The Prequel Radical Redux Ideas Thread — Page 180

I've made a revision to the scene adding in more dialogue from Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon.  I'll try to get it online today.

-NJM

The revised edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uad9i3Hu4k

Did a lot of footage manipulation with split screens and time remapping to achieve what I did here.  Also, it seems no matter what I do in ripping footage from the TPM DVD, there are artifacts and glitches in the video quality.  You can see it as early as the STAR WARS logo receeding if you look carefully.  I did not have this issue with either AOTC or ROTS.

-NJM

Wow. Very, very nice job. I actually felt excited by TPM, for once.

I liked the original wide shot of the Federation bridge, but it made it appear as if Viceroy was speaking with TC-14 (who now has no purpose in the scene).  This new edit makes it look like the two Nemoidians are speaking to each other.  The downside is that the scene is a little shorter.  Both versions have their pros and cons.  I'd prefer to keep the wider establishing shot, but I'm trying to sway towards logical scene setups.  I also have a shot in TPM that I feel is poorly animated, as if they never finished rendering the shot.  It's in the Gungan/Droid battle after a billow of smoke clears and a group of the hover tanks apear.  Just looks like a video game graphic with zero detail.

Also, I get now what Lucas said about plot elements being too intertwined to be able to cut out any of the storylines in the climax.  I did cutout the Gungan/Droid battle entirely as just a sequence, but realized that if you remove the Gungans from the end battle, you also have to remove Padmé stepping forward to reveal herself as the true Queen when pleading to Boss Nass.

When compared to the quality in the following two films, much of the CGI in The Phantom Menace is not too good in a few areas.  I would not mind George updating it with more detail just so the vfx are more consistent from film-to-film.  I've also always been put off by the extra filmic look in TPM which seems to mute a lot of the colors throughout.

-NJM

You could replace the droid with a holoscan of Qui-Gon and/or Obi Wan showing their lightsabers (a much better indicator of Jedi knighthood than the word of a droid or clothing style).

Lightsaber = Jedi = Trouble.

Nicholas J. Michalak said:

I also have a shot in TPM that I feel is poorly animated, as if they never finished rendering the shot.  It's in the Gungan/Droid battle after a billow of smoke clears and a group of the hover tanks apear.  Just looks like a video game graphic with zero detail.

I know exactly the bit you mean. Has always stuck out like a sore thumb to me.

Nicholas J. Michalak said:

The revised edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uad9i3Hu4k

Damn, you read my mind Nicholas!

Seriously, I've thought about editing TPM opening (almost) this way two days ago. You stole my idea! ;) haha.

More seriously I really think this could be the way to go for a more "in media res" (in the middle of action) begining.

Well done

Nice work on those TPM openings, guys. Personally I wouldn't change that much, since I think it's the best part of the movie. Some good action and a very fitting introduction of two (main) characters and the Jedi themselves.

I have some suggestions for this scene, if you don't mind:

It never bothered me that Gunray contacted Sidious based on TC14 guessing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were Jedi, but you seem hellbent on changing that, which is fine :P. The cobbled together line by Gunray is very effective, but might it not also work to just change TC14's line into something like "I verified the ambassadors identity and they are Jedi Knights"? It seems very reasonable to me that a protocol droid would know how to recognize a Jedi. Also, a droid is easy to overdub, and it would explain why the droid is still in the scene.

This is a great new introduction for the Jedi: we don't see their faces until they blaze onto the screen in all their ass kicking glory. But I don't think there is enough introduction for the guys of the Trade Federation. Cutting into the middle of a scene, where one of them stands with his back at the camera, isn't a very good introduction for the main 'villains'.

I agree about the introduction for the Jedi, it is good. But don't you think the Neimoidians are being portrayed as puppets already? One of them calls the blockade "your scheme" (to Sidious) and we see them taking orders from, and reporting to Sidious throughout the entire movie. They are puppets alright, but Sidious doesn't really come into action until ROTS. In TPM, and to some extent AOTC, the Neimoidians are our bad guys, or are at least the faces of the bad guys. That's why I think they need a bit more introduction.

Yes, they could have poisoned the drinks, but those were sent before Gunray had even received the order to kill the Jedi from Sidious. ;)

DuTwan said:

SilverKey said:

Yes, they could have poisoned the drinks, but those were sent before Gunray had even received the order to kill the Jedi from Sidious. ;)

 Actually it isnt, the 2nd TF guy said im not going in there with two jedi and then 1st TF guys says send a droid.

ACTUALLY!!!! ;-)

The second guy (Dofine) says both things, but your point is essentially correct.

Well, I'm not hellbent on changing TC-14s assumption that they are Jedi.  It just doesn't fit, anymore.  I could attempt to dub in new dialogue for the droid, but it'll have to do the dialogue myself.  Not sure I have much of a droid-quality voice.

If interested, you can see a small scene of my acting in my own promotional reel @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhjXDbdriRo  It's the third scene in after the montage.  I'm wearing the black biker jacket on the left.

And I'm working on starting my own thread, but that first post is gonna be VERY LONG since I'm working on editing all three prequels at the same time (Episode II is almost done).

-NJM

You guys are right, my mistake! But anyway, if it weren't for the gas, we wouldn't be having this discussion :P

Nicholas J. Michalak, I hope you're not seeing this as an attack on your work, those are just my thoughts. Keep up the good work :)

I'm thinking of creating a rough cut based on this idea, which I'm sure has been suggested before:

I'd like to kill off Qui-Gon in his first duel with Darth Maul on Tatooine. This way, we can skip a lot of the boring dialogue on Coruscant, handily cut out the midichlorian explanation, make Maul seem like more of a threat, and make Qui-Gon's funeral more tragic. I'll try to make a draft of the death seen later on.

i like bingowings suggestion AGES ago of streamlining the film so there is less going back and forth. sadly to achieve this we will need the magic fan edit machine, that is slightly beyond our grasp.

is there any way that the film opens on tatooine, from anakin's perspective. there would also appraoch three parties who interact with him.

1) The Jedi, who have come to take him for training. Anakin would initially refuse as they will not free his mother. "They cannot intervene"

2) The Naboo, crash landed on tatooine, come looking for spaceship parts. They meet Anakin in the shop. Padme explains their dreadful predicament.

3) The Sith, a mysterious dark figure is also hunting Anakin, skulking around menacingly.

after many adventures on tatooine, anakin convinces the Jedi to help the Naboo, offering his training as a bargain.

just some scraps for thought, although no idea how it could be done, and how much would need to be scrapped. would be a shame to lose the pod race as its quite a chunk of the film.

I was also wondering how possible it would be, and if it would be a sound concept. Coruscant material would need to be editted significanlty. I'd love to see the new jedi introduction (ship exploding, jedi out of smoke etc) as an introduction to the naboo battle, with the jedi fighting maul on the main ship.

Killing qui gon on tatooine sounds interesting, how much of the rest of the film be adjusted to suit this?