Stop Making Sense 2023 Restoration - Revision history

SlipperyDude at 18:19, 22 August 2024

2024-08-22T18:19:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:19, 22 August 2024
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	As part of the deal with the film's original distributor, Cinecom, the ownership of the rights to ''Stop Making Sense'' reverted back to Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison shortly before the 40th anniversary of its original release. Hoping to commemorate the occasion, the group sought out potential companies to partner with on a re-release, eventually settling on [[A24]]. A24 announced they had obtained the distribution rights in March 2023, and revealed plans to release a 4k restoration in theaters the following September.		As part of the deal with the film's original distributor, Cinecom, the ownership of the rights to ''Stop Making Sense'' reverted back to Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison shortly before the 40th anniversary of its original release. Hoping to commemorate the occasion, the group sought out potential companies to partner with on a re-release, eventually settling on [[A24]]. A24 announced they had obtained the distribution rights in March 2023, and revealed plans to release a 4k restoration in theaters the following September.

	== Procuring Original Materials ==		=== Procuring Original Materials ===
	[[James Mockoski]], a restoration supervisor who primarily worked with Zoetrope studios, was called in by A24. Although seeking out as much of the original materials as possible for the restoration, it was soon reveled that the original [[Negative (photography)\|negative]] for the film was missing. For the 1999 re-release of the film, had used scans made from a "copy of a copy" of the film that Demme had donated to the University of Michigan.<ref name=":0">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref> Mockoski remarked in a Rolling Stone write up of the restoration that "''I wanted to know what they were working with, and she told me that the Talking Heads’ manager [<nowiki/>[[Tomas Cookman]]] had got everything in from the previous distributor. They sent me a list, and there were almost no film elements included. There might have been, like, one screening print, and that was it. I asked, ‘So, where’s the negative?’ And the answer was, ‘Well, it should all be there.’ Which was … not quite the case. Not at all.''”<ref>Fear, David. “Big Suits, Lost Tapes, and Dancing Heads: Inside A24’S Incredible “Stop Making Sense” Restoration.” ''Rolling Stone'', 27 Sept. 2023, www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/stop-making-sense-talking-heads-restoration-david-byrne-a24-40th-anniversary-1234828312/.</ref>		[[James Mockoski]], a restoration supervisor who primarily worked with Zoetrope studios, was called in by A24. Although seeking out as much of the original materials as possible for the restoration, it was soon reveled that the original [[Negative (photography)\|negative]] for the film was missing. For the 1999 re-release of the film, had used scans made from a "copy of a copy" of the film that Demme had donated to the University of Michigan.<ref name=":0">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref> Mockoski remarked in a Rolling Stone write up of the restoration that "''I wanted to know what they were working with, and she told me that the Talking Heads’ manager [<nowiki/>[[Tomas Cookman]]] had got everything in from the previous distributor. They sent me a list, and there were almost no film elements included. There might have been, like, one screening print, and that was it. I asked, ‘So, where’s the negative?’ And the answer was, ‘Well, it should all be there.’ Which was … not quite the case. Not at all.''”<ref>Fear, David. “Big Suits, Lost Tapes, and Dancing Heads: Inside A24’S Incredible “Stop Making Sense” Restoration.” ''Rolling Stone'', 27 Sept. 2023, www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/stop-making-sense-talking-heads-restoration-david-byrne-a24-40th-anniversary-1234828312/.</ref>

	After an extensive search, the original negative for the film was found in an [[wikipedia:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer\|MGM]] film vault, despite MGM not having been involved in the making of the film. The story goes that Mockoski, after exhausting all other options, and even beginning some restoration work on the "copy of a copy" film, called a contact he knew at the vault. Although the vault doubted they had the film in the collection, they still agreed to check. After about 10 minutes, Mockoski recieved a text message from the vault with a photo of the original negative and the message "It’s just been sitting here for 30 years. It’s never been checked out."<ref name=":02">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref>		After an extensive search, the original negative for the film was found in an [[wikipedia:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer\|MGM]] film vault, despite MGM not having been involved in the making of the film. The story goes that Mockoski, after exhausting all other options, and even beginning some restoration work on the "copy of a copy" film, called a contact he knew at the vault. Although the vault doubted they had the film in the collection, they still agreed to check. After about 10 minutes, Mockoski recieved a text message from the vault with a photo of the original negative and the message "It’s just been sitting here for 30 years. It’s never been checked out."<ref name=":02">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref>

