Changes list is up!

Just cut out 1 or 2 more minutes, bringing the running time down to 118-119 minutes. I’m starting to run out of things to cut, so I’m ready to start worrying about polishing things up (as well as getting to work on posting a list of changes).

I have another update on the color grading. I’ve been fortunate enough to find this video on YouTube which I’ve been taking notes on for the last day or two:

https://youtu.be/mt4FMClxhbc

I went further down the rabbit hole and found the website from the creator, which I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from lately:

http://www.mononodes.com/

I’ve also been working on the concept of powergrades, which is a major theme of this colorist’s work. I’ve been taking even more notes on this video, which has been insanely helpful so far:

https://youtu.be/PchQ0fWGUR0

I’ll still be using the LUT I’ve mentioned, as well as the adjustments I’ve already made, but I will be applying the powergrade on the individual clips themselves and seeing how it turns out. I will post some screencaps showing the differences between the LUT as is and the LUT with the powergrade in the future.

Hal 9000 said:

For that matter, stormtroopers now have a history of chattering and never coming anywhere close to slowing down.

This would explain why the storm troopers had horrible aim. They just couldn’t shut up.

Make a version of Rogue One where the heroes are portrayed as baby seals and the villains are portrayed as seal hunters.

Replace Darth Vader in the OT for Austin Powers instead.

Come to think of it, that’s not bad enough.

Digitally strip the stormtroopers down to their underpants through the entire original trilogy, so that the issues people have with their armor being weak are resolved.

Time for an update on the color grading. Since I’ve gotten no second opinions on the color grading, I’ve decided to go ahead with the Rec. 709 Fuji LUT for the grade. Several reasons. Reason #1: It’s my favorite of the film look LUT’s I have on DaVinci Resolve. Reason #2: It’s the bluest of the film look LUT’s, which works perfectly for T2 due to its already blue color palette. So, congrats Rec. 709 Fuji. You win by personal bias!

Smile for the camera, please!

So, with my LUT selected, I’ve gotten to work on the grade. I started off by changing the timeline color space from Rec. 709 (Scene) to Rec. 709 Gamma 2.2, which immediately fixed the brightness issue:

Rec. 709 (Scene)

Rec. 709 Gamma 2.2

It looks good, but there’s one thing that bothers me in this shot. If you look at the Rec. 709 (Scene) cap again, you’ll notice the power lines behind the T-800. Those details have disappeared in the Gamma 2.2. So, I decided to adjust the black levels using the curves. I tried adjusting the red, green, and blue channels separately, but this altered the color scheme of the film look LUT I was aiming for. So instead, I decided to combine the three channels together and adjust the Y channel, which is basically all three channels combined to make white. I decided to brighten up the black levels like so.

Rec. 709 Gamma 2.2 corrected

Next, I took on one of the biggest issues with my Skynet Edition blu-ray: the lack of detail. As mentioned in the blu-ray reviews in the main topic, this transfer suffered from the dreaded DNR that plagued a lot of blu-ray releases at the time. So I cranked up the midtone detail (abbreviated as MD) all the way up to 11. Midtone detail increases the perception of image sharpness, giving the image a fake ultra high definition look.

Before MD

After MD

I’m not sure if it’s an instant fix for more detail, but I will say that it does look a lot sharper. And in this movie’s case, that’s never a bad thing.

So, that’s the progress I’ve made so far. Let me know what you think about the above improvements.

Servii said:

This is the edit I’m most interested in seeing, because it sounds like it’s going to be more drastic in scope. I look forward to hearing more about it.

I hope it meets your expectations!

oojason said:

Good luck with this, Eyepainter (plus the other two Sequel Edits you are doing). Also with the move too. 👍
 

Thanks! I’ll do my best!

Star Wars Episode IX: The Eyepainter Fanedit is now online

Here are the technical specs for the 1080p and 720p versions:

Lossless 1080p
Codec: H.264 - MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1920x804
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 11.5gb
Running Time: 1:42:41

Lossy 720p
Codec: H.264 - MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1280x720
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 4.37gb
Running Time: 1:42:41

I would also like to give a big thank you to CaptainFaraday, GMatias, Artan42, EddieDean, NeverarGreat, and jadenkorr41 for their advice and support. This edit wouldn’t have been what it is without their support! May the force be with you all! 👍😌

Taking one last look, sir. At my friends…

I’ve been reluctant to work on The Rise of Skywalker, and it’s mainly because I was the only person in the galaxy who unambiguously liked the film.

Yeah, I’m going to hell.

