Much has been made in recent years of the “de-aging” processÂes that allow actors to credÂiÂbly play charÂacÂters far younger than themÂselves. But it has also become posÂsiÂble to de-age film itself, as demonÂstratÂed by Peter JackÂson’s celÂeÂbratÂed new docu-series The BeaÂtÂles: Get Back. The vast majorÂiÂty of the mateÂrÂiÂal that comÂprisÂes its nearÂly eight-hour runÂtime was origÂiÂnalÂly shot in 1969, under the direcÂtion of Michael LindÂsay-Hogg for the docÂuÂmenÂtary that became Let It Be.
Those who have seen both LinÂday-HogÂg’s and JackÂson’s docÂuÂmenÂtaries will notice how much sharpÂer, smoother, and more vivid the very same footage looks in the latÂter, despite the sixÂteen-milÂlimeÂter film havÂing lanÂguished for half a cenÂtuÂry. The kind of visuÂal restoraÂtion and enhanceÂment seen in Get Back was made posÂsiÂble by techÂnoloÂgies that have only emerged in the past few decades — and preÂviÂousÂly seen in JackÂson’s They Shall Not Grow Old, a docÂuÂmenÂtary acclaimed for its restoraÂtion of cenÂtuÂry-old World War I footage to a time-travÂel-like degree of verisimilÂiÂtude.
“You can’t actuÂalÂly just do it with off-the-shelf softÂware,” JackÂson explained in an interÂview about the restoraÂtion processÂes involved in They Shall Not Grow Old. This necesÂsiÂtatÂed marÂshalÂing, at his New Zealand comÂpaÂny Park Road Post ProÂducÂtion, “a departÂment of code writÂers who write comÂputÂer code in softÂware.” In othÂer words, a sufÂfiÂcientÂly ambiÂtious project of visuÂal reviÂtalÂizaÂtion — makÂing media from bygone times even more lifeÂlike than it was to begin with — becomes as much a job of traÂdiÂtionÂal film-restoraÂtion or visuÂal-effects as of comÂputÂer proÂgramÂming.
This also goes for the less obviÂous but no-less-impresÂsive treatÂment givÂen by JackÂson and his team to the audio that came with the Let It Be footage. RecordÂed in large part monauÂralÂly, these tapes preÂsentÂed a forÂmiÂdaÂble proÂducÂtion chalÂlenge. John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s instruÂments share a sinÂgle track with their voicÂes — and not just their singing voicÂes, but their speakÂing ones as well. On first lisÂten, this renÂders many of their conÂverÂsaÂtions inaudiÂble, and probÂaÂbly by design: “If they were in a conÂverÂsaÂtion,” said JackÂson, they would turn their amps up loud and they’d strum the guiÂtar.”
This means of keepÂing their words from LindÂsay-Hogg and his crew worked well enough in the wholÂly anaÂlog late 1960s, but it has proven no match for the artiÂfiÂcial intelligence/machine learnÂing of the 2020s. “We devised a techÂnolÂoÂgy that is called demixÂing,” said JackÂson. “You teach the comÂputÂer what a guiÂtar sounds like, you teach them what a human voice sounds like, you teach it what a drum sounds like, you teach it what a bass sounds like.” SupÂplied with enough sonÂic data, the sysÂtem evenÂtuÂalÂly learned to disÂtinÂguish from one anothÂer not just the sounds of the BeaÂtÂles’ instruÂments but of their voicÂes as well.
Hence, in addiÂtion to Get Back’s revÂeÂlaÂtoÂry musiÂcal moments, its many once-priÂvate but now crisply audiÂble exchanges between the Fab Four. “Oh, you’re recordÂing our conÂverÂsaÂtion?” George HarÂriÂson at one point asks LindÂsay-Hogg in a charÂacÂterÂisÂtic tone of faux surÂprise. But if he could hear the recordÂings today, his surÂprise would sureÂly be real.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Watch Paul McCartÂney ComÂpose The BeaÂtÂles ClasÂsic “Get Back” Out of Thin Air (1969)
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities and culÂture. His projects include the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
