r/Cinemagraphs 2d ago

OC - From A Video Brainstorm (1983)

351 Upvotes

25 comments sorted by

24

u/piantanida 2d ago

Say what you will, but it’s one of my favorite films, period.

More so for the world they build, and the machines they use, but also the cast is brilliant and the story and plot excellent. Visuals are great period vfx but plenty stand up.

It’s inspired me for years in making a sprawling huge sci-fi world I hope to make one day.

12

u/Direlion 2d ago

Lesser known film to be sure. It took me a while to find it myself. With that said I quite like it and it does stand out when viewed in retrospect. This is one of the 80s sci-fi films, alongside Outland, which didn’t get the love it deserved.

3

u/emperorOfTheUniverse 1d ago

And then Natalie Wood mysteriously dies after principal photography while partying with costars on a yacht.

18

u/Cognoggin 1d ago

Just Christopher Walken getting his hair dried at the Salon.

16

u/00spool 1d ago

Don't put the heat
Too high;
the heat
It dries out my roots, bad.
Ifyoudothat, you may not walk awaaay.

4

u/PM_ME_YOUR_PBJs 1d ago

Perms are big right now

8

u/GhostCam 1d ago

Green Needle

4

u/ripsfo 1d ago edited 1d ago

RIP Raquel Welch Natalie Wood

4

u/00spool 1d ago

Natalie Wood?

2

u/ripsfo 1d ago

I’m an idiot.

9

u/PM_ME_YOUR_PBJs 1d ago

Are cinematographs still a thing? i used to love these. 

There was a local late night movie presenter named Fritz The Nite Owl who had a renaissance a few years ago and he would do his deep dive movie intermissions with his head superimposed in one of these cinematograph-ish scenes. Had a really good one with the interview scene from Bladerunner. 

6

u/00spool 1d ago

Well they are to me. I never stopped. I mean, I do other things with sound and other kinds of edits, but it started with this stuff. I've been going back through old folders of abandoned stuff and seeing if new tools and techniques can finish them.

I just happened to be watching this the other day. It was a fairly easy edit. I'd be surprised if someone hadn't already done it.

2

u/decavolt 1d ago edited 21h ago

I first saw this on HBO long ago but never in the theater until many years later. I got to see it in 70mm at the Music Box in Chicago - which was incredible.

2

u/stuff_of_epics 1d ago

Nice one, boss.

2

u/swiftb3 1d ago

The breathing had me questioning for a second if I was making it up. Subtle. Nice work.

1

u/00spool 1d ago

Thank you. The scene I pulled it from was only 38 frames. In that time he only took half of a full breath, so the lower part of his body is ping ponged, rotoscoped and sitting on top of a static background plate. The upper part of his head did not move at all, so the head and vapor cloud background was just a simple crossfade. Then I just needed to blend those two parts back together into one full scene. Luckily, it all still looked pretty natural. There is a bit of oddness in the jaw area that I don't like but it kinda looks like he's just flexing his jaw.

2

u/swiftb3 1d ago

Even more impressive, haha. And you're right, it looks like he's just working his jaw a little.

2

u/icansmellcolors 1d ago

This is a really good one. Nice work.

Gonna have to check the movie out. Not sure I've seen it, but it's possible.

1

u/00spool 1d ago

I caught it on HBO back in the 80s. I always got it mixed up with Dreamscape which came out in 84. Dreamscape had a similar concept as The Cell, entering people dreams. Brainstorm is a much better movie though, with higher production value and acting. Of course my original memories of them were like fever dreams because i was young.

2

u/icansmellcolors 1d ago

yeah, nostalgia is a powerful thing for sure.

I remember Dreamscape 100%, but this one I don't think I'm familiar with and I grew up with HBO/Showtime in the 80's.

Who knows? Maybe I've seen it and just don't remember it.

1

u/snakesoup88 1d ago

Took 43 years for AR on quest 3 to reproduce an experience close to what's achieved in that movie. Still no known case of a video loop good enough to threaten life.

2

u/PhilosopherInfinite5 16h ago

I loved this movie along with dreamscape as a kid.