low res. files aesthetic solutions

[Andy Mees]

hmmm … garbage in garbage out usually applies Enrico, but if its really bad then you might give this one a try
https://www.neatvideo.com/examples.html

that said, for factual programming, if the content is compelling enough then folks will normally accept it as is

[Enrico Parents]

Thanks! the filter is not bad, but we think that maybe a more radical solution is more appropriate, because as you say it’s too difficult to make it look better, maybe something that makes the images more abstract or something like “BAD TV” that make it more degraded but with a feel of real tv.

But my feling is that BAD TV it’s been used too many time…

[Arnie Schlissel]

[enrico parents] “I am working on a political documentary on U.S military big part of our archive footage comes from mpeg2 sources from the pentagon channel. “

Have you considered contacting the Dept. of Defense to get better quality copies of these shots? You would have to contact their public information office, or find a media liaison.

Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
https://www.arniepix.com/

[Aaron Neitz]

Arnie’s right: see if you can track down anything better. But my guess is government in – government out (ha ha! sorry andy)

I recently finishing a surf movie in shot in beautiful super16 transferred to 1080p…. we incorporated lots of archive/old footage that was little better than 640×480 sorenson quicktimes…. and it looks great – you know it’s old footage and your eyes just gloss over the obviously poor quality.

[Mark Suszko]

Assuming those good suggestions don’t pan out and you are stuck:

You can try using the luminance info in a monochrome version of the footage to generate more *percieved* detail and layer that back in using compositing modes. You could export the footage as a frame movie into Photoshop and apply an automated action to treat the footage and make it smoother. You can layer iteratinos of Apple Color and filters on it.

Bad footage of this nature always looks better or cleaner when it is smaller than full-frame. The question then arises about what to do with the rest of the frame space. Graphic stills, color gradients, soft-focus items, all will work. PIP with multiple, color-tinted copies of the footage, stylistically cropped in odd thirds and slits and boxes, might help draw attention to good parts and away from bad ones. Repeating images might work.

You could duplicate the footage from timeline layer one and blow it up larger, either as a still, or as motion, but also add blur, and use that as a backdrop for the smaller window of the “clean” version.

Another alternative that makes it look like an aesthetic choice instead of plain bad footage is to make it monochrome, which improves most bad color footage right away.

One of the things I like, but this takes more time to do, is to create a tabletop tableau of props and related items that go with the footage or the story. Then add a monitor to that still life and play your bad video on it. Now you can do tabletop dolly and jib moves over the whole scene, props as well as TV, and make it look really classy with moody lighting and other camera and post tricks.

A similar trick I’ve seen is to put a person in the shot watching a monitor with the footage and reactign to it. This may need some fancy writing and lead-in footage to make it fit, you need to establish that a researcher character, relative of the person being talked about, or someone like that is researching the story…. Again, you move the camera shot around to keep the footage relatively small in the frame, but always there. Your passive watcher may even react to appropriate parts as an audience might. Think of the early scenes in Citizen Kane where the reporter/writers are reviewing newsreel footage.

Also, really pay attention to sweetening the audio as much as you can afford: People forgive bad pictures if the sound is great, but never the opposite.

Good luck, pelase report back after its all done so we know what worked and what didn’t.

[Enrico Parents]

Thanks to all for the ideas you mentioned! unfortunately it seems that we can not get easily better material, as we have little money to pay for the related expenses.

Thanks M. Suszko for all your solutions, you gave me a lot of ideas, but i have not really understood what you meant by: You can layer iterations of Apple Color and filters on it.

Thanks

Enrico