Dark Sky Films

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (MYST0) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:35:03 GMT

Just finished watching the Dark Sky Blood of the Vampire. To me it was almost unwatchable. The image is very grainy, but the amount of image lopped off the bottom is just incredible. Have they ever addressed this mess?

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Paul Haight) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:06:17 GMT

Stuart Galbraith's review of the Dark Sky disc at DVDTalk notes "the widescreen cropping is obviously too tight here and there...in tight close-ups of Chiba and Neal together, often Neal's face is cut off at the eyeballs, and the already singularly inept U.S. main titles are rendered virtually unreadable", and suggests that the 4:3 framing on the R2 disc "seems...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (TServo4) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:05:57 GMT

Until sometime in the real late '60s/early '70s, Japan did not adopt the flat widescreen ratio, so films were either shot Academy or Scope, unless there was some substantial American money in the project. Same held true for several other countries, but in general, yes, you can assume that all but some iota of theatrically produced films in the US after '53 were some form of widescreen.

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Michael Elliott) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:03:50 GMT

It's very unlikely any film after 1953 was meant to be 4:3 unless it was to be made for TV.

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (JimPV) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:33:56 GMT

jaymazing wrote:

JimPV wrote:

I've heard the transfer of Dark Sky's Terror from Beneath the Sea was done by the HD Monsters video channel, and is subsequently cropped to 1.78:1 (instead of the 2.35:1 that it should be).

Terror Beneath the Sea was never 2.35:1. I have the Japanese R2 DVD and the aspect ratio was...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Tumak) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:55:47 GMT

Jeffrey Allen Rydell wrote:
At any rate, I've had no direct contact with anyone from Dark Sky on this issue.

Ah, OK then, it's something else. If I remember the Mobius thread correctly, you alluded to some sort of direct contact with a company. I just don't remember the context...

It's an allusion illusion!

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:36:33 GMT

Tumak wrote:

Jeffrey Allen Rydell wrote:

todmichel wrote:
Incidentally, did you try to contact Dark Sky about the cropping of their movies on DVDs ? it would be interesting to know THEIR motives.
I didn't make a point of contacting them - but have it on fairly good...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Tumak) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:29:34 GMT

Jeffrey Allen Rydell wrote:

todmichel wrote:
Incidentally, did you try to contact Dark Sky about the cropping of their movies on DVDs ? it would be interesting to know THEIR motives.
I didn't make a point of contacting them - but have it on fairly good authority that they're aware of this thread all the same.

You alluded to...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (jaymazing) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:29:20 GMT

JimPV wrote:

dhtreptow wrote:
Sure, but I'll bet 75% of the masters were done before Dark Sky (and others) even get to them, they just pay whomever prepared them for syndication the rite to make a DVD release...

I've heard the transfer of Dark Sky's Terror from Beneath the Sea was done by the HD Monsters video...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:22:50 GMT

todmichel wrote:
Incidentally, did you try to contact Dark Sky about the cropping of their movies on DVDs ? it would be interesting to know THEIR motives.

I didn't make a point of contacting them - but have it on fairly good authority that they're aware of this thread all the same.

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (todmichel) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:04:17 GMT

Incidentally, did you try to contact Dark Sky about the cropping of their movies on DVDs ? it would be interesting to know THEIR motives. In any case, I'm now waiting for better DVDs of "The Flesh Eaters", "The Horror of Party Beach", "Curse of the Living Corpse", "Slaughter of the Vampires", etc. Their versions are pure garbage.

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (JimPV) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:21:13 GMT

dhtreptow wrote:
Sure, but I'll bet 75% of the masters were done before Dark Sky (and others) even get to them, they just pay whomever prepared them for syndication the rite to make a DVD release...

I've heard the transfer of Dark Sky's Terror from Beneath the Sea was done by the HD Monsters video channel, and is subsequently cropped to 1.78:1 (instead of the 2.35:1 that it should...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (bgart13) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:23:54 GMT

Has anyone tried contacting DS? Just wonderin'...

Ben

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:28:56 GMT

TServo4 wrote:
But back to Dark Sky-- judging from what we've seen, this doesn't seem to be benefiting anyone. If you like open matte or wide-screen, it doesn't matter. What is being presented is inaccurate to both.

Like I was sayin' at the beginning of the thread - their transfers are kinda crap! It's really disheartening, because the elements are generally in robust condition*, and these are all...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:20:31 GMT

TServo4 wrote:
The torque from each projector I would imagine is exponential...

This was my thinking. Except, you know, I hadn't actually thought to employ the term 'torque'. I would've gotten there eventually, I tells ya!

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (TServo4) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:56:58 GMT

Depends on if the film is rubbing on anything. If every one of the rollers is moving, the film is not touching anything but the rollers between projectors, and there is nothing in the gate to scratch the film, it should be as good on the last run as it is on the first.

Problem is that this is in an ideal world, which seldom exists. My guess is that since the film is running close to the carpeted floor where people walk, some amount of static electricity is building up on the print...

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:40:47 GMT

TServo4 wrote:
As seen here, I guess the answer is yes. But these guys are REALLY pros at this stuff, and probably spent all night setting this thing up. There are so many things that COULD go wrong!

Bet if you ran like that - successfully - through even one full day, that print would be covered in 'hash scratches'.

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (TServo4) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:19:00 GMT

As seen here, I guess the answer is yes. But these guys are REALLY pros at this stuff, and probably spent all night setting this thing up. There are so many things that COULD go wrong!

See how a crazy stunt video brings us all together?

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Joe Karlosi) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:06:02 GMT

That's unbelievable. Can one full-length feature actually sustain all that?? There seems such a likely chance of error or film breakage.

Re: Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:02:25 GMT

TServo4 wrote:
If you REALLY want to see something crazy, check this out: http://www.film-tech.com/warehouse/wareview.php?id=1261&category=3
16 projectors running in interlock--- all running the same print.

God, that's a bad idea. Running interlock in *two* houses used to make me nervous as hell.
...

Dark Sky Films

feeds@yuku.com (Jeffrey Allen Rydell) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:11:41 GMT

Anybody else feel their transfers are kinda crap?

HORROR OF PARTY BEACH is needlessly matted - this ain't a widescreen film, if only out of basic negligence in the original photography. I haven't watched CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE yet, but apparently that fares even worse.

Their transfers of BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE and SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES are over-matted, the compression is crap on WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? and COUNT DRACULA (and I'm convinced COUNT isn't a...