ITBYH Blu-ray I thought they weren't doing this

[Blue and Green]

My link

Any other details on this release.

[Moss]

Excellent news though!

[Tribute2Johnny]

It's not really excellent.

The film was never in a high definition to warrant a Blu-Ray release- hence the lack of support from the band about this in the past.

[Moss]

It's not really excellent.

The film was never in a high definition to warrant a Blu-Ray release- hence the lack of support from the band about this in the past.

 

I guess I'm hoping there will be extras, commentary, something to make it worthwhile.

[The High Heat]

I guess I'm hoping there will be extras, commentary, something to make it worthwhile.

I'll take this - an out-takes addition, but fuck the Blu Ray. It won't help enhance shitty film. I watched the DVD on a brand new tv with excellent resolution a couple months ago, and it was "splotchy" in several places, especially on close-ups of people's faces. It was horrible and disappointing. Blu Ray enhances digital quality, not bad lighting and film-making.

[u2roolz]

I'll take this - an out-takes addition, but fuck the Blu Ray. It won't help enhance shitty film. I watched the DVD on a brand new tv with excellent resolution a couple months ago, and it was "splotchy" in several places, especially on close-ups of people's faces. It was horrible and disappointing. Blu Ray enhances digital quality, not bad lighting and film-making.

 

I firmly believe that Sam Jones decided to use the look of grainy film as his aesthetic choice to mimic the look of those old Black & White music documentaries. Of course, film grain is achieved through the specific film stock used and the size of the grains of silver halide in the emulsion. Larger grains give the film a sensitivity to light. Fast films (or highly sensitive to light) produce grainier images because they are used for shooting in poor light/fast motion.

 

As a filmmaker myself, I am happy that Jones' vision hasn't been tampered with for the sake of a PR nightmare. This is in the same book as purists crying that most of those old Black & White films were being colorized for just the sake of doing it and making money off of it. This was a horrible & misinformed period in film history, where cinematographer's works were being butchered. These people were doing this to achieve a certain look as well and not to mention well trained to light and shoot for black & white film stock. In more recent times, you haven't seen City Of God on Blu Ray yet because it is grainy. It's a bit of a weird conundrum: the new television & DVD technology is allowing viewers to see films the way that they were always meant to be seen. The problem is that for every shiny CGI cartoon that looks amazing on Blu Ray there is that old/new grainy film that has people scratching their head thinking that something is wrong with their television. (Edit: The most recent example that I can think of is the Coen Bros. B & W The Man Who Wasn't There which is not on Blu Ray yet either. Take a look at that film and tell me if you would change the shadows, so that they look different for your fancy tv. Although, ironically this film was shot in color and ended up being transferred to black & white film. Would you fuck with this image?)

 

I'll be the first to admit that not every single one of those grainy films were exactly a cinematographer's choice, but more of an economic choice due to buying cheaper film stock and thus getting the grainy look. But it's pretty impossible to narrow down which ones would fall under this specific choice.

 

Hollywood Studios Removing Film Grain For Blu Ray Releases

Hollywood Attacking Film Grain For Blu Ray

[Magnetized]

I firmly believe that Sam Jones decided to use the look of grainy film as his aesthetic choice to mimic the look of those old Black & White music documentaries.

. . . .

The problem is that for every shiny CGI cartoon that looks amazing on Blu Ray there is that old/new grainy film that has people scratching their head thinking that something is wrong with their television. (Edit: The most recent example that I can think of is the Coen Bros. B & W The Man Who Wasn't There which is not on Blu Ray yet either. Take a look at that film and tell me if you would change the shadows, so that they look different for your fancy tv. Although, ironically this film was shot in color and ended up being transferred to black & white film. Would you fuck with this image?)

 

 

I couldn't agree with you more. Can you imagine D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back with a shiny, sharp Bob Dylan in color? Aargh! Filmmakers often prefer to use B&W or grainy textures to achieve a more timeless, dreamlike effect. It's not done more often, I believe, because of the economics of the movie business: audiences just won't accept it and so studios won't support it. (The Coens had the clout to get away with it.)

 

In fact, if you think about it, shooting IATTBYH in grainy B&W was the perfect stylistic choice for Sam Jones: an homage to Don't Look Back and a complement to the overall theme of the movie. I'm not sure this was completely intentional, but it definitely works.

 

That said, I don't have any problem with a blu-ray release as long as the original integrity of the film is maintained, although I agree there's no driving reason to do it. But like it or not, people with big, high resolution TVs and blu-ray players are going to want to have blu-ray movies in their libraries.

