This thread is for the discussion of the ADigitalMan re-edits of the Star Wars saga on DVD.

There is a sister thread for non-SW fan edits I have done..

This project was born out of the Thought on de-SE’ing the DVD thread and was immensely inspired by the MagnoliaFan edits.

Single-layer versions will be easier to find, but Dual Layer versions also exist, with full video quality, and in some cases, additional audio tracks.

Some info, which will hopefully be refined if interest builds:
 

=============================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of Episode I:

“There is still good in him.”

Fan editor ADigitalMan was puzzled, as most were, about the writing, directorial, and editorial decisions George Lucas chose when crafting the prequels to the Star Wars saga. Inspired by the movement in fan edits, ADigitalMan decided to learn the tools that would help him reshape the movies to his own expectations. Using only the elements provided in the movie itself and in the deleted scenes, a film has been crafted that finds the good in George Lucas’ elaborate backstory without betraying the overall vision of the filmmaker responsible for inspiring the imaginations of millions worldwide.

Here is what sets the ADigitalMan edition apart from the official DVD.

• New episode name “A Vergence in the Force”

• New crawl (Thanks to Darth Editous!!!)

• References to Amidala being an elected Queen of Naboo have been removed. Amidala is simply a young queen of a democratic constitutional monarchy, much like Great Britain’s government.

• Jar-Jar’s slapstick has been largely removed throughout the movie

• Anakin’s childishness has largely been removed throughout the movie

• Boss Nass’ strange tics have been removed

• There are no fart jokes or poop jokes

• No friggin’ midichlorians.

• Deleted scenes restored or partially restored include:

• Waterfall sequence

• Dawn before the race

• Extended Lap 2

• Anakin fighting Greedo

• Probe Droid following Qui-Gon and Anakin out of town - Earlier probe sequence was shifted here as well

• Some extraneous bits of the Podrace sequence were removed.

• Music added behind the podrace to heighten the tension.

• Ask Aak’s line is now in Malastarian and subtitled to match his lines in Episode II.

• Jar Jar is not made a General. He simply fights alongside his fellow Gungans.

• A significant piece of the Gungan battle is removed due to Jar Jar’s antics. It is edited seamlessly without detriment to the story.

• Anakin’s ship is not on autopilot as he goes of to destroy the control ship. All all of his actions are deliberate.
   

=============================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of Episode II:

“There is still good in him.”

Fan editor ADigitalMan was puzzled, as most were, about the writing, directorial, and editorial decisions George Lucas chose when crafting the prequels to the Star Wars saga. Inspired by the movement in fan edits, ADigitalMan decided to learn the tools that would help him reshape the movies to his own expectations. Using only the elements provided in the movie itself and in the deleted scenes, a film has been crafted that finds the good in George Lucas’ elaborate backstory without betraying the overall vision of the filmmaker responsible for inspiring the imaginations of millions worldwide.

Here is what sets the ADigitalMan edition apart from the official DVD.

• New episode name “Path to the Dark Side”

• New crawl, and the shot pans down (thanks to Darth Editous!!!)

• Deleted scenes restored or partially restored include:

• Padme Addresses the Senate

• Jedi Analysis Droids

• Padme’s parents house. It is important to note that this is not incongruous with Padme ascending to the throne at such an early age. Even in the unedited scene, nowhere does Padme introduce the man as her father. It is assumed that the Queen Mum is now remarried.

• Padme’s Bedroom is partially restored

• Obi-Wan and Mace in the Jedi Hangar (The similar scene with Yoda has been removed).

• Count Dooku trying to persuade Amidala to join the Separatists

• Trial and Sentencing of Padme and Anakin (with new subtitles)

• References to Amidala as a senator have been removed. Amidala is still Queen of Naboo, and she has focused on leading the opposition to the Galactic Senate’s Military Creation Act. It is intimated that Jar Jar is actually the Senator from Naboo. All references to Queen Jamilla have been removed.

• Zam’s subplot of being a changeling is removed because it went nowhere. The Kamino Saber Dart thus becomes that much more lethal a weapon, based on the instant mummification effect it has on Zam.