This is the main reason I’ve been hesitant to edit the sequel trilogy as a whole. I just didn’t see eye-to-eye with everyone else like I did with the prequels. So, because I’m not cool, I decided to rip my blu-ray of TROS and see what my ideal version would look like, but only for the fun of it. Besides, I needed something to do when I wasn’t worrying about moving so much (and while my computer remains unpacked). Plus, I figured it wouldn’t be that different from what others saw in the cineplex (That is, before it got shut down due to a certain disease). I probably wouldn’t cut out that much, right?

Well, as of this posting, I’ve reduced the film from 142 minutes to 104 (and that isn’t even the final runtime). I’m not sure if it’s different enough for some people, but it’s different enough that I figured: Sure, why not?

For Episode IX, my approach is simple: put all of the focus on the main plot and remove anything that isn’t essential to it. So, my edit is going to be focused mainly on Rey, Kylo Ren, and Palpatine. I suspect people will hate me for it, but it’s better to have a simple bad movie over a complex bad movie.

One thing that’s caught me by surprise looking back at the film is how many subplots there were. So, I’ve cut a lot of those subplots out of the movie at present. Chewie’s fake death and the ensuing rescue mission? Gone. General Hux secretly being a rebel spy? Gone. Finn’s romance with Jannah? Mostly gone, more implied.

The general changes (Updated 1-2-22)

Below is an overview of the changes I’ve made so far. The final list is not complete, so I’m calling this the general changes like I have with TLJ. I will admit, though, that the list ended up being longer than expected, as a lot of tiny things have been removed. Calling it “General changes” is somewhat deceptive, but I can’t think of a better terminology right now, so it stays. I’m currently sitting at around 104 minutes as of this update, but because I have to watch very carefully for any inconsistencies with the other two, this is all subject to change. Like TFA, there will be no “+” changes. Since I can’t find a release of TROS that has any extra scenes (Then again, I don’t think there is any release that contains deleted scenes. A rarity for a Star Wars movie, and not a good one, IMHO), there are no additions. As for the rest, “/” means changed or altered, while “-” means deleted. I have also removed some lines of dialogue via sound editing. These changes begin with “Audio:” Click on the spoiler tab to see the list so far:

