Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released) — Page 89

Where where you a week ago lol. He just sent out the rought copy's to those who wanted to see it, perhaps you could pm him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty7-UrBXp9o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOzZ-MkX27I

That was quite the post up there, Trooperman! I'll have to write a nice review after I watch. Actually, I'll probably watch it like I've watched others and jot down points as I'm wathcing. For now, I'm not reading a lot in this thread, trying not to see too many spoilers. ;)

Thanks for replying, Trooperman! a few thoughts...

"Yes, that’s a major, major problem.  It bothers me a great deal.  I’m still considering how to fix it.  It would be great if there was a long shot with all 3 of them, but of course there isn’t, because this scenario never even happened in AOTC.  So I painted myself into a corner…"

-Hmmm...maybe you could talk to Angel about this...? Or Adywan?  ;)

"People may think they don’t advance the plot…actually, they do.  Without them, you don’t buy that they fall in love.  They are necessary."

-After watching it again and reading your quote above...I'm starting to agree.  :D

"Also, after they land on Naboo, if you notice, I reinstated the deleted parts of the scene and cut out most of the lines they used in AOTC, the supposedly “plot related” lines.  Why?  They’re falling in love.  All I did in that particular scene, by the way, was kept the conversation on personal details, and cut out any time in which Padme berates Anakin like a little boy.   Watch the scene in the original cut to see the difference."

-Actually, I noticed this right off the bat and loved it! The only deleted Naboo scene that I really felt didn't have to be there was Padmes bedroom scene. I personally don't care for all of the forshadowing Lucas did for Vader in the PT. Plus some of Padmes line delivery is terrible: "They were so full of life...they all were."

"Neither am I.  I do like the droid factory.  It went from looking really cheesy to looking really artistic and dangerous looking- almost like a painting sometimes.  I think the music also helped there.  Before, it was a mishmash featuring the love theme prominently (Oh, look!  Padme’s in danger!  Let’s play the love theme.).  The approach I took, though, was that if this were in the OT, the effects and the “newness” of it all (all the machines and everything) would be such that the music would be emphasizing the adventure and the incredible nature of it all.  That’s the thing.  I think the prequels took too much for granted.  Like that flying scene.  The effects are so good now that we’ll just use this light, trivial, music.  WRONG.  Even with CG effects, we need this kind of, “What I’m seeing right now is incredible!” type of music to keep it fresh and innocent, and new.  That’s what I did with the speeder chase in Coruscant.  Watch the old one from AOTC to see what I’m saying. "

-Yes! Definantly. You accomplished this throughout the movie. There is now a feeling of adventure you get...which is pretty much lacking throughout the entire PT. You certainly know you're way around music! That is something lacking in most edits I've seen...including my own  :P

Trooperman said:

 

Voices: Anakin's voice is not horrible...although I think I would try to find someone who has the Vader accent (is it british?). Lama Su is great.

Lama-Su really is great. When I put those scenes together I was shocked. He’s a good actor. He makes this weird long necked creature sound so convincing. He gave him a personality. I was very impressed with that.

 

Wow, thanks guys! So, not bad for a 17 year old then? :P

I guess it's a good thing you didn't let me re-record that dialogue after all (for those of you who aren't Trooperman, a while back I'd asked him if he'd let me redo Lama-Su's dialogue, since I'm now a few years older, my voice is a bit deeper, my accent has improved, etc., but he said it was fine the way it was. I guess it's a good thing I didn't redo it then.)

TM, if you like, I might be able to get access to some better quality recording equipment here at university if you'd want me to take a crack at any other voices.

Oh, and I haven't gotten a chance to watch the whole edit yet (I've had to study for a physics and a calculus test all weekend! BLECH!), but from what I've watched so far: brilliant.

ben_danger said:

cheeky request: would someone t****nt it?

Or RS it, as someone was asking me about as well. It's up to Trooperman, of course.And it would have to be very clearly marked as a rouh draft version if someone did so. Haha.

I got my copy today (thanks again!)...but no sticky note! :o What would it have said? Heh.

Update: I have watched it and though I'm not gonna write a huge review right now, I'll just say that I was quite impressed! :)

Am I seeing this correctly? Did I just miss a chance to get a copy of a rough version of your edit?

