Proposal: The James Cameron Project

[PDB]

I feel functionally accurate video is done a little less contrasty, which tends to depict an overall "brighter" picture, that doesn't pop as much. 
Do you use a visual scope checking levels when working on these?
Do you feel your previous version had some crushed blacks?

Yep, I always use scopes when looking at every shot. Agonizingly so.

Do you mean a flat look versus a more contrasty looks? With projects like this I try to have an image somewhere between the flat look of the BD and contrasty look of the 35mm. In most cases, I try for around 60/40 mix for the luma. In other words 60% the darker contrasty of the print, 40% the brightness of the original BD and 100% the color of the 35mm (or in this case a hybrid of prints and other media). I'm looking for something that has the artistry of the 35mm print but can hopefully be at home on a modern display. The older pics are more 80-90% 35mm print (black level adjusted) and by its nature have missing details when compared to the BD. So when I said

I've change the project a little overall, reducing the contrast a little and making it a little "brighter".

That's me trying to tweak the image so be closer to that 60/40 mix. It does recover some details I crushed with color matching but that's not my direct purpose as I believe modern transfers are too bright and show details that were suppose to be lost in the contrast. Its all a balancing act.

Particular to the old T2 BD, the entire movie is lifted up on the scopes making it painfully bright. The result is that its blacks often not on zero and highs often blown-out. The blow-out highlights are one of my major problems with this master and most of the detail can't be recovered in those highs.

Does that makes sense? It was helpfully to me to try and spell out what I'm doing, All-in-all its ongoing and I post pics for feedback to make the overall project better. I'm definitely going need some people to preview the end result to see if it looks ok.