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mverta

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Join date
15-Apr-2004
Last activity
26-Sep-2020
Posts
521

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Post
#96225
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/96225/action/topic#96225
Time
Originally posted by: Hardcore Legend
Mike,

It says you made an update on March 9, yet I can't find any changes to the site??

Also, what's the reason behind discontinuing the larger images being able to pop up when clicked on in the tutorial?


It was just a little thing... I edited some text on the homepage. And there's no "reason" per se, for discontinuing the larger images, I just rushed the pages out... I'll update those in time...

_Mike

Post
#94439
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/94439/action/topic#94439
Time
First of all, I'm not the creator, so it's not mine to share. George Lucas is the creator, and he said, "no."

Secondly, as an artist, my original works are well enough public to be scrutinized, criticized, praised, or what have you. I hardly need the pseudo protectorate of this one-way dialog you describe to survive as an artist; the whole idea of which I disagree with philosophically.

I can't share the work without becoming the world's largest hypocrite, since I make my living on royalities from my own art. I also would be breaking the law, and seeding some seriously bad mojo by betraying the work that inspired my life's pursuits.

One thing we all have the freedom to do is exactly what I've done: restore it for ourselves, as we see fit. That's what I've done. And further, I'm telling people about it for 2 reasons:

1) To help people to do it for themselves.

2) To demonstrate, and educate as many people as possible about how far the current incarnations have fallen from the versions which made them legends, in hopes that increased awareness will increase demand.

I don't blame people for wanting copies... I would, too. But I hope that if people respect the true dedication and care I've given to the project, that they will also respect that I want to do the right thing. Especially in a world where people who stand for any sort of principle or honor are virtually extinct. "Be the change you wish to see in the world, " said Ghandi. So I am.

_Mike
Post
#93373
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93373/action/topic#93373
Time
Originally posted by: zecoli
I think skyman was thinking of a more in depth description than the shot/change list already on your site. Simply stating what you altered, not exactly how you did it, so that those interested could obtain editing practice by learning how to do it themselves... Though I don't want to speak for him, that is at least what I would greatly enjoy.


Oh god, does that sound like a nightmare. I've already detailed what's been changed, the next step would be "frame 1023, shift pixels -2 horizontal, +1 vertical, frame 1054, pull -6 points of red, boost yellow +4 points, rebalance luminance curve to exponential."

I don't think so. Christ, it'd take me a year just to go back and figure out what I did. There are hundreds of micro adjustments that have been done. Each shot on the Tantive for example, I mean each angle in the edit, has its own layer with its own set of adjustments. This stuff isn't easy, folks.

If that's what's being requested, don't count on it. What bums me out is I thought the website was pretty damn thorough.

_Mike
Post
#93354
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93354/action/topic#93354
Time
Originally posted by: skyman8081
Mike, any chance of a shot-list, for those of us sitting on the raw materials and edit systems, who want to attempt this.

A "StarWarsLegacy dvd restoration kit" or something like that.

It would make a good edit project for those of us who want to keep up our skills with AVID or FCP.


I'm not sure what form this would take, skyman... and to be honest, I'm not sure I need to be doing any additional work in regards to the restoration. The website alone is enough. I say this having just finished the Falcon vs TIE scene, and realizing I had 60 screencaps to annotate. I have to edit that down, and do the setup. It takes a bit. But let me know what you're thinking...

_Mike

Post
#93353
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93353/action/topic#93353
Time
Originally posted by: DanielBif I put a quote of you saying that at the top will it make you happy?


To be honest, Daniel, I don't actually care that much. See, you can put up all the quotes you want; you can draw pictures illustrating your perceptions of hypocrisy and double-standard. You can compose soliloquies, you can do performance art pieces; it just doesn't matter. You'll never be able to disprove the intent of the author. It's not a matter that's subject to debate. You may struggle to understand the distinctions I've made, perhaps because you find the whole idea so philosophically repugnant, but in the end, this struggle is your own.

You see, were you ever fortunate enough to join me for a viewing of the Star Wars Legacy Edition, I suspect you'd have little argument. Without the website, you'd have no idea what I'd done. You can't see it. If you're tortured enough to have committed every error to memory, and notice, for example, that the frame no longer jumps on an R2-D2 edit, then you weren't watching the movie in the first place, you're not watching the story, you're not the true audience. And the audience is who this restoration, and every movie is for. Since the day I saw Star Wars at age 5, I have committed every day of my life to being an artist, and part of being a successful artist means remembering how to see your work like everyone else. When I go to movies, I don't watch for the effects, I don't listen for the sound design. I COULD... and perhpas on subsequent viewings, for experience's sake, I'll deconstruct them. But I can "turn off" 27 years of training, and simply enjoy the movie. That's really what this is all about. This restoration is for me, and it's a thing of beauty, I can tell you. But nobody said you had to like it, I suppose. I didn't ask. Here's a recommendation:

If you're philosophically opposed to the whole idea, and want to continue posting to that effect, please understand that I've really done as much explaining of my position as I care to. I'm sorry, but I don't have anything else to add.

