Thanks for the reply, I agree with a lot of what you said.
For example the point about the rough transition between the arena and all the coruscant stuff that happens immediately after that. I have been thinking about adding a scene like this in between: https://youtu.be/a9MtRYmqkRc
Obviously with some different dialogue about the arena battle, but I don’t really see myself returning to this project any time soon, because I’ve got a lot going in n at the moment.
About the whole Anakin/Padme stuff and the republic not having an army/trying to negotiate with the separatists, I’m afraid that I didn’t manage to get my ideas across. The Gunships in the beginning are supposed to belong to the jedi.(I cut out most of the clones, however there are still some in the background)
I see that the Republic is still pushing for a diplomatic solution after Geonosis seems stupid, but it’s the only thing I can do with the footage. I’m reading it as the republic desperately trying to settle a diplomatic spoliation as there is no other way for them left, while the separatist happily negotiate with the republic while completing their army. That is also the reason why the Jedi don’t openly blame Dooku for the assassination attempts. Not because they are not convinced that it’s him who is responsible, but because they have to have to be damn sure of the consequences if they publicly blame the separatist, that’s why they spent so much energy on the investigation.
However I see that this is a stretch. Maybe I’d have to drop the last beat in the arena sequence where the gunships arrive and have them show up simultaneously with the Jedi, this might level out the power imbalance between the Republic and the separatist, because we wouldn’t get to see most of the Jedi being decimated.
Now to Anakin/Padme: My main problem with their romance as it is portrayed in the original is that it feels so forced that they fall for each other, so I skipped all the questions whether they love each other or not (because nobody thinks the do) and build up the forbidden nature of their relationship to be the single conflict that their subplot is about. Sort of like Moulin Rouge, the plot is not about them falling in love, but rather what challenges their love can endure.