(Masuyama, probably a town or street name or a computer company name, taking into account the middle sign. I'll know for sure when I translate the bottom one.)
Middle Sign
柔
ソフト
ウェア
(Kanji is "soft" or "flexible". Katakana is "Software" lit "sofuto uea")
(Masuyama, probably a town or street name or a computer company name, taking into account the middle sign. I'll know for sure when I translate the bottom one.)
Middle Sign
柔
ソフト
ウェア
(Kanji is "soft" or "flexible". Katakana is "Software" lit "sofuto uea")
I'll get back to you on the lower sign.
Thank you so much! You are a lifesaver.
I must say, the English translation doesn't really clear up anything about their intent. Someone planned these signs, and put them there, so they had a purpose, but it still confuses me. But I love all of these little details that give courthouse square life.
So you figure the top part (MAIN 6th/8th) bit is in English? Looks like it could fit, although it was so blurry I was assumed it was japanese like the rest.
But having the Japanese characters is the important part, so I can recreate the signs in higher resolution once I texture them. They're a bit too blurry for me to recreate myself accurately without understanding what characters they're supposed to be.
I think when I get the last sign done it'll clear it up more. My gut's telling me it's a sign for a computer company. I had been thinking a street sign until I realized the middle sign wasn't "soft wear" but "software". Slightly different middle character in the second row of katakana (the I-shaped one). Something like Masuyama Software Co, Ltd.
The top letters on the top sign are definitely in English though. I'm pretty sure the second line is "6th", but I threw in "8th" as an option too.
I ripped my blurays onto my harddrive so I could watch them when I'm not on my desktop or don't feel like getting my blurays off the shelf, so I took a couple screencaps. It probably could be better since I reduced the picture size from 1080p to 720p to not take up as much room. I never noticed the adult theater is now an art museum....
EDIT: The store next to the art museum (with the teal-colored katakana name) is a jewelry store. Half of the name is covered up, but the last bit is ジュエリー (Jueri/Jewelry).
The art museum is also only clearly seen in those few hoverboard chase shots, so it's easy to miss. So much detail that they didn't go out of their way to call attention to, which I like.
I've modeled the museum, so I've got some renders of that building further back in the thread. The building to the left of the museum says "Hill Valley Jewelry" in japanese. It's interesting that they decided to throw those bits of japanese in there.
Ah, alright, good. The rest of the katakana for the jewelry store should be easy then.
The reason for the Japanese is simple though. Before the land asset bubble burst in the early 1990s, Japan's economy was booming. Out of that, you see a lot of movies in the 1980s like Back to the Future, Blade Runner, and so forth that show Asian (usually Japanese, but sometimes Chinese) domination of the future. It also spreads to a lot of references to foreign investors, usually Asian, in a lot of places too.
I think I reduced my rip of my bluray a little too much, so I'm going to reencode a higher resolution one. While I have the 1080p raw from the disc on my computer, I can take any screencaps you want.
Yep, I have the jewelry store sorted for the katakana. I have a good set photo that is very clear (I didn't actually need to know the English, since it's clear enough to just trace without understanding it, but I was curious).
As I'm currently almost finished with the section I'm working on, and haven't decided what I'll be doing next, I can't think of anything immediate I need screencaps for, but thanks for the offer. In a lot of cases, the set photos are better than the movie for general reference, so screencaps are often for the little details I don't know I need until I'm working on them.
I'll look through the behind the scenes stuff on the disc and see if there's anything good too. I'll keep the offer on the table so if you do end up needing anything I'll be able to hook you up. I'll also finish figuring out that bottom sign for you as well.
Thanks a lot. Everyone has been such a help on this project.
I'm thinking next I might churn out the generic shops on the left side of Courthouse Square (actually the north side). Nothing critical there, so that shouldn't be too hard.
Which reminds me, when they first arrive in the future, and Doc is using his binoculars to spot Marty Jr, I can't for the life of me figure out where he's actually looking. It doesn't appear to be any part of the main square that I can identify from photos, and judging from his eye direction, I'm thinking it's somewhere off in the street that goes off past the Holomax theater, which would be a very difficult area to replicate accurately. I just don't know.
I haven't seen a visual map, just a table showing the buildings in the equivalent spot in 1885/1955/1985/2015.
I know the basic layout, but I haven't spotted the building behind Marty Jr anywhere in the main square.
