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Rebels - Concise Cut (Early Feedback Phase)

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 (Edited)

What is the project’s status?

Episode 1-4 released - Episode 5 WIP

What is this edit about?

0 | No “movie” edits

There are a lot of edits that try to make Rebels into a series of movies. I think the structure of the show does not compliment that approach at all. So this edit will clearly be structured like a TV show.

1 | Focus on character journeys

The biggest difference to other fan edits of Rebels is that this one is laser focused on the characters. Anything that is not in service of their development and that is not essential for the overall plot (of not just this show, but the canon in general), will be removed. - Even if it is technically part of a main story arc.

2 | Meant for a chronological rewatch

Firstly, I created an Intro that strongly resembles the one from Andor. This will smoothen the experience a bit when you jump between shows. (see pictures further down) This also means non-essential episodes with Cameos of well known characters will not be completely skipped. There is value in checking in with characters like Saw Gerrera, since it makes the show feel more connected to the overall canon. It also compliments the goal of this edit to focus on the characters. In rare cases, the appearance of elements in the show will be changed to resemble other instances of them appearing in canon. (see the example of Kessel in the pilot episode below)

3 | Make it feel less kiddy - but keep the goof!

This might sound contradictory at first glance, but I honestly do not think it is a bit of goof here and there that really makes this show feel kiddy. For me at least the cause of that are instances where the obvious is spelled out or information is repeated multiple times. Those things will be removed, where possible. The goof will be retained. 😃

4 | No exposition via text

EddieDean used text cards in front of each episode to great effect in “Clone Wars: Refocused”. For Clone Wars, something like it was actually neccessary, since the (often essential) opening narration of the show had to be replaced with something. With Rebels, there is no such inherent need. Introducing an element like it makes it possible to cut down the runtime even more, as Goobs “Rebels Recut” showed. But this cut is committed to give the audience all the relevant information directly onscreen. The use of cold openings allows me to skip a lot of unneccesary fluff regardless.

5 | Overall structure

Any episode will follow this structure:

  1. Fanedit info screen
  2. Cold Opening
  3. Intro
  4. Episode
  5. Credits

6 | Episode length

The priority of this edit is to tell a complete chapter of the story with every episode. Because of this, the runtime of a given episode will vary greatly.

Detailed Episode Infos

Season 1

First Impressions

Intro

This is the Intro to Episode 5, which sees Kanan and Ezra visit the Jedi Temple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=549ctq1xw90

Temple Reunion

Added a bit of a moment for Kanan and Ezra as a team when leaving the Jedi Temple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwu4TVsUjoY

Kessel

Kessel looked substantially different in “Solo” so I added a bit of mist and lightning.

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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.

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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. 😃

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 (Edited)

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! 😄

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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.

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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!

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

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Trying to bring the Look of Kessel to a place where it fits with Solo. (Pics below)

This is how it looked in solo:

This is how it looked in Rebels:

This is how it currently looks in my edit:

What do you guys think?

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It’s nice, though I do think the 2nd shot should have more mist if possible.

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Gandalf the Cyan said:

It’s nice, though I do think the 2nd shot should have more mist if possible.

Thanks for the feedback!

I will try to add more. Wanted to see if I can get away with this.
More detail: That shot has a Wipe transition on it, which makes multilayer roto work a bit of a pain.

I also have added some colorful glow around the planet and cooked up a new intro, new images will follow soon. Finally got a clear direction for the edit!

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Reworked Intro post. Here a few more impressions.

The Andor-inspired Intro in a few pictures. In motion it is clearly visible that the planet is Lothal. So the intro combines Sabine’s phoenix with the world that is the main focus of the show.




Update to the look of Kessel

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It’s looking good! Roughly how much do you expect to trim the show? From 75 episodes down to ~50?

The best advice I can give, and this applies to both the series and each episode, is to edit back to front. Start with those conclusions, that lovely payoff, then ensure you’re keeping everything (and ONLY everything!) that sets it up.

The Clone Wars: Refocused | Andor: Movie Omnibus

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Shaving off a third of the runtime seems about right. So after wasting a lot of time with trying to make a bonus episode out of the shorts, including TotJ Resolve and whatever, I am now making rapid progress, since the direction is clear. Episode 1 is finished. I basically shaved 3 minutes off and added 3 minutes of new footage. The next 2 episodes will then save a big chunk of meaningless watchtime for the viewer. They will also fundamentally restructure Kanan’s character arc. Excited to see how people will react.

