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"Archiving seminar reveals 'Star Wars' tidbit?" Another SE?!

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USA TODAY ARTICLE

Archiving seminar reveals 'Star Wars' tidbit?

An otherwise dry Sundance panel led to a potentially big revelation about the original Star Wars trilogy on Tuesday.

While discussing archiving and preserving film negatives, Phil Feiner, president of the company Pacific Title, was discussing work he did on the re-release of the Star Wars movies in the late 1990s. He believes Star Wars creator George Lucas has continued to tinker with the movies, adding as-yet-unseen new footage.

"There is new footage edited into them that no one's seen yet," Feiner said. "I don't know what he's going to do with it, but let me guess: six-disc boxed set."

There has long been suspicion that Lucas might try to further integrate elements of his prequel trilogy with the original tale of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. If true, it is likely to stir debate among Star Wars fans around the globe. Many were unhappy he altered the original versions, while others were pleased to see cleaner special effects and new scenes.

Pacific Title has a stellar reputation in Hollywood, previously restoring such movies as Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz and Sleeping Beauty.

Feiner says he worked for three years cleaning up the Star Wars movies for release in 1998. "We were then contacted by Lucas to go into another 100 shots that we hadn't done before. I basically said, 'Why are we doing this? You released the picture.' He said, 'Well, we want to go in and clean up stuff we hadn't done before.'"

That's when he picked up on a bombshell: "I heard through another source, some friends of mine up at ILM (Lucas' special-effects company), they were doing additional shots to get cut into a new version. I've never seen it, and I don't know anybody outside of George and his small cadre that have seen it. I'm just making an assumption that they're going to use this for some future release."

There has long been suspicion that Lucas might try to further integrate elements of his prequel trilogy with the original tale of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. LucasFilm spokesman John Singh said late Tuesday: "There are always a wide range of rumors flying around about Star Wars. There have been a lot of tests done over the years to help ILM explore new technology, but we don't have any plans for another Star Wars release."

Creator of Star Wars Begins, Building Empire and Returning to Jedi
Follow me on twitter @jamieSWB. Please support me at - http://www.patreon.com/jamiebenning/

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I don't know what to say about that, except, " Uh-Oh".

Funny how this comes on the 10th anniversary of the Special Edition.
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Why do I feel like someone's gonna take a giant shit on our heads when this set finally gets announced....
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Well i really can't say this is shocking. Its something we suspected, and judging by the CGI Yoda footage in TPM, I'd say that the OT is not alone in the updating. Really, I don't much care anymore. Let Lucas do what he wants with the films as long as the originals are available. Thats all the opposition boils down to. In fact, I would be curious to see just how far Lucas would push the revisionism in the films, adding whole scenes and such, simply because its such an experimental and unprecedented feat--but of course, without a proper release of the OT, such an act would be criminal.

I am wondering how extensive these new changes are: are they just cleaning up some of the now-dated 1997 CGI the way they did for the 2004 SE (yeah, big success the SE is--you got rid of "dated" 1970's FX only to have dated 1990's FX, and now probably soon-to-be-dated 2007 FX)? Or will they be bigger, like the 2004 McDiarmid and Christenson footage? Without handy access to actors, and with a much smaller profit-margin for this boxset, and with a whole bunch of changes already done to the films i am guessing they will be more minor tweaks--lets hope correcting the lightsabers back to the "unfinfished" OOT colours is first on the list, instead of Darth Gayder with his pink saber.
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Oh noes!
"Among many things I have to be thankful for are you, the fans. I know that some of you haven't liked every single thing that I've done with the saga, and that you have a strong sense of ownership over all things Star Wars. But take that passion and devotion and channel it into a creative project of your own."
-George Lucas
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I heard there is added dialogue in ANH SE between Luke & ObiWan:

Luke: How did my father die?

ObiWan: Your father.......was murdered because he did not have the high ground.
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Do you think that maybe he is mistakenly referring to the 2004 set? He said he worked on the films in the late '90s and then was contacted about work on shots beyond the special edition. Maybe this was work for the '04 box set, and he's just not aware a new cut was released past '97? John Singh said there's no plan for any new releases. I know that's probably bullshit, but it just seems speculative to me. Not that I doubt that he will probably make more changes from here until he dies, but... I don't know.

