Stranger Things - Film Edition (Released) — Page 7

submachina said:

ThanosM. said:

I have a lot of thoughts and ideas about approaching Season 5, but excising Lucas and Max is definitely not one of them.

Actually the problem isn’t Lucas and Max individually, it’s those scenes with Lucas and Max together. Their relationship is at best, fluff and, at worst, cringe. Zero chemistry from a forced subplot that only distracts and thus detracts from the main story. The Nancy/Steve/Jonathan love triangle too, even Mike and Eleven, it’s all dragged out Netflix filler (for the teenage audience?) and it doesn’t fit the ethos.

Stranger Things draws heavily from 1980s films like E.T., The Goonies, Stand By Me, Poltergeist, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. None of them have teenage romantic subplots. The emphasis is on friendships and childhood bonds. Cringy corny crushes are entirely absent, and this allows the themes of friendship, camaraderie and loyalty to shine. Even in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Nancy and Glen’s relationship is a basic horror trope to raise stakes, not a dragged-out romantic subplot. These films deliberately prioritize innocent, collective friendships over teenage romance, reflecting 1980s genre trends that idealized wonder and group resilience. Stranger Things does the opposite, wedging in excessive romantic entanglements where they just don’t belong. They don’t enhance the story, so it’s questionable why Netflix even added them. Maybe they just needed filler, to fill x number of episodes, which is exactly what fanedits can fix. Or maybe think it’s what today’s teenagers want, which is debatable, and since this is a fanedit, irrelevant. Is it what you want? It’s not what I want.

Contrast this to the ADULT romantic subplot with Joyce and Jim. The Duffer Brothers have said the kid’s narrative draws from Spielberg’s family-friendly, wonder-filled adventures featuring platonic friendships, but the adult’s narrative draw from Spielberg’s more mature films like Jaws and Close Encounters. So while the teen romances are a modern addition that deviates from the genre, the Joyce/Hopper arc aligns more closely with the show’s inspirational roots; two lonely, traumatized adults slowly rediscovering connection amid chaos. Their relationship enhances the ‘skeptical adults encountering the supernatural’ theme, a fitting homage to Spielberg. By contrast, the teen romance forces soap-opera drama onto the kids platonic adventure, betraying the '80s inspirations. Excising the romantic subplots while preserving the friendships would recapture the original spirit of both the 1980s inspirations and what made Season 1 of Stranger Things itself so universally loved. Season 1 stands out as the show’s emotional high-water mark for most fans and critics precisely because its heart is almost entirely platonic. That’s why, to me, eliminating the teen romance elements seems like the most faithful approach to an edit.

Look, I completely understand your point of view, and I agree with almost everything you said. Romance is certainly not one of the show’s key elements. And I have already tried to tone it down significantly in my edits. I reduced Steve and Nancy’s flirtation in Season 1, and I completely removed their relationship in Season 2, not having them get back together after the previous year’s events. I also did the same with Jonathan and Nancy’s flirtation in Season 2 and I trimmed the Lucas/Dustin/Max love triangle down to a minimum, too. Going into Season 3, I removed all hints of romance between Robin and Steve and reduced the whole boys vs girls teen drama. However, I strongly believe that Lucas and Max relationship in Season 4 is a major plot device that elevates both characters’ arcs. That’s why I don’t plan on “excising” them in my Season 5 edits. This doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m going to keep every scene of Lucas visiting Max in hospital. And rest assured that I will definitely tone down the Nancy/Steve/Jonathan love triangle too.

My main focus with these film cuts is, and always will be, the supernatural aspect of the plot and the main characters’ arcs that tie with the overall story.

And one last thing:
As a teacher working predominantly with young adolescents, I can assure you that while they enjoy the supernatural and horror elements of the show, it is the romance that they mainly focus on. So I guess Netflix knows its audience, even if some viewers (like us) might not enjoy certain aspects as much. While it is evident that Stranger Things draws inspiration from the horror classics of the 80s, it is crucial to acknowledge that every show is a product of its era and reflects its own particular characteristics.

