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Info: Star Wars - The Lost Cut is not exactly what you think it is.... — Page 3

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yotsuya said:

ifjg said:

videoFred’s film restoration avisynth script is what you want. I ran it in the Bigg’s scene and it did a great job of removing the scratches. It actually came out looking too waxy and clean compared to the rest of the film, but still way better than the original version.

Where do we find that script?

Here:

https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=144271

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 (Edited)

Upon Initial analysis of simply looking at the Deleted scenes with Regard to the Luke Binoculars / Toshi Station / and Biggs Farewell I have noticed a few things.

I don’t put much importance in the binocular scene other than it is the start of the thread and my Goal with this would be to cut it down as much as possible include the scene with the bare minimum amount of footage to achieve the scene being present and justified but for it to be a very quick snap shot of a scene with no dialogue.

The Toshi Station Arrival I actually like this scene quite a bit and agree with it’s placement in the script. The rhythm is quite fast paced and I feel that quick tempo music would suit the scene to suit the rhythm. It is in a good shape in terms of how it is cut together but audio issues remain but some can be eliminated.

In Regards to Biggs Farewell I was initially only planning to have about half of it… But I now understand it is a 2 part scene and the only assumption I can presume is that as R2-D2 and C3P0 split ways we then cut to Biggs scene Part 1 we then cut to C3P0 being picked up by the sandcrawler or him waving at it if you like. Now we have Biggs scene Part 2 where he says goodbye and then we cut to R2-D2 getting captured in the canyon.

The next step is to put the footage in an editor and start chopping.

I am going to re-do the shootout sequence with C3PO tangled in the wires this is the missing shot from the sequence… I have a feeling it might work with the revised edit so I just totally glossed over that factor of the scene because I felt it could never work but I am changing my mind.

Possibly the best way to do this would be to go up to the point where R2-D2 is captured as a complete edit… But it will take a while. The only loose end would then be to tie up Vader and Bast separately.

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whilst doing a bit of research of the deleted scenes and before starting on them I decided to first get a groove on with completed footage a bit of a muscle flex and a get a feel for things.

I have done an edit of the Detention cell block shootout.

https://vimeo.com/391969609

Change list:

  1. Added missing splice Han shoots stormtrooper to achieve synch

  2. Added Sound from Death star docking bay shootout of Door being hit restoring the sound and music added the shot of the Door control being shot from earlier initial arrival which I imagine would need swapping out for something else now as the sound never matched the Door control being shot anyway. Cropped un-destroyed door control out of the following shots.

  3. Added Audio for C3P0 on the comlink from radio drama of audio Luke can’t Hear in the corridor.

  4. Moved footage and audio for “Now What!” in respose to “There’s no other way out” As per the script

  5. Added missing Laser for Han shooting Storm trooper “I can’t hold them off forever”

  6. Fixed Leia’s Laser fire down the corridor by reversing the speed of the first few frames

  7. Fixed Magenta Flashes

I would think the next step on this one would be to add the Special edition corridor fix would top it off.

EDIT:

Just noticed 2 shots of Han shooting are still the wrong way around at the start of the sequence. Using some extra frames of the Door controls being destroyed it might be possible to restore the correct scene order of Han backing away without going back in time…

Dianoga Restored

https://vimeo.com/391972218

Restored the position of the Dianoga tentacle as per the script and fixed music and sound effects obviously the scene would now be removed from the trash compactor scene to make way for it’s inclusion in this scene for the tentacle by the door.

This scene has now been restored to the Tantive shoot out and works very well in terms of footage and fixes synch with the airlock and vaders footsteps but not so much in terms of audio. Is there any audio for this scene in question? i am looking for an alternative to “It’s all your fault” as this does not work… “Help! I think I’m Melting” is fine.

The original Star destroyer and tantive elements for the Binoculars have been located in the art of star wars book…

I think I may have also found a music cue for Biggs farewell Part 2! I know there is no music for Toshi station Bar but I have a good tune in mind 😃 I am searching for Biggs farewell Part 1…

I may have something for the opening Binoculars that will work.

The discovery of these 2 things contradicts that these scenes were cut earlier than what thet were perhaps but the Binoculars did have temp effects already bare that in mind but music for Biggs farewell part 2 if it is indeed for that scene is very interesting.

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Han backing away from the door has been fixed now and I will re-up the video soon but this is the only further change and it also matches the sound mix now as I added sounds because it didnot match and also “workprint” the scenea bit better.

Anyway basically audio clean up and sound effects work has begun to get the deleted scenes working. As I stated before no video clean up will be done. But I am plesantly surprised by the results so far not perfect but much much better and passable as a lot better.

