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Idea & Info: 'Watchmen - The Graphic Novel Cut'...

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 (Edited)

This edit is in the planning stages - as much of the changes I want to make require a great deal of work, this won’t be started until I’ve finished my Star Wars: The Trilogy edits (at least ANH and maybe ESB, depending on when Ady releases ESB:R).  I also need to wait until the Super Extended Cut is released this winter that includes Tales of the Black Freighter incorporated into the film, along with the “bridge” scenes of the kid reading TotBF and the newsvendor talking to him.

But I’m starting this thread now to bounce ideas off of you guys, both for specific edits and for figuring out the more complex stuff that I don’t yet know how to do.

So, here’s my current plan (based on the Director’s Cut):

  • Rebuild most of the audio from the ground up to remove most (if not all) of the songs (possibly to be replaced with more songs quoted in the graphic novel).
  • Specifically, 99 Luftballoons, The Sounds of Silence, Ride of the Valkyries, I’m Your Boogie Man (maybe), Hallelujah (definitely), All Along the Watchtower (possibly to be replaced with Dylan’s original), and Desolation Row (likely to be replaced with Dylan’s original) will be either removed or replaced.
  • Credits sequence will be removed, as will much of the Comedian fight intro - the film will open with a simple black-on-yellow (or vice versa) WATCHMEN title, followed by the pan up from the smiley-face pin to the cops talking about Blake’s murder, which will be intercut with relevant portions of the removed intro - Rorschach’s narration might start here as in the GN as well
  • Cops seeing/shooting at Rorschach (added to DC) will be removed
  • Hollis/Dan seeing Rorschach news story on TV (added to DC) will be removed (this also fixes an error made by the newscaster, who says that the Keene Act was passed “six years ago,” which would either mean the Keene act was passed in '79 when it was actually '77, or that the current year was '83 instead of the established '85)
  • Dan asking Rorschach about the cops/news story (I believe this was added to the DC) will be removed
  • Gunga Diner patron’s line “I’m glad I ordered the four-legged chicken” will be cut.  I mean, really?  What the fuck?
  • Laurie/multiple-Manhattans sex scene shortened
  • Over-the-top aspects of Laurie/Dan vs. knot-tops toned down
  • Over-the-top aspects of Veidt’s assassination attempt toned down (perhaps - I don’t have a huge problem with the scene as is)
  • “Fingerprint scan” in Dan’s goggles removed
  • Sex scene shortened considerably, plus new music
  • Prison fight sequence shortened considerably
  • I’d love to get rid of the “Rameses II” book sitting right next to Veidt’s computer and let Dan figure it out the way he did in the graphic novel, but I don’t think it’d be possible
  • I’d also love to insert an explanation for Bubastis and Rorschach’s mask, but I also don’t think either one of those would be possible
  • No superhuman feats during the Veidt/Dan/Rorschach fight (though the bullet thing will, of course, stay) - this will be tricky
  • Rorschach will die alone as in the graphic novel (I’ve decided that if I can’t make this work, I won’t bother with the rest of the edit)
  • No Dan beating the shit out of Veidt after Rorschach’s death (since he won’t witness it this won’t make sense)
  • Cut “Tonight, a comedian died in New York” narration at the very end - it will just be “Rorschach’s journal, October 12th, 1985,” then credits
  • All Director’s Cut additions that are not mentioned in this list will stay
  • Tales of the Black Freighter will be woven throughout the film (assuming it doesn’t hurt the pacing of the film too badly)

Here’s one thing I already know I’ll have trouble with:

It’ll be relatively easy to edit Dan out of Rorschach’s death with the exception of two shots.  First, when Rorschach starts to take his mask off, Dan is in the background, and Dr. Manhattan’s glow is in front of Dan.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to erase Dan without fucking up the blue glow.  Second, when Manhattan explodes Rorschach, Dan is behind him as he explodes.  It will be difficult to erase Dan while keeping all the chunks of Rorschach intact.

Much of the music that I’ll be removing will be replaced with Philip Glass - since this precedent is already set by the use of Koyaanisqatsi music during Dr. Manhattan’s origin story, I feel it’s appropriate.

Any and all suggestions and advice are welcome - that’s what I started this thread for, after all.  So what do you guys think?

