logo Sign In

Post #340888

Author
Monroville
Parent topic
STAR WARS: EP V "REVISITED EDITION"ADYWAN - 12GB 1080p MP4 VERSION AVAILABLE NOW
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/340888/action/topic#340888
Date created
30-Dec-2008, 3:08 PM
adywan said:
Monroville said:

The whole skiff battle will have some re-edits done to it and i want to change Bobas death if i actually keep him in the movie but using Jango for footage just isn't an option. Anyway this is the ESB thread and ROTJ isn't even going to be started until 2010 so maybe we should get back on topic. lol ;)

I see your point; forget about the armor- the LITTLE stuff you would have to add and subtract (the leg armor, the cloak, etc) would be ... let's say time intensive.  Like a year or so for a minute or less shot or two.

Getting back to ESB, i have been looking at the new Hoth battle footage and i'm really not too sure if adding more AT-AT's is the way to go. I've been thinking and i think that the original amount is perfect. Having just a few AT-At's kick the rebels ass really shows the might of the empire. Adding more in was really just a bit of fanwank really if you think about it. Its something that goes under the category "adding it because we can". It really adds nothing. I will be making the battle more intense but not with extra AT-ATs.

Ehh, I would add maybe 1 or 2 extra AT-ATs in the foreground/mid-ground and keep the majority of any extra AT-ATs in the distance/background.  The Empire is going to throw more than 5 AT-ATs just for the troop comlpliment alone, much less the over-kill - WHICH they would do; I mean c'mon Ady, they throw an Executor AND about 6 to 12 Star Destroyers at the Rebels!  You would think that they would have more than 5 AT-ATs. 

Visually your first mod was cluttered, but you could still have the AT-ATs in the far off distant shot before the binoc reveal, and in the first full-frontal shot just keep the extras far in the background ala a second wave.  That way you can keep the 5 up front and the rest don't seem like they're bunched together.  Even so, one or two more  in the foreground or midground (with the first wave of AT-ATs) could work, whereas 3 to 5 or more with the front group looked a bit silly, at least for that first full-frontal shot.

Remember that what made the Death Star attack in ANH:R so memorable was that you filled in the BACKGROUND action.  If you keep a lot of the additional material in the background (like swarms of snowspeeders going after 2 or so AT-ATs in the distance of any of the regular EMPIRE Hoth battle shots; some firefights with snowspeeders strafing AT-STs, etc ala the spinning TIE crashing in the background during the DS battle) THAT would be perfect.  Just open the battle up to more than just the foreground, just like you did with ANH and it will be glorious.

Other ideas for the Hoth battle:
- adding in background elements one would see, such as:

(a) when Wedge is attacking the AT-AT, add in mountains, clouds, and/or a group of snowspeeders in the sky backdrop.  It wouldn't have to be super-detailed since it would be in the distance or (in the case of a group of SS's flying by) blurry.  A lot of those "Wedge Attacks" shots looked like it was on a stage, as well as some of the AT-AT shots where bad things happened to them.  Again, it's the background details that really opened stuff up in ANH:R.

(b) when the 3 AT-ATs are making their final march as we see the Rebels flee the trench (you know, the George Pal WAR OF THE WORLDS troop retreat scene), you could add 2 AT-ATs, one on each end of the V formation, as well as maybe some AT-STs as they're all shooting at the fleeing Rebels, and/or add the wrecked AT-ATs in the background (again, wouldn't have to be any more detailed than billowing smoke). 

Now this add could be kinda MEH like the original AT-AT full-frontal, where it could get easily cluttered.  If anything, just do something simple to test the idea if you're keen to it.  If not, no biggie, though you could at least change the background to accomodate the background terrain ala the valley and the mountains (I believe all you see is white).

-- and for those who will argue "but it's a winter storm" or "duh, evil santa. Snow is kinda WHITE.  You'd think you would know that.  It's not like you live in Florida or something.."  Remember, there was no storm at all during the rest of the battle, and as with the rest of the battle, the weather was clear and sunny and you could see the mountains and all (with the exception of the pre-binoc shot, where the AT-AT dots are coming out of a fog bank).

(c) definitely change the shield generator explosion shot (where the rebel soldier falls from the AT-AT hit in the foreground - hell, maybe add some fire onto the guy or something.. I mean he DID just get hit with an AT-AT blast and all).  Add a transparent shockwave ala what you'd see on those HISTORY channel shows on the military (as opposed to a full-fledged explosion ring) and a better looking explosion.  I mean we ARE talking about a reactor as big as a building or two.  Maybe even do something with the snow as caused by the explosion ala the Wedge AT-AT kill.

And just for fun -not that you would add it in - add a shot from Vader's SD bridge to show the explosion from orbit ala the distant Nakatomi building explosion in DIE HARD - this could be inserted over the "Veers looks to see the explosion he just caused" shot.  Hell, you could not only show the explosion from orbit - it would be relatively small - but you could show the shockwave/shield field collapsing away from the explosion epicenter. 

Think like a muted version of the STARGATE end explosion, but on Hoth's surface/atmosphere and looking down from orbit.  Have a less-defined "ring" to match the transparent one in the initial SG explosion - hell, you could just make the explosion ring/shockwave a transparent blur and show clouds getting pushed back - no colors or actual rings, but the shockwave pushing the clouds away in a circular pattern.  Enough to get the awesomeness of the explosion without getting too Michael Bay about it.  Again, HISTORY CHANNEL military shows are a really good source for realistic expolsion source material.

DEFINITELY add some major bass to the explosion.  My pants should rumble when shield generator explode.  On this note:
Do not forget you can design the AUDIO as well as the video.  You don't have to do any more than add bass effects when they are called for: Wedge AT-AT explosion, SG explosion, you get the idea.