TTR said:

I am more excited for your edits than the finale itself actually.

That’s an ouch for the Duffers and a big responsibility for me.

Jokes aside, I am reading all the complaints about this season so far, and while I might agree with a lot of them, I’m actually enjoying watching (I’m currently on episode 7), and I’m looking forward to the finale. After that, I’ll collect my thoughts and come back here to share them.

So that’s it. Stranger Things has come to an end. What a ride it was!

Season 5 was by far the most anticipated season of any recent show, but, as it turned out, it failed to satisfy many viewers. Admittedly, expectations were very high, which isn’t always realistic. And personally, I have learned to temper mine and accept each piece of work for what it is, warts and all.

I’m not going to contribute to the negativity spread across social media, nor am I going to provide an in-depth review of the season, pointing out what I liked and what I didn’t. I have always loved the show, and I still do. That said, I found Season 5 underwhelming. In fact, I would probably rank it as my least favourite season.

However, I did have fun watching it, and I believe there is a lot of great stuff that I could work with to hopefully create something a bit more captivating. The first thing I’m going to deal with — as anyone would expect — is the pacing. Many great moments felt like there wasn’t enough space to breathe, while less exciting or important moments felt like they were dragging on. And then there are some lines of dialogue and performances that didn’t stick with me, which I will work on cutting down. Unfortunately, fanediting can’t fix everything and to be honest, there are a couple of things about this season that really put me off and, unfortunately, I can’t fix: the cinematography and the strong, memorable character moments that were missing this time. These are two aspects of the show that I think Stranger Things always got right, but somehow failed to do so this time.

Before continuing, there is one important thing I would like to clarify.

Anjohan’s Game of Thrones TV-to-Film edits have been a great inspiration to me, and I applaud him for the way he crafted his final film. Seriously, go watch it if you haven’t already. That said, I am not planning to diverge from the show’s original ending, nor am I going to attempt to present a different ending that I might feel would be more suitable. My goal, as it always has been, is to present the events of the season in a more compact and straightforward way, offering an alternative viewing experience.

Now, on to my approach on Season 5.

Looking back at how I thought I was going to approach this season, I realise that I was way off the mark once again. While I thought I could put together two three-hour-long films from these eight episodes, I now realise this is an impossible task, based on how the plot unfolded. In fact, I think the approach I took with Season 4 is the way to go.

So, as things stand, I am planning to create three film cuts out of this 10-hour content. One option would be to stitch together the episodes from Volume 1 for the first film, the episodes from Volume 2 for the second, and the final episode could easily work as a film in its own right. However, as I have already stated, my goal with this project has always been to create an ‘alternative viewing experience’. And I think I have come up with a way to achieve this that would feel unique and fitting for this project. However, I don’t feel confortable sharing any more information yet, not until I am certain that my current vision is feasible.

As I said some time ago, free time is rare now that I’m a new dad, so I don’t know when I’ll be ready to complete this project. However, revisiting my previous film cuts while waiting for Season 5 helped me develop a faster and more efficient workflow. And, although I only finished the finale a couple of days ago, I have been editing some clips and organising plotlines that I want to use in my first film cut in the meantime. And I think it is safe to say that I am now 90% finished, which is much sooner than I ever expected! That said, it should be noted that I am not planning to release each film cut separately, but rather as a whole. So unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect anything anytime soon.

However, I will be sharing some clips and scenes throughout the creative process, and I am considering holding some “test screenings” for anyone who would like to watch a rough cut and give a feedback.

In other good news, now that the show has finished and we have the full picture, I don’t think there’s any need to re-edit any of my previous cuts. Well, except for a few minor tweaks to ‘The Piggyback’.

