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Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released) — Page 10

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Yeah, the real problem is Anakin being flung across the hangar. There are plenty of shots of Dooku gesturing from his fight with Yoda.

I was skimming through the middle of AotC in search of more editing ideas and came up with this:
-Anakin's dream can be worked out very effectively. Keep the close up shot of him opening his eyes, but for the rest, insert a RotS-esque dream showing Shmi tied up, and maybe some of the Tusken Raider attack from ANH. Then make the movie transition to MTHaslett's idea for the porch scene. I figured we should at least see some Sandpeople in Anakin's dream, and the attack on Luke is the best place to get it from. Heck, it could even be argued Anakin is foreseeing that incident as well.
-Lama-Su's line "I trust you will enjoy your stay" doesn't sit well with me, as Obi-Wan is just there to inspect the clones, no "staying" involved. I don't know, that just stuck out at me.
-When Anakin is looking into the suns, we should SEE the suns. We do in RotS on Mustafar, so why not here, where he is in the exact same spot his son will be in 20 years?
-The shot of the flying whale coming out of the wave should be cut. This is just before yet another establishing shot of Tipoca City before the meeting with Jango, and it looks ridiculous.
-I don't know what your stance is on Dooku/Tyranus, but regardless of whether he is a Sith or not, a bounty hunter like Jango should not just offer info to Obi-Wan like, "I was hired by a man names Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden." The line should be cut just as in MagnoliaFan's version.
-When Qui-Gon is heard, I noticed for the first time you can hear Vader's breath as well at the end of the "NO!" And it occured to me, could this be the "NO!" from RotS after Vader learns of Padme's death? Just an interesting thought I had.
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I agree, a bounty hunter wouldnt just give out information...though something like that is most likely 'public record' meaning, Obi-Wan could probably have gotten the info elsewhere, probably the cloners. Also, its possible its something he says to throw off Obi-Wan ( maybe he was instructed to give that response if every asked) though i have to admit that seems a stretch.

my main problem with that scene is how Obi-Wan acts. If i were the cloners i would be very suspecious. He knew very little about the clones, and was asking questions like he wasnt involved and the Cloners didnt question this at all? The Obi-Wan of ANH would have been more clever, subtle in his collecting of information.

-Darth Simon
Why Anakin really turned to the dark side:
"Anakin, You're father I am" - Yoda
"No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!" - Anakin

0100111001101001011011100110101001100001

*touchy people disclaimer*
some or all of the above comments are partially exaggerated to convey a point, none of the comments are meant as personal attacks on anyone mentioned or reference in the above post
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Trooperman--

It is a thrill to hear you like my suggestions at all. I can't wait to see this thing. The whole concept of aging this thing is a brilliant take.

Seeing your responses to my last post prompted a few of my own, if I may...


Trooperman: I definitely agree about the bickering. Although I am a bit partial to the "Well, you know, Master; I couldn't find the speeder I really liked." All dialogue after that will definitely be cut, but I still don't know about the aforementioned line.


I agree it's not a bad line if it can be kept to just that much speaking. It's kind of witty and fun and shows Anakin is having a good time. Taking it out, on the other hand, makes him serious -- which is where I was going with it. I think a humorless Anakin will come off better when he has romance scenes later. It creates a kind of arc in which he melts around Padme - but is troubled and serious until then.


Trooperman: [cutting the last Anakin line to Zam] Easy enough. But why? (just curious)

I think Hayden has a great mean glare, but it isn't used well in the movie. It should have been saved for one or two key moments. Revealing it here over Zam is supposed to indicate the depth of his desire to protect Padme -- but it doesn't strike the right note for some reason. It comes off almost comical. It's an empty threat. I would remove the harsh line-reading here to preserve Hayden's "angry face" for later reveals. Taking it out also makes Anakin more smart and self-controlled here. I think we need to take advantage of every opportunity to make Anakin smart and self-controlled so that we feel he's earned the right to "snap" and go get his mom.



Trooperman: The only problem I can see with that is the fact that we don't know that Padme is leaving Jar-Jar behind with her responsibilities. I wa toying with shortening and re-editing this scene.