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I have not seen this yet so I can't comment yet,but I do want to see it bad,looks very interesting,so which version should 1 buy,the Director's Cut Blu-ray or the Theatrical Cut DVD?,the Theatrical version won't be on the Blu-ray according to everything I read,hell I might just get both.

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dark_jedi said:

I have not seen this yet so I can't comment yet,but I do want to see it bad,looks very interesting,so which version should 1 buy,the Director's Cut Blu-ray or the Theatrical Cut DVD?,the Theatrical version won't be on the Blu-ray according to everything I read,hell I might just get both.

 

Getting both is not a bad idea. I watched the Theatrical cut in theaters, and I've seen the DC as well, and they're both very good in their own ways. Theatrical cut is tighter, but the DC is more fleshed-out and perfected. Some of the editing choices that the studio made Snyder make, to cut down on time, really hurt the critical and box-office reception, I think, even though, to me, the TC is still a fantastic film.

Currently looking for the following preservations: V8 A Final Attempt by Arnie.D, Pre-ANH Bootleg Telecine, Starkiller '77 bootleg, LD OT by Cowclops, LD OT by Dr. Gonzo, LD OT by Farsight, LD OT by ISOMIX, LD OT by Dark/Sega Take 1, TPM Theatrical by Adywan, OT - Deliberate Creative, OCPMovie's Classic Editions, Pan & Scan O-OT Project, LD OT by EditDroid, Lucasfilm Pwnage Editions, Negative1 CED Preservations, Starkiller CED Preservation, Rowman bonus discs, BLAK0004, BLAK0009, BLAK0010, BLAK0016, BLAK0017, BLAK0029, BLAK0040, BLAK0046, BLAK0047-0050. Also a good preservation of the 97 SEs.

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ChainsawAsh said:

So, here's my current plan (based on the Director's Cut):

- Rebuild most of the audio from the ground up to remove most (if not all) of the songs (possibly to be replaced with more songs quoted in the graphic novel).
- Specifically, 99 Luftballoons, The Sounds of Silence, Ride of the Valkyries, I'm Your Boogie Man (maybe), Hallelujah (definitely), All Along the Watchtower (possibly to be replaced with Dylan's original), and Desolation Row (likely to be replaced with Dylan's original) will be either removed or replaced. [[I totally disagree on these choices. Sound of Silence, Ride of the Valkyries, I'm Your Boogie Man, Hallelujah, and All Along the Watchtower worked perfectly. Can you explain why you want them out of the flick? I understand some people really dislike the Desolation Row cover for some reason, although personally I thought it was fantastic, and the only remotely interesting thing MCR has ever done.]]
- Credits sequence will be removed, as will much of the Comedian fight intro - the film will open with a simple black-on-yellow (or vice versa) WATCHMEN title, followed by the pan up from the smiley-face pin to the cops talking about Blake's murder, which will be intercut with relevant portions of the removed intro - Rorschach's narration might start here as in the GN as well [[You're leaving some fo the fight in for flashbacks, right? There are supposed to be quick flashbacks to the fight sequence.]]
- Cops seeing/shooting at Rorschach (added to DC) will be removed [[Yeah.]]
- Hollis/Dan seeing Rorschach news story on TV (added to DC) will be removed (this also fixes an error made by the newscaster, who says that the Keene Act was passed "six years ago," which would make it '79, when it's supposed to be '77)
- Dan asking Rorschach about the cops/news story (I believe this was added to the DC) will be removed
- Laurie/multiple-Manhattans sex scene shortened
- Over-the-top aspects of Laurie/Dan vs. knot-tops toned down [[That gets talked about a lot, but I remember it being pretty violent in the comics.]]
- Over-the-top aspects of Veidt's assassination attempt toned down (perhaps - I don't have a huge problem with the scene as is)
- "Fingerprint scan" in Dan's goggles removed
- Sex scene shortened considerably, plus new music
- Prison fight sequence shortened considerably
- I'd love to get rid of the "Rameses II" book sitting right next to Veidt's computer and let Dan figure it out the way he did in the GN, but I don't think it'd be possible
- I'd also love to insert an explanation for Bubastis and Rorschach's mask, but I also don't think either one of those would be possible
- No superhuman feats during the Veidt/Dan/Rorschach fight (though the bullet thing will, of course, stay) - this will be tricky
- Rorschach will die alone as in the GN
- No Dan beating the shit out of Veidt after Rorschach's death (since he won't witness it this won't make sense)
- Cut "Tonight, a comedian died in New York" narration at the very end - it will just be "Rorschach's journal, October 12th, 1985," then credits
- All Director's Cut additions that are not mentioned in this list will stay
- Tales of the Black Freighter will be woven throughout the film (assuming it doesn't hurt the pacing of the film too badly)

