InfoDroid

Originally posted by: Commander Courage
That brings me to my next point: Since we've gradually been developing into a true team collaboration here at "the Ranch", maybe we should come up with a name? You know, something for the DVD covers and end credits. Just a thought.

I was thinking the exact same thing, but I didn't want to sound too presumptuous until I knew everyone was onboard.

As for new threads, they have become a necessity as we've certainly cluttered this one up enough. I would start them myself, but MTH is the main proponent of the Episode I edit, and InfoDroid is already at work on the OT. Therefore I suggest they be the ones to start those respective threads (the OT only requires one, really).

Originally posted by: MTHaslett
But...
InfoDroid and Trooperman and Commander Courage all editing Episode I together!? That sounds like a topic worthy of another thread!

If everyone is serious about it, then we should start it. The first collective fan-edit... Stone soup style.



Definitely. That's something we can start right away. So, let the brainstorming and debates begin! We can talk it out until we solidify the direction we're taking.

InfoDroid -- I can't wait to see Ben's Hut!! How's it working out?! You know we're going to Hell for this, right?

Originally posted by: Trooperman
But here’s another crazy thought- what if we all agreed on what we were going to do and spread out the workload? MTH gets a 30 min. chunk, CC gets 30 min., InfoDroid gets 30 min., and I get 30 min. The only issue at that point would be that everyone would have to mail their finished work and I’d have to go through and make sure the editing styles were consistent from piece to piece and unify the whole thing, which might not be a problem if we analyzed it all beforehand. Four different editors working simultaneously, able to concentrate on a specific, shorter piece. Think about how much more time and quality we’d be able to pour into it efficiently if we each did part of it! It’s never been done before and it’d be the ultimate in collaboration between us. For the DVD commentary, we could even have each editor talking while his section of the movie is playing, and put together a four-person commentary track.

Originally posted by: MTHaslett


To embrace the Saga, I'd want more context-- I'd want to see what's the Emperor up to? Since this is our first chance to see Darth Vader in action, I'd tweak things to emphasize this point. I'd emphasize things that reveal Anakin inside the suit-- choices that would once make Anakin cringe now fill his life. I'd show some of Alderann to up the stakes of its destruction...

I agree on this point, and it would all be great! But how would it be feasible for a fan-made project? I mean, you can't just call up Jimmy Smits and Ian McDiarmid and ask them to be in your illegal fan edit. And I'm not sure how one could creatively accomplish this using the resources we have available to us. Maybe you're seeing something I'm not seeing?



Good idea. Funny enough, I think Dave Prowse's original dialogue on set said something to the effect of "No, OBI-WAN killed your father!" It could probably be cobbled together with the available Vader dialogue.

I realize this sounds drastic-- but it sure fixes things for me. Especially as regards fitting ANH into the Saga. In this draft, Obi Wan becomes as honorable as he seemed when the first movie was all there was.

Originally posted by: MTHaslett
I'll have to get into this game myself and find out what set up I need to make a fan edit myself.

I've got a brand new three-thousand-dollar PC with a 64-bit processor, two spacious hard-drives and all the appropriate software (Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Womble, etc.) designed and geared specifically for film editing, but sadly, I have no idea how to make a finished product, otherwise I'd be working on an edit right now. I wish I knew where to get the info on how to use this stuff. Because right now, it's serving as a $3,000 CD/DVD burner.



So true. This is where Lucas' sensibilities began to decay.

Anyway, I think the best way to fix the Saga involves changes to ANH-- because it's the one movie that was written without the saga in mind. It plays all on its own, but as "Episode IV" it has a lot of problems. Have I gone too far?

Originally posted by: MTHaslett


--There's too much emphasis on the shot in the Arena of Boba Fett holding Jango's head -- I recommend shortening it ever so slightly and making it a bit of a "background" shot by playing the rocket sounds of taking off ships loudly as he holds the helmet -- everyone's leaving and no one cares... I think this will play more poignant and less as an interruption.

Originally posted by: MTHaslett

I am guided most by the power and emotion I got from the Phantom Menace marketing-- that stuff had exactly the right "Every Saga Has a Beginning" tone-- but the movie fell short.

If Episode I could become as emotionally satisfying as the ads promised it would be, we'd really have something!

Originally posted by: Commander Courage

And I thought Anakin's goodbye to his mother was excellent.

"Gunray. Carl Gunray. At your service. You killed my brother. Prepare to die."

Now THAT is funny!



Very good idea. But the ultimate authority on that would have to be Trooperman. It's probably time to start looking at this as a piece of a six-part saga, instead of an isolated thing. Because, as it has happened with other edits (like Darth Editous' ANH) as soon as everyone has SOTDS, they'll be clamouring for more. And you don't want to paint yourself into a corner, do you, TM?

TM: "I’ve concluded that this could possibly have a lot to do with the actual framing of the shots in the prequels. Very rarely do we get many good close-ups at all; it’s usually from the chest up, with some space above the head as well. In a very real sense, everything feels far away because the actual camera never gets close."

