G&G-Fan

How do you compensate for the Force not being explained in any of the Prequels? That’s one of the biggest issues I’ve had with the chronological order. Ep 1 assumes you’ve already seen Ep 4 where it’s actually explained as an “energy field” that binds the galaxy together. The only way I’ve been able to brainstorm a fix is placing it in the opening crawl of Ep 1, which I myself am skeptical of due to not wanting to bombard the audience with too much information.

Recommend this. Very useful too for Davinci users. Works perfectly!

Color-matching the ESB Imperial scenes to match the stark black look of the ANH Death Star

I’d kinda prefer the reverse. I think a more stark black look fits the Empire perfectly.

That guy with no name said:

while I’m currently following the “2011 as a source with 2019 bits and pieces throughout,” this might very well change for a later version “V.3?”. So just keep that in mind.

JoyOfEditing said:

For me it was Anakin getting trampled by s giant Tick-Cow while Padme does a photoshoot for the upcoming Renaissance Fair. . . That’s the point where I knew we were in trouble. . .

I hate the romance is much is the next guy but Padme’s dress in that scene is probably the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.

When is Tatooine part 2?

I’m interested in seeing what you do with Anakin’s turn.

If I may offer a suggestion, I’d be totally cool if you borrowed one of my ideas that I have planned for my edit, where Anakin partially turns to the dark side out of a desire for immortality for himself (alongside his wife).

May as well add Hal9000’s other edits, since you already have TPM and ROTJ

Mk_9000 do you have Caleb Gammon’s AOTC edit?

Honestly I unironically support edits that add even more alien presence to Star Wars. I think it’s cool. This is a galaxy full of different sentient alien species, they shouldn’t be regarded as looney tunes characters.

I don’t agree that ROTJ is the “first Prequel”. It’s different from the other two OT movies, but not any more then ANH and ESB are different, and it’s closer to those then the Prequels. It’s character-focused rather than plot-focused, the plot isn’t as convoluted as the Prequels, it’s methodically yet effectively paced (IMO), the visuals are far more prettier, and the writing is clear and well-articulated where it needs to be and subtle where it needs to be, unlike the Prequels where it’s often either muddy and messy or on-the-nose.

I find it interesting that Hal said that, since he didn’t make an edit of it in the same vein as his Prequels.

JoyOfEditing said:

. . . Is this the part where I tell you Vader never kills any of his own men in my cut. . . 😉

Well that’s certainly an… interesting choice. I disagree with it (a lot) but I’m not gonna be rude about it, since I have respect for you as an editor, you know what you’re talking about and you have an admirable goal.

JoyOfEditing said:

I KNEW SOMEONE WOULD CATCH THAT SHOT SWITCHEROO!!! The basic logic is this. I want that scene to focus on the Empire’s unpreparedness to face the Rebel Fleet, and the coming showdown with the Emperor, which means that Vader’s inherent awesomeness needs to take a back seat for that specific scene. In other scenes like the scene where the shuttle Tyderium “sneaks” past the Imperial Fleet, I recut that sequence entirely from Vader’s perspective, to focus on how perceptive he is in the Force, and in all of the fights scenes I made Vader infinitely more lethal, because the original fight choreography was. . . well. . . lacking in that department.

So the basic answer to your question is that in all my scene cuts I try to realign the “focus” to the primary point of that scene, which sometimes means cutting one of the greatest Vader shots of all time, and switching it with a lamer shot of him rushing down the gangway to emphasis the Empire’s growing weakness. (Essentially it’s visually showing the dramatic power shift that’s happened since Vader blasted his way onto the Blockade Runner in IV. The Rebels are no longer a couple X-Wings and a lucky torpedo, that Fleet massing near Sullust is now a force to be reckoned with.) It’s okay I know the sin I committed is unforgivable. 😃

Personally, I think that ROTJ is still supposed to make you feel very threatened by the Empire, so I never felt any sort of incongruity. The idea is that, because the DSII lacks the weaknesses of the first one, if it’s completed, the Rebellion is doomed. The Battle of Endor will decide their fate, and they’re still the underdogs. Throughout the battle it’s very clear that they’re outmatched, and it’s only due to the courageousness and tenacity of our heroes that they make it out alive. At the same time, I understand the perspective of wanting to emphasize the growth of the Rebels.

I’m interested in seeing your reedit of the ROTJ duel.

