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Gotta say, I love your idea for the ending. Can’t wait to check this out!
I’ve been reading your thread about your edits. I find it all very interesting!
I agree with your ideas and though process with this. The Clone Wars portrayed Anakin exactly how he should be. He had that right mix, which made his “downfall” that much more tragic. He was actually likable! Unlike the movies …
So I am very curious to see this. I would love to see some edits or at least glimpses of what you are doing. Very very interesting!
“Because you are a PalpaWalker?”
Holy shit guys, I think I’m pretty ready to finish and finalize! I just need to render it out, make a new cutlist accurate to what it is now, upload it, and I can finally never watch a frame of this movie again!
(jk I will fix any technical issues anyone finds. which there will be. so many)
But this final version is actually very different from what people previewed earlier this year. I’ve made a ton of changes since then that I hope make my RotS more unique than other fan edits. I wasn’t happy with releasing it as it was back in May for a lot of reasons, one of them being because I felt like it wasn’t different enough an edit from Hal’s or others to warrant putting out there. I didn’t feel like every ambition I had for the edit could be realized. And while I still feel like I wasn’t able to really, this is probably the closest I’m going to get with the source material.
Also, I’m not going to lie, a big reason this took so long was because I had to go back and redo everything because I ended up losing the original project files to hard drive failure. But going back to redo everything allowed me to rethink a lot of what I did and do things differently than I did the first time. I ended up having a lot of new ideas in the process.
So this is going to end up on the updated cutlist, but here are the biggest changes (in broad strokes) since the preview cut:
New crawl!!!
Color grading. Alright, well, I decided to go through with the color grading thing. I’m no pro colorist, but I was inspired by emanswfan’s filmized editions of the prequels (which don’t actually exist anywhere yet so I had to do my own thing) to make the film generally look more gritty and grimy, and shot on film, and just less plastic and more visually appealing. It might look worse to you tbh, and if it does, hmu and I’d gladly render out a non-color graded version. The grain and artifacts are definitely a problem up close. But this is my edit, and I like how it looks overall, so you know.
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/116544
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/116546
Even more audio/conversation editing. When it came to Anakin dialogue and scenes, I basically left no stone unturned. There’s new audio clips in every scene with him to either add to or replace his dialogue, as well as a restructuring of most of his conversations. I’ve got him the most sympathetic, somewhat likeable, and mature I’ve personally seen in most edits of this movie. And this is the movie where he kills children, so I’m kind of proud of that.
Additionally, just a lot more casual talk and laughing/chuckles. Makes everyone seem more human. A lot more people interrupting each other or talking over each other instead of taking turns delivering lines. All of the talking/politics scenes just seem to go by a lot faster now. Mostly because they do.
I tried to make the music editing a lot better too. Like, if I inserted a track like Anakin’s Theme or Anakin’s Dream, that it was integrated into the film better, and that you won’t be able hear too many remnants of the old score I replace.
The ending. My old drafts had more or less the original ending, just with the Hal/Russian scream instead of “NOO…!” But as I was going through this again, I felt like I didn’t even want that scene in there at all. Now the movie ends as Vader takes his first breaths, and then cut to black into credits with melancholy Star Wars music (similar to TCW season 5 finale). While this gets rid of R2/3PO getting their memories wiped and Yoda telling Obi Wan about Qui Gon, I feel like it’s more powerful to end the film like this. The whole movie is about Anakin’s turn into Vader, and to see him crying about Padme as Vader undermines his cold bloodedness a lot. And honestly, that scream of anguish/“no” is the only thing that tells us that Anakin hasn’t fully become Darth Vader yet, because we automatically associate the imagery with what the character is like the OT. The “no” subverts our expectation in a way that undermines the character arc. We had to assume that this sad!Vader becomes the Vader we know in the OT somewhere in between III and IV, but the movie’s existence is more valid if he’s just Darth Vader by the end.
Anyway, the 720p version should be finished rendering in like 14 hours, so I’ll get back to you guys some time then.
Gotta say, I love your idea for the ending. Can’t wait to check this out!
I HAVE BEEN WAITING SINCE DAY 1 FOR THIS EDIT!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! 😆
P.S. I am a little sad that you cut Vader’s reaction to Padme’s death but it is a necessary loss in the grand scheme of things.
Did you keep the birth of Luke and Leia?
P.P.S. Any plans on an episode II canon cut? Because I would love to see that!!!
Can’t wait!
Yay!
