I tried that during my first pass at the movie, but it was impossible due to the bleedthrough from ROTS and ROTJ both.
I’m surprised at the enthusiasm over the Japanese version over the Russian. The Japanese doesn’t feel like a good match to me, and doesn’t seem any less cheesey, sounding like Vader’s new stomach is having indigestion. The Russian sounds like a Hayden/JEJ hybrid yelling a non-word. But the safest bet will be to just leave it alone. I could do alternate audio tracks, but it seems a little silly over one small thing.
It seems like there’s not really a strong consensus among you all here at OT.com, commenters at FE.org, and the friends of differing levels of interest in Star Wars I reached out to. Some prefer the Japanese audio, others the Russian. Someone whose opinion I value as a film guy who isn’t into Star Wars voiced a strong preference for the English version, appreciate it’s operatic cheesiness.
Here’s where I’m at with this. I already declined the Japanese audio once, and I do feel like it’d be a long-term misstep to use it for this final version. It seems iffy at best to me. The Russian audio isn’t bad, but only if one’s brain is willing to believe Hayden Christensen is still under the mask screaming out in his own voice. It’s not a seamless match, though it seems to fit better than the Japanese audio, recalling the prior scene with Hayden screaming in a similar way. (The Russian audio track uses the groaning of JEJ, and a very similar voice was used for Vader’s dialogue, implying that the people behind the dub thought the scream blended in well with what was already there.) However, staying with the English version is the more conservative choice, and has the least likelihood of causing me a twinge of regret when viewing this years down the road. It never really bothered me that much; it’s not much sillier than the rest of the movie, and fits the Frankenstein hobble and sentimental dialogue from Vader in the scene.
So, I’m going to strike out the Japanese audio. What do you all think about the Russian alternative? Does it fit in well enough to merit breaking away from the default English version without taking a newcomer out of the movie? Clearly, I’m a bit leery of making a big change all of a sudden for the final release. I hope you all know I value your input, regardless.
I don’t know any way to do it without lowering the pitch of the whole thing, music and all.
Just to be clear, I’m still leaning toward the safer choice of leaving the English version alone, and the other options are officially on trial status.
Here’s another mockup from CommanderBen, this time using Russian audio track. Again, ignore audio and video weirdness; the yelling is the only thing in question.
https://youtu.be/It0Ird3zFeY
If it doesn’t have any hilarious comment at the bottom of the screen during the 20th Century Fox logo, it’s the most recent version. V4 also has the “short negotiations” line. Also, you can check the enclosed readme file.
As far as viewing order, I have no recommendation. My edits weren’t done with any intent on making the prequels more suitable to be seen first, or in any order. I’d advise making such a decision the same way you would with the actual films. (Personally, I lean toward release order, with machete order as a fun alternative.)
FE.org user OnlyOneKenobi did the cover artwork, and he’s been missing for quite a while. So I don’t have anything else other than what he provided. It’s very nice, though could use an expansion.
Hopefully you haven’t spoken too soon, but thanks very much.
Good grief. I’m glad my PT edits have a hardcoded WARNING message at the beginning, but Harmy’s can’t really do that. I’m rally-able; what should we do?
Thanks for the interest! Subtitles have been discussed in the past, but it would be a very large project that I don’t care to invest in. If there were a way to take the existing subtitle files, edit one of them to be correct, then be able to apply those changes to the other language tracks automatically, I’d probably do it. But it would take so much work and it’d only result in an English track. Not so special. And I haven’t heard of any fan edits with full subtitles tracks that aren’t in another language to begin with.
V4 will be the final iteration of this project. Episode I has been released in V4, through the torrents and Mega links found at FanEdit.info. Episodes II and III are awaiting the completion of Schorman’s HDTV preservation project in order to use it as the primary video source and bypass the BluRay transfer’s oddities. I don’t have a definite date, though Episode III shouldn’t be much longer, as it sounds like he’s about done with that one. However, don’t hesitate to download and enjoy V3 for II and III in the meantime; there’s nothing wrong with them or anything.