/ Opening crawl
– Kylo Ren’s visit to Mustafar (Ren finding the wayfinder is mentioned in my rewritten opening crawl instead, making this scene pointless)
– Epilepsy-inducing close-up shot of Palpatine
– “Everything.”
– “Kill the girl.”
– Falcon lightspeed-skipping scene, as it isn’t needed
– “They’re not with me. Ugh.”
– Part of Rey’s training course to make her less invincible
– “General, the falcon still hasn’t arrived. Commander’s asking for guidance.”
– Rey handing Luke’s lightsaber back to Leia
– First half of Rey’s conversation with Poe and Finn over the falcon
– “We’ve decoded the intel from the First Order spy, and it confirms the worst. Somehow, Palpatine returned.”
– Leia giving Luke’s lightsaber back to Rey
– Stormtrooper’s talk about the Knights of Ren
– Kylo Ren’s meeting with the First Order about the spy
– Shot of laughing Passana child (Too Disney-fied for me)
– “Palpatine wants you dead.”, “Serving another master?”, “No. I have other plans.”
– “…Why didn’t you?”, “You could’ve killed me. Why didn’t you?”, “You can’t hide, Rey. Not from me.”, “I see through the cracks in your mask. You’re haunted. You can’t stop seeing what you did to your father.”
– “I don’t want to have to kill you. I’m going to find you and I’m gonna turn you to the dark side…”
– Finn’s “They fly now?” (Updated 1-2-22)
– Poe’s “They fly now.”
– Leia and Rose’s conversation with the X-Wing pilot about being more optimistic
– Rey and Finn’s conversation about what Finn was gonna tell Rey
– “Bones! I don’t like bones!”, “Bones? Never a good sign.”
– “I’ma blast it.”, “Don’t blast it.”
– Knights of Ren entering Pasaana
– All of Rey and Kylo Ren’s confrontation on Pasaana
– Chewie’s capture and “supposed” death scene
– The First Order’s capture of the Millennium Falcon
– Pryde and Hux’s discussion on Chewie, including the reveal that he’s alive
– All mentions of Chewie’s death during Rey, Finn, Poe, and C-3P0’s conversation on Ochi’s ship
– And yes, all “For Chewie” lines
– Pride and Hux informing Kylo that the scavenger is on Kajimi
– Rey sensing Chewie on the ship
– Zorii giving Poe the imperial medallion (due to the removal of the next scene)
– The entire episode on Kylo Ren’s ship, including the following four subplots:
---- Rey finding out she’s a Palpatine (Luke reveals this instead, and it’s stated that Rey found this out earlier, either in this movie, or possibly even in TLJ)
---- Chewie getting rescued
---- General Hux’s rebel spy reveal (and eventual death by Pryde)
---- The crew getting the Falcon back
– “I don’t know why they’re not following us, but I don’t trust it… Landing gear’s busted? How busted?”
– Scene with Palpatine reminding Kylo to kill Rey
– “Wh-wh-wh-what is that?”, “It’s the death star. It’s a bad place from an old war.”, “It’s gonna take us years to find what we’re looking for.”, “Oh, dear.”
– Scene where BB-8 and D-O play with Endor wildlife
– Scene where Finn and Jannah start getting romantic with each other
– Scene where Finn and Poe argue with each other
– “You can’t go back to her now. Like I can’t.”
– “The Dark Side is in our nature. Surrender to it.”
– “Leia knows what must be done, R2. To reach her son now will take all the strength she has left.”
– “REY!”
– Shot of Rey leaping higher than the wave
– “…Ben’s hand.”
– Palpatine making Pryde general and ordering him to destroy a planet
/ Moved Kylo Ren’s scene with Han Solo to after the destruction of Kajimi instead of before, fixing a flaw in the plot structure. Scene now begins after Lando’s line, “We had each other. That’s how we won.”
– “She’s going to Exegol.” This includes the cutaway to Rey flying over there, too.
– Poe’s big speech intercut to the montage of the resistance preparing for their flight to Exegol. (Doesn’t feel very Star Wars-y. Plus, Finn and Poe’s discussion before the montage gets the same point across just fine.)
– “How do you know?”, “A feeling.”
– “They’ve landed a troop carrier.”, “Jam the speeders.”, “We can’t, sir.”, “Why not?”, “They’re not using speeders.”
– “Not bad for one lesson.”, “You had a good teacher.”
– “You’re doing great, buddy. Tower’s up ahead!”
– “I never wanted you dead. I wanted you here…”
– “You will take the throne.”
– “…Our blood.”, “I haven’t come to lead the Sith. I’ve come to end them.”, “As a jedi?”, “Yes.”, “No. Your hatred, your anger. You want to kill me. That is what I want…”
– Audio: “…As all the Sith live in me…”
– “I’m staying with you.”
– “With your hatred, you will take my life, and you will ascend.”, “All you want is for me to hate, but I won’t. Not even you.”, “Weak. Like your parents.”, “My parents were strong. They saved me from you.”
/ Rearranged all scenes of Kylo Ren’s return to Exegol to just a little later for greater emotional impact (Updated 1-2-22)
– Audio: “The ritual begins! She will strike me down and pledge herself as a Sith.”
– Audio: “She will draw her weapon! She will come to me! She will take her revenge… And with a stroke of her saber, the Sith are reborn!”
– “The Jedi are dead!” (Updated 1-2-22)
/ Replaced shot of Palpatine saying “The Jedi are dead!” with shot of Kylo Ren getting up, aligning it with Rey sensing Kylo at that moment (Updated 1-2-22)
– “…Every one we knock out is a world saved!”
– “Where did they get all these fighter craft? They have no navy.”, “It’s not a navy, sir. It’s just people.”
– “As once I fell, so falls the last Skywalker!”
– “Do not fear that feeble attack my faithful. Nothing will stop the return of the Sith!”
– “Let your death be the final word in the story of rebellion!”
– “You are nothing! A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me! I am all the Sith!”, “And I… Am all the Jedi!”
– General Pryde’s reaction before he dies
– Rey and Kylo kissing
– Shots of Cloud City, Endor, and Jakku as the Final Order is destroyed
– A few shots of rebels hugging
– The lesbian kiss
– Chewie getting his medal
– “Where are you from, General?”, “The Gold system.”, “Well, what about you, kid?”, “Oh, I don’t know.”, “Well, let’s find out.”
– Reaction shot of Rey looking at the Skywalker dinner table
– Rey burying Luke and Leia’s lightsabers
– “Rey Skywalker.”

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Eyepainter Fanedit is now online

Here are the technical specs for my 1080p and 720p versions:

Lossless 1080p
Codec: H.264 - MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1920x804
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 10.6gb
Running Time: 1:33:56

Lossy 720p
Codec: H.264 - MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1280x720
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 3.80gb
Running Time: 1:33:56

…And for those of you who like comparing color grades, here’s the specs for Episode VIII in Glorious Blue!

