# The Last Unicorn AVS

# 'The Last Unicorn' is 85 minutes, and takes up two laserdisc sides, resulting in
# two capture files.  Both of these captures are used to create the final AVI.
AVISource("e:\Scratch Space\TLU1.avi") ++ AVISource("e:\Scratch Space\TLU2.avi")

# 'The Last Unicorn' is a wonderful movie that, until recently, was given extremely
# pitiful attention by its home video distributors.  A letterboxed DVD edition with 
# a newly remastered and remixed surround soundtrack was finally released in 2001,
# but only in Germany.  The U.S. has so far only ever seen VHS and laserdisc
# editions.  While the laserdisc release is better than the VHS release, it is
# extremely rare, so rare that copies have sold for over $150 on eBay.  Sadly, it is
# also the worst laserdisc production I have ever seen.  The audio has been run
# through a normalizer, making any home theater system sound like a cheap car radio.
# The video transfer is even more of a joke; more information about that later on in
# this file.  Suffice it to say, the laserdisc does not offer a good way to watch
# this movie.  But, it's the best there is in the States, at least until we finally
# get a DVD release.  So, I made an AVI from it.
  
# These frames must be manipulated to preserve the telecine pattern:
# 31263 delete this frame
# 50123 repeat this frame \ I normally ignore these one-frame hiccups, but
# 50124 delete this frame / for the tricks documented below, it's necessary.
# 57009 repeat this frame
# 57010 repeat this frame
# 64797 repeat this frame
# 76456 repeat this frame
# 85388 delete this frame
# 85390 delete this frame
# 126731 repeat this frame
# 146585 delete this frame
# 146589 delete this frame
# 155995 delete this frame
# 155996 delete this frame
#
# Note:  AVISynth does not have "soft" line breaks, so it is necessary for all
# this to be on a single line:
Trim(0,31262) ++ Trim(31264,50123) ++ Trim(50123,50123) ++ Trim(50125,57009) ++ Trim(57009,57010) ++ Trim(57010, 64797) ++ Trim(64797,76456) ++ Trim(76456,85387) ++ Trim(85389,85389) ++ Trim(85391,126731) ++ Trim(126731,146584) ++ Trim(146586,146588) ++ Trim(146590,155994) ++ Trim(155997,0)

# For certain routines, AVISynth internally divides each video frame into two
# "fields."  One field contains the frame's even rows of pixels, while the other
# field has the odd rows.  When untelecining a movie, the appropriate AVISynth
# functions use these fields to stitch the frames containing mixed pictures into
# frames containing single pictures.  However, this requires not only knowing which
# frames contain mixed pictures (defined by the Doubleweave and Pulldown functions
# below), but also knowing which of the two possible ways the fields within those
# frames should be spliced together with surrounding fields to restore the original
# pictures.  AVISynth assumes one way, but sometimes the other way is needed.
#
# To make a long explanation shorter, the AssumeFrameBased and ComplementParity
# functions below allows these captures to be properly untelecined.
AssumeFrameBased.ComplementParity

# A small amount of visual noise filtering.
TemporalSoften(5,3,6)

# Untelecine.
DoubleWeave().Pulldown(1,3)

# To figure out how to make Pulldown match the telecine pattern, define five clips,
# each one using one of the five possible Pulldown routines.  Then, stack these five
# clips on top of each other to compare them, using StackVertical.  To make sure the
# resulting picture isn't too big, crop each individual picture down to its first
# 100 rows of pixels:
# a = Crop(0,0,640,100).Pulldown(0,2)
# b = Crop(0,0,640,100).Pulldown(0,3)
# c = Crop(0,0,640,100).Pulldown(1,3)
# d = Crop(0,0,640,100).Pulldown(1,4)
# e = Crop(0,0,640,100).Pulldown(2,4)
# StackVertical(a,b,c,d,e)
#
# Next, save the AVS script and open it in VirtualDub or other player capable of
# examining AVIs frame by frame.  When advancing the movie by single frames, two
# of the five pictures will look alright.  The rest will show frames that are still
# mixed together.  Either of the two successful Pulldowns can be used.
#
# If all five pictures still show mixed frames, use the AssumeFrameBased and
# ComplementParity functions described above and try again.