I don’t know how old your kids are, but I’d be interested in how they perceive all six films, but particularly anything related to changes made to the prequels. When my niece watched the films with us, she was challenged at school to a Star Wars trivia game, and she only missed one question. The question involved the circumstances of Padme’s death, which she insisted she was right about. Oops! Probably should have explained some of the differences to her afterward, though she did know she was watching a fan edit. Part of the benefit is being able to not think about the originals and enjoy them as their own thing.
Yeah, CommanderBen put the clip together, but the only thing in question is the Vader yell. I won’t be modifying the video from Schorman’s source. And I’d remix the audio anyway. Thanks for chiming in; a preliminary consensus seems to slightly prefer the Japanese yell, though it too is a little weird.
FanEdit.org user CommanderBen sent me another mockup of the Vader scene using the Japanese dub. I figure it’s worth another go-round to assess everyone’s opinion. I could see it working, so please leave a comment if you have any opinion about this one way or the other. It has to be superior to the alternative of leaving the scene alone in order to use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEmYPR9871A&feature=youtu.be
Well, that’s a minor win, at least.
I logged in to see whether I am still alive.
Interesting that in this ROTJ-era version of the prequels, the twins are hidden from both Vader and the Emperor, if Ben knew Anakin survived the duel. Hiding Leia on Alderaan and Luke with his brother's family makes sense bset they nothing to do with Anakin. Hiding Luke with Anakin's step-brother only makes sense if they take Anakin for dead. It still doesn't explain who thought it was a good idea to leave his last name.
I'm glad you posted that list, because I wrongly assumed the standalone IMAX theater near us would be playing the dual-70mm version. If it isn't, I may as well just see it in bullcrap AMC IMAX.
That being said, I'm seeing it in conventional 2D the first time.
I agree. This won't look like it was actually made during the time of the original trilogy, but will be a continuation of the story with a different style. This trailer quelled some of my apprehension, while reminding me that it won't have artificial limitations placed on it of only using models on strings. It'll be modern, just as the originals were modern, but it will still be Star Wars.
Let's keep a little optimism, huh?
PG-13
http://www.starwarsunderworld.com/2015/10/breaking-force-awakens-confirmed-to.html
Obi-Wan said he trained Vader in ANH, not Luke's father.
I got my tickets on Fandango about an hour and a half before the trailer aired, since I happened to check. 7PM December 17th!
Just that I wondr if it will comment on it. I saw a panel months ago with Ben finding a lost child Luke and telling him he knew his father.
As coy as the power that be have been so far, I'm gambling that the trailer won't really spoil anything for me.
Rumor has it there will be mass screenings at 7PM the night before. I'm gonna have the two main theaters near me loaded and ready in case one has that.
And a third thought: the poster strikes me as very photoshopy. I wonder if perhaps they painted the elements and composited them digitally. I'm not a graphic artist by any means, so I'm just wondering. I have been avoiding spoilers, but I am very curious why Luke is missing from it!
TFA trailer #3 to air tomorrow, Monday night during halftime of the NFL game. Presumably it will be posted online at the same time. Also, advance tickets will go on sale afterward. Very exciting.
I have been saving Shattered Empire for after I watch ROTJ in November as part of our "journey to TFA," but I'm very curious if Owen and Beru are depicted as being aware that Anakin survived and became Darth Vader. I believe the Legends consensus was that our heroes at the end of Episode III took Anakin for dead, explaining why they didn't do a very thorough job hiding Luke. Obi-Wan didn't find out that Vader lived on until he saw it on the news one day at the bar, and I presume he just told Owen and Beru that Anakin died in the purge. (He may or may not have mentioned Vader since, again, he believed he was dead.)
Even if all this is the case, it still would be possible for Ben to tell them the truth later at some point. But to me, Owen and Beru's conversation in ANH makes much more sense if I suppose they believe Anakin died along with the bulk of the Jedi.
Sounds awesome. Thanks for the update. Can you refer me to any information about the DTS audio? Is it 5.1, or greater?