Darn.

Is it possible that someone could post a vid on youtube? maybe a few quick scenes with new voice for those who dont have copies?

Yeah, I'd really like to give this a look as well.  Certainly torrenting is an option as is rs.  Another would be the newsgroup option.  Up 'em there and anyone with newsgroup access will have them available for the next year.  Anyway, if someone is able to get it online via any of these methods, I (and I'm sure many others) would be very grateful!

Well, actually I think the idea was that since this was a rough cut, that TM doesn't want it widely distributed. This release was to satisfy people who had been anxiously waiting for this for so long, but with the understanding that you are watching an incomplete product. The moment this gets on RS or torrents, you'd have all sorts of people who have no idea what the heck it is downloading it, then commenting negatively on it because they don't understand the purpose, or because they think it is of poor quality. Every person who recieved a copy, did so with the understanding that they were not to post it online.

C3PX said:

Well, actually I think the idea was that since this was a rough cut, that TM doesn't want it widely distributed. This release was to satisfy people who had been anxiously waiting for this for so long, but with the understanding that you are watching an incomplete product. The moment this gets on RS or torrents, you'd have all sorts of people who have no idea what the heck it is downloading it, then commenting negatively on it because they don't understand the purpose, or because they think it is of poor quality. Every person who recieved a copy, did so with the understanding that they were not to post it online.

 I totally understand just that i would like to see few scenes, as an extended mock up as it were.

C3PX said:

Well, actually I think the idea was that since this was a rough cut, that TM doesn't want it widely distributed. This release was to satisfy people who had been anxiously waiting for this for so long, but with the understanding that you are watching an incomplete product. The moment this gets on RS or torrents, you'd have all sorts of people who have no idea what the heck it is downloading it, then commenting negatively on it because they don't understand the purpose, or because they think it is of poor quality. Every person who recieved a copy, did so with the understanding that they were not to post it online.

That was the idea, yeah.

I know the postal service is kind of slow, but this being unfinished as it is, I didn't really want it widely distributed using torrents and that kind of thing.  Consider this an OT.com exclusive!  As far as sharing a couple scenes over the net, go for it as long as it is made absolutely clear it's a test product, a rough cut, and not final work.  

For anyone who missed the last couple months, feel free to PM me and I will take care of you.  Either someone who has the movie could mail you a copy (I think it's called the pay forward system) or I can maybe send more copies myself when I have time.  Knightmessenger, I remember you from years ago posting on this thread.  Please PM me and I'll get you a copy.  I'm sorry you missed the mailing.

-TM

EDIT: What is the deal with this new forum software?  The "including a quote in your reply" function malfunctions every time I get on this site.  

Thank you!  I was wondering if this was dead or if anyone else was going to say something:)

One thing I've been thinking about a lot is Trooperman's excellent take on the lightsaber duel. One small problem is the way Anakin just vanishes when Yoda shows up, then he jumps out again when the tower starts to fall.  So I've been trying to think of a better way to make Anakin disappear.

(Pending the availablility and feasibility of shots,) maybe we can use the useless "darkness" part to our advantage:

After the power is cut and it goes dark, Anakin turns off his saber and disappears in the darkness. Dooku glances around for a moment and then the power comes back on. Then Yoda shows up, and we continue with it as Trooperman edited.

Possible?

Here's a quick list of changes I made a couple of weeks ago.  I think, if made, this would get the movie in at least a watchable condition.

I agree with Erik 100%, and in fact that's the only thing I can think of to solve the problem.  (That was point 10 on my list)

I will continue to add to this list as we go along, and I think it'll be easier now that we're all getting to be on the same page:

1. Put in Spence as Anakin instead of me.  His voice is more similar to Hayden's, but a lot better.

2. Try Tim for Jar-Jar.  I still like the idea of Australian Jar-Jar, but we already know from Tim's video tests that he has a good setup and that it would be convincing.

3. Mix the music, effects, and dialogue at a consistent volume throughout.

4. Add LFE to the movie (from a technical standpoint, a piece of cake.  What someone could do, actually, is go through the movie and list all the points @ which the bass could use a good kick.  Giving me a list including minutes and seconds, like 44:32, for instance, would make it happen faster).  