Here's one thing I already know I'll have trouble with:

It'll be relatively easy to edit Dan out of Rorschach's death with the exception of two shots.  First, when Rorschach starts to take his mask off, Dan is in the background, and Dr. Manhattan's glow is in front of Dan.  I don't know if I'll be able to erase Dan without fucking up the blue glow.  Second, when Manhattan explodes Rorschach, Dan is behind him as he explodes.  It will be difficult to erase Dan while keeping all the chunks of Rorschach intact.

Much of the music that I'll be removing will be replaced with Philip Glass - since this precedent is already set by the use of Koyaanisqatsi music during Dr. Manhattan's origin story, I feel it's appropriate.

Any and all suggestions and advice are welcome - that's what I started this thread for, after all.  So what do you guys think?

 

Replies are in bold/italics.

Currently looking for the following preservations: V8 A Final Attempt by Arnie.D, Pre-ANH Bootleg Telecine, Starkiller '77 bootleg, LD OT by Cowclops, LD OT by Dr. Gonzo, LD OT by Farsight, LD OT by ISOMIX, LD OT by Dark/Sega Take 1, TPM Theatrical by Adywan, OT - Deliberate Creative, OCPMovie's Classic Editions, Pan & Scan O-OT Project, LD OT by EditDroid, Lucasfilm Pwnage Editions, Negative1 CED Preservations, Starkiller CED Preservation, Rowman bonus discs, BLAK0004, BLAK0009, BLAK0010, BLAK0016, BLAK0017, BLAK0029, BLAK0040, BLAK0046, BLAK0047-0050. Also a good preservation of the 97 SEs.

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Jono11 said:

 [[I totally disagree on these choices. Sound of Silence, Ride of the Valkyries, I'm Your Boogie Man, Hallelujah, and All Along the Watchtower worked perfectly. Can you explain why you want them out of the flick? I understand some people really dislike the Desolation Row cover for some reason, although personally I thought it was fantastic, and the only remotely interesting thing MCR has ever done.]]

Sounds of Silence *may* stay, but I'm not sure ... it just feels a bit too un-subtle for the scene, but it's one of the less offensive ones.  In the GN, The Comedians by Elvis Costello is quoted during this scene, so I'll look into maybe using this instead.

Ride of the Valkyries made me laugh my ass off in the movie theater ... and that's not what you're supposed to be doing at that point in the film.

I'm Your Boogie Man may also stay, we'll see about that one.

Hallelujah - are you kidding me?  That's fucking gone.  Period.  Ugh.

All Along the Watchtower was another beating-you-over-the-head-with-how-clever-Zack-Snyder-is moment.  But as the song is quoted in the graphic novel during this scene, I might try to replace it with Bob Dylan's original version, but Hendrix's is just too in-your-face for the scene.

And I loathe the MCR Desolation Row.  It's gone.  There's nothing anyone can say to me to make me keep that, so I'd like to respectfully ask everyone to not try to change my mind about this - it won't happen.  Consider this change already made.

Jono11 said:
[[You're leaving some fo the fight in for flashbacks, right? There are supposed to be quick flashbacks to the fight sequence.]]
ChainsawAsh said:
pan up from the smiley-face pin to the cops talking about Blake's murder, which will be intercut with relevant portions of the removed intro

Yes, the flashbacks will be there, as stated.

Jono11 said:
- Over-the-top aspects of Laurie/Dan vs. knot-tops toned down [[That gets talked about a lot, but I remember it being pretty violent in the comics.]]

Yeah, but nowhere in the GN does Dan make someone's bone pop through his arm.  It'll still be brutal, it's just that when you throw in things like that, it's no longer brutal, it becomes a parody of itself.  I'm trying to avoid that in my edit.

dark_jedi said:

I have not seen this yet so I can't comment yet,but I do want to see it bad,looks very interesting,so which version should 1 buy,the Director's Cut Blu-ray or the Theatrical Cut DVD?,the Theatrical version won't be on the Blu-ray according to everything I read,hell I might just get both.