[bigshoulders]

Don't forget, blu-ray isn't just about an upgraded image, it's also about the uncompressed soundtrack. DVDs have a compressed soundtrack, blu-rays do not. (Think mp3 vs. CD.)

 

I'll quietly duck out of this thread now.

 

This is a dead horse.

[TCP]

I guess I'm hoping there will be extras, commentary, something to make it worthwhile.

You mean like an entire disc of extras? Or a commentary from Sam Jones, Jeff, Glenn, John, and Leroy?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

[Magnetized]

You mean like an entire disc of extras? Or a commentary from Sam Jones, Jeff, Glenn, John, and Leroy?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

 

There was a single disc version released--not sure whether that one contained many extras, and possibly some people only know about that version. But your point is a good one--the 2-disc version of IATTBYH is chockful of all the extras you mention and more.

 

As to the uncompressed sound on blu-ray, that's right--I forgot about that. That could make a blu-ray worth getting.

[Moss]

You mean like an entire disc of extras? Or a commentary from Sam Jones, Jeff, Glenn, John, and Leroy?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

 

So sue me, I just got a PS3 and I'm excited about the possibilities of anything in the Blu Ray realm! Better sound then, let's go with that!

[The High Heat]

I firmly believe that Sam Jones decided to use the look of grainy film as his aesthetic choice to mimic the look of those old Black & White music documentaries. Of course, film grain is achieved through the specific film stock used and the size of the grains of silver halide in the emulsion. Larger grains give the film a sensitivity to light. Fast films (or highly sensitive to light) produce grainier images because they are used for shooting in poor light/fast motion.

 

As a filmmaker myself, I am happy that Jones' vision hasn't been tampered with for the sake of a PR nightmare. This is in the same book as purists crying that most of those old Black & White films were being colorized for just the sake of doing it and making money off of it. This was a horrible & misinformed period in film history, where cinematographer's works were being butchered. These people were doing this to achieve a certain look as well and not to mention well trained to light and shoot for black & white film stock. In more recent times, you haven't seen City Of God on Blu Ray yet because it is grainy. It's a bit of a weird conundrum: the new television & DVD technology is allowing viewers to see films the way that they were always meant to be seen. The problem is that for every shiny CGI cartoon that looks amazing on Blu Ray there is that old/new grainy film that has people scratching their head thinking that something is wrong with their television. (Edit: The most recent example that I can think of is the Coen Bros. B & W The Man Who Wasn't There which is not on Blu Ray yet either. Take a look at that film and tell me if you would change the shadows, so that they look different for your fancy tv. Although, ironically this film was shot in color and ended up being transferred to black & white film. Would you fuck with this image?)

 

I'll be the first to admit that not every single one of those grainy films were exactly a cinematographer's choice, but more of an economic choice due to buying cheaper film stock and thus getting the grainy look. But it's pretty impossible to narrow down which ones would fall under this specific choice.

 

Hollywood Studios Removing Film Grain For Blu Ray Releases

Hollywood Attacking Film Grain For Blu Ray

I don't have a problem with Jones or his vision, but I'm not sure he pulled it off as best he could. Jones is a photographer and this was his first film. Surely, his inexperience caused him to make mistakes. I watched Don't Look Back on the very same tv and that 45 year old film looked fantastic. I like grainy, but quality is important, even when in a production featuring imperfections. I don't require slick and polished music or movies, but, at times, the flaws in the Jones flick distracted from the flow of of the story and music.

[Guest Speed Racer]

the flaws in the Jones flick distracted from the flow of of the story and music.

 

I'll take IATTBYH any day over Sunken Treasure or the DVD I Shall Not Mention. Perhaps it's because IATTBYH actually had a compelling plot, but the flaws - if you're talking about the ones I am (random shots, out of focus scenes and poor camera work) - only add to the film for me.

[The High Heat]

I'll take IATTBYH any day over Sunken Treasure or the DVD I Shall Not Mention. Perhaps it's because IATTBYH actually had a compelling plot, but the flaws - if you're talking about the ones I am (random shots, out of focus scenes and poor camera work) - only add to the film for me.

Oh, I'm down with you on the preference in Wilco DVDs. I love the Jones documentary, but I had always watched it in analog, so when I switched to a much larger digital, certain things jumped out at me. Mostly where I got distracted in the close-ups of Kot and Grier. The mixture of lighting and film make it look these guys have a rare skin disease. It sounded better on the new tv, but I may just watch it on the computer from now on - or, over time, just adjust myself to the difference.

[Dude]

Don't mean to be a buzzkill, but that December 31, 2010 release date seems highly unrealistic.