Report from the Field #31
Can we still call it restoration?

A comprehensive overview – with critical discussion – of today’s common restorative practices in the audio-visual domain. We will analyse half a dozen real world examples using de-restorer, a piece of software that Reto Kromer started programming in late 2016. The current version makes it possible to identify which part of the image was modified during the restoration. It not only recognises the algorithm used, but also roughly how the parameters were set. Even on a DCP it can usually be determined which restoration software was used. We aim to bring in dialogue these image and sound modifications with the restorers’ ethical principles.

What and how

Case studies presented by Joshua Levy and Michal Cohen, followed by an informal Q&A session and light refreshments. Note that this will be a technical meeting and the participants should be familiar with modern digital restoration methods for sound and image.

When and where

In-person at the EPFL Innovation Park with webcast on Friday the 24^th of March 2023, starting at 11 o’clock sharp here in Switzerland (that’s 10:00 UTC). We will use a Jitsi-based platform and the link will be provided in proper time.

As usual, the admission to our Reports from the Field is free, but a registration is required, as the seats are limited to a dozen or so, in order to enable in-depth professional discussions and information exchange.

Note

• We are very unhappy that our generosity is often betrayed, as many of our materials are distributed without naming their origin. Increasingly, others are even shamelessly claiming authorship of our work, which is just disgusting behaviour. And that’s the very reason why some resources are no longer freely available, but have been moved to password-protected parts of our website.

2023-02-19