"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[wallendo]

Originally Posted by woodspoon

Hi Penton, can you give us your take on the blu-ray 3D format? Any inside info you can tell? I just hope someone publishes DIAL M FOR MURDER in the format...

As far as Dial M for Murder, you may want to check out this post from Robert Harris:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...ostcount=10716

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

Basterds is great, I watched it again the other night when my BD arrived.
I loved how it was shot too, it has a "classic" un-gimmicky feel to it. I actually looked up Robert Richardson after I watched it, and he's certainly worked with some heavyweight directors.
Marty S. seems to like him ........

Well, I predict that those fond of, or used to, quick editing action films will either fall asleep during the first scene in the farmhouse or else make a refrigerator run only to return back to their movie-watching to be disappointed that the actors are still talking in that darn farmhouse!

The only ‘gimmick’ that I can recollect from the theatrical presentation is that the Holsteins in the pasture at the very beginning looked too darn clean and pretty for working animals………sort of like one of those ‘Happy Cows’ commercials -
http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/node/15

P.S.
For those city slickers out there, I’m referring to the black and white female milk cow ^.
Not the two with the horns.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

Aesthetically, it mirrors the divide in narrative tone, from the "epic", widescreen rise of him as a freedom fighter, to the more claustrophobic, almost pedestrian death at the end.

On a technical level, I believe the entirety of part 2 is shot on the Red (and then, as Penton states, DI'd to some sort of weird, halucinagenic, blown highlight.......

Well, I didn’t specifically say “DI’ed”.

But, I will say that I posted this YouTube link last summer somewhere on this thread, shortly after the conference at Sony Pictures Studios…………….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhHdRUs2Jn4

And the CAS guidelines forbade the use of sharpening or noise/grain reduction both in-camera as well as in post, so that the imagery of all the digital cameras could be compared on equal footing from the get-go (to themselves and the ‘control’, an Arri 435 film camera), with no *secret sauce* added somewhere in the workflow to give the appearance that they were better (or worse, I guess, depending on one’s perspective, michel) than the raw capture.

Bottom line, I think that S.S. hard clipped some of the highlights on set (in-camera) for Che Part 2: Guerilla, just like Michael M. turned up the gain (in-camera) for some of the low-lit scenes in Public Enemies.

[Sponge-worthy]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

The only ‘gimmick’ that I can recollect from the theatrical presentation is that the Holsteins in the pasture at the very beginning looked too darn clean and pretty for working animals………sort of like one of those ‘Happy Cows’ commercials -
http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/node/15

I don't think Holsteins are generally working animals in the sense that they are used as beasts of burden, particularly when they are producing milk. Also, if a farmer does a decent job keeping his animals clean (particularly when harvesting milk), does not have a huge number of them, and they are allowed to graze in an open range-type grassy area (as opposed to being pent in a muddy corral) as shown in the film, then Holsteins can actually look pretty decent--as opposed to animals like pigs who live to root in filth. Admittedly, cows generally aren't sparkly, shiny like in the clip you linked, and I'd have to take another look at Basterds because the animals really didn't jump out at me as being too 'clean' to really notice, I guess. Interesting observation though

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

Oh, wait, who "shot" JFK (the film) again? Ah, conceptual continuity at its best....

#24 on the résumé…………..
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0724744/

Hey, I received the link with the pics from your recent dive trip but, I can’t find any underwater shots?
Are there any around the site that I am missing?
PM me.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

Hey, cheers... Very kind of you to say so, and publicly!

Bravo!
Honestly, I didn't know that either.
I had thought that you were one of many contributors to the site.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Sponge-worthy

I don't think Holsteins are generally working animals in the sense that they are used as beasts of burden....

Google something like "Chino dairy cows" or something like that and look at some of the videoclips from either YouTube or local News stations.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Sponge-worthy

Admittedly, cows generally aren't sparkly, shiny like in the clip you linked, and I'd have to take another look at Basterds because the animals really didn't jump out at me as being too 'clean' to really notice, I guess. Interesting observation though

Well, I may be wrong as I'm going on a recollection from several months ago and admittedly I don't have the same memory as those that can remember exactly what a motion picture looked like 25 years ago in the movie theater.

For full disclosure, my grandfather owned a dairy farm in upstate Pa. that had big green pastures and once in a Blu moon...................

BIG BLACK SNAKES! hidden in dem green pastures.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by woodspoon

Hi Penton, can you give us your take on the blu-ray 3D format? Any inside info you can tell? I just hope someone publishes DIAL M FOR MURDER in the format...

I can’t give you any inside info at this time.
People are way too hush, hush on this stuff at the moment.