But as long as I have the forum, this reminds me of something that just happened to me a few minutes ago. I was just at a film shoot for my film directing class. Our teacher was lighting a shot, telling us how the light from the window registered as a giant white blob unless you used a lens filter to fix it. A fellow classmate said, "You could probably just fix that in editing, though, right?" Our teacher said, "Well, um, you could, but we like to try to fix things during shooting if we can." "Unless you're George Lucas," I chimed in. Everyone had a good laugh. My teacher agreed, and one of the actors said, "Well, that's why he didn't win an Academy Award (for the prequels)!" Ah, good times.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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I really don't care if George Lucas releases a new SE set, because I have the OOT now on DVD and I am happy. I will probably end up buying this new version just like I buy every other Star Wars release with something new in it. Who knows maybe this time the SE might look good.


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Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Do you think that maybe he is mistakenly referring to the 2004 set? He said he worked on the films in the late '90s and then was contacted about work on shots beyond the special edition. Maybe this was work for the '04 box set, and he's just not aware a new cut was released past '97? John Singh said there's no plan for any new releases. I know that's probably bullshit, but it just seems speculative to me. Not that I doubt that he will probably make more changes from here until he dies, but... I don't know.

But as long as I have the forum, this reminds me of something that just happened to me a few minutes ago. I was just at a film shoot for my film directing class. Our teacher was lighting a shot, telling us how the light from the window registered as a giant white blob unless you used a lens filter to fix it. A fellow classmate said, "You could probably just fix that in editing, though, right?" Our teacher said, "Well, um, you could, but we like to try to fix things during shooting if we can." "Unless you're George Lucas," I chimed in. Everyone had a good laugh. My teacher agreed, and one of the actors said, "Well, that's why he didn't win an Academy Award (for the prequels)!" Ah, good times.


Thanks for the film school story there!!! I had a good laugh. It's nice to know that Lucas is a bit of a joke in film schools. I think he's hurt his profession more than helped it with his bullshit. I like your teacher's attitude though.....FIX THING DURING SHOOTING!!!!

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cool bring them on,I love ALL Star Wars,and anything he releases,I will be all over it,especailly if its stuff we have NOT seen,kick ass,and like before,if you dont like them,dont buy them,I will for sure be buying them.
DJ
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Originally posted by: dark_jedi
cool bring them on,I love ALL Star Wars,and anything he releases,I will be all over it,especailly if its stuff we have NOT seen,kick ass,and like before,if you dont like them,dont buy them,I will for sure be buying them.
DJ


http://accordionguy.blogware.com/Photos/2006/05/vanilla_ice.jpg

Word to your Mother.
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Originally posted by: dark_jedi
cool bring them on,I love ALL Star Wars,and anything he releases,I will be all over it,especailly if its stuff we have NOT seen,kick ass,and like before,if you dont like them,dont buy them,I will for sure be buying them.
DJ


I agree with dark_jedi I will buy them because it is more Star Wars.


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I've got my OOT. Sure, it's not in the quality I would have liked but it's better than the WS Faces set I had on VHS. I don't really care what he does with the movies going forward. I know I won't buy anything that doesn't have a remastered, anamorphic, hopefully (someday) high-def release of the OOT in it.
George Lucas, October 1979: There are essentially nine films in a series of three trilogies. I have story treatments on all nine.
George Lucas, February 1999: I never had a story for the sequels.
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I agree. Some website will surely post pictures of the changes, and that's all I really need. I just want to satisfy my curiosity as to how he's further ruined the movies, but I have no desire to own them.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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I am actually not bothered by Lucas messing with the trilogy some more. I have the trilogy in the way that I want it (ok not quite the quality I want).

Having released my own projects, I can now understand how frustrating it is, after all the hard work, to spot mistakes and things you know you could improve if you just had more time.

Luckily I have family and friends to keep me busy. Furtherrmore, given that 'Building Empire' and 'Returning to Jedi' are non profit making projects, I don't have the incentive of money if I tarted them up and re-release them.

JD

Creator of Star Wars Begins, Building Empire and Returning to Jedi
Follow me on twitter @jamieSWB. Please support me at - http://www.patreon.com/jamiebenning/

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Frst USA Today confuses content with quality, then they get the date wrong. I'm curious to see what GL's got up his sleeve for the new dvd, assuming this guy at Sundance actually knew what he was talking about. For the moment I'll consider this to be the first leaked news we've gotten in months.

Zombie, I echo your sentiments. The "updating" of the fx is probably the biggest case against the SE ever having been made.
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Really, by this point, more changes can only be a good thing. If George can change the SE version of the movies enough, then more and more people will simply stop recognizing them as the real thing. Or, at the very least, more people will begin demanding access to the theatrical versions in higher quality.

