Then perhaps for now I’ll use the XO rip as my source. I’d imagine it would need some basic levels adjustment and could fit in just fine.
On another note, TESB is up and ready to go!
That is a piece I don’t have. I’ve never seen it.
Definitely got that nostalgia feel 😄
My only small suggestion/request is that perhaps you could reinsert the Ep 4, ANH crawl. The XO project scan should provide an awesome starting point, though I think that’s NTSC sourced so you may want to look into a PAL laserdisc rip. Or not - this looks great and is an awesome GOUT project. Otherwise, perhaps I could get a lossless copy from you to assemble it for myself without re-encoding?
What were your encode settings for this, btw?
Very much looking forward to ESB and RotJ
I would like to put the '81 crawl back in (perhaps sourced from DeSpecialized v2.7?), but wasn’t exactly sure as to how it could be done. I’ll look into it for a V2 release. TESB will be up later this afternoon!
I did a double pass encode, average bitrate of 15mpbs, with a max of 25mbps.
If you want an accurate Episode IV crawl/flyover, don’t use Despecialized. It is sourced from the BR and is not accurate. I am very close to being done with my remastered version which I am trying to make as close as possible to the original. I have the correct starfield (what Poita could pull from the 81 35 mm scan) with additional stars from the same starfields used in TESB (from the Grindhouse 35 mm scan). I have a very nice copy of the 77 opening/flyover from Williarob that I used for the Blockade Runner, lasers, Star Destroyer, and engine glow. The only piece I have not gotten to match the 81 version so far is the edge of the Star Destroyer as is covers first the Blockade Runner and then the moon. I am nearly there, but it isn’t right yet. That is next up on my list because I want to finish my GOUT Color correction and my workflow has the 81 crawl/flyover as the first layer. I even have a way to export it at the right resolution so it matches the GOUT very well. The original is full 1080p.
If you want to get stuck on previous roles, then Star Wars looks like this -
Frankenstein’s Monster (in a black suit and voiced by Lt. Lothar Zogg/Dr. Lou Rush) chases down Princess Lorna’s ship. Two droids escape with the stolen plan and end up with Corey Andrews (one of the more prolific bit parts he had). He chases the droids into the desert where they find Prince Faisal. After learning of his father and the force, and the death of his aunt and uncle. Corey takes Faisal to Mos Eisley where they hire Bob Falfa to take them to Alderaan. Meanwhile, Frankenstein’s Monster has taken Princess Lorna to the Death Star to be interrogated. Grand Moff Van Helsing is determined to destroy the rebellion.
You can’t worry about what people have done before, only whether they can pull of the role they are hired to play. Star Wars has had a lot of luck in that area.
I don’t know why anyone would care what an actor had done before. Peter Cushing and Alec Guiness were legendary. Billy Dee Williams and Frank Oz were very well known. Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Liam Neeson were all stars in their own right. Woody Harleson has a wide body of work, as does Emilia Clark. Felicity Jones wasn’t exactly an unknown either. All the Star Wars films have their share of notable people in them. They are actors, they play roles. If they have solid careers, they played roles before and they will play roles after. You can’t get stuck on one performance. That isn’t how it works.
I think the problem lies in assuming everything that falls takes the route the Luke did… as in dumped into the gas giant below. Likely they have sensor that can filter out recoverable materials. They are likely further sorted by the Ugnaughts. Just changing that one thing, filtering what falls into valuable and disposable, is all you need to end any wonder at how Maz got the lightsaber. From there, any route would make sense and would needlessly bog down the film.
How is the '81 crawl and flyover coming, just out of curiosity.
99% done. Just trying to decide how to get the last parts to look perfect (the lines between the SD and the BR and moon). I’m at the point where I need to get it finished. All I need to finish on the GOUT portion of this project is the audio (9 different mixes) and the flyover. It would be nice to have that part finished.
Okay, A New Hope SE is really messed up. I now see why they went a completely different direction when it was DVD time. In many ways it is more of a sad mess than the digital version. But there is a lot of good stuff in there that shows how badly they did the digital version. I have been avoiding coming to this conclusion, but I think A New Hope on BR is going to require an almost scene by scene color correction. Everything else is moving forward, slowly. I have the SE and PT DTS tracks synced and I have listened to most of them. I need to use the SE to properly balance the OOT surround channels and LFE. Though I have noticed that A New hope is pretty weak compared to the others even in that area. I have a final edit of the GOUT audio so now I need to sync the various LD tracks to that. First up, the 77 surround mix. I think I’m going to have to do them twice, once in stereo and once in full surround, in order to have both sound good. The patches are going to have to be from the 2006 GOUT or the 1993 LD audio as they are the only complete ones and the sound may not match very well. But I am far better with sound than I am with video so this should be a piece of cake. I’m just using Sony Vegas to sync them because it is so easy. I may still bring them in to Cool Edit to make the edits themselves. Still, other ides may come to mind. This is a lot of work going back to the source files, but it is also quite fun. Not really reinventing the wheel, just doing it the way I want it done.
