EddieDean

Well you’re a good example of the right approach, JJB.

You have fresh and radical ideas, you keep thinking about the practicality of their execution, you learned how to use the tech to test, demonstrate, and then execute your ideas, and when you recognised that some of your vision wasn’t compatible with an existing project, you started your own. Bang on.

Apologies, I wasn’t intending my tone to come off as rude, only direct.

As a rule of thumb, you’re not going to get much progress after a clear ‘no’. And while fresh and radical ideas are always welcome, it’s fairly common for people to request radical changes of editors without attempting to pick up the technical skill first, or at least to think through the logistics of what would be required in order to make the change, and the wider impact the change could have.

I don’t speak for anyone else though- perhaps I’m only projecting my own frustration. Don’t be discouraged from pursing this further via a thread or your own attempt.

TheStrange said:

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind Rey Palpatine’s plot, but one of the most common criticisms is that the trilogy feels disjointed. Rey was only supposed to be Solo, and this shows in TFU (considering that Rey isn’t even her name, as seen in the film).

Hal9000’s edits made a big improvement in connecting the 3 films, so I asked him if he could do it. Respecting the only real plan that JJ Abrams had for the trilogy (and previously also Lucas) would make a further leap in quality if managed well.

This would solve one of my biggest issues with the film. The other is a problem that cannot be solved unless you are PixelJoker [a lot of sequences are missing and the gaps between scenes are very noticeable (this is also improved in these versions but you can always see it, obviously miracles cannot be worked )]

This further discussion doesn’t belong in this thread, TheStrange. Hal has said no.

Ascendent is now a 5 year old project with 700 pages of chat and 5 versions. It’s clearly a mature project whose vision is well established, and about which a lot of options have been considered.

A radical change to context this late in the game isn’t going to be appropriate - what you’ve described needs a branch project of its own. You’d be best either creating a thread for the idea and seeing who bites, or, much better, picking up the skill and executing your vision.

Sure thing, fire me a PM.

Sure thing, fire me a PM.

Thanks so much! ❤️

Maybe a slight tweak to that-
Leia feared the passion that consumed her father; and chose empathy.

Dimitrios, that’s a really good direction.

I think there’s an opportunity here to explain, and get value from, the disconnect between the Clone Wars era Mandalorians who resided in peace on Mandalore, and the Watch / Death Watch tradition which effectively survived through staying in hiding. There’s also the long history of Mandalorians to enjoy here.

Something covering the following points:

• The Mandalorians began as warring tribes, forged mighty armour, and mastered great beasts like the mythosaur.
• For centuries they warred across the galaxy.
• Mandalore became their home, gave them peace and legitimacy - and brought a time when they walked free of armour. Mandalore sustained their race and their people, and became their holy home world.
• After the night of a thousand tears and the loss of Mandalore, the surviving Mandalorians turned back to the old ways, with armour and helmets a holy symbol of unity and hope.
• Now, they have that unity and hope again, and the removal of their helmets represents the opportunity of their old warlike tradition and the legitimacy and hope to walk free on Mandalore to coexist.

Ahsoka, while it’s clearly part of that world and time period, absolutely stands alone for now. It’s set after Ahsoka’s appearance in Mando and the Dark Council meeting where they reference Thrawn, and there are light references to the New Republic and Mon Mothma, but it’s got no natural overlap with any of the focal storylines of Mando.

That’s all totally fair, and you’ve definitely put way more thought into it than me.

I suppose our difference of sentiment/approach here is in our reactions to the fact that, as you point out, there’s little Mando-Grogu meat in Season 3. You say ‘…and therefore I’m doing all I can to fix it’, which is absolutely a valid approach, and if you can pull it off (which is likely!) the whole will end up all the stronger for it. Whereas I’m more saying ‘…and therefore I’ll accept the lesser focus and take a solid Season 3 movie version which simply doesn’t have a lot of Mando-Grogu’. For me, both Mando and Grogu took more of a backseat in the season compared to Bo Katan and the Mandalorians, and I’m OK with that. But, arguably, it is Mando’s show, and he and Grogu should be more prominent.

I’m still very, very eager to see you succeed here. I think you’ve got what it takes (strategically and technically) to pull off your ambitious fixing.

I’ve just read over your latest proposed structure for movies 5+ again.

I totally see the value in pulling the Mando S3 stuff earlier than some of Boba, and of modifying some of the Boba story into Mando recruitment. I like what you’ve done with Plazir too, keeping the good parts by reworking them into an Imperial plot. There’s definitely a big value add to all of this.

