EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)
Here is the first frame of this shot from the release print (00:41:33).
Notice the position of R2’s red light on his dome in relation to his barrel.On Harmy’s Despecialized Edition, here is the first frame of this same shot (00:41:33). Now look where his red light is.
This frame and 3 others, seen below, did not show up on the release print.
Our own Mavimao gave a detailed description on the process of creating release prints from the camera negative which you can read here, but here is my version of the process in a nutshell:
- In a film processing lab, technician takes reels of the original camera negatives and cuts them into pieces
- Technician edits the pieces together to match the edited work print
- Technician takes edited camera negative and makes a high quality print of it called an interpositive
- Interpositive can either be used to make release prints, or, for safety, make a negative out of that print called an internegative and use the internegative to make release prints.
I would think that the interpositive would be used for both theatrical runs and for home video releases. If so, why are frames from the edited camera negative left-out from the release prints but appear in the home video versions.
- Did the lab’s equipment, somehow, overlook certain frames from the camera negative when making the interpositive?
- Are the procedures for distributing a film different between making a release print and a home video master that frames get missing in the release print?
Please enlighten me.
Thanks.
That Sequence post Luke Crashing on Dagobah was cut and spliced differently in editing. If you listen you can hear the sound mix repeat the sound of R2-D2 beeoo beep in cockpit (Are you alright?) and then then twice again. There was meant to be a small exchange between Luke and R2 through Luke’s x-wing translator module.
The scene’s were re-arranged from being on the close up first then pulling out to the wide matte painting later (at a guess)
I don’t know the exact answer I am sorry but it was “Changed” and cut differently after the sound mix had been completed. Hence the sound mix is repeated (re-used) and is a sort of error or if you like left over from it being re-edited.
Not sure about the release print but it is more evidence for the re-cut made there.