Asteroid-Man

Just to offer my opinion (if I may), I'd prefer the exact same edit only without the music during the Vader/Obi-Wan duel. The pacing and re-cutting of it is awesome, I just felt the music didn't fit.

Also ady, I truly hope you decide to switch to 1080p (including ROTJ, ANH and the prequels) as on a 1080p screen it really does make a noticeable difference. (Yes I know all of this has been addressed). Just my two cents, my friend. :)

It'll take a while. Maybe a month because I can't find time to upload it. Hopefully once i send Ripplin his copy, he can send it out too and people can just send it around.

TV's Frink said:

Asteroid-Man said:

Also, the Vader "No" in ROTJ Blu-Ray hasn't been confirmed yet.

Off-topic, but...

Confirmed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s

Delete those original MU files. There's a whole new set of them. You need to download all 8 parts and then unpack the archive into a single folder.

Also, the Vader "No" in ROTJ Blu-Ray hasn't been confirmed yet.

46fleetline, you can watch it. You could watch these videos with one eighth of the RAM you have.

Ok, I have uploaded the digital copy. I will send it to five users - if anyone else requests it, it is up to those five users to forward the pm.

Again keep in mind, the video quality itself is certainly not "improved". But the functionality of the file and the audio are indeed improved.

I'll be uploading a better MP4 today. You can skip through and it has surround sound. The video quality isn't as good, but it's meant for those with low bandwidth. It's about 1.5GB (like the last one) but I've traded slight video quality for optimal sound (about a datarate loss of about 30,000). The size is the same, but the noticeable difference is that the the one is slightly darker and is more grainy in full-screen. Again, I want people to watch the DVD but I know people have low bandwidth, so I'm uploading this one WITH surround sound so people can get a better idea of what went into it.

The issue with a movie over 3hrs is that when you want to get a file between 1 and 2 GB, you really need to sacrifice on quality (which is unfortunate). It was either good video and decent audio, or decent video with good audio - and personally I'd prefer if people had the latter.

Remember this is not how the film was meant to be viewed and I tried many times to get something of this size and this quality (viewable on both Mac and PC).

I'm sorry if you guys were expecting a video file at 100% audio/video, but that would be about 7GB (and even that's compressed - an uncompressed AVI would be HUGE). So if you want to view this at 100% audio/video, please wait for the DVD, but if you can't wait or have low bandwidth, you can go with the digital copy.

Alright, no worries. That's on my other computer. I'll upload that when I get a chance.

rpvee said:

Was the lack of being able to skip an issue for everyone or just him?

I think TAF had this issue too. Are you using a Mac or a PC?

rpvee said:

Well, I hate to say it but there's a black spot there after all.  A good awkward few seconds long, too.  Right after Vader says "Take her away".  Either I closed it RIGHT before it happened the first time, or it only happens sometimes.  I don't know. :-/

Well that sucks. Haha, I'm gonna see if I can get this fixed for the MKV.

rpvee said:

About 17 minutes in so far.  Some notes:

1. Music during approach to Coruscant ends too abruptly.

2. Audio seems slightly off sync.  Probably just the mp4.

3. Music during 3P0 and R2's argument during the desert feels out of place and ends too soon.

4. Music during the Jawa's first scene feels VERY out of place, like they're some crazy tribe instead of some desert merchants.

5. We see the big ominous tube lower over R2, but we never see what it does.

Those are my only criticisms thus far.  Otherwise I'm very interested in where this concept is going.

The audio is fine on my end - both the DVD and the MP4. Although, I haven't been able to skip through the MP4. Also, the music during the argument and Coruscant approach end early to fade into the Williams score. In terms of it "feeling out of place", I thought this would be an issue. I wanted things to feel completely different than the original films - which is why I tried to make the Jawa's seem more menacing (which is also why I didn't show what the tube does - kind of like the Probe used on Leia).

