Episode II: The Eyepainter Fanedit is now available

PM me for the link.

Here are the specifications for those who may need it.

Running Time: 1 hr, and 28 minutes
File: MKV lossless
Codec: H.264
Size: 12.6 GB
Resolution: 1920x820p
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio Tracks: DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0

The trailer is now online

I am a little reluctant to post the link to the trailer, but seeing as I have posted links to youtube videos on this website before, I don’t think this will upset anyone:

https://youtu.be/4QuAjuR_ttc

If this link violates the rules, let me know and I’ll remove it.

THE LIST OF CHANGES

After a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and I mean literal tears this time around), I have decided to release the changes I have made so far. The list is so long, I had to sit on the couch and write 'em all down for six hours total. I’m not kidding! It’s past midnight where I live as I type this.

This edit of episode II is going to be a radical departure from the theatrical version. I have taken out major plot points and juggled the placement of the deleted scenes for quite some time now. This is my way of saying that the list is more approximate than final. Because for all I know, there’s something I’ve missed.

Just like my episode I fanedit, the list will be under a spoiler tag. Just click the expand button, and you’ll see the full list.

Also like my episode I posting, here’s what the symbols mean:
-=deleted
/=extended, shortened, or re-edited
+=added

/opening crawl
-several shots of the ship landing
-“Senator, we’re making our final approach into Coruscant.” And “very good, lieutenant.”
-“We made it. I guess I was wrong. There was no danger at all.”
-“My lady. I’m so sorry. I failed you, senator.” And “No.”
-“I shouldn’t have come back.” And “This vote is very important. You did your duty, Corde did hers. Now come…”
-“We’re keepers of the peace, not soldiers.”
/Subtitle change: “The Loyalist Committee has arrived, Your Honor.” to “The loyalists have arrived, Your Honor.”
-“Seeing you alive brings warm feelings to my heart.”
-“I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, my lady.” and “Thank you, Master Windu.”
-Jar Jar meeting Obi-Wan and Anakin, including his announcement to Padme.
-“…Grown more beautiful, I mean. Well, for a senator, I mean.”
-Obi-Wan and Anakin’s bickering over finding the killer
-Jar Jar, Obi-Wan, and Anakin’s conversation
-All shots of Zamm’s face for the first half of the speeder chase to add mystery
-Zamm’s conversation with Jango Fett
-“She covered the cameras. Heh. I don’t think she liked me watching her.”, “What is she thinking?”, and “She programmed R2 to warn us if there is an intruder.”
-“You’re using her as bait.”, “It was her idea. Don’t worry, no harm will come to her. I can sense everything going on in that room. Trust me.”, “It’s too risky. Besides, your senses aren’t that attuned to mine, apprentice.”, “And yours are?”, and “Possibly.”
-Zamm sending the droid
-“…Just being around her again is… Intoxicating.”, and “Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They betray you. You’ve made a commitment to the Jedi order. A commitment not easily broken. And don’t forget. She’s a politician and they’re not to be trusted.”
-“Are you alright, my lady?”
-A few shots and trims of Obi-Wan holding onto the droid for pacing
-several pointless CGI shots
-Zamm seeing Obi-Wan with her goggles and pulling out her rifle
-Zamm getting into her speeder
-“With the open cockpit, and the right speeding capabilities.”, “If you spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman.”, “I thought I already did.”, and “Only in your mind, my very young apprentice.”
-Anakin’s pulling up the speeder at the last second
-“You know I don’t like it when you do that.”, “Sorry, Master. I forgot you don’t like flying.”, “I don’t mind flying, but what you’re doing is suicide.”
-Anakin and Obi-Wan flying through the fires and getting zapped without somehow dying
-“Where are you going? He went that way!”, and “Master, if we keep this chase going any longer, that creep is gonna end up deep-fried. And personally, I’d very much like to find out who he is and who he’s working for…”
-Removed Zamm leaving the tunnel to remove a continuity issue when Anakin jumps out of the speeder
-Zamm taking off her veil
-“…He went completely the other way. Once again, you’ve proved…”
