Hello,
I’ve finally finished up watching through your edits - Super nice. Thanks Acbagel for the incredible amount of work you’ve put into these. I really enjoyed the experience of seeing Mando and book of Boba Fett with fresh eyes. Boba’s revised characterisation in particular is about as well done as it can be with the source material. Less of the sad sack and more of the taciturn bad ass! The way you’ve tightened up Mando without losing any of the main beats is very well handled too.
A few comments from my side on the edits. Others have gone into lots of excellent detail so here’s just a few observations. (I haven’t watched the standard versions in a while so some of this might not be possible…!)
Book 1.
I miss a little bit of the Razorcrest from the start. If there’s a way to put in one of the killer shots of it from the ice planet, without the monster?
30;57 did the shot of the tracking fob on the ground get changed / stretched - looks weirdly photoshopped / fake somehow like its not sitting on the ground.
1:16.30 I feel like a beat longer on Cara dune after the grogu bowl shot would help, its a bit too abrupt a cut for the moment to land.
1:19. The conversation with Mando and the two villagers talks about them needing to pay him for a job. then they hang out at the village and there’s no mention of the job again, just a montage of them training for… something? not sure how better to fix it with what’s available tho, except cutting the montage and the guys saying ‘we’ve got money’ etc.
Book 2
Opening - I always felt that the waking up and exiting the Sarlacc pit was too abrupt. is there any way that one or two heavily processed shots from return of the Jedi can go in here as Boba is semi conscious in the sarlacc? he’s flashing back to childhood, but not to how he actually got there which seems a shame. the shots of him falling in, with no audio only music, something that could feel like POV shots of the battle? could any wide shots of the wrecked sail barge /sarlacc pit from later be inserted to extend the scene? big ask.
0:50. the cutting from Bobas (excellent) storyline to Mandos feels too abrupt and confusing. takes a while to click in to what’s going on. Can we somehow fade into Mando and Grogu having a calmer moment before the action starts?
1:22. I feel like it would help to put back in the shots of Boba finding and crouching down beside fennec before she wakes up by the fire. They can be processed to be coming in and of focus to lead into the out of focus fireside Fennec POV shot. Sort of gives a little bit more of Fennecs (groggy) POV of someone finding her.
1:26. the day leading into night of Boba and Fennic scoping out the palace almost works, but needs a dusk establishing shot of the palace in the middle to suggest time passing and them watching for the day. its a bit abrupt the way it cuts from day to night. or perhaps cut the daytime watching entirely. Logic wise, why would they watch all day then say ‘let’s take a closer look’ and send in the drone?
1:32. I personally would cut the ratchcatcher / kitchen stuff entirely… its a bit cringe… have them come in, react to and kill OOM-9 and the chef then cut to 1:32.27 shot ‘Lets go’
1:42. can bobas grunting be cut and wind noise foley’d over it as he pulls himself out the sarlacc and up the rope… its a bit old man…!
Will write some comments on 3,4 and 5 when I get time gotta run now.
with regards the discussion above about waiting until season 3 before making another round of edits / tweaks - I think that’s a wise idea. time away will also help you see it with fresh eyes!