After this, will you move on to ROPUT (Rise of the Prequel Unaltered Trilogy).
Ep 1: laserdisc
Ep 2: Centropy bootleg
Ep 3: screener
So many of us think alike. Except I’m also doing the 97 SE and extracting the surround tracks and created Dolby Digital mixes for the OOT, with two different versions of ANH (1977 premier and 1981/1993 re-release). The down side is that the 97 SE and the PT are not as high quality as the GOUT. I have to go over the bootleg more carefully, but I have the DTS Audio for all the 1997-2005 theatrical releases so I know AOTC has the right running time. ROTS is basically the DVD version with that one wipe when they leave Mustafar pulled from the BR. I was going to just use the AOTC bootleg, but I think I’m going to go for a harder to achieve more seamless edit of the Despecialied edition variety. I’m going to lift and clean up the two missing speeders, Anakin and Padme in the Lars garage, and the wedding. I forgot about the change in sparks in Jango Fett’s jet pack. I need to go over it a little closer to be sure I have all the changed scenes between in-theater video and DVD. Right now I only know of the 4. If I do it that way, I might be able to squeeze full HD out of it. That might be too much of a stretch.
double post
It would make sense that if the saga is about the Skywalkers, that we start with a young chosen one who starts the line and we end with the extinction of his lineage. That doesn’t mean they all have to die, but it would mean the younger generation would. I don’t think they will go that route. I wouldn’t put a fourth trilogy past Disney, but probably not any time soon.
With the way many blockbuster are scheduled these days, the end of principle photography is hardly the 100% mark of filming. Yes, they were weeks away from the end of principle photography, but weeks of reshoots were already scheduled so I’d say they were only about halfway done. And if they weren’t getting enough coverage, they were even more behind than that. My guess is that is one of the major reasons they were sacked. If you don’t get enough coverage to start with, that increases the reshoots and increases the cost.
And GWTW had a major change of directors at the last minute. Director two (Victor Fleming) out of three got sole screen credit, but he didn’t finish the film. In this case I bet that Ron Howard is going to get considerable credit and is going to end up making the movie his way.
That’s not being subtle, it’s being lazy.
I beg to differ. The things I’ve noticed are very subtle and not the sort of thing you want to rest a major plot point on. The points are too subtle and too few and most people don’t even notice them. And a lot of people don’t even try once they decide the PT are utter trash. How many OT members have seen the PT none or once and yet have very strong opinions of it? Many have seen it many times and some have even grown up with them and have completely different opinions. I am not saying that the subtle nature of some of these plot points saves the movies in any way. They are greatly flawed. But seeing past the flaws to the story GL was telling makes them worth watching, at least to me. I love the entire Palpatine story arc. His playing both sides against each other so that only he comes out the winner. His mentoring of Anakin that instills in the young Jedi a sense that Palpatine is on the right side. The sound effect added to his voice while he is talking to Anakin after Mace dies. The lie at the end that Anakin killed Padme. It is an incredible story, but GL botched it by making it too hard to see. And there isn’t enough material there to enhance it or bring it out, even in a fan edit. He did well in planning the story, but failed miserably translating it to film. And AOTC is his biggest failure. In the film he failed with the Palpatine arc, failed with the Obi-wan/Anakin relationship, and failed with the Anakin/Padme relationship. None of which was the fault of the actors - all of it is GL’s fault as writer, director, and producer. His scripts needed the help of a seasoned screen writer or script doctor. Kasdan and Carrie Fisher each doing a pass at them could have improved them drastically and might have resulted in something incredible. Instead we are left with a trilogy that is far less than fans wanted. All because GL was being subtle and didn’t seek the same sort of help that made the OT great. I think the original film is as great as it is because Coppola, De Palma, and Speilberg all had input. Empire because of Brackett, Kasdan, and Kershner, Jedi because of Kasdan and Marquand. While Jonathan Hales, the only other person given any credit and only on AOTC, obviously didn’t help. His sole project of note is story credit on The Scorpion King - possibly even problem filled plot wise than AOTC, so definitely not a good choice.
There is probably a lot of confusion about what a film producer actually does. Some are very hands on, others almost never visit the set.
Replacing a director(s) this late in production is almost unprecedented. That this is a troubled production is not just in the eyes of fans, but the industry as well. This could seriously dent the career of a younger less experienced producer.
While it is highly unusual, it is hardly unprecedented. It has happened many times. Sometimes leading to unsalvagable results, but often (and the other Disney films that this has happened to in the past decade fall in this second category) they result in a resounding success. The classics Gone With The Wind, Wizard of Oz, and Spartacus are just a few, as are Toy Story 2, and Brave. And usually it is the director who gets replaced whose career suffers, not the producer.
