# Why are deleted scenes on DVDs so badly lit **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103 "2003-08-09T23:22:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/1 "2003-08-09T23:22:10Z")
I guess the title says it all. I’ve noticed that deleted scenes and outtakes are usually lit much darker than the actual film. Are the deleted scenes not properly processed or something? ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/2 "2003-08-09T23:27:04Z")
This was obviously meant to be posted in **Cafe Society** If a mod could move it I would be ever so grateful. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/3 "2003-08-09T23:27:47Z")
It’s not that they’re badly lit. You sort of got it right in your guess; they just haven’t gone through the color-correcting process that the final, actual print of the film does. It’s not the processing of the film itself, though. It’s called ‘color timing’, and it’s one of the final steps in making a film. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/4 "2003-08-10T00:23:09Z")
A guy named **Anamorphic** would definately know what he’s talking about. Lots of deleted scenes also have no background noise, folley sounds, music, and some come with timecode on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/5 "2003-08-10T02:31:27Z")
They’re usually pulled off of AVID workprint copies and not the actual negative. AVID, a computerized editing system, is encoded at MPEG-1, a step below DVD’s MPEG-2. Some DVD’s take their deleted scenes from actual negative, though. Some actually finish the soundtrack. “Unbreakable” had its deleted scenes mixed to 5.1. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/6 "2003-08-10T04:28:25Z")
You’re right, **Keith Berry** , they are sometimes pulled straight from the AVID, but taking it from an AVID would effect the overall quality, not just the brightness. And since **bryanmaguire** only mentioned the lighting and not the overall quality, I’m guessing he’s probably talking about scenes from an actual print. Obviously, they would only use the scene cut straight from the AVID if it didn’t exist on print. And, especially in higher-profile films, most of these scenes _do_ exist on print, because they’re often not cut until after test screenings. Only scenes cut fairly early on in the editing process wouldn’t exist on film (or for a lower-budget film that didn’t do test-screenings). ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_griffin-kentzel/32/14787_2.png) [@Larry\_Griffin-Kentzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Griffin-Kentzel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/7 "2003-08-10T04:30:16Z")
Off to **Cafe Society**. * * * **Cajun Man** ~ SDMB Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-deleted-scenes-on-dvds-so-badly-lit/194103/8 "2003-08-10T05:18:19Z")
For what it’s worth, I’ve seen examples of what both **Keith Berry** and **Anamorphic** are talking about. Some deleted scenes (such as those on _Unbreakable_) have been lifted directly from a film print. Others have clearly been taken from an AVID or similar digital editor. I can’t think of an example of these off the top of my head, but I know I’ve seen them – you can usually tell because the curves are obviously digitized, and you can see individual lines of resolution (on a big enough screen, anyway), especially in the curves. In both cases, lighting and sounds are usually somewhat “off” from what they would have been in the final film, because all the effects haven’t been applied. So, guys, you’re _both_ right. _grin_