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Dangerous Short Films are currently being upscaled to 4K on YouTube!

@MJAppleHead said:
https://imgur.com/a/Uy1Kj5U
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perfection-magneto.gif
 
AcielTwilight said:
Is that real 4K or just a better AI upscaling than Estate's one?
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A better upscaling than the Estate’s one.
But it’s just a demonstration, I don’t want AI stuff.
The Estate needs to find the original negatives. They’re not even 35 years old, that’s nothing.

We still find negatives today from the Lumière brothers or Méliès, dating back to the 1900s, 1910s or 1920s. So it’s extremely unlikely that these ones were destroyed.

The only situation where I would accept AI is if the result is visually equivalent to a real 4K film scan AND if there is no other option. For example for tape-based video, like TV reports or the Off the Wall music videos.
 
when i thin of the wizard of oz being in 1939 in pristine condition and its 2025....how does any of michael jackson's short films not have the film reels avaliable
 
wonderouzmj said:
when i thin of the wizard of oz being in 1939 in pristine condition and its 2025....how does any of michael jackson's short films not have the film reels avaliable
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Movie studios have far more consistent and reliable archiving strategies than MJ did. I definitely think the estate has the film reels, but if it came out that they were legitimately lost in MJ’s lifetime, I would believe it wholeheartedly.
 
wonderouzmj said:
when i thin of the wizard of oz being in 1939 in pristine condition and its 2025....how does any of michael jackson's short films not have the film reels avaliable
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Here is what the official site says:

FAQ

This page has been created to provide answers to commonly asked questions received by the Estate through the Michael Jackson Online Team. The page will be updated occasionally with additional questions and answers and you can submit questions for consideration through the submission form on this...
www.michaeljackson.com www.michaeljackson.com

WILL THE ESTATE UPGRADE MICHAEL’S SHORT FILMS TO 4K?

The Estate has every intention of upgrading Michael’s short films wherever possible. Upgrading Michael’s short films is more akin to what is required for older theatrical motion pictures as opposed to music videos by other artists in large part due to all of the work (e.g., effects, etc.) customarily done on each short film beyond the actual filming and the manner and format in which all of that work was originally done. A few short films, like “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal”, have 35 mm masters where the upgrade is expensive but much more doable. However, that is not the case for most of the short films and, in these cases, the process is more expensive and requires more work (and time). In some cases, it may not even be possible if all we have is a poor quality master tape and no original source materials are located. It is important for fans to understand that not everything that was created by Michael actually made it into Michael’s storage facilities (including, for example, the high def footage of the full Bad Tour concert at Wembley even though we know that Michael shot “Another Part of Me” at that and other concerts on film to create the short film for that song). But we will continue to look for the best solution for the challenges we face with each of the short films and we look forward to sharing the upgraded short films when the work required has been completed.
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Its sad that AI upscaling became the solution.
 
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How recent is that FAQ? They state they dont have Bad Wembley masters. I thought they were found shortly after the Bad25 Release?
 
thiron said:
How recent is that FAQ? They state they dont have Bad Wembley masters. I thought they were found shortly after the Bad25 Release?
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Many years old. I'm pretty sure that Wembley masters thing is only a rumor. Also I think the person who started the rumor meant the u-matic master tape and not 35mm film.
 
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AlwaysThere said:
Movie studios have far more consistent and reliable archiving strategies than MJ did. I definitely think the estate has the film reels, but if it came out that they were legitimately lost in MJ’s lifetime, I would believe it wholeheartedly.
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I would find it legitimate if a few of them were lost, but all of them? Nahhhh I can't buy it
 
I can't tell if 'Heal the World' has been upscaled too on apple music, can anyone help? The quality looks better than the other videos still in SD, but maybe it's just me.
 
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wonderouzmj said:
when i thin of the wizard of oz being in 1939 in pristine condition and its 2025....how does any of michael jackson's short films not have the film reels avaliable
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Best case scenario is that the original negatives are out there and the Estate just doesn't have them for some reason. Or they do and they're being lazy.

Worst case scenario is the originals got damaged or destroyed due to negligence (someone at Sony/Optimum/whatever got careless) or deliberate sabotage (i.e. someone who really hates MJ got access and destroyed them).
 
Amaya said:
Best case scenario is that the original negatives are out there and the Estate just doesn't have them for some reason. Or they do and they're being lazy.

Worst case scenario is the originals got damaged or destroyed due to negligence (someone at Sony/Optimum/whatever got careless) or deliberate sabotage (i.e. someone who really hates MJ got access and destroyed them).
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It could also be that they have most of the reels but there is no edited version on film. They would have to find each specific shot among all the different takes and edit them together again. Also the cgi shots and filters can be a problem. It takes time and money. Sadly they might not want to do it for that reason.
 
Galactus123 said:
It could also be that they have most of the reels but there is no edited version on film. They would have to find each specific shot among all the different takes and edit them together again. Also the cgi shots and filters can be a problem. It takes time and money. Sadly they might not want to do it for that reason.
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That's what happens when you put a bunch of lawyers who only think about profit and short-term deals in charge of the estate. For them, only the albums Thriller and Bad exist.
 
I know things shouldn't suprise me anymore, given how the Estate are only motivated by money and nothing else, but it's beyond me how the man who completely revolutionised and cemented the music video artform as something impactful, meaningful and essential has had his music videos and short films relegated to such shoddy and embarrassing quality.
 
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