Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well.
With November just around the corner and the final season about to begin, I’d like to share some thoughts and predictions. Not about how the show is going to end — there are already plenty of fan theories around — but about how I am going to tackle the monumental task of concluding this project.
Let’s start with some facts:
We know that Volume 1 will be released on November 26 with Episodes 1–4, followed by Volume 2 on Christmas Day with Episodes 5–7, and the finale on New Year’s Eve. We also know the runtime of the first four episodes:
Episode 1: 1 hour and 8 minutes
Episode 2: 54 minutes
Episode 3: 1 hour and 6 minutes
Episode 4: 1 hour and 23 minutes.
Total runtime of Volume 1: 4 hours 31 minutes
Although the lengths of the remaining episodes have not yet been released, I estimate that they will be around 1 hour each, with the final episode being between 2 and 2.5 hours long, as it has been confirmed that it will also be released in cinemas. So, in total:
Volume 2 + finale = ~5 hours 30 minutes
This means that the total runtime of Season 5 will be around 10 hours.
Now, let’s compare these facts with the lengths of previous seasons and my process behind these fanedits:
With Season 3 having a total runtime of 7 hours and 24 minutes, I managed to put together a roughly 3-hour film cut, trimming and cutting several plotlines, of course.
Furthermore, Season 4 had a total runtime of around 13 hours, resulting in three film cuts totalling approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes, without actually removing much footage.
The key difference when comparing Season 4 with both Season 3 and, I would guess, Season 5, is the multiple plotlines spread across various locations. While this enabled me to split the season into three parts — with ‘The Monster and the Superhero’ allowing both ‘The Curse of Vecna’ and ‘The Piggyback’ to have a more concise runtime — I don’t think this will be the case for Season 5 also, as all the events appear to take place in one location: Hawkins. Another guess would be that there won’t be many filler plotlines to cut or present in as ‘standalone chapters’. This is the final season. Every second counts.
So, to summarise:
Assuming the final season’s total runtime ends up being around 10 hours, I’d be happy to complete my film collection with two 3-plus-hour film cuts, cοvering Episodes 1-4 and 5-8 respectively. I still don’t know if that’s a realistic approach, but I know I’d hate to have to split this season into three parts as well, especially if the first two end on a cliff-hanger. I guess time will tell.
But to be clear, it will be a long time before I get to this point. As soon as the finale hits, my first action will be to review every previous film cut for any inconsistencies or mishandlings, given the full story. This will determine how much work I might have to do before moving on to Season 5. In fact, I am already working on a new treatment for ‘The Vanishing of Will Byers’ after having an interesting conversation with a viewer. But even if everything works out fine and nothing needs to be changed in my current film collection, I still won’t rush things. Those of you who have followed this project from the beginning (for whom I am very grateful) will know that each film cut has had multiple versions over the years. Frankly, I don’t want that to be the case with the final instalments. I want to be completely satisfied with my final work before sharing it — or at least as satisfied as a faneditor can be. This includes coming up with the titles, as well as putting together the posters and subtitles.
Having said all that, I’m very excited for the last season and looking forward to working on these new episodes. Although balancing family life and work commitments is going to be extremely challenging over the next months…
That’s all for now. See you in the Rightside Up!