The HD version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is now (sadly) replacing the original one. It is streaming in almost every country where Amazon Prime is available (UK, US, Latin America, most of Europe...), Disney + outside the US, Facebook Watch and other streaming services. It is airing on Syfy, E4, 6ter and many other channels. If you don't own the dvds, it is now very difficult to watch Buffy in its original version.
And with the exception of a very small number of shots, that were (barely) corrected for seasons 1 and 2 (the examples were removed from the article), the overall quality of the remaster is exactly the same as on Pivot in 2014, disastrous. Correcting a couple of "goofs" or missing filters will not make a difference.
Fox Studios used the raw footage without bothering to correct it, the editing job on these episodes is simply not finished. What Fox (now Disney) needs to do is properly correct the colors and the lighting of every scene, and check the original SD version so it matches with the new one. They can't let a computer make all the coloring and framing decisions. But what looks even worse is the insane use of Digital Noise Reduction, which smooths everything to the extreme and destroys the benefit of HD from 16 and 35mm film.
All the issues mentioned below are still present in the HD version. The article will be updated if anything changes. These examples only serve to illustrate the overall problems, that need to be addressed for every episode.
For a look at seasons 4 to 7 in HD (full of issues as well), read our second article.
This article will be identifying the main issues (framing, DNR, colors...) present in the Buffy HD remaster shown on tv and streaming services. For starters, Fox has decided to convert the series to 16:9, which brings many problems. The show was never protected for 16:9, and Joss Whedon, the show creator, made it clear that he wishes for every season to stay in 4:3 (except for "Once More with Feeling"):
" Adding space to the sides simply for the sake of trying to look more cinematic would betray the very exact mise-en-scene I was trying to create. I am a purist, and this is the purest way to watch Buffy. I have resisted the effort to letterbox Buffy from the start and always will, because that is not the show we shot." - Joss Whedon.
We will not dwell on this issue, as many fans want the show to stay 4:3, while others prefer 16:9. But it is important to remember that many errors listed below are a consequence of this change of aspect ratio. Making a show widescreen when it wasn't supposed to be is a very complex task (see The Wire), it should involve a lot of talent and care, and the original filmmakers should be consulted.
David Simon (creator of The Wire) talks about his show, also meant for 4:3, but remastered in 16:9 (more on his blog):
"At the last, I’m satisfied what while this new version of The Wire is not, in some specific ways, the film we first made, it has sufficient merit to exist as an alternate version. There are scenes that clearly improve in HD and in the widescreen format. But there are things that are not improved. And even with our best resizing, touchups and maneuver, there are some things that are simply not as good. That’s the inevitability: This new version, after all, exists in an aspect ratio that simply wasn’t intended or serviced by the filmmakers when the camera was rolling and the shot was framed." David Simon
This could apply to Buffy as well. A proper widescreen release could exist as an alternate version (available on Amazon, Hulu etc), as long as the original 4:3 version is also made available in HD. But the remastering team should constantly be looking at the original framing of each scene, as they work on altering the show for widescreen, which isn't the case at all here. The same applies to a 4:3 HD master, which should match the original framing.
We can only hope a potential Blu-Ray release will offer the 4:3 format as the definitive version, with an option for 16:9, like Universal did for the Battlestar Galactica (The Original Series) release, and Shout Factory for Freaks and Geeks.
CBS Studios did a fantastic job remastering Charmed. Not only the show was very carefully converted to 16:9, but a 4:3 HD version was also made available on streaming services. The CGI effects were also faithfully recreated/upscaled in HD (with everything else in the shots in true HD), it is everything we could dream of for a Buffy remaster.
THE ABSENCE OF COLOR CORRECTION:
The most outrageous issue may be the fact that a crucial part of post production has been skipped: color correction and color-grading. Buffy was clearly using it a lot, more than most shows. The original team used color-correction to improve the quality of the footage and then color-grading to change the atmosphere of a scene when needed. It is safe to say that about 90% of the footage in HD has been transferred without being color-corrected or graded. That explains why the atmosphere of the show is completely destroyed in HD.
Adding to that the fact that just like the framing, a computer was probably correcting the brightness and color automatically, completely changing the mood as a result.
The brightness:
The gothic and scary atmosphere of season 1 is completely lost in the HD version. This scene in the master's lair is a good example, where the brightness would need to be strongly adjusted, same for 'Prophecy Girl'. The absence of shadows is generally a big problem, as they were often used to make the use of make-up (vamps, demons) less obvious.
The first bedroom scene had the lighting (badly) corrected after the Pivot broadcast, but the second bedroom scene still looks too bright and needs to have a darker filter added.
The dvd version is too dark (crushed blacks), but it is safe to think that the filmmakers did not intend for this dark sequence to look so bright.
