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The Last Jedi: A ST One-Film Edit (WIP) — Page 2

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Chase Adams said:

Lifeincontext said:

So right now, there’s only 1 or 2, I think. I had cut most of the planet establishing shots and just showed the landscape.

Can you please PM me a Google Drive link with a clip of all of the establishing shots used in TFA so that I can pick the 2 easiest ones to edit?

You got it. I’ll send it your way tomorrow.

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Lifeincontext said:

  • cut to Ben at the Death Star ruins. Leia calls to him. Han appears. Kylo throws away the saber. We hear Luke. “I’m sorry.” He leaves in the TIE.

Are you planning on having this only be Leia’s voice? Personally I think it could be distracting if we see her suddenly in a different location wearing different clothes.

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Lifeincontext said:

Lifeincontext said:

Turns out adding the Kylo ending has led to some interesting moments. Here’s the revised ending:

  • Rey cuts off Kylo/The Dice Disappear
    (I think the Falcon TLJ ending might need to go, although Rey and Leia talking about Luke is a nice moment.)
  • Kylo runs back to Vader. Vision sequence. Haunted by Vader/Luke. Sees the ruins of the Death Star and leaves.
  • Small part of Forces of Darkness fan film: Vader choking Kylo. “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” Kylo kills Vader.
  • cut to Ben at the Death Star ruins. Leia calls to him. Han appears. Kylo throws away the saber. We hear Luke. “I’m sorry.” He leaves in the TIE.
  • Rey travels to Tatooine. As she makes her way to Luke’s but, we cut to…
  • Kids learning about Luke. Broom boy sweeps.
  • Rey slides into Luke’s old home. She buries the two halves of the saber. She reveals her new saber.
  • Ben connects with her one last time. His ship burns in the background on a desert planet. “I offered you my hand once. You wanted to take it. Why didn’t you?” “I did want to take your hand. Ben’s hand.” Rey smiles. She notices the old lady. Sees Luke’s ghost. “Rey Skywalker.” Leaves on the Falcon. Broom Boy observes and looks up into the stars.”

On another note…the place I had wanted to put the last Rey/Ben connection isn’t working. I don’t have a lot of footage of Rey’s face that would make sense for either the Falcon or Tatooine. It’s just not long enough/doesn’t show the right emotion. Most of the Pasaana footage I was going to use for Kylo won’t work because…of course…he has his helmet in his hand. I have about 5-6 seconds of a closeup that can still be used though. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

I think just a shot of Rey smiling right after Kylo’s redemption, while the ForceTime sound effect plays would illustrate it effectively.

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adobewan said:

Lifeincontext said:

  • cut to Ben at the Death Star ruins. Leia calls to him. Han appears. Kylo throws away the saber. We hear Luke. “I’m sorry.” He leaves in the TIE.

Are you planning on having this only be Leia’s voice? Personally I think it could be distracting if we see her suddenly in a different location wearing different clothes.

Yes, just her voice. I totally agree.

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 (Edited)

So I have a rough version of the whole ending section.

This all happens right after Rey cuts Kylo off/the dice disappear.

https://vimeo.com/419869547
PW: fanedit

Feel free to give your thoughts. I really want to make this ending strong.

Big thank you to popasketti, idr_hh, and adobewan…and whoever came up with the brilliant idea for the rescore…for their fantastic work on the final scene…which I’m including and asking for forgiveness lol. Love this stuff!!!

Keep in mind a few things:

  1. Originally, I had in mind that Kylo would be battling Vader in his mind as he travels to Kef Bir (Forces of Darkness Fan Film). The sequence would have been recut, but longer than it is now, and somewhat rescored. This would continue until the killing blow, which would have needed a concurrent moment with Kylo collapsing that really looked like he was struggling putting his past to death. There honestly just wasn’t enough footage that I could find so it didn’t look choppy. Thus, I went with a simpler option.

  2. I’ve been trying to find the right footage for Rey to connect with Kylo. I really did look everywhere. There wasn’t footage of her smiling that was both long enough and made sense geographically/aesthetically. But I did find this one moment in the Falcon where she paused just long enough with an expression I thought could really work. So I added it with a moments from TLJ, and added a couple lines…I think it created a nice moment.

  3. Although I’m still considering doing the heavy VFX work of tracking the broken saber pieces and inserting them into the Tatooine epilogue, I may also try something simpler. Since I’m considering this a sequel “Star Wars Story” film…what if I took a few liberties and added a flashback? gasp Since I’m no longer using the Falcon ending, the moment where Rey and Leia discuss Luke’s death seems poignant for this moment. I’d also cut in the shot of Leia’s hand on Rey’s, which also includes the broken saber, and then cut right to her folding them in the cloth. My only qualm with it is that there’s an interruption in the music. Another option is just the last couple shots of this interlude that has no sound/is over the Tatooine music. I’ll post another clip of this piece later today or tomorrow. But if you have preliminary thoughts, feel free to leave them!

