Inland Empire (2006) represents David Lynch’s first foray into digital filmmaking. The director supervised the 4K version with a new sound mix for the theatrical release this April.
It is a complicated and painstaking process. The film was shot in SD with a Sony DV camera hand-held by Lynch himself. The footage was then up-converted to HD for grading. A digital-intermediate master was completed and output to HDCAM-SR tape and 35mm film. For the 4K version, HD footage was downscaled back to SD in order to get rid of artifacts introduced during the original HD conversion, then upscaled to 4K with AI Gigapixel software developed by Topaz Labs. The algorithm could enhance the resolution in photorealistic detail looks.
Nevertheless, the 4K upscaling stirred controversy amongst fans as it is against the director’s original intention to experiment with low-res video. And AI versus restoration ethics is an intriguing subject worth further discussion.
Watch now! Trailer of the 4K version: https://youtu.be/isd1C7g6XT0
Further readings: ‘David Lynch on Restoring ‘Inland Empire’ and Laura Dern’s Oscar Snub’
https://www.indiewire.com/2022/04/david-lynch-inland-empire-laura-dern-1234716407/
Photo credits: Janus Films