That's a good point. In that light, I would try keeping the opening lines where Padme talks to Jar Jar. Then cut out of the scene before she talks to Anakin. Even her first lines "I do not like this idea of hiding..." are off the mark somehow. Maybe Jar Jar can cover that idea with lines to the effect of "I know how much you want to stay. I wish Palpatine could see how brave you are and how much this vote means to you." (Not great, but that's the idea)

Trooperman: Anakin/Padme romance scenes: I have made detailed plans as far as this goes. Here's what I've planned so far:

-Anakin/Padme talk on the way out of ship.
-Dinner scene. Edited so that scene ends with, "Yes. I'm afraid she is."
- Grassy picnic scene has been completely reworked. Starts with short montage of mountains while full-blown love theme plays (a la beginning of "Sound of Music". Fade to them rolling around on grass. Then, hard cut to heavily edited picnic scene. Boyfriend chat is removed. Scene ends with Anakin saying, "Well...if it works..." Clockwipe so as to reveal his smile at the last minute, similar to many of the Palpatine scenes.
-Heavily, radically edited version of the "first kiss" scene is in the edit. First of all, it's now a moonlit scene; not daytime. Secondly, Anakin isn't talking about sand; he's telling Padme, "I love you." It made more sense to have the kiss as the culmination of everything that had come before it.

See page 2 of this thread for screenshots of the rough cut.

I see what you're suggesting here -- it seems like a streamlined version of the romance. As I imagine this outline I only have one problem: I don't see enough romance. The dinner scene is not intimate and without the kitchen scene, there's no hint that Padme likes Anakin. Seeing people in a beautiful setting (in the grass) can be romantic, but needs to be supported by actual scenes of intimacy. I don't like the "Well... if it works" dialogue because I believe Padme being a politician would be heavily turned off by such a fascist-leaning speech. I can only guess how much work went into turning the "first kiss" scene to moonlight with new dialogue. I have to urge you to cut the kiss in favor of letting their kiss on Geonosis be their first. Their romance at this point has had no intimacy and no chemistry. A kiss here pre-empts all the intimacy that can come from seeing Anakin's mother die, seeing him fight to save her in the droid factory, and finally facing death together. I strongly urge you to use this time on Naboo to lay intimacy groundwork with the scene in Padme's bedroom, the kitchen, and at the fireside where Anakin and Padme resist each other. With these scenes the arc of boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl will be in place.

I know you're the boss and I hope I'm speaking objectively with these suggestions. I want your cut to succeed as the most dramatic and romantic edit possible, so that's the angle I'm coming from.

Thank you -- for doing all the work! I'm thrilled to be able to bounce any ideas your way as you do this because I strongly believe a good movie is hiding in this footage somewhere. Credit? For me? I can't believe it! Tell me more! (I hope I'm not booted out for disputing your ideas -- I was only kidding! Rats.)

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Is it possible to add a scream from Padmé just before Anakin gets hit in the head in the droid factory? This way, the reason why the robot arm hits him is because he is distracted by Padmé (otherwise he should have been able to avoid that arm because he is a Jedi) Maybe also add a shot when he turns around after the scream (from earlier in the sequence).

Great idea Mr. Freeman! I'll definitely do that, as it provides a reason as to why Anakin gets clobbered. And thanks again for the "lost edit" info.

Twister111: I'll use the take in the trailer. And that's a good point about Jango's knowledge of the clones.


Before there had been quite a debate over the Yoda/Dooku duel. I had originally supported no lightsabers, but force lightning, but after Rots and what they did with Yoda and Dooku's characters I believe things would be best if as soon as Dooku sees Yoda's approaching, he flings the crane (or whatever) onto Obi-Wan and Anakin and flees to his ship. I think these were Trooperman's initial thoughts on it anyway, so good foresight on that. The Sidious/Yoda confrontation will be infinitely more powerful once *it* is Yoda's big reveal instead of the duel with Dooku. Lucas jumped the gun on that one. Not to mention there isn't a hint of force lightning from Dooku in RotS, and the whole master/apprentice rivalry between him and Yoda went absolutely nowhere.


