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InfoDroid

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25-Apr-2005
Last activity
24-Jul-2013
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860

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Post
#156213
Topic
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/156213/action/topic#156213
Time
I don't want to stir up the hornet's nest, but I do feel the need to interject the truth here...

Harry Potter is attacked by conservative Christians mainly because (unlike the vague staff-waving in Lord of the Rings, or the powers of "the Force" in Star Wars) parts of it SPECIFICALLY name and glorify occult witchcraft and symbolism which exists here on THIS EARTH, which the church has been at war with and trying to purge from society for thousands of years.

Some Christians are particularly concerned with the fact that this is all carefully wrapped up as a candy-coated kid's story, and by its very nature, it is aquainting young minds with the terminology and practices of the real-world pagan and satanic enemies of Christianity. Furthermore, it is painting these things in a good light and teaching children it is okay to participate in these practices. And the fear is, in the future, instead of being cautious of these types of things, the child will grow into an adult with an open mind toward these practices, already indoctrinated as a child with a full vocabulary of witchcraft and wizardry.

In my opinion, a Christian parent SHOULD be concerned, not only with Harry Potter, but with anything they're allowing their child to read or watch. Do I feel J.K. Rowling is sitting behind her desk with steepled fingers talking to Satan about how she's going to corrupt the world's youth next? Absolutely not. Have I read the books and enjoyed the movies? Absolutely. Would I let my seven-year-old read it? Probably not. In my opinion, it's just too much of a spritual risk for a child, when there are plenty of other books they could and should be reading... Like, for instance, the Bible.

Or the Jedi Academy series. lol

Respectfully,

--InfoDroid





Post
#155747
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/155747/action/topic#155747
Time
That would probably work, MTH. As long as we get a quick shot of her getting up at some point, preferably without dialogue, then it 'll work. We just need to know she's not dead or something. All we need to see is the clone coming over to her and helping her up. Problem solved. Cut out the "We've got to get to that hangar." And the rest of that crap.
Post
#155591
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/155591/action/topic#155591
Time
Originally posted by: MTHaslett

There are a number of reasons, but one might start with the premise you suggest that Han/Leia's romance worked fine "without needless dialogue."

That's simply not true -- Han and Leia have tons of dialogue in ESB and all of it, every single "I'd sooner kiss a wookie!" is building the romance.

___________________________________________________________________

MTHaslett, if every single "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee" is moving the plot forward, or revealing character, or "building the romance" then it wouldn't classify as "needless", would it?

By needless I mean superfluous - beating us over the head with information we already know or simply stating the obvious. One of the most important rules of writing screenplays is that you don't tell when you can show.

The point I was trying to make is that ESB is never dragged down by redundant, expository, non-entertaining dialogue. Han never turned to Chewbacca and said "I haven't see her since she gave me that medal on Yavin IV after we helped Luke blow up the Death Star, Chewie. I've thought about her every day since we parted, but... She's forgotten me completely."

THAT dialogue, in my opinion, certainly falls into the "needless" category, the likes of which AOTC and TPM are rife with.

Good romantic dialogue: "We need? ... What about you need?"
"I need? ... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Probably don't."

Bad romantic dialogue: "Believe me, I wish that I could just wish away my feelings, but I can't."
"I will not give into this. If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion you will find they take us to a place we cannot go."

First of all, is Natalie Portman capable of using a contraction? Or is she one of the Stepford Wives? Secondly, has George Lucas forgotten the words sub-text, insinuation, innuendo, allusion, overtone, undercurrent? The only scene in AOTC which I felt really accomplished this at a level even close to the OT is the scene between Jango and Obi-Wan on Kamino. For some reason, that scene always makes me think of Cloud City.

Anyway, my idea of having Anakin and Padme already be lovers at the start would be a challenge to pull off successfully, and you're probably right about it, MTH. From reading your posts, I think you have a pretty good sensibility about these sorts of things and I usually find myself agreeing with you. I would, however, eventually like to see someone try to make it work.

I like the points you brought up about the pacing of the duel. It would definitely make Dooku seem more malevolent than he originally came across, which would be a very helpful addition to his character at that point in the story. But, one thing that concerns me is your suggestion to cut Padme out of the final scenes of the film. While I agree it distracts from what we should be focused on at that particular moment, what alternative are you offering? She falls off the ship, and boom, next time we see her they're getting married?

Respectfully,

--InfoDroid
Post
#155480
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/155480/action/topic#155480
Time
I like the Blade Runner stuff. As long as the coloration is consistent throughout, it should be fantastic.

Look, I know it's radical, and if implemented it would turn the entire structure on it's ear (and this project is an opportunity to do that), but...