-Most shots of Anakin falling to make the jump more plausible
-“I hate it when he does that.”
-Anakin using his lightsaber, losing it, and Obi-Wan grabbing it
-A shot of Zamm’s speeder landing
-“Sorry, Master.”, “He went in there to hide, not to run.”, “Yes, Master.”, “Next time, try not to lose it.”, “Yes, Master.”, “This weapon is your life.”, “I try, master.”, “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?”, “Don’t say that, Master. You’re the closest thing I have to a father.”, “Then why don’t you listen to me?”, and “I am trying.”
-“Go and find her.”, “Where are you going, Master?”, and “For a drink.”
+Subtitle added: “Bounty hunter… From Kamino… Called…”
-“Anakin…”
-“…And don’t use registered support. Travel as refugees.”
-Scene where Obi-Wan talks to Mace Windu and Yoda on how Anakin’s skills have made him, well, arrogant
-Scene where Padme packs up her bags while Anakin talks about how overly critical Obi-Wan is
-“It’s not me, my lady. I worry about you. What if they realize you’ve left the capital?”, and “Well, then my jedi protector will have to prove how good he is.”
-“I’ll get to the bottom of this plot quickly, my lady. You’ll be back here in no time.”, “I’ll be most grateful for your speed, Master Jedi.”, “It’s time to go.”, and “I know.”
-“Don’t worry. We have R2 with us.”, “I do hope he doesn’t try anything foolish.”, and “I’d be more concerned about her doing something than him.”
-Dexter Jettster and his stupid diner
-Obi-Wan having no luck finding Kamino in the archives
-“Hey you! No droids! Get outta here!”
-“You’re exactly the way I remember you in my dreams.”
-Those pesky younglings
+Deleted scene: Obi-Wan and Mace Windu discuss how Anakin has a strong emotional connection to Padme
+Deleted scene: Anakin and Padme’s extended conversation at Naboo landing
-Scene where Anakin and Padme meet the Naboo queen
-“There it is, R4, right where it should be. Our missing planet Kamino.”
-Shot of Lama Su and Obi-Wan being introduced shortened
-Shot of Anakin and Padme getting out of boat
-“I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft… And smooth.”
-Shot of Anakin and Padme looking at the lake
-“Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing: an unaltered clone for himself. Curious, isn’t it?”, “Unaltered?”, and “Pure genetic replication. No tampering with the structure to make it more docile, and no growth acceleration.”
-Anakin’s romantic ride with a CGI creature followed by Anakin and Padme’s frolicking around
-“Really?”, “I was recruited by a man called Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden.”, and “Curious.”
-Anakin and Padme’s romantic dinner table scene
-Anakin confessing his love for Padme, Padme saying it won’t work because she’s a senator, Anakin talking about keeping it a secret and blah blah blah…
+Deleted scene: Padme’s family
+Deleted scene: Anakin and Padme discuss Padme’s past in a relief group
-“R4, scramble code five to Coruscant, care of the old folks home.”
-“…If you are to discover the real villains behind this plot.”
-“Yes, Master. I will report back when I have him.”, “Blind we are if creation of this clone army, we could not see.”, “I think it is time we informed the senate that our ability to use the force has diminished.”, and “Only the dark lord of the Sith knows of our weakness. If informed the Senate is, multiply our adversaries will.”
-Anakin waking up from his nightmare
-“Don’t go.”, “I don’t want to disturb you.”, “Your presence is soothing.”, “You had another nightmare last night.”, “Jedi don’t have nightmares.”, and “I heard you.”
-“I’m sorry. I don’t have a choice.”
-Second half of Obi-Wan/Jango Fett confrontation on Kamino
-Shortened establishing shot of Tattooine
-“Wait right there.”, and “Okey-dokey.”
/Subtitle change: “What? What do you want?” to “Hey! What do you want?”
/Subtitle change: “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.” to “I didn’t do it!”
-Removed Watto’s cartoonish bouncing tool
-“Hey… Maybe you could help me with some deadbeats who owe me a lot of money.”
-“Ooh, long way from here. Some place over on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think, mmm…”, “I’d like to know.”, and “Eh, sure. Absolutely! Let’s go look at my records, huh?”
-Obi-Wan and Jango Fett’s confrontation in space
-“Well, R4, I think we’ve waited long enough.”
-“There’s an unusual concentration of Federation ships over there, R4.”