It doesn't appear to be along the left side with the general stores (although there is a different plastic surgery place there, which is advertised on the TV when Marty Jr is watching at home).
It's not along the same side as the clock tower, or one of the buildings behind it (you wouldn't see them from the alley anyway).
It's not along the right side with the Holomax and the big boxy angled building that leads to the ramp.
It's not along the same side as them, with the Cafe, the Antiques store and Texaco.
Doc is looking off to the right slightly. You can see some buildings through there past the Holomax, but none of them seem to be distinctive or shown very clearly.
Hopefully I can figure it out, because I want to model every section shown.
I was actually checking that on Google Maps / Google Earth only yesterday. I'll definitely be using that to help with the general overview of the town. I was also looking into getting topology information out of it so I'd have the background mountains exactly accurate too. Gotta love technology!
The mountain is in pretty high detail in Google Earth, although there's no direct way to get it out. I haven't found a height map online yet, although I haven't had a thorough look yet. I'll work out something though.
And I just realized that the Hollywood sign is just on the other side of that very same mountain.
I think the USGS has some pretty good information out there. You might be able to get the data you need from the old Shuttle data or the other geological surveys they've done.
I think the USGS has some pretty good information out there. You might be able to get the data you need from the old Shuttle data or the other geological surveys they've done.
Great suggestion. I took a look at what they had, and it was a bit confusing with all the different scans available, but they do have some height maps. I'll have to have a better look, but it doesn't look like any of them are as detailed as Google Earth though. It's only for a backdrop though, so it should be enough.
One generic building almost done. This is on the North side of courthouse square (the left side of the square when facing the courthouse itself).
Great suggestion. I took a look at what they had, and it was a bit confusing with all the different scans available, but they do have some height maps. I'll have to have a better look, but it doesn't look like any of them are as detailed as Google Earth though. It's only for a backdrop though, so it should be enough.
One generic building almost done. This is on the North side of courthouse square (the left side of the square when facing the courthouse itself).
I aim to rebuild everything of Courthouse Square that is seen on screen. The difficulty there will be the buildings that aren't really considered part of the square itself, but are seen down streets and in the background. That includes the buildings down the street past the Holomax which are clearly visible and necessary to build, some buildings past the courthouse on the right past the flying car ramp, and the end of the alleyway and behind the Cafe '80s block.
For now I'm just focusing on the main buildings inside the square though, all of which I'll be able to do without too much trouble.
I got back to working on this, still working my way down the north side.
I've almost finished Hyatas, which you only briefly see in the movie mostly during the hoverboard chase. Luckily I have one good set photo I've been using to recreate the building, which is here for comparison. I'm pretty happy with the accuracy of it, especially the sign. I spent way too long on that considering you don't even see it in the movie! BUT I'LL KNOW!
And I've just started on the Pontiac dealership, although no progress pics on that yet.
That looks great so far. I've never even noticed that building before.
It's not featured prominently, nor are any of the buildings along that road really. It just goes to show the detail that went into the scene!
I've attached some screenshots so you can spot it. The shots of the Jeep landing are the best glimpse you get of Hyatas, and you see it a moment after that as Griff's goons are coming down the road, but it's not seen in as much detail as I'm putting into it.
I don't know what I'd do without set photos!
Yep, it sure is! I actually took the time a little while ago to identify every single car in the future scene, so here's the list for anybody who's interested. At some point I'll have to get/build models of all of these to finish off the scene. I've considered tracking down plastic model kits of the cars to help me, but the shipping is the killer.
dark grey at back of row in front of Pontiac dealership - 1989 Pontiac Fiero concept car (also seen briefly driving past while Marty says "the shark still looks fake")
red sports car second from back in front of Pontiac dealership - 1988 Pontiac Banshee concept car / substituted for 1985 Saab EV-1 concept car in the non-Marty shots, likely due to availability
faded red old car, in front of orange vege shop - plain old Volkswagen Beetle (duh)
silver boxy futuristic car - from "The Last Starfighter" (1984)
red classic looking sports car - 1965 Gene Winfield Strip Car
black car, seen only briefly - "Bladerunner' Spinner (1982), modified and painted black. There's also another Bladerunner spinner seen as they enter Hilldale.
