Something I noticed on Pompeii...

I've seen the DVD many times now, and after about the 3rd watch, there was something I noticed, and wondered if anyone else had too. After Saucerful (I think), it cuts to Abbey Road, where they are recording DSotM. But for a moment or two they show the famous road...and then the "Abbey Road" sign, littered in graffiti. One of those graffitis says "Shine on Syd." Now I was wondering what that could be doing there...this was filmed pre-WYWH. Now a few thoughts occurred to me, but both seem fairly unlikely: 1. Possibly some Floyd fan just made that up, wrote it there, and possibly the band saw it, and Bam! there was their inspiration for SOYCD (or some variation of that). 2. For some reason, when making the DVD director's cut version, they decided they needed to add some brief footage of the outside of the studio...and that was done recently, post-WYWH.

Both seem somewhat unlikely...1, you can guess why, but for #2, that footage didn't seem to be taken by modern film. I don't know about you guys, but I find if fairly easy to tell when things were filmed...I don't know if it's the quality, frame rate, or what...but things filmed in the 70s look different than things filmed in the 90s.

So I am very interested to hear your thoughts on the matter...please, enlighten me.

Looks like I've got another excuse to watch the dvd again!

While it may be difficult to make old film look like new film, it certainly isn't, to make new film look like old film

Yes, that had occured to me...but why even bother adding that short bit, and then make it all old-ish? Quite puzzling...

It is supposed to be his definitive cut, perhaps he wanted that. The further thought occurs that he may have just taken some stock footage and used it

You need an excuse?


I honestly think that the purpose of it was to make the film look a bit new by adding random bits here and there. I would doubt that he (director) would go out and tape random shots. Chances are, these were shots from late 70's (maybe not even for the sake of pink floyd) that looked authentic as they were without the excess editing.

But a very nice observation; I saw it the first time, but it didn't even strike me that it was from another time period.

New footage.

Remember, a TON of new footage was shot for the DVD. Helicopter shots over Pompeii, countless 3d renditions of the destruction of Pompeii, thus making new footage outside Abbey Road studios is VERY likely.

Notice all the Beatles graffiti written about. I doubt that within 3 years of the release of Abbey Road, THAT many people would stop by the studio to leave their mark. (If the footage is presumably pre-1973)

And besides, if Roger's inspiration for the Song title/Album title came from a piece of graffiti from a loyal Syd/Floyd fan, then he'd say so when asked. Has he ever kept his inspiration for anything a secret?

Post production

It was shot exclusively for the new director's cut, which was somewhere between 2001 and 2003, I assume. There was plenty of time.

The cars are all modern. In fact, that's Byron driving by in that red double-decker bus.

"You getting on or getting off? Come on, I haven't got all day, you old coot!"

"Do I know where Trafalgar Square is? I'm a bus driver, sir, not the A-to-Z streetmap. You getting on or off?"

"Ring that bell one more time. Just one more time and someone's gonna die! <DING><DING> Right, that's it!"

It's posts like these (and 1000s others)) that make me feel that I won't be seeing you codgers this year!

Nothing like sitting back to a cappucino cooler at 2:00 AM watching Pompeii, eh?