-“Stay with the ship, R2.”
-C-3P0’s introduction
-“Those tuskens walk like men, but they’re vicious, mindless monsters.”
-A lot of establishing shots from Obi-Wan’s point of view
-“We must persuade the Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance to sign the treaty.”, “What about the senator from Naboo? Is she dead yet? I am not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk.”, “I am a man of my word, Viceroy.”, and “With these new battle droids we’ve built for you, you’ll have the finest army in the galaxy.”
/Subtitle change: “What you are proposing could be construed as treason.” to “Our army is too small to fight the republic.”
-“The techno Union army… is at your disposal, Count.”, “The Banking Clan will sign your treaty.”, and “Good. Very good.”
-Anakin finding his mother, followed by the murdering of the tuskens
-Scene where Yoda senses Anakin’s pain
-R2 getting Obi-Wan’s message
-Anakin’s psychopathic ranting scene
-“…So much.”
-“Hmm. Master Ani, does that name mean anything to you?”
-“More happening on Geonosis, I feel, than has been revealed.” and “I agree.”
-“If you plan to protect me, you’ll just have to come along.”
-“I’m not worried, R2. It’s just that I’ve never flown before.”
-Discussion on the emergency powers and who should be given them
-“…They have gone too far. This is madness.”
-“May I ask why a jedi Knight is all the way out here on Geonosis?”, “I’ve been tracking a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Do you know him?”, “There are no bounty hunters here that I am aware of. The Geonosians don’t trust them.”, and “Who can blame them? But he is here, I can assure you.”
-Darth Jar Jar giving emergency powers to Palpatine.
-“Visit I will the cloners on Kamino, and see this army they have created for the republic.”
-“Don’t worry. I’ve given up trying to argue with you.”
-All of R2 and C-3P0’s shenanigans on Geonosis
/re-edited so that Anakin uses the force to save Padme in the Geonosian factory instead of R2
/re-edited so that Anakin loses his lightsaber when he gets hit by a mechanical arm instead of having his own arm trapped in some military device
/ending of Geonosis factory scene rearranged
+Deleted scene: Padme negotiates with Count Dooku
-“What are you talking about?”, “I love you.”, “You love me? I thought that we had decided not to fall in love. That we would be forced to live a lie. And that it would destroy our lives.” and “I think our lives are about to be destroyed anyway. I truly deeply love you.”
-“Settle down. Settle down… Let the executions begin!”
-Shot of the viceroy chuckling
-Anakin’s wild ride on the creature
-“She can’t do that! Shoot her or-or something!”
-“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! Jango! Finish her off!” and “Patience, viceroy, patience. She will die.”
-“This part’s over.”
-All moments of R2 repairing C-3P0 on the battlefield
-Boba watching his father
-Jango fighting and killing the creature
-Mace Windu’s murderous decapitation of Jango Fett
-Boba’s reaction to his father’s death
-Some shots of jedi showing off their skills
-“You call this a diplomatic solution?” and “No, I call it aggressive negotiations.”
-Shot of Yoda saving the day with the clone troopers
-“Around the survivors a perimeter create.”
-All moments of jedi giving orders to clones, including Yoda, Anakin, and Mace Windu
-Boba picking his dad’s decapitated head
-“If Dooku escapes, rally more systems to his cause, he will.”
-Dooku’s death star tease scenes
/Anakin and Obi-Wan’s argument over trying to save Padme shortened and re-edited from two scenes to one scene
/Padme getting rescued by clone trooper moved to before the climactic lightsaber duel instead of during it
-“We’d better get back to the forward command center.”, “No. No. Gather what troops you can! We’ve got to get to that hangar. Get a transport! Hurry!” and “Right away!”
-“We’ll take him together. Go in slowly on the left.” and “I’m taking him now!”
-Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem."
-“Surely you can do better!”
-“…The dark side I sense in you.”
-Yoda and Dooku’s lightsaber duel
/Shot zoomed in to remove Dooku’s lightsaber
-Shot of Dooku looking back
-Scene where Dooku visits Palpatine and Lord Tyranus reveal
-“Joined the dark side Dooku has. Mmm. Lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now.” and “Nevertheless…”
-“The shroud of the dark side has fallen.”