If you don't mind sitting through a 3-hour movie, I'd recommend the director's cut (though the theatrical cut is pretty long in itself) - there are things removed from the theatrical version that made no sense to me whatsoever, as they're pretty crucial to the story.

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ChainsawAsh said:

This edit is in the planning stages - as much of the changes I want to make require a great deal of work, this won't be started until I've finished my Star Wars: The Trilogy edits (at least ANH and maybe ESB, depending on when Ady releases ESB:R).  I also need to wait until the Super Extended Cut is released this winter that includes Tales of the Black Freighter incorporated into the film, along with the "bridge" scenes of the kid reading TotBF and the newsvendor talking to him.

But I'm starting this thread now to bounce ideas off of you guys, both for specific edits and for figuring out the more complex stuff that I don't yet know how to do.

So, here's my current plan (based on the Director's Cut):

- Rebuild most of the audio from the ground up to remove most (if not all) of the songs (possibly to be replaced with more songs quoted in the graphic novel).
- Specifically, 99 Luftballoons, The Sounds of Silence, Ride of the Valkyries, I'm Your Boogie Man (maybe), Hallelujah (definitely), All Along the Watchtower (possibly to be replaced with Dylan's original), and Desolation Row (likely to be replaced with Dylan's original) will be either removed or replaced.
- Credits sequence will be removed, as will much of the Comedian fight intro - the film will open with a simple black-on-yellow (or vice versa) WATCHMEN title, followed by the pan up from the smiley-face pin to the cops talking about Blake's murder, which will be intercut with relevant portions of the removed intro - Rorschach's narration might start here as in the GN as well
- Cops seeing/shooting at Rorschach (added to DC) will be removed
- Hollis/Dan seeing Rorschach news story on TV (added to DC) will be removed (this also fixes an error made by the newscaster, who says that the Keene Act was passed "six years ago," which would make it '79, when it's supposed to be '77)
- Dan asking Rorschach about the cops/news story (I believe this was added to the DC) will be removed
- Laurie/multiple-Manhattans sex scene shortened
- Over-the-top aspects of Laurie/Dan vs. knot-tops toned down
- Over-the-top aspects of Veidt's assassination attempt toned down (perhaps - I don't have a huge problem with the scene as is)
- "Fingerprint scan" in Dan's goggles removed
- Sex scene shortened considerably, plus new music
- Prison fight sequence shortened considerably
- I'd love to get rid of the "Rameses II" book sitting right next to Veidt's computer and let Dan figure it out the way he did in the GN, but I don't think it'd be possible
- I'd also love to insert an explanation for Bubastis and Rorschach's mask, but I also don't think either one of those would be possible
- No superhuman feats during the Veidt/Dan/Rorschach fight (though the bullet thing will, of course, stay) - this will be tricky
- Rorschach will die alone as in the GN
- No Dan beating the shit out of Veidt after Rorschach's death (since he won't witness it this won't make sense)
- Cut "Tonight, a comedian died in New York" narration at the very end - it will just be "Rorschach's journal, October 12th, 1985," then credits
- All Director's Cut additions that are not mentioned in this list will stay
- Tales of the Black Freighter will be woven throughout the film (assuming it doesn't hurt the pacing of the film too badly)

Here's one thing I already know I'll have trouble with:

It'll be relatively easy to edit Dan out of Rorschach's death with the exception of two shots.  First, when Rorschach starts to take his mask off, Dan is in the background, and Dr. Manhattan's glow is in front of Dan.  I don't know if I'll be able to erase Dan without fucking up the blue glow.  Second, when Manhattan explodes Rorschach, Dan is behind him as he explodes.  It will be difficult to erase Dan while keeping all the chunks of Rorschach intact.

Much of the music that I'll be removing will be replaced with Philip Glass - since this precedent is already set by the use of Koyaanisqatsi music during Dr. Manhattan's origin story, I feel it's appropriate.

Any and all suggestions and advice are welcome - that's what I started this thread for, after all.  So what do you guys think?

Not bad suggestions, but I disagree with cutting the last line of the film. Having just "Rorschach's journal, October 12th, 1985" is empty, and the line "Tonight, a comedian died in New York" brings the story full circle nicely.

