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Idea: a "Close Encounters" edit - I Will Likely Never Do...

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 (Edited)

I’ve always loved this film, but, to me, no version is truly definitive, especially seeing as there’s some cut material that still ended up on the floor. I’ve pondered this for a while, and I think I have an alright idea of it in mind.

The Layout (uses of footage unique to different versions will be specified):

-Replace the Colombia logo with a one making use of the “light and road” imagery from the trailer

-Add the deleted scene of Laughlin’s questions and conversation with LaCombe in the desert

-Keep scene of the fractions with Brad and Roy, but add in the shot of the Pinnochio toy from the original cut with Brad’s “do my problems for me”, and replace the audio of the establishing shot with ambient sound

-Record a new voice for the phone call to match Earl’s voice in the deleted scenes

-Keep scene of the power station from the theatrical cut

-Add scene of Roy at the Crystal Lake site after shot of Jillian searching, but cut down some of the dialogue with Earl as Roy is leaving, and add new shot of power cables cut

-After Roy curses out the driver, put in scene of him stopping him at the Dairy Queen

-Replace the shot of UFO’s shadow from the special edition with scene of Roy in the tunnel from the theatrical cut

-Add in the deleted music cue as the UFO’s pass at Crescendo Summit

-Rework audio so the line “Hey, that’s Ohio! That’s a quarter!” synchs up with the guys lips, thus moving it to the shot of the police instead of the shot of Roy

-After the UFO’s disappear into the sky, add in deleted scene of Air East 31 landing, finished a bit more properly (mainly the audio, and that opening stock footage shot), and with the reading of the novel cut out

-Add in the scene of Roy at the police station

-Keep the Cotopaxi scene from the special edition

-Keep the pillow gazing from the theatrical cut

-Add in scene of cookout with music cue added (likely the same strings section playing during the pillow scene)

-Keep the sequencing of the India scenes and exploration of the signal more or less like in the director’s cut

-Keep the press conference scene from the theatrical cut

-Edit the montage sequence as I suspect it originally was, with the deleted scene of Roy on the roof inserted before the deployment of the trucks, and the original music restored

-Keep extended dinner scene from theatrical cut

-Keep bathroom scene from director’s cut

-(really nitpicky, but) maybe re-do the audio in the cartoon segment so that the audio is the actual one from the original short, and not suffering whatever problems the audio in the film is

-Keep the full yard destroying scene from the theatrical cut

-Keep the full window gazing scene from theatrical cut, Budweiser commercial and all

-Keep full barricade scene from theatrical cut, Carl Weathers and all

-Add scene of helicopters pursuing Roy and Gillian, transitioning into the scene of the animals lying on the road

-Keep full escape scene from theatrical cut

-Keep the original credits music from the special edition

I’m just here because I’m driving tonight.