Re: John Landis - Top Secret Thriller Project!!!! Coming 2017
I don't understand that. If they have it on film why not release it in that quality instead of shitty vhs quality?
I don't know the deal with Making of Thriller, but assuming it was edited on tape (which was often done back there to keep costs done, as I've read) then it actually would be around DVD quality, not VHS quality.
So if they want to get the documentary in HD quality, assuming they have the negatives available, they would have to re-scan all the footage into a digital format. From there, they can use EDL's (
Edit Decision List) to figure out which shots/takes they need, and reassemble the film using the newly scanned files. They've been doing that process for a number of TV shows that were shot on film, but later edited on tape - such as The X Files, Friends, That 70s Show, among others.
Personally, going off what he's told us and what is likely, I think John Landis is going to unveil a new Thriller documentary in the next few months. This will probably showcase new BTS footage, as well as the alternative ending he's gone on about, finishing with the new 3D version (think how Man in the Mirror finished Bad 25).
If this is correct, this means the Estate should have gone back and scanned the BTS footage of Thriller we see in The Making of Thriller (similar to how the BTS footage of Bad was scanned for Bad 25). A lot of the footage we saw in The Making of Thriller should be in this new documentary.
As for the old documentary, I could see it being an extra on the Blu-ray/DVD release. Not sure what quality, but it's possible the Estate have chosen to focus their attention and finances on the newer documentary and thus we'll only get a version of TMoT at DVD quality, which wouldn't be unusual... but who knows.
None of this is in stone, this is just me going off what Landis has hinted at, and me applying what tends to happen in these cases.
remember this? 
