Addams Family Chronicles (a WIP)

Now that I’m an approved faneditor, I feel like now is a perfect time to start branching out and doing more than just two edits. This will count as my first official fanmix. The mix in question, cara mia? 1991’s The Addams Family, and it’s 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values.

I enjoy both movies (With Values being the rare sequel that’s better than the first), and I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if you put the two together. I’ve kept the focus on Uncle Fester’s character arc from both movies, because I think that’s the best approach to stitching these two films. However, I had to make some sacrifices (the Thanksgiving play from Values is one of them, I’m saddened to say) and shorten down the runtime in order for it to work (194 minutes is overkill). This edit is not designed to be a compilation of highlights from the two films. It’s intended to be its own thing.

Also, I decided to play around with the color grading and change things from full color to black-and-white-and-frankenstein-green, giving homage to the original 1960s TV show. There are a few exceptions (And I’ve recently uploaded some of those exceptions in my own gallery which you can find in the URL below:

https://forums.fanedit.org/media/albums/addams-family-chronicles-color-grading-stills.234/

However, for the majority of the film, here’s a test I’ve uploaded to give you an idea of the color grading I’m planning to do:

https://youtu.be/c3XNBS3n3bw

Hopefully, that should be enough to keep your curiosity “undead” while I work on it. However, I have some issues and obstacles to face with this edit. The biggest one is… The credits. Right now, the opening credits are from The Addams Family, while the end credits are from Addams Family Values. So the cast list is inconsistent. I also hate the idea of changing the opening credits due to the lettering of the late Pablo Ferro. His style of lettering is untouchable, and I fear there is no way to replicate it due to its hand-drawn nature. However, if someone has a suggestion on how the opening credits can be customized, I would love to know about it. I think I’ve taken care of the end credits, though, so that’s good.

Here’s my official changes list. I may go back and alter something if I find it, but I think this might be the final list until further notice. As there are no deleted scenes on either of my blu-ray discs, I will not be including any additions (and no, I don’t have The Addams Family with more mamushka, and I don’t see any reason to extend it anyway). No plus sign for this one.

Changes list (Updated 7-7-23)

/=Changed
-=Removed

The Addams Family

-The William Tell scene
-The Uncle Knick-Knack scene
-The finger trap introduction
-The sales weather scene
-Trimmed out the last two shots of Gomez singing opera due to the next scene’s deletion
-Wednesday and Pugsley playing with the electric chair
-Slightly trimmed Gomez rowing the boat due to the previous scene’s deletion
-Wednesday turning on the electric chair
-The auction scene
-Morticia’s discussion with Wednesday’s schoolteacher
-Fester making things for the school play
-Gomez and Morticia’s discussion with Margaret and her son before the school play
/Moved Miss Craven’s “I never should have used him” scene to after the first scene of “Getting to Know You.”
/Kept the blood during the talent show scene red for added comedic effect
/Moved Gomez and Fester’s discussion on Fester “belonging here” to after Fester tucks Wednesday in to bed
-Gomez and Morticia’s “Someday we’ll be buried side by side in matching coffins” romantic discussion
-Cousin It’s arrival at the mansion (Including the rap song)
-Uncle Fester’s farewell to the Amor twins
-Margaret saying goodbye to Cousin It
-The “because we’re Addamses” speech
-The lemonade stand skit
-Morticia’s job interview
-Pugsley and Wednesday’s lemonade discussion with the girl scout
-Morticia’s Hansel and Gretel story
-Thing’s shameless FedEx product placement montage
-Gomez watching TV
-Gomez calling Sally Jessy Raphael
-Morticia trying to help Gomez to stop watching the TV
-Thing’s journey back to the motel
-Gomez and Thing driving up to the mansion
-Seven months later epilogue and end credits

