The alternative narration creates the atmosphere of a hard-boiled, Spencer Tracy-like detective film. In the 1982 theatrical version, Harrison Ford had redundant narration that he recorded in a deadpan fashion. In the alternative recording sessions, combined with unused footage, it not only enriches the plot, but also develops the characters. This weekend, I'll try to post two 20-minute secontions on Youtube. It's quite astounding how much the film changes, especially with the deleted scenes. The quest for mortality, the blurring of the line between human and non-human, and many other issues become much more pronounced, plus Deckard takes on a bigger "leading man" role. In some ways, this feels like the film people wished was released in 1982. The DC/Final Cut is cool in its own way, obviously, with its poetic, almosy 2001-like obscureness, but this is more in the line of a detective sort of "Blade Runner: Future Noir".

Nope, all of the footage represents the film as it is existed at the time of production and using only material from the original production. The way I am trying to approach it is that it is a glimpse of the Blade Runner that could have been but never was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsG39SG55Pw

15 minute preview from the early part of the movie.

-Not using FC. Using the archival version with the older colour timing. This matches the other versions better, although not all scenes match perfectly. Since I am cutting in Womble, I won't be CC'ing it. There might be a few shots I might have to export to Premier and correct there and then re-import, but I'm not sure if I'll be doing this. The film is polished enough, but I'm using raw dailies and workprint material as a sort of "Lost Cut" type reconstruction so I'm not so hung up on making this "Finished" quality.

Generally, everything matches with the exception of a couple odd bits, although if you are looking for perfect matching you will see that the contrast and hue levels might be different for footage added within a scene; hopefully, you will too involved in the film to notice. I am avoiding any footage that is so mismatched as to detract from the viewing experience.

-The WP ratio will not be corrected. WP material is used pretty sparingly and unless you are looking for it, you won't notice the aspect ratio change. You are more likely to notice the mismatched source quality if anything, but I've avoided instances where there is massive quality differences.

The final product will be a DVD with 2.0 sound (as the deleted scenes are 2.0).

dark_jedi said:

zombie84 said:

The final product will be a DVD with 2.0 sound (as the deleted scenes are 2.0).

Couldn't you upmix the 2.0 to 5.1? then you could keep the main DD 5.1 audio, this is how I do my edits, and I used Womble as well, but I did NOT upmix the 2.0 in Womble, it does not sound right done in womble, has an echo effect LOL.

 May I ask what you ended up doing?

Well, I'm calling the rough cut complete. There are a few edits that I need to finesse a few frames and colour correction on a lot of the additions, plus the sound needs to have a final mix and then a 5.1 conversion, but otherwise this edit is pretty much completed. In a few days when I've done the audio and colour correction I'll upload a version of this as a beta in case there is useful feedback anyone can give for things that don't work or look/sound weird. What you will be seeing is listed below. The theatrical version being worked from is the 1992 Director's Cut. I've also not mentioned it, but none of the dailies had corresponding soundtracks, so in some cases I have had to add my own recordings while also cheating overlays from elsewhere in the film.

Complete List of Changes According to Scene:

-Opens with workprint (WP) Ladd company logo on white background.

-Titles: titles taken from WP, with audio re-edited so that the text syncs better with the visuals.

-Opening cityscape montage: taken from WP, with spinner radio chatter, no eyeball or Holden intercuts, and no push in on the window.

-Leon-Holden scene: has one alternate take plus two new angles for Leon's entrance, from the dailies. The rest of the scene is from the WP, with no music sting and an extra long shot of Holden's body.

-Deckard introduction: taken from alternate version with new narration.

-Flight to police station: has alternate take of Deckard eating noodles as he looks out the window, plus WP audio with Gaff speaking citi-speak. The shot of the geisha billboard is shorter by a few frames.

-Intro to police station: taken from the alternate scene, with new narration about Gaff.

-Intro to Bryant: removes one line as per WP editing.

-Video room: Features new introduction from alternate scene with new narration. Then continues with theatrical scene, with the replicant bios cut out.

-Holden in Hospital: This deleted scene then follows.

