Thank you.
Film X is very close, but I’m still not completely satisfied. Closer to release than anything else I have on my sleeve as of now.
I’m a wizard, Cammy.
Thanks for the Thanksgiving holiday present (if you are in the USA).
Based on the runtime of the movie, it looks like you included most of the deleted scenes from HBP. Out of curiosity, which ones did you leave out?
I’m in Europe, but I’m happy it brought some thanksgiving joy.
I left out Harry and Hermione discussing Malfoy on the map.
❤️ Thanks, guys.
OBS! I initally wanted to cut way more, like Slughorn saying yes to go to Hogwarts, Aragog burial and Ron at the Hospital Wing, because none of them further the plot at all, but I know many people enjoy Half-Blood Prince so much that it would probably make hearts bleed. Also, I’ve already cut 7 min of the original runtime - most of which are poor attempts at comedy or simply too revealing to the story, so I think Ultimate Edition does a good job at balancing all the different tones of the film well and much better than the original did.
I might do a more compact version for myself, as I find those three scenes to drag down the pacing and mystery of the film. I might upload two versions (this one being the "Extended Ultimate Edition) if there is interest.
I hope the color grading in and out of itself make people realize how beautifully shot HBP actually is, now that one can see key details for the first time ever… Again; what WERE they thinking with that original grade? Never looking back on the original ever again!
😂😂😂😂 Oh man. The mouse house is as predictable as water in a river.
We deserve better.
Yes 😄
Cheers, lads!
The Statues theme is a «Epic Version» from YouTube that i slowed down and added reverb and a darker pitch to.
New soundmix alterations (Hogwarts sounds like it’s crashing together, wind shifting in when Bellatrix crush window, “Statues” is introduced to strengthen the scene in DH even further (might not remain - I’m not 100% yet), color grade is completely redone, Fang is heard struggling and dying in the background when Bellatrix puts Hagrid’s hut on fire and more.
PMs sent.
Brilliant!
Dang… I’m sorry to hear that you were disappointed with Season 2 and that you’re struggling with it in regards to your second film. I had actually finished the series yesterday and came here to see if you had started work on a second film. lol.
Also, good to see that a finished definitive version of your first film is now released!
Well, as much as I dislike a lot of stuff with Rings of Power - the stuff they do well when you remove the fluff is brilliant.
I’m way into the works on my Film II, and I blame my OCD.
Happy to hear! I think it’s sold now.
Take your precious time, man. We, myself included, are more than eager to wait for the final result! 😄
Thank you for that, my friend.
Thank you all for the kind words and feedback. I’ll take a mental rest before I continue tweaking the new deepfake to a finale state, and will continue with the audio mixing and color grading for now.
So I’ve worked my ass off for a couple of days to nail a continuity issue of CoS Tom Riddle and HbP Tom Riddle. They are played by two very different actors, with very different face structures. Therefore - you can’t just simply replace their face fully, although I liked the result (it actually looked really creepy).
However, balancing their main features together did wonders - and after the inital 20 different deepfake renderings with way too much masking work in Premiere Pro thereafter, I’m pleased with what I have. It is NOT finished, but it is - as I look at it now without rest - okay to good in all places. If it works over all however, I leave up to you guys.
Besides this I’m about 40% finished with the color grading of HbP. The film is so desaturated and dark that it is a nightmare to reinvent it with a color palette that is both flattering as well as wonderous. You can see some of the color grading in the clip above. You’ve all probably forgot how it initially looks in the film, but to put it like this: Dumbledore’s office scenes originally look like they were filmed through 5 inches of brown mud. It doesn’t any longer.
Color Grading this film isn’t as easy as it looks. Every time you increase brightness another area needs darkening. Every time you saturate a color ten different ones need desaturation. Every time you change a tone of a scene or a closeup you have to mask and change the skin tones. In other words; it is a nightmare to color grade this film, but it’s getting there and it’s getting near satisfying to look at. Hopefully it is likewise for you.
