In My Image --> HD remaster?

[Scotness]

Hi all, I'm doing ADR for my current feature at the moment and it's got me thinking about In My Image (for those who remember it!)

Anyway the two things it really needed was to be fully ADR'd and to be retransferred and stabilised and graded etc.

I guess what stopped me the first time from doing all this was lack of money, energy and experience. Still don't have the money!! but I've got the energy and experience now --> I'd really love the film to get polished up properly so I wouldn't have to explain away the technical deficiencies every time I talk to someone about it, I'd really like it to look the best it could - so people are only thinking about the artistic side of it, for better or worse.

So I'm thinking I might try and ADR it (most of the actors I'm still in contact with, and most would be willing I think) - and get an HD transfer as well.

We had the dreaded jitters back then but I'm sure I could do a better stabilisation job now than I did then.

So a few questions - first of all any general thoughts - anyone else launched back over an old project like this before?

And as far as Super 8 to HD transfers go, is it possible to transfer the full frame and then crop the 16:9 region that you want on the PC, or do you have to select that first optically and then only get that portion transferred to your PC?

Thanks I'm not committed to doing it yet, but I don't think I'm going to be able to help myself! I know the arguments are you don't want to throw good money after bad, and all that time as well - but I never felt that the film got it's fair dues when released so I want to be able to get it in to as a decent a shape as possible just on principle really.

Scot

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

And as far as Super 8 to HD transfers go, is it possible to transfer the full frame and then crop the 16:9 region that you want on the PC, or do you have to select that first optically and then only get that portion transferred to your PC?

Well of course you could do the crop in your PC, but the image quality would be better if you cropped it and adjusted the framing in Telecine.

If you´d get your butt to Sweden I´d sit down with you and transfer it all, adjusting framing and colors to fit your needs. For a extremely good price, for long time filmshooting members with really old feature films on super8. Of course. ;)

[Scotness]

Well that would be great, but getting my butt to Sweden is the problem!

Scot

[Will2]

If you get a good HD transfer and have them crop in 10% then do the final enlargement yourself in After Effects you'll probably be fine. Not the optimal situation but it will still be very good.

How long is the film and is it reversal or negative?

[Scotness]

The final cut of the film is 93 minutes -- and it's reversal - but I'd want to get all the material transferred I guess - we shot about 210 rolls of K40 -- it would be great to just transfer what we need, but that would be a bit tricky finding all those bits beforehand - but possible (would certainly save money!)

Scot

[Andreas Wideroe]

How about getting it scanned at the Spirit in New Zealand? The one Daniel Ilic got his Vision2 200T project scanned on?

/Andreas

[Scotness]

Thanks for the tip Andreas - I've just emailed them now for a quote

Scot

[mattias]

i would send it to kent, he has a good eye so just give him some reference stills and i'm sure he'd be able to get the colors right without you being there. i would also consider doing just a new post production with your original transfer though. it looked great iirc and it was only your inexperience with post tools that screwed it up. you should be able to do a much better job now.

[Scotness]

Hi Matt- yeah you're right it really was my experience that dragged it down so I would want to redo the whole post -- at the moment the cost is the biggest factor - I don't have the money just yet but might by the end of the year - so we'll see.....I really just want the film to look and sound as good as it could have/should have --- and then if it sucks it can suck because of the concept of script or artistic side!

Scot

[mattias]

but do you really think a new transfer is necessary? put a clip on your ftp and I'll tell you if it will work. i run a small grading business now, so i got all the calibrated monitors and stuff, and after three features and numerous shorts the experience too.

[Scotness]

Well I pretty much have to get a new transfer - I don't have all the original files from the first transfer anymore and I want it in HD - it just went straight to SD miniDV the first time, so I'd like to get done in better colour space as well.

Of course the audio needs alot of work - and the image stabilisation can still do with some as well.

So alot to do

Scot

[woods01]

While time consuming and expensive you won't regret doing this. This will give you a chance to fix some technical problems and give it a chance to show your film in the best light.

Do you know if you are set on cropping to 16x9 or keep the original aspect ratio? I'm pondering this for my own project and its my conclusion that its better to get it cropped at the point of transfer (more grain less pixels) unless you've got a really high resolution scan like a 4k. But if anyone else has experience with this issue I'm all ears.

This hour long documentary: http://www.crookedbeauty.com/
was shot on Super 8, HD transfer was done at Pro8 where it apparently was stabilized at the point of transfer. Its pillar boxed 4:3 but looks stunning. The filmmaker sent tests to a bunch of labs before decided on Pro8, you could e-mail him for advice on labs.

[mattias]

yeah but nothing says you can't get great results with dv. there's really nothing wrong with it and even its reputation for falling apart in grading isn't always true. if you can't get fantastic results from your original dv tapes chances are an hd transfer won't help much either. will it make fantastic footage a bit more fantastic? sure. will it save bad footage? not likely. is it worth the money. not so sure.

[woods01]

a bit more fantastic? sure. will it save bad footage? not likely. is it worth the money. not so sure.

Well perhaps the question is what are your future plans for In My Image? Do you think you'll want to exhibit this film publicly on a video projector? Distribute on blu ray or via the internet? HD is as much a catch phrase for marketing as it is a video format.

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

Or, if you just forget about the resolution for a minute... was there something in the first transfer that was bad in like colors/grading/exposure settings?

If it was, then a new transfer would probably give you a better starting point for a new version.

If not, then a new HD transfer would give you a better suited material for a HD version in Blu-ray, or for HD distribution.

For such a bit pile of film, you could have one 400 foot reel transferred to HD first, and then compare that to your SD version. Then you´d have a good base for a new decision regarding re-doing all the reels in HD or not.