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 (Edited)

I really like the Falcon/Broom boy combo at the end. Could it be implied that Kylo has taken a kind of pilgrimage to the ruins of the Deathstar, where his grandfather was redeemed? I think some slow wide shots of the ruins (could use some wide shots from the Rey climbing sequence) would help fix the abruptness and better establish the setting.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…

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idir_hh said:

I really like the Falcon/Broom boy combo at the end. Could it be implied that Kylo has taken a kind of pilgrimage to the ruins of the Deathstar, where his grandfather was redeemed? I think some slow wide shots of the ruins (could use some wide shots from the Rey climbing sequence) would help fix the abruptness and better establish the setting.

I really like this idea. That’s pretty much what I’m going for. I can definitely try a couple of wide shots, although I didn’t think there were many that were usable for the sequence.

Another idea: would it be too on the nose to add a couple quick moments from ROTJ in his vision?

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 (Edited)

You can have an establishing shot sequence that includes the outer shot of the Deathstar wreckage, the boat entering from below, wide shot of the inside of the wreckage, shot of the hallway with the storm trooper helmets, empty throne room shot - wide shot of Kylo standing in on the edge - enter Han Solo.

Flashbacks would be too overkill I think, at most I’d go for faint echoes from the throne room scene in ROTJ, “you already have, you where right about me…” etc.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…

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idir_hh said:

You can have an establishing shot sequence that includes the outer shot of the Deathstar wreckage, the boat entering from below, wide shot of the inside of the wreckage, shot of the hallway with the storm trooper helmets, empty throne room shot - wide shot of Kylo standing in on the edge - enter Han Solo.

Flashbacks would be too overkill I think, at most I’d go for faint echoes from the throne room scene in ROTJ, “you already have, you were right about me…” etc.

These are all great ideas. I’m gonna have to get creative with a few of those shots…Rey is featured pretty prominently, and the crazy cutting doesn’t allow much space. And definitely a yes on the echoes. Thanks so much!

On another note, what did you think about #3, the idea for the flashback to the Falcon scene from TLJ?

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In theory it might work but it’s all about how it translates on screen, music is essential to selling the idea. I do question the narrative purpose of Rey burying the sabers in the version though.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…

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 (Edited)

idir_hh said:

In theory it might work but it’s all about how it translates on screen, music is essential to selling the idea. I do question the narrative purpose of Rey burying the sabers in the version though.

I’ll definitely post a couple clips when I put them together and see what people think.

As for purpose…I think that once Luke is gone, Rey has to decide whether she wants to reforge Luke’s saber and continue on his path…or forge her own and put his story to bed, while carrying his legacy. She chooses the latter. The broken saber is symbolic of that, I think.

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 (Edited)

That’s a fabulous idea, very FX heavy though so that’s an obstacle.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…

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 (Edited)

idir_hh said:

That’s a fabulous idea, very FX heavy though so that’s an obstical.

Right?? I’m still considering doing it. However, there’s those 3 alternatives that might make things simpler.

  • Full flashback (interruption): Rey/Leia discuss Luke’s death
  • Quick flashback (no interruption): Leia’s hand on Rey’s as she holds the pieces of the saber
  • No flashback: cut directly to Rey folding the cloth over the pieces. We don’t actually see them.

Like I said, I’ll post the clips.

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Does Leia live in this edit? Otherwise I don’t think the flashback would work.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…

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idir_hh said:

Does Leia live in this edit? Otherwise I don’t think the flashback would work.

That she does! Although we don’t actually see her again.

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This is a very interesting idea!

Reading R + L ≠ J theories

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 (Edited)

I really like the direction this is taking. Thank you all so much for your feedback!

The biggest things I’m working through are pacing for what happens at the Death Star ruins.

Right now, it cuts from Kylo’s vision to the Death Star; we hear “you were right…” on the last lingering shot of the helmet. I moved the Forces of Darkness stuff to later.

There’s a few establishing shots I’ve added…Only one was really usable from TROS with no changes; that’s the first shot inside the ruins with the shuttle/TIE visible. I went back and added the skimmer entering the ruins for a little more context, but I’m not sure if it works, given that we see Kylo leave at the end in his TIE.
For the others, I’ve cropped them and slowed them down; this is the stormtrooper helmets in the hallway and the throne room. I hope the quality isn’t too terrible… I also added a few echoes of Vader’s redemption here. It cuts to a Kylo reaction shot, almost like he’s flinching at what he’s hearing.

Here’s where I took a risk. We see Kylo with his lightsaber. This is where part 1 the Forces of Darkness clip happens. Then, I decided to use a couple shots from TLJ for when Leia calls to Ben. I wasn’t originally going to do this, but upon rewatch, it felt like it needed something. The shots I used were from when Leia is in space before she does her Poppins thing, since I’m not using that. Just one shot of her opening her eyes, and then one shot of her hand outstretched. I blended it with Kylo turning his head, then cut to Kylo looking out.