All I can say is Resistance is Futile!………..
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...gn#post2645727

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

While I must admit, I'm not a fan of Richardson, I have to say I very much like his work in Basterds. For the most part, I think, he kept a lot of his idiosyncrasies in check.*

* Don't get me wrong- I'm all in favor of cinematographers developing and applying their own idiosyncrasies, in general; I'm just not so hot on Robert Richardson's particular aesthetic

Well, maybe I’m misunderstanding you doc but, any D.P. kinda only does what the Director approves of, or explicitly directs him to do…………if he ever desires to work again in the business, that is.

The Director always has the final word in any *creative collaboration* and some Directors are somewhat well-known for not needing much of any *collaboration* from their D.P.s.

Robert R. favors moving off-center when shooting anamorphic; however, Q.T. loves dead-center framing. Who do you think ‘got their way’ with Inglourious Basterds?

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well, maybe I’m misunderstanding you doc but, any D.P. kinda only does what the Director approves of, or explicitly directs him to do…………if he ever desires to work again in the business, that is.

Well, naturally. However, it is reasonable to presume that a given director might typically be inclined toward collaboration with a given cinematographer at least in part by virtue of an interest in that cinematographer's aesthetic preferences/philosophies/products, in the first place. Why, you might ask that director, buy a banana when what you want is an apple?

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well Wendell, (b.t.w. long time no see ), you should love the shooting style of Inglourious Basterds as it is pure classical with everything shot by way of crane or dolly movements.

I recall no shaky cam at all and reportedly only one Steadicam shot made it to the final cut.
I really liked the theatrical presentation and hope to watch the Blu-ray this weekend.

I have been here quite often lurking and reading but have posted very little in the last several months. BTW, I thought “The Mask of Zorro” looked and sounded very good on BD.

Well, this heightens my anticipation of seeing this movie on BD. Speaking of QT, is there any word when we might see Desperado on BD?

[sharkshark]

Hrm, I'd assume they'd do it -all- in post (shooting in RAW, as it were, and tweaking that sort of thing afterwards...) Then again, like doing in camera effects, it's not like there will be an untimed version that the studio threatens to release...

Great link, I had missed that - nice to see such cooperation and lack of one-upsmanship, recognizing the strengths and limitations of each medium, and utilizing each to create a specific look or feel.

See, format wars don't need to be nasty (at least, when Morgan Freeman's narrating...)!

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well, I didn’t specifically say “DI’ed”.

But, I will say that I posted this YouTube link last summer somewhere on this thread, shortly after the conference at Sony Pictures Studios…………….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhHdRUs2Jn4

And the CAS guidelines forbade the use of sharpening or noise/grain reduction both in-camera as well as in post, so that the imagery of all the digital cameras could be compared on equal footing from the get-go (to themselves and the ‘control’, an Arri 435 film camera), with no *secret sauce* added somewhere in the workflow to give the appearance that they were better (or worse, I guess, depending on one’s perspective, michel) than the raw capture.

Bottom line, I think that S.S. hard clipped some of the highlights on set (in-camera) for Che Part 2: Guerilla, just like Michael M. turned up the gain (in-camera) for some of the low-lit scenes in Public Enemies.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by sharkshark

See, format wars don't need to be nasty (at least, when Morgan Freeman's narrating...)!

I hope that also applies to the potential upcoming 2D vs 3D online ‘format war’ with all the folks who show active preferences for one or the other in their motion picture enjoyment expressing their opinions.

I believe sports will be the primary driver of 3D display adoption amongst the mainstream anyway.

Have a good weekend folks.

[Jeff Kleist]

I believe sports will be the primary driver of 3D display adoption amongst the mainstream anyway.

The Dallas test reportedly didn't go over well. I dunno if the crowd was too drunk to put on the glasses when they were told or whether it wasn't calibrated right or what. I don't personally think the sports part will take off until they have affordable TVs that don't need glasses. Sports are too social for people to want to wear them at home IMO

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I believe sports will be the primary driver of 3D display adoption amongst the mainstream anyway.

I would think that video gaming would be the vanguard of 3D adoption more so than 3D sports. Modern 3D imaging tech is neat, but it's sort of a hollow promise - it "sort of" looks real, but it has its own sort of uncanny valley to cross, and there are still issues with viewer fatigue despite the many advances made in 3D display and viewing technology.

In a sports context, you'd instinctively want to move the camera around to "get a better view", which just isn't possible with broadcast content. But an interactive environment like a video game, particularly one set in a faux 3D environment (as many games are these days), allows you to do just that, which would make for better synergy for the tech.

That said, it sure wouldn't hurt to have something like the Super Bowl or World Cup broadcast in 3D, so perhaps you're right.

