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[scitek]

(In the future) there’s going to be no more digital enhancements or digital additions to anything based on any film I direct. I’m not going to do any corrections digitally to even wires that show.

If 1941 comes on Blu-Ray I’m not going to go back and take the wires out because the Blu-Ray will bring the wires out that are guiding the airplane down Hollywood Blvd. At this point right now I think letting movies exist in the era, with all the flaws and all of the flourishes, is a wonderful way to mark time and mark history.

-----

When people ask me which E.T. they should look at, I always tell them to look at the original 1982 E.T. If you notice, when we did put out E.T. we put out two E.T.s. We put out the digitally enhanced version with the additional scenes and for no extra money, in the same package, we put out the original ‘82 version. I always tell people to go back to the ’82 version.

More at the link.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49897

Thank God he's learned his lesson. If only he could have stopped his buddy George before it was too late (he respects Lucas, anyway, of course).

Also, the Jaws Blu-Ray is in the works, but that's old news, isn't it?

 

[Raistlin]

Too bad, the damage is done.



Seriously though ... he just doesn't get it. People are fine with correcting shit like removing wires and booms, and even sometimes in fixing up effects that looks particularly shitty (I'd love Predator to fix the lasers, etc).

What people don't want is the shit he pulled in ET (gun/walkie-talkie swap) and the sorts of shit Lucas pulled like Han not shooting first.





This sounds like the reaction of a toddler. It's like he's sick of people complaining about the bad shit he's done ... so now he's taking his ball and going home. 'You don't like what I change? Fine ... fuck all of you. I'm not going to even fix obvious shit anymore'

Fucking cry moar

 

[alr1ght]

wires, Indy's reflection removal I have zero problem with.

 

[Nappuccino]

Thank God.

Granted.... the CG dinos in JP are looking a bit ragged these days.

 

[beelzebozo]

he should digitally correct CRYSTAL SKULL to be two hours of a black screen.

i'd watch that version instead.

 

[Dead]

Too bad, the damage is done.



Seriously though ... he just doesn't get it. People are fine with correcting shit like removing wires and booms, and even sometimes in fixing up effects that looks particularly shitty (I'd love Predator to fix the lasers, etc).

What people don't want is the shit he pulled in ET (gun/walkie-talkie swap) and the sorts of shit Lucas pulled like Han not shooting first.





This sounds like the reaction of a toddler. It's like he's sick of people complaining about the bad shit he's done ... so now he's taking his ball and going home. 'You don't like what I change? Fine ... fuck all of you. I'm not going to even fix obvious shit anymore'

Fucking cry moar

first post nails it

That phone shit was a total disgrace

 

[scitek]

I'd much rather he just leave the wires and shit in than retouch anything. If better effects is what people want, then they can just watch a remake.

EDIT: I say this because he and Lucas are the types that won't ever stop at just removing simple things. They feel like they HAVE to meddle further, so I'd rather they just stay away all together.

 

[DrForester]

I'm not against redoing parts of films, so long as you make the original available too. And there's good way and bad ways to go about it.

I've mentioned it in many threads before but the gold standard on restoration is what Paramount did to Star Trek. They took the original show, and remastered it perfectly. They cleaned everything up. Updated the special FX to appear a bit more modern, and did a full CGI job on all the exterior space shots. They didn't add anything, they just updated the original. They also got a full orchestra to re score the soundtrack. So they didn't have to use the old mono recordings. Again, they didn't change the music, they just re-scored it.

And of course, on the Blu-Ray you can just push the alternate-angle button and watch either the remaster, or the original.

Adding a ton of pointless stuff to star wars and such was bad, but I wouldn't' mind Lucas's CGI team doing a full CGI restoration of all the exterior Star Wars shots. Just don't pretend the originals didn't exist, and include both.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Too bad, the damage is done.



Seriously though ... he just doesn't get it. People are fine with correcting shit like removing wires and booms, and even sometimes in fixing up effects that looks particularly shitty (I'd love Predator to fix the lasers, etc).

What people don't want is the shit he pulled in ET (gun/walkie-talkie swap) and the sorts of shit Lucas pulled like Han not shooting first.





This sounds like the reaction of a toddler. It's like he's sick of people complaining about the bad shit he's done ... so now he's taking his ball and going home. 'You don't like what I change? Fine ... fuck all of you. I'm not going to even fix obvious shit anymore'

Fucking cry moar

This.

In terms of enhancing effects, I've been rewatching the original Star Wars and the CGI added for the remastered version look worse than just about anything that was in the original film; the bad CGI on various creatures inserted into backgrounds look dated as hell today.

