I don’t know if he’s said anything explicitly, but when asked who shot first, he said “Han”. So that does reveal which one he prefers.
But when you mention this “lack of response from LF/Disney”, doesn’t that imply that they were asked a question about it and then responded with something like “no comment”? I don’t recall that they were ever asked though (unless I’m mistaken).
Speaking of which, someone should totally put Kathleen Kennedy on the spot at some public Q&A. Even if she’s not allowed to answer, the nature of her response can at least tell us something (like if she says “I can’t talk about that right now”, then that translates to “it’s being worked on, but we aren’t officially announcing it until later”).
It would be kind of funny if the 2011 versions remain stuck at 1080p forever while the theatrical versions come out in 4K. No doubt it would anger devotees of the Bluray if their preferred version became the inferior quality product (inferior quality in resolution…it was always inferior in entertainment quality).
Do you guys think Lucas is actually against the original versions coming out? I remember him saying he didn’t want to restore them because he didn’t want to put time and money into what he considered “rough drafts”. But is he also actively against these being released? And if so, what are the chances that this is causing hesitation within Lucasfilm to release them?
Here’s one thing I’ve always wondered: does the ROTS VHS have 2 unique spine images or just 1?
Like for example, The Phantom Menace VHS had Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon on one side, and Darth Maul on the other side.
Return of the Jedi’s SE VHS had Luke on one side, and the Emperor on the other.
Here’s an image showing the two TPM images: http://www.skittlez.co.uk/worldofblackout/blogref/atoz/v06lg.jpg
I’ve always seen ROTS VHS boxes that only have one spine (since they’re not slipcases). But is there a version out there that is a slipcase and has 2 unique spine images? Just curious.
It will be a combination of multiple prints for all three films actually.
So is this the kind of thing where you utilize multiple prints in order to achieve a higher net resolution than any individual print alone?
Wow this looks excellent. And this Spanish LPP…I’ve heard that term before. Is that what Mike Verta also happens to be using (along with a bunch of other prints)?
Also, is it just Star Wars that looks this good, or do your prints for TESB and ROTJ also look amazing?
I would remove Vader’s “Nooooooo!”. It’s so cringe-inducing and it ruins one of the movie’s best moments. The other changes are bad too but this one really takes the cake.
mverta said:
Legacy is slowly moving up the chain. Executives are nervous, skittish creatures.
What are they so nervous about? Do you think there’s even a slight possibility that something (maybe a Lucas stipulation that’s still in place) might hold them back from wanting to release this?
towne32 said:
I know they re-used the theme from TPM in AoTC. But that may have been since he was pressed for time with AoTC in general. Are there any other films with the main theme re-used, or are the rest original recordings for each film?
I believe ROTS also uses the TPM theme.
You catch on pretty quick!
I skipped to the part about the pacing issues, and I agree with what you said about that 100%. I really hope Episode 8 goes back to the pacing style of the original movies rather than the breakneck speed of a lot of today’s action films.
Doesn’t Team Negative 1 not exist anymore? Or has the band gotten back together?
We can call it whatever we want. I call it an empty spot on my movie shelf that needs to be filled asap.
I’ll go with this.
+1 But I compeletly respect what Mikes plan is and understand why the distribution of this won’t be like Depseiclaized.
And I still have no idea why anyone cares about it. If no one will ever see it then who cares what he does? #movealong
Well I’m interested in it because he will be pitching it to Disney/Fox. And if that goes well, we might see it get officially released.
Is this really a restoration when special effects are enhanced with techniques like rotoscoping?
No, it’s an actual restoration.
I’m not sure if I understand your answer correctly but the website is full of examples where rotoscoping , cloning and other techniques are used for effects enhancement. That’s not restoration but manipulation
I think the website content is outdated. A lot of articles on the Legacy website reflect what he previously wanted to do, which was another special edition sort of thing. But the current Legacy is a restoration of the original Star Wars that utilizes multiple 35mm prints to obtain the highest quality picture.
So if this has already been brought up, I apologize, but I haven’t been here in a while. But the idea that the Jedi were supposed to be celibate in the OT is rather difficult to swallow because, um, well, Luke exists. And, yet, the fact that he is the son of a revered Jedi is never given a second’s thought or mention. Now, if I didn’t know much about, say, my mother, only for someone she knew to reveal to me that she was a nun, I’d probably have a few questions about that. I mean, sure, it’s not IMPOSSIBLE for my mother to have been a nun at some point in her life, but it would still probably turn my head a bit and cause me to ask for some details as to how I came into being.
And then, of course, you have Luke himself, whose main motivation is to become a Jedi, and while that motivation (and some last-minute, ham-fisted writing) ultimately trumps any romantic concerns… he totally has the hots for Princess Leia! And once again, no one ever says, “Hey, you know, Luke. Jedi aren’t supposed to be into that.”
And speaking of last-minute, ham-fisted writing, there is also the annoying idea that Force-sensitivity is hereditary. But if we are to accept that, then requiring Jedi to be celibate is an absolutely ridiculous, self-defeating idea. It’s almost like they WANTED to die out!
So while I don’t necessarily have a problem with an order of monastic, celibate warriors, it’s clear that it was a concept invented to give Anakin something to angst over.
Finally… eh, for what it’s worth, I really don’t mind the line about sand. Not really.
Would you ever consider doing a Star Wars Dissection? Big fan of your DBD, by the way.
I like “Victory Celebration” more than “Yub Nub” so I would keep the 1997 version of the ROTJ ending. So I would have the nice music, but no Hayden ghost or “Weesa free”.
Can anyone give a hint about what to do to acquire this?