• Lots of bad dialogue has been cut or trimmed. Especially:

• The “Elevator” scene introducing Obi-Wan and Anakin

• Jar Jar greeting Obi-Wan and Anakin

• Some of Anakin’s dialogue during the speeder chase. His actions are deliberate now.

• Padme handing over the reins to Jar Jar

• “At least we have Artoo with us … (laughter)”

• “I hate sand …”

• Boba Fett’s snicker

• “I’m a Jedi … I know I’m better than this.”

• Anakin pouring his heart out to Padme in front of the fire. This has been trimmed down to a more effective speech, helping to show the tension they both feel. It’s clear that there is romantic tension between the two of them without this dreadfully awful soliloquy.

• Much of Anakin’s whineyness and awkwardness has also been removed throughout the movie. Some Specifics:

• Beautiful, especially for a Senator, etc etc.

• “It’s not fair …”

• “He’s jealous …”

• Riding around on that big tick thing in the field and rolling around in the heather with Padme.

• Shots of his dream about his mother are inserted into his nightmare sequence to break up the awkwardness of this shot without losing its purpose. Doesn’t quite look like he’s jerking off in bed to thoughts of his mother anymore.

• The Geonosian Archdukes’s subtitles have been rewritten for effectiveness and faster reading.

• Dooku’s alliance with Sidious is not revealed until their scene together at the end. Little bits of dialogue before this about “my master” have been removed. For that matter, his being a Sith is not revealed until his saber is fired up (assuming you judge a Sith by his saber color). This all leaves for some element of surprise without changing the basic nature of the characters.
   

==============================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of “Episode II.V (The Clone Wars)” (Feature Edition):
 

The animated series has been edited into one continuous 2+ hour film, bridging the gap between Ep II and III. Beyond what the official DVDs offer, this edition offers the following:

• Opening credits added in the style of the live-action films. The Fox Fanfare is used, but the Fox logo is replaced with Cartoon Network logos.

• Star Wars Main title set to a crawl written by yours truly and programmed by our great friend MeBeJedi. It’s a little different in that it uses the animated starfield from the background plate of the opening Clone Wars logo, as opposed to a traditional starfield. It was just my little way of preserving the short animated opening in some tiny fashion. The title card is a bit different, and there is no pan down, but a fade out.

• The sound in Volume 1 is upmixed to surround

• The final shot of Shaak-Ti is removed, leaving her fate more congruous with what happens in the re-edit of Ep III. We hear Mace say her name without moving his mouth, making it an unspoken thought in his head as he realizes she’s been kidnapped.

On the whole, this really begs to be watched in a marathon viewing of the episodes, as it sets up much of Ep III and answers a lot of questions in that film.

There is a DL version has some bonus making-of stuff not present on the SL edition.
 

==============================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of Episode III (Revenge of the Sith):
 

Things added:

• New crawl, once again thanks to the programming genius of Darth Editous. This takes care of important expository elements that were missing.
• Battle droids & Nemoidian captain voices modulated to sound deeper and less silly.
• Death of Shaak-Ti (trimmed to remove redundancy) / Escape through the fuel cells (trimmed considerably)
• Palpatine refers to Dooku as Lord Tyrannus when he enters the room (as his mouth movements originally suggest)
• Plot to destroy the Jedi deleted scene (trimmed considerably to remove redundancy)
• The three Birth of the Rebellion scenes with Padme, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma (among others)
• The Emperor tells Mas Amedda to “Leave us” explaining why he just walked out of the room after Yoda gets zapped.
• Three voiceovers with Qui Gon speaking to / with Yoda taken from Liam Neeson’s body of work.
• Yoda’s exile to Dagobah scene (incorporating the final Qui Gon moment)

Things removed:

• The lines about “Vulture Droids” and “Buzz Droids” during the Battle of Coruscant (it was bad exposition).
• Artoo slamming into a wall.
• Palpatine’s cheesy “yes” removed from the fight with Darth Tyrannus.
• Jar Jar’s one “Excuse me” line, which was a cheesy out-of-place lift from Ep I.
• Anakin & Padme’s balcony scene
• References to Amidala as a Senator.
• NO FRIGGIN’ MIDICHLORIANS ™
• Palpatine kvetching about being too weak to fight.
• Anakin second guessing himself about which side to choose and again after Mace’s fate. Removing the “what have I done?” sequence that weakens his transformation.
• Padme dying from losing the will to live.
• Vader’s “Noooooo” shortened and breathing effect added
   

=======================================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of Star Wars (A New Hope):
 

Never a big detractor of the Star Wars Special Editions, fan editor ADigitalMan was nonetheless discontented with a few of the changes. The solution: change the parts he didn’t like and start enjoying Star Wars once again.

Here is what sets the ADigitalMan edition apart from the official DVD.

• Custom sound mix, joins the 1997 surround channels and the 2004 surround channels together, to somewhat straighten out the music mix while preserving the FX. The score, in essence, mixes closer to dual-mono in the surround channels for a more natural surround balance than the offical 2004 mix. Additionally, certain sounds from the OT have been restored.

• “Turbo” Title Card has been fixed (Thanks to Darth Editous!!!)

• Mos Eisley entrance has been trimmed down somewhat.

• Greedo does NOT fire at Han!!!

• Optional setting to auto-skip Jabba the Hutt’s scene. This is not true seamless branching and pixellates at the cut point, but this is a limitation of the authoring software itself. It’s ugly, but extremely brief. For those who hate the Jabba scene, this may be the lesser of two evils.

• Optional alternate subtitles for Jabba the Hutt’s scene, that make his dialogue more threatening, more purposeful, and less redundant from the Greedo dialogue.

• Shot of Luke’s green saber aboard the Falcon is fixed (thanks to Darth Editous!!!)

• Post-credits easter-egg was added. Something was removed from somewhere else that was a better fit in exactly this spot. STAY THROUGH THE CREDITS!

And in the dual-layer version specifically:
The 2004 Mix (Surround)
The 2004 Mix (Stereo)
The 1997 Mix (Surround)
“ADigitalMan’s Heresy” mix

This makes the dual-layer version the better version to have. For those who despise the 2004 mixes, the 1997 mix is made available. (Thanks to Neil S. Bulk!!!) The Heresy Mix is a flippant bit of fun that will be self explanatory as you watch.
 

============================================================
 

The “Darth Editous / ADigitalMan Hybrid Edition” Fan Edit of Star Wars (A New Hope):

Information and discussion on this offshoot project should go here.
 

======================================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of The Empire Strikes Back
 

Never a big detractor of the Star Wars Special Editions, fan editor ADigitalMan was nonetheless discontented with a few old and new elements. The solution: change the parts he didn’t like and start enjoying The Empire Strikes Back once again.

Here is what sets the ADigitalMan edition apart from the official DVD.

• Luke & Leia’s incestuous smooch has been removed. Sorry, but it has crawled up my last nerve to watch this shot ever since 1983 revealed their true relationship.

• OT line “You’re lucky you don’t taste very good” has been restored.

• The new Emperor scene has been re-edited to remove any new dialogue. Ian McDiramid’s voice and visage is still used, but he delivers only the original dialogue. Only one innocuous word (“Young Skywalker” vs “Luke Skywalker”) is different due to limitations in the source material.

• Boba Fett’s original voice is restored.

• OT line “Bring My Shuttle” and surrounding music cues have been restored.

• Shot of Vader walking to his shuttle has been removed.

• Shot of Shuttle flying to the Executor remains intact.

• Shot of Shuttle landing in the hangar has been removed. (This was a re-used shot from Return of the Jedi anyway, complete with Moff Jerjerod waiting for Vader).
   

=================================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of Return of the Jedi
 

Never a big detractor of the Star Wars Special Editions, fan editor ADigitalMan was nonetheless discontented with a few of the conceptual changes. The solution: change the parts he didn’t like and start enjoying Return of the Jedi once again.

Here is what sets the ADigitalMan edition apart from the official DVD.