By the way, I'm not trying to discredit you by any means! I just thought I'd give some insight as to why I made the decisions I did.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

rpvee said:

Well, I hate to say it but there's a black spot there after all.  A good awkward few seconds long, too.  Right after Vader says "Take her away".  Either I closed it RIGHT before it happened the first time, or it only happens sometimes.  I don't know. :-/

My bad, that's where I meant the first one was. I have a feeling it's just a problem with the MP4; as long as it's not on the actual edit DVD, it's fine. By the way, as said before, this does happen a second time when Padme and Anakin arrive at Geonosis.

By the way, thank you for responding to my review, Asteroid Man. I didn't know
about some of the information you explained to me... for instance the Star Wars Reborn footage.

Oh no problem at all. If you guys want, I have a transcript of the un-recorded commentary track I was going to do. If you'd like, I can post a .txt file?

46fleetline said:

yeah, you are right, i have 2gb of ram. see i get confused sometimes in this comp talk, that is what i meant. so i will look forward to a dvd. you guys got me lost when you speak, mp4, vlc, cia, fbi, atf and all those acros used, haha.

when do you think the dvd will be avail a-man?? i hope you guys enjoyed the download, now i will go back and read that review....

The DVD will be available within a week.

46fleetline said:

damn, this guy paladium falcon can write a review. fantastic, given i have a picture memory, i was just about inserting in my mind the scenes as you told it. great review. you would think down the road as one final film redo, gl would do this sort of thing too. i have paypal, let me know where to donate...

If you'd like to make a donation, please note that it is not to be given as a donation to THIS project. This project was for fun, and secondly, I cannot legally accept anything for it. However, if you'd like to make a donation for my future endeavors as a Film Student (whether for hardware (which COULD be used for future fan-edits), software or budgets for Short Films), please send me a PM. As this thread is a thread for THIS EDIT, I'd rather not discuss donations here as it can come across awry.

photoactivist said:

A-dog! Got the digi file and the surround audio, and will be compiling the MKV tonight. I did a test compile render, and it whipped it up in like less than two minutes. So, we should be good by this evening for the full surround mkv. However, I did notice that the image looked a bit streached vertically. Do you mind if I do a slight tweak to correct the height?

I'm so stoked to watch the edit! I'll have to try to duck out of some work this evening and see if I can get my Reny on!

Sure! Tweak away! Also, while you're at it, if I re-render the Leia/Vader scene and the Geonosis landing, could you fit them in where the screen goes black? (See PM)

Radi0n said:

I mentioned it before, but I guess it got lost in the other comments. Could I get a PM for the mp4 links as well? I've been following this thread from the very beginning, and I'm very interested in this.

bournejimi said:

Hi please could I get a PM with the link? Can't wait to see it!

If you haven't released it yet, please send me a PM.

mrbenja0618 said:

I've watched a bit of it at lunch today.

My thoughts so far:

Liked the darker 20th logo, and I thought the opening prologue worked for what you wanted it to do. It was a bit overly political but that's more or less the prequels fault. It's hard to not be political given the source material.

I found it kind of amusing how in order to avoid a convoluted plot, I had to turn to a deleted political scene for salvation. :P

I noticed in the Coruscant descent sequence your audio had abrupt changes that really pulled me out of the film. I think it was due to you overlapping new music over old, and having to jack up the audio levels for the new music, and then going back and forth between old and new. It was a bit jarring. I agree new music is needed in that scene because the original music in that scene usually makes me sleepy. I really hate the whole scene period.. But again, not your fault. It's just dull, and I hate the "I guess there was no danger after all" followed by 'SPLOSION! Always thought it was stupid.

I wrestled with that so many times. For the HD version (once ady completes SW:R HD) I think I might move things around a little - maybe omit the "I guess there was no danger after all" line. I implore you all to make suggestions for the HD release down the road. Also, the audio was indeed something I had to wrestle with. I guess I'm just used to it now as I've watched the opening so many times, but it was as you mentioned, me trying to find a balance between the scores. I actually tried to mix the tracks on beat to make it seem like an eerie, mysterious piece.

My biggest problem with your cuts are that personally I feel there weren't enough. The Ep. 2 film is a mess, and (i'm sorry to compare) for me doing this style edit was very liberating because I cut as much out of Ep. 2 that I wanted with runtime not being affected as it would working on a standalone film.

