Stranger Things - Film Edition (Released) — Page 8

lightningedits said:

Really enjoying these clips. It’s funny how for the previous movie edits it was more condensing while keeping the best parts, but the Season 5 edit is way more technical and a lot of fixing. I can see myself even if I watch the released Netflix Seasons 1-4 still watching this edit for Season 5 because it’s just way less convoluted.

Thanks for those kind words!

I am aware that only a small number of people here are viewing these – though I’m not doing it for the views, it’s more like a personal journal for me – so it’s really nice when someone takes the time to comment. And you’re absolutely right. This time, I had to do more fixing than cutting, and the technical difficulties have certainly increased. However, I see this as a learning process that will benefit both my personal skills and the quality of this project.

Which brings me to my next update.

Editing ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’ is going… surprisingly well. To be honest, the whole process has been very frustrating from the beginning. I’m not one of those fans who absolutely loathed this season, but having to deal with so many things that didn’t excite me, in comparison to the previous season, was a real chore. However, I think I have finally reached a point at which I am satisfied, and I believe I have a rough cut of my final film.

Over the next few days or weeks, I’ll be posting an announcement on Reddit – where the community is more active – about an idea I previously shared here.
I have always appreciated the feedback I receive from people who have watched my fan edits and your comments have always helped to shape this project. And I would like this to happen again this time.

So, I’ll be hosting some test screenings of all three cuts of my Season 5 films. Basically, I’ll share my current edits with anyone who’s interested, on the condition that they share their thoughts and opinions with me. I’ve already put together a PDF presentation detailing all the changes I’ve made, and created a Google Form containing questions for participants to complete. I’m currently exporting and uploading the video files.

Now, I do believe that feedback is important, but I also think that too much pluralism can be counterproductive. So, based on participation, I’m considering 3–5 participants for this event. And I didn’t want to exclude this community from the process, as this is where it all started and where I received the most support.

So, if anyone is interested in participating in these test screenings of my Season 5 edits, please send me a private message.
And I will get back to you with more information and instructions in due course.

That’s all for now.

WSQKWU #12

So, remember that information I shared about removing the ‘November 12th, 1983’ opening sequence from Episode 1? As I said then, I really don’t understand why they decided to reveal Vecna’s involvement to Will’s disappearance back in Season 1 that early on in Season 5. As you’ll recall from my ‘You Were the First’ clip I shared, it’s only at the end of my first film cut that it’s revealed that Vecna orchestrated Will’s fate all along. So, with that in mind, I found that the ‘November 12th, 1983’ sequence would be more fitting as the opening sequence of my third and final film cut.

But the placement of that scene wasn’t the only thing that bothered me, and I’m sure it bothered other people as well. Another thing I never understood was why they went to so much effort to recreate a scene that they had already filmed years ago. I’m, of course, talking about the deepfake Will. Admittedly, the ‘new’ scene does feel more ‘cinematic’, and there are some tense moments in it, but the fact that the character I was watching didn’t look or act like Will always threw me out of that scene.

So, for the opening sequence of ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’, I re-used and re-created the opening sequence from Episode 1 of Season 5, combining it with the actual footage of that scene that we saw in Episode 7 of Season 1. A scene that I never used in my first film cut, but I always thought it might come in handy in the future. I also decided to remove the entire chase sequence of Will climbing and jumping off the trees because, as I said, while it is a tense moment, it never felt like something Will would had done. And also because of that weird looking CGI face.

https://streamable.com/lecmq0

That’s all. I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #13

ThanosM. said:

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.

Hey, look at that. Another false prediction.
The 10th anniversary of Stranger Things has come and gone, and I still haven’t finished editing my film cuts. Even I am tired of myself at this point.

Things were going well: ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’ was almost finished and I had made significant progress on some things I had been stuck on for several months. However, after reviewing my rough cut, I decided to go back and shift some things around. Plus, some new ideas that came up regarding my first two films of the season.
Deciding which parts to keep and which to cut is an important part of my editing process, but the most important thing for me is creating a cohesive narrative and a film with good pacing that won’t bore the viewer. I guess that’s why it’s taking so long to complete.

However, as I continue to finalise this project, I am here today to share another clip from ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’. A tie-in with one that is already shared.

ThanosM. said:

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.

So, this clip titled ‘50,000 Watts’ follows Will as he taps into the hive mind through the dead Demogorogn. In my version of the scene, apart from minimising Holly and Max’s involvement, Will connects directly to Vecna’s mind without first connecting to Derek. This makes the scene feel more claustrophobic and skips the ‘unnecessary’ parts. There were many technical obstacles to overcome with this one in particular, but it was a fun challenge overall.

https://streamable.com/zpz113

I hope you enjoy it!

WSQKWU #14

Hi, there!

Today I’m sharing a clip from one of the most emotional moments of the season, titled ‘Not a Kid Anymore’. I always found that scene just perfect on its own, so my only contribution is some footage of heartfelt moments between El and Hopper from previous seasons and a couple of shots of Sara as El is giving the blue hair tie back to Hopper, in case some viewers haven’t made the connection yet. Just a small addition that I think adds to the emotional weight of the scene.

https://streamable.com/6m1ea0

I hope you enjoy it…

Because this is the last clip I will be sharing. It’s not that I didn’t make any other changes for my ‘The Bridge to the Abyss’ film cut, but I thought I should keep the rest as a surprise.

That said, I feel I should clarify once again that I am not going to deviate that much from the original material. While most of the film has been heavily edited to rearrange and modify scenes and plotlines — especially before, during and after the final battle — the essence of the original ending remains largely unchanged. However, I did put my personal touch on several unresolved or poorly resolved themes. And some of my choices might be deemed controversial.

My aim with this project has always been to offer an alternative viewing experience, and I think I’ve achieved that with this one as well. Now, for the million-dollar question: Is my version better than the original? I honestly don’t know. I don’t know how much of the finale could be reworked to satisfy the whole fanbase, but I am sure of one thing: It is certainly presented in a different way than we’ve already seen. And that’s all I could do with it, at least for now.

Next time, I am going to update the first post with info and changelists for my three film cuts of Season 5 and, hopefully, announce their release. Until then, take care.