• Using the PAL laserdisc as an alternate video source (reconverting the frame rate to NTSC); Sebastian Shaw has been reinstated as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker.

• Using an imported German language version of the 2004 DVD’s, the audio mix has been modified to remove the last line in the trilogy being uttered by newly added Gungans. Wesa Free from hearing “Wesa Free.” (The stereo track in the Dual-Layer version, the audio comes from the French track on the NTSC DVD.)

• And in a change completely unique to this edition, the Special Edition song “Jedi Rocks” has been replaced with the CD-version of “Lapti Nek”, as sourced from the 1993 Anthology Boxed Set. The Special Edition video in this sequence has been re-edited to match the music. ADigitalMan states, “Not only did I grow up with ‘Lapti Nek’ in the movie, but I grew up playing this for five years in the stands at Friday night football games.’Lapti Nek’ always had a special place in my heart, so it had to be reinstated”.
   

==========================================
 

The “ADigitalMan” Fan Edit of Return of the Jedi Version 2.0
 

Using the above edit as a base:

• A closing montage of all six movies centering around Anakin’s journey takes place after the “other worlds” celebration and before the Ewok celebration. The closing music is replaced with the new variations on the “Force March” (a.k.a. “Throne Room”) as recorded for the closing credits of Revenge of the Sith, which were included on the CD but left out of the movie itself. It finds a new life here.

• The shots of Shaw as Anakin’s Ghost have been recomposited and re-aligned for even smoother integration into the film. This actually restores 15 frames to the film that were lost in the PAL/NTSC conversion, re-synching the iris-out to the credits where it should be.

• A couple extra Jabba lines are added in during his tussle with Oola during Lapti Nek to improve his lip synchronization.

=================================
Info Added Sept. 22, 2005:

The “ADigitalMan” Spoofs and Bonus Features

[Collection 1]

One of the first projects I did was to remaster TROOPS to contain the original “Bad Boys” audio, but matched with the superior video of the “Total Movie” promo DVD. This grew into a collection of spoofs and other material to pad out a single layer, and then a dual-layer disc. The menu simply bears the title “Star Wars Spoofs and More” and contains the following features:

1. TROOPS Remastered [with 3 audio options]
2. George Lucas in Love
3. Hardware Wars
4. The Muppet Show w/ Mark Hamill
5. That 70’s Show: A New Hope
6. R2-D2: Beneath The Dome
7. Evan Mather’s Short Films:

• Quentin Tarantino’s Star Wars
• Godzilla vs. Disco Lando
• Kung Fu Kenobi’s Big Adventure
• Les Pantless Menace

8. Crazy Watto
9. Episode III Teaser Trailer
10. All three 1997 SE Trailers
11. The Making of the SE
12. Kenner Vintage Toy Commercials [from RowMan’s collection]
     

================================
 

Star Wars: A Musical Journey

The “ADigitalMan” Dialogue-Free Edition

The name says it all. This takes the video from the release that accompanied the ROTS soundtrack and matches it to the appropriate songs from the official soundtracks without all the dialogue and FX during and in-between the music. This is a more “pure” music video of all of John Williams concert suites from the official soundtrack. A couple of notable differences:

1. I used the original Fox Fanfare from ANH and not the re-recorded one from later films.
2. I used the Main Title from ANH and not from Ep I.
3. I did make the same edits that were made in a few of the songs, such as Dune Sea and Cantina Band to keep the music in sync with the video.
4. I added some crossfades in between some of the numbers for a more seamless experience.

SOAPBOX:

I consider all of these to be educational projects. Please don’t support piracy; please obtain a properly-licensed copy to any of the films I do. It is important for Hollywood to get the message that we’re not out to rob them, but also that digital distribution is not going away just because of the MPAA’s Gestapo tactics and monopolization of distribution through fixed media. Hollywood needs to find a legitimate way to monetize BitTorrent and similar technologies, rather than threatening to destroy them like they did Napster. Clearly, the MPAA learned nothing from the RIAA. But if users of the technology have properly licensed materials to begin with, then we will give Hollywood little legal ground to stand on when it comes to editing and sharing our works.