The regrade looks rather green in the highlights. I had a go at a regrain and regrade, here’s what I came up with:
http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/PGNNN8TX
http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/2MNNN8TU
http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/PPNNN8TX
If you want the Photoshop file with which to generate the LUT, I can provide it.
You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)
I gotta agree with Neverar on that one. Didn’t get a chance to look at your shots earlier.
That would actually be really cool! I’d be down to use it.
I was just going for anything better to me personally than the original, but your work is legitimately good. I just got so tired of this movie that changing its entire look as drastically as I possibly could made it more bearable to edit. But I realize not everyone might not feel the way someone watching it over and over again might. I really like your regrade as a alternative to mine. Because it’s actually good.
Thanks, and you’re definitely getting credit if I end up using it. It’s not like this edit is one that needed something like this, but I’m glad it’ll be one that ends up having it.
Anyway, it might be a little bit longer now, but it’s coming.
Here it is:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3vKx1Rq8-zRRmE3N2xzbS1iUEU
If you get the free trial of Premiere CC, it has the ability to create a LUT from the file (File > Export > Color Lookup Tables). I only have CS6, which is why I can’t do it myself.
JEDIT: Updated the file so that the shadows aren’t quite as strong.
JEDIT2: New version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3vKx1Rq8-zRdGNEZnBlYXN6MjA
JEDIT3: Final Version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3vKx1Rq8-zRVjlwLTRwMnIzOEU
http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/2CNNN8TU
http://www.framecompare.com/image-compare/screenshotcomparison/ZLNNN8TX
For the regraded version, I just added 1.5% noise.
You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)
I hate to be a resolution snob, but would a high bit rate 1080p version be possible? I watch on an enormous screen (by home viewing standards anyway… 125 inches) and on that size the difference between 720 and 1080 is actually noticeable. And I’m very interested in this edit.
I hate to be a resolution snob, but would a high bit rate 1080p version be possible? I watch on an enormous screen (by home viewing standards anyway… 125 inches) and on that size the difference between 720 and 1080 is actually noticeable. And I’m very interested in this edit.
I too agree with NeverarGreat. I like your concept to make it more film, but I think it also gets too dark and the highlights are a bit off. This way you get the more film look AND renders better in my opinion.
All in all, I am VERY curios to watch yours. Trying to make Anakin (and his relationship with Obi) more like the Clone Wars would make everything better about Ani. 😉
“Because you are a PalpaWalker?”
NFB, I really enjoyed your rough cut back in April and I do think it has the potential to be one of the most influential edits of Revenge of the Sith out there. I wanted to ask, have you considered just ending that Vader transformation scene with the breathing, or when he says, “Yes, Master” but keeping the other ending scenes? I feel like if you end the movie on his breathing, it will feel like something is missing. Even though the movie is about Anakin’s fall, I do think that Obi-Wan is almost as important if not equally, so cutting his last scenes could feel like we don’t get much of a conclusion to his story in this film. I think you could still cut out the “NOOO” moment but leave the rest of the ending intact.
I think your rationalization as to why you should cut that bit of that scene makes sense, it is motivated by characterization, which is the entire theme of this edit, but removing the rest could make things feel unresolved, possibly. Maybe it would work once it is seen, but it is something to consider!
I would be curious to watch your edit when it is all said and done, especially since Hal’s edition is really great.
I was walking this morning thinking about the ending for ROTS, well, specifically Hal’s LOE since its much better. One thought of an edit, based on yours or Hals would be the last time you see Anakin is after Obi Wan leaves him on fire. Then the rest can be the other scenes, with Yoda talking about splitting up the kids, Padme and baby lei at alderman and obi wan at tatooin. Thats how it ends.
My rational is it helps makes it SOMEWHAT possible to watch from the episode 1 in a straight line through the series. (Granted, if someone has NEVER seen the movies or knows anything about it, of course just watch the originals for the “Vader Revelation. Plus the OT is that much better …”)
Anyway, that way it leaves of Episode III like Obi Wan killed Anakin. But we are not too sure. They split up the children to hide from the empire/emporer. Lastly, when Luke does ask Obi Wan about his father, the lie still works on multiple levels. (You know, as the audience, he is lying by his reaction before answering.) The audience can either think that A.) he is not telling the truth about his father’s death by pointing at someone more evil who did it, Vader and the Empire to help recruit Luke. B.) The audience sees Vader, may expect it since from the last episode there was no Darth Vader, so again, Obi Wan is lying about something … suspecious. Could it be the father?
Again this is not a perfect solution, there is no way of editing the prequels to make the reveal believable in the orginal, it can happen since the middle of star wars came out first. But it kind of flows a bit better story wise.
