Just saw RotJ Spec. Ed. on DVD for the first time...

[Brother Shatterstone]

That film was the beginning of an industry change probably even more dramatic than even the first Star Wars film.

First movie to be released in digital format to the movie theaters, correct?

 

[wingsandsword]

I agree... this was definately one of the lamest changes. I was rather upset when they were released on DVD and Lucas promised the true originals will never be released on DVD.

On May 25, 2072, Star Wars will pass into the Public Domain (only 68 years from now), and 3 years later Empire, and three years later Jedi (barring yet more legislation to overextend copyright, like the Mickey Mouse Protection Act Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act).

Our grandchildren will be able to buy the originals on holocrystal, whether Lucas the IV likes it or not likes it or not.

 

[Rackhir]

On May 25, 2072, Star Wars will pass into the Public Domain (only 68 years from now), and 3 years later Empire, and three years later Jedi (barring yet more legislation to overextend copyright, like the Mickey Mouse Protection Act Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act).

Our grandchildren will be able to buy the originals on holocrystal, whether Lucas the IV likes it or not likes it or not.

Just because something has passed into the public domain does not mean that it is available to the public. If someone has the only copies of a movie and they choose not to either sell or license it to anyone, then nobody is getting copies of it. So given Lucas's attitude towards things, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for decent quality copies of the original versions being around for it to pass into the public domain.

Plus, I suspect that public rights to copyrighted material will be severely restricted or eliminated over the next 70 odd years as the ability to re-use and salvage material from old films increases in practicality and value. It isn't going to be too much longer before you will get dead actors cast in new movies using digital technology to create new performances or recast old ones.

 

[wingsandsword]

Just because something has passed into the public domain does not mean that it is available to the public. If someone has the only copies of a movie and they choose not to either sell or license it to anyone, then nobody is getting copies of it. So given Lucas's attitude towards things, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for decent quality copies of the original versions being around for it to pass into the public domain.

Lucasfilm wouldn't have to approve, or use their copies. His descendants could even explicitly disapprove. The key word there is "decent", in the next 68 years we will have to see about what happens in the field of digital restoration.

I know that the Library of Congress keeps copies of the original movies on file in very controlled archival conditions. Lucas wanted them to dispose of them and replace them with Special Editions when they came out , claiming that they were the only valid editions now, but the LoC told him no way.

Once copyright is expired, any company (or private citizen) could use archival copies to create new copies that can be released freely. Just like anybody can print a copy of the works of Shakespeare, without needing approval from his estate, one day in the future anybody will be able to encode a copy of the Star Wars movies without permission of Lucasfilm, we've just got to wait about another 70 years.

 

[Kai Lord]

First movie to be released in digital format to the movie theaters, correct?

It was the first film, or movie rather, shot digitally on High Definition. I'm not sure about the digital projection, for some reason I seem to recall hearing about a digital showing of one of the Toy Story films before AOTC was released, but I'm not 100% on that one.

From Rick McCallum's ShowWest speech in 2002:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm very excited to be here tonight, even though it is a weird experience unveiling any part of a movie for the first time.

We have been working on Episode II for over three years, and tonight will be the first time anyone outside of Lucasfilm has seen any footage from the movie, other than the trailer we released in November.

By now, most of you know that we shot Episode II completely digitally, without any film. I thought, perhaps, a little history about how we got to this point might be useful.

In late 1995, George Lucas talked to me about exploring the possibility of getting a digital camera built in time for shooting Episode II in Australia, in late June of 2000.

George's vision was very clear.

A long process of evaluation had brought him to a total commitment to drive digital imaging into the art of movie making.

Digital technology was already a major part of our lives at Lucasfilm more towards the back end of the creative process in post-production and sound at Skywalker Ranch, and in visual effects at Industrial Light & Magic.

It was inevitable, though, that one day the reach of the digital world would need to be fed with greater challenges.