Thanks, Commander Courage. When I planned to take that out, I really was hoping that there would be a good duel in RotS, but I avoided spoilers and didn't know until a week ago.

About the beginning of the duel Trooperman, I know you had discussed cutting out Anakin charging Dooku, cut away to something else, and when we come back Anakin is already writhing on the floor. But Obi-Wan and Anakin have a great exchange in RotS: "This time we'll do it together," "I was about to say that." You lose that in your version. So the thought occured to me, although this is probably impossible, can the force lightning be somehow "painted out" to have it appear as if Dooku throws Anakin hard across the room? Any thoughts on that?

Thoughts- that would solve all of the problems, but it would be extremely difficult. I don't know if I'll be able to do it.

-Anakin's dream can be worked out very effectively. Keep the close up shot of him opening his eyes, but for the rest, insert a RotS-esque dream showing Shmi tied up, and maybe some of the Tusken Raider attack from ANH. Then make the movie transition to MTHaslett's idea for the porch scene. I figured we should at least see some Sandpeople in Anakin's dream, and the attack on Luke is the best place to get it from. Heck, it could even be argued Anakin is foreseeing that incident as well.

Good idea! I'll play with the Tusken footage in the dream.

-Lama-Su's line "I trust you will enjoy your stay" doesn't sit well with me, as Obi-Wan is just there to inspect the clones, no "staying" involved. I don't know, that just stuck out at me.

Very easy to fix. Lama-Su is being done by someone else now (ChainsawAsh has volunteered, I believe).

-When Anakin is looking into the suns, we should SEE the suns. We do in RotS on Mustafar, so why not here, where he is in the exact same spot his son will be in 20 years?

What I could do is use the shot of the sunset from the 2004 DVD, as it is different from the original version. That way, it wouldn't be the exact same shot. Good idea, though.

-The shot of the flying whale coming out of the wave should be cut. This is just before yet another establishing shot of Tipoca City before the meeting with Jango, and it looks ridiculous.


I'll do that.

-I don't know what your stance is on Dooku/Tyranus, but regardless of whether he is a Sith or not, a bounty hunter like Jango should not just offer info to Obi-Wan like, "I was hired by a man names Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden." The line should be cut just as in MagnoliaFan's version.


My stance is that he's definitely a Sith! Complete with red lightsaber and ending scene with Sidious. However, I will definitely cut the reference to Tyranus because not only would a bounty hunter not give out that type of info, but if I cut this and Obi-Wan's response ("really"), then I can use Obi-Wan's "really" as a cynical reply to Lama-Su in the earlier scene! It works perfectly.

-When Qui-Gon is heard, I noticed for the first time you can hear Vader's breath as well at the end of the "NO!" And it occured to me, could this be the "NO!" from RotS after Vader learns of Padme's death? Just an interesting thought I had.


That is an interesting thought! Only I'm already pretty sure that Vader's "NOOOO...." will not be in my version of RotS.

Thanks for the advice!

MTHaslett-


I think Hayden has a great mean glare, but it isn't used well in the movie. It should have been saved for one or two key moments. Revealing it here over Zam is supposed to indicate the depth of his desire to protect Padme -- but it doesn't strike the right note for some reason. It comes off almost comical. It's an empty threat. I would remove the harsh line-reading here to preserve Hayden's "angry face" for later reveals. Taking it out also makes Anakin more smart and self-controlled here. I think we need to take advantage of every opportunity to make Anakin smart and self-controlled so that we feel he's earned the right to "snap" and go get his mom.

Good point. I'll cut it.

I see what you're suggesting here -- it seems like a streamlined version of the romance. As I imagine this outline I only have one problem: I don't see enough romance. The dinner scene is not intimate and without the kitchen scene, there's no hint that Padme likes Anakin. Seeing people in a beautiful setting (in the grass) can be romantic, but needs to be supported by actual scenes of intimacy. I don't like the "Well... if it works" dialogue because I believe Padme being a politician would be heavily turned off by such a fascist-leaning speech. I can only guess how much work went into turning the "first kiss" scene to moonlight with new dialogue. I have to urge you to cut the kiss in favor of letting their kiss on Geonosis be their first. Their romance at this point has had no intimacy and no chemistry. A kiss here pre-empts all the intimacy that can come from seeing Anakin's mother die, seeing him fight to save her in the droid factory, and finally facing death together. I strongly urge you to use this time on Naboo to lay intimacy groundwork with the scene in Padme's bedroom, the kitchen, and at the fireside where Anakin and Padme resist each other. With these scenes the arc of boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl will be in place.


