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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

What Lucasfilm could and should be doing

Discussion in 'Lucasfilm Ltd. In-Depth Discussion' started by AdamBertocci, Mar 19, 2003.

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  1. AdamBertocci

    AdamBertocci Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 3, 2002
    Considering how much GL loves movies, particularly older ones, I'm surprised this isn't happening 'round-the-clock at Lucasfilm's various companies.


    Remember how they found the old prints of Star Wars, all mistreated and nasty and deteriorating? Washed-out, grainy, dirty?

    And remember how for the SEs, they cleaned them up, so the images were crisp and clear, the colors rich, the sound strong?

    I'm sure there are lots of movies that deserve this treatment, but instead are left to rot. What is being done to preserve movies old and new from the damage inherent in the film-print medium?

    And could Lucasfilm and its subsidiaries apply what was learned on the Star Wars Special Editions to help out?



    Rick McCallum loves you!
     
  2. malducin

    malducin Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2001
    Well it's not happening around his companies because he would only be in charge of his own films. He has no rights to go restoring someone else's films.

    The first notable restoration work was the one that happened for Snow White several years ago. It was at Cinesite and they pioneered much of the work on modern restoration, like color shifting corection, removal of scatches and the like. You can read a bit about it here:

    Preservation and restoration

    Now several years ago a comission or society was started so that restoration could be done in old films. A lot of high profile directors were part of it, if I remember right Lucas, Spielberg, Coppola and Scorsese contributed and spoke about it. From what I remember there is not enough money or push now though sore there is still the possibility of loosing a lot of films.

    Surely ILM and Skywalker Sound could certainly help, but facilities specilized in these like Cinesite are the best suited. EFilm is another one. The problem is twofold, someone paying for the restoration and second, whoever owns the film to actually care and give ermission for that. If the studio or owner doesn't care (after all the perception is that only movies from the past few years are all that matters, the old mighty greedy dollar) it'll be difficult to get around that.
     
  3. HKChicago

    HKChicago Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 8, 2002
    I haven't heard anything in a while, but a recent high-profile restoration was that of To Kill a Mockingbird. I believe they found 2 good quality prints, but the undertaking seemed so significant that I don't think it's feasible to go ahead and restore every movie that comes around.
     
  4. ShaneP

    ShaneP Ex-Mod Officio star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    In 1990, Lucas helped co-found The Film Foundation, which researches old films and searches for funds to restore and preserve films.

    The first work of the Foundation focused primarily on films from the silent era. Amazingly, about 70-80% of films from this era(1900's to 1920's) were already lost, and this was back in 1990.

    The Foundation's current chairman is Martin Scorcese.


     
  5. Gobi-1

    Gobi-1 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Dec 22, 2002
    I read somewhere that Warner Brothers was restoring the original King Kong for a DVD release but that they have pushed back to DVD release because the film restoration process will take longer then they thought.
     
  6. Stridarious

    Stridarious Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2002
    Yeah there are many films that need our help to be restored, but can't say though that they truely are going to be easy.
     
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