13las

Wow, I would have killed for more of this show. But so thankful for what we got! Hot take, but I think this final arc was my favorite of the season. Hard to deny last week’s though, so I’m not ready to lock that in. Definitely going to need to rewatch. If I didn’t have work in a few hours, I’d throw on Rogue One right now!

Also, really enjoyed the classic SW score that kicked in towards the end of the credits.

That’s awesome! I’ll have to check those things out. The audio changes (especially in Empire) are such a nightmare to keep track of. But those are a few that I’ve never even heard anyone else mention.

I think it would probably be a good idea to put together a streamlined version of my script (without all my dumb jokes), that could be fact-checked and cross-referenced before I get too deep into putting this thing together. I think I should have time to do that within the next couple of days.

Rough draft of this project: https://youtu.be/qh2Wr8XeFyA

I’ve always been a big fan of deleted scenes. And one thing that has always blown me away is the existence of the Prequel Trilogy deleted scenes from their DVD releases which, if you’re not aware, were (almost) fully completed just for home media — which is unprecedented. That was a personal investment of a lot of time and money on George’s part that I don’t think any other filmmaker has ever done at that scale. But, with those PT DVDs out of print and only a few scenes making their way to Disney+, I thought it would be cool to find a new way to present them.

So I decided to put together an extremely simple project: essentially just a chronological compilation of 20 deleted scenes from Episodes I, II, and III. I have only included the scenes from the DVD releases (there are additional scenes from the Blu-ray, but they’re generally in much rougher shape). A user on The Star Wars Trilogy forums named DarthPyro52 has upscaled them and they look pretty good (not sure if he is on these forums too?) The ROTS scenes especially look fantastic.

In presentation, this project is inspired by the way that David Lynch (RIP) handled deleted scenes for several of his projects: turning them into a supplementary experience that you’re meant to watch in conjunction with the main feature film/films. In particular, I am trying to capture the spirit of Fire Walk With Me: The Missing Pieces — a really fantastic compilation of deleted scenes from the Twin Peaks movie.

So, in other words, this is something to throw into a SW marathon after ROTS, if you’re craving 30 more minutes of the Prequels. Because, believe it or not, there are dozens of us (dozens!) that do.

In terms of actual editing on my part, I have trimmed a couple of these scenes a little bit. The podrace scenes have a lot of footage that’s actually in the movie itself now which I removed, and I also cut a portion of a ROTS scene that is unfinished (although, there are a few portions in some of these scenes that still do have unfinished effects). I may make one more pass through all the scenes with a slightly heavier hand. And maybe include one or two Blu Ray scenes if I can get them to look okay.

The other thing that I did was create an intro and end credits, both based on Twin Peaks The Missing Pieces, and using a VERY poor quality rip of Star Wars Biomes.

Reference for opening: https://youtu.be/8PqqoOA-q3M
And end credits: https://youtu.be/SxA7tjompUM

Both of those credit scenes are temporary for now - I’m on the hunt for a high quality rip of Biomes from D+ so any suggestions for that would be greatly appreciated. I am also toying around with trying to find some unused John Williams score to use. So if you have any ideas for that too, please let me know!

I want to thank you all for your continued support and excitement. I promise that I am still working on this project! Wish that I had something new to share to show my progress, but I don’t. Life always seems to find a way to get in the way, but I hope to have some free time in the next couple of months to get much closer to the finish line on this daunting project.

In case you’re wondering, the script that I’ve written for this project is currently sitting at a, frankly, insane total of 331 pages long. I think that would be something like 8 hours all told, give or take. And, yes, I do plan to release it all in a single marathon-length video.

The video will be roughly half voice-over narration, used over the changes themselves and to explain history and context.
The other half is going to be me on-camera, primarily to show off some physical items. I actually have a pretty sizable collection of SW home video releases and ephemera (from Super 8 to 4K and everything in between). And I think that will help to tell this story in a really definitive and visually interesting way.

Like I said, the prep and writing is essentially done — and that includes collecting B-roll and assembling all of the changes themselves in my Premiere timeline. It’s just a matter of recording/filming and then editing it altogether. Hopefully I’ll have something cool to show off relatively soon!

Funny that you mention it because I have actually picked up work on this again lately. But I work full time and I’m in graduate school as well so it is extremely slow going and I won’t be able to estimate a release date. Thank you for the interest though, that always helps me when I need some motivation!

Trying to put together a comprehensive list of every single time that Anthony Daniels has portrayed C-3PO.

I’m including voice-only roles, cameos in non-Star Wars material, even commercials. Anything and everything where he recorded original dialogue.

This is what I’ve been able to come up with so far, mostly based on Daniels’ IMDB credits. But I’m sure there are so so many that I’ve missed. Please contribute any that you know of that are not listed below!