	Similarly, [[Eric Thorgren]] and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison planned to create new [[Dolby Atmos]] sound mixes, ~~initially~~ using materials from the previous distributor and [[Rhino Entertainment\|Rhino Records]]. However, they ran into difficulty when they discovered they did not have the original audience tracks: the original audio was stored in the library of [[wikipedia:Todd-AO\|Todd-AO]], which had since gone out of business and its building demolished. Eventually, it was discovered that Todd-AO's collection was claimed by [[wikipedia:Sony\|Sony]], who transported it to a warehouse in Kansas, where the original audio tracks were found in time to be included in the restoration. Using these original tracks, as well as the post-production overdubs originally overseen by Demme to fix mistakes in the film's recording, Thorgren and Harrison painstakingly remastered the film's sound.		Similarly, [[Eric Thorgren]] and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison planned to create new [[Dolby Atmos]] sound mixes. Harrison had been working or the remastering of Talking Heads albums throughout the 90's and into the 2000's.<ref>Pehling, Dave. “CBS SF Talks to Talking Heads Member Jerry Harrison about Remain in Light.” Cbsnews.com, CBS San Francisco, 14 Aug. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/interview-talking-heads-jerry-harrison-adrian-belew-remain-in-light/. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.</ref> Initially they using materials from the previous distributor and [[Rhino Entertainment\|Rhino Records]]. However, they ran into difficulty when they discovered they did not have the original audience tracks: the original audio was stored in the library of [[wikipedia:Todd-AO\|Todd-AO]], which had since gone out of business and its building demolished. Eventually, it was discovered that Todd-AO's collection was claimed by [[wikipedia:Sony\|Sony]], who transported it to a warehouse in Kansas, where the original audio tracks were found in time to be included in the restoration. Using these original tracks, as well as the post-production overdubs originally overseen by Demme to fix mistakes in the film's recording, Thorgren and Harrison painstakingly remastered the film's sound.

	== IMAX Release ==		== IMAX Release ==

SlipperyDude: Added detail about it being a big event for IMAX

2024-07-31T16:35:30Z

Added detail about it being a big event for IMAX

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:35, 31 July 2024
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	== IMAX Release ==		== IMAX Release ==
	The ~~studio premiered the~~ new restoration on September 11, 2023, in ~~4K on [[wikipedia:IMAX\|IMAX]] at~~ the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]], followed by a Q&A hosted by [[Spike Lee]] with Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz and Harrison ~~in attendance, reuniting the group for~~ the first time since their induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002.		The new restoration premiered on September 11, 2023 at Cineplex’s Scotiabank IMAX Theatre in Toronto as part of the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]], followed by a Q&A hosted by [[Spike Lee]] with Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz and Harrison. This reunion marked the first time since their induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002 that all four band members had appeared together publicly.

	The film entered first as an exclusive IMAX exhibition on September 22, 2023, before heading to conventional theaters on September 29, 2023, globally.		The initial screening and Q&A were also simulcasted across the world at 165 different IMAX theaters. This would set a record for IMAX's highest grossing live event at the time, earning $640,839, and beating out the previous record holder, ''Brandi Carlile: In The Canyon Haze – Live from Laurel Canyon'' from September 2022.<ref>Goldsmith, Jill. “MSN.” ''Www.msn.com'', 12 Sept. 2023, www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/stop-making-sense-40th-anniversary-tiff-screening-becomes-top-grossing-imax-live-event/ar-AA1gC8xB. Accessed 31 July 2024.</ref>

			The film entered first as an exclusive IMAX exhibition on September 22, 2023, before heading to conventional theaters on September 29, 2023, globally.

