The Beyond –The Technical Debate

[the blob]

Originally Posted by evilzombie20

Very glad Arrow finally came through with an answer and as expected, it was something that wasn't their doing.

It doesn't make any sense that they would intentionally botch up this release. And as for me "getting off my knees", before anyone around here or anywhere for that matter is so quick to jump down on a company like this just remember; they are one of the only companies in this business giving films like this the presentations they deserve and in some cases more than they deserve. Jumping down their throat and crying blasphemy is just a little steep in my opinion, especially for the only company giving us this classic and others like it on Blu.

I'm all for giving anyone the benefit of the doubt in situations like this. Can't understand why some people aren't as keen to as well. To each their own I suppose.

To be fair, I don't think anyone has jumped down Arrow's throat at all. We just stated that we wanted it corrected to sepia, which was later confirmed. Had anyone not noticed or mentioned anything then it could gone like this to release and would have been a bigger job for Arrow when people have actually spent money on it and a large disgruntled mob formed.

It's great that this forum is here and things like this can be caught, queried and go back to Arrow. I'm very pleased that they're looking into it and I'll happily wait as long as it takes to get the version of the film I and everyone else wants. I'm sure it will also endear Arrow to more people that they're listening and being proactive.

[skyofcrack]

Originally Posted by Mike T. at avmaniacs www .avmaniacs. com/forums/showthread.php?t=47492&p=872559&viewfull=1#post872 559
Another triumph was the stylised opening lynch-mob sequence set in 1927, a combination of Lentini’s masterful period costumes and sets, Di Rossi’s painfully realistic makeup special effects, and Salvati’s striking cinematography. “Initially the prologue was to have been shot in black and white to simplify the whole operation,” recalls Salvati. “But then I opted for the soft yellow, almost golden filter which blended in with the torches and flashes of light and was reflected in the clothes worn by the inquisitors and the burnt lime on Schweik’s face. What I was trying to recreate was the effect of an old, yellowed photograph, something outside of time, putting a gap between the present day story and the prologue as if they were two separate films, divided by an infinite arc of time, a long bridge, like the one that Liza takes to meet Emily. I discarded the usual sepia – the colour of memories – since there are no relationships between the characters based on memory. Instead, THE BEYOND is a horror that lies outside time and space”.

I really hope Arrow pay close attention to this information since Salvati ended up using a filter to create his own version of Sepia Tone which is more golden-yellow then brown. Normal Sepia Tone is derived through a chemical process of the bleaching and washing of a black and white film. Since The Beyond opening was never shot in B&W, a Sepia Tone process could not be done. At least back when the film came out. The Sepia Tone versions that are out there are faked.

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Great news. I bet Fran and everyone else at Arrow have been running about like headless chickens since they found out about the B&W prologue.

[Koukol]

Count me in as one who's relieved that ARROW will release this with the "vintage toned beginning" as was intended.

[bgart13]

I'm curious why Arrow would send out checkdiscs without checking themselves first to see what they were sending out. Is there someone at Arrow that has that task? I'm not busting balls here, I'm honestly wondering why this happens.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I'm not sure of the exact reason and I imagine it's one of those things that fell through the quality control net. It can happen to the biggest of companies -- just look at the crappy disc of Gladiator that Universal Pictures, of all studios, sent out. It's not as if they are short of personnel or money and yet they made a monumental error with Gladiator. Same goes for Momentum with Let the Right One In -- another distributor that is much bigger than Arrow.

[vinncent]

Maybe no one at Arrow had ever seen "The Beyond" before!

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by vinncent

Maybe no one at Arrow had ever seen "The Beyond" before!

From that statement, it isn't down to the people at Arrow but the technical wizards who do all the complicated stuff with colours and software to eliminate as much detritus as possible whilst maintaining fine detail.

[DaveSimonH]

"as well as MTI technology to remove marks and picture defects."

Hope this doesn't mean running it through a DNR machine, and hoping for the best.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by DaveSimonH

"as well as MTI technology to remove marks and picture defects."

Hope this doesn't mean running it through a DNR machine, and hoping for the best.

Hopefully it refers to one of those machines where the film is scanned frame by frame and the most obvious scratches and pieces of dirt are 'erased' like they do with silent or very old films when the print isn't in the best condition.