If you want to address or inquire about specific things, you can expect a response. But I hope I haven't given the impression that the Legacy Edition is a "made-to-order" piece. I have few ambiguities about what needs addressing, and even fewer about how to address them.

In the end, something for all of us to remember: Star Wars is a piece of film, and art history, because of its ability to inspire. It has inspired change in art, commerce, society, and philosophy. Most anyone who takes the time to post on a board like this, does so because they, too are a fan. Sometimes, people have such pathetic existences that they have to troll message boards and get people riled up... it's better than the total isolation of their sad lives, and it's some form of social interaction they can actually control. These are the people who tell you they're cool with being assholes. They're not. They're sad and they're lonely, and if they're not going to get the positive attention they seek, then they're going to get attention for making people upset. Anything's better than lonliness.

We assume this isn't you, Daniel, but I think your subsequent posts will settle the matter, inasmuch as I've made my position, and my requests clear. It's your call.

_Mike

Post
#93282
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93282/action/topic#93282
Time
Daniel -

My sarcasm, my frustration, stems from the fact that in your comparative quote post, you're overlooking my entire set of principles regarding the restoration.

I don't have a problem with George Lucas making changes to Star Wars. I have a problem with George Lucas making dramatic changes to Star Wars. Literally, changes to the drama and the experience of the story. If the CG were perfectly integrated, part of a seamless experience, that would help, but even then, most of the additions are unnecessary and slow or disrupt the flow of the story. Boba Fett is actually mugging for Christ's sake! Things like the bonking of the stormtrooper head are new editions not because Ben Burtt missed it, but because nobody wanted to draw attention to it and create a slapstick moment: it's a tense scene. Only 30 years later, when all concerned take the drama for granted, it becomes another piece of that inimitable George Lucas humor we've all come to know and tolerate.

My restoration changes, improvements, come from the same place George Lucas's do: "Hey, this sucks! Let's fix it!" Only I'm simply trying to smooth the road out, and keep the viewer focused on the story, not wholly change up the experience of the movie. The CG sticks out like a sore thumb, and you notice it. You stop watching the story. What's the difference between noticing a suck-ass CG Jabba and a suck-ass garbage matte?

Anyway, I can't help those philosophically opposed to the idea, but I can appeal to people's common sense. As I've said many times, my version is designed such that it looks like I haven't done anything. It's just Star Wars, as it was.

_Mike
Post
#93167
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93167/action/topic#93167
Time
Originally posted by: skyman8081
Are you going to do anything about the sunburns in the garbage masher. (caused by the reds being pulled way up).

I know you said that your not using any of the CG footage of the Battle of Yavin, are you just dropping the cleaned up DE footage in there for the whole thing, or just the shots that where CG was inserted.

Because the shots of the models exploding were re-roto'ed for the SE to remove bad matting. In my opinion the re-done mattes look much better than the original mattes.


It's sort of on a shot-by-shot basis. I use multiple sources and techniques... whatever works, really. In some cases that means returning to DE, in some cases using the DVD or SE...

_Mike

Post
#90240
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/90240/action/topic#90240
Time
There's more than a little validity to having a record of the limitations of film production from an academic standpoint. But in the end, Star Wars is a movie, a piece of entertainment, and it's not ILM's fault that audiences can see through optical compositing 30 years later. My goal has always been to preserve as much of the experience as possible - and that means leaving as much of the original film intact as possible without having the experience ruined by distractions caused by having more sophisticated eyes. And in Star Wars' case, it's a pretty huge testament to the artistry that even 30 years later, we're really talking about a small number of corrections, or enhancements, or whatever you want to call them.

Though I'm going through the film frame at a time, my process for determining what needs adjusting is simple: I watch Star Wars, in real-time, on a regular consumer television (albeit calibrated). As soon as I see something that clearly looks wrong, I open up the film and figure out why. Based on what needs fixing, I either correct it, or leave it alone. I notice that watching Star Wars on that same consumer television set to the factory default settings reveals a ton more errors as well, because of the excessive contrast and gross over-brightness of the default settings. So to be safe, I fix those too. I stop the very instant that the drama plays out smoothly again.

A typical example is something I "corrected" yesterday, in the fight between the Falcon and the TIE fighters. Just before the TIE's fully attack, the Falcon gets jolted by some nearby laser blasts. Because the shots of Han and Luke in their gunner seats wasn't filmed with camera shake, they attempted to add some by rocking the frame back and forth in the gate a bit. It's an extremely cheap, 2D looking gag, that looks really silly. There's no way you can miss it, and at that moment, you're not thinking about the impending attack of the bad guys, you're thinking, "what is THAT? That looked stupid..."

