The Holiday- Sony, what the hell is wrong?

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Chad Varnadore

Everytime a film is mastered both the DP and director are asked to supervise. I don't know the percentage of one's that do, but I've been led to believe it's pretty high. So, if the masters were approved by the DP or director, it would indicate the masters match what they intended.

The fact that you saw something different theatrically does raise a red flag indeed. But, I'm not sure that is conclusive either. Differences between film and digital projection not withstanding, the larger sized venue of cinema and the limited dynamic range that such large projection is usually limited to as compared to smaller consumer displays can complicate a comparison, particularly one based on memory. This is what I meant by the alteration being something that could have been designed to enhance the cinema experience due to limitations therein, that just doesn't translate as well to a smaller screen that doesn't have the same limitations. Even low CR pjs at 2k:1 have a broader dynamic than most theaters. Some CRTs have been calibrated to achieve as much as 50k:1 on/off CR. The home cinema is a very different beast. Comparison's between the two are always interesting and can be used to qualify a point. But, it's still not a guarantee of anything.

The fact that it's inconsistent with trailers and deleted scenes or other features on a disc, just indicates that those pieces weren't adjusted in the same way, ie. scenes cut prior to post correction. It could mean that the film is being altered during telecine. Or it could mean it was altered during production.

Hope your friend can shed some light. I'm very interested in hearing your findings. I still think it's worth posing to paidgeek in the insiders thread too. Surely he can elaborate on one of the films in question.

I have confirmation that this master was carefully reviewed and approved by the films talent. The color correction choices were made specifically at their request and under their supervision.