I'd have less of a problem with the Han/Greedo if it didn't look so sloppy. It's a glaring and ugly effect that looks out of place.

 

[Instro]

Thank God.

Granted.... the CG dinos in JP are looking a bit ragged these days.

Those dinos are animatronics not cgi.

Anyway first post nailed my feelings about this.

 

[dallow_bg]

I like it warts and all so I'm fine with no touch ups.

 

[Dead Man]

I am fine with wires being left in, so this is far preferable to shit he and Lucas have pulled so far.

 

[Synth_floyd]

What Spielberg movies have had digital touchups besides E.T?

 

[daegan]

Those dinos are animatronics not cgi.

Anyway first post nailed my feelings about this.

Some shots are animatronic, some shots are cgi; the fact that they used animatronic at all is why it still holds up so well today

 

[Nappuccino]

Those dinos are animatronics not cgi.

Anyway first post nailed my feelings about this.

no... some are animatronic (and look just fine) but the first dinos you see in the movie ("shoot her" scene non-with standing) are completely cgi and suffer from texture issues that i never noticed until this year.

specifically this guy

 

[Dead Man]

What Spielberg movies have had digital touchups besides E.T?

That one is enough to taint his idea of touchups.

 

[scitek]

What Spielberg movies have had digital touchups besides E.T?

I want to say Close Encounters, but I'm not sure. I remember a big deal being made of the Blu-Ray.

 

[Raistlin]

This.

In terms of enhancing effects, I've been rewatching the original Star Wars and the CGI added for the remastered version look worse than just about anything that was in the original film; the bad CGI on various creatures inserted into backgrounds look dated as hell today.

Yeah pretty much. Some things were okay like the energy ribbon and particles for shit blowing up ... but some of the other stuff was just hella-bad. Let's not even talk about the alien CGI music video >_<

I'd have less of a problem with the Han/Greedo if it didn't look so sloppy. It's a glaring and ugly effect that looks out of place.

Wait ... wut?

Either you're thinking of something else, or you're not grasping the gravity of what was cut. Lucas changed the entire characterization of Han in one little modified scene.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Now could Spielberg convince Lucas to stop fucking around with Star Wars and give us the original on Blu Ray?

 

[Dead]

no... some are animatronic (and look just fine) but the first dinos you see in the movie ("shoot her" scene non-with standing) are completely cgi and suffer from texture issues that i never noticed until this year.

specifically this guy

That shot is fine.

The Gallimimus are definitely dated though. The scene of the T-Rex eating the Gallis looks downright terrible now

 

[scitek]

Adding a ton of pointless stuff to star wars and such was bad, but I wouldn't' mind Lucas's CGI team doing a full CGI restoration of all the exterior Star Wars shots. Just don't pretend the originals didn't exist, and include both.

This was addressed, too.

Quint: Having the option is the big deal for me. Using the Star Wars example, I don’t think there’d be an outcry if we could watch a nice transfer of the original versions. We’d be like, “George can do what he wants and I’ll watch it… but you know maybe the fans would like the option of watching the movie they fell in love with, too.”

Steven Spielberg: Yeah. And I think the other good thing is that they understand when they see a movie and they suddenly see something that obviously could have been done much better today and could have been corrected in the DVD/Blu-Ray transfer, they really appreciate seeing the strings attached.

If somebody put out George Pal’s War of the Worlds and took the strings off the machines I’d be very upset. When that machine crashes in downtown Hollywood, and you see the strings going from taut to slack, that’s the thing that allows me to both understand this movie is scaring the hell out of me and at the same time this movie is a creation of the human race.

That little taut-to-slack moment of those wires on that wingtip makes the original George Pal War of the Worlds work for me. It embraces my fears and it also alleviates them in the same breath.

 

[greycolumbus]

That's a shame; I feel as though Jurassic Park would have been one of the few films that could legitimately benefit from digital touch-ups considering it was on the cusp of serious CGI in movies.

 

[GCX]

I agree with Spielberg. Jurassic Park for example is a product of its era and I'm fine with it if it shows technically. The CGI might look a bit dated but I can still appreciate what they were able to do with the technology of 1993.

While looking at the original movie I find myself thinking "they did THAT in 1993?!" but if they changed the dinosaurs to some modern day CGI I'd probably be like "umm cool I guess".

 

[Nappuccino]

That shot is fine.

