What methods to use to remaster the footage for this DVD release? Approximately six months were spent reaching a decision in answer to this question. For the telecine process of transferring the Evangelion TV series from the original negatives, which were produced in 16mm film, a method called wet gate telecine was chosen instead of dry gate telecine, which is the current mainstream method. This method was chosen, because the priority was placed on efficiently removing scratches on the film, minimizing the shaking of the image when the 16mm film is run through telecine, and on the overall improvement in quality rather than improving the sharpness of details. Pin registration was used to reduce the shaking of the image, which occurs due to this being a film product. By firmly stabilizing the film, the shaking was visibly reduced for all to see. On the other hand, the TV opening and ending are on 35mm film, which are clear and of high resolution, unlike the TV episodes. Thus, the priority was to bring out the colors, and the dry gate telecine method was used. Furthermore, the recording was done in HD (high definition).
Now, concerning some of the scenes in Episode Sixteen and the previews, the original 16mm negatives had become lost from the development laboratory in the past. Thus, the telecine process was done from a 35mm internegatlve, but through last spurt color work through color correction and digital remastering, the footage has been reproduced to approximate the original.
The technological advances in digital correction also produced great results in dealing with dirt and scratches in the footage. The traces of the adhesive used to connect the cuts that appear in film works have also been erased from every frame. This process also required a great deal of work, but the images have been tightened up overall and appear much clearer now. In addition, by having erased the trace of adhesives, it also became possible to reproduce the entire frame. Retakes were also done to fix painting mistakes and to add details. A lot of the fixes were done digitally, but there are some scenes which were reshot from repainted cels.
Through this elaborate renewal work, the images intended by the creators have been reproduced as faithfully as possible. The most important thing concerning the improvement in quality is that Director Anno and the two assistant directors, Masayuki and Kazuya Tsurumakl, took part in this work. From redoing the telecine process to correcting the colors to recreating the sound mix, it is a rare thing for the directors to participate in all the work.