[sharkshark]

Clearly OT for a BD forum, but, well, you're the Sony guy:

http://www.miles-davis.com/news/cons...bum-collection

They're not entirely doing everything as well as possible (email address wasn't activated initially, and there remains a glaring repetition in the copy text), but it's certainly nice to see the parent company treat one of its more valuable properties with the respect it deserves when things don't go entirely to plan.

I do fear, however, for those that bought from retailers who themselves purchase from Amazon (it is/was an exclusive, after all...)

How they deal with this, on the music side, certainly has corollaries for how they treat their Home Video properties as well (the Fifth Element redux being a prime example).

[Bobby Henderson]

Not intending to divert the topic further, but:

What in unholy freaking **** is going on with these LAME "rental" oriented Blu-ray discs now seeming to INFECT video stores???

I really, honestly feel like punching some greedy little jerk Hollywood businessman type right in his snotty little puss over this nonsense.

What better way to sell me on never ever buying a movie I just rented than suckering me into renting a totally bare bones disc that doesn't even have a freaking chapter menu!?

The movie to which I refer is The Hangover from Warner Home Video, a company infamous for trying to find new ways to do home video wrong. We've had it with overly bit-crushed DNR smoothie wax-faced actor titles. They may have heard us on that complaint. And then there's the general Blu-ray has a 50GB capacity so how about getting away from HD-DVD oriented extreme-crushed encodes already. Or the "when we buy Blu-ray we expect LOSSLESS audio, not stupid lossy DD 5.1" complaint.

Well, now there's a new one. If I missed others complaining about this same nonsense I sincerely apologize.

Anyway, I rented the Blu-ray of The Hangover from our local Hastings Books Music and Video store. I'm usually accustomed to Warner Bros. movies simply jumping right into the movie itself without any trailers, commercials, menus or anything else. And that's kind of nice. Not in this case. No. Instead, I had to FAST FORWARD through several movie trailers. I could not even chapter past them. That function was disabled. There was no main menu. There was no pop up menu. Nothing. I even had to fast forward past some stupid AXE body spray commercial thing. Here's a clue, guys! Women do NOT care if you're wearing AXE body spray! They care more if you have lots and lots of money or are just deliciously hot or hopefully BOTH!. Body spray is not going to cut it with just about any woman with a working pulse!

Once in the movie I was kind of surprised to find no scene selection pop up menu or any other extras at all. This is a freaking bare bones disc as bare bones as most movies discs can be. But this is a lame Blu-ray bare bones disc. I'm amazed this kind of thing can take place. This is a freaking contradiction! Did Blu-ray just take a route down memory lane into VHS-Ville!?

On the bright side, this is 100% proof positive evidence Blu-ray has hit the mainstream big time and is not going away anytime soon. If Warner Bros. had the balls to float some lame nonsense like this they must have had faith that enough "average" people out there wouldn't mind. Afterall, "average" people are only now just upgrading past VHS tapes!


Anyway, I thought the movie itself was reasonably funny. Not funny enough for me to buy the legit retail Blu-ray version (that may actually have a damned scene menu).

This is the sort of thing Apple could use to sucker people into using its horribly lame 720p $7 for 24 hours fake HD movie rental service. Are the managers at Warner Home Video taking the same drugs as the characters depicted in The Hangover? I just don't understand this nonsense. This is just plain shamefully stupid.

[Jeff Kleist]

Universal is actually loading trailers via BDLive now, so they're fresh

Everyone is moving toward rental specific product to kill, or at least tame the used disc aftermarket. The cookie cutter for these rental discs is still being perfected at most places, notice how UP was missing the captioning to the chagrin of the deaf community. I suggest you write a letter to WB about the missing chapters, even without a menu there should still be stop points for them.

That commercial wasn't targeted to you, but to to the 15 year olds the movie's aimed at, who tend to wear axe by the gallon. Believe me, they do.

[Bobby Henderson]

Those 15 year old boys aren't going to be getting any, despite what the commercials claim. And if one manages to sink the pink he managed it for other reasons than the body spray he was wearing.

Maybe his girlfriend loved the really funny yet sexy way he licked his own eyebrows!

Used disc market? Blu-ray isn't old enough for there to be a good used disc market. I'm looking for ways to unload my old DVDs!

The "suits" out there don't realize the rental disc can be a great test drive for people to buy the retail version. At least a few of the discs in my BD collection were originally rental discs. Monsters vs. Aliens is one example that immediately comes to mind. I didn't know if I would like the movie all that much, so renting it seemed to be a safe bet. I ended up liking the movie even more so I wound up buying a copy of it on Blu-ray.

I'm not going to do that "I'll have to buy that movie" after renting thing if the rental disc is some way beyond lame piece of unexpected garbage. Really, I haven't felt this "dirty" after renting a video in more than a decade when I was stuck renting VHS tapes. This is really, despicably lame!