This incredible lazy transfer explains why some night scenes now look like daytime or why a sunset scene no longer has a sunset. The lighting doesn't even change during the eclipse anymore!
In the original version, the drowning scene is at night, that is not the case in the remastered episode. The light is very bright while under water, but it is obviously night when Buffy comes out. Also note that the widescreen format reveals that the person drowning Buffy was not Eliza Dushku but SMG's stunt double.
And on the other hand, many scenes were corrected in post production (at the time) to increase the contrast and saturation, but haven't been corrected the same way for the HD version.
The Colors:
More examples of why color-correction is so essential.
Many scenes now look very dull in color or washed-out.
The color balance in the dvds might not always be optimal, but at least we know that a black and white film should be... black and white.
And when a scene should actually look different, because a color filter was used back when the show was made, the filter is now missing, it’s opposite world!
The presence of an orange tint is a recurring problem in the remastered season 3. The horror-feel (very important in 'Helpless') is lost because of it.
Another odd color change: the purple look of several scenes. Even the sunlight is now purple. Probably the automatic setting making another random decision.
DNR ISSUES:
Possibly the worst issue. Remember, DNR stands for Digital Noise Reduction. It is used to reduce the presence of the film's natural grain. In excess, it can lead to a plastic appearance. This transfer suffers from a severe lack of grain. With film transfers, all the detail is in the grain, especially 16mm, remove the grain, you remove the details.
These HD screencaptures from Amazon (1920x1080) show an obvious overuse of DNR, to the point where the HD quality of the super 16mm film looks almost non-existent. The same can be said about season 3 (which was shot on 35mm). Everything looks smooth as a result and the actors start to look more like plastic dolls than human.
More examples:
Many of those scenes get a bad watercolor effect as a result of the noise reduction.
Lastly, here's a comparison with the Charmed remaster (DNR free):
Both shows were shot on 35mm, during the same year, and yet the HD transfer is vastly superior for Charmed.
FRAMING ISSUES:
For some unknown reason, episodes 1x01 to 1x07 are almost entirely cropped (losing about 25% of the original image), while episodes 1x08 to 1x12 have a 16:9 frame fully opened-up on the sides (with some occasional cropping).
It should be noted that two scenes from episode 1x07 were "magically" opened up (on four sides) after we complained about the cropping in 2015. Those happened to be the 2 main examples in our first video, coincidence? we think not. Every other severely cropped scenes stayed the same. That makes us think that all of season 1 could in fact be 16:9 without cropping, and those first episodes were just another instance of the computer messing up.
The frame in season 2 is rarely fully opened-up, being slightly zoomed-in most of the time, gaining new information in width, but losing some of the original 4:3 height. Season 2 also suffers from a serious case of extra head room issue. The frame doesn't move up and down as much in season 3, but the zooming and cropping is still a problem.
One big concern with the reframing of this new version is how inconsistent it is, and often appears to be very random. Our guess is that this was a case of a computer doing an auto framing, and the team didn't bother to fix it. As a result, the composition is ruined and the director's intention completely ignored.
The Cropping:
The show was specifically framed for 4:3. Cropping the top and bottom will often result in people losing half of their head.
In the episode, the shot is severely zoomed in. Yet in the opening credits, the same shot is presented fully open. Another random computer decision, that happens again and again.
This shot suffered from the special effect turning from blue to pink in HD. The color issue was fixed after the Pivot broadcast, but the shot now suffers from insane zooming for no reason, as it is still the new HD effect, and not an upscale. It now looks even worse than it did before.
How to destroy the whole impact of a scene. The width is not fully used, and we lose a lot of the scenery and mise-en-scene. The remastering team should have used some fading technique and created black shadows on the sides to make the shot work in 16:9 without cropping.
In Innocence this whole scene is almost entirely zoomed-in. But in Passion, the "previously" segment has the same shot (and others) without zooming.
Below more examples of unnecessary zooming. The region 2 dvds have proven (from the 16:9 recaps in later seasons) that these scenes can be widescreen without any cropping at all! there is no excuse. And any potential 'goofs' should be painted out digitally.
More examples from various episodes/seasons:
Lots of more examples here.
The Extra Head Room:
The HD framing was never adjusted (when needed) to match the original version. The frame is very often too high (and sometimes too low), messing with the intended composition as a result. It would clearly be easy to match the correct framing in most cases.
(Green: picture gained, Red: picture lost).
Good examples of the frame needing to be lowered to match the original composition (in height at least).
These shots are experiencing a major problem, as we are getting extra head room but losing important information at the bottom. This kind of reframing occurs many times in season 1 and season 2 (less in season 3).
The opposite also happens when the framing needs to be raised higher to match the original version:
THE GOOFS:
One of the many examples of a piece of equipment appearing on screen. It was no big deal at the time, the show was not being protected for widescreen. But if Fox is so determined to make it 16:9, the least they can do is fix these "mistakes", removing them digitally rather than zooming.