The saga continues…

As I type this, I am taking care of a bunch of last things with my Episode I edit. (such as recording an audio commentary, downloading an .mp4 file, backing up everything Episode I-related to a drive so that I can delete everything from my computer, and other boring technical stuff.) I am posting this now, because I expect to begin work on Episode II within the next couple of weeks.

Now, I have to be honest. Of the three movies in the trilogy, Episode II is the defining example of everything that was wrong with the prequels. The overuse of CGI. The way Obi-Wan and Anakin’s relationship was ruined. The way Anakin and Padme’s romance was ruined. The overuse of CGI. The shoehorning of fan service into the plot. The way they ruined the jedi and Yoda. Did I mention the overuse of CGI? Don’t get me wrong. Episode I was bad. But at least I could name a few things that I did like in Episode I. Whether it be the climactic duel with Darth Maul, or the podrace, or even the iconic Duel of the Fates from John Williams. With Episode II, however, there’s no good or bad, because it’s all bad. The main challenge I’m faced with for this particular edit isn’t to amplify the good stuff and improve the bad, as in Episode I. This time, it’s about trying to make a work of genius out of a lot of bad parts.

For this edit, I’m taking influence from several edits. The same ones I took influence from in Episode I, to be exact. The first one is… The theatrical version. If for no other reason than as a warning of how not to edit this film. The second edit I took influence from was the infamous Attack of the Phantom (Yes, the Phantom Editor’s version). The third edit is the HAL9000 and lastly, the l8wrtr edit. Now, I said in Episode I that my main influence was the l8wrtr edit, but in Episode II, my main influence is a toss-up between the HAL9000 and l8wrtr edits. There were things that I liked about the l8wrtr edit. There were things I liked about the HAL9000 edit. However, I feel like both lacked certain things that the other edit already had. So my version is gonna take influence mostly from both of these versions.

UPDATE: 12-8-2020

I want to give a very special thank you to bryantmh for his AI upscales of the deleted scenes, which I will be using for this edit of Episode II instead of the HAL9000 deleted scenes. If you want an idea of just how high the quality is for these deleted scenes, there are a couple of screenshots on bryantmh’s post. Here’s the link:

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Info-AI-Upscaling-of-Deleted-Scenes-and-other-content/id/75020

Of the screenshots, I will be using the extended Anakin and Padme conversation scene. It’s looking like I will be using 5 deleted scenes in total for this edit. However, the other 4 are not shown on bryantmh’s post. Rest assured, though, that I have looked over the scenes myself, and they look marvelous.

So, that’s everything for now. I will update everyone on the status of this edit as things go on. Thank you, and may the force be with you.

Just started on the cutting stage, and boy, does my head hurt. Not physically, but mentally. (Yeah. The movie is that bad.) I managed to cut it down to 97 minutes, but I must emphasize that it’s subject to change. I still have to look and see if I can find any plot holes that may have showed up as a result of my changes and alterations. Plus, I have to look at those painfully boring political scenes to see what lines could be left out. (Or if I can get rid of them entirely, which would make me happy.) This is turning out to be harder than Episode I. I have a hunch that I’m gonna be in the cutting stage for a while.

Did a look through of my edit so far, and I trimmed out 8 more minutes, resulting in an 89-minute movie so far. I like what I’ve done as of right now, but I will continue to stay in the cutting stage until I’m certain it’s good.

I’ve taken out a lot of major scenes, particularly in the second half. This is part of the reason why I’m not done with the cutting stage. I want to be extra sure that everything is consistent.

I have some bad news. Not for the edit, but for myself and my family. Last year, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She’s been in quite a battle this year, and this weekend has been seriously heartbreaking. There’s a chance she could pass away within the next few days. For this reason, I’m going to pay more attention to my family at this time, and less attention on the edit. No, I won’t abandon the edit itself. But as you can imagine, it might get put on hold for a bit. I will return when I feel up for it, but I gotta work on my family life for the time being. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Sorry to hear that. Hoping you’re able to be with your family.

I currently live right next door to them in my apartment, so I am. It’s just been a rough weekend for all of us. I’m hoping for the best, but the situation is looking that bleak.

Thoughts and prayers 🙏

RogueLeader said:

I hate to hear this for you man. I hope you can spend as much time with your family and your mother as you can.

I will. I just left work early so that I could spend more time with the family.

It is with great sadness that I announce the loss of my mom today. I will be halting work on my edit of Episode II temporarily to support my family. When I get back to work, I will add a dedication to my mother at the end of the special thanks credits for Episode II.

My condolences as well. Best to you.

Sorry to hear about that, wishing you the best

Deepest condolences, may she rest in peace.

Thanks guys.

I’m slowly inching my way back after the last week or so in mourning, and I’m hoping to go back to work on Episode II soon. I don’t have a specific timetable for when I’ll be back, but I’d like to return and see the progress I’ve made so far.

This one’s been a nerve-wracker. Last time I worked on it, my brain was hurting because of how bad the plot is. I’m still not sure if I’ve ironed out all the plot holes and mistakes, but I’ve hopefully gotten most of them fixed. I’ll have to watch my edit to see how it’s doing. My main worry so far is with Cipho Dias (I think that’s his name). That entire plot device broke my brain. Even after changing so many things, and taking out a lot of major scenes, I’m still not sure the Cipho Dias thing makes any sense. I just hope the changes I’ve made haven’t made it worse than it already is.

Still, the loss of my mom has given me enough of a break from episode II, and I can look at my edit anew. I’ll see if there’s anything else I can change. For now though, I’m gonna take it easy, and work on episode II when I feel like it. I’m sure I will get back soon, but I might need to grieve a little more first.

