Digital Film Restoration

Allyn Dalton 11125179Eimhin Daly 11121599Emma Murphy 11114614

Digital Film Restoration

Allyn Dalton ­ 11125179Eimhin Daly ­ 11121599Emma Murphy ­ 11114614

Table of contents:

1. Abstract.

2. Introduction.

3. Sections.

3.1 Background

3.2 Beauty and the Beast Remastering

3.3 Original Star Wars trilogy Restoration

3.4 Dracula Restoration

4. Conclusion.

5. References

1. Abstract

In this report we look at different types of films that have been restored such as technicolour,animation and science fiction. We discuss the methods used in these process as well asshowing you some images and youtube clips of how the film has changed and evolved over therestoration process. The three films that we focus on are “The Beauty and the Beast”, “StarWars” and “Dracula”.

2. Introduction

In this paper our group will focus on the process of film restoration and remastering. Filmpreservation became a trend in the early 1950’s with film companies realising that movies wereno longer just a one shot chance to make money with the embrace of the medium of television.Kodak then discovered at that time that the nitrate film stock which was widely used in the filmindustry was highly unstable. This film stock would decay quite quickly and in the later stages ofdecay it was highly flammable. As a result, many film archives suffered fires and numerous oldsilent films were lost. This put pressure on film companies to save their films and transfer themto new film stock that encountered less damage. This film preservation is what allows modernday audiences to view old past cultures through the medium of film and with the modernadvances of digital film restoration they can view these moving images in higher quality than everbefore. In the following sections we will take you through 3 old classic movies that have beenimproved through this film restoration process. [1]

3. Sections

3.1 Background

We chose this topic as we all felt that this is a subject that we could learn someinformation that may help us in our future studies. This is a subject that proves to be veryinteresting when you are focusing on the right area. As a group, we found that looking at thealgorithms and how the scratch and dirt programs are created to be quite tiresome, this was themain reason why we chose to focus on the process of restoration rather than the restorationitself. We felt that the best way to do this was through using movies that we know, which havebeen restored. When carrying out our initial research we found a lot based around the Wizard ofOz restoration which was carried out in 2007, the group decided that this would be the bestchoice for our presentation which was the halfway mark to this report. From this, we learnedabout the damage that can happen to film prints, the problems that can affect the start ofrestoration and the process of restoration.

The damage that can affect film elements include, blotches. Blotches are caused by dirt stickingto the frame of the film and when they are removed they take the pixel containing information with

them. This is can also be caused by the old style of cleaning film which involved scraping thedirt off. Scratches, which are caused by something rubbing off the film element and taking someinformation with it. Another problem is tearing with something ripping the information required tohave full frame away. The problems which can affect the start of restoration is old censorshiplaws, as it may cause there to be many different edits of the one film. This means that thecompany who are restoring the movie may have to acquire many different film prints in order toget the appropriate edit for that country. The process of restoration is the main interest of ourstudy and something that we will expand on in this paper. [1]

3.2 Beauty and the Beast Remastering

In this section of the paper we are going to talk about Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast fromthe original in 1992 to the remastered version in 2002. The film was re­released by Walt disneyPictures for IMAX and large theatres which was a special edition including new sound tracks.This film went through image retrieval for image remodeling as its restoration process. Thisimage retrieval for image remodeling is a process within the remastering stages. These are alltypes of digital video restoration, but just because its an animated film its goes through anotherdifferent procedure than a live action movie.

In the 1991 “Beauty and the Beast” was released, [2] it was the second ever film created usingthe Computer Animation Production System (CAPS). This was a process of scanning, inking,and painting for a hardware developed for Disney by Pixar. This software basically allowed forbetter colour options, and shading effects. This system also allows the animator/artist to draw acharacter with better line precision as well as place a background behind them using differentlayers. This gave the character more depth, depending if the camera was closer or further back.The system made the creators job a lot easier while giving the production a more professionallook.[3]

On New Years day 2002, “The Beauty and the Beast” was re­released. For this productionmuch of the animation throughout was cleaned up and some new sequences’ were added.They did this by using a remastering process called ‘image retrieval for image remodeling’. Thisprocess basically does what it says. It retrieves old images from the original scene andremodels them to what we see on Disney DVD’s today. It is because of this process thateverytime Disney re­releases a film it brings everyone back to their childhood no matter whatage or gender you are. In the picture below you can see the before and after pictures before theremastering and image remodelling occur.[2]

