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Could I get a link to this edit please?😃
“The Ziggy Edit” — A Conceptual Fanedit of Return of the Jedi
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-The-Ziggy-Edit/id/17844
The Last Jedi: Rekindled (Released) — Page 11
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PM sent!
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I gave this a look last night and well… I think (at least for my own tastes) the movie is now my new favorite Star Wars! I haven’t seen the Legendary cut yet but honestly I think what you removed and kept in works great. I’ve seen the movie many times in the theater and on blu-ray and it’s impressive that I didn’t really miss any of the stuff that was cut. The movie flows like it needs to with no distractions or head-scratching humor. Very well done! 😄
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darth-gary,
Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and that’s it’s your favorite Star Wars! The Legendary cut is excellent, so I would recommend.
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Possible to get a link to this edit. Most appreciated!!!
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Your edit is hot, Poppa!
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Pm sent!
Your edit is hot, Poppa!
Thanks, RogueLeader! It wouldn’t be worth a thing without your early guidance and suggestions. And, of course, Hal’s Legendary!
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Could I get a link to this edit please?
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PM sent!
Just to reiterate, you can also request a link by clicking on my name atop any of my posts, and send me a pm that way!
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Hello there,
I just wanted to pop in and talk about your fanedit (“Rekindled”) a little more.
This weekend I spent some time rewatching all of the fanedits I could find of The Last Jedi. Afterwards, I walked away with some ideas and thoughts on what I liked and what I didn’t. Of all of them, I will say that your version continues to be my favorite rendition as it addresses some of the biggest issues I had with the original film. With that said, I also saw some things in other edits that I hope you may someday consider for a future version, or a new fanedit altogether.
The things I like the MOST about your fanedit:
- Removing the Leia spacewalk — it was absolutely a deus ex machina
- Removing Rose’s rescue of Finn — your version is FLAWLESS
- Trimming — but keeping — most of Poe’s “prank call” with Hux
- Changing the music during the Luke lightsaber toss scene
I know that your fanedit was based on HAL 9000’s “Legendary” edit, for which I very much enjoyed his work as well, especially these changes:
- Cutting much of Canto Bight
- Reinserting “Luke has a moment” and “Poe: Not Much of a Sewer” deleted scenes
- Removing the Ach-to caretakers and meant-to-be-humorous Porg scenes
- And numerous other small changes
Having built Rekindled off of Legendary, and addressing a few more points that I had issues with, yours remains the pinnacle of fanedits for The Last Jedi. Friends I’ve shown it to have agreed, saying that it has totally changed their opinion of the original film.
So now, after having rewatched Rekindled (along with several other fanedits), I think I know what I still want to see in a fanedit of The Last Jedi. Not necessarily in your fanedit, but if you were ever to release a newer version or even another fanedit altogether, I think these three items would really help enhance The Last Jedi:
Further trimming Paige Tico (bomber girl) kicking the ladder to drop the detonator.
I know that you shorted this slightly, but to be honest, I still find it longer than it needs to be. I keep screaming at my TV, “Just get up and go grab the damn thing!” Two kicks or so is fine, but right now, it is still too long, I think. ForceGhostRecon’s “Clean Cut Version” does a pretty good job of fixing this.
Changing BB-8’s repair of Poe’s X-Wing
I’ll be honest, I always thought this scene was too silly. BB-8 starts popping new fingers into every socket on the board, only to use his whole head which magically fixes the problem. It was just too slapstick for me. The best fix I’ve seen of this is one that I’m almost afraid to mention because of some controversy regarding the faneditor creating it. Regardless, the actual change itself [watch it here] is really great and is one I’d love to see happen someday.
Finding a better way to introduce Holdo
This is a bigger change. Last week, Gigawattboy posted a couple clips from his new fanedit of The Last Jedi (not yet released). In his version, keeping Admiral Ackbar alive allows the introduction and motivation of Holdo’s to feel so much better. I feel like her character came out of nowhere. Supposedly she’s been friends with Leia despite us never having heard of her, but she seems like she can’t be trusted and she doesn’t reveal any indication of a plan of action. Gigawattboy’s incredible roto work makes it possible for Ackbar — a character we know and trust — to introduce Holdo, which feels so much more authentic and allows us to appreciate her later sacrifice. [Clip is here]
As of right now, that’s all I’ve got. Again, I’m not asking you to consider these changes for Rekindled (although I think if you did they would be well-received). But if you ever wanted to play with it a little more, I certainly would like to see your work. Otherwise, someday, I might ask about using Rekindled as the base of a fanedit of my own! But as that day may be a long ways off, being able to share these ideas with you at least allows me to dream, eh?
Thanks again for your great work!
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Further trimming Paige Tico (bomber girl) kicking the ladder to drop the detonator.
