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Author
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Topic: Restoring Apollo mission reels, 16mm footage
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-22-2017 12:19 PM
  
It's hard to believe that next year marks the first of the 50th anniversaries of the Apollo missions. I live in hope that someone will tackle two worthwhile projects: - Is there any technical reason why the semi-official NASA documentaries on each mission (example: "Apollo 17: On the Shoulders of Giants") could not be restored and released on Blu-ray?
- Might someone produce a documentary using primarily the Apollo 16mm movie footage? Some of that footage is stunningly good when seen in HD (for example, in the Blu-ray set "When We Left Earth"). A generic mission could be put together using the best onboard footage; the best lunar orbit film; the best landing footage; and the best footage taken on the moon, both from inside the LM and on the lunar surface.
We have all seen fragments of the 16mm film, but an hour of the best film, in HD, would fill one of the biggest gaps in the presentation of Apollo material.
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Jim Behling
Member Posts: 1463
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 01-22-2017 01:18 PM
The technical reason is money. Who is going to provide it and why? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-22-2017 02:43 PM
Funding might be a concern, but foremost would be the condition of the film.While the original flight film is preserved at Johnson Space Center, the condition, let alone existence, of the original mission documentary reels would be a factor as to whether they can be restored for HD. There have been a number of TV and film projects shot on 16mm that the studios passed on releasing on Blu-ray, specifically citing the degraded quality of the available film. That said, I am aware of at least two projects, both still in their early stages, that might be able to help answer the question, if not deliver on some of what Geoffrey proposes. I don't know when or if they may see the light of day, but will certainly share when there is news. |
mode1charlie
Member Posts: 1169
From: Honolulu, HI
Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 01-22-2017 11:08 PM
With the caveat that the possible deterioration of the film (I hope that's not the case) is an X factor I'm not qualified to assess, I think this is a great idea.What about a Kickstarter campaign? |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-23-2017 11:52 AM
If someone starts it, I'll kick it!A third point has occurred to me. Any dyed-in-the-wool Apollo fan will have a copy of the "Moonwalk One: Director's Cut" on DVD. That is a film which certainly deserves to be released on Blu-ray. Yes, I suppose cost must be an issue, but that might be another worthy job for Kickstarter. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-23-2017 12:08 PM
Any talk of a crowdfunding effort would need to come after a motivated party identifies the needed materials to proceed, including access to the source film. As for "Moonwalk One," I suggest contacting Chris Riley, as he was responsible for its mastering for DVD. |
neo1022
Member Posts: 281
From: Santa Monica, CA
Registered: Jun 2013
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posted 01-24-2017 12:41 PM
Check out Al Reinert's 1989 documentary "For All Mankind." He was able to remaster the original NASA footage, and put together a "generic" mission profile, much as you suggested. I love the film — it's one of the most beautiful ever, and the Eno score is terrific — but purists tend to get worked up about the mixing of the mission footage. Anyway, check it out. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-25-2017 09:04 AM
I agree. I have "For All Mankind" on Blu-ray, which eloquently makes the point that there is a market for a Blu-ray version of "Moonwalk One." |
wdw
Member Posts: 58
From: Scotland
Registered: May 2007
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posted 01-25-2017 06:47 PM
Given that the Apollo onboard 16-mm magazines are slowly being released on YouTube under the Apollo Flight Journal channel, it's within the whit of the amateur to acquire a copy of the NASA doc and replace all the onboard shots with a high res version. Editing software can be very cheap these days. (At a quick check, all the footage from Apollos 10, 11 and 14 are there.) |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-26-2017 05:03 PM
Maybe it's an age thing, but I always like to have a personal copy of important space footage, in this context a Blu-ray which I can hold in my hand; play in my Blu-ray player on an HD screen; and store on a shelf with similar discs for easy retrieval and viewing. I suspect WDW (greetings, David!) would agree with that. If the Apollo onboard movie footage is becoming so easily available, would it not be relatively straightforward for the footage to be gathered onto a set of discs by an enterprising small business to sell under license? (It may be clear from this that I would doubt my ability to do it myself. Time to be nice to my brother...) |
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