The UNIT Files - Pull your loaded finger Out NOW

[SiHart]

Oh and apparently there's some very interesting casting revealed on the Dinos production news...

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Requoting Si's earlier post as quite interesting and important:

This is from Ed Stradling on this matter: (from Roobarbs)

A word about the cost implications.

To have redone all the Dino effects to industry standard would probably have cost around the same as an entire year's DVD VAM.

The CGI snake in Kinda (which was on screen for well under a minute) was done at a heavily discounted rate, and my understanding is that it still cost more than all of the CGI on the Black Guardian set.

We could have done it on the cheap, but not on my watch. I'm moderately proud of the VAM package on this set, whereas if I'd spent a massive chunk of the budget replacing sub-standard CSO/model work with sub-standard CGI dinosaurs, I would be deeply ashamed of it.

So while I'm sorry to disappoint those who like CGI extras, I hope everyone will understand why CGI dinosaurs weren't really on the cards. And you won't be getting a CGI skarasen either, I'm afraid.

[Si Hunt]

Very interesting Richard, thanks for posting!

Si.

[SiHart]

That was me

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I think Si deserves the credit for finding the original post on roobarbs.

Just did the locations and Sarah Jane features. I can personally vouch for the fact that someone credited for the locations visited most of them personally to check. Indeed, I was there for most of those visits

[Antony Cox]

The quality of the colour on Part One is not very good at all (and is well below the standard necessary for it to be included as the default version), but the interest of it is where the value lies for me. I know we already know what colour The Doctor's jacket was, and the fact that grass is green (in most of the parks round our way at least), but just to see it in some way restored to what it should have looked like on transmission is the important bit - it was never broadcast in B&W (though I'm aware of the irony that most households still had B&W sets in those days).

As for the Dinosaurs themselves, as nice as it sounds on paper, even if the cost wasn't prohibitive I think personally that it may have been a step too far to replace them with CGI. I'm just not sure that it would have been possible to do it 'in the style of' early 1970s TV, which it would really have had to have been to make it successful. The CGI Dalek saucer in TDIOE was excellent and perfectly achieved the sixties look, but I think it would have been far more difficult with Dinosaurs.

Having said that, they do seem to have stabilised the film sections of the Dinosuaurs where they are used in conjunction with CSO people, and IMOHO this has actually helped a lot.

[SiHart]

And how often do people actually watch the replacement effects, other than the first time out of interest? I know I rarely bother with them again.

[Si Hunt]

The irony for me is that the episode shows several people stealing colour televisions! It's like a metaphor.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

The quality of the colour on Part One is not very good at all

It's not great, but in my opinion it is still better than black and white!

The Hinchcliffe documentary was fabulous. Sadly it's made me want to see all of the things he's worked on since Doctor Who, but that's not very likely. I don't think any of them are out on DVD - are they?

[Si Hunt]

No. Unless I'm wrong. Am I?

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

We-ell, Private Shulz is on DVD (£4.49 at Amazon at the moment). The Gravy Train is available, but only on Region 1 for some reason. Bust and The Charmer are out too, and I'm sure Rebus is. And Zel's definitely got plenty of Taggart on DVD.

Ironically, it looks like the very first thing he did after Who ISN'T available - which was Target, created by Graham Williams!!

[J.R. Southall]

And how often do people actually watch the replacement effects, other than the first time out of interest? I know I rarely bother with them again.

Quite so.

I personally thought the colour was very poor, but also made for an absolutely fascinating watch. I'm glad it was included, but echo others in that the b&w is the correct default.

And Andrew, I heard that Graham Williams and Philip Hinchcliffe appeared on an untransmitted pilot for Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, and the whole Target/Doctor Who thing was sorted out that way.

[Rob McCow]

I'm glad it was included, but echo others in that the b&w is the correct default.

Interesting that people are saying this. I couldn't imagine watching the black and white version again!

[Si Hunt]

Me neither! Has anyone watched it, and has it been cleaned up? From a quality perspective the b&w shots looked far more dirty and grainy in the Then and Now extra than the quality of the colour Episode 1.

Why would you watch b&w than a version with faint colour? Surely the colour is just the b&q but a bit "more" so. If you see what I mean?