# Now back to the poor video.  The original film's picture was not aligned
# properly when being transferred to a home video master, resulting in some
# unintentional letterboxing through-out the entire movie.  What's more, the
# alignment often changes from scene to scene, making the borders above and below
# the picture vary in thickness.  Then there is the matter of the picture jumping
# from time to time.  Also, the picture was intentionally stretched during the
# opening and closing credits, so that all the words could fit on screen without the
# picture actually being letterboxed.  However, the closing credits were
# inexplicably windowboxed even after the stretching!  (Check out my 'Doc Hollywood'
# AVISynth script for an explanation of what windowboxing is.)
#
# In these commands, I have cropped the entire movie to a resolution fo 640x464.
# This gets rid of all the obvious alignment flaws, while sacrificing only a minimal
# amount of picture in some frames.  Scenes that jumped have been repositioned to
# keep the entire movie as centered as possible.  Scenes that suffered a greater
# misalignment have been padded with extra letterboxing.  Finally, the closing
# credits have been cropped of their windowboxing, and both sets of credits have
# been resized and letterboxed to get rid of the vertical stretching.
#
# Note that the frame numbers given in these commands are different than those given
# above, now that the movie has been untelecined and the frame rate has changed.
a = Trim(0,3208).Crop(0,8,640,464)
b = Trim(3209,3528).Crop(0,0,640,464)
c = Trim(3529,3644).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
d = Trim(3645,3817).Crop(0,8,640,464)
e = Trim(3818,4167).Crop(0,8,640,464).BicubicResize(640,368,0,0.5).AddBorders(0,48,0,48)
f = Trim(4168,7469).Crop(16,24,600,432).BiCubicResize(640,368,0,0.5).AddBorders(0,48,0,48)
g = Trim(7470,26962).Crop(0,8,640,464)
h = Trim(26963,29652).Crop(0,0,640,464)
i = Trim(29653,30453).Crop(0,8,640,464)
j = Trim(30454,30702).Crop(0,0,640,464)
k = Trim(30703,34620).Crop(0,8,640,464)
l = Trim(34621,34716).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
m = Trim(34717,40098).Crop(0,8,640,464)
n = Trim(40099,40140).Crop(0,0,640,448).AddBorders(0,8,0,8)
o = Trim(40141,43180).Crop(0,0,640,464)
p = Trim(43181,43214).Crop(0,8,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
q = Trim(43215,68766).Crop(0,8,640,464)
r = Trim(68767,69071).Crop(0,0,640,464)
s = Trim(69072,70507).Crop(0,8,640,464)
t = Trim(70508,70787).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
u = Trim(70788,72599).Crop(0,8,640,464)
v = Trim(72600,72665).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
w = Trim(72666,73148).Crop(0,8,640,464)
x = Trim(73149,73183).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
y = Trim(73184,75726).Crop(0,8,640,464)
z = Trim(75727,75934).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
aa = Trim(75935,81256).Crop(0,8,640,464)
bb = Trim(81257,81370).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
cc = Trim(81371,86708).Crop(0,8,640,464)
dd = Trim(86709,86883).Crop(0,0,640,464)
ee = Trim(86884,88460).Crop(0,8,640,464)
ff = Trim(88461,88988).Crop(0,0,640,464)
gg = Trim(88989,94665).Crop(0,8,640,464)
hh = Trim(94666,94743).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
ii = Trim(94744,94809).Crop(0,0,640,464)
jj = Trim(98810,97081).Crop(0,8,640,464)
kk = Trim(97082,97184).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
ll = Trim(97185,97274).Crop(0,0,640,464)
mm = Trim(97275,122018).Crop(0,8,640,464)
nn = Trim(122019,122069).Crop(0,0,640,464)
oo = Trim(122070,123011).Crop(0,8,640,464)
pp = Trim(123012,123065).Crop(0,0,640,464)
qq = Trim(123066,123152).Crop(0,8,640,464)
rr = Trim(123153,123182).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
ss = Trim(123183,130151).Crop(0,8,640,464)
tt = Trim(130152,130374).Crop(0,16,640,440).AddBorders(0,8,0,16)
uu = Trim(130375,131614).Crop(0,8,640,464)
vv = Trim(131615,0).Crop(48,40,552,400).BicubicResize(640,368,0,0.5).AddBorders(0,48,0,48)

a + b + c + d + e + f + g + h + i + j + k + l + m + n + o + p + q + r + s + t + u + v + w + x + y + z + aa + bb + cc + dd + ee + ff + gg + hh + ii + jj + kk + ll + mm + nn + oo + pp + qq + rr + ss + tt + uu + vv