Episode VIII in Glorious Blue!
Codec: H.264 - MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1280x720
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 8.32gb
Running Time: 1:35:32

I would also like to give a big thank you to CaptainFaraday and GMatias for their advice and support through this edit. Their contributions made a big difference in the making of this edit. May the force be with you guys! 👍😌

It’s time for the Jedi to end…

(Updated 1-24-22)

The biggest problem with The Force Awakens is that it’s too much like Star Wars. The biggest problem with The Last Jedi is that it’s too little like Star Wars. Now, I liked VII enough that I was highly anticipating the next film in the saga, called The Last Jedi. I enjoyed a lot of Rian Johnson’s other indie flicks (Like Looper, for example), and knowing that he was directing and writing this movie, I was filled with hope that the force would be strong with this one.

You can imagine my disappointment when I saw the movie that fateful Christmas of 2017. When I left the theatre that night, my first reaction was “Huh. That was complicated.” And the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize the terrible truth: this film was a disaster area.

The Last Jedi is, to me, the film that singlehandedly broke the sequel trilogy. I know some people like to defend it saying that it’s “different.” But different isn’t always good. And make no mistake, TLJ is the bad kind of different. If VII was a scoop of vanilla ice cream, VIII is a scoop of feces. It may be different, but I wouldn’t call it delicious by any means. I almost shouldn’t call it a Star Wars movie. But there are lightsabers, Luke is in it, and it takes place in space, so it can just barely be called Star Wars. Just barely.

This is the one that really motivated me to take on the sequels. If any of these movies needed to be fixed, it’s this one. Hang in there, kid. This movie deserves to be compared to a real good ice cream flavor.

This is also the hardest one to edit thus far. Given that this is the middle film in the trilogy, I’ve had to check for inconsistencies across the board since this is the one that takes us from point A to point B. Not just for this movie, but for all three. With the prequels, I was working on one episode at a time. But because of this film, I’ve been constantly looking back and forth between all three films as if they were one. No, I’m not doing one of those 3-in-1 edits here. This is Lord of the Rings logic. I’m treating all three movies as if they were one movie, even though they will still be a trilogy. It’s only because this movie really is that broken and I have to check to ensure that it makes sense with the logic of the rest of the trilogy.

Of course, there are some things I definitely didn’t have to think about too much. Luke Skywalker’s character is the first thing that comes to mind. I also didn’t have to think too much about removing Poe’s conspiracy theory subplot. I’ve also removed Rey’s decision on whether she joins Kylo Ren or not to ensure a more ambiguous ending, and I’ve made some unusual editing decisions to keep the rest of the ending ambiguous and leave Rey’s decision more open-ended, even though she still saves the rebellion in the end.

A general list of changes (Updated 12-5-21)

I decided to take a page from my friend, CaptainFaraday, and release a general overview of the basics in my edit. I still have a lot of work to do on some of the little things (especially since it’s all in the details with this movie). However, the biggest changes and alterations are complete. I will release a more thorough list when I’ve gotten the tiny things taken care of. For now, though, this should give off a more detailed idea of what my edit of The Last Jedi is gonna be like. Enjoy!

I’ve placed the list under the spoiler tag below. “–” means removed, “/” means changed or altered, and “++” means added or extended, because the algorithm has changed so that a singular plus sign looks like a bullet point instead. Hence the double plus symbol will be used until further notice.

/ Changing the opening crawl
– Removed some of the jokes
– Attempting to lessen the snooty british tone of the First Order fleet, especially General Hux
– Removed Poe’s bad blood with Leia
– Lessening Paige’s role in saving the rebellion as well as the overly patriotic tone of the scene
/ Changed Luke from murderous psychopath to a jedi who fell to guilt and self-hatred over his failure to train Kylo Ren
++ Added “Luke Has a Moment” deleted scene
– Attempting to remove the “flying Princess Leia” moment
– Removed Poe’s conspiracy subplot revolving around Holdo
/ Changed Holdo to a more heroic figure
++ Added “Caretaker Village Sequence” deleted scene
/ Altered and removed scenes and lines about Rey’s parents for consistency with Episode IX
– Removed all moments of Luke using his lightsaber on Kylo Ren in flashbacks
++ Added “Alternate Opening” deleted scene to introduce Finn
– Removed Rose and Finn’s romantic relationship
– Removed all of Canto Bight
– Removed DJ
– Removed all of Finn and Rose’s episode on the First Order frigate
– Removed Captain Phasma
– Removed Snoke’s speechin’ about how Kylo won’t change and how he can sense him turning the lightsaber and so on before he dies (Inspired by HAL9000)(Updated 1-11-22)
– Removed Rey’s rejection of Kylo Ren’s offer to join
– Removed Kylo and Rey’s force fight for Luke’s lightsaber, including its destruction
/ Re-edited so that Holdo’s kamikaze run on the First Order fleet interrupts Rey’s decision
– Removed Kylo’s lie about Rey killing Snoke
– Removed most of Kylo’s angrier scenes during Crait battle to create a more ambiguous ending
– Removing Finn risking his life to stop the battering ram cannon
– Removed Rose’s “saving” Finn, as well as her line about “saving what we love”
– Removed most of Rey from Crait battle up until she has to move rocks to create a more ambiguous ending and tone
/ Soften up Kylo Ren slightly during his Luke Skywalker confrontation to create more ambiguity
– Removed ending scene with the jedi children on Canto Bight