This is where FOD part 2 happens. It cuts from Vader falling to “Ben!” and Han falling. That shot lingers in silence. Then: “Hey, kid.”

This whole thing may not work. But considering he’s on the edge of despair…thought it was worth a shot.

Finally, for the Tatooine epilogue, I went with option 2 for this clip. We see Rey enter Luke’s home, look up, then cut to a quick shot of Leia looking at Rey, and then her hand on Rey’s hands, which are also holding the broken saber. Then it cuts to Rey folding the “pieces,” although we never actually see them.

My biggest concern with this scene is to make clear what is happening inside of him, while also tightening the pacing. It may be a bit laggy right now.

Looking forward to hearing what you guys think!

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One way to better set up the redemption arc would be use more TROS scenes, like opening with Kylo travelling to Exegol, and threading more of the Palpatine plot through the film. Instead of Kef Bir, this is where Snoke’s throne room fight could structurally be, since both battles kind of achieve the same thing. You could possibly cut Rey out of the Crait sequence, and suggest she stole Kylo’s TIE from Snoke’s Star Destroyer and took it to Ahch-To just after Luke died.

I’d have to look closer to see if that would work, but it would allow the throne room fight to be the end of the second act, and the fight on Exegol to be the end of the third act.

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JakeRyan17 said:

One way to better set up the redemption arc would be use more TROS scenes, like opening with Kylo travelling to Exegol, and threading more of the Palpatine plot through the film. Instead of Kef Bir, this is where Snoke’s throne room fight could structurally be, since both battles kind of achieve the same thing. You could possibly cut Rey out of the Crait sequence, and suggest she stole Kylo’s TIE from Snoke’s Star Destroyer and took it to Ahch-To just after Luke died.

I’d have to look closer to see if that would work, but it would allow the throne room fight to be the end of the second act, and the fight on Exegol to be the end of the third act.

Good thoughts. I definitely think putting in Kylo’s journey to Exegol might be good. But I really don’t want to put in Palpatine for various reasons. The biggest is that it makes the film too packed for the run time. But also, it’s one of my goals to keep the story closer to something that doesn’t retcon much from the original films.

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Lifeincontext said:

JakeRyan17 said:

One way to better set up the redemption arc would be use more TROS scenes, like opening with Kylo travelling to Exegol, and threading more of the Palpatine plot through the film. Instead of Kef Bir, this is where Snoke’s throne room fight could structurally be, since both battles kind of achieve the same thing. You could possibly cut Rey out of the Crait sequence, and suggest she stole Kylo’s TIE from Snoke’s Star Destroyer and took it to Ahch-To just after Luke died.

I’d have to look closer to see if that would work, but it would allow the throne room fight to be the end of the second act, and the fight on Exegol to be the end of the third act.

Good thoughts. I definitely think putting in Kylo’s journey to Exegol might be good. But I really don’t want to put in Palpatine for various reasons. The biggest is that it makes the film too packed for the run time. But also, it’s one of my goals to keep the story closer to something that doesn’t retcon much from the original films.

I get that. I’d then look for a way to make the battle on Kef Bir the third act. That way you can integrate the conversation with Han which really is when he transitions. Or you could try and imitate the movements to go into a Force vision (similar to Rey on Takodana) to then show Kylo and Han on Kef Bir. You could even use some of the footage from Starkiller Base in place of the repeated lines to make it more abstract and unilateral to Kylo and Rey’s Force chats.

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I really dig everything on Tatooine. The ending is gold.
You’re on the right track with the establishing shots, they just need a little smoothing out.
Personally I would refrain for using any visions or flashbacks, it kinda feels like a greatest hits sequence, but that’s just me.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…

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idir_hh said:

I really dig everything on Tatooine. The ending is gold.
You’re on the right track with the establishing shots, they just need a little smoothing out.
Personally I would refrain for using any visions or flashbacks, it kinda feels like a greatest hits sequence, but that’s just me.

Haha thanks! I like it too.

I’d love any feedback you have on the establishing shots. It’s hard to find the right moments to hit while also making sure they’re long enough to really register with the viewer.

So as far as the visions/flashbacks…I moved the FOD thing to the Death Star because it felt too early where it was before. Which vision stuff seemed the weirdest to you? The stuff right before Leia calls Ben’s name?

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 (Edited)

If you’re to use visions during the helmet scene, I would go for visions of Luke, Han, Leia and Rey showing Ben compassion, it demonstrates that deep down all he wants is to be loved, setting up his convo with Han.
As for the Deathstar scene I think the establishing shots are fine, the shots are a little stuttery though but as you said it’s a rough mockup. I would however shy away from using anything from the Vader Fan-film as it brakes the flow and tone of the scene, I’d cut from the inner establishing shots to Ben standing on the edge right before the Han convo.

Peace is a lie
There is only passion…