-Flight to Tyrell pyramid: taken from the alternate scene with new narration.

-Intro to Rachel: has an extra shot of a replicant owl and a shot of a replicant dog, from the dailies. One shot of Deckard has been trimmed by a few frames.

-Rachel's VK: taken from the alternate version with new narration. This continues into the theatrical version with Deckard and Tyrell's conversation.

-Flight from Tyrell pyramid: taken from the alternate scene with new narration.

-Leon's apartment: taken from alternate scene.

-Intro to Batty: taken from the alternate scene.

-Chew's Lab: has a new shot of Batty and Leon entering, from the dailies. Batty's last line is taken out, as per the WP editing.

-Drive to Deckard's apartment: taken from the alternate scene with new narration.

-Rachel and Deckard in the apartment: no change.

-Intro to Pris: taken from the alternate scene with new narration. Continues into the theatrical version of the end of the scene.

-Intro to Bradburry building: no change.

-Deckard and the Esper: Begins with the theatrical dolly across the piano photos but cuts before we see Deckard. No unicorn dream. The alternate scene with Deckard inspecting photographs and then working at the esper follows. The scene ends with the theatrical version where Deckard examins the photograph and the scale, with an extra line from the WP.

-Deckard at the noodle bar: this deleted scene then follows.

-Animoid row: taken from the alternate scene with new narration.

-Outside Taffy's bar: taken from the alternate scene new narration.

-Taffy's bar: alternate scene continues inside, but includes the dialogue scene between Deckard and Taffy. Then continues with alternate scene where Deckard phones Rachel, broken up with the dialogue exchange in the theatrical version.

-Deckard and the bartender: This deleted scene then follows.

-Deckard and Zhora: taken from the alternate scene with new narration and omitting all the dialogue. Rather than cutting to her death as the alternate scene does, it cuts from black to her chopping Deckard in the throat.

-Zhora chase: features one new shot of Deckard and two new crowd shots, from the dailies. A section of approximately ten seconds has been trimmed from the part where Deckard is riding the tram car.

-Zhora's death: taken from the alternate scene with new narration, up until the scene where Deckard buys a drink.

-Deckard and Bryant: no change.

-Deckard and Leon: new angle of Leon slapping the gun and a new shot of Rachel firing the gun, from the dailies. Omits Leon's reaction to being shot, but keeps the shot of him slumping to the ground.

-Deckard's apartment: begins with the scene of him washing, taken from alternate scene with new narration; this version omits the introductory section of Deckard drinking while Rachel cries. The theatrical version follows, with Rachel talking to him in the kitchen. The deleted scene of Rachel removing Deckard's shotglass then follows.

-Love scene: contains the extended footage from the deleted scene. Ends with an unused shot of the cityscape.

-Bryant and Gaff watching Deckard and Holden: this deleted scene then follows.

-Sebastian's apartment: contains a shot of Pris with mice, from the dailies. Cuts out the second shot of her looking at her makeup in the mirror.

-Batty joins Sebastian and Pris: no change.

-Elevator to Tyrell pyramid: taken from the alternate scene.

-Tyrell's death: New shot of Sebastian opening door, from the dailies. Features alternate line reading and less violence in the shorter director's cut.

-Batty in the elevator: taken from the deleted scene.

-Deckard stakes out Bradburry building: taken from the alternate scene with new narration.

-Deckard in the Bradburry: new long tracking shot from the second floor of Deckard entering, from the dailies. Snipped off about ten seconds from his ascent up the stairs. WP temp music used in this part. New panning shot of Pris with mannequins.

-Deckard and Pris: Re-edits the shots after he kills her of him composing himself. New shot of Deckard wandering to the hallway, seeing Batty come out of the elevator and then retreat back inside. Dialogue of Batty taken from elsewhere in the film ("Deckard!"). Deletes one shot of Deckard running away.

-Deckard and Batty: scene of Batty pulling Deckard through the wall and breaking his fingers taken from WP; audio is from WP with temp music.

