Originally posted by: boreddusty
Ranch window dressing???

This is why we should generate another title for this series

Anyway, as most of you know, my vision was always a set of prequels that actually fit with the OT to begin with, no re-editing of classics necessary. I also don't think you can get much better than "Revenge of the Sith" for Ep. III; that's really a perfect title. And again, unless someone generates a very good original name, I'd just leave it as "Star Wars".

I also want to let you know about another idea I've had for an editing project, which I think would be very fun for all involved. It probably will not fit with the "Ranch" idea, but I might actually do this after "Shroud of the Dark Side" is finished, before Ep. III is started. Maybe not, but I want someone to do it eventually...

Watching old b-features and old detective movies like "Laura" really got my brain cranking. I thought... what if Star Wars was originally a noir movie from the '40's and '50's, very old-fashioned and in black & white? Later on in the seventies or eighties, they made the very popular Star Wars trilogy, but this is the original film made a long time ago. Imagine that it's another thing Lucas suppressed!

My idea is to make "Revenge of the Sith" black and white before editing, and make the whole film about Anakin's fall. None of the Grievous stuff, or most of the opening battle, or other stuff that's both unneccessary and would give away the CGI as being modern. There would be no crawl, but instead an old-fashioned title sequence, perhaps with stills of close-ups of the characters. The title could be "Anakin Skywalker."

The major point is that everything is made to give this movie an old feel, older than the '70's-80's. Lounge music is used for the temptation scene at the theatre. Classic Bernard Hermann music is used for most of the rest of the score, "Marnie" and "Vertigo" type stuff (but not as well known). I know we can't use the iconic "Pyscho" music, but I always envisioned the shower music when Anakin walks into the room of children.

Here's the other big thing: In this version, Anakin is dubbed, and he is narrating the entire story. At certain points in the movie, when you have a close-up of Anakin, the narration can take us back to flashbacks from "Episode II", from the love story. A very "noir" thing to do.

And lastly, the audio will have more treble, more of a raw feel, and it'll be stereo or mono. I don't know if I've explained my concept very well or if it'd be enjoyable to watch to any person but me, but I just love the idea of getting into Anakin's head through him narrating the entire picture and showing flashbacks. The cinematography in Episode III (at least the dialogue scenes) was very good this time around, making this type of thing possible. But here's the thing: how much better can you illusrate Anakin's fall than walking around with him the entire movie as we hear his thoughts? Obviously, some GREAT scriptwriting would need to go into Anakin's narration, but

Anakin: That's Palpatine. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The most powerful man in the galaxy and one of my dearest friends. Ever since I arrived at the Academy, I had spent long hours talking with him in his office (as we're fading to a flashback of the Anakin/Palpatine scene from Ep. II).

Anakin: Yes, I never realized how naive I was until I met him...

Obviously that was just off of the top of my head, but do you see what incredible character depth could go into this "old" movie, a single prequel to the Star Wars trilogy?

-TM