Genius Restoration of Original old Film Footage: The Great War is Brought to Life by Peter Jackson

2018-10-30
2 mins read

Peter Jackson’s new documentary, “They Shall Not Grow Old” is an exciting  technological achievement which brings to life The Great War (World War I). Explore more below.

Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old"
Peter Jackson film “They Shall Not Grow Old”

The Academy Award-winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) presents the Great War as you have never seen it before! 

This unique film brings into high definition the human face of the First World War, by scanning masses of footage to restore old film and improve it dramatically with the help of technology.

Cutting-edge techniques

Click to enlarge the images below

Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old" restoration
Peter Jackson film “They Shall Not Grow Old” restoration

The technology helped to restore original archival footage which is more than a 100-years old.

As stated on the movie page: “Jackson and his team have used cutting edge techniques to make the images of a hundred years ago appear as if they were shot yesterday. The transformation from black and white footage to colorized footage can be seen throughout the film revealing never before seen details”

“The transformation from black and white footage to colorized footage can be seen throughout the film revealing never before seen details”

Grain, color, sharpness and movement were improved by special effects artists.

Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old" after restoration
Peter Jackson film “They Shall Not Grow Old” after restoration
Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old" before restoration
Peter Jackson film “They Shall Not Grow Old” before restoration

Furthermore, Jackson says that the frame speed was ramped to 24 FPS and the new images were generated and implemented by computer in order to elevate realism.

[bctt tweet=”Jackson says that the frame speed was ramped to 24 FPS and the new images were generated and implemented by computer in order to elevate realism” username=””]

Implementing the real voices

Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old" after restoration
Peter Jackson film “They Shall Not Grow Old” after restoration
Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old" before restoration
Peter Jackson film “They Shall Not Grow Old” before restoration

Jackson used the voices of the men involved, in order that the film will explore the reality of war on the front line; their attitudes to the conflict; how they ate; slept and formed friendships, as well what their lives were like away from the trenches during their periods of downtime.

[bctt tweet=”Jackson used the voices of the men involved, in order that the film will explore the reality of war on the front line” username=””]

All that parameter were amplified by advanced sound design techniques.

Look at the official trailer below:

Final thoughts

In my opinion we should embrace projects like this, which bring to life (very) old footage so we can enjoy them on the big screen.

Have you watch the film? Let’s know what you think of Peter Jackson’s work.

Yossy is a filmmaker who specializes mainly in action sports cinematography. Yossy also lectures about the art of independent filmmaking in leading educational institutes, academic programs, and festivals, and his independent films have garnered international awards and recognition.
Yossy is the founder of Y.M.Cinema Magazine.

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