Addams Family Values

-Pugsley, Wednesday, and Granny burying a live cat
/Moved scene of Uncle Fester’s reading of “Strange Men and the Women Who Avoid them right after Fester howls at the moon
-Thing’s rollerskating tricks
-Pugsley and Wednesday’s discussion on one of them having to die because of Pubert’s birth
-The “He has my father’s eyes” scene
-Pugsley and Wednesday dropping Pubert and the bowling ball
-The family’s talk about Pugsley and Wednesday’s treatment of Pubert
-The guillotine scene
-All the babysitters prior to Debbie
-Trimmed out Amanda’s parents, the camp counselor introductions, and shots of the kids conversing
-Wednesday and Amanda’s swimming lesson
-Trimmed out Gomez and Morticia’s dance
-Wednesday’s ghost story to Amanda and the kids
-Audio: A Wedding?
-Wednesday, Pugsley, and the camp’s discussions on Fester’s wedding, the group hug, and the sensing of friction
-Wednesday, Pugsley and Joel’s visit to the harmony hut
-Wednesday, Pugsley and Joel’s failed escape attempt from the camp
-The Wedding Cake scene
/Moved Wednesday and Joel’s romantic talk at the lake to after the wedding
-Gomez and Morticia wondering why Fester hasn’t responded in weeks
-The Thanksgiving play casting call
-Thanksgiving play rehearsal scene
-Wednesday, Pugsley, and Joel’s second visit to the harmony hut
-Wednesday’s smiling scene
-”Eat us” music number
-Wednesday’s attack on the Thanksgiving play
-The “Macho Man” scene
-Lurch playing “Happy Birthday to You”
-Wednesday scaring Joel to death

/Replaced all rap music during end credits with music from the film
/Music replacements during end credits: “A Party…For Me?” and “Finale”, all from the official Addams Family soundtrack composed by Marc Shaiman
/Customized end credits to include cast and crew from both films

Remainder of Addams Family: 77 minutes
Footage cut from Addams Family: 22 minutes

Remainder of Addams Family Values: 57 minutes
Footage cut from Addams Family Values: 37 minutes

Total Running time: 143 minutes
Total footage removed: 59 minutes (Excluding end credits)

While I’m still testing out which cuts I want to make, I decided to do some more work on the color grade. There are some instances where I’ve made a few… Differences from the norm. I still have to decide how much of it is worth it or not, but I think this is off to a great start!

One area where I’ve decided to differ from the black, white, and green aesthetic is with the school play scene. I’m not sure how much content I can get away with. However, I think this shot will give the fans a good idea of what I’m doing:

https://github.com/PurpleMetal75/demonstration-images/assets/77859966/978b778b-9c58-4543-80ec-4d79e5542fa0

I’ve decided to try and keep the blood red (or at least, as red as I can make it) for two reasons. 1. The blood is harder to see with my current aesthetic, and 2. The scene is so much funnier if the blood looks red. I have to confess, though, that getting the blood to look right has been insanely hard. Even now, I’m still not sure if it looks right. The hardest areas are Wednesday’s arm, where the blood gushing out of it still looks kind of pixellated. I’m not sure how to fix it right now, and I’m not sure how to improve it. I’d show it, but I want to make sure my post isn’t too inappropriate for the forum, so if you want to see the full scene and give me some feedback on how to improve the blood effects, send me a PM.

Another thing I’ve altered on the color grading is Debbie’s mansion.

https://github.com/PurpleMetal75/demonstration-images/assets/77859966/6665fc7d-967c-40a2-a727-3ec8570524ef
https://github.com/PurpleMetal75/demonstration-images/assets/77859966/a4274dff-973a-4e50-b12d-d08417558efa

Much like the blood, I decided to tint Debbie’s mansion pink (or as close as I can get to pink. Damn computers) for more comedic effect, especially Morticia’s “Pastels?” line. It also makes for a good contrast between the pale green of the Addams mansion and the pretty pink of Debbie’s. I haven’t decided if this is the best way to handle Debbie’s mansion (and if someone wants to offer up another alternative, I’d be happy to hear it), but I think this is a good start for now.

Just tested the soundtrack I got off eBay, and I’m happy to say it’s in fantastic condition! The disc played perfectly, and the data surface looks like it’s almost never been played (even though I don’t rely on that, since it’s common to find a disc that’s been refurbished by unreliable scratch removers). Plus, of the 13 tracks, I found 7 that could work as replacements for the end credits music. I may not even need to buy the Addams Family Values soundtrack because I have plenty to work with on this one.

Done some work on the end credits. Still got a long way to go, and still pondering how best to deal with Pablo Ferro’s contributions to both the opening and ending credits, as the two films have different cast lists.

I’ve now updated the changes list. I might go back and alter something else if I find anything that stands out, but I have a good feeling that this is the final list.