I’m still a big advocate for using as much content as possible though (suggesting three movies), and there are three remaining ‘strong endings’:

• BOBF’s big final fight
• Gorian Shard battle
• Mandalore finale
  There’s also the sense that, despite your good work, sitting Boba on the throne really feels like an end-of-movie tag, and promise of what’s to come.

So here’s (yet) another suggestion:

• Movie 5: As you propose. Mando and Grogu apart. Lovely arc focused on Mando’s loneliness post-Grogu, apostasy, redemption, and establishment of Nevarro as a staging ground. End on the tag of Boba taking the throne.
• Movie 6: Your excellent current BoBF movie 5 as the core. Grogu’s training with Luke and eventual rejoining Mando. Mando’s scenes on Plazir early on, and the general mobilising and prep for the Mandalorians in the background. (Presumably you already have decent voice lines to explain why the Mandos are still using Rock World while also staging out of Nevarro.) End the movie on Boba committing his help to the Mandalorians, and ideally something about the Mandalorians being ready to retake their planet. Reveal Gideon’s escaped his prison ship.
• Movie 7: Main focus on Pershing (initially) intercut with Boba being delayed by the Hutts. Into the finale two parter and your inclusion of Boba in it too, for that Avengers moment.

That way, you get the big bombastic finales, and more time to breathe and use more of the good content. It also gives you more time with Grogu away from Mando, more time for the Mandalorians to establish on Nevarro before retaking Mandalore, and more time for Boba to both take the throne and get established as Daimyo. And each movie brings the Mandalorians closer to retaking Mandalore.

Miles00x, that’s all sorted now. Thanks g00b.

Ah yep good shout - I’ve added a button at the very top right of the spreadsheet.

It’s tricky. When I edited Clone Wars, there were times when I just had to include certain content, even though it was weaker. To my mind, since Season Three is weaker, I’d make that compromise, and have its movies just be the best I could make them. Your AI lines are excellent, and I think that gives you the best options here for improving season three’s movies. And I think your latest Book 5 is just so, so good. So for me, I’d stick with your book 5, and focus on doing what you can for Book 6/7 with the season three content.

You’re definitely drawn to your current approach - it’s where you ended up when you watched season three originally - so there must be merit to it. Instead of arguing my existing stance further, I’ll suggest a middle stance here instead, for your consideration:

• Book 5: Remains as it is right now. Mando and Boba focus, with Grogu absent.
• Book 6: A single movie from ALL of season three, trimmed, plus the remaining Grogu-Luke content. Perhaps you drop the vast majority of the sidequests from season three, including Gorian Shard’s pirates and perhaps even the rocky planet covert (using instead the movie 5 ringworld covert to set up the redemption). Have your Groguless redemption, almost directly into the hiring of Axe Woves and giving Bo Katan the darksaber, intercut with Grogu’s training and return to Mando, and then straight into reclaiming Mandalore since he’s just discovered it’s unpoisoned. That way, Mando’s arc is about redemption and reclaiming Mandalore all in one, and Grogu’s is about returning to Mando. Character focus amongst the large-scale conflict.

It depends, but I’ve definitely done it both ways. By the end of my Clone Wars series, I was absolutely editing the longer arcs which needed less radical changes back to front in five minute increments, and I found I could basically edit the entire episode to a great standard in a single pass. But by then I’d done dozens, so doing things like polishing transitions in the moment (rather than all afterwards) didn’t interrupt my flow.

Andor was a different beast. Definitely the planning for each arc was done back to front, especially with all the content that ended up in the final episode. Those required far more shuffling around though, and perhaps 90% planning to 10% execution, since there was just so much shuffling to do.

But yes, it’s absolutely viable. For your twelve-in-one edit, so long as you’ve identified what your ending needs to be, and perhaps put that together so you know exactly how it feels, you could totally just rewind through the show from there. You’d probably need to revise it a few times after (I always put cut content to one side until I’m certain I’m finished), but I find that the process really helps me judge whether or not a scene or a moment belongs.

Pick your payoff moment, then choose all the other content that earns it.

g00b has just shared with me some absolutely gorgeous posters, for every single season and episode, all lovely and consistent, for use in Plex. Aren’t they gorgeous?!

I’ve uploaded them to the mega folder, your existing links should all work.

This is really interesting! When I read the first half of your original post, about the idea to make a single movie edit of Andor, I thought “OK well you’d definitely drop the prison break.” And then you totally surprised me with the exact opposite, making the prison break the core! So I’m very curious where you’ll take this.