Also, as always, I am open to sharing ideas and engaging in discussions with anyone who wants to get involved. Thanks again for the support!

olivetreethehexapus said:

Honestly ST5 does a good job at re-introducing Kali in a way that makes sense even if you skipped/ignored the ST2 episode she was originally introduced in

Totally agree! Maybe I was expecting a bit more out of her character, but overall I consinder her re-introduction one of the highlights of the season.

FreaQ said:

Hi there,

is poster artwork available?

Thanks

Yes, all posters are available in JPG format for anyone who has access to the PDF presentation.

Hello, everyone!

So, I’ve got some updates and announcements for you. Editing Season 5 is going well, though slowly. I am sticking with my three-film plan, as the storylines are all spread and mapped out. A rough cut of the second film is almost done, same as for the first one, and I am currently trying to figure out how to make the third film work well as a conclusion. Which I’m guessing is going to be the hardest part of this process. I’m also experimenting with color grading on certain parts that I feel needed it, which is definitely not among my areas of expertises, so this will also take some time. More information on the whole process soon.

However, the real reason for posting today is to announce a new segment in this thread/journal that I am calling WSQK’s Weekly Updates. In this segment I will attempt to post a brand new clip, film title and poster reveal or any other kind of info in general on a weekly basis, to give you a glimbse of my progress — and, let’s be honest, to keep me motivated!

So, in today’s WSQK’s Weekly Updates I’m sharing a short clip called ‘Kids (Again)’.

Seeing the classic ‘Kids’ montage one last time at the beginning of Episode 1 was such a joy that I immediately knew I had to keep it in my cut too. With a few tweaks, of course. In my version, we follow the morning routine of our main characters as they try to adjust to their new reality amidst the joyful chaos of living under the Wheelers’ roof, up to the breakfast table. Then we cut to Lucas sitting in silence by Max’s hospital bedside, playing her favourite song as part of his morning routine. Both very different yet powerful and unique scenes that showcase where our characters stand. Next, we cut to Rockin’ Robin’s morning show as we follow Mike, Will and Holly biking to school.

Nothing drastically different from the show, just a nice little way to juxtapose our characters new realities.

https://streamable.com/fm1jxf

I hope you enjoy!

WSQKWU #2

Hello, everyone!

In today’s WSQK’s Weekly Updates, I’d like to share another short clip called Training Day.
Essentially, this edit is El’s training sequence in one piece, as I’ve removed all the shots of the military chasing the ‘burnout’. I never really liked that part, so it was an easy choice to discard it altogether. I’ve also removed El’s disatisfaction about her performance and cut straight to Hopper and Joyce resetting the props.

https://streamable.com/ygej9r

I hope you enjoy it!
Next week’s update is going to be a big one! It’s a bold creative choice that I really quite like.

WSQKWU #3

Hello, everyone!

In today’s WSQK’s Weekly Updates, I’m sharing a clip called ‘Attack on Wheelers’. It’s the longest clip I’ve shared so far, and also my biggest deviation from the original material.

https://streamable.com/ket40p

After Will connects with the Demogorgon and Nancy leaves the station with El to find her family, we catch up with the Wheelers at home. Karen walks up the stairs, and Holly is lying on her bed. Suddenly, she notices the lights flickering. She looks at the ceiling, and a crack appears with a loud noise. Then the screen goes black. That’s right. In my version, we don’t actually see the Demogorgon barging into the Wheelers’ home. Yet. The intention behind this bold creative choice is to align the viewer’s perspective with that of our main protagonists in order to create a sense of tension and mystery. Then we catch up with Hopper as he regains consciousness after the military truck crash in the Upside Down. A scene that may initially seem like just a connective tissue, if I had not added the tiny detail of Hopper hearing Holly’s scream before he enters the woods. An audio cue that indicates that the Demogorgon has already taken her. Additionally, this scene showcases a darker, more bleak Upside Down in an attempt to mimic the look of Season 1. I think there is room for improvement, but I’m getting there.