Revised Changes

/=Changed
-=Removed

The Addams Family

-The William Tell scene
-The Uncle Knick-Knack scene
-The finger trap introduction
-The sales weather scene
-Trimmed out the last two shots of Gomez singing opera due to the next scene’s deletion
-Wednesday and Pugsley playing with the electric chair
-Slightly trimmed Gomez rowing the boat due to the previous scene’s deletion
-Wednesday turning on the electric chair
-The auction scene
-Morticia’s discussion with Wednesday’s schoolteacher
-Fester making things for the school play
-Gomez and Morticia’s discussion with Margaret and her son before the school play
/Kept the blood during the talent show scene red for added comedic effect
-Gomez and Morticia’s “Someday we’ll be buried side by side in matching coffins” romantic discussion
-Cousin It’s arrival at the mansion (Including the rap song)
-Uncle Fester’s farewell to the Amor twins
-Margaret saying goodbye to Cousin It
-The “because we’re Addamses” speech
-The lemonade stand skit
-Morticia’s job interview
-Pugsley and Wednesday’s lemonade discussion with the girl scout
-Morticia’s Hansel and Gretel story
-Thing’s shameless FedEx product placement montage
-Gomez watching TV
-Gomez calling Sally Jessy Raphael
-Morticia trying to help Gomez to stop watching the TV
-Thing’s journey back to the motel
-Gomez and Thing driving up to the mansion
-Seven months later epilogue and end credits

Addams Family Values

-Pugsley, Wednesday, and Granny burying a live cat
-Opening Title
-Thing’s rollerskating tricks
/Moved Uncle Fester’s reading of “Strange Men and the Women Who Avoid Them” to after Pubert gets his teddy bear
-Pugsley and Wednesday’s discussion on one of them having to die because of Pubert’s birth
-Pugsley and Wednesday dropping Pubert and the bowling ball
-The family’s talk about Pugsley and Wednesday’s treatment of Pubert
-The guillotine scene
-All the babysitters prior to Debbie
-Trimmed out Amanda’s parents, the camp counselor introductions, and shots of the kids conversing
-Wednesday and Amanda’s swimming lesson
-Trimmed out Gomez and Morticia’s dance
-Wednesday’s ghost story to Amanda and the kids
-Audio: A Wedding?
-Wednesday, Pugsley, and the camp’s discussions on Fester’s wedding, the group hug, and the sensing of friction
-Wednesday, Pugsley and Joel’s visit to the harmony hut
-Wednesday, Pugsley and Joel’s failed escape attempt from the camp
-The Wedding Cake scene
/Moved Wednesday and Joel’s romantic talk at the lake to after the wedding
-Gomez and Morticia wondering why Fester hasn’t responded in weeks
/Changed all scenes of Debbie’s mansion pink instead of green for added comedic effect
-The Thanksgiving play casting call
-Thanksgiving play rehearsal scene
-Wednesday, Pugsley, and Joel’s second visit to the harmony hut
-Wednesday’s smiling scene
-”Eat us” music number
-Wednesday’s attack on the Thanksgiving play
-The “Macho Man” scene
-Lurch playing “Happy Birthday to You”
-Wednesday scaring Joel to death

/Replaced all rap music during end credits with music from the soundtrack
/Music replacements during end credits: “A Party…For Me?” and “Finale”, both from the official Addams Family soundtrack composed by Marc Shaiman
/Customized end credits to include cast and crew from both films

Remainder of Addams Family: 77 minutes
Footage cut from Addams Family: 22 minutes

Remainder of Addams Family Values: 57 minutes
Footage cut from Addams Family Values: 37 minutes

Total Running time: 143 minutes
Total footage removed: 59 minutes (Excluding end credits)

Just when I thought the list was done, I find four more things to change.

Let’s cut to the chase. The first one is small, but it works. I moved Abigail Craven’s “I never should have used him” scene. In the original, Fester changed his mind, brought out the props to Wednesday and Pugsley, and then we cut to Mrs. Craven wondering where her son went. This may have worked theatrically, but because I shortened so much of the film, it made more sense to throw a pause before Fester gives the children their props. So now, Craven’s scene comes first, then Fester giving the kids the props. To do otherwise made Fester’s change feel too sudden. We go from him telling the kids, “go away.” to “I’ve changed my mind.” within the span of only a couple scenes, and it makes his change seem more random than it needs to be.

