Gosh... I'm gone a few days and you all have... DELUSIONS of grandeur! lol
Anywho... Let me say this...
As... auditorially sound as I am... right now my JOB is selling sunglasses (and might I add I do that QUITE WELL)... so Let me talk a minute about the type of tintings available, usages, and reasons.
Most lenses these days come with UV protection. UV protection IS NOT...let me say this again... IS NOT TINTED. In fact, UV proction is completely clear. So technically, you can have clear lenses.. and STILL be UV protected.
That having been said, there are several different types of lenses, coatins, colors...all have different suggested usages.
True Black- Used for people who ahve eye surgery. Old people wear them too. Not to be worn while driving or while at night (sometimes old people WILL need to wear things at night becuase of the brightness of car headlights (especially now with those really bright ones). Incidentally, the tint of the X-Wings looks like this...
Ray Ban Green Lens - I put this next as its truly darker than most other lenses. The green will cancel out a lot of the light but also won't disable you.
Black lens - Use to not change contrast or highten anything. Simply for cutting down on brightness.
Brown/Bronze lenses are suggested in twilight. They heighten greens and light, while still taking the edge of brightness. They have HIGH contrast.
Rose - Used for people who need contrast, but must have a darker lens thank clear or yellow. This cuts down on a lot of light, but still not being too much light. Gives a lot of contrast to light/dark and used especially in golfing.
Pink - Cuts down on light. A variant of the Rose/Yellow but is brighter like the yellow.
Yellow- Yellow lenses work in a way to truly bring out contrast between light/dark, and also to give greater depth detail to changes in the road ahead such as hight, grass, pebbles...etc. They are most commonly used in sking or biking or running. Any time where small imprections in the road can be disastrous. Used most notably in snow. The tint of the Speeder pilots eye protection is like this.
Clear - Used for night time or for motorcyclists who don't want any tinting. It does, as stated, offer UV protection (and protection in general as Motorcyclists don't have windshileds so it will protect the eyes from bugs--especially if they're the Oakley lenses which are all impact tested and do not shatter).
A mirrored finish will also help cut down on light by reflecting non-essential light back out.
Polorization is also something that is truly recomended in conditions like that of Hoths. It would cut down on glare from the snow and would help give a crisp image. I dunno if you all played with glass in science that was like this. If you took two, and layered them, the image would be the same, maybe slightly darker... but when turned, the image went black...
Maybe the cockpit for the XWings is polarized and maybe it could simply be coming out too dark in the film... how possible is it to lighten just the windows in the external shots?
I don't think they polorize anything that big though... nothing with that much curve as if you turn your head, it'll cancel itself out and the screen'll go black if lined up a certain way.
So if I may suggest, if ANYTHING...the colior would be a ROSE... not a DEEP red... but like a rose... If not that... black. Maybe a mirroed finish as well. Possibly even a Brown color as that is more of an All Purpose Color and these are All Purpose craft.
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That informercial out of the way... lol
I like the idea of changing a bit of the explosion of the power genearator. I'm sure you could find some way to incorporate another explosion. What might also be cool would be to have a sort of Ring come out (similar to the death star explosion) but maybe you could also noate it with a sfx...
I say this because I remember once as a child seeing/hearing a transformer explode across the canal from my house. It was an impressive sight... and when it did boom, I remember clearly it giving off a bluish ring which in the middle of the night, with dark, cloudy/rainy night, was hightened by the clouds. So maybe even a faint light with a low rumble with an electric zap could be cool... at least more "real"
And let me kinda quantify what I mean by ring... the myth busters came to UF and played a video they called "Explosion Porn" and in it, they show a shot from this episode... Its near the middle:
Kinda what I think... maybe if you can get this in good quality, you can color correct it and use IT as the explosion?? heh
It's not so much a RING...as it's kinda like an area of air disturbance which creates a slight occular effect of warping the image being seen.