Star Wars Episode VII: The Eyepainter Fanedit is now online

Here are the technical specs for the 1080p and 720p versions:

Lossless 1080p
Codec: H.264 MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1920x800
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 13.1gb
Running Time: 1:54:26

Lossy 720p
Codec: H.264 MPEG-4 AVC (Part 10)
Resolution: 1280x720
Frame Rate: 23.976fps
Audio: AAC 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo
File Size: 4.88gb
Running Time: 1:54:26

I also want to give a big thank you to CaptainFaraday, GMatias, Artan42 and Sade1212 for their assistance and advice in the making of this edit. Your contributions helped in shaping the final results. May the force be with you! 👍😌

There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?

People can complain about TFA being a clone of Episode IV all they want, but at least it felt like we had returned to that galaxy far, far away some 30 to 40 years later. I remember what it was like going into that packed theatre in Christmas 2015. I watched it right next to some stranger who smelled of cigarette smoke. We were all bitter about the prequel trilogy and how much of a disappointment that was, and the best we could all hope for is that Disney’s approach would be a true return to the franchise. And when the credits rolled on Episode VII, it was.

Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I like this one. I liked the characters, both old and new. And out of all the Star Wars movies that came before, this one was the closest I’ve ever gotten to seeing a movie that actually was Star Wars. In a theatre. I was born 7-13 years too late for the original trilogy. I never had a chance to see Episodes IV-VI when they were in cinemas everywhere, since I’d never been born yet. So, my first exposure to the universe of Star Wars was through three old VHS tapes my parents had. Then of course, the prequels were released. Episode I came out when I was only 9. Episode III came out when I was 15. But even with the prequels, they just weren’t Star Wars. They weren’t those movies I watched on VHS when my age was in the single digits. If nothing else, The Force Awakens was the closest I’ve ever gotten to seeing a real Star Wars movie in a theatre, and for that reason alone, I treasure it.

With that said, I do agree that it had some flaws. Certain things could’ve been done better. There’s a couple of scenes that aren’t necessary. A few jokes that don’t land. And of course, the movie could do with being Episode IV a little less. It’s not a bad film in my eyes, but it does need a tune-up.

So that’s what my edit of Episode VII is. Most of the changes I’m making are minor ones for the most part. I’ve deleted one or two major scenes, but it’s not a dramatic change from what we’ve already seen. Right now, my edit is running two hours even. That’s not the final running time, but it is longer than my other fan edits of the franchise.

Changes list (Updated 2-15-22)

As with the prequels, “-” means deleted, and “/” means altered. I would throw in a “+” for added, but I don’t have any deleted scenes this time around. Two reasons: Reason #1: I don’t know how to get the time codes out, and reason #2, unlike the prequels which deleted some gems, this movie doesn’t have very many good deleted scenes, at least, from the ones on my blu-ray. So, bottom line, don’t expect a “+” sign from this list for now. I have removed some lines of dialogue through sound editing. These will be indicated with the “AUDIO:” sign.