[4]

This process includes a lot of algorithms using the RGB (red,green,blue) and other colourcomponents. When retrieving images for this process it has to be done in categories such asColour, Shape and textures. To locate or retrieve an image based on colour, a histogram isneeded. The colour histogram is need to identify the pixels holding a certain value. These valuesare tiny bits that us humans see as colours. The texture process is similar to the colour processbut with a bit extra work involved. Representing texture can prove to be difficult. It normallyundergoes a 2D (two dimensional) grey variation.[2] The main problem with this method is tryingto keep the continuity between contrast, colour, brightness and regularity. So for example, asilky or rough texture would be hard to represent when in the process of image remodelling.One of the trickiest procedures in the image retrieval is the remodelling for shapes. The biggestproblem encountered in this area of remodelling is identifying lines, curves, corners and theoverall outline of the shape. In older films the quality is not as good, hence they are being

restored so the software used to identify these qualities has trouble sometimes. [5]

3.3 Star Wars trilogy Restoration

In this section of the paper we are going to talk about the restoration of the Star Warstrilogy. The restoration of Star wars began in 1995, in order to be re­released in theatres for its20th anniversary in 1997. The original negative was available to be used, which is ideal for anyfilm restoration. However it was in dreadful condition, even though the original had been mademerely 18 years previously. It was so bad that restoration would have been impossible if left formuch longer. In the first image below you can see the horrible condition of the original filmstrip,and the difference of the restored version beneath it.

[6]

The first step in rescuing Star Wars was to take the original negative apart and physicallywash it in order to remove any dirt; however some difficulty was encountered due to compositedelements. Compositing is a technique which allows for separately photographed items to beplaced in the same scene along with live action. This was a frequently used effect in the originaltrilogy, some scenes having up to forty elements in a single shot. The most famous example ofthis technique in use in the movie would be lightsabers, the futuristic weapon of the Jedi order.The original compositing meant the negative was handled physically allowing for a lot of dirtdeposits as well as general wear and tear. Updated technology at the time of restoration allowedfor the re­composition to be done entirely on computers, leaving the negative relativelyunhandled. [6]

Composited elements (seeker ball, chess pieces, lightsaber) of a frame shownseparately. [7]

A tell tale sign of the original, physical compositing is a black line around the edges of thecomposited elements, that can be visible in the final production. This was not a problem formost scenes in Star Wars as the background often consisted of a dark, starry sky. However, inThe Empire Strikes Back, a climactic battle takes place on the ice planet Hoth, requiring manycomposited elements on a white, snowy background. The contrasting black line was a lot moreobvious here, and to counteract its visibility, the opacity of the elements was reduced. Thismerely led to more problems as it made the backdrop slightly visible through the transparency ofthese elements. It came to a point where the visual effects team were asking themselves whichvisual imperfection would they rather settle for, the black line or the transparent elements. Usingcomputer technology, the transparency and matte line were able to be eliminated. [6]

An example of where transparent elements was problematic [8]

A unique aspect of the original Star Wars trilogy is the rare sound design, quite unlikeanything else heard in a motion picture previous to this time. Sound designer Ben Burtt, whoinitially put together the sounds for the trilogy back in the 1970s, returned for the restoration of thetrilogy, in order to enhance the sounds that define the Star Wars world. There was a strongbelief while making the trilogy that sound was half of the overall experience, and that led to thecomplex and elaborate soundtrack. However, in the 70s, when the trilogy was first released, thesound technology was simply not good enough to hear it as vividly as possible. With theavailability of digital sound while restoring the films, the experience could finally be enjoyed at itsfullest. Five separate channels are available with the use of digital sound, which means thesound field can be altered. This means that with the correct components and speakers availableit can be correctly set up while watching the film, the viewer experiences sounds all aroundthem, as a certain sound channel will play over a specific speaker. This allows for a far superiorsound experience, examples being the fact that each subtle piece of an orchestra can be heard,or specifically in this case, a spaceship could be heard moving from behind the viewer to in frontof them. [9]

3.4 Dracula Restoration

In this section of the paper we will talk about the restoration of the Hammer classicDracula (1958) which was restored in 2007 by the British Film Institute (BFI) but the missingscenes from the film were found just after the restoration was completed. This promptedHammer productions to carry out the restoration of these badly damaged missing scenes andcut them into the British Film Institute's restored version.

