Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/4585
at 4K to 10-bit log DPX files on LiquiDefinition, a modern, high-resolution, film scanner, based around an XE Advanced scanner. The wet gate eliminates scratches during the scan. 4K frames were then resized to 2K, began simultaneously color correct- reel while a team of restoration spent in excess of 1,000 hours using Resolve color corrector and Re- restoration system. "The tight integration between Resolve and Re- vival is key to an optimized restoration workflow," notes McKee. "Color cor- rection and restoration are no longer on separate is- lands. The Resolve allows a colorist to mark frames or scenes that need restora- tion and then communi- cates to the Revival system and lets the ar tist know their attention is needed. Once completed, the re- stored footage automati- cally is available in the Re- solve timeline with before/ after functionality. A colorist experienced with restora- tion processing settings can also send batches for pro- cessing on their own, time- sharing with Revival's Pow- erhouse render nodes." McKee also praised Re- vival's optional grain sam- pling tool, which allows the ar tist to take snapshots of the grain structure of the film, and re-apply it where necessar y. "Some shots of Von Ryan's Express were so damaged that we had to do multi-frame morphs to re- build some frames.This type of processing can smooth out the grain to the point where it's noticeably missing in the middle of a grainy scene. Using the sampling tool, we can easily match back an identical grain structure, which is far supe- rior to emulating film stocks." IVC has been developing a suite of its own tools for image processing, including new grain/noise removal tools. "After speak- ing with a number of the major studios, I kept hearing that typical artifacts created by grain reduction processes were unwel- come," McKee explains. "So, working with a team of Ph.Ds and programmers, we've come up with algorithms and methods that allow us to completely remove grain from film, if a client so desires, without the 'plastic look' or any of the ar tifacts typically associ- ated with such extreme processing. Of course, we can always dial it back." IVC has dubbed its new tool suite, A.R.T. for Advanced Restoration Tools, because, "at the end of the day, technology and gizmos aside, what we work with every day is pure ar t, and it should be treated as such and handled with the proper care this historic art deserves," he says. "Grain reduction, much like color correc- tion, is a subjective process," he continues. "Our philosophy is to give the client what they want and collaborate together to achieve the client's desired 'look', instead of imposing our own." A.R.T. was also designed to remove noise from legacy videotape formats, such as quad and 1-inch. R O S S E L L I N I C O L L E C T I O N Since 1984, The Criterion Collection (www.criterion.com) has published a series of classic and contemporar y films in high- quality editions with award-winning original supplements. It boasts its own in-house facil- ity for the video restoration of the great cin- ema titles it now issues on Blu-ray and DVD. "In the last seven or eight years, our restoration work has exploded: We're putting out five to seven movies a month," repor ts technical director Lee Kline. "We scour the world for the best film elements to transfer from. We're working on John Ford's 1939 Stagecoach now, which has no original negative or positive. We've found el- ements in London's BFI, the Library of Con- gress, the UCLA Film Archives, and with pri- vate collectors." Major detective work was also required for a package of Italian neorealist films di- rected by Rober to Rossellini from 1945-48: Rome, Open City, Paisan and Germany Year RESTORATION