I’ve just downloaded Audacity and I think it’s going to take me a while to understand how it works. In the meantime, though, I think I will take this opportunity to post more of the changes I’ve made for the time being while I get acquainted with sound editing and how it all works. I think I’ll continue where I left off previously.

Queen Amidala’s introduction

Originally, I planned to have Amidala’s intro scene with her sending a message to the Neimoidians. But after looking it over, I realized that when you think about it, it’s a useless scene. All that happens is that Amidala tells the Neimoidians that their trade boycott has ended, how the federation has gone too far this time, and blah blah blah. While the Neimoidians do nothing but deny deny deny. By the end of the scene, nothing is accomplished whatsoever. All that happens is that Naboo’s communications get disrupted. So, I’ve decided to cut it. I’ve also cut out the actual communications disruptions scene as well. It’s a poorly written scene anyway. The governor says “a communications disruption can only mean one thing: invasion.” But I think Mr. Plinkett says it best. “It could also mean you forgot to pay your phone bill.” I also think Amidala’s line “I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.” is pretty stupid considering that she lets a bunch of gungans die for her cause at the end of the film. So, Amidala’s official intro in this edit is now the scene where she’s alone while the palace is being invaded, which occurs 10 minutes in.

Now, about Jar Jar…

Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, I hate Jar Jar. We all do. However, I agree with both the l8wrtr and HAL9000 edits keeping him in the movie anyway. The problem has to do with the plot. Jar Jar’s involvement near the end of the 2nd act is such a big deal in this film that cutting him out only makes the plot even more complicated than it already is (and this film is already complicated enough). However, what I can do is take out a lot of the really bad moments. I went through the trouble of cutting out a lot of his wild overreactions, poop jokes, and clumsiness for obvious reasons.

We’ll begin with his introduction scene. Now, right off the bat, I took out the first few shots of Jar Jar reacting to the tank. We don’t officially see him until Qui-Gon grabs him. Those first few shots were a bad sign of things to come with this character. So getting rid of them helps.

This leads me to the first official change that I’ve made myself without any influence from other cuts. After Qui-Gon saves his life, Jar Jar says “Hey wait!” Cut to Qui-Gon saying, “Now get out of here!” Bad joke, I know. But it’s so much better without Jar Jar saying he’s intelligent because, “I spek.” Now, the movie gets to the point: Jar Jar is the gungan’s name, Qui-Gon is now his humble servant, and it’s demanded by the gods.

I also took out Jar Jar’s freak out when the droid on a speeder shows up. One of many annoyances I’ve removed from this character. Jar Jar’s line “More? More did you say?” has also been deleted.

Next, we move to the second change I’ve made myself. It’s another bad joke, but it takes so much filler out of the movie. After Jar Jar mentions to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon about Gungan city, Qui-Gon asks if Jar Jar can take them there. Jar Jar responds with “On second thought, no.” Cut to Jar Jar in Gungan city, saying “So good being home.” All of the stuff with swimming underwater to the city, the jedi pulling out those breathing things, and Jar Jar’s ridiculous antics at the lake, are gone in an instant. Now we’re cutting to the chase. And the best thing is that we’re only 7 minutes into the movie now.

Now we’re getting to Jar Jar’s arrest. One of the more disappointing things I ended up keeping was the phrase, “Meesa back!” I tried cutting that phrase out, but when I did, it ruined the pacing of the scene. So, until I find a better alternative, I’m stuck with it. I’d be happy to hear a few suggestions on how to get rid of it. I promise it’s one of the few things I’ve kept. And to prove it, I also took out the line “Yousa in big doo doo this time.” Yeah, anything that involves poodoo, fodder, or just doo doo is going out the door. “How wude.” has also been deleted.

The Boss formerly known as Nass

If you’ve been reading my tomes so far, you’ve already noticed that I’ve included the Gungan City scene in this edit. I know some editors have kicked this scene out. HAL9000 especially. However, I agree with the l8wrtr edit on this one for structural reasons. The Boss Nass scene establishes right away that the gungans don’t like the Naboo, which is a major plot point. That kind of setup is important. With that said, I’ve edited this scene heavily. A lot of the dialogue about Naboo and the Gungans being a symbiote circle and “once those droids take control of the surface, they will take control of you.” has been deleted, since a lot of that dialogue makes no sense. I’ve also taken out all of Nass’s weird noises, as they serve no purpose. The planet core dialogue is gone, too, since it also makes no sense at all. I have kept the stuff involving Qui-Gon getting transport out of the city, though, since that’s how the plot moves on. Jar Jar’s dialogue has been shortened too. I’ve taken out “Theysa settin yousa up. Going through the planet core? Bad Bombin’” However, I’ve kept the line “Any help here would be hot.” Even though it’s a terrible line. The context of that line now has something to do with Jar Jar becoming Qui-Gon’s humble servant. I’ve also taken out his “mmmm”s and “heh-heh’s” during that line delivery. I’m also working on seeing if I can delete Jar Jar’s groaning from the soundtrack after hearing about how he’s going to be… Pune-ished. Jar Jar’s bad joke about how he’s “better dead here than dead in the core” is gone.

I will continue posting other changes over the coming days and weeks as I learn how to take care of the sound.