white three wheeled vehicle in front of true blues / pizza hut - Pulse autocycle (they apparently had several of these, although I'm not sure how many of them show up in the movie)
Griff's car - BMW 633 CSI Cabriolet
Yellow scooter bike thingy across from corner of cafe '80s - labelled as a Honda Wasp, probably custom made, as I can't find any info on it
white car in front of antiques store - 1987 Pontiac Pursuit concept car
silver car that goes past after Marty first crosses the road - Chevrolet Express 1987 concept car
red van in background of several shots, including when Marty first crosses the street, and when Marty is getting into the Delorean - 1986 Pontiac Trans-Sport concept car
dark green bus/van that stops near the Cafe '80s - from "Supervan" (1977), modified
pink classic car - 1959 Ford Edsel
red car that flies down landing ramp - late 1980's Ford Mustang
white car with blue stripes, seen as Marty is entering Courthouse square, and as Marty is entering the Delorean - 1987 Ford Tempo
car that Marty grabs onto during the chase - Jeep Wrangler YJ
Plus at least 3 1989 Ford Probes, modified to look more futuristic with longer windshield (red, dark grey, gold)
I've spent the past couple of days working on the Pontiac dealership. I've had a lot of trouble camera matching it for some reason, so I'm not too happy with the accuracy so far. But I've still managed to make some decent progress.
Posts
Upper Sign
Main
6th or 8th
マスヤマ
(Masuyama, probably a town or street name or a computer company name, taking into account the middle sign. I'll know for sure when I translate the bottom one.)
Middle Sign
柔
ソフト
ウェア
(Kanji is "soft" or "flexible". Katakana is "Software" lit "sofuto uea")
I'll get back to you on the lower sign.
Thank you so much! You are a lifesaver.
I must say, the English translation doesn't really clear up anything about their intent. Someone planned these signs, and put them there, so they had a purpose, but it still confuses me. But I love all of these little details that give courthouse square life.
So you figure the top part (MAIN 6th/8th) bit is in English? Looks like it could fit, although it was so blurry I was assumed it was japanese like the rest.
But having the Japanese characters is the important part, so I can recreate the signs in higher resolution once I texture them. They're a bit too blurry for me to recreate myself accurately without understanding what characters they're supposed to be.
The top letters on the top sign are definitely in English though. I'm pretty sure the second line is "6th", but I threw in "8th" as an option too.
I ripped my blurays onto my harddrive so I could watch them when I'm not on my desktop or don't feel like getting my blurays off the shelf, so I took a couple screencaps. It probably could be better since I reduced the picture size from 1080p to 720p to not take up as much room. I never noticed the adult theater is now an art museum....
http://imgur.com/a/gh9WK
EDIT: The store next to the art museum (with the teal-colored katakana name) is a jewelry store. Half of the name is covered up, but the last bit is ジュエリー (Jueri/Jewelry).
I've modeled the museum, so I've got some renders of that building further back in the thread. The building to the left of the museum says "Hill Valley Jewelry" in japanese. It's interesting that they decided to throw those bits of japanese in there.
The reason for the Japanese is simple though. Before the land asset bubble burst in the early 1990s, Japan's economy was booming. Out of that, you see a lot of movies in the 1980s like Back to the Future, Blade Runner, and so forth that show Asian (usually Japanese, but sometimes Chinese) domination of the future. It also spreads to a lot of references to foreign investors, usually Asian, in a lot of places too.
I think I reduced my rip of my bluray a little too much, so I'm going to reencode a higher resolution one. While I have the 1080p raw from the disc on my computer, I can take any screencaps you want.
As I'm currently almost finished with the section I'm working on, and haven't decided what I'll be doing next, I can't think of anything immediate I need screencaps for, but thanks for the offer. In a lot of cases, the set photos are better than the movie for general reference, so screencaps are often for the little details I don't know I need until I'm working on them.
I'm thinking next I might churn out the generic shops on the left side of Courthouse Square (actually the north side). Nothing critical there, so that shouldn't be too hard.
Which reminds me, when they first arrive in the future, and Doc is using his binoculars to spot Marty Jr, I can't for the life of me figure out where he's actually looking. It doesn't appear to be any part of the main square that I can identify from photos, and judging from his eye direction, I'm thinking it's somewhere off in the street that goes off past the Holomax theater, which would be a very difficult area to replicate accurately. I just don't know.
