Hal 9000

Well, the necklace has no payoff whatsoever in Episode III because my handling of it does not allow a place for either of its two appearances there. I’m open to others’ opinions though, given this.

I’ll take a look at what Dominic cooked up for the Anakin-Grievous conversation, as I know I’ve seen it but can’t recall at the moment.

The crawls are going to be from Sir Ridley, and look much like his crawl for TFA:R. Hopefully he will be able to have the color and angle of tilt roughly match the existing prequel crawls. I think that’s the best thing for them, to blend in as closely as possible with the source material, to say nothing of the OT or ST. Seems most consistent with my approach to other things like end credits and subtitles.

Absolutely!

DominicCobb said:

I can probably help with the color correction on those scenes.

I’ll upload the day-for-night scene as well once I have it ready.

MalàStrana said:

It’s already in v4.2 !

Ha, very good, then. I must have missed it when I revised the cutlist script which I was referring to while the BluRays are being converted to ProRes.

• I don’t like “This is where the fun begins” because it’s Anakin pre-figuring a Han line. Also the whole “desperate chase” aspect.
• The missile sequence. I’d be okay with putting it back in, as you raise a good point. I will mock it up while removing the sillier aspects of it and see what I think.
• Can’t promise anything about the Anakin-Grevious dialogue other than I’ll give it another chance and see about it. Might help keep the scene from rushing by and feeling cut down.
• I removed Threepio’s “It is an acquired taste” due to the abrupt transition into the scene but I’ll take another listen at it being put back in. The other dialogue was dumb, especially the drunk Australian senator.

So, here are my requests for help from you all. If anyone is able, I would be very appreciative.

• The day-for-night scene in Ep2. Anyone with better capabilities, please let me know and I can send you the raw footage if needed. This is the biggest need. Link to footage: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ijkUtOTbBsQu3OChi0hRm9FMjU3tdq0K

• The Bolyen footage. I color corrected it as best I was able, but if anyone has any different methods for having it match the existing footage, I’m all ears. Take a stab at it. Also, as a ‘wish list’ thing, I’d love to have the necklace Anakin gives her be added around her neck to this shot. It’d only really be visible toward the end of the shot, though, as her had covers it. Link to this footage: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2lsYRKXLjL9QlhwT2d6dDRlVms
  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2lsYRKXLjL9eXY2VzU5dTFRaTg

• If anyone can take the following shots and bridge them together near-seamlessly, I’d use it. I wanted to do it this way before but couldn’t blend their very close ending and beginning. I’ve joined them together in the clip below, and you can clearly identify the frame at which the second shot begins. The precise sync should not be a problem when joining them. (A few frames can be added or, not as great, removed.)
  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gb5tAvq2HVSA5N70QXP6idaTOVJNybVn

• If anyone has any ideas for an alternate establishing shot of the Senate building to be used at the start of Ep2, let me know. Right now the best one is just a distant shot of Palpatine’s office, which is fine but inaccurate.

• This one is just a wish list item, but doesn’t hurt to ask. Turning this mockup from Darth Lucas into reality in keeping with Rogue One and the schematics from ANH:
  

Surprise!

V4.3 announced. With my program, Final Cut Pro 7, no longer being able to run on a modern OS, it is time to revisit the prequel trilogy… one final time. After all the time and effort put into it so far, I think it is worthwhile to give it one more pass before placing it permanently out of my reach. I’ll edit the subtitles, chapter stops, and commentary tracks to maintain sync so nothing will be lost.

The sources used will be the same: Blurays for Episodes I and III, and schorman’s HDTV preservation for Episode II.

Intended changes

(Most of these changes are reinstating minuscule things that were cut with no clear reason, not contributing anything other than making the edit unnecessarily jarring.)

• Brand new, gorgeous, incredible crawl footage from Sir Ridley:
  Episode I

CLOAK OF DECEPTION

The Republic is in decay. After centuries of peace under the guardianship of the Jedi Order, a menace lurks in the shadows of the galaxy.

Attempting to capitalize on the government’s complacency, the greedy TRADE FEDERATION has surrounded the small planet of Naboo with a blockade of deadly warships.

With the newly crowned Queen desperate for help, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights to settle the conflict…

• The Neimodians will no longer be substantially trimmed to attempt (mostly in vain) to make them more threatening. These changes don’t really amount to much other than causing slight jars. [Original version of opening cockpit interior with the Jedi asking to board, Sidious dialogue including “I will make it legal,” and “This is getting out of hand; now there are two of them!”]