I actually enjoy the PT in so much that I enjoy any non-EU Star Wars materials. The fatal flaws of the PT can never be glossed over. To me, it boils down to 2 points:
Hayden makes the Anakin character wholly unlikeable and portrays him as creepy. You never feel anything over his fall from grace bc you don’t care for him at any point. You can blame George’s dialogue all you want but good actors like Ford/Fisher took some cringe worthy stuff and made it work because of their portrayals of the characters.
AOTC is totally and utterly confusing. George put in plot threads that were never resolved or were leftover from other versions of the script. If George would ever have any humility over the film, I would actually like to see him try a new directors cut of this film that films new scenes, uses alternate takes, updates the CGI and restructures the film in a non-confusing manner. Ask Kathleen Kennedy or any of his other friends for help in fixing this mess.
I don’t mind Jar Jar Binks any more (that doesn’t make him good) and ROTS on the whole is a good watch (despite the slow middle). The battle droids are less annoying bc of Clone Wars. In fact, Clone Wars has changed my opinion on a lot of the characters of the PT.
I’m on a very similar page. I think GL was too subtle. If you catch what he did, the fall to the dark side is both inevitable and believable, but you can’t be so subtle in films. You have to hit the audience over the head. The writer’s adage of show don’t tell is one GL should have used more of in the PT. He needed to show us that Palpatine has been poisoning Anakin since TPM and that he literally took control over him to make him invade the Jedi temple. Instead he throws in a couple of lines telling us little points that add up to that with some sound effects, but it isn’t obvious unless you watch the movie a lot (a hazard of trying to color correct it). There is a lot I didn’t notice until I’d watched it more than 20 times. It increases my enjoyment of the PT now that I see it, but it isn’t good movie making.
There was that scene with the rathtars and the smugglers confronting Han in TFA.
Perhaps the worst scene/series of scenes in TFA.
Agreed. One of the worst scenes in any Star Wars movie.
Swap out the Natalie Portman pic for one with the rathtars. It goes better with the rest.
Nope. A supposedly strong character dying because of a broken heart (especially immediately after having two babies to care for) is possibly the dumbest thing in the eight movies so far.
Change the droid’s line to “there have been complications and we can’t save her” or something like that. I tend to like the prequels, even with their many problems, but that one has always bothered me about ROTS. I’ll see if I can fix it when I finally get around to my fan edit. My two big problems with AOTC are that you don’t get any sense of Obi-wan and Anakin being buddies (Anakin is almost done with the Padawan phase so some hint of what we see at the beginning of ROTS should already be there) and C-3PO’s role in the droid factory. I liked the theatrical TPM, so my ideal edit would be along those lines but with CG Yodo (the puppet is the single least believable alien to get any major screen time).
Bob, that’s a lot of words to say:
“I love Kennedy”
“I love Disney”
“I love Star Wars”
Do you have any pictures of all these campaign stickers you wear all the time?
I would gladly wear all of these. But then, I’ve always loved Disney and I’ve loved Star Wars since 77. And I’ve loved just about every film Kennedy has been producer or executive producer on. And I’ll let you know if I see any Disneyfication of Star Wars. So far there hasn’t been. Rebels is as creative and intricate as Clone Wars. TFA was an typical Abrams outing that visited the Star Wars universe, and Rogue One was the Star Wars version of a WWII mission movie like the Dirty Dozen. I personally loved it because they managed to capture the feeling of the original (though there are two instances of rather unrealistic cameos that, while nice, are a bit hard to fit with the timeline). So as far as I can see, Disney has yet to interfere or in any way Disneyfy Star Wars. It will be interesting to see how the next 4 movies play out.
Someone addressed it early in the thread, but I don’t think Disney is even capable of making a good Han Solo movie at a fundamental level. It’s not their brand.
I differ. I think Solo is the type of character they have had many iterations of. But also differ in my opinion that Disney is that much in control. I think Lucasfilm knows the characters, world, and stories and Disney is trusting them to work the same magic again. And they have some awesome talent as well as some people who were there when Lucas crafted our beloved OT.
There was that scene with the rathtars and the smugglers confronting Han in TFA. The tone of that scene was much more like the scenes with pirate bad guys in POTC movies. It was not anything like the Star Wars OT.
As for Han’s character, he got softer as the SW movies went on. You can make the argument that the portrayal of Han’s character in TFA wasn’t that far off given that point in his life. And that kind of falls into the Disney sweet spot as far as the tone and style of films that make up their brand.
I’m not sure they can go back to the beginning and produce a credible portrayal of young Han though, given the kind of movies they put out. Disney has made some great movies in the past but they have also “Disneyfied” movies that are out of their natural range of material, and the result is always or almost always very poor.