Here are some before and after comparisons:

https://imgsli.com/NDUxMzE2
https://imgsli.com/NDUxMzE3

We then cut to Nancy arriving at her house (I cut the ‘It’s inside’ line since it is no longer relevant) and finding her mother covered in blood on the floor. As El crosses into the Upside Down to track Holly, the scene cuts to black, then cuts again to the hospital restroom where Nancy stands above the sink. As she starts to break down, the scene is interspersed with shots of her parents being transferred to the ER. Then we cut to Nancy sitting in the hospital waiting area with Mike and Lucas. That scene may be one of the best shot, acted and edited scenes of the season, and -in my not-so-humble opinion- it just got better with my tweaks.

That’s it! I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #4

Hello, everyone!

This week I’m sharing a clip called ‘Whos is Mr. W?’, a re-cut and re-scored version of the group discovering Mr. Whatsit’s identity.

I feel like one thing that didn’t quite work for me in the original sequence is that we, the audience, find out Mr. Whatsit’s true identity way before the characters do. His unique voice and manner were clearly a big part of that. So, for my version, I took out all scenes and dialogue between him and Holly, so that the revelation of his identity would only come through Will and Robin’s conversation and Karen’s writing. Instead, I added footage of Holly waving at him through the window and greeting him at the school yard. I also thought it would be a great opportunity to end the sequence with Will seeing through the eyes of Derek, so that it ties in with the plotline that follows. In addition, I decided to swap the original score for a mash-up of ‘One’ and ‘There are some things worse than ghosts’ from the Season 4 score, to make the scene more tense and mysterious.

https://streamable.com/yermro

I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #5

Since I missed last week’s WSQK’s Weekly Updates, today I am sharing two new clips, both of which feature El and Hopper in the Upside Down.
The first is called ‘Don’t mess around with Jim in the Upside Down’ and actually comes right after the ‘Whos is Mr. W?’ sequence in my film cut.

Essentially, it’s a long sequence combining El and Hopper trying to break through the fleshy wall and the military shootout, with less dialogue and fewer stupid decisions. For my version, I removed the entire beef jerky bit and most of the soldiers’ antics to create a more tense atmosphere. But the most prominent change is in Hopper’s decision-making. Since he has been a skilled soldier in the past (as was reminded to us many times this season), I found his choice to initiate the shootout kind of dumb. Also, Akers’ request for air cover felt like a stupid call. So, in my cut, Hopper makes sure not to blow his cover and doesn’t shoot first at a dozen fully-geared enemies. Instead, he stays hidden and waits for them to get close before launching his grenades. A far more sensible choice, which results in a far more dramatic moment, in my opinion.

https://streamable.com/gzodaq

The second clip, called ‘Compromise’, features El and Hopper discussing their plans about Akers, only with less pee talk and less vocabulary errors from El. El’s callback to “c-o-m-promise” was a very sweet touch, but it felt like something was missing. So I added ‘I need you to trust me’ from Season 3 score and removed Akers gaining his consciousness interrupting their their heartfelt moment.

https://streamable.com/fs6v3e

That’s all! I hope you enjoy!

WSQKWU #5
UPDATE

Fanediting is an ongoing process, so as I was watching the clips that I shared, I came up with some new ideas that I wanted to try out.
So today, I’m sharing ‘Don’t Mess Around With Jim In The Upside Down V2’ again. In this version, I delayed the reveal of the ‘hedgehog’ until later in the scene, so that, just like El and Hopper, we the audience don’t know what causes El’s discomfort right from the start. I am also sharing some before-and-after screenshots to showcase the colour grading for the Upside Down that I am working on.

https://streamable.com/oodjjg

https://view.genially.com/69be512246297a45b6ddbbf6

https://view.genially.com/69be917d9cc9d3b0348dff24

https://view.genially.com/69be8d4cdcf05d7fca49b7fe

WSQKWU #6

Today, I’m sharing a clip called ‘Vecna’s Seen’ from the heavily trimmed ‘Turnbow Trap’ plotline.