• Viceroy tells the battle droid to be on the lookout for the Jedi on the ground (it’s why the droid later tells them they are under arrest)

• Sio Bibble saying “They wouldn’t dare.”

• Reinstate Jabba the Hutt at the podrace. Despite what I may have said, my real intention was to preserve the reveal of his appearance in ROTJ, going against the project’s goals. I don’t mind the Jabba cameo, so I think it deserves to be put back in for this final version.

• Reinstate Sebulba skidding to a stop rather than implying his death.

• Possibly reinstate Anakin’s full line to his mother, “I hope so… yes, I guess” and her response.

• Reinstate Boss Nass’ “Yousa no tinkin’ yousa greater than the Gungans?”

• Reinstate “…this is too close.”

• Brand new, gorgeous, incredible crawl footage from Sir Ridley:
  Episode II
  THE APPROACHING STORM

In the decade following the invasion of Naboo, dissidence has fragmented the galaxy. Over a thousand solar systems have revolted against the Republic.

This separatist movement, under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku, has made it difficult for the limited number of Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order in the galaxy.

Senator Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is now the Senate’s leading advocate for diplomacy, and stands against growing calls for an ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to counter the Separatists…

• Attempt to find a different establishing shot of the Senate building rather than using Palpatine’s office twice

• Delete line “And you will learn your place, young one.”

• I will attempt to add Anakin laughing a little as he nosedives the speeder in pursuit of Zam. (There is a stretch without any dialogue or characterization other than a dry chase.)

• Possibly add the end of Anakin’s line “this is a shortcut… I think.”

• Reinstate dialogue between Obi-Wan and Lama Su, the removal of which makes it unclear what is going on. (Still removing discussion of specific unit numbers.)

• Reinstate Anakin and Padme’s “You?” “Of course not me.” “But someone.”

• Ask lovely forum members for help getting the day-for-night scene looking better.

• As Obi-Wan reports to the council in the rain, reinstate Yoda’s line “Do not assume anything, Obi-Wan.”

• Reinstate Yoda’s line about visiting the cloners on Kamino.

• Brand new, gorgeous, incredible crawl footage from Sir Ridley:
  Episode III

LABYRINTH OF EVIL

After years of civil war, the Separatists have battered the faltering Republic nearly to the point of collapse. The fragile government is crumbling under attacks from the ruthless Count Dooku.

In a stunning move, the fiendish cyborg leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic capital and captured Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate.

As the Separatist forces attempt to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor…

• Reinstate “My powers have doubled since the last time we’ve met, Count.” “Good. Twice the pride, double the fall.”

• Reinstate “Is he bringing additional warrious?” “He didn’t say.”

• Follow suit of virtually every other fanfix Ep3 edit by implementing the quick jump and slice ending to Obi-Wan and Anakin’s duel. It’ll be smoother, given that “I have the high ground” has to go.

• See if anyone here has the ability and interest in making this mockup of the Death Star scene a reality:
  

They will be on TFA:R, but the version out there now was rushed to be out ahead of TLJ. Once I get one thing back I can finish it and get the final version out there with all the trimmings.

Hopefully Kylo Ren wears the Snokeing jacket as he sits on his throne.

The subtitles are in the 720p versions as well!
Nice to see that those French subtitles Mala took it upon himself to produce are being used.

At this point I’m leaning toward virtualizing Snow Leopard to keep old projects on life support and just keep using FCP7 for the foreseeable future. It’s not like I’m a progessional for whom it would be worth it. I will get better at FCPX by playing around first, but I’ll keep FCP7 here for a long time via a VM.

You wouldn’t happen to speak French, would you? MalaStrana created French and English subtitles for them.

Unless you were just asking about English subtitles, in which case, yes! And Episode III contains synced subtitles for the infamous ‘Backstroke of the West’ bootleg translation.

You can find download links on Reddit if you search!

Here’s an incredibly rough proof of concept for the gonk thing. Use your imagination, because I do not yet have the actual audio in front of me I hope to use for the film, and so I just muted it toward the end. The center channel is missing after the first gonk part, and since this is just a quick thing I didn’t bother to re-render.

https://vimeo.com/249442255

As I sit and reflect on this project, the more I think I would be doing myself a big favor to NOT do it. At least not in the immediate future. Trying to bring the knife to ROTJ, which I had previously resolved not to do, while learning an aggravating new NLE with a baby on the way in a month… probably wasn’t a great idea. And posting a thread for it right away might have been even worse.