You could already spot the white t-shirt of the crew member in the dvd version (for a fraction of a second), but having the whole camera and crew filming the scene in widescreen, that is less difficult to miss!
These are just a few examples, there are many more. Go to this page for more examples of HD "goofs" in the first three seasons.
All the widescreen 'goofs' (C-stands, cameras, end of set, crew members) should be painted out digitally (the way HBO did for The Wire's HD). A slight zoom-in is acceptable if the "goof" can't be removed digitally (sync issues etc...). Severe cropping should be avoided at all costs.
Look at the insane zooming on this one, that is not the way to remove a goof!
UPSCALE ISSUES (EDGE ENHANCEMENT):
Many of the upscaled visual effect shots suffer from heavy edge enhancement, which will often create white edges around the characters and look worse than the dvd version. Many of the insert exterior shots (the Summers' house, the church in The Prom...) also suffer from terrible edge enhancement.
For some reason, certain shots are upscaled from 4:3 SD, probably because the original negatives couldn't be found. But between the change of color, the zooming and the edge enhancement, the upscale is very poorly done.
Same issue for a few shots in this episode, but this time the picture has also been stretched!
The opening credits of season 3 are a mix of HD and very bad upscales. And none of the HD shots have been color-corrected. The version is the same for the entire season.
SPECIAL EFFECT ISSUES:
Some special effects (CGI) in season 1 and 2 have been (badly) redone, the rest is entirely upscaled from SD. The vampire dusting effect looks far different from the original one, some say the vamps now seem to turn to smoke rather than dust. It doesn't seem like there was a real intention to match what was done at the time. The effect is being reinvented, rather than re-rendered. You can have a look at this gif for one of the most striking examples.
The opposite example is the excellent remaster of Charmed, where CBS Studios recreated some CGI effects in HD, looking extremely close to the original ones. That should definitely be the example to follow. Some of the Charmed effects are actually SD but edited on an HD plate, which looks much better than a simple upscale of the shot.
The whole portal sequence looks pretty bad. All the CGI shots are upscaled, but it looks like the SD effect is a different version than the one used in the episode at the time. The colors are also different. It's a real shame. If there was one CGI effect to be properly re-rendered in HD for season 2, it was that one. You can watch the video comparison of the sequence here.
Yes, they did stretch that shot (upscaled). The box is completely flattened. The same thing happens later in the episode and again in the season finale.
The truck in which Faith falls into is gone from this shot. This is probably a case of a composite-shot that the remastering team didn't bother to recreate.
While the new dusting effect remains very disappointing, a couple of the HD effects actually look decent enough, although not identical to the original ones. Here's an example of some re-rendered special effects from episode 2x08. Note that they stopped remaking the dusting effect starting episode 2x06, so the issue is only with episodes 1x01 to 2x05.
All the CGI effects were then upscaled from SD starting the middle of season 2. That means you often switch from HD to a much lower quality upscale in the same scene, which is distracting and looks very poor.
It wouldn't be too much to ask to re-render (faithfully) the bigger effects of the show in HD (Acathla's portal in 'Becoming', the giant snake in 'Graduation Day', the end of 'The Gift', 'Chosen'...). Fox did it for The X-Files, CBS for Charmed, why should it be different for Buffy?
Various links:
You can watch the video comparisons for more new special effects, some decent, some bad: PART ONE - PART TWO.
Video comparisons (so you can get a better idea of most issues in this new HD version) : PART ONE - PART TWO - PART THREE.
Conclusion:
The only hope we have now is that Disney (which now owns Buffy) hears the demand for a Blu-ray release and properly remasters the show. The only acceptable version would have to be an entirely revised remaster, of the same quality of what was done for The Wire or Charmed.
But the ridiculous amount of issues in this new version is very worrying. Some members of the original team (David Fury, Steven DeKnight...) have expressed their outrage through their Twitter accounts. But Fox Studios declined to comment. For more details, see here.
Joss Whedon also tweeted in 2015 that he should "investigate [the] Buffy blu-ray issue", but he hasn't made any real comments on the HD transfer, so it is unknown if he's aware of the real issues.
That is why you still need to get the word out. Disney needs to know that spreading this current remaster is not acceptable. Whoever makes new HD masters needs to compare them to the original version. Check that the framing is right. Avoid DNR at all cost. Carefully remove the "goofs". Color-correct every scene properly. And get in touch with the original team. They should also be creating 4:3 HD masters (as it was done for Charmed).
So keep sharing this article, and the show might eventually get the royal HD treatment it deserves.
And for our latest video analysis, please check 'The Great Tragedy of the Buffy Remaster', available on the Passion of the Nerd's channel:
Want to know more about the original team's reactions? Read this. Want to share your opinion with us? Contact us through our Facebook page.
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