My biggest issue with this was trying not to cut too much Anakin related stuff. I cut out all the Kamino/Obi-Wan scenes, the wedding, the love scenes, the train sequence, Padme meeting with the council (which was a completely pointless scene), much of the political scenes, etc. I was also aiming for a 3hr cut, with a narrative format similar to that of Lord of the Rings and the Godfather Part II.

I got as far the first real transition in time so to speak... Where it goes from the Lars home to the elevator scene in AOTC. I'm not sure why, but the wipe does very little for me. For some reason it's abrupt. Maybe it's because by this time I've spent so much time in ANH that I need to know that I've traveled back in time somehow. Not sure why it bothers me.

I know originally people had suggested using a wipe to sepia so that people knew they were traveling to the past - perhaps the fact that you are going from full colour to sepia is what is bothering you? Also, this cut is one I was very happy with, as Owen just finishes talking about Anakin and Obi-Wan, and then we see them when they were around Luke's age.

But yeah, so far my biggest gripe is not cutting more of Ep. 2 really. But that's a subjective critique, and not something to take seriously if you're happy with the end result.

I wasn't necessarily happy with it, but for what I was aiming to accomplish, it's what needed to be done. :P

The quality of the mp4 was remarkable.. (I watched it on an HD set)

And here I was worrying it would be garbage. :P

What I really loved so far was the new music for the Jawas when the kidnapped R2. It gives it an alternative view. I always saw that as somewhat of a whimsical scene because of the music laid down by John Williams. Your music gives them a malicious spirit. It's interesting, and a fresh new take.

I knew I'd be getting mixed feelings on this one. Haha!

Again, don't take any of what I say too personally. It's my opinion. Nothing more. I applaud your efforts, because I know how daunting this style edit is. Glad you see the finish line. I hope to see mine too.

I'll finish it soon, and give you some more feedback!

Ok sounds good! I need to watch yours too. :P

46fleetline said:

so who is adywan, infodroid on youtube? does adywan have a redo like this avail to watch? infodroid back in the mix yet or no? just trying to follow the right people like a-man.

adywan made the cut of ANH which was used in this edit (Star Wars: Revisited) - if you haven't seen it, I HIGHLY recommend it. InfoDroid and TJ came up with this style with their "Reborn Trilogy", but did not complete it, and gave other fan-editors permission to use their finished clips in their edits.

Alright I think we're in the safe then. Sorry TAF, looks like your comp just malfunctioned. :P

Oh sweet! Could you check on those black screens that TAF mentioned?

Aw, you are indeed correct about that flash-frame. Unfortunately, I won't be going back to re-render everything just for one frame. In looking at the project file I also noticed that this was a glitch on Vegas's end. No matter where I try to cut that part, that flashframe jumps in at the end. I think it's because I had to edit the timing on the landing and the frame-count was slightly off so it kept that in for some reason. I don't see those black parts that you mentioned (not on the DVD or the original WMV (which was converted into the MP4)). I can't skip through the MP4 to check, but it seems as though it was just an error on your computer's end. I hadn't seen them and I didn't see them in the WMV, MPEG2, project file, or the VOB.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

All right, well I saw the whole thing and here are my thoughts. To preface this, I must say that I loved the narrative style of this edit. The Godfather II-style works here: a story of similar fathers and sons. I took notes while watching this so here they are:

This was actually surprisingly good quality for an MP4 considering it's small size and large compression. While I was watching, the video blacked out two times for a few seconds once when Vader was talking to Leia and again when Anakin and Padme arrive on Geonosis. I'm not sure if this was just my computer glitching and I couldn't go back to see if it was because of the nature of this MP4. Also when they arrived on Tattooine, I thought I saw a flash frame but this might just be my imagination. One other technical thing I noticed was that the alien captions varied between ANH and AOTC. The AOTC alien captions were the plain DVD subtitle track captions while the Greedo captions were hardcoded; I don't think this could be helped though unless you created new captions exactly like Adywan's.

 

That's weird about the blackouts... I'll go double check them (I'm on my laptop right now). And regarding the subtitles, I could do much because they were stamped on the files when I ripped them.

