A Few Words About A few words about...™ Titanic -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

I think I may be in the minority, but I prefer the depth aspect of 3D to anything popping out, it lets me feel that I am looking into a world and things that pop out take me out of the effect in a way.

Me too. If we're talking about a less serious movie like Piranha 3-D or Jackass 3-D, I don't mind the show-y 3-D effects but overall, 3-D works best for me when I'm pulled in rather than having them point objects into the camera.
For those that haven't seen Titanic in 3-D, it's the rare exception to the "Conversions don't work" rule.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein /t/323412/a-few-words-about-titanic-in-blu-ray#post_3969341
I think I may be in the minority, but I prefer the depth aspect of 3D to anything popping out, it lets me feel that I am looking into a world and things that pop out take me out of the effect in a way.

I think horror films are a good example of movies where pop out effects can work very well, the thing is, i do firmly believe that even a film like Titanic should have at least a few pop out moments, i'll give you another film, Avatar, i have only seen this in 2D but the scene early on where they are walking along the huge log and the flower/plant things are floating in the air all around and attracted to the main character, that would be a great opportunity to have them floating in your room, they could make that so real you would want to touch them, did they. ? No idea but if they just added depth then i would be so disappointed, a waste of 3D is my opinion.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I think horror films are a good example of movies where pop out effects can work very well, the thing is, i do firmly believe that even a film like Titanic should have at least a few pop out moments, i'll give you another film, Avatar, i have only seen this in 2D but the scene early on where they are walking along the huge log and the flower/plant things are floating in the air all around and attracted to the main character, that would be a great opportunity to have them floating in your room, they could make that so real you would want to touch them, did they. ?  No idea but if they just added depth then i would be so disappointed, a waste of 3D is my opinion.

The most magical moment of 3D for me was in Tintin when they go into the closed up house.
You can see all the dust particles floating in the air.
That's what sold me for all time on the dramatic possibilites of the format. I seriously want to make an intimate character drama in 3D. Maybe if there was an argument and someone threw something in anger that would be a justified pop out moment in that film, but as a filmmaker I'd want to be well aware of the effect that would have on the story I was telling.
I guess I'm hoping we can get to a point where this is used as a tool for telling stories, like Color or sound, and not a "gee-whiz" gimmick like a Cinerama Travelogue or IMAX in space, or Polyester in Smell-o-Vision...

 

[Vincent_P]

I thought only the special effects scenes were anamorphic.

Nothing was shot "anamorphic" for TITANIC. It was shot 4-perf Super-35 and composed for 'Scope theatrical distribution- Cameron's preferred shooting format at the time- with exception to the actual underwater footage of the wreck itself which was shot in 2-perf 35mm (i.e., Techniscope), as Robert has already pointed out. Digital effects were finished in a 2:1 aspect ratio.
Effects plates may have been shot large format, but nothing was anamorphic about this production (Cameron developed an aversion to working with anamorphic lenses when he worked on the effects for John Carpenter's ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK). The bottom line is, for the 1.78:1 3D version, most of the movie is "opened up" to create the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, but digital effects shots would be cropped from 2:1 to 1.78:1 (unless Cameron redid all the effects in 1.78:1), and underwater 2-perf shots of the wreck would be cropped from 2.4:1 to 1.78:1.
Vincent

 

[Escapay]

Regarding the doc, it doesn't go into detail of every bit of the problems making the film, it's more of a general look. But then you know, everything has been written about what happened and how hard it was. What will be left is the success the hard work made possible, not the shenanigans behind the scenes.

Can you tell us if the following features are included on the Blu-Ray? They weren't listed in the press releases or on Paramount's website, so I fear they've been dropped.
Behind the Scenes:
- 1912 News Reel (2:23)
- Titanic Ship's Tour (7:40)
Marketing:
- Heart of the Ocean: The Making of Titanic (27:33, HBO, 1997)
- Titanic: Breaking New Ground (42:46, FOX, 1998)
- Electronic Press Kit: Story Focus (3:00), Actor Focus (2:16), "Building the Ship" (2:35), "Populating the Ship" (3:00), "Sinking the Ship" (2:33), Cameron Focus (2:32), Deep Dive Focus (2:53) (18:49 total)
- ShoWest Trailer (5:20)
- Unused "Action" Trailer (2:07)
- French Trailer (2:28)
- TV Spot: German Holiday Spot (0:30)
As for the documentary, I guess it is what it is. Once I heard it was being done by Bouzereau and not Marsh, I lost my excitement for it.

 

[DVDvision]

I think like on Avatar, that Bouzereau mostly did an editing job based on material shot by others (thought he may have been responsible for shooting the new interviews). So most of the footage is still Marsh, I'll check the credits later today to see.

 

[Robert George]

Okay, so...I want to be able to watch Titanic in both 1.78:1 and 2.35:1, 2D only. Can someone more familiar with 3D discs say definitively if it is possible to play the 1.78:1 3D version of this film in 2D?