That's an excellent point. Thinking about it in a "big picture" way, I agree that that's a classic formula (boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl), and the movie would work much better if they did not kiss until after all that they had gone through together. But I loved that moonlit scene!

What I didn't like about the fireplace scene was not only its corniness and awful acting, but the fact that they're talking all about this romance that isn't possible, and then go into reasons why it isn't possible, but all without so much as a kiss between them. How does this sound- I'll delete the fireplace scene and keep the moonlit balcony scene- only Anakin will not kiss Padme. He'll look at her romantically and lean in, but Padme will turn away and say, "No...I can't do this." or "It's not possible" or some other dialogue from the fireplace scene.

Before that, I will give in on the bedroom scene and the scene in the kitchen, when Padme looks out at Anakin through the window. How does that sound? Does it seem like it would flow better? We don't have the fireplace scene with bad dialogue and acting, we don't have a kiss until Geonosis, and we have more intimacy between the two of them.

Please give me your honest opinion!

Thank you -- for doing all the work! I'm thrilled to be able to bounce any ideas your way as you do this because I strongly believe a good movie is hiding in this footage somewhere. Credit? For me? I can't believe it! Tell me more! (I hope I'm not booted out for disputing your ideas -- I was only kidding! Rats.)


Ha ha! I take it back- your lack of faith is disturbing! (just kidding). Yes, once done, I plan either to put the names of the people who have contributed to this project in the credits, or to credit everyone at the end of the audio commentary I'm doing for the DVD, explaining everything I did. In the commentary, I'll explain which ideas came from where and the thought process behind them.

Sorry I can't say more right now! I've had a long day.

May the Force be with you!

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Twister111: I'll use the take in the trailer. And that's a good point about Jango's knowledge of the clones.

Yeah, I noticed it when I was reading the deleted scene. Where the following is written:

    JANGO FETT (grinning)

They'll do their job well, I'll guarantee that.

Although when watching I never got that impression. I think either that actor is a semi-bad actor, or George Lucas is a bad director.

Anyways, good luck with your project.


http://twister111.tumblr.com
Previous Signature preservation link

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For the moonlight scene on Naboo that you are doing, it might work if you cut when Anakin leans over to kiss Padme, until when Padme pulls away, saying "no", making it look like they haven't actually kissed yet.
If no-one can see the Force, is it really there?
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For the moonlight scene on Naboo that you are doing, it might work if you cut when Anakin leans over to kiss Padme, until when Padme pulls away, saying "no", making it look like they haven't actually kissed yet.


That's exactly what I was talking about

And after experimenting with the footage a bit, I've found an alternate beginning to the Obi-Wan/Anakin/Dooku duel that would not only solve the force-lightning problem, but also would allow me to keep the humorous exchange in Episode III (This time, we'll do it together. I was about to say that).

Anakin rushes forward. Dooku motions with his hand. High strings in music, tension building.

Obi-Wan: No! Anakin! He looks on with terror.

Dark minor chord crashes in music. CUT to Anakin lying on the floor. Dooku smiles. CUT out of scene.

So you see, we have one of those classic scenes where something is editorially implied but not actually seen onscreen, which in many cases actually increases the dramatic effect.

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Originally posted by: Trooperman
Very easy to fix. Lama-Su is being done by someone else now (ChainsawAsh has volunteered, I believe).