If it were me trying to make Andor Season one into a single movie - and it isn’t, I’m just posting this out of the humour of approaching this from the complete opposite direction - here’s how I’d do it:

• Structure it as Andor on Ferrix (1+3), heist (4-6), Andor back on Ferrix (11-12).
• Drop the prison break. It’s excellent, but it mainly serves to motivate Andor to join the rebellion, which we could cover via the heist and what happens to Bix and his mother on Ferrix.
• Drop almost all of the B-plots. Mon Mothma, Anto Kreegyr, Syril’s home life. Possibly cut Syril on Coruscant altogether- having him stay on Ferrix off screen from the first arc until the final one.
• Retain some of the ISB stuff, mainly in response to Aldhani. All of the “tightening the net” theme gets seen as imprisoning Bix and clamping down on Ferrix rather than extended prison sentences.
• Drop Andor’s flashbacks and hunt for his sister.
• Drop most of the supporting character content on Ferrix and Aldhani beyond Bix and the two female rebel agents from the heist.

This way you’d get a simple three act structure. Andor comes to the attention of ISB and Luthen, Luthen hires Andor for the heist, ISB clamps down on Ferrix and tortures Bix out of suspicion for Andor, Maarva dies, everyone descends on Ferrix, spark of rebellion, Andor commits.

Or, the exact opposite of where you went with it! 🙃

That all said, your idea sounds really neat and you’re interrogating the core content nicely- so good luck!

Anyway, I’m just posting that for fun! Your idea sounds great

Well, I trust your judgment, this could be a really great telling of the story! It gives you an opportunity to shift the scene of Boba taking the throne too, to make it a proper tag.

Edit: Doublepost.

Oooh, very curious about the changes coming to movie 5!

Ace! Share your ideas here my dude!

Some little tweaks, re-emphasising the Queen’s importance to the Republic as a whole (and keeping her as the “death star plans” of this movie), reducing the Trade Federation motive, reassigning the suspicion of a ‘sinister motive’ to the Jedi instead of Valorum, and clarified Qui-Gon’s mission. I’ve reordered parts so that as many phrases as possible don’t cross over onto two lines, so each line is interesting as you read it.

The Galactic Republic’s golden age
is ending. As corruption grows,
Queen Amidala of Naboo stands as
a champion of democracy.

Sensing weakness, the greedy
Trade Federation have blockaded
her bountiful planet. But as the
Republic endlessly debates, the
Supreme Chancellor secretly
directs the Jedi Order, mystical
guardians of peace and justice,
to send their aid.

Fearing a darker motive behind
the alarming move, the Jedi
dispatch Master Qui-Gon Jinn
and his apprentice to protect
the planet and its Queen…

I’ve just been re-reading the thread, and have taken another crack at the opening crawl based on all of the popular ideas so far.

I was looking to include:

• Language which both gives clarity of understanding, and evokes emotion and dynamism
• “Golden age is ending”
• Namedropping ‘Galactic Republic’ early, and showing it’s corrupt and bureaucratic (but in an interesting way)
• Trade Federation vs Naboo as the central threat, with the TF greedy and aggressive, and Naboo humanised
• Padme Amidala as a protector and central to the conflict
• A hint of a bigger threat ‘behind the curtain’
• Valorum (by title but not by name) ‘dispatching the Jedi’ since it’s referenced often onscreen
• A little more description of the function and purpose of the Jedi Order, especially including hints at their magic, since this is the first chronological story
• A deliberate inconsistency between the Jedi as protectors of peace AND tools of the (corrupt) Republic
• A slight clarification of the Jedi Order (the institution) and the Jedi Knights (its agents)
• Qui-Gon Jinn named early, since he’s not named onscreen until deep into the movie, and identifying him as the main agent of change in the story

I wanted to not contradict anything that is seen onscreen. I also chose to retain some of the ambiguity already in the plot and the existing crawl; as much as we often try to do this (and I’ve fallen into this trap myself), the opening crawl is not the place to fix issues with the storyline.

This crawl has the right word count (82 vs 75-88), character count (500 vs 450-500) and line length (~28 max characters).

The golden age of the Galactic
Republic is ending. As corruption
grows, the greedy Trade Federation
has blockaded the peaceful planet
of Naboo.

Desperate to protect her people,
Queen Amidala has appealed for
urgent support, but the Republic
Senate is mired in endless debate.

Fearing a more sinister motive
behind the aggressive move, the
Supreme Chancellor has directed
the Jedi Order, mystical guardians
of peace and justice, to secretly
dispatch Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn
and his young apprentice to settle
the conflict…

I’ve watched 11/13 of these now, and I’ve absolutely loved this project. The material is so interesting and relatable, and you’ve cut it in a way that makes it really digestible and coherent. Totally great, thank you so much for compiling and structuring it all in this way.