The Gallimimus are definitely dated though. The scene of the T-Rex eating the Gallis looks downright terrible now

Its mostly the texture and lighting in that shot. it doesn't seem to belong in there. That isn't to say the Gallis look better... just that this first shot is completely underwhelming in 2011.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

no... some are animatronic (and look just fine) but the first dinos you see in the movie ("shoot her" scene non-with standing) are completely cgi and suffer from texture issues that i never noticed until this year.

specifically this guy

well...before you only watched Jurassic park on an SD television. conversion to HD has exposed the flaws of a lot of old classics.

 

[Deku]

I'm not against redoing parts of films, so long as you make the original available too. And there's good way and bad ways to go about it.

I've mentioned it in many threads before but the gold standard on restoration is what Paramount did to Star Trek. They took the original show, and remastered it perfectly. They cleaned everything up. Updated the special FX to appear a bit more modern, and did a full CGI job on all the exterior space shots. They didn't add anything, they just updated the original. They also got a full orchestra to re score the soundtrack. So they didn't have to use the old mono recordings. Again, they didn't change the music, they just re-scored it.

And of course, on the Blu-Ray you can just push the alternate-angle button and watch either the remaster, or the original.

Adding a ton of pointless stuff to star wars and such was bad, but I wouldn't' mind Lucas's CGI team doing a full CGI restoration of all the exterior Star Wars shots. Just don't pretend the originals didn't exist, and include both.

If I can sneak you into the Ranch will you hold Lucas hostage and repeat your post verbatim?

 

[Slavik81]

In terms of enhancing effects, I've been rewatching the original Star Wars and the CGI added for the remastered version look worse than just about anything that was in the original film; the bad CGI on various creatures inserted into backgrounds look dated as hell today.

Not really. The green screen matting in the original stands out every bit as much as the CG, if not more. Just watch the rancor scene and it's unmistakable.

 

[Angry Fork]

Too bad, the damage is done.
Seriously though ... he just doesn't get it. People are fine with correcting shit like removing wires and booms, and even sometimes in fixing up effects that looks particularly shitty (I'd love Predator to fix the lasers, etc).

What people don't want is the shit he pulled in ET (gun/walkie-talkie swap) and the sorts of shit Lucas pulled like Han not shooting first.

This sounds like the reaction of a toddler. It's like he's sick of people complaining about the bad shit he's done ... so now he's taking his ball and going home. 'You don't like what I change? Fine ... fuck all of you. I'm not going to even fix obvious shit anymore'

Fucking cry moar

Yea this is exactly it. At least Spielberg acknowledges the hate finally though. Lucas is still on that "haters gonna hate" bullshit and doesn't care wtf he does. I wish so fucking bad I could see Lucas' face while watching redlettermedia reviews of the prequels. I mean i'd pay so much money to see his reaction/opinion.

Also an example of going back and fixing things for the better - Blade Runner Blu Ray. Shit is masterful, keeps all the versions but the final cut looks so glorious compared to the original without changing any stupid shit like Lucas would do.

 

[eastmen]

I agree with Spielberg. Jurassic Park for example is a product of its era and I'm fine with it if it shows technically. The CGI might look a bit dated but I can still appreciate what they were able to do with the technology of 1993.

While looking at the original movie I find myself thinking "they did THAT in 1993?!" but if they changed the dinosaurs to some modern day CGI I'd probably be like "umm cool I guess".

shouldn't we be at a point in time where they can not only transfer the original copy but also the enchanced copy and before selecting play it will dynamicly change what you see depending on what you pick.

 

[TheFuryMGS3]

He should call his boy George and tell him to get the fuck on board.

 

[Velti]

C'mon! There's nothing wrong with CG as long as it's put in it's proper place. It should be the condiments on an already good sandwich. IE: Inception, District 9, BSG, Moon, etc.

 

[Nappuccino]

well...before you only watched Jurassic park on an SD television. conversion to HD has exposed the flaws of a lot of old classics.

Its not HD yet and the flaws are still fairly obvious.

edit: to be clearer, i watched it in SD with no up-resing.

 

[Zzoram]

Didn't Lucas put Ep2/3 Aniken in the original movies digitally?

 

[Medalion]

Didn't Lucas put Ep2/3 Aniken in the original movies digitally?

They put Hayden/Anakin at the end scene of ROTJ as a Force Ghost with Yoda/Obi-Wan

 

[Seda]

Didn't Lucas put Ep2/3 Aniken in the original movies digitally?

At the end of Episode 6, yes. To be honest, it doesn't bother me that much.

 

[Epcott]

What? Are you guys hoping for Jurassic Park Special Edition? jk

I'm interested in seeing how Super 8 is handled, and I agree with first post.

 

[Mgoblue201]

Some shots are animatronic, some shots are cgi; the fact that they used animatronic at all is why it still holds up so well today

The animatronic dinosaurs look good, but their stiff movements betray their origins.