When I get my computer's sound card running again, I'll record that line you sent me and send it to you.
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Great! I can't wait

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Is that ugly CG cow that Anakin rides getting fixed???
"A Jedi can feel the force flow through him".
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Some of the CGI does look awful looking back. Either it needs to be reworked (a la the 2007 HD releases) or cut in my mind. That cow scene is bad, very bad. I hate the scene where obi and Qui-Gon drop from the shaft in TPM. Or even some of the creature in TPM at the extended podrace or the announcer...so cartoony. Some irony though is yoda looks much better in CGI than that awful TPM puppet. Lucas has talked about redoing that as CGI though. Some of his changes in this case would be welcome. Remember the Jabba from the 97 SE? That was atrocious (and yes I would dump Jabba altogether out of ANH). Love him or hate him I guarantee more changes, especially to updating CGI are coming...in HD the contrast of the cartooniness will stand out more unless reworked. Trooperman and MTHaslett have some great ideas and I am sure it won't include Ani Bullrides
16 years I wait and this is what I get???
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I don't know...re-editing and overdubbing the PT seems a lot like polishing a turd. After all that hard work, the finished product is still just a turd.
"To delight in war is a merit in the soldier, a dangerous quality in the captain and a crime in the statesman." - George Santayana
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I agree that even MagnoliaFan's edits aren't the great, wonderful movies they should have been. But with the right tinkering, they are at least better than the crap Lucas gave us. And I look forward to seeing how other people edit it.

Instead of thinking of it as polishing a turd, think of it has buying a new Lego set that looks awesome on the box, but when you put it together, it actually really sucks. So you take all the pieces apart and build the best set you can with the pieces available to you. It still won't be the best set ever, but I'm sure if done right, it can be better than the original set.
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That's exactly how I view it. Funny, how lego star wars is so popular now! I remember taking my sets and doing just that making star wars stuff before it was licensed. Memories.
16 years I wait and this is what I get???
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Is that ugly CG cow that Anakin rides getting fixed???

Kind of-it doesn't exist any more. It has been cut.

I don't know...re-editing and overdubbing the PT seems a lot like polishing a turd. After all that hard work, the finished product is still just a turd.


Au contraire; the finished project will not have any resemblance to a "turd".

I'm not just polishing the movie; I'm almost half-remaking it. The reason I picked Episode II to do first out of the three prequels is because it will require the most work. How I do Episode II will dictate how I do Episode III, and the ideas for Episode I will probably be heavily based on "Balance of the Force."

I'm almost clear on just about every aspect of SotDS now; only one huge problem remains.

I need to find an alternate language audio track (Russian, Italian, Danish, etc.) other than Spanish, French, or German- for Episode I (and preferably Episode II although not necessary). I cannot do anything with Jar-Jar or the Nemoidians unless I know that I have a convincing language track for them for Episode I; I have to look ahead.

Does anyone know where one might obtain a foreign DVD (doesn't matter what region) fitting this description?

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Doesn't the standard DVD have language options? Also, if it doesn't, foreign DVDs could have just English dialogue and foreign subtitles.
If no-one can see the Force, is it really there?
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Originally posted by: Trooperman

Thinking about it in a "big picture" way, I agree that that's a classic formula (boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl), and the movie would work much better if they did not kiss until after all that they had gone through together. But I loved that moonlit scene!



It sounds like the moonlit scene is too good to miss -- it has to stay.


Before that, I will give in on the bedroom scene and the scene in the kitchen, when Padme looks out at Anakin through the window. How does that sound? Does it seem like it would flow better? We don't have the fireplace scene with bad dialogue and acting, we don't have a kiss until Geonosis, and we have more intimacy between the two of them.

Please give me your honest opinion!



Let me get this straight: The lovers arrive on Naboo, walking and talking pleasantly. They arrive at her house and go through her bedroom photos. Then they sit down to dinner with her parents and, in the kitchen, everyone can see Anakin loves her. They picnic in a field. They talk on the moonlit balcony and then Anakin wakes up in the morning to the sounds of his mother's screaming and determines he must save her.

That could be good. Real good. I love the longing look Padme gives him on the balcony before they kiss. Without the kiss, that look becomes very longing indeed.

But in my opinion, the most romantic version of this story thread has to include the intimacy of Anakin revealing himself to her and being rebuffed -- getting the heave-ho -- receiving his walking papers. That happens in the fireplace scene. I want to say more about that...