Today, we have tools that let you add motion blur in post by analyzing the motion of individual pixels over a sequence of frames. So I added post blur consistent with the look of the intended action in the frame. It's not a perfect fix, because there's no parallax shift between the foreground and the background elements, but the fix, while subtle, makes all the difference. You don't go, "hey, there's some blur!" You just see the guys shaking with the laser blasts, and you're waiting for the TIEs to come. The effect may not be perfect, but it's enough to let you stay in the drama, and stay in the moment. And THAT is the goal.

_Mike
Post
#88852
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/88852/action/topic#88852
Time
Hello everyone -

First, regarding shirt orders: I'm sorry for the delay, but I had a family trajedy at the end of last year that sent me home to Chicago for a while... The kind of trajedy that shuts down life for a bit. In any case, there are a whole bunch of orders that are sitting right next to me on my desk here, in fact, which I've left a thousand stickies all over saying "SHIP SHIRTS". Tomorrow is Monday the 24th, and they're all going out, some FedEX because people have really waited long enough. Apologies, but I don't have a shipping department, and the intern who was doing them went back to school... so...

As for other people's shirt offers: they suck, so whatever.

As for the restoration: My birthday is June 20, and on that day I'll be watching my finished restoration. I'm currently splitting my work day between my usual gigs running my business, doing my restoration, and a ton of work on the final sequel to the fanfilm "Pink Five" by Trey Stokes called "Return of Pink Five." I'm doing a whole slew of effects shots, the sound design, mix and writing the score, so it's a time hog.

I don't have any problem with anything anyone says about my restoration. People care deeply about Star Wars, and will always voice their opinions. It's true that the restoration is for me, and it's true that I put up the site to inspire, inform, and motivate people about just what can be done to help preserve this great film. Debates about preservation versus restoration are largely academic, and everyone is free to do their own. In any case, I read every post on this board, and I'm honored to have all of you take the time to weigh in, offer opinions, help, advice, etc.

_Mike






Post
#85877
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/85877/action/topic#85877
Time
Talk about a lot of wasted energy. It's very simple...

My desired result is: Looks like Star wars, feels like Star Wars.

I see something that's wrong - like a pink lightsaber, I fix it. I see something that's been added and doesn't look like Star Wars, I take it back out. For an artist and student of the aesthetic, I have to say these aren't very difficult decisions to make. Nobody on the production ever wanted the matte painting of the Tractor Beam Shaft not to match the live action. I suppose if it was a mismatch in the original, then this isn't a preservation, it's a restoration, of the ideal. Who gives a shit? Optical printing sucked, so there are problems with it, which people can spot today because their sensibilities are more refined.

You know, it's fun to say, "yeah, but THIS version had THIS, but in 1977 it didn't have THIS, but that was on the first print, and then it had THIS, and then on the east coast it was screened like THIS," just like it's fun to say the whole universe could be an atom in the fingertip of a giant. Doesn't serve much practical purpose beyond mental masturbation. We all know it's nearly impossible to define one version of the film as the true original. Production continued after the release for chrissakes.

But inconsistent color is inconsistent color, and nobody does that on purpose. It's an easy fix, and most importantly, it helps to preserve the suspension of disbelief, which is the foundation that the drama is built on.

In my version, one will watch the story. You'll be sucked in and you'll stay there. You won't be distracted from it by basic technical errors and out-of-place visuals. That's it. This forum is a celebration not of a "version", but of the original experience. My restoration recaptures that experience, certainly as I see it, and probably as most people see it. But this isn't for anyone but me, and so far I can tell you I'm quite happy. When I watch the restored portions I've done, I quickly forget where and what I've fixed... I'm just no longer seeing things that are obviously incorrect. It's a smooth landscape again, and I'm watching the characters, and feeling the emotions.

Anyway, work continues...

_Mike











Post
#83570
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/83570/action/topic#83570
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
I get that the notion is to remove the sound altogether. I'm more curious about the process to do this, given the lack of source material without the sound present. EQing it out? Crossfades? With the little bit of music underneath, it'll be tricky, but so is just about everything else you're tackling in the restoration. Having gone through pains over the whole "wesa free" issue -- just locating another source and then finding a matching edit point that didn't make the splice obvious -- was a task. Getting something as simple as this klunk out is going to be fun, in a dentist drill kinda way. I hope you'll share the techniques and process with us in detail. As an audio guy, I'm keen on learning.


It'll be easy. I'll be using an earlier soundtrack. The DVD version is a technical and creative tragedy of such dystopian proportions that those responsible should be drowned in vats of their own liver bile.