Although this plotline checked all the boxes for what we might call ‘classic Stranger Things’, it felt a bit too dragged out and needed to be heavily edited for my film cut. This clip, in particular, attempts to maintain momentum and avoid a slowing of pace by removing a significant portion of Derek’s screentime.
To be clear, although the addition of new characters was definitely one of the issues with Season 5, Derek was a delightful standout, even in his most dipshit moments. And although that whole bit with him trying to escape from the barn was absolutely hilarious, it had to go.

In my version, while Derek does wake up from being drugged, Joyce never lets him loose to try to escape. Instead, as Robin and Erica wonder how he is awake, Will informs them that Vecna has discovered their location, after which the scene cuts straight to them closing the barn doors and waiting for the Demogorgon. For the scene to work, I had to make several small yet necessary edits. After Robin and Erica shut the door, I added the shot of Will connecting with the Demogorgon from a followup scene (I had to remove Erica in the background yelling at Derek), I removed shots of Derek reacting to the Demogorgon’s arrival and cropped parts of the screen where he could be seen standing on the deck. I also added backing vocals of him struggling and grunting, as he is supposed to still be handcuffed and blindfolded. I also advanced the shot of Will looking at Joyce through the Demogorgon’s eyes and made her come at him more quickly, in an attempt to avoid the lagging trope of the Demogorgon in this season, which I tried to resolve in other scenes as well.

https://streamable.com/7zso1y

That’s all! I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #7

This is going to be the last clip I’m sharing from my first film cut of Season 5, and it ties in with both the beginning and the end of the film.

So, remember the opening scene of Episode 1 of Season 5 with young Will? The one that Netflix decided to share before the premiere? Well, it never really stuck with me for a number of reasons. But the most important reason is that it immediately confirms a long-standing fan theory, one that I also hinted at in my latest version of my Season 1 film cut: That Vecna was behind Will’s vanishing all along. And they just revealed it like that. Like a huge information dump without any actual connection to the main story. So, it’s gone and the opening sequence of my film has been replaced with a more fitting scene to the main story, which I’m not going to reveal yet.

However, I do plan to reuse (and re-edit) that scene for a different purpose in one of my later film cuts.

Instead, while my film stays in line with the show’s narrative of exploring Will’s connection with Vecna and the Hive Mind, it is only revealed towards the end that Vecna was responsible for his abduction. Not through an exposition scene, but through Vecna’s own words.

Also, remember that statement from the Duffers that we were going to find out who opened the door in Episode 1 of Season 1… but then nothing happened?

So, in this clip, called ‘You Were the First’, I kept Vecna’s speech to Will as it was, but I also inserted key scenes from Season 1 hinting at his ‘presence’ in Hawkins even back then. This way, this big reveal doesn’t come as an information dump, but as a confession from Vecna and a realisation from Will, at the same time. Which makes the ending and Will’s arc much more impactful, in my opinion.

https://streamable.com/tvnn3o

In addition, I made a bold creative decision that affects the narrative of the entire show. A choice that doesn’t necessarily alter the narrative, but rather enhances it, as I see it.
Vecna’s master plan to kidnap the children may not be entirely clear, but, as far as I understand, Will has always been his ‘test subject’. ‘You showed me what was possible,’ he told Will, ‘what I could achieve.’ So what if, after taking Will, Vecna tried to take other children as well, even during the events of Season 1? When I first learned that Holly Wheeler was going to play a significant role in Season 5, I immediately added to my Season 1 film cut her scene in which she sees the Demogorgon trying to open a rift in the Byers’ house, because I thought it would be of some significance. Only to later find out that it was never addressed again. But what if that was actually Vecna? What if he sent the Demogorgon after little Holly? What if that scene hinted at Vecna trying to collect more children for his master plan? So, during Vecna’s monologue I inserted footage from that scene to back up this thoery. I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but I think it adds to the story and connects the plotlines.

