Here are my thoughts on the small portion of the live stream that I had the chance to watch. (Passana chase to Rey landing on Exogol)
The pacing in general is a big improvement especially with how the scenes are cut and rearranged. I’m also digging a lot of the new creative ideas that you’ve come up with.
These are my critiques from memory but I’ll have to get my hands on a Google doc to give a more thorough analysis.
-Passana underground cave
The cut from Rey igniting the saber to the group walking around is too jarring, I prefer how Hal intercut the Knights of Ren shot as a buffer. I also missed the flash light gag, thought it was hilarious, but to each their own!
Recutting the Serpent’s introduction to give a more monster movie/Jurassic Park feel is a great way to build up tension. I think 3PO’s talk about the “law enacted in old Republic” should be moved up to when the crew see the snake, showing that 3PO is unaware of the danger.
"Breathe, just breathe "
- Nice nod to TLJ. I think it needs to be a little more subtle but it could just be the audio quality of the stream.
Rey/Tie fighter/ Chewbacca shuttle
- Brilliant idea, I think you should use Dominic cobb’s version that makes the scene longer using trailer footage. I think the scene should focus more on Kylo Ren’s approach, building more tension and not intercutting to the crew during the standoff.
"a prisoner?"
- The scene where Hux and Pryde talk of there being a prisoner on the transport is a dead giveaway of Chewie being alive. I think you should cut all indication of him being alive until it’s finally revealed on Kigimmi. I’d also cut the scene where Hux introduces Pryde to “the beast that flew with Han Solo”. The first time that we see him after his “death” should be when the crew finally meet him in his prison cell. That way you create anticipation for his rescue😉
Drama on the Death star
- Leia voice reaching out to Rey after sensing what she did to her son sounded kinda casual, maybe she could say “Rey, no !” instead. I wonder if the shot of Leia dropping her com-link would be more suitable for this scene? It would mirror the scene in TFA where she sensed the death of Han Solo.
the Princess of Alderaan has disrupted our plan
- Since in this version Han’s memory/spectre is what intervened and Leia just senses what’s happening from a far, it doesn’t really make sense to have Palpatine say that in this context.
Palpatine’s message/Kylo on Coruscant
- While Palpatine sending out his message after initiating the “final order” is not a bad idea, including Kylo Ren on Coruscant in the montage right after seeing him throw away the saber on the death star just doesn’t follow logically in this context. Maybe you could replace it with the shot of Kylo looking determined after having thrown away the saber. Otherwise you could place the message in the beginning of the film as the prime mover of the plot. The thing that ignites the race for the way finder’s and by extention, Exogol.
These are some of the nitpick I had based on the short time I had on the live Stream. Overall I’m very impressed with what you’ve done so far, looking forward to get my hands on a workprint!
Passana underground cave
I haven’t seen Hals edit of that so I’ll check it out. I really wasn’t a fan of the flashlight gag 😉
"Breathe, just breathe "
I’ve changed that audio volume so many times but it seems to change on every device I play it on. *frustrating!
Rey/Tie fighter/ Chewbacca shuttle
Do you have a link to Dominics cut? I’ve not seen that…
"a prisoner?"
I did originally cut this and the reveal scene but I couldn’t get the transition to work well. I’m still going to try and do a workaround as I really don’t like that scene. I liked the chewie and hux scene, I originally removed that too but thought it suited that scene better.
Drama on the Death star
I did have her saying “Rey no” but I thought just keeping it to “Rey” would mimic Han saying “Ben”. the com drop is used at the beginning after Luke dies. Not sure if you saw my alternative opening? https://vimeo.com/419937146 pw: fanedit
the Princess of Alderaan has disrupted our plan
I did think that but I feel that if Leia didn’t reach out to Rey then her killing Kylo would have pushed her towards the darkside more instead of giving her a wakeup call from her fit of rage and healing him.
Palpatine’s message/Kylo on Coruscant
I’m still working on that scene. I wanna make it feel like Kylo is split and maybe have some way of troops being pulled back on Coruscant. I’m trying to get the vibe that Kylo is 50/50 at this point leaving the audience questioning his next move.
I feel the message being there is the way it ignites the galaxy to help. The message sent out by Leia at the battle of Crait didn’t really hit home to everyone but Palp sending this message at this point of the movie is what the galaxy needed to all pull together, IMO.
I’m still trying to upload a 480p version to my google drive but it keeps failing. I’m really starting to lose it with my internet provider. I don’t have enough phone data to upload such a large file. 😦