What I didn't like about the fireplace scene was not only its corniness and awful acting, but the fact that they're talking all about this romance that isn't possible, and then go into reasons why it isn't possible, but all without so much as a kiss between them. How does this sound- I'll delete the fireplace scene and keep the moonlit balcony scene- only Anakin will not kiss Padme. He'll look at her romantically and lean in, but Padme will turn away and say, "No...I can't do this." or "It's not possible" or some other dialogue from the fireplace scene.


Okay, I see what you're saying -- you think this is a scene with bad acting, bad dialogue, and a point that seems pointless. Your suggestion of using dialogue from this scene on the balcony is good, but I want to urge you to try to actually keep this scene. Though I can't defend the dialogue, I want to point out the scene contains some fine acting. Watch it without the sound and it is easy to feel the inner conflicts these actors are trying to convey. With much less dialogue, these performances can carry this scene. But does the scene have a point? You object to them talking about their impossible romance without having even kissed yet -- but I would ask you if kissing has to happen before you know a romance is in the air? As Padme's mother points out -- everyone can see he has feelings for her. She likes him too and they dance around it all the time they're there. Until this scene when Anakin forces the issue. Not with a kiss, but a confession: "I think of you all the time." That's too far and forces Padme to put an end to things. When Hayden says at the end of the scene that he couldn't live a lie, he gives one of his most subtle looks in the movie. It's good stuff if it is cut properly. Furthermore, it sets up the secret nature of their romance that is so important in Episode III. If this scene could be added to your outline, perhaps right after the longing look they share on the moonlit balcony, it will add a lot of focus to this love story.

Again, the way I suggest cutting it goes like this: Anakin and Padme sit silently, neither brave enough to speak.
Anakin breaks the quiet with a single sentence: "From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn't gone by when I haven't thought of you."
Padme does not reply.
She looks at him. He looks at her. She looks at him. We move in closer from shot to shot. Will they kiss? What will she say?
Finally she comes to her senses and says "I can't, we can't. It's just not possible..." She stands (action covered by edits).
Anakin cannot reply, he watches as she turns to him, then stands. He has one last chance and says: "You know, [edit] we could keep it a secret."
Padme says "Then we'd be living a lie - one we couldn't keep up
even if we wanted to. I couldn't do that. Could you? Could you live like that?"
Silence as the truth settles in for Anakin: it's over.
ANAKIN: "No. You're right."

If nothing else, just try this for fun. Put it in as a deleted scene. I predict that if this version were cut into your outline, then you would feel the difference.

One more suggestion would be regarding music: the music kills this scene as badly as the dialogue. What is that theme? It's mildly discomforting and so low in the mix that it just provides a kind of b.g. noise. I think it's meant to carry their mixed emotions, but I would rather hear a full-blown romantic theme played in a minor way. A great piece to use would be the Han/Leia love-theme from ESB played only on oboe as it is occasionally. This would heighten the parrallel between these these two movies and provide more connections. I think if the right (meaning the least recognizable) pieces of that ESB theme were used here, it would give a lot of punch to this romance-- like hearing the Death Star battle themes over the podrace in Magfan's "Balance" edit.


Ha ha! I take it back- your lack of faith is disturbing! (just kidding). Yes, once done, I plan either to put the names of the people who have contributed to this project in the credits, or to credit everyone at the end of the audio commentary


[blushing] If you insist -- no I insist! I wanna be in the credits! That would be too cool for school -- so again, forget my notes and just know how much of a god I think you are.

[waves hand] credits will be fine. Thanks, Trooperman!

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Bump

I know this isn't a democracy. I just want my appeal to be heard.

How much longer do you expect to be working on this Trooperman? Is there any way to tell?

Thanks.

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Hi, MTHaslett! Today's my birthday so I'm not going to be working on it today

As for a time frame, I'm not exactly sure- I don't really have a steady time-frame; I have an erratic schedule. With a push, I hope to have a DVD of Shroud of the Dark Side available by the end of this year. It'll be widescreen anamorphic, Dolby Digital 2.0 main audio, Dolby Digital Mono commentary by Trooperman about the editing process, English subtitles, chapter stops, menus, etc. I'm also going to include a trailer of my making, a few deleted scenes that have been redubbed as well, and a short documentary with some test footage and test recordings which I believe will be entertaining for people. Also included will be some cover art (I'm working on some, Klokwerk is making some, and whoever else does later on could be added to the DVD-ROM folder). But the main emphasis is on the film.