JoyOfEditing said:

On a completely different note, is your YouTube name “Lord Vader Tyrannus”? If so, I stumbled on your “Ornithocheirus ASMR” video and laughed sooooo hard! I miss Walking with Dinosaurs sooooo much!!! The newer series just didn’t hit the same way.

It is. I like to have my username consistent on every site, but unfortunately I can’t change my username here.

I’m glad you enjoyed that, it’s a funny little video I made, I love chaotic absurdism. I love Walking with Dinosaurs so much, it’s my favorite piece of media after the Original Star Wars Trilogy.
I made a two part video essay about WWD. And a video essay about ROTJ (also had to be split in two). If you’re interested.

JoyOfEditing said:

Hey y’all! In response to a question posed on Adywan’s RotJ Thread about how easy/hard it is for Luke to start on Dagobah, and then go to Tatooine, I posted a link to my version of the opening of RotJ. It seems like some of y’all wanna talk about it, so I’m reposting it here so we don’t derail Ady’s Thread.

Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EleIyLvBBrk-D8zN9zy23NJhEeg6FMcs?usp=sharing

Enjoy!

-JoE

Why delete Vader’s line, “Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them”? It’s a great way of showing his ruthlessness towards his own men.

And the replacement of low-angle shot of Vader walking down the shuttle is really odd to me. That is one of the most badass shots of Vader, powerful and menacing. It’s one of the reasons his entrance in ROTJ is my favorite. Why replace it with the boring long shot from the ESB SE?

What’s the difference between balanced and unbalanced pacing?

Phase3 said:

As I mentioned to you via PM, I especially love what you did with the Probe Droid scene on Hoth; I will definitely use that for my own edit! 😃

I take it you’re doing edits for the entire saga?

The casting.

Hayden Christensten looks like a young Darth Vader. He has the body language down.
Also Natalie Portman.

I respect the approach. I personally think that Han being immature and pushy is an intentional character trait (and is why I think it’s 100% in-character for him to act the way he does in ROTJ; he was always insecure, that bravado was his way of hiding it) which fits the flawed hero he is, but I also understand if one prefers to make him more mature.

Do you do anything about the Luke-Leia kiss in ESB? ESB is my favorite movie of all-time and I don’t hold it against the film because of a retcon, but that hasn’t aged well.

Have you considered adding the original hyperspace effect briefly seen when the Falcon arrives on Alderaan to the Falcon interior after the DS escape rather then a modern one?

Andor is a well-made show, but what it misses is the mythic, pulpy quality of Star Wars.
You wouldn’t make an adaptation of a Greek myth without any of the Gods, or an episode of The Twilight Zone with no sci-fi/supernatural elements (yes, the first episode still counts. At the time it was made, traveling to the moon was science-fiction; it premiered 10 years before the moon landing).

Even Mando S1 and some of S2 captured this pretty well, having that mythic old western feel (tho I despise how it’s now become a vessel for this new “Filoni-verse” and is now shot like a car commercial).

For anyone who wants to add Mustafar but make it look appropriate for a 70s/80s film, planet Vulcan from Star Trek the Motion Picture, as well as the destruction of the Genesis planet in Star Trek 3 are good sources.

For anyone who wants to add Mustafar but make it look appropriate for a 70s/80s film, planet Vulcan from Star Trek the Motion Picture, as well as the destruction of the Genesis planet in Star Trek 3 are good sources.

JoyOfEditing said:

Yeah, it’s an all time great line. I just didn’t want Luke to roll around on the floor like a goober, lol! In all fairness, even I wouldn’t say my version is “better” so to speak. It’s playing by a completely different set of rules than the original cut. Personally, I like my Darth Vader as lethal as possible, and I tried to make Luke a little more naturally gifted (which in turn makes Vader more intimidating). More than anything I wanted see if the new cutting techniques Ben Burtt and his team used for the Prequel Duels would work, and I was shocked at how well they did!

Respect for the goal of making Darth Vader more lethal and intimidating and Luke more gifted. I want Vader and Luke to be that way. I just think the original version gets that across just as well.

JoyOfEditing said:

I smashed the three duel sections together, and the color is the ungraded HDR footage, but it should still give you a pretty good idea of what it looks like.

This was an interesting watch. I prefer the original version, a lot more was cut then I like (the 3rd “act” of the duel is actually my favorite; “It is useless to resist” is an all-time shot), but the edit isn’t bad.