It would need to move toward the front end of the process the shooting itself, and more importantly, to the very back end of all our work the ultimate presentation of our movie in a theater.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't quite sure where to go to achieve this. Digital video augmented by incredible advances in imaging had clearly taken a giant step forward during the period of 1991 to 1995. But, in reality, the resolution was just not as good as original 35mm film. But it was so tantalizingly close, we were convinced that high definition, which Sony had been working on for over 15 years, could close the gap and get up to the picture sharpness and color imagery that we were desperate to achieve. I thought Sony might be the best place to start. It became immediately apparent, after our first meeting, that what we were asking for was going to cause some serious brain damage and not just technologically. In order for this to work, there would have to be a total transformation of their product development. In 1996, we set up a mini summit involving the key management from the hi-def center in Los Angeles, and the senior management from the Sony HD design groups in Japan. By the end of that exhausting two day visit, we had a commitment from Sony to develop a 24 frame high definition progressive scan camera, together with all of the key building blocks of a 24 frame post production system.

But that was only the first problem.

We needed lenses. They would have to be built from scratch. I went to meet with John Farrand, the President of Panavision to outline our plans. After two meetings, he agreed with a handshake, to deliver a prototype zoom lens so we could begin tests. He also promised that we would have a set of optically brilliant lenses by the time we started shooting.

We were finally on our way.

In 1998, a technical working group was formed, made up of many engineers from Sony, Panavision and Lucasfilm. For the next three long years this group met, on average, every two months thrashing out hundreds of system details which shaped all of the products and software that we needed developed.

Quite honestly, it was remarkable three companies working side by side without a single contract binding them together. In fact not a single lawyer was involved. It is incredible what you can accomplish with just good will, and without the help of a good lawyer!

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, an amazing thing happened in late November 1998 I got a call from Doug Darrow at Texas Instruments. He asked us if we would like to see a first generation demonstration of their new digital projector. We quickly set up a demo at Skywalker Ranch. When we saw the results we went absolutely nuts George was so enthusiastic that he wanted us to transfer Episode I to show in theaters on a trial basis as soon as the film would be released.

This was the final link in the evolutionary chain.

The results from the four theaters where we digitally projected the movie were outstanding. Audiences loved the sharpness and detail. That experience introduced us to a number of exciting new companies, who were desperate to push the boundaries of digital projection.

In late November of 1999, as promised, both Sony and Panavision delivered the first 24 frame prototype camera and lenses to us. For the next six months we shot dozens of tests in every possible environment.

Eventually we got the final version of the camera one week before our first day of principal photography. We started shooting without any film backup whatsoever. We just went for it. We shot in deserts, where the temperatures were over 125 degrees for weeks, we shot in torrential rain we shot in five different countries throughout the world. All without a single problem.

And so, after seven years of hard work and phenomenal engineering here we are. We still have over 300 unfinished visual effects from the last three reels of the film. Those will need to be completed in an astonishing seven weeks. We started our final mix yesterday. We will be releasing the film day and date in over 60 countries and in 19 different languages. But we will be ready May 16th.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Just like anybody can print a copy of the works of Shakespeare, without needing approval from his estate, one day in the future anybody will be able to encode a copy of the Star Wars movies without permission of Lucasfilm, we've just got to wait about another 70 years.

And most people will care why? I hope, that within the next 70 years this hatred of Lucas disappears and no one is running around in a “Han Shot First T-Shirt.”

 

[Rackhir]

And most people will care why? I hope, that within the next 70 years this hatred of Lucas disappears and no one is running around in a “Han Shot First T-Shirt.”

Apparently 0.7% of the population of England lists their religion on survays as "Jedi". So I suspect that not only will people care, but it's likely that there will have been religious wars and killings over those sorts of things.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/02/14/jedis_reach_the_stars/

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Apparently 0.7% of the population of England lists their religion on survays as "Jedi". So I suspect that not only will people care, but it's likely that there will have been religious wars and killings over those sorts of things.

Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet... The above is an urban legend. (Unless the “old” Urban Legend inspired it to become true.)

 

[Rackhir]

Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet... The above is an urban legend. (Unless the “old” Urban Legend inspired it to become true.)

Well the Register Story does link to an official looking web site, with the data they claim. Besides how can you resist the image of two star wars geeks attacking each other with their "lightsabers" denouncing the other as heretic, because they follow the original/special editions.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Well the Register Story does link to an official looking web site, with the data they claim.

And people give their credit card information, their eBay accounts, their paypal accounts, cause they get a link to a official looking website. (Not saying you would just that isn’t proof enough for me.)

Besides how can you resist the image of two star wars geeks attacking each other with their "lightsabers" denouncing the other as heretic, because they follow the original/special editions.

Granted that would be seriously funny. Of course it would be a sad day for ENworld cause we would never be able to talk about star wars again since it would be a real world religion.