While watching, I thought that the AOTC speeder chase looked slightly color corrected to look more real, so it seemed less CGI-like; in any case, I did enjoy it here because of the Classic OT music you inserted at the beginning of it as well as the precise excising of the CGI shennanigans. Speaking of music, all of the added music was utterly fantastic and achieved an alternate mood, which I believe was your intention. Some scenes, in particular that were improved, are R2D2's capture by the Jawas which is now more menacing, the Death Star round table sequence, and absolutely especially all the sequences during Geonosis, which now were filled with excitement and suspense as opposed to before when John William's rather luckluster score was all to be heard. The only music addition which seemed a bit too sudden and a tad rough to me was the Imperial March during Vader's entrance. It seemed very sudden.

The AOTC speeder chase was one of the scenes I used from Reborn. I had to make slight adjustments to the audio to allow it to flow into the edit a little better (some aspects of that sequence were too quiet). And yeah I see what you're saying regarding Vader's entrance. I tried so so hard to try and make that one work. I played with it so much - including rebuilding all of the sound effects in the scene. I think the issue was that the song which came before it had a fraction of the instruments used in the Imperial March, so it's transition was obvious. Either way, I thought it essential to have Vader's theme in there. It's just too bad there isn't a less powerful brass take of it.

The love between Anakin and Padme now seems genuine and there appears to be chemistry between the two actors. I was a bit surprised at the new scene but it worked, and it made the promise not to fall in love mentioned at the end all the more effective. Also, not being distracted by Ewan MacGregor at the cloning facility was a definite plus. When Anakin and Padme leave the ship on Geonosis and are immediately apprehended, it was a very good move to cut the conveyor belt scene, as it's unnecessary action; however, I was surprised to see the tail end of it rather than the alternate negotiations deleted scene presented on the DVD.

That love scene was another brilliant clip from Reborn. Again, I had to play around a little with the audio for it to fit a little better. Unfortunately though, the difference in audio quality in this scene and the rest of the edit is a little noticeable in surround sound (as I had to take their stereo clip and work it into a surround mix). I tried to delete as much non-Anakin/Luke stuff as possible, and getting rid of the Kamino plot I thought was essential as it was just so confusing and all over the place - instead I thought having the deleted senate scene would make it seem as though the army was already there just its use was being debated. Also, I had the negotiations scene in at first but the pacing got very weird, so I got rid of it.

The Phantom Menace clips were a bit surprising; I didn't expect them. The green tint was personally a bit much for me, but I found I got more used to it the second time I saw a TPM clip. Anyway, as AOTC and ANH transition, it is very effective and I like it later when they seem to be one narrative and flow more together, as you put it. An early transition I did like was between Anakin killing sandpeople and the Death Star; it seemed to suggest how evil in the past leads to evil in the future, very Godfather II like. The only (IMO) awkward transition was when the AOTC timeline suddenly jumped back to the bar where they were chasing the Zam. Granted it goes well with the Cantina, but it seems odd to go back in one timeline. This did not deter my enjoyment though.

With the Phantom Menace scenes I was trying to make them look like very damaged footage to reflect Anakin's damaged memories. And that Anakin to Death Star bit was another Reborn sequence, including the whore Mirrored Losses. :P In terms of cutting back for the cantina scene I've gotten a lot of hate for that one haha. One of my favourite films is "The Following" and seeing the editing style there made me think I should do it, and I'm actually quite happy I did it. I know 90% of viewers will find it weird, but hey what can I say? I'm a sucker for Nolan films. :P

Also, I was surprised that you cut the "I care" scene since it made Luke a little less light-hearted and more grieved. This actually accentuated his likeness to Anakin and was a pretty good change; Luke seems more sullen like his father. Also, forgive me since I was momentarily distracted while watching this; did you cut out Han's "May the force be with you."? If so, it's further effective in altering Luke; I was actually surprised you didn't go as far as to cut out the TIE fighter scene.