My personal copy will be dual-layer (as I have a dual-layer burner) but I think that the copy for distribution will be fine single-layer. With the right compression, you can hardly tell the difference at all.



That could be good. Real good. I love the longing look Padme gives him on the balcony before they kiss. Without the kiss, that look becomes very longing indeed.


What you described in your last post really got me thinking about how all this would work. One other reason I didn't want to include the fireside scene was because I felt that the amount of cutting that would need to take place to make me happy with it would make a very short, rather meaningless scene. However, this has given me great ideas. Here's what I'm thinking for the whole sequence:

Moonlit scene (Padme has been chattering; Anakin has been silently walking along and listening, getting up his nerve no doubt)

Anakin: Padme....
He turns.
Anakin: I love you.
She turns.
Anakin: I've loved you ever since I first saw you, all those years ago. I was afraid to tell you before (touching hand, then shoulder)...but it's true. Leans in. Padme looks at him longingly. CUT TO FIRESIDE.

Padme: I can't, we can't, Anakin. It's just not possible..." She stands.
Anakin: Why not, Padme? What's wrong? She cuts in quickly.
Padme: This is forbidden for a Jedi.
Anakin cannot reply, he watches as she turns to him, then stands. He has one last chance and says: "You know, [edit] we could keep it a secret."
Padme: Then we'd be living a lie - one we couldn't keep even if we wanted to. I couldn't do that. Could you? Could you live like that?"
Silence as the truth settles in for Anakin: it's over.
ANAKIN: "No. You're right."
Wipe to next scene.

What I love about this is how short and concise I was able to make the fireside, by virtue of the fact that Anakin spills the beans in the previous scene. The fireplace scene illustrates how Padme reacts to this, because the moonlit scene ends with her longing look.

I have musical things to say, as well. More on this later!

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Sounds cool to me!
If no-one can see the Force, is it really there?
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I am busy working on my stuff too, trooper, I could help you with a 5.1 sound field. Or hook you up with some things if you PM me.
16 years I wait and this is what I get???
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BTW, what do you all think about Jar-Jar speaking distorted German in my edit? Because that's the only foreign track I can possibly get my hands on (for both I and II) where it isn't immediately obvious that it's an actual language.

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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Sounds good. Or I hope it does. Whatever. But do try to avoid reverse dialogue whenever possible; I found that to be the most distracting part of MagnoliaFan's efforts, not the Spanish or French.

Also, I like the general idea of what you're doing with the lake and fireside scenes, but won't the transition between the two be a bit odd? They are outside in one set of clothes and...their conversation continues inside with different attire?
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Also, I like the general idea of what you're doing with the lake and fireside scenes, but won't the transition between the two be a bit odd? They are outside in one set of clothes and...their conversation continues inside with different attire?


Which is a very good point. It means that on second thought, I won't use a hard cut- I'll use either a fade or a clock-wipe to indicate the passage of time.


Sounds good. Or I hope it does. Whatever. But do try to avoid reverse dialogue whenever possible; I found that to be the most distracting part of MagnoliaFan's efforts, not the Spanish or French.


The backwards language tracks I will certainly avoid. No matter what language track I use, it will be more or less as it was recorded. It just kills me that there are Portugese and Japanese audio tracks for Episode I floating around on some theatre prints somewhere, but they apparently were not released on DVD.

When I say "distorted" German, I mean that I might raise the pitch a semi-tone, or apply a filter to muddle it a bit- just so it doesn't sound so obviously German. But German is much less obvious to me than is Spanish or French.

Thanks for input!

Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side

Emperor Jar-Jar
“Back when we made Star Wars, we just couldn’t make Palpatine as evil as we intended. Now, thanks to the miracles of technology, it is finally possible. Finally, I’ve created the movies that I originally imagined.” -George Lucas on the 2007 Extra Extra Special HD-DVD Edition

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What are you editing audio on?
If no-one can see the Force, is it really there?