Change #2 is also a different scene placement. This one is more important than the last. In The Addams Family, Gomez went into an emotional conversation with Fester on his belonging to the family. The scene itself was great as is. But placing it before the children’s play sequence wasn’t the best spot for the scene. I decided to move this conversation to the end of the night, after Fester tucks Wednesday in to bed. Climaxing the night of the school play with Fester and Gomez’s conversation is a great way to conclude that sequence, and the emotional resonance is stronger.

For change #3, I have to talk about the transition from the first movie to the second. One criticism I hear about fanmixes are that they can feel like two movies thrown together, and that’s also been a challenge for this fanmix. The beginning of the Addams Family Values section is vulnerable to this problem due to the shift from Fester to Pubert. I moved the “Strange Men and the Women Who Avoid Them” reading to an earlier point. Even after that, the birth of Pubert still felt like the simplicity of the edit was being taken away after the climax of the previous film. So, I moved the reading all the way to the beginning of the Values section. Right after Fester howls at the moon. This way, the edit establishes that while Fester is free from Dr. Pinderschloss and Tully, his character arc is still incomplete. The viewer has an excuse to keep watching after the Addams Family half is over. Of course, the next few smattering of scenes are going to leave you wondering how all of this stuff about Pubert is gonna tie in to Uncle Fester.

Which leads me to change #4, and it’s another heartbreaking removal. I’ve made a lot of those with this one. I deleted the “he has my father’s eyes” scene. Why? It has to do with a lot of things. The first movie was Uncle Fester’s film from start to finish, and because Fester was set up so much, it carried into the Addams Family Values section of the film too. The payoff of Values didn’t work, because it felt like we were setup with Fester only to payoff with Fester, Wednesday, and Pubert. This gave it a similar issue to Full Metal Jacket where the first half of the movie is better than the second. In order to improve the payoff, I placed all the focus on Uncle Fester for the Addams Family Values half instead. Which brings us back to the deletion of change #4. After Pubert is born, the viewer is bound to ask why we’re moving away from Fester after following him for the last 80 minutes. It became clear that Debbie needed to be introduced ASAP so that the reason for all this talk about the baby is answered, and the story doesn’t lose track. This is also why I cut out things like the guillotine, the stuff about one of the kids having to die, and the previous nannies. We needed to meet Debbie sooner rather than later.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, these are the “final” final changes. I’ll update the changes list soon.

Changes list updated. Gonna do some more testing on the edit.

Test went well! I think the changes list is officially complete! Next thing I’m gonna do is work on the subtitles and a text-only commentary. Wraith suggested going for text-only instead of audio to me, and I think I’ll take his advice! Audio commentaries are tedious for me (not to mention slow due to my disinterest in recording audio), so I might as well go for text instead. Hopefully, writing text is faster than recording my voice.

What do they call text commentaries? 🤔

CamSMurph said:

What do they call text commentaries? 🤔

Commentaries that are done via subtitles instead of audio.

There’s something called a “trivia track” available on certain DVDs. 😁

About half an hour into the commentary track now! I’ve decided to upload a demo of the edit due to the riskier decisions I’ve made so far. If you’re interested in giving me your thoughts, PM me, and I’ll send you the link for review.

Almost 40 minutes into the commentary track, and just started work on the subtitle track. I gotta say, all that french is making things difficult. 😆

You mean the text commentary, right? 😅

Nope, not this time. I’m also trying to make an english subtitle track for this one (a first for me), and Gomez and Morticia speak french quite a bit. Trying to spell cara mia and mon cher is not as easy as it sounds.

50 minutes into the commentary now. Talked about a lot of psychological and emotional stuff about the film. I like this commentary track.

Eyepainter said:

50 minutes into the commentary now. Talked about a lot of psychological and emotional stuff about the film. I like this commentary track.

I didn’t think The Addams Family was about that.

CamSMurph said:

Eyepainter said:

50 minutes into the commentary now. Talked about a lot of psychological and emotional stuff about the film. I like this commentary track.

I didn’t think The Addams Family was about that.

I guess you’ll have to wait for the commentary.

Just finished typing my commentary on the Mamushka.

I’m moving in to a new apartment as I write this, so if I’m quiet over this week, that’s why. I’ll return to this project as soon as I get my computer unpacked.

Got the computer unpacked, and as an extra treat, I’ve now made it to the Addams Family Values section for the text-only commentary! 😁

Commentary track is now 85 minutes done! I’m more than halfway through it!

95 minutes into the commentary, and finished with discussing the difficult and painful decision to cut out Wednesday’s summer camp adventure.