_Mike

Post
#83380
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/83380/action/topic#83380
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
I thought the klunk was always present and was only clearer in the DVD release.


If God himself had put in the klunk, it would be wrong. The drama of the scene is one of intimidation: the bad guys are coming. You don't deliberately distract from that with a totally out-of-place bit of comedy shtick unless you have assaulted your audience with emotionally draining stuff for so long that they need a break, which was not the case here. There's actually a few pieces of comedy in Schindler's List because it's so heavy for so long! Saw Million Dollar Baby last night, same thing.. heavy heavy heavy, and finally a small bit of relief so you can reset.

It's filmmaking 101. The problem is, that after 25+ years, people familiar with the film take all the drama for granted, and having lost their perspective, begin eroding it with stuff like this. But if it was in the original mix, that wouldn't be all that surprising, either, because you tend to lose your perspective even in the middle of production, where constant frame-by-frame analysis over a long time has the same effect. It's often difficult to retain your memory of what a moment was like the first time you saw it, and being able to do so is one of the things that separates the men from the boys, production-wise. You have to know when to leave a thing alone. Today's Star Wars films, where one animator will work on an elbow for 6 weeks, is a study in this problem: He's got 6 weeks, one elbow. So he spends forever making the elbow thing do all kinds of stuff, when what it really might've needed was something subtle. In the end, the animation becomes too busy, the frame composition becomes too busy, and nobody knows what to care about anymore, so they don't care about anything. Phantom Menace is one of the best studies for film students in taking the drama for granted and way overplaying a scene with density of "gags". Every other instant is an opportunity for schtick, all of which detracts the audience from what the real drama is. The pod race didn't need any goofiness.. it would've been better without it, as you would've stayed in the moment. Most people agree that the lightsaber duel at the end is the most Star Wars feeling of TPM. Know why? It's clear. No shtick. You care, and you stay caring.

Filmmaking 101.

_Mike


Post
#83291
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/83291/action/topic#83291
Time
Originally posted by: Laserman
You'd think it would be everywhere, but I just can't find a definitive list. I'd really like to have a coherent plan of attack without the pain of watching them all in parallel multiple times...


Well I can say that there isn't a single SE or DVD change that goes unnoticed. The work is so incongruous that it immediately calls attention to itself, so while I'm not watching the other versions in parallel, I almost can't see needing to. You certainly can't miss the digital stuff... If I even have a question about a shot, then sure enough it turns out to be a change. The only example I can think of in Star Wars, one that I actually missed my first time around, was the extended corridor in the detention cell. That's the only truly seamless addition I can find. On the flip side, there is a scene on the DVD where R2 and 3PO are in the sandcrawler, and for one cut, R2's rear logic display has suddenly changed from green to blue. I was sure it was just color problem #1,325,632 with the DVD, but I found it on my VHS copy as well!

_Mike
Post
#83278
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/83278/action/topic#83278
Time
Originally posted by: Laserman
Hey mverta,


Any chance you have , or know of, or have made a complete hit list of changes to the DVD vs the SE vs the OT?


I'm just SURE this exists out there somewhere. I'll obviously have a list together by the time I'm done, but for now, I'm learning a lot as I go. There are a lot of things that are obvious, but a number of things that you only start to see during a frame-by-frame analysis.

_Mike
Post
#82770
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/82770/action/topic#82770
Time
Originally posted by: tellan
mverta.

I don't know if you've made a recent change to your website but for about a week now I've been unable to get any joy out of your pull down restoration menu. nothing happens.

this is using IE 6.1 on WinXP, also Mozilla Firefox 1.0.

neither of then show anything beyond the opening restoration page which is accesible through a seperate menu link. the pulldown doesn't do anything at all.


Whoa, that's weird.. I just tried it an no problem... I'll look into it..

_V

Post
#81600
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/81600/action/topic#81600
Time
Originally posted by: tellan
I think it's shocking, shocking that mverta is playing around with this.

link

when he should be concerntrating on the movies.

awesome work. puts my gunstar to shame.


Trust me, you can only rotoscope lightsabers for so many days before you need a break. The duel between Obi and Darth was intense. I'll update that section, plus the TIEs vs Falcon section before year's out.

_Mike

Post
#80512
Topic
StarWarsLegacy.com - The Official Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/80512/action/topic#80512
Time
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
Mike, are you still working on your new "duel" page? I assume you are, but right now I just see excerpts from the press release. Those excerpts are so damn funny without any commentary necessary. You should have them on your home page they're so good. Even better than the "deliberate creative decision" press release.



Yes, I'm still working on it. I'm about 70% of the way done. Remember, doing the website is an entirely separate job, and it lags behind the actual work... Stay Tuned.

_Mike