New Young Indy Podcast Series

michael

michael

Well-known member
Avilos said:
I totally agree with that. Often hugely successful shows have big ratings when they are on but viewers move on to other stuff.

It’s rare to see fan commitment to get this level of inside info. Also the big hits rarely get good behind the scenes bonus features. The studios do not think it’s necessary, that the shows sell themselves.

It’s really these smaller cult shows that you learn more all due to fan efforts.
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yeah exactly! and learning that Lucas funded some of this with his own money just seems so rare ( i think??) in Hollywood these days.
 
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OliverJones

New member
Hey Chroniclers! I just discovered the podcast last week and have been binging episodes since. Wow, what a well-produced, enjoyable podcast for such an under-celebrated show! As a lifelong Indy (and young Indy) fan, I'm thrilled and grateful.

Something I have always wondered about the show is why Indy's iconic fedora looks so different than it did in the films. In fact, there is even significant variation from episode to episode or scene to scene. I know some episodes had re-shoots in order to be reassembled into feature lengths, but I still can't believe something so iconic as Indy's hat wasn't consistent with the movies. I'd have assumed it'd be as easy as grabbing one of the Herbert Johnson hats off a LucasFilm shelf, but instead I feel the young Indy hat is something else entirely.

So, perhaps some insight into the history of the young Indy hat, could make for some interesting podcast investigation and discussion.
https://imgur.com/a/td5FFGI
 
michael

michael

Well-known member
OliverJones said:
Hey Chroniclers! I just discovered the podcast last week and have been binging episodes since. Wow, what a well-produced, enjoyable podcast for such an under-celebrated show! As a lifelong Indy (and young Indy) fan, I'm thrilled and grateful.

Something I have always wondered about the show is why Indy's iconic fedora looks so different than it did in the films. In fact, there is even significant variation from episode to episode or scene to scene. I know some episodes had re-shoots in order to be reassembled into feature lengths, but I still can't believe something so iconic as Indy's hat wasn't consistent with the movies. I'd have assumed it'd be as easy as grabbing one of the Herbert Johnson hats off a LucasFilm shelf, but instead I feel the young Indy hat is something else entirely.
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I always felt like the flimsy fedora was just a sign that he's not truly Indiana Jones yet. He's still becoming the Indy we know from the movies.

The same reason we never hear the raiders march for SPF and CC scenes.

I assume it was a very conscious decision by Lucas.

Just listened to 'The Puddle of Evil' episode, and while it was mentioned in an earlier episode, the notion that this show isn't cynical like modern TV resonated with me so much.

If this show was made the same way today, people would be criticizing it for being too 'wholesome'. Nah actually....it wouldn't even get past that part in the production. Execs would be asking backstabbing, and anti-heros, ect.
 
pholmstrom

pholmstrom

Member
OliverJones said:
Hey Chroniclers! I just discovered the podcast last week and have been binging episodes since. Wow, what a well-produced, enjoyable podcast for such an under-celebrated show! As a lifelong Indy (and young Indy) fan, I'm thrilled and grateful.

Something I have always wondered about the show is why Indy's iconic fedora looks so different than it did in the films. In fact, there is even significant variation from episode to episode or scene to scene. I know some episodes had re-shoots in order to be reassembled into feature lengths, but I still can't believe something so iconic as Indy's hat wasn't consistent with the movies. I'd have assumed it'd be as easy as grabbing one of the Herbert Johnson hats off a LucasFilm shelf, but instead I feel the young Indy hat is something else entirely.

So, perhaps some insight into the history of the young Indy hat, could make for some interesting podcast investigation and discussion.
https://imgur.com/a/td5FFGI
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Thanks so much for listening, Oliver! Glad you're enjoying the show.
We're hoping to get some of the costume designers on at some point, so that'll be a question we bring up. I imagine part of the issue is the difference in head size between Harrison and Sean, but who knows.
 
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Avilos

Active member
The hat question is a good one. Something that I often thought about myself. I think I got part of the answer in the recent Harrison Ford documentary. There is a behind the scenes moment that reveals how flimsy the hats are. I need to rewatch it and currently do not have Disney Plus. But when I watched it it just was a “I get it!”. The hat gets wet and is like paper. There basically felt right?

Point is the reality is the hats are completely mailable. It’s a fiction that the hat stays in one shape with all the crap Indy goes though. Indy would have to constantly cleaning and up keeping it all the time.

That it would look different over the decades is most believable thing.

michael said:
i'm not musically inclined so i'll take your word for it
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Laserschwert said:
To be fair, the Young Indy theme basically IS the Raiders March in disguise. It's much more playful and unfocused, but it "dances around" the same structure and rhythm of the Raiders March.
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I have always suspected that but I am not musically inclined enough to really be sure. It reminds me of most of the Superman musical themes in the years right after John Williams. Specifically the Ruby Spears cartoon. Which had the rights to Williams theme for only the opening credits. But not the actual episodes. The composer said in the linear notes that he followed in the John Williams style but with his own Superman theme.

