The Rise of Skywalker: Ascendant (Released) — Page 55

I always thought the movie was going to end with Rey and Kylo both alive but running their own schools separately, giving Disney the “reboot” template they wanted. As in the series could pick up in 100 years or so with the simple good vs bad dynamic already set up for the next generation of viewers to start over with.

I almost wonder if it would be better to have her just see Ben’s ghost in the “just Rey” version and remove the ghosts of Leia and Luke entirely. The reasoning being that Ben is the one who convinced her to “let the past die” and in kind of a perverse way, set her on the path to self-acceptance. Maybe it’s just because we’re aware of the theatrical version, but the way it plays out currently it seems like she sees the Skywalkers, they expect her to take their name, and she’s like “nah eff that- too much baggage”

I could also see a version with just Ben and Leia. That way Ben is reunited with his mother, and we already get Luke’s ghost (along with Anakin and the others) earlier in the movie

DominicCobb said:

Might be tricky with the mouth movements but could you try making “just” and “Rey” closer together? Even if it’s just a frame or two. I think that’s the thing that’s bumping for me.

https://vimeo.com/414395138
pw: fanedit

Gave this another shot, cutting 1 frame like you suggested, and I think the line flows a bit better now. I also finished the morph effect instead of contacting the youtuber since I’d have more control of it that way. Thanks Chase Adams for sharing! That channel also released a quick tutorial on how they did it, which is incredibly similar to what I did, for those interested.

I see your point, Hal, about this feeling like a subverted expectation! To me, it’s what I always wanted her to say, because it’s her making peace with who she is (whether a nobody or a Palpatine). But perhaps it would work best in a Rey Nobody version.

To be honest, I always liked the ending myself. I love hearing the bells as Rey rides down the sand again. I like seeing BB-8 following along with her (theirs was the first relationship I clung to), as she literally buries the past. This is the kind of epilogue stuff I enjoy.

I could see BB-8 riding along with Rey just for this little mission, and Chewie lending her the Falcon for it. I didn’t get any sense that this was a final settlement for Rey, or that she and BB-8 wouldn’t see their friends again. It came off to me like a short trip to pay tribute and give closure to a place that connects herself to the past, to Luke, reminding her of her own overcome struggles in a similar world.

I think if the rest of the movie were better this ending would have gone over very differently, but I could be wrong. Maybe it says something about me, but I like ending in quiet desert isolation, a book-end to where we began in 1977. Big victory celebrations feel cheesy to me, which is why my least favorite endings are ROTJ and TPM. In TROS, I was happy to have both the celebration/hugs as well as the somber ending.

I mostly agree with Poppa on the ending, but I almost wish there was a final shot of her flying off in the Falcon while the twin suns set in the background, since so many people interpreted the ending as her “settling down” in the Lars Homestead, which would indeed be bizarre.

Hal, what from Dominic’s edit are you specifically looking at using. I really enjoy the way he’s restructuring Rey and Kylo’s visions to be separate scenes.

Chase Adams said:

Sigh
I would 100% rather have this DOTF scene be the final Skywalker Saga scene instead of the Tatooine shitfest we were given:

In case you don’t know, in DOTF, the final scene was Rey training a bunch of younglings (including broom boy) on a new planet.

Might be somewhat doable, using footage from other films and compositing Rey and Broomboy onto it. Would be tough, though.

Hehe, yeah, I guess this scene has too much baggage, best to leave it alone!

Multiple versions of the Palpatine clones will be done and posted soon! They will be at the same link as my other work, so feel free to PM me if you don’t have it.

poppasketti said:

https://vimeo.com/414395138
pw: fanedit

Gave this another shot…

Awesome! I only listened to it over phone speakers, but I’d appreciate a more obvious “t” sound between “just” and “Rey”.

I agree with you, Poppa - I expected her (and wanted her) to say “just Rey” the first time I saw the movie. It so beautifully allows her to remain a Palpatine while still acknowledging that one’s family line doesn’t define who you are. I think this could work for a Rey Palpatine OR Rey Nobody version. Even if none of the major edits decide to use this clip, I’d love a version I could insert into an edit eventually!

poppasketti said:
https://vimeo.com/414395138
pw: fanedit

It’s so close to perfect! Now the “t” in just sounds a little bit cut off, like the word is being artifically shortened, although I’m not sure how you could go about fixing that.

I keep playing with a “T” sound and I keep changing it! Sometimes it sounds smoother to me without it, but then it feels missing. I’ll keep playing, and post something for others to use when I feel good about. I can move this to the other TROS thread because I don’t think it’s something for this edit.

Ed Slushie said:

This is going to sound like a stupid question, but… how exactly does one make these adjustments to mouth movement? What kind of software does it require?

Not a stupid question at all! Here’s a quick tutorial that pretty well matches what I did. Basically, I didn’t actually change the mouth movement (no deepfake or anything). In the film she says “Rey Skywalker”, and the camera lingers for a bit. Fortunately, her head moves very little during the shot. So I essentially snipped out the part where she says “Skywalker”. I found a frame from the end of the word “Skywalker” where her mouth closely matches the end of the word “Rey”. Then a bit of rotoscoping and motion tracking in After Effects finished the job. Again, it helps that he head moves very little in the shot.