-Batty chases Deckard: has a longer shot of Batty howling after smearing Pris' blood on himself and a different angle as Deckard re-sets his broken fingers, both from the WP (some temp music). New shot of Deckard pulling at boards on windows, from the dailies. Deckard in the bathroom features shot of a mannequin in the bathtub with a shortened wide shot of him sitting on the tub's edge. Two shots deleted from before Batty puts the nail in; nail going in from the director's cut. Two new shots of Batty electrocuting himself, from the dailies, with a re-used shot of Deckard on the ledge breaking them up.

-The rooftop: snips one shot of Deckard on the roof. New shot of Batty emerging from the hole. Deckard hanging features slightly different editing and a new shot from the dailies. Batty catching Deckard's arm features slightly different shot order and a new angle from the dailies.

-Batty's death: first part from theatrical version, with the alternate version of the ending, with narration. Gaff's exchange with Deckard follows, from the theatrical version.

-Deckard finds Rachel: shortens the push-in on Rachel, similar to the WP.

-ride into the sunset: includes both alternate endings, beginning with the dialogue version and seguing into the montage version with new narration, which fades to black.

-end credits: no end credits.

There are a few changes I may make in the future. One is adding the shot of Deckard finding the photos in Leon's apartment; I think the film is fine with it implied, but I'm on the fence. I might also add an alternate take of Pris hitting the wall. The scenes don't need them and the reason I have held off is because some of the cutting and matching is tricky, but I might change my mind. There are also a couple dailies shots in the film that cut somewhat poorly, but I'm only going to take them out if there are comments about them. Right now I don't have end credits--I think the film works well without them, and I don't have opening credits either (other than Harrison Ford) so it doesn't seem so out of place. The WP has a "The End" card which I might use, but I have excluded it just for personal taste so far. Any of these changes could be in place by the time the beta is done in a couple days, or none of them; I'll update this list if need be.

On the final DVD, maybe a week or two after the beta is online, as an extra I might do a montage of every outtake from the dailies--there is footage for virtually every scene. The problem is most of it isn't useable in the edit itself, either because they simply don't cut with the footage available in the final film, or in the case of dialogue scenes because most of them don't have sound. But it would be neat to see them all in a row, like going through the Warners archives and looking through all the Blade Runner camera reels. Would be a pretty big job though but something I would like to try.

Harmy said:

So what is not listed stays the same as the international cut?

Contrary to my original plan in 2007, I used the 1992 Director's Cut as my A/V base. This was because the narration in this edit was from the unused sessions it sometimes conflicts with the theatrical narration (that, and most have heard, and disliked, the theatrical narration anyway), and the audio is better as a clean plate. Another reason is because, despite being the version that catapulted BR to popularity, the less-violent footage in the 1992 DC is now the least familiar to everyone since the most-viewed versions are the International cut (where it was re-discovered on video) and the Final Cut (which is now, and probably forever, what almost everyone watches when they see the film). So, unless noted the cutting follows the DC.

Yes. He lands as Batty dies and says "you've done a man's job sir. But are you sure you are a man? It's hard to tell whos who around here." Which in my cut then goes to him tossing the gun and continuing with "I guess you're through, huh?" in the theatrical version.

So, I'm calling this done, unless there are some major concerns anyone brings up after seeing the piece.

I experimented with some limited colour-correction in Womble just to see, but of course it was as bad as I feared. This was weird, because Womble real-time applies the correction when you watch it on the timeline in lossless quality, but when you export it re-renders it instead. Don't know what that is about.

So, having said that, can anyone recommend a good, easy way of colour-correcting with Womble in mind? I'm sure there must have been people here who have done this. I'm only going to be correcting about 25% of the new footage, maybe 2-3 minutes worth, usually around the transition shots if its inserted within an existing scene, as I don't think a full correction pass is necessary. Any suggestions?

EDIT

Nevermind. I was using an older Womble (4.-something). The newer (v.5 and beyond) uses a new encoder. The re-encoded footage isn't quite as good as the lossless original, but the difference is quite minimal. The results are very good. Hopefully have this up within the next 48 hours.