Alright, so I decided to try and tackle the “Space Leia” scene.
Now, I know a lot of people do not like this moment and that is totally fine. Some editors have done pretty seamless jobs of removing it for those who want it out. I personally like the moment and want it to stay, so this is my attempt to try and slightly improve the scene with two VERY small changes.
Some of you have probably seen me rattle this off a number of times while discussing this scene, but I think there are three major reasons why this scene throws people off. I think in theory, most people wouldn’t have had a problem with this moment, but I think there may have been some minor issues with the execution that made it feel drastically off to a lot of people.
First, I think the initial wide shot of Leia “flying” towards the ship looks, off. I don’t know if I can really explain it, but I have heard others describe it as cartoony or too CGI. I can’t really do much about the way it looks, but I think there is another issue that might be either contributing to, or even the reason for this feeling.
Which is my second point, the sound. This will probably seem super minor, but I think a part of what throws people off is the sound design during this moment. We don’t realize it but sound can have a pretty big effect on us. If you go back and watch the initial shot of her flying, you’ll notice that when Leia/the camera passes by debris, you hear slight “whooshing” sounds as it happens.
While it is not as prominent, the sound effect is in the same vein as the famous “Superman flyby” sound effect, or the whooshing effect. I could be wrong, but I think this contributes to the cartoony vibe some might get from this scene. Interestingly enough, one of the first terms used to refer to this scene after the film’s release was “Super Leia”. I think her almost “Superman” pose probably added to that term as well. I think, on some level, the sound makes the moment feel silly for many when it should be an extremely powerful one.
So, with this in mind, I removed the sound effects from that shot, leaving only John Williams’ score to carry the moment. It may not be super noticeable, but I think it could affect the way someone reacts to this scene.
Finally, I think it would have helped if there was a little more context as to what exactly Leia was doing here. It seemed like a lot of people thought she was using the Force to literally fly back toward the ship, when in reality she is using the Force to pull herself back to it. It actually isn’t too different from Luke’s first physical use of the Force, pulling the lightsaber out of the snow. I think if this was made clearer it also could have helped the scene.
Although there isn’t a lot to work with, I added the sound of metal creaks and stress groans to the shot where she finally makes it back to the door, to help imply that she is pulling on it with the Force, and those sounds stop once she touches it.
While it is not perfect and people who don’t like the scene still won’t like it probably, I like to think if these changes had been there when the film was released, less people would’ve been thrown off by it initially. Any notes would be greatly appreciated.
https://vimeo.com/282817952
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