/opening crawl
-“This will begin to make things right. I’ve travelled too far and seen too much to ignore all the despair in the galaxy. Without the jedi, there can be no balance in the force.”, “Well, because of you, now we have a chance. The general’s been after this for a long time.”, and “The general? To me, she’s royalty.” (Updated 2-15-22)
-“You know what I’ve come for.”, and “I know where you come from, before you called yourself Kylo Ren.”
-“So, who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?”
-“It’s very hard to understand you with all the-”, “Search him.”, “-Apparatus.”
-Poe getting searched
-AUDIO: “In the morning you go.” (Updated 1-8-22)
-AUDIO: “You’re welcome.” (Updated 1-8-22)
-Poe screaming from Kylo Ren’s force probing
-Rey deciding not to sell BB-8 to Unkar Plutt (Updated 1-8-22)
-“You need a pilot.”, “I need a pilot.”, “We’re gonna do this.”, and “Yeah?”
-“This is very complicated.”
-“This thing really moves!”
-“Did you see that? Did you see that?”, and “I saw it!”
-Kylo Ren and General Hux’s dispute over finding the droid
-“…I thought he was a myth.” (Updated 12-27-21)
-“Hey! That’s mine!”
-Shot of scavengers going after the downed first order ship
-“Nice shooting!”, “Now that was some flying!”, “Thanks!”, “How did you do that?”, “I don’t know!”, “No one trained you?”, “I’ve flown some ships, but I’ve never left the planet! Your last shot was dead-on!”, “That was amazing!”, “You got him with one blast!”, “You set me up for it!”, “It was perfect!”, and “That was pretty good.”
-Kylo Ren’s reaction scene to the failure of BB-8’s capture on Jakku
-“Jakku? That junkyard?”, “Thank you! Junkyard…”, “I told you we should’ve double-checked the western reaches! Who had it? Ducain?”, “I stole it. From Unkar Plutt. He stole it from the Irving boys, who stole it from Ducain.”, “Who stole it from me!”
-The entire Rathtar episode
-General Hux and Kylo Ren’s meeting with Snoke
-Rey and Han Solo fixing the electrical overload
-Finn trying to bandage chewbacca’s wounds
-Rey bypassing the compressor
-“I think I can handle myself.”, “I know you do. That’s why I’m giving it to you. Take it.”
-Most shots of the guests at Maz’s bar to slightly lessen the film’s overreliance on Episode IV
-“Alert the Resistance their missing droid is here!”
-General Hux’s speech to the first order
-Han Solo trying out Chewbacca’s crossbow
-Poe’s reveal during Takodana battle
-Poe’s “woohoo!” during Takodana battle
-AUDIO: “The girl I’ve heard so much about.” (Updated 1-8-22)
/Restructured the end of the 2nd act to this arrangement instead: (Updated 1-8-22)
----Kylo interrogates Rey (minus the part where Rey resists Kylo, making this scene much darker)
----Starkiller Base begins charging
----Han and Leia meet again
----Introduction to the Resistance
----The incomplete map
----BB-8 meets R2
----Han and Leia talk about Ben
----Finn tells the Resistance about the base
----The Resistance prepares for attack
----Han and Leia say goodbye
----Rey escapes
----Han lands the Falcon
-Chewie socializing with the nurse
-“I’m afraid not. R2-D2 has been in low power mode ever since master Luke went away.”
-“…We have the rest. Recovered from the archives of the Empire, but we need the last piece.” (Updated 1-8-22)
-Rey resisting Kylo Ren’s force probing
-Snoke and Kylo Ren’s discussion on Rey’s resistance
-Death star and Starkiller base comparison discussion
-“The name’s Finn, and I’m in charge! I’m in charge now, Phasma! I’m in charge!”, and “Bring it down. Bring it down.”
-AUDIO: “Girl knows her stuff.” (Updated 1-8-22)
-All shots of Resistance pilots to lessen Episode IV comparisons (Updated 12-27-21)
-“General, are you seeing this?”, “Two more X-Wings down. That’s half our fleet destroyed!”, and “And their weapon will be fully charged in ten minutes! It would take a miracle to save us now!”
-“The oscillator’s been damaged, but is still functional.”, and “Admiral! Their weapon will fire in two minutes!”
-“We just lost R1.”, and “We’re overwhelmed! What do we do? It isn’t working!”
-More shots of the pilots to lessen Episode IV comparisons
-“You need a teacher! I could show you the ways of the force!” and “The force?”
-Shot of first order employee running from his post
-Snoke giving General Hux permission to retreat

Atom-88 said:

Very good good work Eyepainter 👍, I think your version works much better as we don’t need to see too much of miles typing away as we already know he’s doing, really looking forward to see what else you end up doing with this👍.

Thanks, Atom! I hope it meets your expectations! 😃

As Boba Fett falls into the sarlacc pit in ROTJ, dub in Luke’s “NOOOOO!” from ESB, so that it becomes clear that Luke is relating to us the audience on Boba’s fate.

Every time a lightsaber fight occurs, replace John Williams’ score with music from Barry White to make the battles more emotionally stirring.

I think I’ve come up with a solution to the Miles Dyson assassination attempt. Here’s a link to a video I created that goes more in-depth over what I’ve done. Let me know what you think:

https://youtu.be/AKjmOWYBN0E

Glad you are, JackNapier! I hope it lives up to your expectations.

