Re: Anyone keen to do a TNG Blu-ray FAQ?
I can go through and make those changes as well as some other syntax-ual ones I see. Any other "Questions" one can see that need to be added?
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EDITED Version:
What is "re-mastering?" Re-mastering is when a show (or movie) is re-scanned to using the original film negatives and the reproduced onto a new medium (either tape, DVD, secondary negatives, etc.) It is not simply adding new effects, up-converting, or even cleaning up small imperfections. Going back to original film negatives is a key part of re-mastering.
Wasn't TNG shot on videotape? No. The Next Generation's live-action material, model work, and practical effect shots were all recorded using standard 35mm film, The final show, however, was edited on videotape meaning all of the film elements were put together to their final form on videotape. No film exists of the episodes assembled in their final format.
Then how are the episodes being made into HD? The TNG-HD staff has had to go back to all of the original film elements and basically re-edit the episode together entirely from scratch. 35mm film is very high resolution (even higher than HD currently is, in fact) so there's plenty of information there to get all of details needed for an HD picture; modern techniques are able to get the most information from the original film to produce a much better picture than could have been produced for television when the show originally ran, even if it had been edited to film.
Which model is being used in the effects? The effects shots of the show are using the original elements so all of the models used on the show will make their appearances in virtually the same places they were originally used. The replaced model shots using CGI will likely use an entirely scratch-built CGI model based on the original designs for the ship. This may mean the same inconsistencies in the ship's details will still exist in the series.
Are the Special Effects going to be done with CGI? Yes and No. For the most part TNG's effects were done "in camera" by filming models or other physical objects/materials to create an illusion; those separate elements were then combined together during editing to produce the final effect. The BD project is, mostly, going to use the original filmed elements but is also going to re-combine them using CGI backgrounds or for effects (like phaser beams, torpedo launches, etc.) In some cases CGI has been used to replace shots that could not be recovered or to correct mistakes and errors in the original work. For example, in the Enterprise's jump to warp during the opening credits there's an obvious difference between the lit "hero model" used for close ups and a smaller model with fewer lit cabin lights used for distance shots. The new effects has better blended the two models together and removed the missing interior lighting during the jump to warp, or has simply replaced the shot with an all CGI element.
Will we see anything new? The effects work being done either with CGI or by remastering the original film elements is trying to be as faithful as possible to the original effect. It's unlikely at this point we will see anything greatly new but not impossible either.
Will mistakes be corrected? At this point it would seem so. In the episode "Encounter at Farpoint" near the end an energy beam is used to "feed" an alien held captured on a planet. In the original episode the beam originated from the saucer section around the Captain's Yacht, in the BD release the beam originates, a bit more accurately, from the saucer's dorsal phaser strip. If this one shot is any indication it would seem some mistakes are being corrected.
Will it be in widescreen? The BD is maintaining the OAR (Original Aspect Ratio) of the show which was in the standard for the time 4:3 television format. Making the show into the present day standard of 16:9 format would mean either cropping the image (removing elements from either the top or bottom of the picture) or possibly widening the shot from the original film elements which would probably expose elements of production not intended to be seen. Either way making the show 16:9 could be viewed as distorting the original directors' intents for the episodes and shots. At this time the OAR is being maintained.
When is it going to be released? A sampler-disc set containing the two-hour pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint;" the third-season episode dealing with Worf and Klingon politics called "Sins of the Father" and the Emmy Award nominated, Hugo Award winning fifth-season episode "The Inner Light" focusing on Picard living another lifetime on a long dead alien world is set to be released on Blu-Ray on January 31, 2012. Reports have said the entire series will be released in season sets over the course of the next two years.
Will it be released on DVD? At this time only Blu-Ray sets are planned.
How much will the sets cost? As of this typing the sampler-set is selling for $15 on Amazon (marked down from the MSRP of $23), no pricing details on the future season sets has been released.
Will TNG-HD be released on Netflix or be on cable? The motivation for doing this seems to be along the same lines as the motivation for doing it for The Original Series, to ensure that the show will last into the next generation (pun intended) of TV viewers. It is very likely as HD and digital TV becomes more and more the standard TNG's HD version will be more what is used for TV and on Netflix and similar services as the original SD versions become less viable in an HD world.
Who is involved in this project? The project has involved many experts working with CBS/Paramount, people who've worked with TNG in the past as well as consulting input from the Okudas. Much like the TOS project, CBS/Paramount seems dedicated to getting this as right as possible to make the show viable for modern viewing while staying faithful to the original.
I heard that some scenes could not be recovered. Reports were heard that at least one, small, scene from "Sins of the Father" could not be found on film. Instead the scene was cleaned up from the (high-quality) videotape master of the episode. In the final BD the difference, while it will likely be noticeable, is a quick enough scene that it won't distract the viewer and the difference isn't reported to be too greatly stark. It remains possible that scene could be found as the project goes on and it's also possible more scenes could turn up missing requiring, again, to go to videotaped versions for the conversion.
How long has Paramount been working on this, how long will it take to do the whole show? It's been said that the show will be fully released on BD over the course of the next two years, this at very least suggests that work on this project has been going on for some time.
I thought fans had said doing TNG in HD would be impossible. Some may have said that, but most simply said that while it was "possible" it would just involve a lot of work and dedication from CBS/Paramount's end. The show is pretty much having to be re-assembled from scratch, which is different than what happened with TOS where the show was edited to film so it could simply be re-scanned and the effects sequences replaced. TNG has to be put together again the same way as it would have been done after the original episode's elements were shot. It was thought that CBS/Paramount wouldn't invest this much time and money into the project. We were wrong, CBS/Paramount has shown tremendous dedication to TNG HD.
Will the other series be done as well? At this time it is not known, it's possible CBS/Paramount will make that decision based on how well TNG-HD goes. The other series will likely face similar hurdles; for example while DS9 and Voyager both featured CGI effects they used CGI effects that may not be of quality that'd hold up for HD. Enterprise came out during the time when HD was coming to rise and may not need much, if any, changes. Again, the same motivations that caused CBS/Paramount to do the HD process for TOS and now TNG may come into play for the other series and prompt converting them as well.