	== Soundtrack Re-Release ==		== Soundtrack Re-Release ==

SlipperyDude: Created the page! Moved info from the main page here for more detail, will keeping adding info to both

2024-07-31T16:23:17Z

Created the page! Moved info from the main page here for more detail, will keeping adding info to both

New page

In 2023, the 1984 concert film [[Stop Making Sense]] would receive a restoration as well as theatrical and home re-release. Alongside a re-release of the film, an expanded edition of [[Stop Making Sense (album)|the soundtrack]] was also re-released.

== Background ==
As part of the deal with the film's original distributor, Cinecom, the ownership of the rights to ''Stop Making Sense'' reverted back to Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison shortly before the 40th anniversary of its original release. Hoping to commemorate the occasion, the group sought out potential companies to partner with on a re-release, eventually settling on [[A24]]. A24 announced they had obtained the distribution rights in March 2023, and revealed plans to release a 4k restoration in theaters the following September.

== Procuring Original Materials ==
[[James Mockoski]], a restoration supervisor who primarily worked with Zoetrope studios, was called in by A24. Although seeking out as much of the original materials as possible for the restoration, it was soon reveled that the original [[Negative (photography)|negative]] for the film was missing. For the 1999 re-release of the film, had used scans made from a "copy of a copy" of the film that Demme had donated to the University of Michigan.<ref name=":0">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref> Mockoski remarked in a Rolling Stone write up of the restoration that "''I wanted to know what they were working with, and she told me that the Talking Heads’ manager [<nowiki/>[[Tomas Cookman]]] had got everything in from the previous distributor. They sent me a list, and there were almost no film elements included. There might have been, like, one screening print, and that was it. I asked, ‘So, where’s the negative?’ And the answer was, ‘Well, it should all be there.’ Which was … not quite the case. Not at all.''”<ref>Fear, David. “Big Suits, Lost Tapes, and Dancing Heads: Inside A24’S Incredible “Stop Making Sense” Restoration.” ''Rolling Stone'', 27 Sept. 2023, www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/stop-making-sense-talking-heads-restoration-david-byrne-a24-40th-anniversary-1234828312/.</ref>

After an extensive search, the original negative for the film was found in an [[wikipedia:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] film vault, despite MGM not having been involved in the making of the film. The story goes that Mockoski, after exhausting all other options, and even beginning some restoration work on the "copy of a copy" film, called a contact he knew at the vault. Although the vault doubted they had the film in the collection, they still agreed to check. After about 10 minutes, Mockoski recieved a text message from the vault with a photo of the original negative and the message "It’s just been sitting here for 30 years. It’s never been checked out."<ref name=":02">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref>

Similarly, [[Eric Thorgren]] and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison planned to create new [[Dolby Atmos]] sound mixes, initially using materials from the previous distributor and [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino Records]]. However, they ran into difficulty when they discovered they did not have the original audience tracks: the original audio was stored in the library of [[wikipedia:Todd-AO|Todd-AO]], which had since gone out of business and its building demolished. Eventually, it was discovered that Todd-AO's collection was claimed by [[wikipedia:Sony|Sony]], who transported it to a warehouse in Kansas, where the original audio tracks were found in time to be included in the restoration. Using these original tracks, as well as the post-production overdubs originally overseen by Demme to fix mistakes in the film's recording, Thorgren and Harrison painstakingly remastered the film's sound.

== IMAX Release ==
The studio premiered the new restoration on September 11, 2023, in 4K on [[wikipedia:IMAX|IMAX]] at the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]], followed by a Q&A hosted by [[Spike Lee]] with Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz and Harrison in attendance, reuniting the group for the first time since their induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002.

The film entered first as an exclusive IMAX exhibition on September 22, 2023, before heading to conventional theaters on September 29, 2023, globally.

== Soundtrack Re-Release ==
''See Also: [[Stop Making Sense (album)|Stop Making Sense (Album)]]''

[[Rhino Entertainment]] also released a new remaster of the [[Stop Making Sense (album)|film's soundtrack]], which includes the complete concert for the first time, on vinyl and digitally on August 18, 2023.

== Sources ==