Episode 1 - Spark of Rebellion

Runtime: 44:54 min

Footage from

  • Art Attack Promotional Short (additional scenes)
  • Spark of Rebellion Part 1 (main story)
  • Spark of Rebellion Part 2 (main story)

Changelist (chronological)

  • ADDED the “Art Attack” Short as a cold opening, because it establishes Sabine’s phoenix graffity (which is part of the Intro) and it is called back to at the end of the season. It also shows that her methods are evolving. Here she puts an explosive on top of the graffity, later in the episode the graffity IS the explosive.
  • REMOVED the opening scene of the Inquisitor talking to Vader. Neither character plays a role in this episode and the ending of this episode functions very well as an introduction for the Inqusitor anyway. It is one of those instances where they spelled it out for the kids, making for a very clunky experience.
  • REMOVED the scene of Ezra standing on his tower and leaving for the town. If you remove the Rebels fanfare (and the title screen) there is not much left there and it does not flow very well into the next scene, because we get 2 establishing shots right after each other, but there is nothing really happening in the first location.
  • REMOVED the on the nose dialog by the Jogan trader. We do not need a character spelling out that it was better before the empire. He instead gets instantly arrested, without discussion. Makes the empire look even worse, but without having a character basically turning to the camera and saying “The empire is bad, you know?”
  • REMOVED the first instances of Kanan Tap-Signalling when Ezra watches them getting ready for their ambush. So instead of him going around and tapping his pockets repeatedly (and suspiciously), Kanan now walks towards Zeb, stops for a moment (WITHOUT tapping), Zeb gets the hint and gets ready, Kanan then continues ahead and taps when reaching Sabine, who confirms via tapping and proceeds to set the plan in motion. This makes the Crew look more discrete and therefore more competent. Another instance of the show spelling it out for the kids.
  • REMOVED Zebs on the nose comment when Kanan tells him to fall back with his speeder. We know he is angry at “the kid” (Ezra). It really does not need to be spelled out.
  • REMOVED an awkward looking shot (from the side in a weird posture) when Ezra jumps onboard the Ghost with the crate.
  • REMOVED the line of Zeb specifying that “throwing out” means “mid flight”. It really does not need to be spelled out.
  • REMOVED banter between Hera and Kanan that establishes again how special Ezra is. This has been established enough already at this point. Removing these improves the pacing of the still ongoing chase.
  • REMOVED a lot of redundant dialogue to bridge the gap between episodes 1&2.
  • ALTERED the appearance of Kessel in an establishing shot to better resemble it’s appearance in SOLO.
  • REMOVED the little moment where Ezra emerges proudly between the Wookies after setting them free. We get that this was a heroic action without this shot.
  • REMOVED the lines regarding Ezra “passing a test” when he gives back the Holocron. Opening Holocrons was never established as being “a test” anywhere in the lore. Plus we don’t need an explanation here. Ezra opened the Holocron, which can only be done by using the force. No further explanation needed.
  • ALTERED the appearance of Kessel again to fit better with SOLO.

If anyone wants to take a look, just shoot me a PM.

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Love that Andor type look to the logo and making Kessel look more consistent to it’s depiction in Solo… good stuff

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Short Update: Had to redo the sound for Ep1, now the 5.1 works correctly and the transitions are smoother.

Since G00b upped his game, I also redid Kessel. New Version of Ep1 and Ep2 coming soon.

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 (Edited)

I think this episode shows very nicely where I want to go with this cut. PMs go out for the people who requested access. 😃 Oh, and an updated episode 1 is also available.

Episode 2 - Growing Pains

Runtime: 26:16 min

Footage from

  • Droids in Distress (main story)
  • Fighter Flight (added scenes)
  • Rise of the old masters (added scenes)

Changelist (chronological)

  • ADDED Training scene on top of the ship and discussion afterwards from Rise of the old masters
  • ADDED abbreviated scene of Ezra, Chopper and Zeb getting at each others throat from Fighter Flight
  • REMOVED intro action scene and following conversation from Droids in Distress.
  • REMOVED all dialogue throughout the episode that mentions Ezra not getting jedi training yet (cause he does now!)
  • REMOVED moment where Sabine and Zeb are winking at each other in the most obvious way while in the public transport.

Recontextualisation

Ezras training now starts right away. It is enough of a character flaw that Kanan is a bad teacher, we do not need him to instantly go back on his promise. This change gives Kanan’s stupid grin at the end of the episode (when Ezra does a force push) a nice new meaning. That moment is now about him realizing that he is not completely incompetent as a teacher. Also, the moment has a different meaning for Ezra now. Through the scenes from Rise of the old masters and Fighter Flight we saw him failing to use the force twice before, now the third time around it finally works. (Holding true to the rule of 3s! Yay!)
It also works out quite nicely that Zeb taunts Ezra for not being able to use the force in the beginning and then gets saved by Ezra using the force in the end.
This episode is also about the crew growing together, even originally. By taking the scenes of characters in conflict from Rise of the old masters and Fighter Flight we reinforce that theme. We start out with a lot of conflict, have some off-handed remarks towards Ezra during the episode and at the end the Crew shares a nice moment of silence as a unit (since the jedi training dialogue has been cut out of that moment), rounding things off. I know many people do not like to see the main characters in open conflict that much, but here it makes sense story-wise. Future episodes will not forget this payoff though and cut conflicts when possible to make the crew look more like a unit to make this episode feel impactful.

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TheDimitrios said:

Short Update: Had to redo the sound for Ep1, now the 5.1 works correctly and the transitions are smoother.

Since G00b upped his game, I also redid Kessel. New Version of Ep1 and Ep2 coming soon.

