This is topic What special process was used for CTHD original print ? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Kamakshipalya Dhananjay (Member # 1391) on 08-27-2002, 12:52 AM:
Of all films I have ever seen on the big screen, none match the print quality of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. I saw the original movie with the English subtitles and since then, I have always wondered what process was utilised for this film print. All in all, in my opinion, this movie seemed to utlise some process that has never been utlised before, and AFAIK, has not been utilised since.
If I am asked to switch over to digital, all I will ask is whether digital projection can give me pictures like CTHD did. Interesting to note here is that the same movie was dubbed in English for release in India and other markets. And something must have happened with the dubbing that the dubbed print looked even less than ordinary. The dubbed print is not even worth talking about.
CTHD is the most beautiful I have ever seen on the screen. Thanks to whatever made it possible.
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Posted by Christopher Seo (Member # 7) on 08-27-2002, 07:46 AM:
I thought CTHD was mediocre in quality. The image was sometimes soft and muddy, the digital effects a bit jerky, and the credits were unwatchably soft and strobing. Gave you a headache just to look at them.The most perfect looking print/image I've ever seen was an EK print of "Pearl Harbor".
Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-27-2002, 08:05 AM:
The picture was shot in the Super 35 format.Cinematographer Peter Pau was featured on the Kodak website:
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/forum/onFilm/pauQA.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/forum/onFilm/pau.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/forum/featureFilms/pauChat01.shtml
The picture was featured in the January 2001 issue of American Cinematographer magazine.
Most of the prints in the original release were made on Kodak VISION Premier Color Print Film 2393.
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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-27-2002, 08:56 AM:
Almost any EK print will look spectacular because this is the state-of-the-art in release print technology. This is how good film can look. Imagine how much better it can look if the camera neg was 65mm? I have even seen a 16mm print of MICROCOSMOS which was so good that if I didn't know what was running up in the booth, I could easily have been convinced I was watching a 35mm print. Image quality can look so much better than what we have become accustom too. If only the industry would focus more on quality rather than on how to do it down and dirty, make the money, take the money and run to the next mediocre project when they happily indulge in the "good enough" dance. Frank