That’s it. I hope you enjoy it!

My next update is going to be a big one. Rather than clips or footage, it will be a full presentation of my Season 5 plans, including posters, film titles, runtimes, plot points and information on my progress so far.

I always surprise myself with my inability to predict the approach I am going to take on various stages of this project because I am always way off the mark. As I’ve previously said, I thought I could put together two film cuts out of Season 5, each 3 or 3.5 hours long, but I ended up making three film cuts with varying runtimes. And, honestly, I am quite happy with how things are coming along.

So this is the plan for my version of Season 5:

Film I

Stranger Things 5: The Dungeon Crawl

Plot: This film covers the main events involving the core group of characters in Hawkins from Episodes 1–4. While Holly remains a significant part of the plot, the focus shifts to how the people around her cope with her vanishing. As with the vanishing of Will in the first season, we barely get to see what actually happened to her. All of that is reserved for my next instalment.
In addition, while my film ends in the same place as Episode 4 of the series, I took the liberty of altering the timeline of events by integrating parts of Episode 5 into the main plot. Specifically, Dunstin, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan’s mission to locate the ‘shield generator’ in the DOE. This makes their arc feel more developed, ending ‘with a bang’ on a cliffhanger.

Progress: I’d say that this film edit is about 98% complete. The remaining 2% consists of some minor audio adjustments and the subtitles, which are still a significant task, though not as time-consuming.

Runtime: 3 hours and 2 minutes (with credits)

Poster Art & Title: As with the other posters, I would like to give once again a big shout-out to the amazing Billy Butcher. This time, I reused his poster for ‘Dig Dug’ from Season 2 from his ‘Stranger Tales’ collection, adding a blue tint to resemble the Upside Down and adjusting Hopper’s chief hat to look like a knit cap.

The title ‘The Dungeon Crawl’ might be my favourite out of all the titles I’ve chosen for these fanedits. It’s a phrase that Mike used in Episode 1, and it reflects almost every plotline in this edit. As for the yellow ‘Stranger Things’ font, it just felt right for this set of edits. I always experimented with different font colours throughout my collection, though not so bold, but this time I felt like trying something more extreme.

Film II

Stranger Things 5: The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox

Plot: This film exclusively follows Holly’s journey this season, from the moment she is abducted until she escapes from Vecna’s mind prison. I found this particular storyline to be one of the most intreresting and creative aspects of the season, yet it didn’t quite fit the overall tone. That’s why I decided to dedicate a whole separate film to it.

This film also concludes my trilogy of ‘compamion films’, as I call them: stand-alone films that focus on events outside the main plot, yet of big importance. It’s a trilogy that I never intended to make, but which came to be as a happy accident.

The film opens with the Demogorgon attacking the Wheelers’ residence, a scene that I purposely did not include in my first film cut, as can be seen in the clip I shared some time ago. From there, the film plays like a ‘faux’ fairytale/dream sequence, following solely Holly and her encounters inside her mind prison. Also, this film, being the middle of the three, has a unique narrative structure. Since it covers parts of Episodes 1–7 of the series, much of the plot aligns with the events of ‘The Dungeon Crawl’, while some of the plot occurs after the events of the first film, and some takes place simultaneously with the third and final film. While this might sound perplexing, I believe that the way I am editing this set of films will not cause any confusion, even for a first-time viewer. On the contrary, I think it enhances the whole viewing experience. I hope so, at least.

Progress: This edit is also almost finished, at 97% complete, with the remaining percentage consisting of some minor audio adjustments, the subtitles and one VFX shot that I would like to try. The problem is that I don’t have the tools or knowledge to do it myself, so I might end up asking a volunteer for help with this one.

Runtime: 1 hour and 13 minutes (with credits)

Poster Art & Title: This one is from the ‘Escape from Camazotz’ poster. I removed all the characters from the image, except for Henry gazing at us, and added some small elements from previous episode posters. It is also the most stylised and ‘busy’ poster in my collection, which makes it feel different from the rest, as the film itself actually feels.

