Looking for the "right" Terminator 2 color grading...

[TServo2049]

Agreed. Whenever I see a print, it seems that blue, cyan, teal, turquoise, aqua, and green can all exist in the same shot, at least in 80s/90s movies. This is especially noticeable when there are bright lights in dark scenes, it will go from black, to blue in the shadows, to cyan in the midtones, to teal where it gets lighter, then where it's really bright the color gets more green and then more yellow and then white in the core of the light source.

And also, the cyan/teal seen on 35mm doesn't look green, nor does it look strictly blue. It actually looks like its own distinct color, and it often looks very saturated wherever it is. And even though there is blue stuff that looks teal, unlike with modern grading it doesn't result in stuff like skies also looking greenish, those still look appropriately light blue/cyan.

I don't know if I'm describing the general pattern I've seen in various prints I've seen, does anybody else who's seen film print screenings of stuff from that era agree with some of my assessments of how things generally look?

[zoidberg]

Agreed. Whenever I see a print, it seems that blue, cyan, teal, turquoise, aqua, and green can all exist in the same shot, at least in 80s/90s movies. This is especially noticeable when there are bright lights in dark scenes, it will go from black, to blue in the shadows, to cyan in the midtones, to teal where it gets lighter, then where it's really bright the color gets more green and then more yellow and then white in the core of the light source.

And also, the cyan/teal seen on 35mm doesn't look green, nor does it look strictly blue. It actually looks like its own distinct color, and it often looks very saturated wherever it is. And even though there is blue stuff that looks teal, unlike with modern grading it doesn't result in stuff like skies also looking greenish, those still look appropriately light blue/cyan.

I don't know if I'm describing the general pattern I've seen in various prints I've seen, does anybody else who's seen film print screenings of stuff from that era agree with some of my assessments of how things generally look?

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head there TServo. Photochemical film, being a Subtractive CMY colour process is able to reproduce shades of Cyan better than Additive RGB. Even the widest RGB gamuts can only reproduce a narrow range of cyans compared to film which more closely approximates the colour response of the human eye (check out Pointer's Gamut). Which I guess is why our favourite shades of cyan only exist on good old photochemically timed film at the cinema (and in real life).

[spoRv]

I'm working on a T2 UAR version, but color matching is not perfect - I'm using HD-DVD as HD source, because it seemed the closest, color/contrast wise, to the fullscreen DVD... still, I'm looking for another digital letterbox source, which is even closer, or, better, which uses the same master - BD, HDTV, DVD; maybe one of the LD is there, but I would like to avoid it if possible.

Fullscreen Russian DVD (untouched) moviefingerprint:

[MrBrown]

I'm working on a T2 UAR version, but color matching is not perfect - I'm using HD-DVD as HD source, because it seemed the closest, color/contrast wise, to the fullscreen DVD... still, I'm looking for another digital letterbox source, which is even closer, or, better, which uses the same master - BD, HDTV, DVD; maybe one of the LD is there, but I would like to avoid it if possible.

Fullscreen Russian DVD (untouched) moviefingerprint:

Do you plan to use the audio from...
Let's say... A specific squeezed Japanese laser disc?

[spoRv]

Do you plan to use the audio from...
Let's say... A specific squeezed Japanese laser disc?

still have to fix old PC, do the capture, and send back everythink... it will be done ASAP (the fact is, I don't know how S in the ASAP could be!) But worry not, they are all safe and sound.

[Evit]

An early Italian trailer for T2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC5B7nPWnng

[dvdmike]

Where to begin...

Terminator 2 in 70mm is absolutely glorious. I hope others here get the opportunity to experience it, I truly do. I actually watched this Sunday night but I wanted to wait till I got back from London to write this.

Considering the film was shot super 35mm the detail on the print was unbelievable. The grain varied from sequence to sequence but even the grainest scenes were far less grainy than 35mm anamorphic. The best scenes were practically grainless. All of the optical/digital effects blended seamlessly. 
Colour Timing wise, the 3D DCP is pretty close with some fairly obvious exceptions. 
The Future War sequence is way too cyan/teal on the 3D. Most of the skeletons/skulls have some white/light grey to them on the 70mm whereas the DCP is blanket shaded. Also the 70mm lasers are purple   and the explosions are more natural looking, not so orange.
The first scene in the hospital ('How's the knee') is more neutral on film with just the barest whiff of green in the shadows. Likewise the review scene is the palest turquoise blue/green. The shots of Silbermann are slightly out of focus but not horrifically so, why they DNR nuked him I don't know.
When the two Terminators meet in the shopping mall corridor it is blue, no green at all. I think all the fluorescents read as blue.
The Truck chase is strikingly warm/golden, like 'magic hour' golden.
All night scenes have cobalt blue, cyans, teals, steel blue, call it what you will. There's even some turquoise in amongst it all. Being photochemically timed however means their tone and shade/intensity varies greatly from shot to shot and indeed within the same shot. This is something that digital grading seems unable (or unwilling) to replicate, which is a crying shame as it's just so gorgeous on film. The DCP grading tends to homogenize/average it (and I'm guessing a ton of secondary corrections and power windows). But it's not just the night scenes, even daytime scenes get a lick or a kiss of steel blue be it in a reflection, a pool of water, puff of smoke, you name it. It's just so lush.
Also of interest, the film had instances (mostly in the desert) of halation which looks remarkably similar to edge enhancement, but is a photochemical artifact.
The 6-track mag was a madman. It pretty much matched the DCP for the mix/dynamics but there was some serious serious bass in the mag print. What struck me was the sheer quality of the mag track, that much analogue audio at whatever insane feet per second it is that 70mm plays. The child's laugh in the Prologue literally could have been in front of me. Also I don't know how but mag handles splices beautifully (there were a few, mostly at reel changes, nothing awful). Also the T-1000's Beretta sound wasn't different.  
Having heard the mag and the DCP I'm going to go on a limb and say that the AC-3 track on the SQZ laserdisc (PILF-2187) is as near as damn it the original mix as we're ever going to get. Nothing else comes close.

An honourable mention goes to the BBFC Certificate and the Guild logo at the start, just the perfect way to start the film. This is the best I could find for all you VHS lovers (except the Guild logo should be gold), start it at 0:38:



There is more for me to say, I just can't think of it now. Please feel free to ask or PM

Wish I could have made it!
Was it the 18 bbfc rating?

[zoidberg]

Wish I could have made it!
Was it the 18 bbfc rating?

It was awesome dvdmike. I imagine it'll be back around at some point in the future.

It was the 15 BBFC certificate. IIRC the cinema release was 15 then it was cut to get 15 on video. The PAL LD was uncut 18.

Another interesting thing about the screening was that the highlights were bright, almost squinting bright. Mainly in the hospital with the floodlights pouring in through the windows. I guess 70mm lets more light through the gate.

[Stamper]

Don't forget we also want the japanese mono track! So that the film match to the original

[MrBrown]

Mhm.. the UHD BD seems to look different from the former released HD Versions...