Anyway, I’ve been fooling around with the film look LUTs on DaVinci Resolve, and I’ve narrowed my selections down to just four.

I’ll start by showing a small example of the 4 LUTs using Arnold’s head before I show examples for the main course. Our first LUT is the DCI-P3 Fujifilm 3513DI D65 LUT. That is a mouthful, so to simplify it, I’m just going to call it the DCI Fuji:

Next is the DCI-P3 Kodak 2383 D65 LUT. Just call it the DCI Kodak to keep it simple:

Next is the Rec709 Fujifilm 3513DI D65 LUT. Yeah. They all have names that long. Let’s just call it the Rec709 Fuji. Not to be biased, but this one’s my favorite:

And finally, we have the Rec709 Kodak 2383 D65 LUT. Or just the Rec709 Kodak:

Before we begin, yes, all 4 LUTs are overly bright. That is normal. This will give out an indication of what the black levels will look like underneath. Don’t panic, the winner will be color corrected.

I will be placing all the examples below under spoiler tags, so that this already long post is made shorter. Click the expand tabs to see the examples.

Let’s begin by showing off 2029 downtown L.A.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

Here’s what the T-800’s red viewport looks like.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This shot of the T-800 grabbing the shotgun shows the balance between orange and blue.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This shot of John Connor prepping up his ride shows the warmer side of all 4 LUTs.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

The opening shot of Sarah Connor’s dream sequence from the Special Edition is a very low contrast shot, giving an indicator over how the LUTs handle gamma.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This shot of Sarah Connor’s dream sequence is another example of the balancing between warm colors (Red, orange and yellow) and cool colors (Green and blue).

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

The Galleria’s white exterior reveals the color tones of all 4 LUTs.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This shot from John Connor’s POV shows the contrast and dynamic range of all 4 LUTs.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This shot shows how each LUT handles T2’s blue color scheme.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

Here’s a shot that shows off some of the cooler tones of each LUT.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

While we’re at it, let’s see how the CGI of the T-1000 is handled.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This one shows the varying skin tones contrasted with the blue color scheme.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

This shot of Sarah Connor arming up at Enrique’s showcases the film at its brightest.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

…Followed by this shot showcasing the film at its darkest. Again, I will correct the black levels, but this reveals what tones the black levels will take on when it’s finished.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

The Dyson family household shows the differences between white and blue for all 4 LUTs.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

And finally, I end this with a popular shot of the T-1000.

DCI Fuji

DCI Kodak

Rec709 Fuji

Rec709 Kodak

Hopefully, that will give you an idea of what each LUT does to the movie. Which one’s your favorite?

Substitute all mentions of “the dark side” for “poopyhead” instead.

Terminator 2 is now online!

Here are the technical specs:

Lossless 1080p

Running time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
File type: MKV
Resolution: 1920 x 816
Frame rate: 24p
Audio tracks: 5.1 and 2.0 FLAC 16-bit audio lossless
File size: 17.7gb

Lossy 720p

Running time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
File type: MKV
Resolution: 1280 x 720
Frame rate: 24p
Audio tracks: 5.1 and 2.0 AAC
File size: 6.38gb

As I’ve toiled my way through a long and tiresome move, I’ve been entertaining a lot of ideas to play around with during my spare time when I’m not moving boxes around (and while I still have an internet connection). One of those ideas happened to be James Cameron’s legendary sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Like a lot of folks, I enjoy this film. I don’t think that will come as a shock to anyone. However, I’m also a very indecisive viewer when it comes to which version of the film to watch. For most of us, there are two versions: The 137-minute theatrical version and the 152-minute special edition. Both versions have their strengths, but they also contain several weaknesses that I find hard to glance over. There are scenes in the Special Edition that I wish had seen the light of the film projector back in 1991, but there are also some things that I’m glad were left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical version. So, my motivation for making my own version of T2 was to create a compromise. Of course, my version is still its own thing, and I’ve even removed a couple of things that were around in both versions. However, my main concern was to create a balance between both versions of the film.