The planning of how to execute the deleted scenes has also begun and some things are yet to be seen how they will work yet. But it is a WIP.

How I execute them will be how they are presented but to be helpful to others I think providing a sound mix for the scenes with music that I will add eventually and without would be more helpful to other projects possibly.

The Luke Binoculars scene will have to have music added as there is no other choice but the other scenes can be dropped without music for the benefit of others.

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Looking forward to your work with the deleted scenes.
I don’t care for the initial Luke scene, but Toshi Station and Biggs are good and should be in the movie.

I’d also put that short distant take of Han with the girl on the cantina, and a few frames of the girl leaving right before Luke and Obi-Wan approach Han.

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Do you think the Luke and his Binoculars scene can be excised and not included would it still make sense?

the basics of the audio are done for Tosche station and Biggs farewell Part 1 and 2. The Wind sound effects I am using will probably change but I can do that later as I am not happy with it currently.

I have only just exported them with the audio matching the video just now taken quite a while.

I have prepared sound effects for Luke’s Binoculars zoom and stop.

I have observed the following for this scenes will need sound for Grit footsteps and jump Landings. Sound for the pebble Luke throws and pat’s / slaps on the back sound effects.

Music for the Bar scene at Tosche station is a certainty.

In terms of structure if Lukes Binoculars can be done and made to work as I said as short and sweet as possible this would be the general structure.

A Long Time ago in a Galaxy far far away…

POV Lukes Binoculars >>> Luke close up of him looking through binoculars >>>> POV Lukes Binoculars 2 >>>> Luke Runs off screen >>>> Treadwell droid moves head>>>> Luke Boards Landspeeder >>>> Treadwell Droid 2 >>>>Luke Drives off

swap logo for poster logo.

Note: this scene could be done as a tease not showing what Luke is looking at through the Binoculars.

Edit:

I have edited this in a more traditional manner and it will have dialogue in fact a bit more than you are used to hearing.

next deleted scene

Escape pod flies towards Tattooine >>>> Landscape shot of Desert >>>> Luke Jumps out Landspeeder >>>> Luke runs up steps Composite escape pod in the sky flaming streak >>>> Bar scene >>> Outside the Bar with Binoculars end of scene >>>>> Shot of Star Destroyer static >>>> Pricess Leia walking through corridor.

Note Seeing the Binoculars POV shot here would provide the Bridge to Pricess Leia on the Tantive and remove the need for an establishing shot of the Star Destroyer.

Next scene

R2-D2 and C3P0 part ways >>>> Biggs and Luke Tosche station part 1 >>>> C3P0 waves at sandcrawler >>>> Shot of Sandcrawler driving over the Hill >>>> Shot of Tosche station (from mos eisley intro) >>>> Luke and Biggs farewell Part 2 >>>> R2-D2 in the Canyon.

I must admit I am dreading trying to get the Binoculars scene to Work… If it makes sense with out it, it’s gone!

Edit:

Binoculars scene working almost…

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Small update and more information on framework.

The Transition from Escape pod flying towards Tattooine >>>> To Luke getting out of his Landspeeder is achieved via an optical iris circular wipe.

There is only one Background plate for the Binoculars POV so there will only be one Binocular POV shot serving as a bridge back to princess Leia during the Toshce station scene.

after we cut back to Princess Leia aboard the Tantive I imagine the transition here would be a wipe from Luke have his Binoculars thrown at him and a wipe from right to left to Princess Leia aboard the Tantive.

At the end of the scene we have a dialogue change for Vader swapped for the lines present in the Holiday Special. (The end of the sentance used in this part was originally intended for addressing Commander Bast in the deleted scene)

Now on the Cut to the Star Destroyer flying away we have missing music for the extended Harp Gliss… I motion that the Star Destroyer was to fire and we cut to…

Tantive is then destroyed this is the only further Special effects missing I can possibly identify and there is room for it.

The Plan remains the Same for the Biggs farewell intercut between C3P0 and R2-D2.

The only further shots missing until we Reach Mos Eisley are

This, impossible to re-create I hope this shot surfaces one Day. Looks absolutely phenomenal! Criminal is all I can say…

Use the Special Edition Sandcrawler shot to fill the gap of it being used already.

A short shot of the Landspeeder scanner (1-2 seconds) which can be dealt with by sound effects so not needed really. The tone is all wrong for Luke and 3P0 in the Landspeeder deleted scene and does nothing it just feels so off the scanner would have been a more interesting choice.

Ben’s Hut Alternate angle or Special edition version

A new edit of Approaching Mos-Eisley would now be needed

After this there really is nothing as major as the overhaul to the start to restore the film to an earlier version it is small fry in comparison until the end of the film.