The watcher can also reason that at the Death Star, Obi Wan could have figured out before hand that Anakin was Darth Vader at some point since many years passed from Episode 3 to 4. Or it wasn’t until the confrontation that confirmed Darth Vader is Anakin.
That was my thought. Of course there are some other edits that would need to be done. No mention of Anakin being Vader in Revenge of the Sith. Not at all.
Not a huge thing, but something I thought about this morning.
“Because you are a PalpaWalker?”
Here’s a rough preview of the ending, since a lot of people are asking about it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx-b_Drhy38rQWlfV3J0X19FMTQ/view?usp=sharing
I have to retime the duration of some shots, and the credits will fade in instead of hard cut, but that’s essentially what it’ll look like. The audiovisual quality is also only shit because I had to render it out quickly.
I do think Anakin should visibly become Vader by the end of the movie. Not a huge fan of leaving that up in the air, tbh. What’s the point of these movies if not to see that happen?
JEDIT: changed link
That’s really well done!
It would be interesting to see this without the childbirth at all, since it feels a bit unfitting with the grand, sweeping Leia theme. Other than that, brilliant.
You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)
There is something satisfying with ending with Vader’s helmet being sealed and the breathing, I will give you that. It is a good ending note.
I would highly suggest using the alternate scenes that depicts Padme being alive with Leia … it should be consistent with Leia’s statement in Return of the Jedi.
Granted, story wise the idea of Padme’s death would be better … her death, Vader’s birth … But the Prequels should follow along the original’s stories/canon, not the other way around.
“Because you are a PalpaWalker?”
There are actually edits that do what you suggest about leaving Anakin/Vader ambiguous or leaving Padme alive.
For me, this is just what I wanted to do for my edit. I wanted to make something that fits better within the new canon post-Disney, and Padme remained really dead in the new comics, and Leia is Bail’s adoptive daughter throughout Rebels and Rogue One. This edit is just a reinterpretation of the same in-canon events, I’m not trying to “fix” anything in canon aside from characterization and arguably the filmmaking in which it’s presented.
It’s still a decently radical edit, but I’m not changing what happened in broad strokes.
I agree, having Padme die seems like the only option given your philosophical approach.
Here’s the updated cutlist.
PM for a link to a 720p version, I guess. There are already like 3 audio things I want to go back and fix, but fuck it. 1080p is rendering.
I am curious to see the 1080 render myself! If we find the 3 audio things do we win a prize?! 😉
“Because you are a PalpaWalker?”
I have watched this edit and gotta say it was pretty awesome.
First things first, you have empowered Anakin as a respected active protagonist that does stuff out of his own accord rather than just be manipulated like a simpleton. This feels more like TCW Anakin, and more in line with canon. A couple of throwaway lines put in to make the thing feel more natural didn’t work for me. For example, “Never an elevator when you need one”, “I was about to say that”, “No loose wire jokes”, etc. It’s not that they are bad lines but in a lot of cases they’re not as loud as the rest of the dialogue so it feels tacked on.
I liked the sequence of events, all the scenes felt purposeful and moved the story forward. I particularly liked how you placed back the scene in which Anakin tells Padme about his dreams but much later in the film.
I thought the scene when he is anointed as Darth is probably the best edited version of that scene that I’ve seen cause he seems remorseful towards the end. Makes him more sympathetic.
The ending was nicely edited and it was very impactful the way it ended, especially since the credits music felt very emotional and tragic. However I personally still prefer the original ending just because is one of my favorite endings in the saga, including Yoda vs. Sidius.
The color correction threw me off at the beginning and felt like there were many crushed blacks, but after a while I got used to it.
Very well done edit, it’s just a couple of tweaks away from perfection.
Oh man, I hear that about the audio additions. It’s one the things I immediately regretted going a bit overboard on as soon as it finished rendering. I was constantly worried about the volume levels and a lot of the lines are just unnecessary especially when they aren’t blended with the source material too well. I will definitely tone that down when I get to the next version. The added dialogue where they’re coming on and off the elevator should probably go.
I feel I need to keep most in though, b/c I think without the audio additions Anakin came off more meek/mild mannered than I would have liked. It’s a balancing act I have yet to crack - or I did somewhere along the line before going overboard. Dave Filoni and Matt Lanter have always described Anakin as this cross between Luke and Han, and that’s generally what I’m going for.
Anyway if anyone else has gotten around to watching it, I’d really appreciate feedback. Technical or storywise.