Interesting ideas!
For a lot of these discussions, I’ll probably be leaning more towards the less radical changes to the movies, for a few reasons. I love scouring the Prequel Radical Redux thread, but it seems like we rarely see the radical ideas come to fruition, usually because of how difficult it would be for a lot of those ideas to be implemented. And even if they could be, it would be hard for them to be seamless.
Also, a lot of the more major changes could significantly cut down runtime, and I think keeping the movies as close to the 2-hour mark as possible is important.
Then again, we definitely should still consider and discuss the more radical changes because I do think, for example, there is merit in changing the Nemoidian/Jar Jar dialogue because of how they lean towards stereotype. But personally, I think that would create too many subtitles even for a Star Wars movie. Redubbing could be considered, like it has before in other threads, but I think pulling it off seamlessly would still be challenging. Like I said, for a lot of these discussions I will probably be leaning more into the ‘less is more’ side of things. I’m also worried if we there are too many radical changes, the project would never get done. Would love other people’s thoughts on this.
Despite that, I actually agree, or have considered in the past, many of your ideas Snooker. Just to name a few…
Dooku isn’t a sith, rather a fallen Jedi. He has a Blue or Green sword.
Anakin and Obi-Wan shouldn’t antagonize each other throughout EP II.
The Trade Federation and the Separatists should be one in the same. Perhaps they are the 'Separatist Federation."
Neimoidians speak in an alien dialect/don’t speak in a grossly offensive accent.
Less advanced holograms/technology. I mean look at Luke’s room in EP II vs EP IV!
Palpatine doesn’t turn into monster mash on screen.
But all of your ideas would be fun to discuss!
Comparing Luke’s room in AOTC and ANH is a good example! Though one could argue that a lot of the tech on the wall just stopped working after 20ish years. It would be worth considering to make the room look one way or another in both movies if people felt it was worth the trouble.
This kind of fx work could possibly be categorized as secondary effects work. Meaning, that while these kind of changes would benefit the saga’s continuity, it isn’t immediately necessary to improve the narrative. So vfx work that was necessary to make the Starkiller restructuring work would be considered primary effects work, since it was necessary for the narrative change. So other examples of secondary vfx work could include making the prequels more low-tech, possibly adding Clone Wars-style Y-Wings to ROTS, giving Anakin’s lightsaber a consistent sound and color throughout all of the films, etc. While not immediately necessary, they would be cool additions.
Also Nev, I definitely think deleted scenes should be used! I loved Hal’s use and placement of a lot of the AOTC deleted scenes, and it also helps compensate the runtime since a lot will inevitably be cut. I for one had an idea regarding the ROTS deleted scenes that I haven’t seen suggested before. Don’t know if it would work or not though.
And I think it would be okay to talk about certain edits until we get other threads started up. I don’t think I should make nine new threads just yet. Still a little too early. Another thought, what about three threads for each trilogy?
As of now, there are some points I think would be useful for the project’s guidelines:
Continuity. Does this change help tie the movies together? Not all changes have to, but it’s a plus.
Practicality. How realistic or doable is the change?
Motivation. How does the change benefit the narrative? (a flimsy rule atm)
But I think we should still have enough levity for some edits just because they’re “cool”.
Some other things I think could be important are (4)seamlessness and (5)runtime. Seamlessness: can the change be made and still feel professional? Now, there could be radical changes to the movies, but I don’t think the movies should be completely redone, if that makes sense. I think the basics of each movie should be kept, mainly because I like the idea of somebody watching these edits and maybe not initially realizing it is a fan edit, just a lot better than they remembered. I do think maintaining a decent runtime is crucial, and it shouldn’t go under a certain length, because it being too short would make it feel not like a realistic version of the movie, to me at least.
I’m not saying that radical changes, like redubbing Jar Jar, or changing the end of ROTS so the movies can be watched in chronological order without spoiling the big twist, shouldn’t be done. I think any suggestion on here should be considered, discussed, and put through the ringer. If we can come up with a decent set of guidelines and have consistent voices of reason, then we hopefully can come out the other end with a great list of edits, both subtle and radical. This isn’t set in stone though, and it may vary depending on individual ideas. But I think these types of discussions are what makes it fun, and I think they’re necessary.
So I think these bigger questions could begin being asked.
What should the guidelines be?
Radical versus Minimal Edits
What previous edits to draw from? I think we should eventually take deep dives into past edits, incomplete edits and new edits and see what works and what could be added. Some editors and their ideas that come to mind: The Phantom Editor, L8wrtr, Q2, Hal, Octorox, Aalenfae, NFBisms, Dom. There are all kinds of edits for the Sequels being worked on now, so we’ll watch their careers with great interest. Shout out to DigitalModification, though, who I think has made pretty consistent, professional edits to the new movies so far.
Anyway, my opinion is just one opinion, and this should be a collaborative project, so I would love to hear more thoughts on this.