Originally posted by: MTHaslett


Just a couple new thoughts--

First, when Anakin destroys the droid ship and Qui Gon dies in Obi-Wan's arms-- the movie quickly rushes into beureaucratic stuff on Naboo and never gets back to the most important beat of all; namely: What does Anakin think about having lost Qui Gon? The answer is The Qui Gon Tone Poem: played over footage of Anakin flying the Naboo fighter after destroying the droid ship leading into a montage of quieter images-- Qui Gon's words about the hardships of the path before Anakin provide the important thematic that the whole movie is lacking. I always got a bigger charge out of the marketing of the PT than I did out of the movies. Here's the perfect place to combine them (I know Trooperman also wants to use the tone poems in Episode II -- I don't think repeating them is really a bad idea if we must. I know the Qui Gon tone poem fits most perfectly here, at the end of Episode I where the emotion over QG's death is highest.)

That's an excellent idea. Qui-Gon's "voice from the grave." Very emotional.

Second-- Undercutting my own point -- I believe there might be a perfect place to put a bit of Sidious in this movie: on the droid ship with Gunray contacting Sidious briefly before being destroyed. It should come in a brief enough window to seem inconsequential at first-- just the kind of loose end that you don't realize is important until we see this Sidious guy turn up again in Episode II. But I'm still not sure this is even a good idea because ANH works much better without these kinds of loose ends and that's supposed to be Episode IV. Episode I should have at least as solid an ending as Episode IV, imho.

Originally posted by: MTHaslett


Consider it only in this light, (before I go any furhter): Episode I should play like the first movie of the Star Wars Saga. But I am dead serious when I say I believe cutting every frame of Sidious is the only way to possibly make Episode I as great as it should have been. The only way Sidious' appearance makes sense is in the context it was released -- as Sequel #4. If TPM comes after ROTJ, then yeah, let's see Sidious. But if TPM is the first movie of an OT style 6 movie SAGA-- what sense does it make to undercut all the subtlety and expose Sidious right off the bat?

You're absolutely correct. BUT, while it's difficult to deny that the Trade Federation, the character of Senator Palpatine, the film, and the saga itself would certainly be strengthened by the lack of Sidious in Episode I, my concern would be that we lose the opportunity to see Sidious as the real puppet-master of everything. And when people see him at the end of Episode II, will that scene with Dooku really communicate the importance of his character? And when we come to ROTS, will it seem as though Palpatine found the Dark Side AFTER he became Chancellor, and hadn't been manipulating Amidala, the Trade Federation, the Jedi, and everything from day one? My fear is that if not handled right, it could reduce Sidious' character to just another Sith apprentice, instead of the Ulitimate Evil that he is.

And although you tried to avoid them, there ARE repercussions that extend into the editing of Episode II. For instance, the lack of Sidious in Episode I WOULD make Dooku's reveal to Obi-Wan in Episode II much more interesting when we find out the Trade Federation had been manipulated the entire time by this mysterious Dark Lord named "Darth Sidious". This could be the big 2nd-act reveal, like ESB.

IMO, if a person decides to go this road, they'd need to do two things in Episode II: a) Replace the name Sifo-Dyas with Sidious, to build more mystery around the name and heighten the importance of the character in the viewer's mind. And b) Really communicate everything possible in that scene with Dooku and Sidious at the end, whether adding alternate dialogue or whatever to let the audience know the magnitude of who we're dealing with. If an editor could work out these small kinks, I think it could be the ultimate idea for resurrecting Episode I.



This is an absolutely stunning suggestion. I must say, MTH I was floored when I read this. This is without a doubt THE best contribution I've heard on how to improve this film. Hands down. Someone HAS to do this!

That represents an edit well on its way to making Episode I a straight-forward and complete story. It's the story of some Jedi who help defeat an invasion on Naboo with the invaluable help of a powerful boy they discover on Tatooine. No Sidious stuff to worry about, no mystery surrounding Darth Maul; minimize all the meetings and Senate hearings; just stay on target in the battle to defeat the crazed and dangerous Trade Federation.

Originally posted by: MTHaslett


A quick one: in the opening sequence where the ships are flying into Coruscant-- go back to TPM for a close up of Artoo in the back of a Naboo Fighter. This would cue us into his presence and p.o.v. before we even get to the landing deck.

This is an excellent suggestion, MTH. As always, you're just brimming with great ideas. Musically, it might be cool to think about incorporating that fluttery little droid motif from ESB whenever we see the droids.

I see you plan an interior shot on the Queen's ship here too and I think that's brilliant-- what if it can establish (falsely) that Padme's actually on board -- a shot of Padme's double or something?

Originally posted by: Hardcore Legend
Darth Editous, if you ever plan on diving back into ANH, I noticed another error that has probably been there since 77.

When Luke is trying to get R2 to play Leia's message for the first time in his shop, the recording keeps repeating over and over. The first two times it stays focused on the recording and we can hear the message. Then, the recording keeps repeating, but the focus cuts between Luke, C3P0 and the recording. Yet, we cease to be able to hear it. At the very least, it should be audible in the rear speakers.

Originally posted by: Darth Editous
Anyone got any bright ideas how I could go about removing Palpatine from a frame, so I've got a clean background to work with? At first I thought taking the darkest pixel from every frame might work, but it doesn't. For what I want to do, I need as accurate a background as possible.

DE