 

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 (Edited)

But the line in the journal is "Rorschach's journal, October 12th, 1985.  Dog carcass in alley this morning ... " - it's bugged me since I saw the film in theaters.  "Tonight, a comedian died in New York" is in the journal much later and isn't preceded by a date.  It just feels to me like the filmmakers think the audience is stupid and won't understand what's going on otherwise.

Not to mention, in the graphic novel, the last line is "I leave it entirely in your hands" as Seymour reaches for the journal - there's no repetition of "Rorschach's journal, October .... " at all.

--EDIT--

Oh, I thought of one more addition - the ending quote of the graphic novel will be inserted before the end credits:

------------------------------------------

Quis custodiet
ipsos custodes.

Who watches the watchmen?

—Juvenal, Satires, VI, 347
Quoted as the epigraph of the Tower
Commission Report, 1987

------------------------------------------

Note that "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" will, as in the GN, be larger text than the rest, which will all be the same size.

I may also look into using Sanities by John Cale (quoted at the end of the GN just before the above quote) during the end credits.  I don't know the song, though, so I don't know how well it would fit, but I like the quote Moore used from it: "It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in."

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 (Edited)

Sounds great so far. I'd also trim some of the other violence as well. Rorschach putting the cleaver into the dude's head was not only over the top, the effect was bad. Additionally, during the prison riot, there's the moment where they cut the dude's arms off. Not that these acts of violence shouldn't be suggested, they're just too gruesome.

I agree with you on the songs. I love most of them individually, but I didn't feel any of them worked in the movie. They all just seemed distracting and out of place despite some of the subtext being correct.

I'd also suggest dialing back on Richard Nixon. The makeup looked god awful.

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ShiftyEyes said:

Sounds great so far. I'd also trim some of the other violence as well. Rorschach putting the cleaver into the dude's head was not only over the top, the effect was bad. Additionally, during the prison riot, there's the moment where they cut the dude's arms off. Not that these acts of violence shouldn't be suggested, they're just too gruesome.

I agree with you on the songs. I love most of them individually, but I didn't feel any of them worked in the movie. They all just seemed distracting and out of place despite some of the subtext being correct.

I'd also suggest dialing back on Richard Nixon. The makeup looked god awful.

Agreed on all counts. Honestly, It took me quite a while to realise that was supposed to be Nixon.

regarding the violence, it might be more effective to not actually see some of that stuff, kind of like when Rorschach follows Big Figure into the toilets, We don't see what happened in there but we can imagine it was fairly gruesome.

regarding the music - as long as you get the godawful cover of Desolation Row out of there I really don't mind what else you do. I really have no idea why they decided to put that in there. I'm totally cool with the song I just [really really] hate that cover of it.

More Phillip Glass and more Bob Dylan :)

Have you [ChainsawAsh] considered possibly doing this as a miniseries rather than a ridiculously long film?

Also it might help if you start posting images of the scenes you are having trouble with, once you have your hands on a copy of the film - at least in terms of brainstorming solutions.

 

 

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I don't think there's enough material available to make it into a decent miniseries, but I could look into doing 20- or 30-minute segments.  They wouldn't be the exact same chapters as the graphic novel (obviously, since that would be 5 and a half hours long if each chapter was 20 to 30 minutes), but it might work.

Honestly, I don't have a problem with it being a long film - I have the near-5 hour version of Das Boot and love it to death.  I may not ever watch it in one sitting, but it's still one of my favorite films of all time.  (Never seen the 3.5 hour director's cut or the 2-hour US theatrical version.)

I'll look into less Nixon.  No promises there (it's generally unavoidable).

Definitely more Philip Glass, I'd like to use more Dylan (I'm going to try to find a new spot for The Times They Are A-Changin' since I'm removing the credits).  In re-reading the graphic novel, I've discovered that Desolation Row is quoted in the first chapter, so I'll look into placing it in that section of the film if possible.  If not, so be it.  It'll likely go in the credits, mainly since I can't find that John Cale song (Sanities) fucking anywhere.

Here are the Rorschach's-death-scene shots I'll likely have trouble with, and they all involve removing Dan from the image:

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I don't know that you can really cut Dan out of that sequence. Looks pretty ridiculously hard.

 

On a more positive note, you can find that Cale song on Pirate Bay. Do a search for "Music for a New Society."

