Rebels - Concise Cut (Early Feedback Phase)

• TV Lenght Episodes
• More focused on the characters and more open to radical changes than Rebels Recut. (Which I am a fan of)

Please check out the Clips below (takes less than 5 minutes) to give some early feedback. 😃

Since this show was aimed at kids, it can be a bit “on the nose”. So there is some stuff i want to have out of the show:

• Get rid of characters spelling out the obvious
• Get rid of multiple scenes that convey the same information
• Get rid of the most aggregious incompetency of the Empire. I have to stress, that this does not include the skill level of individual stormtroopers. (Except when it is really really bad - see Ezras Escape from prison in Episode 1) They are terrible at their job and that is very much baked into the show. But i try to make the command level look more competent (or less terrible) at any opportunity.
• Get rid of Filler as much as possible.

The Cut will be very much focused on the main characters and their journeys, there are a bunch of things I want to keep:

• I want to keep as many character moments as possible (that are not redundant), but will probably recontextualize a few of them.
• I don’t mind some goof. There are several cuts out there that I love and that are my GoTo Version upon a rewatch. But I always feel like removing ALL the jokes takes a little bit of the Star Wars spark away. Dont worry, the Meiloorun is gone from this edit. I am not a mad man.

So, the title says something about early feedback… Which I would love to get, since this is my first edit and I am trying some radical things. Any Feedback on the following clips would be greatly appreciated.

https://vimeo.com/909718390?share=copy - The New intro and how I lead into it in Episode 1. (Yes, a second version with the proper Rebel Symbol is already made)

https://vimeo.com/909718440?share=copy - We go directly from Visagos tip to Kessel. The whole ambush sequence with the shuttle at the end of episode 1 and beginning of episode 2 makes the empire look terrible. The way Ezra escapes, the fact that the Ghost can just land IN THE HANGAR of a Star Destroyer… It makes the Empire look like idiots right off the gate. On top of that, Ezra receives 2 very similar calls to action in quick succession… Which makes the story drag a bit. The only problem is that we see him open the Holocron here… Although i also feel like it is super weird that the Empire did not find that thing on him and seized it…
There is 2 ways to resolve this: Either have it happen offscreen… or look at the video below.

https://vimeo.com/909718310?share=copy - This scene is happening after the wookies get dropped off. We still need to have that little convo that makes clear Visago is most likely not a traitor. Happily, it has a bit at the end that can sneaklily lead into an absent Ezra tyoing with the Holocron. Obviously, Kanans light saber needs to be painted out of that shot, but I am not going through that trouble before getting some Feedback on if this works structurally for people. The Holocron thing does come a bit out of nowhere here… But I personally feel like it is the smaller of two evils, when considering the sequence of events i got to skip via this.

Curious to see what people think. 😃

EddieDean said:

Is this movies or TV-length episodes? How will it differ from g00b’s?

Will absolutely aim for tv length episodes. This actually started out as an alternate Cut to Episode 1 of Rebels Recut, had some talks about that with G00b behind the scenes.

G00b does a great job, he is more focused on plot though, while I really prefer to dig into the characters. For example, I will keep Episode 3 (which is completely skipped by G00b) mostly intact, because it shows the growing pains of the Ghost Crew becoming a unit and them accepting Ezra as a real part of them. Not to forget about the Setup For Zeb and Kallus that happens there. It is all not strictly needed to understand the plot of the show, but deepens the characters and let’s their relationships evolve a bit.
Second big difference will be that I will keep a bit more of the goof. We have Andor as a super serious show in this time frame already.
Lastly, I am probably more willing to radically change how certain scenes are used, if it fits with my goals. G00b tends to stay very close to the source material.

EddieDean said:

Very nice! I hope you guys can bounce off each other nicely to generate some good ideas. Best of luck!

Let’s see how the feedback to these first few changes is. 😃

Intro feedback:
For your intro might I recommend slow-mo or beginning the transitions a bit earlier. It’s a little bit odd (in my opinion) that Sabine just pauses.
Someone on reddit gave me this advice for my edit and now I’ll pass it onto you, to make your logo look more professional when it appears try playing around with the acceleration curves for the start and stop of the zoom.

Skipping Ezra’s capture feedback:
I think the transition to skip Ezra’s capture works quite well! Good thinking! The only thing that doesn’t work (in my opinion) is showing the planet Kessel twice. I don’t think it’s needed in the first appearance, I think you could cut to the planet’s surface and it’d still read, given the crew was just talking about the Wookies.
Does the star destroyer in orbit play a role in the confrontation on Kessel? If not, I find that a bit odd and would recommend taking some space battle footage from an episode you don’t plan on using. That gives more credibility to the job being a trap and setup as well!

Holocron feedback:
Might I suggest showing Ezra opening the holocron at his home after he’s left the Ghost before Kanan appears. I don’t have much problem with where your showing it, it just kind of breaks the moment of that sequence.

Overall feedback:
Great work TheDimitrios! I’m really looking forward to seeing what else you come up with! 😄

Thanks g00b, this is exactly the kind of feedback to get a feel for the whole fan edit thing!

I got worried that the audience would call into question if the wookies are really there once I introduce the ambush, so I tried to make it as clear as possible for the viewer that the Ghost is indeed in the right place. I might have overdone this a bit, will try to see how it flows without the first establishing shot.
As is, the Star Destroyer does not come back yet. I am scouting for fitting footage, but a lot is still in flux and maybe I will not find something fitting. While I think it would probably work (although not very elegantly) without, it would be best to resolve that beat later on, even if it is just by the Ghost flying past a Star Destroyer.
I am still thinking about what to do with that Holocron, because Eura does give it back to Kanan when he leaves the ship. Maybe I will find a more elegant solution.

Oh true 😂 he definitely does give it back as he’s dropped off. Maybe the solution is to find a place earlier in the episode. Perhaps he opens it when he initially steals it?
In terms of episode flow (not having seen the whole thing, just the snippets you’ve provided). It’s a bit clunky if he opens it then immediately returns it.

It’d also be a bit for VFX work, but if you don’t have a battle with the star destroyer, it’d make an impact to see it in orbit from the planet. Even if it was just the shot of the ghost coming down to land. Though, that’s easier said then done!

Sounds good. The early seasons definitely suffer a lot from this.