 

[jett]

Too bad, the damage is done.



Seriously though ... he just doesn't get it. People are fine with correcting shit like removing wires and booms, and even sometimes in fixing up effects that looks particularly shitty (I'd love Predator to fix the lasers, etc).

What people don't want is the shit he pulled in ET (gun/walkie-talkie swap) and the sorts of shit Lucas pulled like Han not shooting first.





This sounds like the reaction of a toddler. It's like he's sick of people complaining about the bad shit he's done ... so now he's taking his ball and going home. 'You don't like what I change? Fine ... fuck all of you. I'm not going to even fix obvious shit anymore'

Fucking cry moar

You said it better than any of us could have.

Also, that's an amazing avatar.

 

[Defuser]

You heard that Lucas? Stop doing it.

 

[clifftrapremover]

Too bad, the damage is done.



Seriously though ... he just doesn't get it. People are fine with correcting shit like removing wires and booms, and even sometimes in fixing up effects that looks particularly shitty (I'd love Predator to fix the lasers, etc).

What people don't want is the shit he pulled in ET (gun/walkie-talkie swap) and the sorts of shit Lucas pulled like Han not shooting first.





This sounds like the reaction of a toddler. It's like he's sick of people complaining about the bad shit he's done ... so now he's taking his ball and going home. 'You don't like what I change? Fine ... fuck all of you. I'm not going to even fix obvious shit anymore'

Fucking cry moar

Agreed. I don't mind hanging wires being removed but don't change aspects of the film that were originally intended. I'm afraid when everything starts going digital that we just won't have access to the original unaltered versions of many films.

 

[KittenMaster]

I am against changing anything in a scene (like what was done to Star Wars Trilogy), but only focusing on improving image quality is a noble cause, IMO.

I was watching a Blu-Ray of Dr. No, and during a car chase scene, it took me awhile to realize that this was one of the scenes that used a 2nd recording behind the actor and car. Normally there is a huge quality difference between the two recordings and it's jarring, but the meticulous remastering made the whole image much more coherent.

 

[Zoramon089]

This was addressed, too.


Steven Spielberg: Yeah. And I think the other good thing is that they understand when they see a movie and they suddenly see something that obviously could have been done much better today and could have been corrected in the DVD/Blu-Ray transfer, they really appreciate seeing the strings attached.

If somebody put out George Pal’s War of the Worlds and took the strings off the machines I’d be very upset. When that machine crashes in downtown Hollywood, and you see the strings going from taut to slack, that’s the thing that allows me to both understand this movie is scaring the hell out of me and at the same time this movie is a creation of the human race.

That little taut-to-slack moment of those wires on that wingtip makes the original George Pal War of the Worlds work for me. It embraces my fears and it also alleviates them in the same breath.

No Steven, you're wrong. Maybe as a director, someone part of the film making process, seeing how scenes were done excites you but, for the rest of us simply trying to be convinced that what we're seeing wasn't staged, we DON'T want to see the wires or signs of props and such

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Good for him. The original version should always be given preferential treatment.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

No Steven, you're wrong. Maybe as a director, someone part of the film making process, seeing how scenes were done excites you but, for the rest of us simply trying to be convinced that what we're seeing wasn't staged, we DON'T want to see the wires or signs of props and such

How can he be wrong on something subjective? At the end of the day, as with E.T, he's saying that any changed version that is release should offer the original side by side. At the end of the day its his movie and if he doesn't want to change it and instead leave it as a product of its time, then that is his prerogative .

 

[goober]

Scum bag spielberg

 

[Instro]

no... some are animatronic (and look just fine) but the first dinos you see in the movie ("shoot her" scene non-with standing) are completely cgi and suffer from texture issues that i never noticed until this year.

specifically this guy

Ah your right, for some reason I was thinking everything had been done with animatronics. Id forgotten they actually did use some cgi, good call.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

I got an invite to a 35mm Q+A screening of JAWS with Spielberg that I can't attend because its in LA.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

They put Hayden/Anakin at the end scene of ROTJ as a Force Ghost with Yoda/Obi-Wan

You call it a Force Ghost. Nerd.

 

[adamsappel]

I'm surprised Snowman isn't here. Oh, wait, nobody's praising Spielberg.

 

[madara]

Scum bag spielberg

Face palm. A director that has delivered so many great experiences and is more talented then all us armchair critics is now a scum bag? This is the absolute black pit of this era of CG realism obsession, technology and internet. As great as net is we clearly lost something when I long for pre days at times.