For this edit, I brought out my trusty ol’ Skynet Edition Blu-Ray. This edition contains both the theatrical version and the special edition, plus a secret third version that adds 2 more minutes to the special edition, labeled as “the future is not set” if you answer the 5-digit code on the blu-ray menu correctly (If you’re stumped about the code, here’s a hint: it’s the date for Judgment Day). I ripped the theatrical version and this “future is not set” version. These two versions alone should contain every last bit of footage that’s available for the home consumer. That said, though, the Skynet Edition isn’t perfect, as these two reviews below perfectly illustrate:

https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/37191
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Terminator-2-Judgment-Day-Blu-ray/4024/#Review

The video quality is perhaps the biggest elephant in the room for the Skynet Edition. For this reason alone, I’m planning on doing some color grading to the edit in an attempt to fix some of the issues with the video. While the picture quality isn’t “terrible” per se, it could use some improvement. Plus, I really want to experiment with a lot of the ‘film look’ LUT’s I have on DaVinci Resolve, and this is a perfect opportunity to exploit that desire (In fact, that picture of Arnold up there is using a Rec. 709 Fujifilm LUT with a D65 color temperature. The more you know). Hopefully, if I’m playing my cards right, this edit is gonna look really cinematic.

Otherwise, that’s about all I want to say for an introduction. I will conclude this with a list of the changes I’ve decided on so far, plus a couple that I’m still feeling indecisive about. Feel free to state your thoughts on the indecisive ones.

Special Edition changes I’m keeping

Sarah Connor’s Kyle Reese dream sequence
John and Sarah’s CPU reset scene
T-800 smiling scene
Sarah’s extended conversation with Enrique
John and T-800’s extended conversation during the weapon stock-up
John and T-800’s extended conversation on why killing Miles Dyson is a bad idea
Dyson chopping the Cyberdyne CPU

Special Edition changes I’ve removed (updated 12-7-21)

T-1000 stealing the police car
T-1000 killing the dog and scanning of John Connor’s room
Miles Dyson talking about going to Raging Waters theme park
All moments of the T-1000’s glitching up during the final battle to keep the tension going
Alternate ending (updated 12-7-21)

Things that are different from both versions (updated 11-22-21)

Re-edited Sarah Connor’s assassination attempt on Miles Dyson as follows:
https://youtu.be/AKjmOWYBN0E (updated 11-21-21)

Changes I’ve removed from both versions (updated 11-21-21)

The opening 2029 action sequence, so that Sarah Connor’s narration takes center stage
T-1000’s line, “Thanks for your cooperation.”
Miles Dyson’s introduction at Cyberdyne
T-1000 talking to the girls about John Connor being at the Galleria
That subplot involving Sarah Connor and the “pervert”
Removed a couple of shots where Sarah Connor beats her oppressor senseless, since that subplot no longer exists
Shot of the T-800 and John Connor riding the motorcycle to the asylum (updated 11-21-21)
The lines, “John, you’ve got to go now.”, and “John!”

G&G-Fan said:

SparkySywer said:

epic reveal: Vader was on weed the whole time

Makes perfect sense. Anakin always seemed to be high on something starting with Episode II.

SparkySywer said:

Add clouds coming out of Vader’s mask, because his suit is a massive THC vape

Every time the clouds appear, insert Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “The Next Episode” into the soundtrack.

Alright, it’s been a while. Time for an update!

The move is taking a lot longer than I expected. I will be moving to a friend’s place temporarily at the start of next year, and I’m planning on moving somewhere else in the summer of next year (provided things go according to plan). I haven’t forgotten my work on the prequels at all, but it’s obvious why things are a little hectic at the moment.

On the bright side, this move has given me plenty of time to mull over things while I’m preparing to pack up. And for that reason, I’ve been entertaining a few interesting ideas for what to do next. I’m still deciding which ones to commit to, but here’s one I’d like to try out in the future to whet everyone’s appetites.

After a lot of difficulties with LUT’s, I’d like to give a gigantic thank you to this video down below, as it completely demystified a lot of issues I’ve had with LUT’s:
https://youtu.be/A2OLQNSIJgU

After that YouTube video, I decided to try my hand at seeing if it brought the results I hoped it would.

Here’s what v3 looks like at present:

And here’s what it looks like when I added a DCI-P3 Fujifilm 3513DI D55 LUT using the technique described in the video above:

Although I do have my opinions, I’m curious to hear what others think about it. Keep in mind that the bottom example is the LUT itself. I haven’t done any color corrections to it at all, with the exception of adding a broadcast safe node and a node containing the Cineon film log Color Space Transform, as described in the YouTube video. So naturally, I’m not expecting it to be perfect.

And yes, I’m working on that commentary track. In fact, I recorded a few sound bytes this evening. I’m still on the pod race (and yes, you can blame the move for it taking so long), but I’m still here.

So, I think that’s everything for now. Things are a little on the crazy side, but I think once the dust has settled, expect some interesting developments to occur.

To make Rey seem less powerful, digitally add a clown nose and change her hair to a rainbow wig.

While we’re on the subject of The Room, let’s make sure we add in a moment where Luke pets Chewy on the head and says, “Hi, doggie!”