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!