Were other episodes of TZ video taped besides the 6 kinescope episodes of season two? ....watching the episode "incredible world of Horace Ford" from season 4 and a following episode about a cruise ship full of elderly passengers and both looked like they were videotaped as well but with more newer [at the time] video equipment...
The image was particularly sharper than filmed episodes and it looked like it was shot on backlot sets instead of actual streets
The chrismas episode was the same way. I found it tolerable.
shareWere most of the episodes in season 4 then video taped?
shareNope. Every episode except for those half dozen was shot on film.
shareTrying to figure out why these two episodes and others from season 4 looked videotaped, kinescope was a much cheaper videotaping system [where bright flashes looked 'dark'] but not with these episodes.
Maybe it was the way they were remastered?... I know that something that was originally videotaped and then transferred to film looks pretty horrific, but these episodes are very sharp and doesn't have a film look at least the Horace one.
I found this: it was decided that six consecutive episodes would be videotaped at CBS Television City in the manner of a live drama and then transferred to 16-millimeter film for future syndicated TV transmissions. Eventual savings amounted to only about $30,000 for all six entries, which was judged to be insufficient to offset the loss of depth of visual perspective that only film could offer. The shows wound up looking little better than set-bound soap operas and as a result the experiment was deemed a failure and never tried again. Even though the six shows were taped in a row, through November and into mid-December, their broadcast dates were out of order and varied widely.
shareYeah, I've seen that too and it refers to the kinescope episodes which were earlier... There is probably production history somewhere of how each episode was recorded buried in some vault at CBS.
The Horace Ford episode and others looks like it was made yesterday, albeit in B&W
There is probably production history somewhere of how each episode was recorded buried in some vault at CBS.
The 2nd season episodes to which you refer were not "kinescopes," they were videotaped. A kinscope is actually a film of a TV picture broadcast. So yes, it looks super grainy and even has that awful "roll bar" because back then in the days before HD, pictures appeared on the screen at a slow speed.
I agree that Passage on the Lady Anne looks different, but it was filmed.