Currently looking for the following preservations: V8 A Final Attempt by Arnie.D, Pre-ANH Bootleg Telecine, Starkiller '77 bootleg, LD OT by Cowclops, LD OT by Dr. Gonzo, LD OT by Farsight, LD OT by ISOMIX, LD OT by Dark/Sega Take 1, TPM Theatrical by Adywan, OT - Deliberate Creative, OCPMovie's Classic Editions, Pan & Scan O-OT Project, LD OT by EditDroid, Lucasfilm Pwnage Editions, Negative1 CED Preservations, Starkiller CED Preservation, Rowman bonus discs, BLAK0004, BLAK0009, BLAK0010, BLAK0016, BLAK0017, BLAK0029, BLAK0040, BLAK0046, BLAK0047-0050. Also a good preservation of the 97 SEs.

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Yeah, it'll be difficult, but damn it, I'm gonna try.

And I just DL'ed the Cale song and listened to it ... not sure if it'd work well for the credits, but I like the idea of the ending line ("A stronger loving world, to die in") playing as Seymour reaches for Rorschach's journal, cutting off abruptly as the screen cuts to black.

If it comes across as too contrived, I won't use it, but I'll see if I can get it to fit.  Right now, though, it looks like Dylan's Desolation Row (original!) will work best for the ending.

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regarding cutting out Dan, Have you considered just moving around the other elements of the shot? - Please forgive the crudeness of the mockup...

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That's an interesting idea, but then there's a lot of dead space in the frame - I'd prefer to just digitally erase Dan rather than move everybody around.

Of course, if it turns out to be the only (or best) way of doing it, I might be stuck.

I'm also considering doing this edit at 1080p, mainly just to see if I can.  If I end up doing that, this part will be that much more difficult.  But the result will, IMO, be worth it.

So far, here's what I'm planning release-wise:

If 480p Source:

- First release will be a 2GB mp4 or AVI - this will be a "quality control" or "work in progress" sent out to a select few people to see if everything flows properly, which will give me time to get some feedback and make any additional changes
- Second release will be a movie-only (no menus, nothing) DVD-5 (possibly two, with the movie split into two parts if it's too long)
- Third release will be the final DVD-9, with menus and extras, which I will send out with printed disc art and DVD cover (may also end up being two discs, depending on quality and length of the final film)

If 1080p Source:

- First release will be mp4/AVI same as above (480p) to get feedback on editing decisions (this doesn't need to be in HD at all)
- Second release will be 1080p MKV (probably DVD-9 sized for ease of transportation), to make sure that any effects shots that have been done at 1080p resolution still hold up at 1080p - this will only be sent out to certain people and will not be widely distributed or torrented, as the next two releases will cancel it out
- Third release will be a BD-9 (Blu-Ray format on a DVD-9, same as Adywan's AVCHD projects) of the final version, which may or may not be movie-only with no menus
- Fourth release will be a ~14GB 1080p MKV, for those who prefer to watch on their computers
- Fifth release will be a DVD-9, just like as above (menus/extras) - I won't be leaving the SD people behind if I do this in 1080p :-)
- Sixth release will be a BD-25 (single-layer Blu-Ray).  Note that as I don't have a Blu-Ray burner/disc drive and I'm on a MacBook Pro, this might just end up as a disc image or BDMV files on a hard drive that I send to someone who *does* have a Blu-Ray burner
- Seventh release will be a BD-50 (dual-layer Blu-Ray).  I'm doing both a single- and dual-layer Blu-Ray release because not only is having a Blu-Ray burner pretty rare right now, but having dual-layer capacity (and even having those ungodly-expensive dual-layer BD-R's) is even rarer.  But as Wookiegromer has proven, there are people who'd definitely appreciate such a release.  This would also end up being my personal copy.

Note that if I do a 1080p version, in all likelihood the only SD release will be the DVD-9.  That's because I don't want to compromise quality, but I don't want to leave SD people behind.  I understand that a lot of people would rather have a DVD-5, but I'm sure whoever torrents the DVD-9 (I have no idea how to torrent anything) will be able to make a movie-only DVD-5 version as well.  But I'll be focused on the many 1080p versions after the DVD-9 is done.

This is all still theoretical, though - I'm just planning this all out in advance so I know what I'm doing when I get to the editing stage.  And this will get done, I'm not trying to get everyone's hopes up just to forget about this later or anything ... but don't get your hopes up about 1080p because that's a shit-ton more work than 480p, and I'm still not sure whether I want to commit to that.  But it's a possibility.

