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The Force Awakens: Starlight (V1.1 Released!) — Page 66

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Just finished the full edit. I’ll have some more detailed notes tomorrow but I just want to say that I think this is a very impressive piece of work. Awesome job.

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i do wish more of the video concepts where included in the final cut but even as is this fanedit is an absolute work of beuty

How was I to know your kind can’t eat sweetweed?

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Yeah, I also wish the edit was a bit more radical. I was actually surprised watching it, wondering why almost nothing was changed during the opening scenes of the movie. The edits that are there are absolutely stunning, I just wish a bit more was cut out (mainly Finn’s over-the-top comedy, that’s always bugged me).

My preferred Skywalker Saga experience:
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX

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Your work on this sounds beautiful, Neverar! I would love to see it!

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StarkillerAG said:

Yeah, I also wish the edit was a bit more radical. I was actually surprised watching it, wondering why almost nothing was changed during the opening scenes of the movie. The edits that are there are absolutely stunning, I just wish a bit more was cut out (mainly Finn’s over-the-top comedy, that’s always bugged me).

I’m glad he didn’t go as radical as some edits and I thought the Finn stuff he cut out was the right amount. It’s OK to leave a little bit of humor in and he got rid of the really cringey lines IMHO.

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PM sent!

As to the changes, I’ve seen a few of the more radical TFA edits and they tend to leave me cold. There is a point where removing content from any media will give me the feeling that something is missing. Some edits remove practically all of Finn’s comedic moments and at that point Finn is diminished as a character since there’s simply less of him onscreen, less to remember about his presence. The same thing can be said of Rey - some edits remove or edit around her more extreme Force abilities and this also feels like Rey’s impact in the story is diminished.

In short, story elements that are disagreeable are at least remarkable. I’ve tried to keep these elements while trying as much as possible to build around them the solid foundation that should have existed in the original cut.

This is also why the runtime of the edit is only about 3 minutes shorter than the Theatrical version. Unless a goal is to shorten the film (TLJ, the Hobbit movies), I try to balance the runtime of the cut material with added material so that the result feels like a truly alternate version of the film rather than The Force Awakens: Now With Less Force Awakens.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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So, Neverar. I know this is your thread for The Force Awakens, but what are your plans/goals for your edit of The Last Jedi?

The name’s Lawson. Noah Lawson.

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Master Lawdog said:

So, Neverar. I know this is your thread for The Force Awakens, but what are your plans/goals for your edit of The Last Jedi?

The plans are ever-evolving, but right now the biggest situation to resolve is how to begin the film. While focusing purely on TFA, I’d planned to have two versions with two endings, but in beginning TLJ this is awkward since it would require two versions as well.

The situation is complicated by my gradually warming to the ending of TFA as it stands in the standard edit because it has become important to the thesis of the film. In the original, I disliked how it essentially ended on a cliffhanger devoid of much meaning. Rey had already decided to find Luke when she left the Resistance base, concluding her arc of embracing the good light of the Force and her new destiny, and this seemed in the theatrical version like the thematic end of the story. The journey to Luke seemed a purposeless extension of the narrative in order to technically get Luke into the film. The final moments between the characters are of Rey silently asking, then demanding that Luke take up his saber and be the legend the galaxy needs. It is a passing of responsibility, not just for Rey but for the film itself as if it can’t be bothered to decide its own message after all.

However, in Starlight Rey’s journey is more clearly about her quick acceptance of the Dark Side to survive, implying that she must find a mentor in the Force if she is to avoid this dark fate. Her meeting with Luke retains its former meaning, but now gains a new one in that Rey is revealing her deep spiritual and emotional need for guidance. She is not a centered, self-sufficient character as she was portrayed in the theatrical version, but a hurt, wounded character who has survived only by giving in to vengeance. With this new context the final moments seem to me to be a fitting culmination of Rey’s journey given the assumption that Luke takes the saber and becomes the mentor she needs. In this way the film ends on the perfect moment, for any rejection by Luke would throw her into deeper temptation as TLJ reveals.

(There’s also the in-person revelation of the island to consider, which is the payoff of the two-part setup earlier in the edit.)

All this is to say that I now actually favor the Standard ending of the edit over the more radical Visions version. I will probably still render out that version for anyone who wants it, but I’ve made peace with TLJ opening on the island despite the issues of the passage of time. That is not to say that there will be no passage of time between films, for I am planning on describing some event in the crawl of TLJ that occurs between films, but that is for the TLJ thread. Removing the ticking clock of the First Order knowing the location of the base helps tremendously.

