Dark Force Entertainment Discussion Thread

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Dark Force

We'll look into it just for you. Did notice Trick or Treats on the Code Red cartel. Banana Man didn't mention that one to us so maybe he was holding out on us. Maybe if we put his head in a vice-like headlock he'll give in?

Please post a video of it if you do haha.

[Dark Force]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Anyways, I will be buying the upcoming Drive In Double Feature featuring Mama’s Bloody Acre ...looking foward to it.

thanks Blu Titan we are putting a lot of time, effort and money into this one. A. because it really needs it and B. because we think this one will be the coolest and most nostalgic one yet.

Both movies are super retro drive-in and very atmospheric...especially that God's Bloody Acre. So bizarre but has such a cool raw feel to it due to the way they shot it out in the woods. These two are very representative of those horror flicks from that era at the drive-in. This one has really evolved in to something really special...hopefully it will be the biggest one of the series.

[Thomas Irwin]

Originally Posted by Dark Force

We'll look into it just for you. Did notice Trick or Treats on the Code Red cartel. Banana Man didn't mention that one to us so maybe he was holding out on us. Maybe if we put his head in a vice-like headlock he'll give in?

Originally Posted by mja345

Please post a video of it if you do haha.

This woman might be free for an hour. It could make a great intro on a future release.

[dawnofthediscs]

Originally Posted by Marv Inc.

Cut and Run and Blastfighter, yes please.

https://darkforcedvd.bigcartel.com/p...u-ray-code-red

[dawnofthediscs]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Wish, we could get Blastfighter at that price. But, yeah...great price for Hands of Steel.

https://darkforcedvd.bigcartel.com/p...u-ray-code-red

$15.99!

[Marv Inc.]

Ordered!!

[Marsupial Werewolf]

Did Dark Force have a chance to look into TO DIE FOR (1988) yet?

[dawnofthediscs]

They must have had like 4 copies of Blastfighter, It's gone already.

[wicky_J]

Originally Posted by dawnofthediscs

They must have had like 4 copies of Blastfighter, It's gone already.

If I recall correctly the site said there were around 10 copies when I placed by order.

[dawnofthediscs]

Originally Posted by wicky_J

If I recall correctly the site said there were around 10 copies when I placed by order.

I guess there was only 8 initially. Went really quick though


.

[wicky_J]

Originally Posted by dawnofthediscs

went quick

It went VERY quick. I started making a habit of checking their cartel site as soon as I wake up in the morning to see if anything popped up. Got really lucky today.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by Dark Force

it's a trade off though...you prefer a bunch of white dots and bad lines?...the place we use in LA is the best in the business and the work done on THE CARRIER met their high standards. We understand that some people prefer the look of the film before the DNR but when there is a ton of dirt and wear it looks pretty bad regardless

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

You ask if I prefer white noise and lines - the answer is no. But aren't there other ways to eliminate or minimize damage other than slathering DNR on everything? I mean, how does Vinegar Syndrome handle it? Painstaking work and quality control. They manage to make even Z grade stuff look like millions of dollars were spent. I'm sure you've been monitoring these threads long enough to know that most people here cherish quality and will be very vocal if there's even a hint that corners were cut. Strive for excellence on all of your titles and you'll prosper

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Dark Force

it's a trade off though...you prefer a bunch of white dots and bad lines?...the place we use in LA is the best in the business and the work done on THE CARRIER met their high standards. We understand that some people prefer the look of the film before the DNR but when there is a ton of dirt and wear it looks pretty bad regardless

This - if you look at the reaction to Code Reds Dont Look in the Basement many people felt it was unwatchable due to print damage. That could have used some DNR frankly.

The overreaction to use of DNR is because some major studios unnecessarily apply DNR to masters that definitely dont need it.

Its kind of damned if you do, damned if you dont. Use the DNR for severe print damage and people complain about the DNR, dont use it and people claim its unwatchable due to print damage (see dont look in the basenent blu.)

[barsalou]

Originally Posted by Dark Force

We'll look into it just for you. Did notice Trick or Treats on the Code Red cartel. Banana Man didn't mention that one to us so maybe he was holding out on us. Maybe if we put his head in a vice-like headlock he'll give in?

LOL just don't squeeze the banana too tight.

Thanks for looking into it!!

[Damonstein]

Originally Posted by Ruined

This - if you look at the reaction to Code Reds Dont Look in the Basement many people felt it was unwatchable due to print damage. That could have used some DNR frankly.

The overreaction to use of DNR is because some major studios unnecessarily apply DNR to masters that definitely dont need it.

Its kind of damned if you do, damned if you dont. Use the DNR for severe print damage and people complain about the DNR, dont use it and people claim its unwatchable due to print damage (see dont look in the basenent blu.)

