Baraka (1992) - 8K Scanning & Restoration Process

Baraka is a 1992 American non-narrative documentary film directed by Ron Fricke and produced by Mark Magidson.

The word Baraka is defined within various Eastern religions as a powerful spiritual blessing that flows throughout many different aspects of life.

The Baraka project was filmed by a only 5 person crew, over a period of 14 months, in 24 different countries, and while spanning 6 of the 7 continents.

This is a short documentary released in 2008 about the 8K scanning and restoration process undertaken with the original film stock

Baraka was shot on 70mm film and then scanned at an oversampled 8K Ultra High Resolution (8,192 pixels across the frame) with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 @96k/24bits. It was then output onto Blu-ray in Full High Definition 1080p at a 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio.

The scan done at 8K was oversampled, which means the film was scanned at a higher resolution than what was necessary for the final 1080p output that they intended and produced.

The purpose of scanning at 8K though was to create a super sharp, but down-sampled version of the film scan once it was output at Full HD 1080p. Thus, the resulting image from the 8K scan is a sharper quality 1080p output than if they had just scanned the film at 1080p or at a 4K scan resolution. The 1080p output from the 8K scan is also now perhaps an even better quality version than the original film print when viewed digitally on either a 1080p or 4K display.

The unanswered question though is if an 8K scan from the 65mm native film stock would produce an even more desirable looking image at 4K than at the 1080p resolution output which they had decided upon for this production.

But without there being any 4K sample outputs available (AFAIK) from the original film print to 8K scan (in order to rule out whether or not a 4K output might introduce any undesirable flaws, artifacts, or reveal any weaknesses from the physical film print at such a high resolution scan) it remains a question that still can’t be fully addressed.

In this video they also briefly mention DVD, which may be a bit confusing, but I can confirm that the 8K scan was never output at 480p resolution and was only ever released at 1080p resolution on Blu-ray.

One can still purchase the full Baraka 1080p film on Blu-ray from the 8K scan, which also includes this short documentary titled "Restoration" as a special feature on the disc. The Blu-ray disc also includes another 1+ hour documentary titled "A Closer Look” which is a BTS documentary on the shooting and production of Baraka itself.

A final note in that I do not possess any copyrights to the content of this video nor is it my intention to infringe upon any existing copyrights of this content in any way. I also have no personal connection or otherwise to the producers of this video or to the creators of the Baraka film.

[appluent]

So few people will realize or appreciate the work that went into the original filming, let alone the countless hours restoring such a large format using the best digital tools. These guys are pioneers and deserve recognition.

[jeffreymiranda]

Can't wait to see 8K scan of 2001: A Space Odyssey

[Jude]

Baraka and Samsara are two of the most impressive blu rays I've ever seen

[pineapplebaron]

Was unbelievably fortunate enough to see an original 70mm print of this film in a theatre setting twice - once as a high schooler, once as a college student. I know this video is about selling the fidelity of the 8k, but nothing will ever beat the analogue. The 8k restoration is a great experience at home on your TV and way better than the previous commercial option, absolutely worth getting because this film is a masterpiece. But it can't ever and won't ever beat the print.

[jaredrogersword]

I don't know why YouTube recommended this video when all I've been watching is sports clips over the last week, but I'm glad it did. This film looks awesome, and the whole scanning process is incredible how far post technology has come.

[justincgs]

Why has this not been released in 4k BluRay?

[stuffandnonsense]

The BR is beautiful, but we need this on 4K. I don't understand why this isn't a thing, there's certainly a market for it.

[envanligfjant]

This is one of the first, if not the first, blu-rays I ever bought. The image quality still amazes me. I'm hoping we can get a HDR version not too far down the road. "Baraka" is maybe the most beautiful thing ever filmed.

[tvkwwlt]

I've found where the true film nerds hang out.

[dundeedolphin]

I first watched Baraka in the mid 90s. It was a masterpiece, showcasing an incredible world of cultural magic and wonder. Since then, I feel the world has shrunk. It is difficult to find anything that feels unfamiliar or new.

[claudius]

Got this recommended for days and finally watched it, was really worth it

[vasjanleno]

Samsara should be scanned too. Imagine all great movies being scanned and screened on cinemas again, I’d pay the double to see them

[cjdrax]

I'm still waiting for it to come out at least in 4K. Rewatching every time!

[alexc.c.]

I´m just watching this and got goosebumps all over...one of the best movies ever made!!!

[hzubovi]

Can't wait for a 4K blue ray release of this masterpiece

[MusaShinwari]

An extraordinary trip
Baraka is ancient Sufi word which means blessings this is pure art no words can describe this movie just go and watch it with patience it will melt your heart

[HeartFeltGesture]

I didnt see this until '95 at a little art house cinema with my girlfriend in Christchurch NZ. I was 22 and it blew my impressionable mind.

[kalaskrille]

I hope more films get this kind of love. TBH I never even reflected over the fact that it was shot on 65mm and not digitally. The 1080 version looks fantastic.

[tibelchior]

I was watching this in 4K HDR in a LGCX OLED yesterday. I have never seen something so perfect, so hi-res like this documentary!
With the OLEDs true black, it looks even better! To think that this was filmed in 1992 is mind-blowing!

[myvideosareallmyown]

Please release this in 4K on a 4K UHD Blu-Ray asap!!!!