I know that you shorted this slightly, but to be honest, I still find it longer than it needs to be. I keep screaming at my TV, “Just get up and go grab the damn thing!” Two kicks or so is fine, but right now, it is still too long, I think. ForceGhostRecon’s “Clean Cut Version” does a pretty good job of fixing this.Changing BB-8’s repair of Poe’s X-Wing
I’ll be honest, I always thought this scene was too silly. BB-8 starts popping new fingers into every socket on the board, only to use his whole head which magically fixes the problem. It was just too slapstick for me. The best fix I’ve seen of this is one that I’m almost afraid to mention because of some controversy regarding the faneditor creating it. Regardless, the actual change itself [watch it here] is really great and is one I’d love to see happen someday.
100% agree on these!
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The BB-8 thing for sure. I don’t have an issue with the rest (and I’d also argue for trimming more of the phone call gag, a la Hal’s Legendary version).
I also don’t like the Ackbar stuff. The voice isn’t convincing (though that could be remedied by a better voice actor doing an impression closer to his TFA/TLJ voice), and the ROTJ outfit and mask don’t match. The rotoscoping is mostly okay, but in general I fail to see how it improves anything, unless you really hate Holdo or feel it’s absolutely necessary to hammer home the “there might be a spy” point, none of which I have an issue with (I was surprised to discover that the spy thing wasn’t outright stated as I’d apparently taken it as a given).
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Ziggy, thanks so much for the compliments, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the edit!
Further trimming Paige Tico (bomber girl) kicking the ladder to drop the detonator.
I too had a similar reaction when I first saw the film. I think Hal’s edit improved it significantly while also maintaining seamless audio. Let me check out the Clean Cut Edition, though, and see how ForceGhostRecon handled it.
Changing BB-8’s repair of Poe’s X-Wing
I think this is worth looking into, as I remember watching that video months ago and thinking it was pretty seamless. Specifically the cut from BB-8 moving down to the tracking shot of Canady has such a nice rhythm of camera motion.
Finding a better way to introduce Holdo
This one I am less sold on. While I think the editor did a great job of rotoscoping and does a good impression of Ackbar, I think it’s still just a little off and may introduce more questions about Ackbar (how did he survive the explosion unscathed? Why does he have his old white uniform? Where is he the rest of the film?) than it solves with Holdo.
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I’d also argue for trimming more of the phone call gag, a la Hal’s Legendary version.
Definitely would consider this for a future version! Also considering trying again to remove the “union dispute” line from Maz (that’s a tricky one, though, because of the blocking of the scene).
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Ziggy, thanks so much for the compliments, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the edit!
Hey there! Yes, I’ve now watched Rekindled several times, and I really cannot get enough of it. I really like discussing it so I hope you don’t mind that I’m going to probably continue to bring things up about it — for better or worse remains to be seen!
Regarding my suggestions, let me first tackle the big one about Ackbar.
I know that it’s a significant change and honestly, it’s not entirely realistic for Rekindled in its current state. Changes like these are bold enough that, if they aren’t pulled off correctly, they’re obvious. They’re what separates an excellent fanedit from others that are more conceptual in their goals.
What I think I’d like to see is an alternate or “experimental” version of Rekindled. Sort of a sandbox for ideas that may or may not make the final cut. (Hell, I say this like it’s mine — it’s your edit and your time, you can do whatever you want with it!) But I suppose I’m just so fond of what you’ve put together here that I am eager to see it combined with some of the more conceptual changes that have been suggested (like the Ackbar addition) without it tarnishing the quality of Rekindled as it is today.
So I suppose what I’m asking is if you would consider an “experimental” version of Rekindled. Or, would you be open to myself or anyone else using Rekindled as a base on which to build in some of these more conceptual changes? That said, it’s been a few years since my last fanedit (that reminds me, I should dig it out…), so I admit that it likely wouldn’t come close to the great work you’ve done.
The other two changes I mentioned — Paige kicking the ladder and BB-8 fixing Poe’s X-Wing — these are both things that I believe can be edited without significant alteration of the film, and therefore they could be as seamless as nearly all your other changes in Rekindled.
If you ever decide to open the project back up again, I’d definitely like to see these two things be something you look at.
I also don’t like the Ackbar stuff. The voice isn’t convincing (though that could be remedied by a better voice actor doing an impression closer to his TFA/TLJ voice), and the ROTJ outfit and mask don’t match. The rotoscoping is mostly okay, but in general I fail to see how it improves anything, unless you really hate Holdo or feel it’s absolutely necessary to hammer home the “there might be a spy” point, none of which I have an issue with (I was surprised to discover that the spy thing wasn’t outright stated as I’d apparently taken it as a given).