In 2007 there was a new burst of films appearing from the Hammer Film Company, causingmore interest in their old classic horror movies including Dracula. As a result of it's risingpopularity the British Film Institute decided to carry out a restoration of this movie. To start thisprocess they had to get the original film negatives from Warner Brothers, because of thedifferent versions shown throughout the world they had to also find a British copy. The necessityfor this is caused by the different style film credits shown in America and Britain in 1958. As theBritish Film Institute wanted to ensure that when they screened the film the British audiencewere seeing the original British version. Luckily, the British lending library possessed a copy ofthe film. [10] [11]

Example of unrestored British credits [12]

Example of BFI’s 2007 restoration [13]

There was a rumour of the missing scenes of the Dracula movie being held in the JapaneseFilm Institute. These scenes were censored out of the film in all western countries and was onlyshown in Japan. Unfortunately the BFI only managed to get confirmation of these scenesexistence ten months after the restoration of Dracula was completed. [10]

Example of one of Dracula’s missing scenes [14]

The Japanese Film Institute (JFI) possess many copies of nitrate based film stock, which ishighly unstable and can be dangerous. Eventually these nitrate film stock caught fire anddamaged the first few reels of their Dracula film stock, with the rest suffering some form of waterdamage. [15] Fortunately, the JFI has a restoration process for all their film elements that every 4or 5 years a certain selection will go through a restoring process. As a result, reels 8 and 9 weresaved and these contained the missing scenes of the film. [10]

Example of the state of the Japanese reels [16]

Hammer horror then hired Molinare to carry out the initial restoration of the missing scenes. Thereels were converted to HD in Japan in a resolution of 1920x1080, making the damage caused tofilm very apparent. These reels had been put through a lot of mis­handling, bad storage andunsuitable projecting over the years caused it to be highly damaged when it reached the Molinare

company. There was major scratches and continuous lines on this film stock. This led to aproblem for the Molinare studio as since the damage was in every frame of the film, they couldn'tuse the previous or next frames to fix the scene as this is what is usually done in film restoration.This caused them to have to use other film prints to gather the information to recover thedamaged pixels. Molinare then put the element through a process of despot and destratch, doneby a computer program.[10] The element is scanned through and this attempts to reduce theamount of blotches and scratches shown in the frames. This, of course, is a limited processand some imperfections will still be on the frame after this carried out. The studio went througha process of adjusting the grain structure and frame size of the film print in order to ensure that itwill match the BFI's version when it is cut in.[17] And lastly Molinare carried out color correctionto bring out the vivid colours of the sets and costumes which were seen in the original film.

Example of Final Blu­ray Restored version Dracula [18]

Molinare then sent all these reels with the restoration that was carried out so far to Deluxe. Theytook the missing scenes and cut them into the full film reel. They then ensured that the filmflowed together with these scenes added. The film print was then put through another dirt andscratch removal program before they started manual restoration. This involves the techniciangoing through the film frame by frame and circling the damage they want to remove promptingthe program to go to the previous and next frame to find the missing information. One of theproblems when using this type of restoration is that you have to ensure that you aren't copying inother damaged pixel information into the frame which would make the damage worse.[15] Asexpected, this is a very time consuming process, it is estimated that 50 seconds of footagebetween two technicians can take up to 7 days to restore.[10]

The sound also had to be restored from the Japanese reels, in order to fix this they had toreplace the sound effects over the original, damaged tracks. Then they had to mix these sound

effects in with the background soundtrack in order to ensure the flow of the audio throughout thefilm.[10]

4. Conclusion

We explored in our research three examples of film restorations, and the processesundertook in each. From the research we gathered on each of these classic film restorations, itis clear that there is a variety of steps taken to restore an old or damaged movie. From thesearch for any remaining elements of the original, and the subsequent cleaning of the negativefilmstrips, to the use of computer programs to correct visual imperfections, and sometimessound redesign.[15]