5. Remove the 2 Wrath of Khan cues from the asteroid belt (replaced by no scoring).  

6. Put the original kid's voice for Boba Fett back in.  It's not that big a deal.  We can make it through a couple bad lines.  New voice only distracts.

7. Do the rest of Windu's saber shots (I actually forget how I did that, I'll need to read up again).

8. Somehow swap out the Independence Day shots for new Star Wars dogfight shots? (This is a tough one.  Adywan is the only one I know who could do something like that, but he's busy with his own project).  

9. Change the music as Anakin and Padme are flying into Geonosis.  

10. Somehow fix the "Disappearing Anakin" continuity error at the end.  This is a major problem but I don't really know a good way to fix it.  I painted myself into a corner.  I wish I had a shot of all 3 characters in frame, but obviously I don't because the whole scenario was never part of AOTC.  One thing I could do, that's coming to me as I write this, is perhaps splice in quick close-ups of Anakin with the saber over his head (from the previous duel with Dooku), just to remind the audience that he's still there.  I don't really know.  Can anyone else solve this puzzle?

11. Try and make Owen's voice mesh better with the character onscreen.  Right now he has the same symptom that my Anakin does. 

12. Rerecord Mas Amedda with better equipment.  Same actor, hairyhen.  

13. Finish the sound effects for the final battle and mix in the trooper voices more smoothly, especially when the troopers first arrive (really, the sound there should be mostly ship sounds and lasers and explosions, not a bunch of voices all at once.  They're too exposed).  

14. A couple of shots that look too soft: (could you look for these)

15. Maybe remove the extreme close up of Boba when Jango's head is cut off.  Maybe replace it with something else.  

16. Do something about the Blade Runner shots in the cantina.  The really long one, in particular, is probably too recognizable, and there's a frame rate issue with a couple shots.

17. The music as Jar-Jar is proposing his great idea in the Senate might need to be replaced (especially the end, followed by the original music picking up- this sounds awkward).  

18. The "Obi-Wan Kenobi- hand him over to me now" line makes it too long with the camera pointed at the ceiling.  Too stylized for Star Wars.  Maybe I'll shorten the line, or cut the shot out all together.  This scene is not all that important- it gets us from one place to another.

19. Try and rework the arena and the following battle.  Again, I may need new FX shots to do that.  

20. Fix the following errors (I'll start the list):

-When the ship lands on Naboo, the ship and the sound of the ship are several seconds apart.

-After Yoda talks about the shroud of the dark side, in the shot after that, you can tell Obi-Wan is saying something, but he's not supposed to be.

-Fix the very first transition (the iris) and the transition after the funeral.

-Reduce Yoda's jerkiness- increase frame rate, but not 24 fps.  

21. When Windu first pulls out his saber to deflect bullets, I want to try and tighten the editing (may not be necessary)

Trooperman said:

Here's a quick list of changes I made a couple of weeks ago.  I think, if made, this would get the movie in at least a watchable condition.

 

I agree with Erik 100%, and in fact that's the only thing I can think of to solve the problem.  (That was point 10 on my list)

 

I will continue to add to this list as we go along, and I think it'll be easier now that we're all getting to be on the same page:

 

 

 

 

1. Put in Spence as Anakin instead of me.  His voice is more similar to Hayden's, but a lot better.

Have you guys made any definite plans? I still likes your voice though, but can't wait to here Spence!

 

2. Try Tim for Jar-Jar.  I still like the idea of Australian Jar-Jar, but we already know from Tim's video tests that he has a good setup and that it would be convincing.

Yes. But I liked Jar Jar's new lines, keep them.

 

3. Mix the music, effects, and dialogue at a consistent volume throughout.

Definitly!

 

4. Add LFE to the movie (from a technical standpoint, a piece of cake.  What someone could do, actually, is go through the movie and list all the points @ which the bass could use a good kick.  Giving me a list including minutes and seconds, like 44:32, for instance, would make it happen faster).  

I will look around, there are a lot of places really, alot of things sounded very soft, but as you said, not hard to fix.