In mostly chronological order:
A New Hope (1977)
Donny and Marie (1977)
-Episode 301 (Sep. 23, 1977)
The Making of Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars Immunization PSA (1977)
Burger Chef Ad (1977)
-https://youtu.be/zFLJ0HrE7LU?si=t6493d1524d61Gup
50th Academy Awards (1978)
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
Sesame Street (1980)
-Episode 1364 (January 31, 1980)
The Muppet Show (1980)
-Episode 417 (UK: February 29, 1980; US: February 25, 1980)
Sesame Street (1980)
-Episode 1396 (March 17, 1980)
C-3PO and R2-D2 Perform with the Boston Pops (April 29, 1980)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Underoos commercial (1980)
Anti-Smoking PSA (1980)
Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama (1980)
Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album (1980)
Sesame Street (1981)
-Episode 1495 (January 30, 1981)
Swap Shop (1981)
Return of the Ewok (1982)
The Empire Strikes Back - The Original Radio Drama (1983)
Return of the Jedi (1983)
C-3PO’s commercials (1983-4)
-https://youtu.be/p00WyfM6ALc?si=j0MZIfmP6GBsp9_h
-https://youtu.be/SzknWRQvqT8?si=-B9T_F1gGYkBf44R
The ABC Saturday Sneak Peek and Fun Fit Test (1985)
Droids (1985-1986) – 13 episodes + special
George Lucas’ Star Tours (1986)
Star Tours (1987)
Starlog Salutes Star Wars convention (1987)
Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary Celebration (1990)
Star Tours French Version (1992)
-https://youtu.be/tKuttalZmD0?si=5fI_wzSbnVzAg4-d
Return of the Jedi - The Original Radio Drama (1996)
Monopoly Star Wars Video Game (1997)
A New Hope Read-Along (1997)
The Empire Strikes Back Read-Along (1997)
The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Yoda’s Challenge - Activity Center (1999)
Star Wars: Pit Droids (1999)
Star Wars: Connections (2002)
Attack of the Clones (2002)
Clone Wars (2004-2005)
-Chapter 15
-Chapter 16
-Chapter 21
-Chapter 23
Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The Clone Wars Movie (2008)
The Clone Wars Series (2008)
-Destroy Malevolence
-Bombad Jedi
Star Wars: Jedi Reading (2008)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels (2008)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance (2008)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition (2009)
The Clone Wars Series (2009-2010)
-Trespass
-Blue Shadow Virus
-Hostage Crisis
-Senate Spy
-The Zillo Beast Strikes Back
-Evil Plans
Robot Chicken: Star Wars III (2010)
The Clone Wars Series (2011)
-The Citadel
-Mercy Mission
-Nomad Droids
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011)
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (2011)
Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out (2012)
Star Wars Detours (2012)
-No footage though?
Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles (2013-2014)
-All 7 episodes
The Lego Movie (2014)
Star Wars Rebels (2014)
-Droids in Distress
Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015)
Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales (2015)
-5 episodes
Star Wars: Battlefront (2015)
The Force Awakens (2015)
88th Academy Awards (2016)
Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises (2016)
-Poe to the Rescue
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Video Game (2016)
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue French Version (2016)
Rogue One (2016)
Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (2017)
-Beasts of Echo Base
The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Resistance (2018)
-The Recruit
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge Video Game (2020)
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
-Part 1
Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation (2022)
Ahsoka (2023)
-Part Seven: Dreams and Madness

Thank you guys! Working on an Indiana Jones video next, but probably won’t have it out until the new year.

Caston said:

I finally got around to watching this and I really enjoyed it.

It certainly didn’t feel like I was watching a 40 minute video, it felt quite a bit shorter, in a good way. This was obviously well researched and put together, with some smooth edits and cuts.

I also liked the humour and insights you included, and you did a great job in presenting it throughout. Smooth work inserting quotes, clips and audio from those working on the TV projects at the time, too. You struck a really good balance with that.

Plus, you gave each piece of Star Wars TV some solid coverage, especially noting how certain ideas and concepts were later used or referenced in the main films. I loved your 2003 Clone Wars segment, it is often overlooked in favour of the later 2008 series in many other similar videos and articles.

Would happily recommend others to watch this, especially for anyone who doesn’t know much of Star Wars’ somewhat “up and down” history on TV.
 

The only thing I can think of on “a critical level” is that it appeared your microphone stand may have broke? (or you opted for a hand-held mic in shot from around around 20 minutes for around 10 minutes?) and it felt a little “off” for some bizarre reason. Although that is likely just me! And I’m struggling to think of anything critical write as I enjoyed the video so much.
 

Cool video, and I hope you do more. Maybe a “Part Two” in the future, for the Disney+ era?

Hey thank you so much! I really really appreciate those kind words.