As for the title, I was aiming for something fitting for my ‘companion film trilogy’. Without intending it, the previous film titles in the trilogy consisted of a descriptive phrase for a person, with each subsequent film adding an additional descriptive phrase. So, with the first titled ‘The Lost Sister’, and the second ‘The Monster and the Superhero’, I had to find a title that referred to three individuals. And that’s how I came up with ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’, a title I’m very fond of and I think it’s very fitting for the film.

Also, while I was thinking about the title, I realised another funny coincidence. Each entry in this unlikely ‘trilogy’ follows the theme of escape. So, I’ve been considering rebranding these film cuts as ‘The Escape Trilogy’. ‘The Lost Sister’ could become ‘Escape from Hawkins’, ‘The Monster and the Superhero’ could change to ‘Escape from Kamchatka’, and ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’ could be renamed ‘Escape from Camazotz’. I don’t think I’m actually going to do it, but I thought it was a cool detail to mention.

FIlm III

Stranger Things 5: The Bridge to the Abyss

Plot: This film covers Episodes 5–8. And it is the most difficult to pull off.

To be completely honest, while editing the first two film cuts, I found myself enjoying the season far more than I remember enjoying it the first time I watched it. There is some genuinely great stuff in there, and I am very happy with what I have put together so far. Editing the remaining episodes, however, has been very frustrating. There are still some good scenes in them and I don’t hate the last episodes completely, but I have to admit that I’m currently struggling. But I’ll get there.

Progress: I would say this one is 20% complete. I have mapped out the plotlines and decided how I am going to structure my edit and what I am keeping and tossing. However, I still need to find a satisfying way to bring this one to a close. I am also experimenting with different colour grading for the Abyss, but this is certainly not my area of expertise and I am not entirely satisfied with what I have tried so far. I may ask for help with this too.

Runtime: TBD (but I estimate it will be around three hours long)

Poster Art & Title: One of the reasons it took me so long to get started on this final edit was that I couldn’t come up with a suitable title or poster design. This may sound silly, but it’s something I take seriously, as it helps me to get into the right frame of mind for crafting the story I want to present. But I can safely say now that I am happy with both.

While ‘The Rightside Up’ may seem like an obvious choice — I even said as much before the season premiere — it didn’t quite feel right. Also, and this is another silly fixation of mine, the layout of the lettering wouldn’t work for my poster design. However, I think ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’ is a more fitting title, as it creates an ominous feeling for a grand finale. And it looks good too on the poster.

As for the poster art, I struggled a lot with it as well. Initially, I thought I had to put together something extravagant for this final piece, but I ended up taking a ‘less is more’ approach. I actually reused the poster from Season 2’s ‘The Gate’ from the ‘Stranger Tales’ collection — the same one I used for my ‘The Mind Flayer’ film cut. This time, however, I added a purple hue to Eleven, edited out her nosebleed and extended her hand movement. I also had to make a new poster for my second film, for which I used the ‘Will the Wise’ episode poster, which I think is more fitting than the original, and you can see it on the banner on the first post of this thread.

Possible Release Date: As I said at the beginning of this post, I’m terrible at making predictions. But I’ll give it a try anyway. As I said a while ago, while the first two films are almost finished, I am planning to release this final set of films all at once. So with the third film needing time to be finalised, plus subtitles for all three films to be created, I’d be happy with an early to mid-summer release. Perhaps somewhere close to or after the 10th anniversary of the show.

Oof, that’s all. That was long.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing clips and scenes from ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’, just as I did for ‘The Dungeon Crawl’, while continuing to work on ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’ and hoping to reach my goal one last time.

WSQKWU #8

Hello again!
As it turned out, this weekly update routine was too much for me to keep up with. Work has been crazy lately, leaving me with little free time — and energy — to continue with my editing process and my updates on this thread. But I suppose that was a good thing, because now I’m back on track with a clearer mindset, which allowed me to solve some problems that I couldn’t figure out before.

