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Just wait til we get to the Arena Battle. It’s gonna be Force Mad!
I know you said it’s something that you’re really proud of, so I can’t wait to see it!
FYI It’s live: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C-UtrN7ew7RJ46eIARA26fIql07RbBKF/view?usp=drive_link
I really like the pacing of the arena battle. Of course, I had to take a crack at it. Same order as yours but Anakin and Padme don’t ride the chariot (horrible sfx) and Dooku doesn’t stop the battle. Just about every scene has some type of trim.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19LF-MApgyiPyhRYUuEIE5UCClEeZ_q3w/view?usp=sharing
K got a chance to watch it through. I really like the idea of the LAAT’s coming in at the end of the battle without stopping. If there was more good footage building up that sequence, I think that idea could definitely work (Though I still prefer the original).
All in all, I would keep my version as it is for META-editing (edits across sequences/films) reasons. Here’s a couple of them.
-I need the fight to stop for a breath at Mace’s entrance and right before the LAATs fly in, because I speed up the beast wars. If those breaths are shortened it feels too frantic.
-The chariot sequence was originally in little pieces sprinkled throughout the arena battle, but I recut it all back together to make it “Romantic” in an Errol Flynn kinda way. Throughout all of Attack of the Clones, I reworked the romantic chemistry between Anakin and Padme to focused far more on the way they fight together, rather than the way they talk together.
-I try to leave 10-15% of the “Jank” in all of my STAR WARS recuts. If you make the films make too much sense and focus too much on continuity, they become sterile. So is “This Party’s Over.” a bit goofy? Yes! But it falls into that 10% “Jank” that needs to stay IMO.
Really enjoying your takes! I might take some time tomorrow to rework the droid factory one more time, because I think you’re on to something with the ending.
I meant to comment on this last week but was swamped with other stuff. There are a bunch of little trims in this you might appreciate.
• Cut unnecessary shot of the gang being surrounded - 0:12-0:15 (also works well with the music)
• Slightly trimmed beginning of Dooku turning around - 0:17 (so his reaction isn’t as delayed)
• Slightly trimmed before Twilek ignites lightsaber - 0:28 (looks like they’re standing around waiting for a queue)
• Trimmed first and last part of Windu jumping off balcony and landing on ground - 0:57. (speed up the pace, and bad sfx not as noticeable)
• Slightly trimmed right after Anakin ignites lightsaber and before he turns around to slice Obiwan’s handcuffs - 1:16 (less clunky)
• Cut Obiwan aggressively stabbing the Acklay in the head - 2:19 (doesn’t seem very Jedi-like)
• Cut Windu flipping over the battle droid, running away, and batting the laser - 2:24-2:29 (cartoony)
• Cut Windu running from the Reek - 2:40 (looks goofy)
• Inserted Jango getting up when Reek is pawing at the ground - 2:56
• Removed shot of Reek charging and knocking battle droid - 3:01 (cartoony)
• Cut Neimoidians - 3:26 (awkward)
• Cut Jedi screaming Haaaa!!! - 3:29
• Trimmed super battle droid punching the regular battle droid - 3:35 (cartoony)
• Slightly trimmed the end where Dooku and the gang observe the battle - 3:44 (goes on a little too long)
• Cut Yoda saying “around the survivors, a perimeter create” - 4:36
• Cut Twilek slowly getting into ship - 5:08
• Slight trim when Windu is standing around in the ship at the beginning of the shot - 5:15
• Cut Dooku on scooter - 5:45 (goofy)Are you positively sure you don’t want to remove “You call this a diplomatic solution? No, I call it aggressive negotiations”? haha 😂
I get your reasoning behind all of those those alterations. That’s a very consistent way to cut the sequence. The reason I wouldn’t make any of those changes is that from my point of view STAR WARS needs a bit of “Cartoony Jankiness” in order to feel like STAR WARS. If you strip it back too far you end up with a serious SCI-FI epic that for my money is a bit too lifeless.
I actually generally start by making a lot of the cuts you’re suggesting, and then slowly fade a bit of the “bad rhythm” and “goofiness” back into the sequence. From my point of view, the “used universe” that STAR WARS is famous for, extents to the editing rhythm. You have to break the beat just enough so that it feels “real” in an indie kinda way, rather than a glossy music video.
Where the line is between too goofy and just goofy enough is all down to personal taste. In short I think all of your changes are more than valid. I just wouldn’t personally make them.
I’ll give one example as to why I keep something “goofy”, and you can apply this logic to the rest of your questions: I kept the “Aggressive Negotiations” line because I deleted the setup (The dinner scene), so this is now an original, bantery quip that Padme comes up with. To me that line is a good payoff to the conversation before the Droid Factory where Padme is adamant that she wants to “Find a Diplomatic Solution to this mess.” For my money, Anakin making fun of her sincerity, and Padme cheekily bantering back is right in line with the kind banter you see between Han and Leia in IV and V.
Yeah, these things definitely vary depending on peoples tastes. There are many parts that made me cringe in the theater 20+ years ago and have only gotten worse over time. I’ve never been a fan of characters making lighthearted jokes in the middle of a battle. It takes away any serious threat of them being in danger. Surprisingly, I’m fine with much of the humor in the original trilogy. I really appreciated you removing C3P0 and R2 dodging the crossfire in ANH though. haha