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Robert George /t/323412/a-few-words-about-titanic-in-blu-ray#post_3969595
Okay, so...I want to be able to watch Titanic in both 1.78:1 and 2.35:1, 2D only. Can someone more familiar with 3D discs say definitively if it is possible to play the 1.78:1 3D version of this film in 2D?

Depends how the disc is authored, some 3D films play in 2D and some do not, we won't know till its released, there is software out there which allows you to play any 3D movie in 2D using a computer or through your Oppo blu ray player, i cannot link to it as this is forbidden, do a Google search or PM me for info.

 

[Mark-P]

Okay, so...I want to be able to watch Titanic in both 1.78:1 and 2.35:1, 2D only.  Can someone more familiar with 3D discs say definitively if it is possible to play the 1.78:1 3D version of this film in 2D?

Like Malcolm said, it's dependent on how the disc is encoded. Since a 2D version will be included on a separate disc it is highly unlikely that the 3D disc will be 2D-compatible. This means the 3D disc would not play on a Blu-ray player that doesn't have 3D capability. In fact my 3D Blu-ray player won't even play 3D discs unless it detects a connection to a 3D television!

 

[JParker]

FWIW, the NEW YORK TIMES has some information on the conversion to 3D:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/29/movies/titanic-3d-conversion.html
And this video from Fox is informative, I think:

 

[FoxyMulder]

Some screencaps of the film which i know some of you hate, see the comments section below the caps for the 3D edition.

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleiche/comparison.php?cID=1259#auswahl

 

[Nelson Au]

In reviewing the options for the blu ray packages, either you can get the 3D and 2D blu ray and special features sundries, or the other option of the 2D blu ray and standard DVD with special feature sundries.
I am really liking the options of late to be able to get the 3D and 2D blu ray and DVD in one package. But since this is not an option for Titanic, then I guess I will have to defer to the 3D and 2D blu ray set.
So the question is, besides the work done to prepare for blu ray and a alternate 3D version, what is new in this cut? Is it mainly some fixes to remove things not meant to be seen, such as a shot that accidentally reveals the landscape behind the ship and also the repositioning of the stars in the sky to conform to the time of the sinking and the date? I have the Titanic 3 disc DVD Special Edition, if the changes are that minor, I'll retain this DVD set as I like to have a DVD copy of all blu rays when possible rather then purchase another DVD copy. Many thanks.

 

[TravisR]

So the question is, besides the work done to prepare for blu ray and a alternate 3D version, what is new in this cut?

Assuming the Blu-ray is the same as the 3-D theatrical release, the only differences are a few very minor changes. In addition to what you listed, there's some stars added to the background of a handful of exterior shots and they corrected the color of a funnel in one shot.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Travis!

 

[DVDvision]

The sky correction is actually just one shot. The rest are just minor historical accuracy touch-ups, that most people will not notice.

Get the 3D version pack, you won't regret owning this in 3D when you will switch your TV.

 

[TravisR]

The sky correction is actually just one shot.

There's a couple of shots (like when Rose first meets Jack as she's planning to jump off the back of the ship and some shots during the sinking) where there's stars where there weren't before. I'll even allow that maybe it's due to the 4K master and they've actually always been there but those stars weren't visible before.

 

[DVDvision]

Thanks, I will check this out. It's probably the remaster making them appear more clearly, but who knows, like in Aliens, some of the fixes might be "silent".

 

[Nelson Au]

I'm actually close to upgrading to a 3D blu ray player from my 2D blu ray player. The TV is brand new and 3D capable! I just haven't gotten a player yet.
My eyes have issues seeing 3D effects at the theater. I was able to see a few effects in Avatar. But it wasn't very impressive. A control panel popped out of the screen when Sigorney Weaver was putting what's his name into the machine for the very first time. But the flying shots and other parts of the film looked flat and 2D to me.
I couldn't see any 3D effects in Prometheus.
So it will be interesting to see if the 3D effect works better for me at home with a 3D system. Mine is the Panasonic.
Whenever the option is there, I will get the 3D and 2D blu ray packages. And if the DVD is there too, so much the better!

 

[Mark-P]

My eyes have issues seeing 3D effects at the theater. I was able to see a few effects in Avatar. But it wasn't very impressive. A control panel popped out of the screen when Sigorney Weaver was putting what's his name into the machine for the very first time. But the flying shots and other parts of the film looked flat and 2D to me.

You're not seeing the depth behind the screen? It sounds like you're thinking if something doesn't pop out of the screen it isn't 3D. If the effect doesn't work for you in the theater, it certainly won't be any better at home.

 

[Nelson Au]

If there was depth going into the screen, perhaps I didn't notice it as I was focusing on the main characters in the foreground. That's a good point. When Jake first captures the flying creature and takes his first flight off that precipice, I imagine there is a great deal of depth going on in that sequence.
I am really curious to try the 3D at home. I've got the TV and the glasses are just sitting there, why not use it.