People didn't like the basement disc because of severe color splotches. The majority of people who buy old movies on blu ray would prefer less DNR. You would absolutely please more people with a filmic look. If code red would just QCA his stuff or replace the disc this wouldn't even be a problem.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Cinema74

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

You ask if I prefer white noise and lines - the answer is no. But aren't there other ways to eliminate or minimize damage other than slathering DNR on everything? I mean, how does Vinegar Syndrome handle it? Painstaking work and quality control. They manage to make even Z grade stuff look like millions of dollars were spent. I'm sure you've been monitoring these threads long enough to know that most people here cherish quality and will be very vocal if there's even a hint that corners were cut. Strive for excellence on all of your titles and you'll prosper

Keep in mind some studios do not put out product on blu if they dont have a master they can achieve ideal results from. You mention vinegar syndrome, they have tons of bad looking films but they leave those on DVD because they dont want the complaints or poor sales of a less than ideal looking blu ray. They only put on blu titles they know they can get top notch results from due to a workable master. Personally id prefer everything on blu ray for the better resolution, compression, and protection, but these sort of complaints and expectations is partially why they are destined for DVD - or in some other studio cases simply passed on altogether.

[frakking toaster]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Keep in mind some studios do not put out product on blu if they dont have a master they can achieve ideal results from. You mention vinegar syndrome, they have tons of bad looking films but they leave those on DVD because they dont want the complaints or poor sales or a less than ideal blu ray. Personally id prefer everything on blu ray for the better resolution, compression, and protection, but these sort of complaints and expectations is partially why they are destined for DVD.

I don't mind a movie looking like Don't Look in the Basement as long as it's in a double feature. Don't feel like paying blu ray prices for a single movie that looks like ass but if it's two for that price it makes it worth it.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Damonstein

People didn't like the basement disc because of severe color splotches. The majority of people who buy old movies on blu ray would prefer less DNR. You would absolutely please more people with a filmic look. If code red would just QCA his stuff or replace the disc this wouldn't even be a problem.

the color splotches were print damage, probably remnants from cleaning mold off the film. Cant say on one hand that print damage is no big deal then refuse to buy a release due to print damage, lol. If the carrier DC workprint looked like it was snowing on every frame youd complain about that too, so sometimes DNR is the lesser of two evils.

The brink version of basement used the same master but used DNR to clean up the splotches and other issues and overall was more pleasing, unfortunately marred by a stuttering encoding error thst spoiled the release.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by dawnofthediscs

https://darkforcedvd.bigcartel.com/p...u-ray-code-red

$15.99!

Yep...just saw it but it was too late. There were only a few copies available and you guys grabbed them .

[dawnofthediscs]

John Lyons from Vinegar Syndrome thoughts on DNR. Taken from the Vinegar Syndrome thread. Very illuminating to say the least.

"Since 'other label' is debating the merits of DNR and has referenced our restoration practices, here's how we restore damaged prints:

DNR is intended for noise reduction (hence it's name), not dirt and damage restoration. The various DNR softwares that are out there all basically work the same in that they are looking for video noise and, depending on the level setting in the software, basically smooth and smudge out the noise, giving the video in question the waxy look that DNR is associated with.

DNR as applied to film, however, is basically a bad decision (in my opinion) no matter what the reason for using it may be. First off, the software cannot distinguish between natural film grain and digital noise, so no matter how light the setting may be, the grain is going to be smoothed and smudged.

Second, no matter how light the setting may be, some amount of artifacting is going to be introduced. This is a bit of an unfair criticism because all restoration software, no matter how minimal their use, run the risk of causing artifacting, but with DNR isn't not risk but rather a guarantee.

Finally, DNR is NOT a film restoration tool. It does not repair/minimize film damage. The reason that some post houses use it for 'restoration' rather than a proper restoration software like PF Clean is because when cranked high enough, DNR smudges away small dirt hits. It literally artifacts away damage and because it's automated, can be cheaper than going manually frame by frame.

Since prints on Blu-ray was brought up, while it's true that we always try to work from negative elements, when we are forced to work off of prints, we try to get them looking as good as possible, considering the inherent limitations that prints present. We've actually got a couple upcoming Blus that were sourced from prints and any even casual viewer will be able to spot the difference, but that's all that's believed to survive for the titles in question.

I don't personally think it's fair to criticize any label for working off of prints (or other inferior film sources) when that's literally all that's believed to exist. When a print is chosen as the transfer source, despite the existence of good negative elements, is where I'll take issue.

When we work from prints, our restoration practices do tend to change as we're often working to improve on damage that is very different from what is generally found in a negative. As such, the restoration techniques used to restore prints tend to engage software and settings that present a greater likelihood of leaving artifacts. However, to minimize this risk, we often spend days (sometimes up top a week) going through the film frame by frame specifically looking for any instances of artifacting and, if any present themselves, reverting the affected frames back to their pre-restoration versions so as to remove any artifacts.

It's far from a perfect process and it can be very time consuming, but it's the best procedure we've found for dealing with heavily damaged prints.

A final note: I don't have/haven't seen any of the releases that were referenced in the other thread so I can't comment on any specifics regarding how they look. My comments here are specific to what we do."