Tema: 2001: Una odisea del espacio (2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968, Stanley Kubrick)

Billy Hunt acaba de compartir información técnica acerca del proceso de restauración facilitada por el propio estudio que puede resultar muy interesante.

Spoiler:

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[Here’s some additional information on the mastering process for this 4K Ultra HD release from a technical brief prepared by the studio. It’s shared here by permission.]

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed film 2001: A Space Odyssey Warner Bros. completed extensive film work, both photochemically and digitally, in order to create the closest representation to date of the film’s original theatrical release. Warner Bros. started off the 50th Anniversary with brand new “unrestored” 70mm film prints that debuted at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival before playing in theaters around the world. The newly remastered Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with HDR built upon the work done for the new 70mm prints, including brand new scans of the original 65mm film negative.

Photochemical Preparation

Preparing the original 65mm negative for scanning involved a great deal of work, much of which was accomplished by Vince Roth, then supervisor of large format optical at Pacific Title, in 1999. Roth prepared the negative for preservation by removing past repairs to the film, which included tape repairs for broken perforations and tears across the image. This work included tape supports added by MGM to the original splices to insure they did not break open while printing. Roth carefully removed years of dirt, oil and chemicals from the surface of the negative. He determined the dates of when replacement sections were cut into the negative to determine if earlier generation elements existed which would yield the best quality replacement footage.

Once the camera negative was repaired and cleaned, Warner Bros. created a 70mm answer print using the original MGM timing lights and making slight adjustments to compensate for fading of the negative and changes in modern film print stock. The 1999 answer print – which served as the basis for the 2018 “unrestored” film prints and the color reference for the 2018 video master – was completed under the direction of Leon Vitali, assistant to Stanley Kubrick who supervised color timing of prints for Kubrick for a period of 20 years, and Ned Price, Vice President of Restoration at Warner Bros., at CFI Laboratories. A 35mm optical reduction interpositive was created from the 65mm negative – as a 35mm print was necessary in order for Warner Bros. to scan for home video elements (including the DVD remastered box set in 2000 and the Blu-ray in 2007).

Digital Scans and Color-timing

The new 2018 video masters were achieved by scanning the 65mm original negative in 8K-resolution and utilizing top-of-the-line color correction software, allowing technicians to follow natural color and luminance curves (characteristics) of film print stock. Color reference in the DI suite was provided by the 1999 70mm answer print from the original camera negative and a 70mm check print from a new dupe negative. Vince Roth (now the Lab Technical director at Fotokem) completed the dupe and check print for the 2018 color grade.

Christopher Nolan and Hoyte van Hoytema (who both worked extensively with large film formats) oversaw the new 70mm film prints and were brought in to consult on the creation of new video masters to match the 70mm reference prints. These 2018 video masters were completed under the direction of Leon Vitali and Ned Price. Color grading of the master was completed by Janet Wilson of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging – who previously worked with Leon on HD mastering of Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket and Lolita.

Audio Work

The new home entertainment release includes two 5.1 audio mixes. It includes the fully remastered audio mix that was completed in 1999 (for the previous DVD and Blu-ray releases) as well as the original theatrical 6-track audio mix formatted for 5.1. This audio mix was generated from an archival copy of the 35mm 6-track audio mag master translated uniformly into a modern-day 5.1 configuration.

Comparison to Previous Home Entertainment Releases

There will be noticeable differences between the 2018 release and previous home entertainment releases.

The last Blu-ray release was mastered at Motion Picture Imaging in 2007 from a 2k scan of a 35mm optical reduction from the 65mm negative (that was made in 1999). This extra step was required as the scans needed to be made from a 35mm film element. Unfortunately, the 35mm reduction is not as sharp as the 65mm negative and the optical reduction process induced cross color contamination, which resulted in some compromises to color in order to balance the image. There was compressed picture detail in low light areas and also shading errors inherent in the optical reduction – luminance and color dropped off on the sides of the image – which resulted in an uneven field of color across the full image. Overall, it limited the range of the color grade of the 2007 video master.

Also, the 2018 release contains correct picture aspect ratio as it was scanned directly from the 65mm original negative which is spherical (flat) versus anamorphic (scope). The 35mm anamorphic (scope) reduction that was scanned for the 2000 and 2007 releases contained a little more information on the left and right of the frame then was intended for 2.2 70mm projection aspect ratio. Also, the optical scope reduction added a slight amount of linear image distortion, which is not present in the 65mm spherical camera negative.

While the 2007 work utilized the best technology available at the time, the 2018 release takes advantage of higher resolution and higher bit-depth scans. The color is based on the original MGM timing lights and the technological capabilities of the color software have improved greatly. The same team has put together the new release (almost 20 years after from the previous restoration) and Leon Vitale has reviewed and approved both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray check disks.

Audiences may be most familiar with previous home video releases of 2001: A Space Odyssey and may be struck by some of the differences. However, the newly-remastered version has been scanned and timed to directly match the original film release, rather than the previous home video master. The new HD Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray will have more detail, greater color depth, better color accuracy in terms of matching Stanley Kubrick’s original 1968 theatrical release. As digital technology continues to evolve, it becomes more and more possible to recreate the experience of viewing a film print in your own home.

http://thedigitalbits.com/item/2001-...odyssey-uhd-bd

Y otra review, en este caso la de Avsforum, que también le da la nota máxima en todos los apartados

https://www.avsforum.com/2001-space-...lu-ray-review/