Re: the mic. I was honestly making it up on the spot from a technical perspective. I had that same mic sitting on the desk in front of me and about halfway through, for whatever reason, I just decided to hold it instead.

I have a few video scripts (this video is the first) that I’m kind of using as practice/pilot episodes. Trying to learn what works and what doesn’t, as well as practicing my on-camera presence. I’m definitely not a natural performer but I’m enjoying this as a little hobby.

Glad you enjoyed the video!

In celebration of this “Golden Age” of Star Wars on TV, I made this exploration of some of the forgotten Star Wars shows (some that should probably stay forgotten) that lead the way!

https://youtu.be/x0VG6nNQp6E?si=hwF5Ml9bcn1nAOyN

Please check it out and let me know what you think!

(It was my first time speaking on camera and making a video like this, but I learned a lot for the future)

MTFBWY

Joel said:

Here’s a first look! Things are moving along now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dl1etvrompca7ib/SWHS_Intro.mp4?dl=0

That looks great to me!

Awesome! Happy to help. Really looking forward to this project!

I’m not one hundred percent sure on this but re: the first image… that is actually one of the 3 FX shots that was tweaked between May 1977 and June 1977 while the film was still in theaters. Among other improvements, ILM re-timed the flash frames, so that frame could potentially come from the earlier version.

Most fan preservations are based on the June cut (as are all modern home video releases) but the original version of the shot did make it to a couple of early releases, including some laserdiscs. Sadly, I don’t think it exists in HD anywhere. But laserdisc could be marginally better than what you’ve got now?

Again, not sure that’s what’s going on here but it’s worth checking out.

Much appreciated! Just to reiterate, I’m currently waiting on 4K80 to be released before resuming work on this project.

^ These compliments never fail to make me smile! Glad you are looking forward to the final project.

I wish I had more progress to share, but real life has kept me extremely busy of late. The good news is that my delayed progress means I will hopefully be able to use 4K80 for comparisons of ESB! If you’ve been following work on that, you’ll know that it’s getting closer and closer to completion and I couldn’t be more excited. I had been debating about whether or not it would be worthwhile to wait for it (I’m currently using a combo of GOUT and D+80) but it looks like that decision will be made for me.

crissrudd4554 said:

Will you be adding these changes to Empire?? “It’ll keep you warm til I get the shelter built/It’ll keep you warm til I get the shelter up“, “You’re lucky you don’t taste very good/You were lucky to get out of there”

Those were mono changes right? I’m not worried about being comprehensive about that one because it was not used theatrically. But “you were lucky to get out of there” WAS used in 97 so I have it in that section already.

Havoc n said:

The video is turning out great so far! One thing I noticed that you missed is that Luke’s line “what good will it do him if he gets himself killed, come on” is a different take in the mono mix. The line is at about 01:25:00.

Thanks! Added.

oojason said:

Re Section 1; on the general presentational front… I think you got it spot on.

For a 40 minute video it didn’t feel that long - and you left me wanting to see more. The humour spaced throughout didn’t jar - and was a welcome addition without being too OTT or distracting (you know people are going to pause the video and rush off to post on reddit that Lucas played old-timey piano for some theatre showings - before they later delete their posts after watching the rest of the video!) 😃

You also did a great job with the comparisons between differing takes and audio used - keeping them clear & concise. The presentation and transitions between the many differing takes made them easy to distinguish, intriguing to watch, and easier to remember (which is important important for fans of a certain age).

I think you’re going to surprise a lot of people and have them reaching for their old videos, laserdiscs and such to play the differences themselves. As well as jogging a lot of good memories even for those who know their pre-97 stuff.

Quality work, 13las.

👍
 

I appreciate the kind words.

For everyone following the project, I hit a bit of a snag last week when I got sick. Feeling better now (I’m vaccinated and tested negative for COVID as well) but my voice still sounds congested so I’m holding off on recording more narration.

In the meantime I’ve been working on anything that I can on the visual side, while simultaneously trying to balance work and a social life. I’m really happy with how this project is turning out but damn has it been a lot of work!

That’s awesome. Thank you!

doubleofive said:

Oh, I love using the “One Last Time” as a transition, you should make a point in the 97SE video that they’re ONLY talking about ANH, which was the original plan. The 97SE of the sequels were done at almost the last minute by a self-admitted “C Team” with much less resources and budget than ANH.

This is interesting. Any chance you’d be able to point me to where they self-admitted that?

Bobson Dugnutt said:

Section 3 is looking good, and I can’t notice any flaws. From memory, I think there was another audio change in TPM, as the senate chanting was changed from “Vote now!” to incoherent yelling. I think this was a DVD change, but I’m not 100% sure as it could of been a BR change.

Otherwise, I haven’t noticed any technical or factual errors, it’s looking good!

