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Post by torgoballz on Jan 15, 2012 0:31:17 GMT -5
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Post by TheNewMads on Jan 15, 2012 3:48:00 GMT -5
lovely
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Post by torgoballz on Jan 15, 2012 12:26:05 GMT -5
And for comparison's sake (arranged in order from bad to worse)... Shout MST DVD: Alpha DVD: Shout DVD:
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Post by Skyroniter on Jan 15, 2012 17:46:29 GMT -5
I received an email today with the beautiful blu-ray screen above. Here is the text that accompanied. Amazing that they (he?) has been able to raise so much money. Lots of Manos lovers out there. Still open for donations until February 4th. To commemorate the midpoint of the fundraiser and our pledges having passed the $25,000 mark, I decided to do something special: an early test run on the DFT Scanity. The section of film chosen for this test (I call it a test because it is being used to iron out our editing workflow) amounts to a little over ten minutes of Manos and is in particularly good shape.
Up till now, I have only been able to share images made at home on a consumer photo scanner that lacks the resolution and range to represent this 16mm film properly. While the results have been suitable for sharing on the internet, I have always had to add that the final scan would be better. Now, you can see what I mean: the Scanity is an industry leader in both quality of image and the gentleness with which it treats film, and I couldn't be happier that we are able to use it for this project.
Today, for the first time, I am able to accurately share the level of quality we are aiming to achieve through this restoration. What you are about to see is straight out of the scanner, with only minimal changes and JPEG compression to present it on the internet:
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Post by Skyroniter on Jan 15, 2012 17:49:17 GMT -5
Great job with the comparison screens, torgoballz. You really showed how much better the BD screen is compared to anything out there.
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Post by pablum on Jan 16, 2012 14:46:01 GMT -5
I do like Manos The Hands of Fate. Even based my avatar off it. I'm just not sure I'd like it enough to watch in unMSTied HD. Interesting project though.
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Post by christmas on Jan 16, 2012 19:10:39 GMT -5
I think that the idea behind this project is to examine the validity and process of restoring an obscure film. It just so happens that the obscure film is considered one of the worst films of all time, and one we have a vested interest in.
Film preservation is a noble endeavor, and making "Manos" the posterchild of under-appreciated/under-known films being treated with the dignity and respect to have somebody work towards giving the world the best possible presentation of it is a brilliant idea. I foresee this project making the difference in seeing other films receive a similar treatment. Why? Because if MANOS could have it happen, then why not (insert name of any other under-loved film)? It's for the greater good.
This is an exciting project and anyone who cares about the preservation of film (bad or otherwise) should support it!
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Post by BJ on Jan 16, 2012 20:52:19 GMT -5
^I'd love to think that's true, but it's a pipe dream right now. Every week, the studios release more Blu-Ray duds like Jurassic Park, stating that they've been "remastered for hi def" when that is only true in the most literal sense possible. If the studios can't even find the money to rescan their blockbusters, it's going to be tough for normal people to restore stuff that's out of copyright or just forgotten. There just aren't enough obscure film fans to pay for everything. I'd love to be proven wrong of course, but I'm just not optimistic that we'll see a resurgence in film preservation.
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Post by ds_36 on Jan 16, 2012 20:54:11 GMT -5
It's a very impressive project and something that I'm really curious about seeing the final result of. Clearly Manos isn't the most exciting film to watch, but watching it in clarity will at least allow us to see the director's original vision.
It's really amazing the see the difference between the new scans and the other versions of this movie available. I'm kind of surprised that the MST3K version is the highest quality version currently available, though. It looks mostly like the brightness was raised a bit, so I wonder if BBI did any sort of editing on it.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2012 20:57:47 GMT -5
I think the reason the MST version looks better than other video versions is that BBI probably had direct access to a video master, while companies like Alpha and whoever released it probably dubbed it from other tapes, resulting in a big loss of quality. It wouldn't be the first time that Alpha has simply copied another company's release.
It's also possible that the video master used by BBI was sourced from a different print than the print used by Alpha and other companies.
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Post by torgoballz on Jan 16, 2012 22:12:21 GMT -5
I actually asked Ben (the guy heading up this project) about the difference in quality, and he believes the MST print came directly from Emerson Films, while the Alpha and Shout DVDs are sourced from a VHS (!!) transfer of a private collector's copy.
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Post by TheNewMads on Jan 17, 2012 10:48:38 GMT -5
I do like Manos The Hands of Fate. Even based my avatar off it. I'm just not sure I'd like it enough to watch in unMSTied HD. Interesting project though. maybe it's just a testament to the quality of my current dealer but i believe manos to be a work of (mostly accidental) bizarre surreal genius and will be enthusiastically purchasing this blu-ray and shamelessly touting its praises everywhere i go. i'm actually curious to find out if the brilliant color and resolution will make manos seem less seedy, or if it will make manos seem ten times more vividly seedy than it seems now. i anticipate the latter.
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Post by torgoballz on Jan 18, 2012 16:08:26 GMT -5
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Post by Skyroniter on Jan 18, 2012 16:19:06 GMT -5
Beautiful screen!
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Post by continosbuckle on Jan 18, 2012 16:21:02 GMT -5
The clarity makes it even weirder. Before, I got the impression that most odd visual quirks were due to a crappy print. But... what's the deal with that double eyebrow? Is that a part of satyr lore?
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