I put the Jabba scene as a firm alternate take to the Greedo scene.

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Ronster said:

The only further shots missing until we Reach Mos Eisley are

This, impossible to re-create I hope this shot surfaces one Day. Looks absolutely phenomenal! Criminal is all I can say…

Unfortunately, I’m pretty certain this is just an onset photo…not an actual still from filmed footage.
Of course, I have no proof of this. It’s just that the type of shot (dutch angle) is not utilized anywhere else in the film…right?

SSWR’s YouTube channel

Attack of the Clones: Alternate Timeline Edit Thread:
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/SSWRs-Attack-of-the-Clones-Alternate-Timeline-Edit/id/66888

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No, you’re right, that’s 100% a publicity photo and not a shot from the movie and if I’m not mistaken this has been pointed out to Ronster time and time again but he keeps insisting that it’s a deleted shot…

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All the other lobby cards are clearly scenes from the film and I don’t see why this one should be any different.

Did somone point a camera at this to take the photo? Yes of course they did.

Did somone point a video camera at this thing of course they did. It is in the film. But we don’t get the much needed close up. It would probably fall as alternate take and be cut in at the storm troopers and escape pod scene for all 2.5 seconds right at the start or something it would be a short shot

It probably won’t be that angle either.

Unless the shot was achieved by walking or dolly past camera movement to make it appear the dewback was moving. A trick basically.

And did the trick work?

A close up shot would have been filmed without doubt. Why bother making this prop so detailed if it was only ever going to appear in distant shots?

The only other mention of a shot that could be missing is smoke rising from behind the sand dunes as an establishing shot for the destroyed sandcrawler.

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Yeah it is funny but the photographerdid not choose that angle for no reason.

I can seriously imagine a camera man walking past shooting it more straight but off to the side looking up to give the impression of movement from the dewback when infact it is the camera going past the static dewback…

😃

There could be some very valid reasons why the close ups never appeared but I would still like to see at least one close up…

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Who knows if they actually shot anything up close…we know at some point Lucas decided against it because there was not enough articulation in the puppet to make it look believable…thus the only shots of it are in the background. My guess is Lucas came to that conclusion before wasting film stock.

SSWR’s YouTube channel

Attack of the Clones: Alternate Timeline Edit Thread:
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/SSWRs-Attack-of-the-Clones-Alternate-Timeline-Edit/id/66888

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I reckon they tried it and felt it did’nt work.

It probably looked janky and literally the Dewback that was meant to be moving would have been in shot for about a second up from his head straight to the storm trooper.

It probably felt too quick and the wrong pace. But I reckon It might have looked ok as a close up of simply a stormtrooper mounted on the hill then we cut to the escape pod.

There would have been options none of which we have seen. It would have been a glimpse with the focus on the stormtrooper rather than the dewback and this probably spelt out it’s doom more than anything else you could not hold the camera on it long in close up.

It’s a small thing really.

Somehow I doubt it would look as bad as treadwell repairing the moisture vaporator… It might need some sparks or a laser welder something to be more believable.

This is something that became apparent after assembling an edit of the scene and although that does spell a bit of an issue for the sound mix I have done and it also means I have to find more sounds to make him repairing the moisture vaporator make sense and add visual effects to it. It’s also something very interesting that what you are seeing would at the point his little welding arm is extended we hold on a single frame whilst some animation takes over for a short few frames. And again it is tailed off with him finishing the repair job with a few more frames of animation before his arm goes back down. The actual repair job is done off screen while luke goes to his landspeeder.

what looks like a little arm that goes up and down is finished in post production to be believable and a bit longer running time with sound and visual effects and it’s the most important splice to notice in that sequence.

Re-use Matte painting without the real life tank tracks prop. Example.

This may also have been meant to be animated appearing from behind the dunes. the Black triangle looks too small and out of scale and certainly is not the sandcrawler.

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Small update.

The video edit for the Luke Binoculars and the treadwell Droid is finally done…

I was unsure about it all being just a tease and not showing a POV Binocular shot, so I ended up doing a single Binocular POV shot and it came out quite well for the Star Destroyer chasing the Tantive. Anything more than that would be too much POV shots.

It took a while to try to come up with how the shot would have been done and I ended up going with the dodgy UFO Video look not seeing anything particularly detailed just shapes with video noise applied and I think it came out quite well and I also think it is quite funny that this is the solution I came to and that it probably works best.

Sparks were added for Treadwells Welding arm and the shot’s extended with animation for it to make better sense.

I don’t have to start the sound mix from scratch But now things have shifted about a bit I will have to conform what I did to the new timings.

