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InfoDroid

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Join date
25-Apr-2005
Last activity
24-Jul-2013
Posts
860

Post History

Post
#179562
Topic
Indiana Jones 4
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179562/action/topic#179562
Time
How long before the pre-movie hype machine starts up with the release of the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles on DVD with Hayden Christensen's head pasted over Sean Patrick Flanery's?

And don't forget the inevitable "Special Editions" of the Trilogy re-released in theaters, complete with rontos roaming the streets of Cairo, and the big finale with Jar-Jar and his Ewok friends busting out of the Ark of the Covenant to the tune of "Augie's Municipal Band" at the end.

Yeah... I know how Lucas works. It's gonna happen.

--InfoDroid
Post
#179471
Topic
Jabba on the Dais!!!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179471/action/topic#179471
Time
So, I'm eating one of those little bite-size Milky Way bars I have left over from Halloween, just happens to be promoting ROTS on the wrapper. Each one has a trivia question on it with a glow-in-the-dark answer, most of them are obvious. But, the question on my wrapper is: "Who is R2-D2's master?"

As I'm chewing on the chocolatey-caramel goodness that Milky Way provides, I'm thinking... To us fans of the OT, of course we'd immediately answer "Luke". But then if they're promoting ROTS, the answer might be "Anakin". But then, he originally belonged to Padme and was supposedly given to Anakin as a wedding gift. And then there's also the whole "Captain Antilles" thing. Or the "he claims to be the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi" line. So, suddenly I'm intrigued, not by the question, but more by the curiosity of what the people at Milky Way selected for the answer. Because, honestly, it's a toss up.

Okay, normally I wouldn't do this, but my curiosity and my Star Wars-inspired childhood took over my body and made me waste ten seconds to go check this answer out. So, I hold the little wrapper up to the light and go into the bathroom and close the door. I felt like I was five again, by the way.

And what's the answer?

"Jabba the Hutt"!!! And there's a little glowing cartoon likeness of Jabba smiling back at me, mocking me almost!

I'm like, "What? Jabba the f*cking Hutt??? What the hell?"

I mean, yes, technically that's true for an extremely brief period of time. But come on... Where do these marketing people get their info?

I was baffled. Had it been a Jeopardy question, I'd have lost everything.

And now I'm telling you about it so you can make fun of me.

--InfoDroid
Post
#176568
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/176568/action/topic#176568
Time
Wow, TM. That's an excellent idea I would've never considered! Dubbing Uncle Owen.

Best part is, I can put you in touch with a guy who will do the recording for you. No doubt he can sound exactly like a young uncle owen. He's fast, uses his own equipment and he's good at what he does. In fact, if you send me the lines, I'll just go to him and get 'em done for you and send you the wavs (or mp3's), whichever you'd prefer.

And the most exciting part about this idea is that C-3PO is now a Trooperman problem instead of an InfoDroid problem. Muhahahaha!

Thanks, Man!

--ID
Post
#176502
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/176502/action/topic#176502
Time
Sluggo, interesting idea, but it still doesn't explain why they take 3po with them when they leave in II.

And welcome, musicman. Yes, we're planning on desaturating the overly-bright colors a bit and maybe adding some light film grain (if it looks right). It really does add to the experience.

And as far as soundtrack editing on SoundForge, I'd be grateful for any help. PM or AIM me and we'll discuss it. My AIM screen name is InfoDroid1138.

Thanks!

--ID
Post
#176278
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/176278/action/topic#176278
Time
Yeah, we've all talked about it and decided that 3PO's officially out of Episode I, although Commander Courage came up with the suggestion of replacing TC-14 on the Neimoidian ship with Anthony Daniels' voice. Which, I thought was a very interesting (while radical) idea. But ultimately, how would you explain how he conveniently ends up on the Lars' farm in II (which, in itself, never made sense to begin with)?

Of course, he could be entirely edited out of II, but that's Trooperman's call. That may be the more necessary change from a saga standpoint, however, because it never added up why a droid with 3PO's personality who spent ten years on a secluded farm with him, would not be recognized by Uncle Owen when he again conveniently turns up in ANH.

I like the idea of him saying the first line in TPM since he also has the first line in IV. So, if we go the TC-14 route and cut him entirely out of II, he'd end up being reintroduced in III as Padme's valet. But, how would you explain it on screen? I mean, wasn't he on the Federation ship when it exploded? Is there a way around it?

And if we don't go the TC-14 route, how will he be introduced in II? Trooperman, you'll have to elaborate on your ideas for this please. And anyone else who cares to chime in with a viable solution would be greatly appreciated.