"Now all Lucas has to do is make a cgi version of himself.  It will be better than the original and fit his original vision." - skyjedi2005

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Well I will still try to remain optimistic here and say that we will see a remastered version of the OUT this year; too many signs point to it as far as I am concerned.

Also, maybe some of the changes to the SE versions will actually be better, as lots of time has passed between '97 and now and who knows, maybe George listened to *some* reason over the years...
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Originally posted by: ESHBG
Well I will still try to remain optimistic here and say that we will see a remastered version of the OUT this year; too many signs point to it as far as I am concerned.


I don't think that will happen until GL dies. But my prediction is that when he does (die), a really awesome re-release of the OT will materialize very shortly thereafter, brilliantly restored from 70mm. I can't imagine that deep down anyone in the Lucas emprire could honestly agree with GL on this one. Now, all we need is a bounty hunter (hey, Boba ...)

Of course, there is a risk that GL would become more powerful than we can possibly imagine, but I doubt it.

"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars

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If only you could remove the gun to your head that makes you buy this stuff!!!
"Among many things I have to be thankful for are you, the fans. I know that some of you haven't liked every single thing that I've done with the saga, and that you have a strong sense of ownership over all things Star Wars. But take that passion and devotion and channel it into a creative project of your own."
-George Lucas
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If we do get the OOT in remastered shape for this year, I actually hope GL just goes crazy with the latest SE version. Looking at it in an even broader perspective, it could put an interesting spin on the whole debate within the fandom, but I'll get to that in a moment.

The B-Wings' attack on a Star Destroyer during the Battle of Endor is something I've always wanted to see realized, ever since I first saw that production painting years ago. Speaking of production paintings, they dipped into that well a little with the "floating homes" around Cloud City in the ESB SE. Why not go all out and put all of Ralph McQuarrie's ideas in there? It would go a ways towards making the OT much more like the PT, at least in terms of the number of vfx shots. I think what's limiting that is the trickery of how to best cut entirely new shots into the existing edit of the film. In any event, we'll just have to wait and see.

Getting back to the more important subject that was raised by TipTup, the idea of the next SE release dissillusioning people to the realities of Lucas's revisionism, I think that's a good point because it seems the current SE isn't even being given a slap on the wrist by most people. It's all about "oh, it doesn't really change the story" and then when it arguably does change the story, i.e. Hayden in ROTJ, the justification is "oh, well, people will be seeing the movies 1-6 from now on." Let's nevermind that the dvd was released before ROTS, but I digress. Many people, myself included, were too distracted by the Lowry restoration, the extras of commentaries and docs to care that it wasn't the original version, and with GL's comments of "it doesn't exist to me any more" I didn't see any problem in picking it up. Perhaps it will take a really major story alteration of some sort in order for people to finally see the SE for what it really is. Like I said in an earlier post, it scares me that people someday might not even remember that these movies were originally shown in theatres and not on some HD channel.

More than anything I just want to see the OOT remastered, and I think many of you are onto something with the idea that this will further the cause. In addition, that "tip of the iceberg" statement in regards to the '04 dvd extras is a good sign. Alan Hume's falling out with the producers of ROTJ is just one of many subjects that could be covered in any future docs, and of course there's also a good number of archival stuff out there just waiting to be released. Maybe they should package all the archival stuff with the remastered OOT keeping it all criterion style and then do the "Saga/SE/2007 30th anniversary what have you" as a seperate release.
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Originally posted by: JediRandy
If only you could remove the gun to your head that makes you buy this stuff!!!


Yeah, I guess you missed the part where I said I wasn't going to be buying it. I guess that gun's going to go off now. Poor me.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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cheers for the heads-up Jambe.

I remember Terence Stamp (who played Chancellor Valorum in Episode I) saying a few years ago that he was surprised how few of the scenes he filmed made it to the final cut of Ep1 - and that there were a lot more politically themed content that didn't make it either.

Perhaps if new scenes are being inserted into the OT, then there is a chance that maybe the PT will also have new or previously unseen shots inserted too...?


(the cynic in me thinks as it has been 8 years since the release of Ep1 Lucas must be itching to make a few changes )

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

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Originally posted by: Fang Zei
. Alan Hume's falling out with the producers of ROTJ is just one of many subjects that could be covered in any future doc.


I have always heard this spoken of but i have never even seen official evidence that this happened. I really do believe it, but the only references to this event are the blurb on his IMDB page, which may be reprised at wikipedia or something. Is this referenced or even confirmed by anyone with authority or is this purely in the realm of unconfirmed-internet-fact?