As far as I can remember, the "May the force be with you" is still in there. And I considered cutting down the TIE fighter scene but then I felt like it was the Holy Grail of Star Wars and that I'd better not touch it - so I added new music instead. :P

Now onto my most favorite parts of this. I liked how the protocol droid in Geonosis is not C-3P0. Your voice modulation clearly pointed this out; you can assume he's just a droid of Padme's and it works since we didn't see him at the Lars Farm. I also liked Obi-Wan's death; it's very powerful how the music overpowers everything and there's no dialogue. It also makes it a bit surprising when Obi-Wan talks to Luke in the X-Wing from beyond the grave. You felt Luke was more sad there and also switching to AOTC seemed to allow Luke to grieve longer and not suddenly be happy when destroying an X-Wing. In short, good music and good version of the scene! I really did love the scene where Ben describes Vader. The tint and the distortion on Vader's face fits perfectly and those who don't know would not suspect it's Anakin. The music works fantastically too.

The bit about Ob-Wan's death was actually inspired by Gandalf's death from Lord of the Rings, which (as you mentioned) made his return that much more surprising. (Also I appreciate you not spoiling how that following AOTC segments ends. :P)

However, the absolute end-all best part of this edit for me is the Owen and Beru/Shmi deaths which you have successfully blended. The effect on the video was great and showed the emotional turmoil both main characters were suffering. The music was emotionally overwhelming in this one and it was perhaps the greatest parallel of father and son. For me personally, it was just as powerful as the christening/assassination scene in the first Godfather.

As I mentioned above, the "Mirrored Deaths" was from Reborn, and it was actually that clip that made me really excited for this kind of fan-edit. I'm so grateful that TJ and InfoDroid gave us fan-editors permission to use their clips.

So, those are all my thoughts about the edit! I really did love it and can't wait to see the full DVD version... It's a fantastic reimagining and retelling of the Star Wars story in it's own right.

I'm glad you liked it. I'm also so incredibly relieved that you liked the new music - I thought that would be the first change people would not like as it sets out a different feel. Originally I was going to reconstruct the entire sound scape and insert an entirely new soundtrack, but I decided against it, as many of Williams's scores should not be touched. :P Also, how long are those blackouts you mentioned?

photoactivist said:

Asteroid-Man said:

Why not just rip the footage from the DVD once it's up to make an MKV? The footage I was working with was all 720x360 anyways. Only difference is that the digital copy I made is an MP4 and in Stereo.

I can...   but it's always better to get it from the raw footage, if possible. DVD is such a $*&(#^ in my opinion. I started all my original editing with it, and have seen time and time again how it loses quality depending on the size, the generation of re-edits, and length...  The transcoding process always seems to leave me unimpressed, which I found out over two years of editing together the Back To The Future trilogy.

Your call, budd. We're all your faithful supporters, and just want to basque in the glory that is Asteroidiness.
But I really don't have a problem with doing some penpal assistance, if you're interested.

So, did I miss the links? Because if it's up for download, I'm all over this like women on me.

I just feel that sending a harddrive would be a tad bit unnecessary. I can send you a 5.1 audio file though if you'd like. The MP4 is about 90% the video quality of the DVD (just so you know, the original project is file was made to fit the DVD specifications EXACTLY so the quality on the DVD is the quality I had in the project timeline). I'm going to upload the AC3 file now and then PM you the link.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

I've watched part of it so far, and, from what I've seen, it's quite excellent. The new description screens that preface the ANH footage and AOTC footage do seem a bit digital but have a somewhat ancient feel... which fits since this all takes place a long time ago. Your color treatment of AOTC seems nice and helps dull down the obvious CGI backgrounds, etc. The Senate scene actually works pretty well and I'm surprised it's not in more fan edits. ANH looks excellent by the way. I'll put down further thoughts about it later.

I'm glad you're enjoying it. Just so you know, the sepiah look of AOTC is only in the opening segment, and the first and last few seconds of following segments. I didn't want the colour change to be too distracting. Also, when ANH and AOTC are cut back and forth into a segment, the sepia to AOTC is no longer there as I wanted to blur the timeline to make it seem as though everything flows together.