I've given the newest portion of script to erikstormtrooper to post and to TJ to edit. We've rewritten the Padme/Anakin scene with no telepathy, new subtitles and a slightly different, more natural conversation. The previous version just wasn't translating well enough visually.

The other scene was Sebulba attacking Jar-Jar. With the rough cut, I'd really like to try to make Jar-Jar work as a likable character. Hopefully the new voice and subtitles will take care of a lot of that. But if not, we can trim this scene down even more to exclude ALL of Jar-Jar and his antics with a second cut.

So that should be posted soon. Thanks for hosting, Erik!

--InfoDroid
Post
#175641
Topic
HC receives Razzie© nomination for Worst Supporting Actor
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/175641/action/topic#175641
Time
I always hear about Hayden's bad acting, but people rarely complain about Natalie Portman's practically unwatchable performance in all three prequels. Yet, she does the movie "Closer" and gets nominated for an Oscar.

That should prove to everyone how important a director's role is in getting a good performance out of an actor. There are no good actors, only good directors. And actors really have to trust the director they're working for isn't going to make them look foolish.

God, even Anthony Hopkins (voted best actor of all time) has been made to look bad. Anyone remember "Bad Company" with him and Chris Rock?

In short, it's not Hayden's fault. Like someone else has already pointed out, "Life as a House" and "Shattered Glass" were both top-notch.

Post
#175637
Topic
ROTS and the Oscars!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/175637/action/topic#175637
Time
The score wasn't nominated because last year a rule was put into effect that the soundtracks of franchise sequels (Like Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.) can no longer be nominated for an Academy Award.

I wasn't expecting anything big, as the Academy has always turned it's nose up at Star Wars. I was really hoping against hope for an Ian McDiarmid Best Supporting Actor nomination, even if he didn't win, if only to acknowledge the transformation of the character he's been playing since 1983. And the fact he really put himself out there for this one with all the action scenes.

Stunned it didn't get nominated for visual effects, sound or any other technical awards, since these are the guys who all but invented digital technology and with every installment are determined to push the art to it's limits. Some elements are obviously cgi, but if you read the "making-of" books you find that there are things you don't even realize started out as nothing more than bluescreen.

Like Palpatine and Bail Organa on the balcony at the end of AOTC, did you know the two actors were the only real thing in the shot? Everything (and everyone) else were seperate elements that were composited in. Or the foyer to the opera in ROTS, none of it was there. It's those things that you don't think about that are so well done, it's just amazing to think it started out as a shot of Hayden Christensen climbing up a blue staircase. And I really thought Yoda was leaps and bounds more realistic in ROTS than he was in AOTC. It's a shame, considering this one was the best the Prequels had to offer.

--InfoDroid
Post
#175634
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/175634/action/topic#175634
Time
DarthPreston,

It is indeed a tricky task, re-writing this thing almost shot for shot, and I see why MTH felt overwhelmed at times. You're doing great so far. I'm sorry we haven't had a concrete outline for you to work from, as before we were working mainly from MTH's head. But, that's something we're working on now. I must admit, I've been hesitant to run this thing on any particular rail because I hate to rule out any possibilities or good ideas. But on the other hand, I'm also starting to realize a need to have a goal we're all collectively focused on, so everyone's on the same page and knows what direction we're going in. Like the 3PO thing.

Regarding C-3PO: I've recently discussed it in-depth with TJ and we think it's best to take the Trooperman route and remove him from the film completely. This would mean all scenes and shots containing him will be excised from TPM, withholding his introduction until the scene on the Lars moisture farm in Episode II.

Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.

And thanks!

--InfoDroid


Post
#174005
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/174005/action/topic#174005
Time
Sounds great to me, DarthPreston.

Love the stuff at Anakin's house. This is very much like what I was thinking for this scene.

I like your ideas for the 3PO scene. As far as cutting away to break up the Tattooine stuff, maybe that's a good place to introduce Darth Maul. Either a scene with the two Neimoidians talking about deploying him, or a scene where they talk to him via hologram. Or the Sio Bibble scene is also a good option.

One thing I'd have to disagree with you on is the QG/Shmi conversation. For me, with a few trims, it's one of the best composed and best acted scenes in the movie. I'm not sure what you mean by it introducing a "subplot" that needs to be resolved. Maybe we can discuss it.

Everything else sounds really, really good. Thanks for taking the time to do it. I'd like to hear CC's and TJ's comments on it.