Looking good! 😄

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 (Edited)

Ok, first off: I accidently uploaded stereo versions a few days ago. These are getting replaced right now in the folder. (Like really, my preset got f’d up again)

Episode 3 finished, this one covers 4 stories total and builds the groundwork for Empire day while paying off some stuff from the last episode.

Episode 3 - Missions for Fulcrum

Runtime: 33:16 min

Footage from

  • Fighter Flight (Cold opening)
  • Out of Darkness (First mini-story)
  • Forces of Destiny - Hasty departure (Interlude Micro-Story)
  • Breaking Ranks - (Second mini-story)

Changelist (chronological)

  • CHANGED Fighter Flight into a cold opening of roughly 3 minutes. We start in medias res and see Zeb and Ezra running from the Empire. They get seperated and Ezra voices concern for Zeb, who tells him to keep going. Ezra continues to escape via the roofs, while Zeb gets into the Tie Fighter. Zeb then picks Ezra up and they fly into the sunset and have a heart-to-heart. No bickering, no fruit chases. Just a little escape scene that sets up the Tie for later and shows their relationship growing after the last episode.
  • REMOVED everything before shuttle takeoff from Out of Darkness. So there is no bickering between Zeb, Ezra and Chopper and also no irresponsible behaviour by them that causes the fuel issues.
  • REMOVED some of the conflict between Hera and Sabine, but not all. It is important for Sabines character to voice concerns about Fulcrum.
  • CHANGED the scene when the Ghost is informed about the problems. Bickering of Ezra and Zeb is gone, Kanan now actually senses the problem via meditation before his friends tell him about it, giving him a little moment to shine in an episode where he gets sidelined a bit.
  • REMOVED a lot of redundancy in the fight scene, which gets to the point way quicker now.
  • REMOVED any dialogue in the end hinting at irresponsible behaviour by Ezra and Zeb.
  • REMOVED some bickering from Hasty departure. This little segment acts as a divider between Out of Darkness and Breaking ranks. The different animation style hopefully helps to make clear that these are not one continuous story. It also acts as a little progression of Sabine and Hera, since it shows them understanding and trusting each other.
  • REMOVED lengthy introduction from Breaking Ranks. We go right into the first test, hopefully making a first time viewer wondering “Is that Ezras voice?”
  • REMOVED a few instances of the Crew bickering and/or not trusting in each other.
  • REMOVED the repeating tests in the pit. Seeing that once is enough.
  • REMOVED the sidestory about the recruits winning the walker-ride as a price. Walker training is now just a normal part of training.
  • REMOVED the in-person apearance by the Inquisitor. This way we see him in Hologram twice and then on Empire day in-person for the first time.

Reasoning

I try to have a nice flow between episodes. Episode 1 ended with Kanan promising Jedi training, episode 2 startet with Jedi training. Episode 2 ended with Bail finding the Rebels and Zeb rethinking his attitude towards Ezra, Episode 3 starts with Ezra and Zeb growing closer and the introduction of “Fulcrum”.
All in all these stories all show the Crew saving each other in dire situations and working together efficiently.

Next up: Empire day!

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Empire day already had a lot going for it, so only relatively minor tweaks here. Episode uploading.

Episode 4 - Empire Day

Runtime: 41:53 min

Footage from

  • Empire Day (Main Story)
  • Gathering Forces (Main Story)

Changelist (chronological)

  • REMOVED Ezras comment on killing the Loth Cat. That was just one step too far.
  • REMOVED an on the nose convo between Kanan and Hera during the TIE-reveal.
  • REMOVED a lot of the Empire POV during the TIE-incident, which also keeps the presence of the Inquisitor a secret for a bit longer
  • REMOVED a comment by the Inquisitor that implies he has met Ezra and Kanan before. (Because in this cut he has not)
  • REMOVED bickering between Chopper and Zeb.
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Allright, I need some opinions.

This is the beginning of my episode 5, which takes Kanan and Ezra to the Jedi Temple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=549ctq1xw90 (Visual glitches fixed)
In case you have not watched the show in a while: This is right after Ezra has tapped into the Dark Side and Kanan apologized to him for not teaching him what he needed to know.

Kanan is way more supportive towards Ezra in my Cut compared to the show, where he constantly doubts him and even voices those concerns. (Sometime between the lines) Keep that in mind for context.

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Allright, another scene from Episode 5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwu4TVsUjoY

I always missed a scene that solidifies the Master & Apprentice connection between Kanan and Ezra in the Jedi Temple. They learn individual lessons, but dont share a moment there.

Taking a scene from Rise of the Old Masters I added one such moment in the end. (Improving a scene that felt a bit “meh” imo anyway)

Really would love some feedback, be it good or bad! 😃 Currently thinking about adding a dreamy effect to the vision sequences, whats the general opinion on that?

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So far with all 5 episodes of your edit all I can say is fantastic work. The focus on character arcs & moments really shows.
I liked the inclusion of that master and apprentice opening the door at the end of E5 really bringing it all together.
I’ve got no complaints on my end.