We also displayed the fact that a many different things can be done that make a restoredfilm superior than the original ever was. The three films we researched each had differentmethods of restoration: Beauty and the Beast focussed on a lot of image remodelling and colourcorrection [2]; Star Wars involved much computer work to fix problems with the originalcompositing [7]; and the restoration of Dracula comprised of fixing imperfections on the originalstrip like tears and scratches using computer technology.[10] The separate restorations differedin many ways, for example Beauty and the Beast had new sound tracks included, whereas StarWars simply digitally re­mastered the original score for its re­release. There were also a fewsimilarities, one being the horrible condition of the original copies of both Star Wars andDracula’s missing scenes. Star Wars’ original negative had dramatically lost its correct colour,and Dracula had gained a lot of scratches and tears on its filmstrip, both due to poor storage andmaintenance.

A positive aspect from the restoration of film is that different generations can enjoy thesame film, where quality is not lost, but rather identical to current high standards anddefinitions.[1]

A negative aspect of restoration is the fact that it is an extremely time­consumingprocess, as shown by Dracula’s restoration, where two technicians took a week to restore 50seconds of footage.[10]

If work on this topic were to be continued, there is still a lot to be explored on how specificcomputer programs work throughout the restoration process.

5. References

1. Crofts, C.,Digital Decay. 2008. Moving Images, 8(2). Available through: University of LimerickLibrary website. <http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Library> [Accessed on 26th of April]

2. Muljadi, P., n.d. Disney Theatrical Animated Features. s.l.:Google Books. [Accessed on 29thof April]

3. Youtube Video: RkivUnderground, 2010, Beauty and the Beast ­ 1991 vs. 2002 (Comparison),Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aRiI8sRfuU> [Accessed on 20th of April]

4. “Beauty&Beast_comparison.AVI” [image online] Available at:<http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/2751/beautybeastcomparisonav.jpg> [Accessed on 24thof April]

5. Goodrum, A. A., 2000. Image Information Retrieval: An overview of current research. InformingScience, 3(2). [Accessed on 28th of April]

6. Dunn B.J. (2006) Creating Believability and the Effects of Technology on Compositing,unpublished thesis (M.S.), Texas A&M University. [Accessed on 28th of April]

7. Anarkyvist (2011) ‘Star Wars Restoration ­ 1997 ­ part 1’, [video online], available at:<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhLUdy3RDpM> [accessed on 23th of April].

8. Michael Gaines (2011) Empire Matte Lines [image online], available at:<http://www.geekistry.com/wp­content/uploads/2011/01/Empire­Matte­Lines.jpg> [accessed on28th of April].

9. Whittington, W. (2007) Sound Design & Science Fiction, USA: University of Texas Press.[accessed on 28th of April]

10. Resurrecting Dracula, Dracula. 2013. [Blu­ray] London. Hammer Horror Studios.[Accessedon 11th of April]

11. Dracula. 2013. [Blu­ray] London. Hammer Horror Studios. [Accessed on 10th of April]

12. Hammer Horror Studios, 1958. “dtct.jpg” [image online] Available at:<http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5535/dtct.jpg> [Accessed on 25th of April]

13. “draculabdcap8_original.jpg” [image online] Available at:<http://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2013/2/draculabdcap8_original.jpg>[Accessed on 25th of April]

14. “Dracula­1958­Blu­ray­deleted­scenes.jpg” [image online] Available at:<http://www.scifinow.co.uk/wp­content/uploads/2013/03/Dracula­1958­Blu­ray­deleted­scenes.jpg> [Accessed on 25th of April]

15. Kovacs, G.L., Kas, I. 2002. Some Problems of A Digital Motion Picture Restoration System.Available through: University of Limerickwebsite.<http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Library> [Accessed on 16th of April]

16. “Tokyo_TK.jpg” [image online] Available at:<http://blog.hammerfilms.com/wp­content/uploads/2012/11/Tokyo_TK.jpg> [Accessed on 25thof April]

17. Kurttila, S. 2011. Digital Film Restoration and Remastering. Available at:<http://tols17.oulu.fi/~seppokur/Digital%20Film%20Restoration%20and%20Remastering%20thesis.pdf> [Accessed on 18th of April]

18. “Dracula­Restoration­300x238.png” [image online] Available at:<http://www.theedgesusu.co.uk/wp­content/uploads/2013/03/Dracula­Restoration­300x238.png>[Accessed on 25th of April]