Maybe someday, after ROTJ:R is released, the Despecialized Edition goes as far as it can, and perhaps other things unforeseeable, the time will ripen to attempt something like this.

This project is currently: STALLED. I may revisit this, but then again, I might not. I might just have to wait until TLJ hits home video to learn enough FCPX to be able to work on it. Or I could just find a way to keep using FCP7 in perpetuity. 😕

ChainsawAsh said:

Are you considering replacing (some of) Artoo’s beeps?

No, they’re just as ingrained in my brain as any other beeps. This’ll just be trimming up a handful of little things while doing a semi-specialized edition.

Got your PM; thanks, snooker!

I’d gotten so proficient with FCP7 and I’m swearing at FCPX as I try to adapt to its very different way of doing things. But we’re getting there, though I’m still just messing around rather than beginning real work on ROTJ.

Anyone have gonk droid sound effects? I only find one or two on Google, so I may have to try recording a few. I’d like to have the torture scene with the gonk droid repeating “gonk” rather than screaming. “Gonk. Gonk. Gonk-Gonk-GONK-GONK!!”
Removing the sounds outright leaves the shot feeling a little too long, and cutting into it early seems off. Since I’m keeping Lapti Nek, I need some sort of sound from the droid to make the transition out of the scene to work.

Anyone got Gonks? Or wants to try voice acting as one?

And if anyone has KK650’s V2.6, please let me know.

Possessed said:

Collipso said:

I do really like theatrical RotS.

While I don’t, I will say I like an edited ROTS more than the SE of Return of the Jedi

I agree this is odd, but I agree.

There was no year zero AD. December 31, 1 BC would have been followed by January 1, 1 AD. January 1, 2 AD marks the one year point since flipping over to AD. Counting forward from then, 100 years have passed as of January 1, 101 AD.

Thus, it takes until January 1, 2001 for 2000 years to have passed since the first day of AD, January 1, 1 AD.

CourtlyHades296 said:

Do you plan on removing Leia’s “Somehow I’ve always known.”?

Nah, but I suppose it’d fair to try it when I get there and just see what I think.

I can no longer use FCP7 due to Apple and haven’t really done much to date with FCPX. This project will be a learning experience. I expect it to be maddening, but I’ll emerge from it capable of using the tools I will need to keep going with future projects.
I can see how FCPX would be much better for content creators, but it’ll feel counterintuitive until I reckon with it through playing around. We’ll get there; I already know how to do it, just not HOW to do it.

Yeah, the line about Chewie at the beginning will be gone, I just didn’t include it in my changelist but would’ve seen it. 😉

Hadn’t planned to alter the… plan, but I am open to suggestions, provided they are simple and elegant changes.

We were beginning to think you weren’t coming.

Exactly. I’m just aiming to trim the furthest reaching instances of cutsiness. Remove just the extremes.

^ Cartoony sounds listed above will be taken care of if the source audio allows for it. And good tip about the Jabba door. This is the minutia that even someone like me can get lost in. (Not the change itself, but that it was recomposited in 2004 before being replaced in 2011.) 😃

This edit, for me, will try to serve the “custom special edition” function while still fitting in with either versions of ANH and ESB one may have just watched (OOT or a SE). In that spirit, recomposites are okay but obvious CGI is not; Anakin’s eyebrows being removed is okay, but Hayden’s ghost is not.

About Obi-Wan’s ghost, I’ll just use Harmy’s if there’s a problem with the SE.

towne32 said:

Kk650’s semi specialized 2.6 series actually has quite good color. It would make for at least a very good starting point. Not yellow as were the previous versions, decently balanced.

However, I don’t think Jedi is available as tehparadox is down and that one has Not hit spleen yet.

Thank you for the tip. I was looking at the most recent version on the spleen, which is V2.15 and did not know there was anything more recent than that. And I thought it did look much too yellow. Sounds good, I will try to find a way to get it.

Collipso said:

Hal 9000 said:

Collipso said:

What are you going to do about the musical number? I personally don’t like any of the versions, but the harmonica player from the Special Edition is not that bad at all.

Lapti Nek all the way.

Do you plan on trimming down some of the “look at how cute this Ewok is” moments?

Most likely, though those things will probably be up in the air until I have everything ready to go in my NLE and I can take a close look. I don’t have specifics in mind, but yes.

Just reiterating what might be buried in the OP: Anyone with counsel about a source for the 2004/2011 version with colors that could be made to roughly match the Despecialized, let me know. Doesn’t have to be 100% perfect, but I need the best possible starting place.