I agree with all these points. I’m not crazy about the Ackbar addition, but it does look better than I thought it might. It also does fix some of the issues I’ve had with Holdo. Let me be clear, I do not hate her character. However, what I don’t like is that, after all of the hysterics leading up to the reveal that she does, in fact, know what she’s doing, we’re supposed to suddenly accept the fact that she and Leia are close friends. I imagine we’re also supposed to feel some remorse for her sacrifice to save the Resistance, which I don’t at all.
I am unsure of how to fix that. Ackbar introducing her does seem to help explain her presence and her actions, which I do like. That is my primary reason for wanting to see the roto’d clip inserted.
Obviously, it could still be improved upon — the roto could be even better, and it definitely needs a better Ackbar impressionist. With that said, if the scene had been in the actual film, I do think people would have felt more at ease with her strange decisions and the role she plays with regards to Leia. While I understand that may be the point, it also means I just don’t care about her sacrifice (which is worse, in my opinion).
“The Ziggy Edit” — A Conceptual Fanedit of Return of the Jedi
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-The-Ziggy-Edit/id/17844
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Regarding BB-8 repairing Poe’s X-Wing, I agree that having dozens of little sauters or whatever sticking out is a bit too goofy, but if you just have him come down and stop just one, it sorta just feels like, “Oh. That’s it?”
I feel like if you could somehow keep the first gag with the two or three sparks, but somehow cut the second scene to where you don’t see the multiple mandibles, we just see the arm retracting and then him smashing his head into the motherboard to temporarily reestablish the connection. Sure, it is a little silly, but don’t you think you gotta keep some of BB-8’s levity? It’s partially what makes him endearing.
I mean in TFA, the few times I saw it in theaters, at almost every screening, when BB-8’s head goes back and forth between Rey and Finn, and then when he gives the little lighter thumbs up, I could literally feel the audience collectively fall in love with that little droid.
Just my opinion, though. My SO isn’t really a Star Wars person, but she loves BB-8, so I guess for me I wouldn’t want to cut out too much of him because I see how other people might like those funnier moments that we find too funny.
If you’ll allow me to go off topic for a second, it kind of reminds me of something I learned early on when I started fan editing. One of the first things I did was a personal edit of Return of the Jedi. After I “finished” it, I showed it to my uncle and my younger cousins. During the Sarlaac battle, we got to the part where Han sends Boba flying, and I had cut Han saying, “Boba Fett? Boba Fett?? Where?!”
They immediately noticed that cut, because that line became sort of a inside joke for them. Anytime one of them would mention Boba in conversation, one of them would quickly respond with “Boba Fett? Boba Fett? Where?!” and just laugh and laugh.
It was at that point that I realized that even if you make what you think are sensible cuts, you also might be losing something from the film that is a little harder to explain. Maybe it’s charm. Or maybe it what Lawrence Kasdan once said in an interview about Star Wars: that it’s goofy, but goofy in the best way.
EDIT: Regarding Holdo stuff, I did make a [post] the other day with some ideas on that whole subplot. Maybe that could sparks some thoughts on it.
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RogueLeader,
You make good points about BB-8, and my wife feels the same way about him (me too actually).
The Boba Fett anecdote really resonates because the trouble with all fan-editing is that inevitably you’re going to cut someone else’s favorite gag or inside joke. These moments, good or bad, have become part of culture.
For me, though, BB-8 went too far when he started piloting imperial walker. It was such a silly way to get our heroes out of a perilous situation, and it was just moments after the climax. I don’t think it’s a scene I’ll get used to.
The stuff in the X-wing isn’t as bad because it’s early in the film and it’s more subtle. The Ortega edit was so smooth, though, that I’ll at least entertain it, and maybe try a version that keeps a bit more of the silliness as you suggested.
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Ziggy,
I’ll definitely be considering the BB-8 and Paige ladder kicking in a future version.
I don’t know about making my own alternative experimental version, but, of course, anyone is welcome to use Rekindled as a base for whatever they want! The collaboration and sharing of ideas is one my favorite aspects of this forum. My version is based on Hal’s Legendary edit, after all.
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I’d be very interested in a version that fixes the BB-8 joke. I was planning on trying to make this fix myself but I’m no expert.
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May I have a link, please? Thanks in advance.
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PM sent!
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Congrats on the IFDb listing approval, poppa! 😄
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Thank you very much! And thanks to everyone here for the help and feedback. Of course, this is mostly a modification of Hal’s Legendary cut, so I must pass along most of the credit to him!
I don’t think it’s up on the IFDB yet, but I’ll post again when I see it listed.
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Just a quick update. This edit is now posted on fanedit.org! So if you have an account and feel so inclined, head over there and leave a review! Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!
https://ifdb.fanedit.org/star-wars-episode-viii-the-last-jedi-rekindled/
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Hi poppasketti
Could I get a link to this edit please?
Many thanks!