Info Wanted: How to cut unimportant stuff and still make sense?

Like in the case of A New Hope. If I wanted to make a all-in-one OT 2 hr movie. To get the Droids from the ship to the farm and out to Obi-Wan’s as fast as you can. How do you cut the Jawa stuff and the droids splitting up etc. and have it still make sense of how they ended up with Luke.

I know this is a really basic question. It just seems like that is the key to making fan edits in general. Plenty stuff that isn’t that important, but you need it to get from here to there.

You could have the escape pod crash land on Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen burning their house down and Luke could then just go and find out what all this Obi-Wan business is all about.

That would cut quite a bit out of the beginning ;-)

princethomas said:

Wow. That is awesome! I knew I came to the right place. It has a very Wizard of Oz feel to it, that I think the OT was lacking too.

Uh.....have I entered a mirror universe?

Probably :-D

I would've thought if you were going to compare any Star Wars movie to Wizard of Oz, ANH would be the FIRST thing you think of. But that's just me.

Ok. Perhaps. I meant it was lacking a house falling on someone specifically.

Anyway. Im currently working on an all-in-one Saga 6 movies in 4 hrs cut. And its just somewhat frustrating to deal with some of the connective tissue that isn't all that important.

princethomas said:

Ok. Perhaps. I meant it was lacking a house falling on someone specifically.

 

Anyway. Im currently working on an all-in-one Saga 6 movies in 4 hrs cut. And its just somewhat frustrating to deal with some of the connective tissue that isn't all that important.

I never said it was going to be easy. And I know its likely not possible to do perfectly. But I just want to try it.

But as with any kind of edit. Im sure you get what Im saying. How do you cut a scene that isn't needed for anything other than show how a character got to the next scene?

bobgarcia74..I agree. My plan is to create a new crawl and then pan down and have the very first shot be the Trade Federation ships beginning the invasion. Cutting all of the first 10 minutes or so.

Nice work on the video

It's actually rather simple.

What you do is - right after Vader orders his men to scout the absolute shit out of everything - you cut to this very first shot of them in the desert:

Cut out all the arguments and them splitting up. Just right away have C3PO noticing the sandcrawler and insert the line "It's transport!... Over Here!" from this scene:

... into another shot where the background doesn't cause continuity errors (or you can simply try and paint it out).

Then cut to the scene where StormTroopers are raiding the desert:

And then go right to this shot of the sandcrawler:

... followed by C3PO saying "It stopped!" and trying to wake R2 up & shit:

And that's it. You remove all the arguments, them splitting up, R2 getting abducted... saves you a lot of time. The only thing that might be a tad too convenient is the fact that it all - them crashing in the desert, getting bought by Luke - happens in one day.

Other than that - you just have to do some editing magic and it's all done.

Good luck.

     I've tried to imagine a 135 minute OT. I've got ANH (GOUT) down to about 60-70 minutes while keeping as much great stuff as possible.

     There's alot of quick cuts between shots for a very fast pace. Eliminate everything not absolutely nec. or very cool.

     The greatest change was to cut out the Jawas and the Farmstead:( Nearly everything we learn there we learn again from Luke and Obi. The light is altered so that the droids land in the late afternoon and then walk through the night. At 11:00, in the early morning sunrise, 3PO finds Lukes speeder in the distance instead of the sand crawler, shot of farmstead and vaporators and then 26:50-27:17 Owen and Beru wondering where Luke went. Then 27:24-38:43 Speeder to R2, 3PO repeats Obi's name and then says something like "Master Luke is OUR new rightful owner and you better just do as he says or he'll...", add the STs finding Droid evidence while they move to Ben's hut, cut Luke's "I saw part of a message". After 38:42, add 25:24-25:48 sunset (change backgroud to Ben's place, then torture droid, then 41:49-42:03 "I want to go with you..." Ben's place at night with maybe two moons behind Luke (slight hint that Luke senses torture) Then 42:03... 

WHAT HAPPENS AT 42:03???

Wow. Thats pretty great. I may have to use that. Though I will lament losing a couple things. But thats the sucky thing about this project.

Funny thing is. I would never been bothered by cutting the Sand People but after what happens in clones. I feel like its more impactful. You really know just how scary they are.

Im unsure if I have the fortiude to go deep into changing out backgrounds and things like that. I have never done that, but Id like to learn.

Have you got any of these shots online to look at?

-T

TV's Frink said:

WHAT HAPPENS AT 42:03???

    That's the trick, isn't it? ;)

    ^I don't have any shots. I do crude fan-edits in my head.  

TV's Frink said:

WHAT HAPPENS AT 42:03???

      My interest in these deep cuts is to indentify the absolutely essential for stories and re-writes.

      I love every second of the theatrical Cantina scene and I wince at the thought of cutting anything.

      Strictly for shaving every possible second:  The droids could be left outside (no "We don't want...":( )      Quick cuts back and forth between aliens and Luke making his way to the bar and ordering a drink (dizzying descent down the rabbit hole.)       Quick "He doesn't like you."  "I'll be careful then."   "You'll be DEAD!"     The entire Ben with the sabre and bargain with Han.   Quick "Going somewhere Solo?"  "I was just on my way to see Jabba" "It's too late. He put a price on your head so high that now every bounty hunter in the galaxy is hunting for you. He'd rather have your ship."  "Over my dead body."  "That's the idea. I've been looking forward to this."  "I'll bet you have."

       Could do a diagnal wipe between Torture Droid and "I want to go...."  Starting in the upper left hand corner and cropping the two shots so that once the wipe line reaches about mid point, you would have the two moons in the upper left, Luke in the high center left and Leia in the Low center right ;)

        An extremely rad edit for time would be to cut Yoda entirely 8-O =(   The Wampa cave could be cut with cobbled Ben audio encouraging him to use the Force and then before Han appears something like "So you can be trained by me."  Everything possible to suggest that Ben has been continuing Luke's training from the Battle of Yavin. Luke could make it back to the Fleet and have little reactions to what Ben is telling him in his fighter until torture and we see Luke's fighter peel away from the fleet and Ben calls after him about not being able to interfere and to not give in. With more ambition and awesome skill, the Dagobah background could be replaced and Luke could be aboard ship practicing under Ben's instruction or preping the fighter for rescue. 

         For Han and Leia, maybe the ship is damaged but could still make one jump. shave every possible second from each shot. The gang never goes outside the ship, just shaking and Minoks flying around. They would reach Bespin much more quickly.         

I cut the asteroids entirely on my first run through. I have them chasing the falcon and then them dissappearing onto the back right away. Then they float away with the garbage and find that Bespin is near. Then I put in a couple of the Han Leia scenes that are actually in the cave. While they are presumably floating toward Bespin.

What I really want to do is figure out a way to make it appear that they got Frozen Han back from Fett before its over. Because I plan to cut the guts out of Return of the Jedi

TV's Frink said:

 

princethomas said:

Ok. Perhaps. I meant it was lacking a house falling on someone specifically.

 

Anyway. Im currently working on an all-in-one Saga 6 movies in 4 hrs cut. And its just somewhat frustrating to deal with some of the connective tissue that isn't all that important.

Well, if it was that easy, everyone would have done it by now.

 

I did.

As silent movies ;)