Si.

[Awesome Wells]

Me neither! Has anyone watched it, and has it been cleaned up? From a quality perspective the b&w shots looked far more dirty and grainy in the Then and Now extra than the quality of the colour Episode 1.

Why would you watch b&w than a version with faint colour? Surely the colour is just the b&q but a bit "more" so. If you see what I mean?

Si.

The colourisation is so poor it detracts from what's actually happening onscreen - particularly on location and when the camera is close-up on people. Pertwee looks like a Raston Warrior Robot in bad makeup.

Can't compare the tidying up of the B&W footage (if any) because this was my first time seeing Invasion Of The Dinosaurs. And my last.

[Si Hunt]

As mentioned, it's in the "Now and Then" feature.

Si.

[SiHart]

They quite often use the unrestored footage in the extras for some reason.

[Antony Cox]

The colourisation is so poor it detracts from what's actually happening onscreen - particularly on location and when the camera is close-up on people.

I agree entirely.

If you want to watch it undistraced then watch the B&W version, if not, the colour. Saying that, I'll probably still watch the colour version from now on; it's probably the first time seeing it in colour which is most distracting but I'm sure it'll be less so on subsequent viewings.

[Simon R]

I'm going to close my eyes and just listen to the soundtrack of Episode One in future.

[Stephen Morgan]

I thought the colour pretty good, better in some shots than others, but not too bad on the whole. Given that it's the first time I've ever seen it with any sort of colour I'm quite happy with it.

[J.R. Southall]

They quite often use the unrestored footage in the extras for some reason.

Generally the documentaries are recorded and edited before the restoration has been completed.

The main difference between the b&w and colour versions, quality-wise, is that some of the film prints were located and were able to be used to strike a better copy of the b&w film sequences, but because they were also black and white (and chroma-dot free) they were unable to be used in the colour version - the reason being they had a different picture area (the restoration coming from a copy that had been copied from the original, and had lost a small area on the borders of the picture all the way around), and had they been used, there would have been colour in the middle of the screen and a small b&w border all the way around it. Which would have just looked funny.


Eta: the video (ie studio) sequences should all be of identical quality on both versions.

[Antony Cox]

The main difference between the b&w and colour versions, quality-wise, is that some of the film prints were located and were able to be used to strike a better copy of the b&w film sequences, but because they were also black and white (and chroma-dot free) they were unable to be used in the colour version - the reason being they had a different picture area (the restoration coming from a copy that had been copied from the original, and had lost a small area on the borders of the picture all the way around), and had they been used, there would have been colour in the middle of the screen and a small b&w border all the way around it. Which would have just looked funny.

That's interesting!

I was aware that there are somne original film sequences around for Part Five which I have yet to see as I've only watched Parts 1-3 so far, but not for Part One.

I shall have to have a looksie!

[J.R. Southall]

I only discovered this was the case after asking about this situation specifically, and I think it was either Richard Bignell or one of the RT boys who filled me in on the facts.

I've always liked the b&w version of Part One anyway, so now that I've seen the coloured one I'll have to go back and look at what they've done with those film sequences.

[Rob McCow]

We did the commentary for parts 1&2 of Dinosaurs last night. Poor old Toby Hadoke, it sounds like he was having a really hard time with Paddy Russell! The part one commentary consists of Toby desparately trying to spark up a conversation while Paddy tries to enjoy the episode.

Part 2 more than makes up for it though. Richard Franklin claims that Peter Miles 'Led him astray'! Oh my! They're watching it with Hadoke and Dicks, which makes for an unexpectedly lively commentary. They'd all been to Nick Courtney's funeral the day before and there are some really glowing tributes. Then there's a real twinge of sadness when they say 'It's wonderful that Lis Sladen is still going in her own series'.

[Stuart Wallis]

We did the commentary for parts 1&2 of Dinosaurs last night. Poor old Toby Hadoke, it sounds like he was having a really hard time with Paddy Russell! The part one commentary consists of Toby desparately trying to spark up a conversation while Paddy tries to enjoy the episode.

I got that impresion watching a few of carole Ann Ford's stories - I think she'd rather be paid for watching them than talking about them.