Thanks for the feedback! But, yeah that is actually a Blu-ray change and not a DVD one.

Btw, I’m using your recreation of the Declan Mulholland Jabba scene from ANH to talk about the SE version of the scene. Just wanted to double check that you’re cool with that? I’ll credit you as ‘originaltrilogy.com forum member Bobson Dugnutt’.

Here’s another WIP. Section 3: The Prequels in Theaters and on DVD [ https://youtu.be/ZqORvDS_4IU] (Runtime: 19:27)

Again, audio mixing hasn’t been finalized (I think I left the film audio way too loud on this one, but that will be addressed before the final version). There may be one or two other things not quite in their finished form yet, but I think it’s close enough to share for feedback.

Also, I’m doing these slightly out of order because Section 2 (The Special Editions) is a huge one. It’s currently looking like it’s going to be over 90 minutes long and I still have a lot of work left to do.

As before, I’m looking for feedback on factual accuracy primarily but feel free to comment on presentational style and clarity.

Thanks!

crissrudd4554 said:

Watching the vid now. A quick correction. 3PO’s tractor beam line is NOT in the 1993 mix.

Good catch. Not sure how my wires got crossed on that one.

Hi!

A couple years ago I made some YouTube videos about the changes to the Star Wars films. Generally, people liked the videos… but I always knew I could do better and have become increasingly embarrassed by them. So I’m rebooting the project!

The plan is to put absolutely everything (all rounds of changes to every single Star Wars film) into one massive video so that it can hopefully be the definitive source on the subject. (Definitive VIDEO source anyway — not to take anything away from the stellar work on the Star Wars Visual Comparisons site and elsewhere… I hope my project can be a supplemental resource to stuff like that)

So, I’ve divided my video into seven sections (plus an introduction and conclusion) that are broken down like this:
(1) Pre-Special Edition Changes
(2) Special Edition Changes
(3) The Prequels in Theaters and on DVD
(4) Original Trilogy DVDs
(5) Blu-Rays
(6) The Sequel Trilogy
(7) Disney+/4K Ultra-HD

Each chapter consists of a bit of history/explanation for how and why that round of changes was made, followed by a direct comparison of the changes with the original.

Work is at various stages of completion on all seven chapters and the plan is to share WIP versions of each of them here as I go along for feedback.

So here is a rough draft of Section 1 (Pre-Special Edition Changes): https://youtu.be/E5T3e89VCY4 [Runtime: 38:33] (EDIT: Just realized the VO audio rendered a little wonky, which I’ve already fixed in Premiere for the eventual finalized version)

This WIP is about 90% where I want it to be right now — there are a couple of temporary graphics and bits of editing remaining, plus a few pieces of narration I plan to re-record (especially toward the end where you might notice I sorta started to phone it in). I’ll also do one more pass to level the audio throughout.

I’m interested mostly in factual feedback at this stage, since this era in Star Wars history is the least well-documented online. Did I get anything wrong or leave anything out? (I also would really appreciate someone pointing me to exactly where that 1993 audio change to ESB is… I know it’s a missing snowspeeder crash sound but I was having a hard time finding it myself)

I guess general presentational feedback is welcome too. Is the video too jokey? Is the information conveyed effectively? Are any explanations rushed or overly drawn out?

Looking forward to hearing what you all think, and hopefully collaborating even further on this project!

Oh man! I had no idea. That’s pretty cool.

Lot’s of stuff in that video I wish I had done better (presentation-wise and a few inaccuracies), but I’m glad people are digging it.

I’m working on some new videos which I’ll be happy to share with the forums in the [hopefully] not too distant future.

Having seen the workprint of your edit, I do tend to agree with the feedback that you’ve left in too much. Personally, I think if you’re going to cut the crap out of something, you should go all the way. You mention your desire to preserve the season warts and all, but don’t forget that the original episodes don’t disappear when someone fanedits them! If this truly is your ideal version of the season, then that’s great. If not, then what’s the harm in a more radical approach?

That said, I think you’re well on your way to accomplishing your stated goal. A piece of (hopefully) constructive feedback I can offer is to define whether you intend this to play like a film or like an extended episode. Because, as it stands it sort of feels caught in between the two. If you want it to feel like a film, I think the opening few minutes could really use some kind of hook — I found the first scene with Ms. Briggs in the sheriff’s station too static and dialogue-heavy to be the opening of a movie experience. Not sure how you could accomplish this, maybe a recap of the preceding events? Or something a little more atmospheric — even an abstract title sequence a la Fire Walk With Me would go a long way to helping this feel more like a stand-alone experience.

I hope you don’t take anything I’ve said as a knock against you and your work — this project just isn’t radical enough for me. Best of luck to you, though! And you’ve inspired me to try my hand at my own season 2 edit.