Han says “If we could find it on our scanners, the First Order’s not far behind”. And while that is a serviceable explanation, it is one throwaway line that happens nearly 17 minutes after Han first shows up. So a main character shows up in the movie and starts doing things, and it is only after a big chunk of time that we even get an explanation as to why & how he found the Falcon in the first place. That’s my complaint; I know that it eventually gets an explanation and makes sense, but this takes way too long. And it’s still convenient that he just happened to pick it up on his scanners.
Lord Haseo said:
Han tracked them and his ability to track them (and knowing that the First Order would undoubtedly do it too) is why he sought out Maz.
Yeah, I’m not saying it’s a plot hole. I did catch that quick line Han made about tracking the Falcon. It still felt a bit too convenient and it took too long to explain what Han was even doing in the movie. I mean, we went through the entire filler Rathtar sequence without understanding why or how Han Solo had stumbled upon the Falcon. Things like that bug me.
I liked the movie, although I did have a few issues with it:
1.) The pacing:
It felt way too fast-paced for a Star Wars movie. I think some more breathing room could have helped it and given my brain more time to process the things that were happening.
2.) The plot becomes less interesting & more nonsensical after the first half:
From the moment the crawl came onto the screen, I was hooked by the story. “Luke Skywalker has vanished”. Immediately my eyes were wide open and I wanted to know what would happen next. The film kept this level of intrigue up for a while. It also introduced new, enjoyable characters like Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren (who I find to be the most interesting character in the movie).
But then, there were some boring parts and things that didn’t make sense. It was a bit too convenient that Rey & Finn just happened to run into Han Solo in the middle of space. I was scratching my head as to why Han just randomly showed up. Then there’s the whole boring sideplot of the Rathtars. It was so out of place and felt like a distraction from the story I was really interested in. I felt the same way with the Maz Kanata pitstop; I didn’t understand why they even went there. Why couldn’t Han just take Rey & Finn to the Resistance himself without stopping to talk to Maz? It just felt like the tightly focused plot of finding Luke and learning more about Kylo Ren & Rey was lost and the film was stalling. Then, the movie changes gears completely to being about stopping Starkiller base. I didn’t care at all about the trench run because none of the main characters were involved with it. I was, however, interested in the character stuff between Rey, Kylo, and Han during this act.
Overall, despite my criticism, I enjoyed the film. However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense that the meat of the story was being circumvented for more boring story-lines instead. I think this was done intentionally in order to mirror ANH which also didn’t reveal the entire backstory. But with ANH, Lucas probably hadn’t even thought of the entire backstory and so the movie was able to stand on its own. With TFA, it feels like things were intentionally withheld and replaced with less interesting things. Oh well. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to learning more about them and their backstories in future films.
Just to clarify Williarob: the technicolor print (whose screenshots were posted) you were working on was person 2’s or person 3’s? And you’re saying that it was, in fact, ethically obtained for use in TN-1’s project (meaning the owner was okay with you having the scan and using it for release in your project)? And given that, the only thing that is stopping that project from proceeding is wanting to not diminish the upcoming Legacy pitch to Disney?
Darth Lucas said:
There is no concrete way to measure the resolution of film, but the average estimates have come usually somewhere in between 4K and 6K.
Ah okay, cool. That’s good news. Hopefully, it is released in 4K then.
One a side note, if this pitch goes well & Mike gets a job, could he realistically be able to do Empire and Jedi in about a year (for the 40th anniversary) while working full time? It doesn’t seem likely that two movies could be done that quickly when the first one took 15 years. So perhaps Star Wars will be released alone or alongside Disney/Fox’s own rushed restorations of the other two movies, as people have mentioned.
Here’s what I’m wondering: what is the maximum resolution that can be obtained from a 35mm print? Didn’t Mike say on one of his Vimeo videos that the Blu-ray had more detail than Legacy because it was sourced from the original negative? And so would it really matter if Legacy ends up being released in 1080p or 4K if the detail boost is negligible? Or am I completely wrong about this? (this is a strong possibility)
mverta said:
Towne32 - my assumption is we’re geeks and nobody knows nothing. My presentation is structured to begin with a lot of “wow factor” before-and-afters with what it IS officially right now on Blu-Ray, compared to Legacy. Back to back, that is a pretty stunning contrast, easily discernible by anyone, and a good place to start. In fact, that back and forth can go on so long, be so damning, that it can start to look cruel and unusual to the Blu-Ray, and is around that point that I’ll be shifting into a bit on “how did this happen?” - a bit of a history lesson - which again is designed to be informative and interesting. But to most people, it’s hard to believe, unless they really see it, just how bad a shape Star Wars is in. I mean, no other important, relevant release (they’re still making Star Wars movies, you’ll notice) is so mistreated and neglected. But a pitch is a show - all pitches are. And I’ve done God-knows-how-many of them in my career. It’s a full multi-media presentation in a theater, with lots of eye candy, and aims to lead the audience towards an inescapable conclusion. But how it’s unique and different, and most importantly, profitable, are just key elements. So certainly an analysis of the market and making that case is part of it. But it’s gotta stay entertaining, and potential laden. Legacy, should it be adopted, would be the first truly new offering in a long time - not just another repackaging, and not just a bit of hype. This is a Star Wars nobody’s really ever seen, ready for 4K… ready for a limited theatrical release if they wanted to do it. It’s a strong pitch just on its merits, but that’s by no means a slam dunk. It’s got to be done just right, pitch-perfect, at the right time with the right people and every last pushback planned for. I have help from a fantastic team. We’re on it.
With all the drama that’s been going on, posts like this give me hope. I believe in you. Hopefully, they will love it and then pay you the extraordinary amount of money you deserve to restore Empire and Jedi.