Post
#173723
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/173723/action/topic#173723
Time

Hey Guys,

Just a quick note to let you know what's going on.

I spoke to MTH last night, and he feels the need to drop out of the process for a little while. He'll still poke his head in from time to time to comment on what we're doing, but he agrees it's best for us to continue without him for the time being.

Accordingly, Commander Courage and DarthPreston will immediately be taking over the writing process, which will start moving us in a forward direction again.

As to the above posts by THX, DaystromX, Sluggo and others regarding Anakin, without being rude, my opinions on those issues and my rebuttals to detractors were amply stated three pages ago. So, I want you to know I'm not ignoring your comments, I'm just waiting for someone else to step in and argue it out.

Of course, the views and opinions expressed by me personally in this thread don't necessarily reflect the final direction this project will take. I think it's all about trying out different concepts and seeing what works and what doesn't, and not immediately dismissing ideas simply because they are in conflict with the opinions of George Lucas or some pre-ordained "story arc" for Anakin. The fact is, his character was sickeningly sweet in TPM, and lacked any depth whatsoever. I doubt you'll disagree that building character is all about revealing conflict and weaknesses in a person. Otherwise he's just a one-dimentional piece of cardboard. And that goes for any of the characters. I know Anakin's broader character arc plays out over the course of the six films. But if this is to be a "stand alone" film, then he needs to go through some sort of mini-arc exclusive to this movie to make him a more interesting character.

--InfoDroid
Post
#173480
Topic
OT.com Chat Room...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/173480/action/topic#173480
Time
My thoughts exactly, Nanner. That's why I was thinking if we could chat in real time, it may reduce some of the clutter on the boards. And since we have such a friendly community here, I think it would be fun too.

Thanks for the quick response, Jay. I went into the room, but no one was there except for you. Let me know what we have to do to get it permanently validated. Once it is, would you be able to add a link to it, like a button next to search, today, help, etc.?

--InfoDroid
Post
#173156
Topic
Highlander
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/173156/action/topic#173156
Time
In spite of hearing about it for many, many years from people who are into the same kind of movies I am, I had avoided seeing Highlander up until last week, when my friend finally forced me into watching the first one.

The concept of the story was good, but ultimately my first insticts were right, I thought it was a badly executed film. Undeniably 80's. I was surprised to hear the prominent use of some Queen songs in there that I was familiar with from elsewhere, like "Who Wants To Live Forever", which is one of my favorite songs.

For me, it's difficult to see Clancy Brown as anything else but the prick captain of the guard in "The Shawshank Redemption". Christopher Lambert has the personality and like-ability of dogfood. And Sean Connery all but phones in his performance.

As a whole, I can take the film for what it's worth and appreciate it in the context of the time it was made. It was mildly interesting. Mildly entertaining. But when the story ends in the first one, that's it. Case closed. Story over. Period. End of conversation. There's absolutely no room for sequels.

Yet there are sequels. Many of them.

I hear the sequels are pretty much unwatchable.

They say "There can be only one." Well, maybe there should've been only one.

--InfoDroid
Post
#173150
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/173150/action/topic#173150
Time
In my opinion, anything we can do to make the pod race shorter, the action more clear and less exhausting, we should.

Just to update you guys on the status of this project, because I know it's been awfully quiet around here. MTH has been extremely busy lately with real-world stuff and is unfortunately becoming even busier, which has consequently (through no fault of his) squelched the rapid-fire script process we were all becoming accustomed to, so right now we're taking a short break to regroup and decide how to get the process moving again in order to make our May 25th release date.

So, don't worry guys. Thanks for supporting us and hanging in there. We'll be back on track in no time.


--InfoDroid
Post
#171869
Topic
The legendary "Starkiller Ranch" Thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/171869/action/topic#171869
Time
THX, that was excellent and very constructive criticism. I'm very appreciative of it and I think TJ and the rest should take heed of that advice.

I'm afraid I have some mildly bad news tonight. The special effects guy I've been working with on the Dooku possibilities and other things has decided to withdraw from the project due to his fear that Lucasfilm and the MPAA will "crack down" on us for doing this, even though I assured him we're not selling copies of this edit and it's only being distributed to those who own the official DVD's. Not to mention, we're not exactly pioneers in this genre of "fan-editing". Regardless, he felt it necessary to depart, so we're back to square one on that front.

If anyone knows anyone who is well versed in After Effects, Blender or other special effects programs and is willing to work with us on developing some concepts, please PM, AIM, or e-mail me. I'd very much appreciate it.

--InfoDroid