I have found a decent sound for the Treadwell Welding Arm so that and the Binoculars sound effects getting them now to work with the Binocular POV shot too.

This sequeunce has been such a difficult nut to crack that If I can nail this one the other scenes will be easy in comparison (fingers crossed). There is so much going on in this scene but I am looking forward to the end result.

The scene I have been dreading the most has so far been the most rewarding to work on It’s got better and better and I am not sure that I will be able to say the same for the other scenes but I will try.

Although the footage is still dirty it has come along way from what it was totally raw and that is a reassuring sign about a scene. Although it does not do a lot apart from introduce us to Luke on his moisture farm.

The Plan I think is do the Opening with this scene up until Vader throttles Antilles.

Then the escape Pod Launch Toshce Station back to Pricess Leia and Destruction of the Tantive

Then I will do Biggs Farewell Part 1 & Part 2

And Finally Vader and Bast and figure out an edit for getting to Mos-eisley

Quick concept Idea for something much later in the film…

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Here is the Treadwell edit on it’s own with the new soundmix

Binocular POV and Repair effects.

https://vimeo.com/393507627

Hope you enjoy it.

I did my best…

This is the sound mix uncompressed and unmatched to the film audio, Raw still in a sense.

Feedback purposes more about what it is and what is in it rather than how it sounds right now and comparisons to the film.

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looks good when the scene is cleaned 😉

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Don’t know… The video edit timing is done.

The sound needs a few edits overall balancing then compress it and EQ at master.

It’s going to be quite a bit of fiddling and tweaking.

It is about probably 200 audio edits to get it to that point it is going to need at least 30 - 50 more volume edits at individual sound level now.

My hope is people will feel differently about the scenes once they have sound and an edit.

Something I feel I should point out the first establishing shot will need a couple of extra seconds for a dissolve in from black.

Wind sound effects will subtly fade in on the text "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…’

both suns are fake… or they are in the wrong place. They probably moved them to make it look like Luke was Looking straight into the sun but you just don’t do that nobody does that in fact. So they might go somewhere else in this shot?

He looks up to the left…

Example

Matched

If there is any truth to the falcon igniting it’s engines before blasting out of Mos-eisley…

Take off Redux in the old school way 😃 Without all the Flashyness

1.5 seconds.

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Another Interesting Discovery…

In order to restore Biggs Farewell Part 2 I need an establishing shot to make that work… So I stole the Landspeeder from the Alternate Ben’s Hut image…

Now I need to do this a bit better but to illustrate what needs to happen to restore the scene and also uncanny that it lines up pretty much exactly at the right angle and so on. So was Ben’s Hut alternate removed because they needed the Landspeeder element / image to put into this shot?

Hence why we got a different angle which had issues like the Boosters and back panels missing almost if you like a rushed shot. Or it’s the other way around the alternate for Ben’s hut was created at a late stage as this scene fell away and the improved establishing shot of Ben’s hut simply never made it in to the film?

Just as another thought Luke and Biggs Turning the corner of Tosche station could be composited in to this frame to make it come to like even more 😃 as an extra touch…

Anyway looking at this part of the film some more I noticed this.

I can see it is vertically stretched a bit… But I never knew it was a Matte shot

So as an idea I re-sized and thought about softening the edge along the sand and trying to get rid of all the magenta… A bit Better I think. But it’s something I probably wont be able to do perhaps I don’t know this is just a still.

I am not sure how to Handle the missing Sandcrawler Matte element just yet…

This angle would make more sense before “we’ve stopped” said by C3-P0 and the odd music cut so I think that the Sandcrawler shot coming over the hill is a moved shot. It would be interesting to finish that angle off with the model inserted on top of the tracks…

Although this concept is rough… What a shot it could be!!! 😃 Got it to a near passable state I really like this for an alternative to the sandcrawler shot replacing the weird music edit.

I wonder if this would pair up with Ghost Luke in the Door that was removed… We hear the Sandcrawler pull up then cut to the Matte painting then to inside the sandcrawler. Seems to me it’s a small sequence perhaps.

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The Research Continues…

I think I now know how the scene order for how the Sandcrawler shot’s were meant to work and it is only really this that got messed up because the Toshi Station scenes were excised.

We Have R2-D2 and C3-P0 part ways scene

Shot of Sandcrawler 1977 (Can see America in the Background crop and zoom has not been applied and why this looks model looks so small)

Biggs Farewell Part 1

C3P0 waving at the Sandcrawler but with the missing Matte element added back over the black triangle

Biggs Farewell part 2

Shot of Special edition Sandcrawler (With Omitted Music From the start of R2-D2 canyon music playing over it) This is an original filmed shot and done by Lorne Peterson.