JEDIT: One thing that would make the standard ending ideal would be to figure out a lengthened sequence of traveling from the base to Luke’s island. That would probably be the biggest change for a V2 of this edit.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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NeverarGreat said:
in Starlight Rey’s journey is more clearly about her quick acceptance of the Dark Side to survive, implying that she must find a mentor in the Force if she is to avoid this dark fate. Her meeting with Luke retains its former meaning, but now gains a new one in that Rey is revealing her deep spiritual and emotional need for guidance. She is not a centered, self-sufficient character as she was portrayed in the theatrical version, but a hurt, wounded character who has survived only by giving in to vengeance. With this new context the final moments seem to me to be a fitting culmination of Rey’s journey given the assumption that Luke takes the saber and becomes the mentor she needs. In this way the film ends on the perfect moment, for any rejection by Luke would throw her into deeper temptation as TLJ reveals.

What a great piece of insight, just sold me on the edit. Can I get a look-see?

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This edit is really cool, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Having Rey explicitly tap into the dark side in TFA is not something that would have occurred to me, but it makes so much sense considering where the sequel trilogy ends up going, and it’s pulled off flawlessly. I also appreciated the reintegrated deleted scenes, especially the scene with Han’s dice, since it nicely reminds the audience that they’re a thing and gives some extra emotional resonance to the scene in TLJ where Luke passes them on to Leia.

There were a couple things I was less keen on though. Overlaying Han and Leia’s dialogue before Kylo murders Han felt a little heavy-handed and Un-Star Warsy. The only other example of this kind of thing I can think of is when Anakin is waiting in the council chamber in Episode III and hears Palpatine’s words about saving Padme echoed. I don’t really like it there either and I think the scene works just as well without it.

The other thing that I found a little inconsistent was the color grading. It mostly looked good and was reminiscent of TLJ, but in some scenes the strong golden tint made it feel more like I was watching Lord of the Rings than Star Wars, which usually has pretty neutral colors. I also wasn’t really a fan of the grading in Jakku. I get what you were going for but in one shot the sand can look bright white and then in the next it looks brown. I also felt that it led to unnatural looking skin tones in some shots. The changes may help differentiate Jakku from Tatooine a bit but end up making it look more like Crait, which kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion.

Overall though, I think this is the best edit of The Force Awakens yet! If it weren’t for those couple of things, this would immediately replace Restructured as my go-to. As it is, it’s kind of a toss up for me but I think it will please many others. Well done.

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theprion said:

NeverarGreat said:
in Starlight Rey’s journey is more clearly about her quick acceptance of the Dark Side to survive, implying that she must find a mentor in the Force if she is to avoid this dark fate. Her meeting with Luke retains its former meaning, but now gains a new one in that Rey is revealing her deep spiritual and emotional need for guidance. She is not a centered, self-sufficient character as she was portrayed in the theatrical version, but a hurt, wounded character who has survived only by giving in to vengeance. With this new context the final moments seem to me to be a fitting culmination of Rey’s journey given the assumption that Luke takes the saber and becomes the mentor she needs. In this way the film ends on the perfect moment, for any rejection by Luke would throw her into deeper temptation as TLJ reveals.

What a great piece of insight, just sold me on the edit. Can I get a look-see?

I second this. Could not agree more. I like that you are thinking about the theme and message of the sequel trilogy, rather than just slicing and dicing on the basis of what you think fits the canon of the OT.

As an aside, something that Poppasketti’s Rekindled fails to do, that perhaps your TLJ edit could conceivably accomplish, is making Holdo less of a nonsense character.

I know I’m just some rando on the Internet, but I cannot recommend this review of TLJ enough:

https://youtu.be/T2cBTLsWiDg

^ Mod Edit:A Guide to The Last Jedi (for the Star Wars Fan Base)’ - a 38 minute video at the Nerrel youtube channel. Why this has been posted in here, ‘The Force Awakens: Starlight’ project thread is lost on me.
 

Not only is it hilarious, but it talks a lot about what TLJ was at least TRYING to accomplish. Rather than just hating on the film, he talks a lot about TLJ’s strengths and provides a lot of insight into Poe and Holdo. I only recommend this because I think you have done a fine job of bringing out the best in TFA and making it much stronger thematically.

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Would love to see this. Planning a marathon with Rekindled and Ascendant.

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I would love to get a link as well! 😃

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I thought it was a link to a video from the edit of the film! Instead it’s poop and Fard😂😂😂

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StarkillerAG said:

King goal said:

I thought it was a link to a video from the edit of the film! Instead it’s poop and Fard😂😂😂

Wrong thread?

I think King goal is referring to the video linked in GLogus’ post here:-

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Force-Awakens-Starlight-Released/id/54912/page/66#1459222

A Guide to The Last Jedi (for the Star Wars Fan Base)’ - a 38 minute video at the Nerrel youtube channel.
 

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.