This will be the only Harry Potter film where I focus on adding a horror nod to the genre. The film explores murder, death and splitting the soul - it is also fitting for a 15+ year old audience. Therefore I have a couple of… horror shots in this film.
I was so underwhelmed by this film. And I really diminished my expectations before watching it because these Hollywood films of late usually bring with them disappointment.
Alien: Romulus felt very thin. The Rook cameo went way overboard and he became like a main character. The characters were paperthin. I felt for the Robot guy and his relationship with the main character, but it quickly came to a stop when they ‘forced conflict’ with his ‘my brain chip is taking over’ story. It felt so predictable and done-before and lost all emotional weight to me, so that when we finally reached the end I couldn’t bother with any of them.
Ah man… such a bummer.
Highlight tho’! The Prometheus/Xeno Combo at the end was truly horrifying in the initial reveal! He should’ve been introduced a good 10 minutes earlier and lurking in the shadows like Michael Myers whilst he tries to get to understand his body and her character.
The only thing that I think could improve this film is removing a lot of Rook and a good bunch of deleted scenes (if there are any) that develop crucial character moments. As for now this film was so thin I have no interest in ever watching it again.
Prometheus was better. A lot better.
PMs sent.
I think all PMs should be sent/answered. If not, PM me (again).
Thank you for your kind words and reviews, and I’ll happily respond throughout the week. Have a great weekend!
The new and improved cut is now finished and released.
In my opinion… the best I can possibly turn this series into, and the only version that my girlfriend actually liked and really enjoyed - so that must count for something (she hated the series, and found my original cut too long and boring because she didn’t like Galadriel).
The restructing is done from scratch, so is all audio and visual work, but some ideas from the original cut were kept.
Sure, I can render two files. 😃
Oh man… I don’t know, guys. I just feel like maybe Rings of Power should just be one big movie. I was almost done with my new recut of the film (which I find more pleasing and with a more intense runtime than the previous) and was getting ready to make Film II but I’m feeling so uninspired after these latest episodes, including “the big battle” of 8 elves and 12 orcs and the characters involved.
In season 1 Galadriel had the death of her brother and the betrayal of a friend to deal with. Elrond had a broken friendship with his Dwarf friend. Sauron had an internal battle with who he was and wanted to be. And Durin had Elrond, his wife and his father to balance the scales with - and Nori had stuff that was important. For all of season 1’s faults; there were emotion and there were stakes.
This season, though… Galadriel is… angry at being deceived… Elrond is… just… running about. Sauron is mvp as f*ck, but there’s no arc or emotional stake to his story, and therefore he has no potential as a captivating main character for the second film. And neither does Durin, only battling with his wife and father inside a cave.
And Arondir… i mean… after Bronwyn’s sudden departure they just have no idea what to give him or use him for.
And as for the Harfoot storyline (which i initially was very hopeful for) is a joke at this point.
My point is; there are no emotional stakes to build Film II upon… which is heartbreaking, but true. And if there are no emotional stakes, no arcs and no story - then what is there? Well. Then it’s just visuals, isn’t it.
So, what I think I’ll do is finish up Film I for a re-release (that is now a proper, full release with subtitles seperate) at a runtime of 2 hours and 44 minutes with credits - opposed to 3 hours and 45 minutes as it was previously. And then, I might go to works on Film II and try to craft a narrative that is captivating enough for a shorter film, and then hopefully season 3 brings some emotional weight to the story that we can kind of “end the film series” on a high somewhere down the line.
Ah man… I’m just so disappointed. I love the Lord of the Rings universe, and the first two episodes of season 2 filled me with hope. But this… oh man. It’s the hope that kills yah’. Anyway, there should be enough from season 1 and 2 to craft a compelling 90 minute sequel film. Get to it, I suppose…
PM sent. 😃
PMs sent.