The differences between the 2003 DVD and the 2015 Signature Edition are most evident during scenes that originally looked much cooler. The latter release is dimmer, particularly and especially during those night scenes, and has a noticeably warmer (albeit very rich) palette throughout.

Top: 2003 DVD
Bottom: 2015 Regrade

What’s important to keep in mind is that neither version is “right” or “wrong.” The 2003 DVD is exactly what the movie looked like on 35mm, and the go-to for purists. However, Brad Bird himself supervised and approved the Signature Edition transfer, so in the end, it all comes down to which grading you most prefer, and I tend to be split between them myself. While I mostly prefer the original color timing, tons of individual shots— sometimes entire scenes in the Signature Edition look like they were sourced from an (of course, nonexistent) IB Technicolor print.

I prefer the SE in terms of colors. They feel a lot more cinematic at times. Although I prefer the 2003 version for snow scenes.

Post
#1461900
Topic
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie - 35mm Re Creation (a WIP)
Time

SpacemanDoug said:

TonyWDA said:

FWIW, I attended the same 35mm screening at the SVA Theatre that @bslatky brought up some time ago. Before I move forward, I want you to strongly consider the source: I’ve watched and rewatched this movie on DVD with reckless abandon when I was a kid— lines of dialogue, the character’s inflections, incidental music and, yes, even the color timing are practically burned into my psyche. Subsequent viewings as I got older did little to help. So I went into that screening well prepared to point out any (IF any) differences between an original 2004 35mm print and the digitally-sourced home video releases I’d involuntarily committed to memory.

I remember my first and final impressions as if the screening took place merely yesterday, and it can’t be stressed enough: the movie looks no different on 35mm than it does on home video. At least, on this print it didn’t. Frankly, it felt like watching a blown-up version of the DVD/Blu-ray transfer with occasional scratches and dirt marks peppered throughout. Color wise, I couldn’t think back to one instance after the screening where the print didn’t match what was already on home video. I had an identical reaction after a screening of an original 35mm “Iron Giant” print at the MoMA in 2009: point blank, what’s on 35mm is what’s on the pre-Signature-Edition DVDs. So, while I generally admire and fully appreciate the effort to restore/preserve the 35mm film aesthetic where it’s sorely missing, I question exactly what this particular project aims to “restore” to The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie that wasn’t already there in the first place. Trailers aren’t always, if ever, a good reference source because the presented color timing was either not final or adjusted during editing to achieve a desired, albeit temporary look. A theatrical camrip isn’t dependable, either. In the theater, where you sit, how bright the projected image is, the condition and color of the screen that the image is projected onto, and the bulb used in the projector all factor into how you see the displayed image. Add to this equation a consumer grade video camera that likely didn’t faithfully capture just what the film looked like on the screen, and you have the least reliable visual reference for a full-fledged restoration project.

Please don’t misunderstand: I’m not poo-pooing your project. I think it’s pretty cool, actually. I simply believe that a different use of terminology would better suit what you’re aiming for here, which is more of a regrade of the approved color timing than a “restoration” in the traditional sense. Strictly in the interest of regrading, any trailers and publicity photos that are to your liking are perfect references for a regrade, and I can’t recommend the color matching tool created by OT’s very own Dr. Dre enough for a project like this. If you use it well, your regrade will look almost dead accurate to whatever reference(s) you choose; provided the colors in both the source and target images aren’t too different from each other, and even then the accuracy of the tool can surprise you. I’ve used it several times for personal restoration/regrade tests and projects. It works like a charm.

Godspeed.

Does the Iron Giant BD have a changed look or somethin?

It appears so, but only slightly. Here’s a comparison: https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=3553

Post
#1461686
Topic
Color matching and prediction: color correction tool v1.3 released!
Time

Swazzy said:

This question likely comes from a lack of understanding of the technology, but could this same mechanic be used as a means of super sampling/upscaling?

For example, say you used a GOUT frame as a source and a 70mm frame as a reference (both would be the same frame of course). Could you theoretically use an algorithm to create an upscaling script that would match the detail and idiosyncracies of the higher quality source as best as possible?

I’ve always wondered this. In theory this could be the best upscaling software out there.

Post
#1459322
Topic
Full Metal Jacket Color Regrade (unfinished project)
Time

This project is an attempt at fixing the color timing of the original Blu-ray master of Full Metal Jacket. I wanted it to feel more cinematic and colors, especially skin tones, to look more natural. Note that this is a work in progress and not final. When I have finished this regrade, PM me for links.
https://imgsli.com/ODMzMTA

Post
#1458105
Topic
1997 Star Wars Special Edition 35mm Project (a WIP)
Time

Ronster said:

On the 97 TV broadcast version when Luke “get’s a little cooked” after he shoots the artillery gunners. There is a thruster sound for the xwing when Luke pulls away over camera which is not heard in any other version.

There is also an omitted shot of R2D2 in the canyon cut from the film. (This shot is prior to R2D2 going down the slope) When I saw this not only did I think the sequence worked better without that shot but then I became quite suspicious about wether it was actually meant for that part.

In the end I concluded that particular canyon shot seeing as it looks nothing like the canyon R2D2 is in at this time and at dusk and this shot was also a different time of day it might be a shot in the search for R2D2 sequence.

It turns out it was a correct guess and it sandwhiches between the landspeeder “look theres a droid dead ahead on the scanner” and the tuskan raiders on the cliff. Due to the amount of music missing (few seconds) and to hit the cue, this particular clip does not run it’s full lenngth (shorter) when inserted to the sequence. Further more the cue is missed when the raider jumps on the bantha. The music edit on the track is also botched as the last drum hit should synchronise simultaneously with the deep cello string upon luke and 3P0 finding R2.

So the 97 broadcast might have been a a sign that they were still fiddling with the film but this particular edit never got sorted out or fixed or ever made a different version. And the thrusters on the xwing have never made it to another version either.

This was a digitized VHS capture of the Broadcast with adverts I found on the Internet Archive.

I tried finding this version over there but couldn’t find it. Can you PM it to me?