 

5. Remove the 2 Wrath of Khan cues from the asteroid belt (replaced by no scoring).  

+

 

6. Put the original kid's voice for Boba Fett back in.  It's not that big a deal.  We can make it through a couple bad lines.  New voice only distracts.

Noooooooooo! I thought you did a great job on him, though some parts were iffy, I liked it. Cause as it stood before, it sounded like he had a mental problem when he tried to talk. Maybe it could get re recorded by you, or someone else.

 

7. Do the rest of Windu's saber shots (I actually forget how I did that, I'll need to read up again).

Yes. Maybe you could have someone do it for you who's more experienced.

 

8. Somehow swap out the Independence Day shots for new Star Wars dogfight shots? (This is a tough one.  Adywan is the only one I know who could do something like that, but he's busy with his own project).  

I new exactly what you were going for when you tried to do that, but that its not going to be usable lol. It's like watching Star strek and all of the sudden you see x wings fighting Ties. I would'nt know of how to go about fixing it, sorry.

 

9. Change the music as Anakin and Padme are flying into Geonosis.

Agree. 

 

10. Somehow fix the "Disappearing Anakin" continuity error at the end.  This is a major problem but I don't really know a good way to fix it.  I painted myself into a corner.  I wish I had a shot of all 3 characters in frame, but obviously I don't because the whole scenario was never part of AOTC.  One thing I could do, that's coming to me as I write this, is perhaps splice in quick close-ups of Anakin with the saber over his head (from the previous duel with Dooku), just to remind the audience that he's still there.  I don't really know.  Can anyone else solve this puzzle?

Ponder on this I will.

 

11. Try and make Owen's voice mesh better with the character onscreen.  Right now he has the same symptom that my Anakin does. 

 

Agreed.

 

12. Rerecord Mas Amedda with better equipment.  Same actor, hairyhen.  

Agreed.

 

13. Finish the sound effects for the final battle and mix in the trooper voices more smoothly, especially when the troopers first arrive (really, the sound there should be mostly ship sounds and lasers and explosions, not a bunch of voices all at once.  They're too exposed).

Agreed. 

 

14. A couple of shots that look too soft: (could you look for these)

?

 

15. Maybe remove the extreme close up of Boba when Jango's head is cut off.  Maybe replace it with something else.

Keep, works well emotionaly, by the way, was that a different actor? 

 

16. Do something about the Blade Runner shots in the cantina.  The really long one, in particular, is probably too recognizable, and there's a frame rate issue with a couple shots.

 

I guess.

 

17. The music as Jar-Jar is proposing his great idea in the Senate might need to be replaced (especially the end, followed by the original music picking up- this sounds awkward).  

K

 

18. The "Obi-Wan Kenobi- hand him over to me now" line makes it too long with the camera pointed at the ceiling.  Too stylized for Star Wars.  Maybe I'll shorten the line, or cut the shot out all together.  This scene is not all that important- it gets us from one place to another.

Well, when I was watching that scene and the trial scene, the editing seemed a little "akward" almost confused, but maybe there is a way to fix that.

 

19. Try and rework the arena and the following battle.  Again, I may need new FX shots to do that.  

 

What kind of FX shots? The jedi arrivel and the battle needs to be slightly reworked, it kinda moved too fast, and I don't think the music works as well as it could there (was it mars or something like that) But it worked amazingly when the clone battle started!

 

20. Fix the following errors (I'll start the list):

 

-When the ship lands on Naboo, the ship and the sound of the ship are several seconds apart.

 

-After Yoda talks about the shroud of the dark side, in the shot after that, you can tell Obi-Wan is saying something, but he's not supposed to be.

 

-Fix the very first transition (the iris) and the transition after the funeral.

 

-Reduce Yoda's jerkiness- increase frame rate, but not 24 fps.  

 

21. When Windu first pulls out his saber to deflect bullets, I want to try and tighten the editing (may not be necessary)

 Well, you know me, I had to respond. I will try to help you in whatever way I can, I can't wait till I have a finished copy in my hands someday, either from you, or an edit inspired by you! I have more to add but i will save that for later.

(By the way, is it just me or when dooku rips off that thing from the wall to throw at anakin, the shot needs to be flipped, it almost looks like it comes from the wrong direction.