I can’t argue with you about 1977’s Star Wars, but that scene with the two gangs and the Rathtars was right out of TESB and ROTJ. Sounds like you expect to see that original cockky 1977 Han Solo. If this movie was set in the time of Rebels or Rogue One, that might be something to expect, but my understanding is that it is set earlier than that. Just by the age of the actors, it should be about 10 years before that first film. Plenty of time to have him get so jaded and sour. If this one does well, they can do another one to show how he got that way, but I wouldn’t expect that version of Han Solo.
You keep on saying these things about Disney controlling the movies and the people who make them but do you have any proof of your theory?
I keep asking the same question. The issues with TFA are 100% Abrams… classic to his style and not Disney’s.
Someone addressed it early in the thread, but I don’t think Disney is even capable of making a good Han Solo movie at a fundamental level. It’s not their brand.
I differ. I think Solo is the type of character they have had many iterations of. But also differ in my opinion that Disney is that much in control. I think Lucasfilm knows the characters, world, and stories and Disney is trusting them to work the same magic again. And they have some awesome talent as well as some people who were there when Lucas crafted our beloved OT.
Don’t want to know how Lando lost the Falcon to Solo… my, not very curious about the EU there. I’m afraid I’ve been reading Han Solo stories since before there was a second movie. For me there was Star Wars, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, the infamous Holiday Special, Han Solo at Star’s End and Han Solo’s Revenge, and then Empire, followed by Han Solo and the Lost Legacy before finally Jedi. In recent years I found L. Neil Smith’s Lando trilogy and A.C. Crispin’s origin trilogy for Han. Daley and Crispin were excellent writers and nailed him. Smith… I’ll be nice and not say much except worth the read. From what I hear, they are changing the story a bit from that, but not straying too far.
In the original film, Solo had to appear hard and totally jaded so when he takes off, we don’t expect to see him again. But his coming back as well as a lot of his scenes in that movie really erode that badass image that he gives in the cantina. I think that may be one reason a lot of people don’t like the Jabba scene - it is more the Han Solo from Empire - post returning to save Luke - than he is the one who bragged about the Kessel run. But at the same time he is just as brave and cocky as ever.
I’m on the fence about the movie. I’ll have to see it to make up my mind, but I’m hoping we get a very Crispin influenced story with performances that manage to capture something of Ford’s four performances as Han Solo, but show us him younger and less jaded.
Good choice using the UK GOUT. Don’t forget to find and insert the last frame of Reel 5 from the US GOUT in ROTJ.
It’s amazing that even when I start on the same side as Alderaan (in this case, the idea that it made no sense to pick the directors they did), I still end up completely disagreeing with almost everything he says.
It’s almost like he has no idea what he’s talking about while at the same time insisting he’s the only one who knows anything.
And in an amazing turn, you and I have agreed again. Awesome.
Guys, just give Kathleen Kennedy a break. First of all, she’s really rich. It’s a tough life. Second, it’s not like she’s stopping you from buying that official BluRay copy of the OOT you’ve always wanted, right? Well, um…er…anyway, how about that nostalgia! Am I right? She gets to go gravedigging and bring back all your favorite Star Wars characters back to life. And you know what really matters? She’s good at her job. She hires the wrong people, but she fires them too. She’s like the first team all fire the director. We’re lucky to live in her time.
Sarcasm… nice. But seriously, without producers who coordinate and pay for movies, we wouldn’t have most movies. Sure, she is honoring GL’s creative decisions, but if you seriously expected his hand picked successor not to you are seriously loony. And you are still making it sound like this is the first major film where the director(s) have been sacked.
I think things are getting a bit too personal. Kennedy is a producer. A long time producer. You know what a producer’s job is? to make sure the movie gets made. She’s been at it since 1982 and the number of iconic and award winning movies (not to mention successful at the box office) that she has been involved in means she is highly skilled at her job and the ideal choice to be at the helm of Lucasfilm. It means that the Star Wars movies she produces are very likely to be very successful and very well done. And from her actions, she knows how to save a troubled production. So I think everyone need to chill and trust that she knows what she is doing and that what we end up with will be a good movie. Hiring Ron Howard is fantastic news. And he does have a very old connection to Lucasfilm to boot.
From what I’ve seen so far, each blu-ray version will need different settings. ANH requires great effort, but the other two won’t require so much. It helps to have something to correct to. That is sadly lacking in the case of TESB. For ANH we have the Technicolor IB prints and for ROTJ we have the low fade prints. For TESB, we have faded prints and the various home media. I’ve decided to use the GOUT. I color corrected ANH to Mike Verta’s samples and adjusted for the green bias he noted then applied those settings to TESB and ROTJ. The test was if ROTJ looked like the low fade print (accounting for some corrections it needs) and I think it does. I don’t have a sharable version at the moment.
