Fundamental Collection catalog - updated 2017-12-26

• spine number - title - release date

• #001 - Alien (1979) - 2017-04-18
  
  
• #002 - Aliens (1986) - 2017-04-19
  
  
• #003 - Alien³ (1992) - 2017-04-20
  
                     
  
• #004 - Alien: Resurrection (1997) - 2017-04-21
  
                     
  
• #005 - The Thing (1982) - 2017-03-01
  
  
• #006 - Halloween (1978) - 2017-03-07
  
                     
  
• #007 - Minority Report (2002) - 2017-03-11
  #007 - Minority Report (2002) (open matte) - 2017-09-22
  
  
• #008 - The Arrival (1996) - 2017-04-01
  
  
• #009 - Waterworld (1995) - 2017-04-05
  
  
• #010 - Timeline (2003) (open matte) - 2017-04-13
  
                  
  
• #011 - The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) (open matte) - 2017-05-09
  
                     
  
• #012 - AVP: Aliens Vs. Predator (2004) - 2017-05-17
  
  
• #013 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)  (open matte) - 2017-12-17
  
  
• #014 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) (open matte) - 2017-12-20
  
  
• #015 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) (open matte) - 2017-12-21
  
  
• #016 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) (open matte) - 2017-12-22
  
  
• #017 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) (open matte) - 2017-12-24
  
  
• #018 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) (open matte) - 2017-12-23
  
  
• #019 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) (open matte) - 2017-12-25
  
  
• #020 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) (open matte) - 2017-12-25
  
  
• #021 - Alien: Covenant IMAX (2017) - 2017-09-07
  
  
• #022 - The Keep (1983) - 2017-10-19
  
  
• #023 - Prometheus (2012) (open matte) - 2017-12-04
  

Info about remastered versions: https://fanrestore.com/thread-1349-post-...l#pid29424

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The Fundamental Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality, to obtain an alternative cinematic experience!

Our commitment is to publish the defining moments of cinema for a wider audience, tired of watching their preferred movies with revisioned colors, wrong aspect ratios, excessively degrained, or listening to modified audio mixes.

Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen, and eventually we include also an open matte version, when this improves the overall entertainment. Every time we work on a film, we track down the best available video and audio sources in the world, use state-of-the-art hardware equipment and selected software capable of reproduce as closer as possible the colors of the chosen reference, and we add the best audio original mixes, in different languages, with their related subtitles.

We aim to create the most pristine image and sound, as closest as possible to the theatrical projection, so to recreate the original, fundamental experience felt when the movie was originally released in the theaters.


Final format chosen for our releases is Blu-ray; video is encoded in 1080p, using the best AVC encoder and settings, at an appropriate bit rate to maintain a great quality and grain structure; audio is encoded in DTS-HD MA, when available, or in DTS, PCM and Dolby Digital; up to five languages are included, when available. NO DVD or other lower quality format are used for our feature film releases.

Video sources used are the best high definition versions, but in selected occasion we could be forced to use standard definition for particular shots/scenes not available in better quality; we use the best upscale techniques to improve the image quality and let these insertions as seamless as possible.

Color references used are usually the older master which, in many cases, retain the original colors found on the released prints: nowadays the original negative is used to produce a master and, albeit the quality is obviously superior, digital regrade often can’t reproduce the original color timing found on the release print. That’s our job to use the best high resolution source, and regrade it with the best color references.

Audio lossless tracks are used when they reflect the original mix; if not, we try to use the best available, high quality audio tracks with original mix, from the Cinema DTS tracks to laserdisc DTS, AC3 and PCM ones.


Our mission: to fix the films which need to be saved from modern revisionism.
In particular, what we do is:

• use a color reference to regrade the film so it could be closer to the theatrical presentation
  
• add an open matte version as a companion to the OAR version
  
• reinstate eventual cut shots/scenes
  
• add a film grain plate when the grain is absent or weak
  
• clean the image only when needed
  
• adjust the aspect ratio when wrong
  
• select the best audio mixes, using the original ones when available
  
• include five different languages (English, French, German, Italian, Spanish) when available
  

and, what we DO NOT is:

• regrade a film without a color reference
  
• add an open matte version when it is heavily cropped, or contains unwanted objects like boom mics and the like
  
• use the original shot when director wisely chose to replace it with fixed one, like security ropes deleted, matte garbage removed etc.
  
• add always a grain plate even when the grain is right
  
• clean always the image even when it is right
  
• use the best quality audio mix when it is not the original one, and the latter is available
  

So, our releases, albeit our best efforts to find and use the best possible audio and video sources, could be not perfect sometimes; still, the spirit of the theatrical experience, which is fundamental, is always there!


Which movies will be released in the Fundamental Collection?
The movie genres that will be included are mainly sci-fi, action, horror, fantasy; we can’t exclude other ones, though. Mainstream flicks will be the first ones to be released, but maybe other less known films will follow.

What is the reason of a movie choice?
As written before, our mission is to “fix” somehow movies released before with something “wrong” - color grading, aspect ratio, missing shots, audio mixes etc.

Which languages will be included in each release?
We aim to include five main languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish - with suitable subtitles - whenever these tracks are available; that’s because we want to please a vast public all around the globe!

Do you have a release schedule?
Not yet; we plan to start with a new title each month, and eventually reach twenty releases per year in the next future.
Will bonus material be included? What’s about menus?

We have decided to include only the main feature, and to go “straight to the point”: no fancy menus = no loading time… just put the disc in your player and press play!

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Someone may ask "why"? Isn't [spoRv] enough? Well, the nickname will remain, just not mentioned in the project covers anymore... also, I discovered that my projects are hosted here and there all over the web (and I'm happy about this), but I wonder if a "The Thing [spoRv]" would attract attention more than "The Thing [Fundamental Collection]"? Don't think so!

I always admired the Criterion Collection and the Signature Editions on laserdisc, and always dreamt about something similar, but... "mine"... so, here you are! And, new computer, new techniques, new ideas... I wanted also something fresh, brand new. That's all! The audio/video quality would be always the same - even better, I can add!

When are you announcing the first four???

Eh eh... delfino curioso! - "curious dolphin", Evit would understand the joke!

Well, those are titles I'm working on since a few weeks, but left behind due to the fact the hard discs are all full, and wait to afford a new one. Then, I plan to speed up the job a lot, and eventually release them one after the other - can't say "at the same time" now, because my upload speed is soooo sloooow now... but I feel myself forced to upgrade to the fiber in the next days...

So, top secret for some days / few weeks more... will be announced here when the time will come.

This is really cool Andrea.

I look forward to seeing what titles you tackle in the future.

Now that I have the new PC, I can "crunch" encoding ten times faster, so, *in theory*, I could be able to release ten times the projects than before! We know it will not be the case, though, but I expect an increase in releases - you know, all those semi-half-barely-finished projects scattered around all those hard discs...

I have many of those scattered-across-hdds-projects too and am looking forward to tackling them. It's exciting to hear about you finally being able to resume your projects, now that you have a much better machine. I know it won't be ten times more projects, but I'm sure you will keep them coming

Can I ask what software you use to get those compiled comparison images?

(2017-03-20, 04:33 PM)FrankT Wrote: Can I ask what software you use to get those compiled comparison images?

avisynth; but you could get similar (albeit limited to 4x4 grid) with MPC (Media Player Classic); just open a movie with it, and then "save thumbnails" under the file menu.

There's an AviSynth script for that?

After working on it for weeks, there is, now...