It’s possible that there is another shot of the Sandcrawler we are still yet to see which would be a cut away to go with the Jawa theme music then cut back to canyon… Or it is a musical metronome frame count written to be omitted.

Jawas spotting R2-D2 driving along with music cue

R2-D2 in the Canyon disabled and capture

How Dark? Shot of sunset / night mountain ridge at some point?

21 EXT. TATOOINE - ROCK CANYON - SANDCRAWLER - SUNSET 21
The enormous sandcrawler lumbers off toward the magnificent
twin suns which are slowly setting over a distant mountain
ridge.

Perhaps it is this version… That would mean the problem is this being inserted and not the Sun’s being moved…

Then everything continues as normal but we cut to the matte painting at the Lars Homestead for “we’ve stopped… Wake up! Wake up!”

And that is the complete Solution So job done 😃 That ties up all the loose ends and sorts out why people kept chopping of the Start of the R2-D2 Canyon Music and this whole part would feature a lot less optical wipes.

A quick note on the Binary suns going behind the mountain… It would seem these are shown for a small brief shot before the plunger comes down to suck up R2-D2. This also makes Narrative sense too. The sky is purple in the Gout for one shot also. I think the intent is Night for the Sandcrawler with it’s lights on before morning at the escape pod.

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Problem is that you have the Sand Crawler backwards at the Lars homestead. We can clearly see that it is the same side we saw earlier.

Also, your comment about the SE Sand Crawler shot is confusing. That was filmed for the 97 SE. You seem to be implying that it was filmed in 1977 and that photo clearly is not how Peterson looked in 1977. I may have just misunderstood what you were intending to say here.

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yotsuya said:

Problem is that you have the Sand Crawler backwards at the Lars homestead. We can clearly see that it is the same side we saw earlier.

Also, your comment about the SE Sand Crawler shot is confusing. That was filmed for the 97 SE. You seem to be implying that it was filmed in 1977 and that photo clearly is not how Peterson looked in 1977. I may have just misunderstood what you were intending to say here.

Oh No!

Did I really put it the wrong way around!!!

really sorry I was more wrapped up in trying to get the background sort of right… Back to the drawing board then but the idea is a solid one and it can be done again but correctly or better.

I thought that shot was an original shot in the Special edition?

If not then that places the Sandcrawler shot before the R2-D2 in the canyon and only the Matte Element to replace.

I want to get it right and thanks for pointing that out…

In regards to the binary sunset shot going in the sand crawler sequence… It could be the red version with the hill matches the theatrical Sandcrawler shot.

Thee Purple Version matches the Special edition shot more…

It seems that this shot of the suns would fix the jump cut as they carry R2-D2 after looking at it a bit more…

The Special edition shot of the Sand crawler better matches the canyon environment… Do you think they shot it under the same instruction and if you like by the story board book?

What is the story board for the Sandcrawler?

Do you think re-shoots of a model can count as doing it how it should of been done rather than using one that does not fit?

This shot looks like Rolling up to Lars Homestead… And we have never seen it.

Basically CGI is not an option image manipulation is ok.

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I think one of the issues I have with some of the shots you propose is Lucas’s well documented and repetitive direction for Star Wars of faster and more intense. That carried through to the way he wanted it edited. So I would think that anything that adds too much to the film is working against what Lucas was aiming for. I love the exploration of possibilities, but I don’t feel some of these are missing as much as never intended to be there.

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what other issues do you have apart from that one?

I changed my mind I am going to insert loads of CGI to create the missing ship shots is that ok?

It’s too difficult to do without loads of CGI, just not possible.

I need a break from this and deal with bad stuff going on anyway, perhaps best to give up…

This was NEVER a fan edit project it was research based always was always will be there are no fan edit project here just research.

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You may be right that much was cut that was originally intended. We’d need the entire story board set to know for sure. I was just saying that much of what you suggest was definitely cut way before any FX where shot for it. The rough cut was done very early, before a single FX shot (the escape pod sequence was the first thing done) was completed. It is possible that the delay in FX caused him to cut things he might have included. I was just saying that following that rough cut and George getting a feel for that editing method, George really was set on the faster and more intense in the edit and with how the FX were going, he would have cut anything he could to get the movie out on time. I am certainly interested in seeing what you envision. I’m just doubting they got past the script/storyboard stage.

My extended edit is much the same idea, except I’m aiming for what might have been right after that first edit, had everything from the deleted scenes been completed and some things not cut yet. I intend to reorder the major scenes that don’t match the script, but I’m going to leave much of the rest alone. I’m very much inspired by the Deleted Magic project.