It would go Explosion (fire). the ground would almsot instantly, rushing out, have vibrations that would kick up snow.
Then the image would go blurry going out... and then Smoke/Snow would RUSH up...replacing all the fire.
As far as adding any more AT-AT's...what you had int eh video I think was the perfect amoung Ady... AT-St's would be the only thing I'd say if you could add, do.
When I mentioned Geonosis, I simply meant in that sort of look.
The battle on Hoth is , yes, a diversion, but don't forget, the Emperor is displeased with Vader... they've lost the Death Star. Any chance they have to wipe out and crush the rebellion, they WILL take...
If I may further explain:
HOW I SEE BATTLE OF HOTH-
The first change would be to change how many star destroyers are in the blockade as it the "first catch of the day" leave. Both in the establishing shot, and a moment latter out the con window
I hate and LOVE that the music doesn't start as planned, but maybe you could reincorporate just a FEW seconds of the opening of the cue. Don't start it when it was planned to start... but the first binocular shot of the foot hitting the ground could be notated by the brooom BOOm, brooom boom-boom of the opening of the cue... fade it out slightly... let it be a bit mysterious as we see R2 get bonked by snow... then it comes in full force when it does normally.
Resyncing the guy calling in that the walkers could be seen. His line doesn't quite sync to his mouth.
The last shot of the speeders leaving, the last speeder to pull out, briefly you can see the support the "car" is on and the wire pulling it.
The next shot shows off the red lights on the lead walker. This may have been meant to kinda highten the reality... make it seem like (being also the closest) that you can not only see it, but somewhat into it... like how on Star Trek Voyager, befor the CG cross over, the model shots had certain windows have actual pictures of the set in them to make it seem more "real."
My only real suggestion in that is even if you have to make it NOT red... if you can find a way to still show movement, that might be a good idea. But if you can incorporate AT-ST's, then that'll be better as that'll really show off movement, and you won't ahve to show movement in the window. Just have it be silvery if you can.
The shot of the speeders heading towards the front line has absolutely no rebels firing. You have two good shots of the turrets moving, but NOT firing... maybe you could have them start...
As stated before, it woudln't make sense to have the speeders flying straight at the AT-AT's... but if the Turrets are laying down cover fire... maybe it would work better.
The guys who say "come on!" and go running... if I'm not mistaken... they have a special gun meant to penetrate the shileding on the walkers... I dunno how you could fix it so that they are the ones blowing up the walker.
If you're adding in a turret for the explosion scene, don't forget outside of Pietts AT-AT there is a shot of the generator that lacks it as well.
I then wonder, how did the command center get hit? Was it like one of the Star Destroyers bomb it or did an AT-AT fire at it... maybe something earlier during a lot of the explosion shots showing a hint of a large boom in the background. Then imperial troops enter the base. How'd they get there? Perhaps something in the background of a shot alluding to it too.
Also, the shot of the troops evacuating, you see a single Speeder fly overhead... perhaps showing a second one as well, or a third damaged one... I say this becuase the shots are so strong, and the music is getting so epic that mass chaos and panic might help heighten that shot too.
The jump shot of course.
The falcon's shadow, I THINK should be on the lower part of the mountain range.. .almost out of sight... if I'm judgeing the lighting right...
The shot as Luke flys away should probably have some Star Destroyers in it... but their angle should be high if you have shots like that... almost looking DOWN at them. If you look at the planet anyway, it looks like Luke flys "north" really and then leaves the atmosphere... the blockade probably being equatorial... maybe even show some small firing in the background... simliar to what the emperor sees out his window inROTJ in the distance signifying that people are still escaping and dealing with the EMpire and it wasn't a complete escape...
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The three star destroyers shields flickering off of eachother.
Maybe a longer shot/more tie fighters persuing the Falcon...
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Thats kinda how I see it... I think that it doesn't need much... but if you can do subtle things... I think it'll amp it up a TON...