“Galaxy Express 999” Remaster makes the grade with DaVinci Resolve

“Galaxy Express 999” Remaster makes the grade with DaVinci Resolve

Blackmagic Design revealed that the classic Japanese animated film Galaxy Express 999 and its sequel Adieu Galaxy Express 999 have been graded and remastered for HDR using DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, grading, visual effects and audio post-production software.

Originally released more than 40 years ago, the films have been remastered in 4K HDR for Dolby Vision by Q-tec, Inc. of Tokyo. Both films have also been remastered as part of production company Toei Animation's ongoing work to digitally archive and remaster its vast library of content.

Galaxy Express 999 is a hugely popular sci-fi manga written by Leiji Matsumoto, which has become a hit with both the television and film animation version. Also to celebrate the long history of popularity of the films, the two feature films of the anime have been re-released in Dolby Cinema theaters, providing an immersive experience for the classic story.

The remaster was handled by Q-tec, a post production company with extensive experience working on anime projects. Project Supervisor Makoto Imatsuka, Senior Colorist and Manager of Q-tec's Technical Promotion Department, said, “The 4K HDR correction was done with DaVinci Resolve Studio. We chose DaVinci Resolve because it has an excellent color management system and its operability is excellent when producing HDR images ”.

“The films were delivered as Dolby Cinema, but we had to make both the HDR and SDR versions as they would also be sold as Blu-Ray. So we had to be careful not to have drastic differences in color or brightness between HDR and SDR, ”said Mitsuhiro Shoji, colorist on the project.

“The process of extracting the transmitted light from the film, which is one of the features of the Galaxy Express 999, was challenging, but DaVinci Resolve has a lot of parameters to adjust, so once we found the optimal values ​​the process went smoothly. Since these films have been remastered several times due to the change in media standards, I have made adjustments to make it lighter than previous masters, especially in the dark areas. I also evaluated to preserve the plot of the film, giving it a new feel as a 4K remaster ”.

The final evaluation was performed at the Tokyo-based IMAGICA post-production company, as it had to be performed in a cinema that supported Dolby Cinema requirements.

“IMAGICA also had DaVinci Resolve Studio, so moving and sharing the project was easy. I was able to check and make changes quickly and it was very efficient, ”said Shoji. “During the HDR fix, I added nodes and color-coded or marked the adjustment for HDR, which helped me visually find where the actual HDR ratings were applied when I created the SDR versions. The editing function was also very useful as we created several masters for HDR and SDR and we could easily create them from the same timeline ”.

Galaxy Express 999

Both projects were color graded from DPX / LOG files exported from film scans. Imatsuka explained of the animation grading process: “The first priority was to faithfully reproduce the original colors, taking into account the deterioration and fading of the film itself. In the HDR process, we tried to create an effect without disturbing the color balance. Normally, we cannot change the overall color or brightness of an image designed in color, so we only adjust the brightness for images that are effective as HDR effects and not for images that are not as effective as HDR ”.

“The advantage of HDR is that the colors from the original film can now be seen by the audience,” added Shoji. "For example, I finally realized that the cityscapes and the light from the gunshots were originally painted in colors like this, which were more vivid and brighter than the old masters."

“During the evaluation sessions, I was constantly worried if it was too flashy or simple and if there were any awkward parts to look at. However, after the screening, I was finally relieved when the director, Rintaro, said how happy he was with the remastered versions. The films were seen by many people and got very positive reviews. I am grateful to have been involved in this project, ”Shoji concluded.

blackmagicdesign.com

Galaxy Express 999

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