I know the basic layout, but I haven't spotted the building behind Marty Jr anywhere in the main square.
It doesn't appear to be along the left side with the general stores (although there is a different plastic surgery place there, which is advertised on the TV when Marty Jr is watching at home).
It's not along the same side as the clock tower, or one of the buildings behind it (you wouldn't see them from the alley anyway).
It's not along the right side with the Holomax and the big boxy angled building that leads to the ramp.
It's not along the same side as them, with the Cafe, the Antiques store and Texaco.
Doc is looking off to the right slightly. You can see some buildings through there past the Holomax, but none of them seem to be distinctive or shown very clearly.
Hopefully I can figure it out, because I want to model every section shown.
And I just realized that the Hollywood sign is just on the other side of that very same mountain.
Great suggestion. I took a look at what they had, and it was a bit confusing with all the different scans available, but they do have some height maps. I'll have to have a better look, but it doesn't look like any of them are as detailed as Google Earth though. It's only for a backdrop though, so it should be enough.
One generic building almost done. This is on the North side of courthouse square (the left side of the square when facing the courthouse itself).
I have to admit that I really like what you're doing, I love the "Back to the Future"
Waiting for more, because this project is amazing, great details.
how much of the square will you be able to do?
I aim to rebuild everything of Courthouse Square that is seen on screen. The difficulty there will be the buildings that aren't really considered part of the square itself, but are seen down streets and in the background. That includes the buildings down the street past the Holomax which are clearly visible and necessary to build, some buildings past the courthouse on the right past the flying car ramp, and the end of the alleyway and behind the Cafe '80s block.
For now I'm just focusing on the main buildings inside the square though, all of which I'll be able to do without too much trouble.
Thanks. (super delayed response!)
I got back to working on this, still working my way down the north side.
I've almost finished Hyatas, which you only briefly see in the movie mostly during the hoverboard chase. Luckily I have one good set photo I've been using to recreate the building, which is here for comparison. I'm pretty happy with the accuracy of it, especially the sign. I spent way too long on that considering you don't even see it in the movie! BUT I'LL KNOW!
And I've just started on the Pontiac dealership, although no progress pics on that yet.
It's not featured prominently, nor are any of the buildings along that road really. It just goes to show the detail that went into the scene!
I've attached some screenshots so you can spot it. The shots of the Jeep landing are the best glimpse you get of Hyatas, and you see it a moment after that as Griff's goons are coming down the road, but it's not seen in as much detail as I'm putting into it.
I don't know what I'd do without set photos!
dark grey at back of row in front of Pontiac dealership - 1989 Pontiac Fiero concept car (also seen briefly driving past while Marty says "the shark still looks fake")
red sports car second from back in front of Pontiac dealership - 1988 Pontiac Banshee concept car / substituted for 1985 Saab EV-1 concept car in the non-Marty shots, likely due to availability
faded red old car, in front of orange vege shop - plain old Volkswagen Beetle (duh)
silver boxy futuristic car - from "The Last Starfighter" (1984)
red classic looking sports car - 1965 Gene Winfield Strip Car
black car, seen only briefly - "Bladerunner' Spinner (1982), modified and painted black. There's also another Bladerunner spinner seen as they enter Hilldale.
white three wheeled vehicle in front of true blues / pizza hut - Pulse autocycle (they apparently had several of these, although I'm not sure how many of them show up in the movie)
Griff's car - BMW 633 CSI Cabriolet
Yellow scooter bike thingy across from corner of cafe '80s - labelled as a Honda Wasp, probably custom made, as I can't find any info on it
white car in front of antiques store - 1987 Pontiac Pursuit concept car
silver car that goes past after Marty first crosses the road - Chevrolet Express 1987 concept car
red van in background of several shots, including when Marty first crosses the street, and when Marty is getting into the Delorean - 1986 Pontiac Trans-Sport concept car
dark green bus/van that stops near the Cafe '80s - from "Supervan" (1977), modified
pink classic car - 1959 Ford Edsel
red car that flies down landing ramp - late 1980's Ford Mustang
white car with blue stripes, seen as Marty is entering Courthouse square, and as Marty is entering the Delorean - 1987 Ford Tempo
car that Marty grabs onto during the chase - Jeep Wrangler YJ
Plus at least 3 1989 Ford Probes, modified to look more futuristic with longer windshield (red, dark grey, gold)