I would love someone with knowledge of musical compositions do a video or podcast comparing the tv Young Indy theme to the Raiders March. For example playing on piano a melody of joining both together. It would be obvious it’s the same dna just slightly rearranged.

I would highly recommend The Soundtrack Show podcast by David W. Collins. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-the-soundtrack-show-29021108/ He has covered a lot of John Williams movies and many others. He has a way of explaining film and tv music that anyone can understand. One big element he he often discusses is that there is a basic “music vocabulary” that most classical music is build on. Specific notes and series of notes that evoke certain emotions.
 
michael

michael

Well-known member
Avilos said:
I would highly recommend The Soundtrack Show podcast by David W. Collins. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-the-soundtrack-show-29021108/ He has covered a lot of John Williams movies and many others. He has a way of explaining film and tv music that anyone can understand. One big element he he often discusses is that there is a basic “music vocabulary” that most classical music is build on. Specific notes and series of notes that evoke certain emotions.
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it took me a while to warm up to the Young Indy theme unfortunately, even well after loving the show.

I do love it now. But love it even more so when it's used in a quick little moments, ie: when Indy grabs his fedora after he phones Nancy that he figured out the oil bit.

Speaking of music though, fellas......any hopes to get any of the composers on the podcast???? 🥺👉👈
 
pholmstrom

pholmstrom

Member
michael said:
it took me a while to warm up to the Young Indy theme unfortunately, even well after loving the show.

I do love it now. But love it even more so when it's used in a quick little moments, ie: when Indy grabs his fedora after he phones Nancy that he figured out the oil bit.

Speaking of music though, fellas......any hopes to get any of the composers on the podcast???? 🥺👉
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Hi! Apologies for the late response, and thanks again for listening to the show. We're definitely hoping to get one of the composers on at some point. Joel McNeely has a pretty busy schedule at the moment, but we'll hopefully convince him to come on at some point. Still on the hunt for the other two remaining composers that are still with us. Hope to have more info her soon.
 
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Avilos

Active member
Honestly the Ben Burtt episode (part 1) just blew me away!! So many details that I assume none of us fans knew about before this. I hope the wait is not to long for next episode.

This is a huge education for fans of any tv show from that era who want it on Blu Ray. Most were shot on film but edited on video. So were the effects. Television was low resolution, no reason to prepare movie quality film prints. It would cost huge amounts of money to go back to original negatives. Edit the episodes again and recreate the effect shots from scratch. I have known about this since this was done for Star Trek The Next Generation and the Blu Rays barely sold.

The timing of this is really interesting. Just this last week Warner Archives announced they are releasing the Flash tv series from 1990 on Blu Ray. Going back to original film negatives. But no mention of the vast special effects. The producer said a few years ago just what Ben Burtt did on Young Indy. Best guess up-converting the effects shots . This was done for Lois & Clark on HBOMAX. Overall the episodes look great, but the noticeable difference of scenes with no effects - look perfect! Compared to effects scenes which look slightly blurry.

The big revelation is Attack of the Hawkmen!!!! I knew it originated from scripts for two different episodes. But no idea Lucasfilm did not know where it would air or how long it would be presented - so he shot everything! I am a fan of a faster pace and shorter run times. But it’s fascinating. I wonder if the other Family Channel movies were produced this way too. Really better to listen to the episode immediately and not my inadequate description!
 
Moedred

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Just dipping into this podcast, starting with Ben Burtt part 1. He says all the 16mm film is in storage. He looked at some Hawkmen footage on his own time, and was surprised to find it in 1.77, rather than 1.33. Suitable for modern televisions. He's not sure it was all shot this way. He edited a 140+ minute version, all scored, first expecting cable to air it in two 90 broadcast minute parts, then cut it down to 90 minutes.

In my opinion, the reason Star Trek TNG blu-rays didn't sell as well as expected is (1) fans had been sold these episodes too many times, and (2) it's still unnecessarily pillar boxed in 1.33, cropping out the crew and gaffers tape and so on. Which Ben Burtt says, in Indy, would be easy to airbrush out. Meanwhile, Friends, also shot in 35mm, streams in 1.78 from the original elements, and people born this century watch it in a perpetual loop.

While not a surround sound expert, it's great to listen to podcasters who are, asking Laird Malamed about such things.
 
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Laserschwert

Active member
With a runtime far, far below that of TNG, remastering YI would in theory be much more viable. That being said, it doesn't look like Disney is interested in investing ANY money at all into the Indy franchise. Redoing all the digital compositing would still require a heavy investment, which I can't see them willing to make.
 
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