Just took a look at my edit of episode II again after halting work on it a week and a half ago. Overall, I think I’ve done the best I can. I will still be doing some more cutting, but a lot of what I’m changing now is the tiny, nitpicky stuff. Maybe a shot I could get rid of or something that can be removed without any effect on the film, etc.

What I’m trying to say is that the cutting stage is almost over. It’s been a brutal cutting, but all of the major cutting is done. I will probably start moving to the editing and color grading stages soon.

Now considering how crazy this edit has been so far, I must stress that the running time is subject to change, but it’s looking like the final run time is going to be 88 minutes. Yeah, it’s gonna be shorter than my episode I edit. Fine by me, though, considering how much was wrong with episode II.

As for the dedication to my mother, I have added it in after my special thanks credits, although I think I will change the font and color to something different. Sure, franklin gothic with blue works fine for my special thanks credits, but I want to try something different for the dedication. I’m trying to install the star jedi font to resolve, where I will then use that and color it yellow. Hopefully, resolve will let me use that font.

I know what I said in my last post, but I gave my edit another look through, and I’m feeling rather insecure about this edit. I’ve never done this before, but I’m going to ask for feedback. I’m hopeful that the edit I have created is well thought out, but I need a second opinion to see if there’s something I missed. Because my brain is tired of trying to think all of this through. I’m gonna work on exporting a demo soon. Feel free to PM me, and I will send you the link when I have downloaded it.

I’ve downloaded the demo through resolve in an .mov file format at 1080p. The file size is standing at 10.9GB as of right now. I will be working on sending the file online either today or tomorrow. PM me and I will send you the link when it’s online.

I had some compression issues with the demo, so I will try again and download the demo ASAP. Sorry for the inconvenience.

So, after several attempts to export the demo through resolve without getting an overly compressed image, I gave up and decided to go back to my exporting rules for episode I v2. I exported the file in .MOV, but I changed the codec from h.264 to DNxHD and changed the stereo audio track to 16-bit linear PCM. Then, I took that file and went into Handbrake. Since my objective isn’t to make this the highest quality file ever, I set it to most of the default settings. However, I converted the file to MKV instead of MP4, because I’m biased towards MKV. I also converted the linear PCM stereo track to AAC. What I got was a file that is 2.47GB small. It is lossy, but judging from a few scenes I took a peek at, it looks a lot better than the h.264 files I got out of resolve. The deleted scenes haven’t gone through quality control, so they may not look as good as the rest of the edit, but at least it’s reviewable. So, as I’m typing this, the file is being sent out onto the world wide web. It should be 100 percent complete in an hour. You may PM me for the link.

Demo is now online. PM me for the link. For those of you who want more info, read on.

The demo is an MKV file at 2.47GB with a resolution of 1920 x 830 at 23.976fps with a 2.0 AAC stereo track. It’s lossy, but the purpose of this demo is for the plot and the characters. Keep in mind that the crawl hasn’t been done yet, so the opening crawl that you see is the theatrical version, which will be changed. If you need to know what the new opening crawl is supposed to be, here’s a rough draft:

“The republic is divided. Hundreds of solar systems are threatening to leave the republic under the new SEPARATIST MOVEMENT, led by Jedi master COUNT DOOKU.
As more solar systems continue to join the separatists, fears of a galactic war continue to grow. There are already rumors that thousands of solar systems could soon join the separatist movement.
SENATOR PADME AMIDALA, former queen of Naboo, is heading for Coruscant in an attempt to end the conflict and restore peace to the galaxy…”

Another thing I should note. I haven’t gotten into the color grading or sound editing, so yes, the video and audio quality will be flawed. Audio will seem choppy during scene transitions. The contrast will be too low as well. Blacks might look gray, and whites may not be very bright. I’m hoping to start on the color grading soon, but that all depends on the feedback I get. I’m also hoping to take a look at the wipes and transitions again, as it does look like more wipes and transitions are needed looking back at it.

Now, I don’t want to state the obvious, but I feel I need to. This is a demo. This is not the final release. All that you see is subject to change. Thank you for taking your interest in this demo, and I look forward to hearing your feedback on this. As a token of my gratitude, everyone who gives feedback will be added as an advisor to the editing credits at the end of this version of Episode II.

Just started work on the sound. Most of it is just simple crossfades around some of the more obvious cuts. I will probably start color grading as soon as I’m done with the crossfades.

As for feedback, I haven’t gotten any responses yet, so I haven’t made any new cuts. I’m beginning to warm up to the idea of announcing the changes I’ve made, but I want to wait a bit and get a reaction or two from the demo before I make that decision. I’d rather compile a final list than an incomplete list. But I am considering releasing the list of changes soon.