46fleetline said:

i do not know how to join files or do computer stuff like this.i only have a 2gig computer as it is. the part 2 said 500mb, i didn't get part 1, but did get part 3, so if i get part 1, i will not be able to view do to low power. my hyperdrive may not be big enough.

There is NO WAY you have a 2GB harddrive... you probably have 2GB of RAM. And the DVD (Discs 1+2) is about 11GB.

46fleetline said:

well, i'll just have to wait for the dvd. awesome covers though a-man, great pictorial presentations.

Thank you! I was actually into Graphic Design before I got in to Video Editing. :P

To those of you who've downloaded the Digital Copy, please post a review so people will have an idea of whether or not this is an edit they should spend their time watching. I'll begin uploading the DVD parts tonight after work.

Guys please remember that you won't be able to skip ahead in the MP4 file unless your computer is VERY powerful, so be sure that if you want to watch it, you either watch it all at once, pause the video when necessary, or convert the file. Again, for some reason it won't let you jump forward. If you want the viewing experience I meant for everyone to see, please wait for the DVD release (which is also in surround sound). Consider the MP4 as a kind of "Theatrical Release" where it's meant to be viewed as a preview and in one sitting.

Why not just rip the footage from the DVD once it's up to make an MKV? The footage I was working with was all 720x360 anyways. Only difference is that the digital copy I made is an MP4 and in Stereo.

Ok, I'm splitting the file into RAR parts to upload to MU. Just so you guys know, I'm keeping it as an MP4 because I couldn't get the MKV to come out at good quality (I sampled it). Once it's uploaded, if anyone knows how to fix how you can't skip forward please post it, or fix the file and re-upload. I really only want this edit scene via DVD anyways, I just thought I could create a digital copy for the hell of it.

RapidShare froze at 31% upload... I just woke up to see this, and last night it had frozen at 14%, before I tried a second time. This is incredibly irritating. Any suggestions?

Radi0n said:

I'd also like to receive links to the DVD. I'll pass it along every Star Wars nut I know, and every general film lover too.

I'm with Falcon on this. Are you saying we should reupload on different sharing servers and distribute it ourselves too?

Sounds good! And I mean once it's taken down.

Here's the artwork pack:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I9AZ212W

Contains a poster, DVD labels, a cover and a slip box.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

Count me in as very interested in this, Asteroid Man. I'm excited to finally see this. Can you please send me the links for both MP4 and DVD once each is uploaded?

Out of curiosity, what do you mean by re-upload them? Do you mean we should do that if the ones you uploaded go down?

Also, as far as manually paying it forward, I'll definitely pass this on to some friends and relatives, who would be interested.

Thank you, that means a lot! I'm excited to have people finally watch this! The MP4 is very compressed, so if you skip through the video, you'll either need a powerful machine or have to wait for the video to re-sample... or you can just watch it from beginning to end. And sure thing.

By re-uploading I mean exactly what you stated - in case they go down.

Also, when one asks for the links, and you have them, please pass it on as well - or if someone asks you for a physical DISC, please send them one if they live near you. I think I'll be sending Ripplin a set with covers and all. I know I had been asked to send a couple out to people with a signature (no idea why someone would want my signature...) but all I ask is for the price of shipping and printing - I can't afford to just toss everyone discs. :P

And that sounds wonderful! I hope you enjoy it!

So I'm currently uploading the Digital Copy to RS - single MP4, about 1.4GB. The DVDs will be soon to follow on MU. Once the DVDs are downloaded, please go by the pay it forward method. Send eachother DVDs, Torrent them, re-upload them, etc. Also, please be sure to only distribute it to people who own Star Wars Episodes I-IV. If you download it without owning those other films, the general law (at least where I live) is that you have 24 hours, from when your download is complete, to delete the file(s).

Disc 2 is just special features (including the InfoDroid and TJ's unused Prologue, the trailer for Reborn and the trailer for Renascent). How would I split it using WinRar?

Is WMV ok for a digital copy? And what size do most people go with for Digital Copies? I've got a 1.8GB WMV file for the Digital Copy - I'm rendering an MP4 though, so it can be played on a Mac and also because they are much smaller. As it renders, I'm going to try and split Disc One into parts.