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In regards to the Dan-removal, how doable is it to replace the entire backdrop with stock footage of the Arctic? Then you get rid of the dead space, and I'm pretty sure that in the comics, Rorschach was facing Ozy's base, rather than facing away from it.

Currently looking for the following preservations: V8 A Final Attempt by Arnie.D, Pre-ANH Bootleg Telecine, Starkiller '77 bootleg, LD OT by Cowclops, LD OT by Dr. Gonzo, LD OT by Farsight, LD OT by ISOMIX, LD OT by Dark/Sega Take 1, TPM Theatrical by Adywan, OT - Deliberate Creative, OCPMovie's Classic Editions, Pan & Scan O-OT Project, LD OT by EditDroid, Lucasfilm Pwnage Editions, Negative1 CED Preservations, Starkiller CED Preservation, Rowman bonus discs, BLAK0004, BLAK0009, BLAK0010, BLAK0016, BLAK0017, BLAK0029, BLAK0040, BLAK0046, BLAK0047-0050. Also a good preservation of the 97 SEs.

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No, in the comic, Rorschach and Dr. M are facing each other with the base to Dr. M's right and Rorschach's left.  I honestly think it'd be easier to erase Dan than to isolate and create an entirely new background.

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I know the comic often quotes songs and stuff at the end of each chapter, but I wouldn't use them in the movie - maybe credits or whatever. Even if a quoted lyric has relevance to the story, more often than not, the song just doesn't fit the mood of the scene. For example, I really can't see any version of "All Along the Watchtower" fitting that scene from the movie that Snyder placed it in.

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You're most likely right, and if any songs that I try out don't work, I simply won't use them.  But I feel it's worth a try either way.

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This edit will officially not begin until at least December - JasonN posted this over at the Fanedit.org forums:

So it looks like this version won't be out until December.

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well I am going to watch the Blu-ray Director's Cut right now.

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I hope you enjoy it - it's much better than the theatrical IMO, though there are some additions (mentioned above) that I feel hurt the movie.  But it's worth it for the Hollis Mason scene alone.

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I like the idea of pretty much all of these changes. It'd be a shame to see the opening credits sequence go (I thought it was one of the best parts of the movie, personally), but I understand why you'd toss it, as this is "The Graphic Novel Cut" and all. :P

http://i.imgur.com/7N84TM8.jpg

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I just think it goes on for too long, and there are a few aspects of it that I think go directly against the established history of the Watchmen universe, such as the picture of the "Watchmen" (Crimebusters in the GN) being taken when they never actually formed a group, Dr. M on the moon (a "WTF?" moment for me), the Comedian killing Kennedy (hinted at in the GN, but you're never sure if the Comedian is just joking or telling the truth), and the prominent featuring of the lesbian Minuteman (Minutewoman?) whose identity and purpose are never made clear throughout the rest of the film ...

I may trim it down (the credits are 6 minutes and the real song is 3 minutes!) and keep it, but it's most likely going to go.

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ChainsawAsh said:

the prominent featuring of the lesbian Minuteman (Minutewoman?) whose identity and purpose are never made clear throughout the rest of the film ...

I think her purpose, within the story, was simply to be what she was in the credit sequence: a demonstration of the disparity between the exterior and the interior of these superheroes.

Currently looking for the following preservations: V8 A Final Attempt by Arnie.D, Pre-ANH Bootleg Telecine, Starkiller '77 bootleg, LD OT by Cowclops, LD OT by Dr. Gonzo, LD OT by Farsight, LD OT by ISOMIX, LD OT by Dark/Sega Take 1, TPM Theatrical by Adywan, OT - Deliberate Creative, OCPMovie's Classic Editions, Pan & Scan O-OT Project, LD OT by EditDroid, Lucasfilm Pwnage Editions, Negative1 CED Preservations, Starkiller CED Preservation, Rowman bonus discs, BLAK0004, BLAK0009, BLAK0010, BLAK0016, BLAK0017, BLAK0029, BLAK0040, BLAK0046, BLAK0047-0050. Also a good preservation of the 97 SEs.

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True.  To be fair, I am considering cutting in that clip (and others) while Rorschach's narration concerning them is brought up ("Silhouette, a victim of her own hedonistic lifestyle" or whatever it was - I can also use the Mothman footage here while he's being taken to the asylum, and Dollar Bill in the revolving door).