So, as promised, I’m here today for the second round of updates, sharing the first six minutes of ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’. In this scene called ‘(The Real) Attack on Wheelers’, we see the full uninterrupted Demo attack on the Wheelers’ residence, with a couple tweaks.

• As Karen walks up the stairs and we see Holly crying on her bed, I added a voiceover of her parents fighting as she heard them earlier that same night, with the first notes of ‘Holly the Heroic’ playing in the background. Since this is the start of the second film, I thought that a brief recap of what happened previously might be needed.
• Holly may be heroic, but Ted certainly is not. So I removed the shots of him launching at the Demogorgon with the golf club, making the Demogorgon attack him at first sight.

https://streamable.com/1b2kmv

That’s it. I hope you enjoy!

WSQKWU #9

Picking up exactly where things were left, this is the first scene after the opening credits of ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’. Called ‘Time for Breakfast’, this is actually a recycled scene from the end of Episode 2, combined with footage from Episode 3 and scored to the Mr Whatsit theme. It aims to set the tone for the whole film, the ‘faux’ fairytale/dream sequence vibe I mentioned earlier, creating an eerie feeling that something is not right, that what we’re watching and are about to watch is not real… that the reality we are observing is being distorted.

I think this particular choice was a risky one, but necessary to ensure the film plays out as I had planned. It was certainly a challenging yet very fun task, and I hope it achieves what I was aiming for.

https://streamable.com/shy922

That’s all. I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #10

A couple of months ago, when I introduced ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’, I briefly touched upon the film’s distinctive narrative structure. The clip I’m sharing today is a prime example of this.

Titled ‘The Fox Is Caught’, today’s scene is taken from Episode 5 of the series and features Holly and Max confronting Vecna as they attempt to escape his mind prison. While in the show this scene follows Will as he taps into the hive mind to stop Vecna from killing Max, in this particular version — as that plotline is featured in my third film — the action remains strictly within Vecna’s mind, with no crossover to the real world in Hawkins. By sticking exclusively with Holly’s and Max’s point of view, an additional layer of mystery is intentionally created around their encounter, leaving both the characters and the viewer questioning what really happened with Vecna and who actually took control of him.

https://streamable.com/5rhulk

I emphasised ‘this particular version’ because this scene is actually reused in ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’ to fill in the gaps and complete the missing pieces of the puzzle.

That’s all. I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #11

One of the main, unified and most valid criticisms for Season 5 was definitely the never-ending conversation between Holly and Max right before their grand escape from the Mindscape.

This clip, titled ‘Not A Podcast Anymore’, attempts to resolve this issue. While the original scene runs for about six whole minutes, my version is around three minutes long, keeping only the necessary parts of the conversation that motivate Holly. In contrast to all the extractions, I added footage of Mike handing the DnD figure to Holly from Episode 1 to create a nice, touching moment. I also flipped the shots of Max running towards her portal, because, well… yes, they are not running towards the same direction, but they are not running towards opposite directions either.

The scene, which is the final scene of ‘The Wizard, the Cleric and the Fox’, ends with a close-up of Holly’s face instead of that weird shot of Max, since it is Holly’s story after all. After the screen cuts to black, we cut back to Holly waking up in Vecna’s liar in Dimension X, as a connection to the next instalment. There, you also get a glimpse of what I am working on with the colour correction of the Abyss. But more of that later.

https://streamable.com/x7unbe

In this clip, you can also see my attempt to recolor the scene to make it look more like the Mindscape in Season 4. The Mindscape scenes are a prime example of how this season varies from Season 4 in terms of production value, cinematography, and the overall look and feel of the show. Now, when a scene is shot — and, most importantly, lit — in a certain way, there are only a few things that filters and color grading can achieve. But I guess this is all I can do at least for now.

I hope you enjoy it!