I know Ady isn't going to do this with ESB:R but it would be nice to see the AT-ST's scouting for targets:
Okay, now see the background here? That is what I was complaining about that new shot Ady created: notice how the mountains and the snow plain look like there is some distance between them up above. I know everyone disagrees with me but the Ady shot looks like 3 models on a set.
Adywan said:
well for one this is a painting and its viewpoint is a high angle so you can see more of the ground that's beyond the path of the AT-AT. in my shot its a very low angle which you can't see the full scope of the ground behind the snow mound that is in front of the closest AT-AT. Plus in my new shot the background, including the snow ground is taken from a photograph so how you think that adding a real element makes the new shot look less realistic than the original which has a foreground and background painted matte is beyond me.
I'm just talking about the general background in regards to how the snow plain meets the mountains in the distance - not the high contrast or STAR WARS elements of the image itself.
Notice how the mountains have the atmospheric haze and aren't super detailed. And as far as photographs or paintings go (matte or otherwise), all I can do is say what looks good "to me". Again, I am not saying that super high contrast is what I like; I like how you can see depth in the snow plain and the mountains look like they are far away. The added-in elements throw the scale off (as the snow trooper and the AT-ST are out of proportion - going by this shot and where the AT-ST feet should be, the trooper would be floating in the air a good 10 feet or so):
The ground itself looks like it is at eye level, but going by the AT-AT it is around 50 feet up. Regardless, my point is of scale and recession of detail and vanishing points to the land element of the image (not the AT-AT, AT-ST or snow trooper).
- Another EMPIRE - HOTH idea: would it be possible to add clips of snow troopers opening up panels on the sides of the AT-ATs to shoot at rebel troops and/or the snow speeders? I'm thinking along the lines of something like the Oliphant shots in LOTR: RETURN OF THE KING or NAUSICAA when the 4 cargo planes are attacked. Note: this is not so much for EMPIRE:R as just an idea for any editors.
And Ady:
you don't have to argue with me; I know that what you have done is pretty much it (that's also why I'm putting this comment here in the ESB wishlist thread and not the ESB:R one). I am not going to try to convince you to change what you've put a lot of work into, so any of my messages regarding this scene is me trying to interpret what I am thinking for others as well as add suggestions for another edit, not me trying to change your decision.
For "me":
The original shot of Luke going up underneath the AT-AT (in the 2004 OT dvd) appears as if the camera is on the ground looking up a bit. The Hoth battle shot in EMPIRE:R looks to be about 40 to 50 feet up looking not quite straight across the plain on a level view. If the shot in ESB:R is a "ground level" shot (or close to it - around 10 feet up or so), then the other walkers need to be a little lower than the one in front of it.
It's like taking your hand and leveling it - the tips of the fingers are roughly at the same level as the base of the thumb. If you tilt your hand 35 to 45 degrees, naturally the tips of the fingers are lower than the thumb base. If we are looking up at the AT-AT from roughly ground level, the same should apply to the AT-ATs behind the one Luke attacks, in that there should be a 35 to 45 degree slope (+ or - some degrees) between the backs of the AT-ATs, so each one is not just further back (even if it is just a bit) but lower than the previous one.
I will post some photoshop images to illustrate some time tomorrow or Monday.
It is just "for me" a bit on the flat side, since it looks like all 3 AT-ATs are close together (yes, I know the previous shot and how they are stacked together a bit) and almost at the same height. Combined with the ground not appearing to recede and the mountains starting up (in comparison to the AT-ATs) maybe 50 to 100 feet behind them, or about 5 feet behind the models, combined with the static vertical sky... there is just not something working "for me" - it could be where the ground connects into the mountains - maybe if the mountains were farther back and there was a more evident snow plain that receded farther back, or some clouds that went back to show a more horizontal plain of clouds to add depth, I dunno.
All I can do is offer my point of view and if there are arguments, to then expand that POV to try to further explain why its there.
EDIT - I guess another nitpick would be:
if there are only 5 AT-ATs attacking the rebels, and we see Wedge destroy one and Luke destroy another, that leaves the 3 we see attacking the rebel line. Now I would have thought that someone could ADD the other 2 AT-ATs in, and when Veers gives the order to concetrate all forward fire power on the shield generators you would see the remaining 3 AT-ATs fire simultaneously on the shield generator.
I guess a plot problem with Luke destroying the starboard AT-AT and an unknown rebel destroying the port AT-AT (to Veers, in the center) is that:
(1) it leaves only Veers and maybe 20 snow troopers to take on, what, a few hundred rebels? Granted, with the shield generator down, untold numbers can come down "now", but still...
(2) more importantly, I always took it as Luke went after the AT-AT that stepped on his snow speeder. When he crashed, Luke was quite a distance from the rebel trench line - even so, the one that just stepped on his speeder wouldn't be that far away, even if it could move faster than a human can run. How would Luke be able to run the distance from his crashed speeder to the front wave of 3 AT-ATs? Would this mean that the shot of Luke getting shot down has to be changed to show the 3 AT-AT line?
(3) this still leaves the 5th AT-AT covering the outer flank of the front 3. Naturally, it is probably going to get destroyed, but it still has to be dealt with regardless.