Man, that sequence looks beautiful. I mean really, it is nearly perfect. It has come a long way since you first worked on this scene, and I really think it’s possible for the viewer to connect it with Rey’s “Forceback.”
The only thing that might further enhance it is that, after BB-8 gets Rey’s attention (after the medical lady says, “Your friend is going to be just fine”), I think we need a tighter shot on BB-8 and Artoo. This was difficult to explain, so — I hope you don’t mind — but I took your video and then cut it myself to show you what I mean:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pTw6TzuCPAPO0i2ki53XZEhJGzeznURn/view?usp=sharing
I just reused the previous shot and then reversed it. The only tough thing about this is that it would require putting an “eye” on BB-8 or rotating his head. However, I think this change helps the audience focus a little more on what BB-8 is wanting Rey to look at: Artoo.
Great idea! It would take some doing to swivel BB-8’s dome, but the shot it replaced wasn’t entirely effective either so I wouldn’t mind it being replaced.
I’m still not 100% sold on the Rey/BB-8 stuff, but it could be my own bias. Unrelated to the vfx work so far, I guess it doesn’t feel totally like it actually fits in with the movie yet. Like it isn’t completely seamless logically.
I could go either way on this. I think the shocked look on Rey’s face and the close up on Artoo helps to connect the dots.
If we wanted to make it more obvious, there’s only one thing I can think of: have Rey say Luke’s name. You could maybe use a voiceover from when she says Luke’s name during her conversation with Maz. But I kind of feel like a voiceover would make the edit seem rather amateur. If she says Luke’s name, we need to see her say it. Maybe some rotoscoping magic by cutting her out of the scene with Maz.
This is why I haven’t even attempted it here, since it didn’t work in a similar situation earlier in the edit (Rey’s dream sequence).
RL, it’s true that this whole concept is a bit more nebulous than the movie it’s in, but that may have to do more with the obviousness of the movie than this execution, if you know what I’m saying. Like the audience has been primed to expect everything to be explained and right at the end we’re hit with something different. My argument for keeping the change anyway is that R2’s waking up is already unexplained (or merely coincidental in Restructured). Either way this change is the first one to actually explain why R2 wakes up just in time for the end of the movie. That, as well as the previously mentioned benefits to Rey’s agency, means I’m still pretty happy with it.