Let me ask you this, have you ever considered starting the movie with Anakin and Padme already having been seeing each other in secret for some time? The assumption would be they somehow kept in contact over the years and had been having sort of secret love affair here and there when Anakin can get away, and then Palpatine knowingly and conveniently "suggests" that he and Obi-Wan go on this mission to protect her. This would eliminate SO much crappy, doting exposition. Most of the exposition would now rely on subtext, knowing glances. It would shut them both up without shutting the audience out of their character.

The fact is, Han and Leia never talked that much. They didn't need to. It was all in the subtext. "I love you." "I know." And so did we without a bunch of needless dialogue.

It would also change the central question of the film from "will he GET the girl?" (because it's inevitable he will), to "if he LOSES the girl, how will he get her back so they can get married and the twins can be born?"

This would make their emotional connection to each other much stronger. It's an opportunity to make Anakin more of an adult who's in an adult relationship instead of a whiney stalker-boy. It would also make Padme a little more willing to accept things like "If it works..." or "I killed them all" because now she's known this kid for ten years and she has much more emotionally invested in him. You don't have to lose the romantic scenes because it can be the first time they're together without having to sneak around. The scenes are essentially the same, but now they're in a completely new context.

The threat of their separation throughout the film becomes the silent villian and the moment when they do get separated at the end would be much more dramatic. In the hangar, Anakin rushes in to make quick work of Dooku because what he really wants to do is to go back and save Padme, and in a way, to show Obi-Wan he could've handled it himself. Remember, at this point he doesn't know if Padme's hurt or dead, and he won't let happen to her what happned to his mother. Unfortunately, since Dooku is a Sith Lord, it won't be quite that easy.

By the end of the duel, and I can't stress this enough, it is absolutely essential to the arc of the story that Anakin does something that changes the way Obi-Wan looks at him, and allows Obi-Wan to begin to treat him as an equal, paving the way for the growth of their relationship to what it becomes in ROTS. We never got that in AOTC. We got all this build-up, but ultimately no payoff for that story thread, which in my opinion amounts to nothing more than contempt for the audience.

Anyway, I know it's a whole new way of looking at things, and I don't know if it's even possible, but it's just another suggestion to consider and an opportunity to restructure the entire narrative.

Post
#155339
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/155339/action/topic#155339
Time
It's so great to see that you're still encouraging suggestions this late in the game, AND (unlike some of the other fan editors out there) you aren't so intoxicated with your own ego that you disregard any input from the people who will actually be watching this thing. Instead you welcome it, and that's extremely rare. You are a truly unique individual indeed, Trooperman, in the best possible sense of the word, and I applaud you for it.

One thing I'd like you to keep in mind for the project as a whole is that emotion is probably one of the most, if not THE most important aspect in the 2nd act of a 3-act structure, and this is the 2nd act of the prequel trilogy. It's the emotions which create the motivation which leads the characters to act. The audience should never have to question why a character is making a decision to do something. Their actions should be absolutely true to who they are and what they're feeling.

What made ESB such an emotionally satisfying picture for the audience is the fact that Irvin Kershner (as he points out in the DVD commentary) was totally focused on SHOWING the emotions of all the characters, both verbally and non-verbally, especially the incoherent characters like R2 and Chewie. The 1st act established who they are, now we have to know how they feel. The display of Human emotions is what made those characters beloved, and unfortunately, critics and fans agree, that's one of the things the Prequel trilogy is sorely devoid of (even in the Human characters!). It's all in the editing. Watch ESB again with that in mind and you'll notice there's hardly any wasted film whatsoever. Every frame either moves the plot forward or reveals character.

As it is now, the dramatic structure of AOTC and the other prequels seems more like Lucas was strategically moving archetypal cardboard cut-outs through a board game. The characters are largely uninteresting (with few exceptions), have no real depth or contradictions, and don't seem to be motivated by much more than chance and convenience, and the occasional monster or pit of doom they have to death-defyingly escape from. But... I know... I'm preaching to the converted. It's just such a great example of how NOT to do things, and something to keep prominently in your mind while crafting your edit.

So, hopefully EMOTION is something you'll inject into this film, and with it may come a breath of life and hope for the prequels after all.

I've been impressed with everything I've seen on this project up to this point, Trooperman. So, I'm more than confident you'll pull it off.
Post
#155134
Topic
Episode II: Shroud of the Dark Side (the TM edit) (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/155134/action/topic#155134
Time
I like the Artoo idea, considering Lucas' original vision was to have the entire saga told from the droids' perspective. Maybe that's a big part of what was missing in the charm-free and unmagical Prequels?

Lucas decided instead to tell TPM from Jar-Jar's point of view, and I think that's where he wanted to go with AOTC and ROTS, but probably changed his mind after the Jar-Jar backlash.

Instead, the droids were reduced to peripheral, nostalgia-inducing comic-relief which ultimately amounted to being niether comedic nor nostalgic, excluding a few brief exceptions with Artoo in ROTS. I'd like to see a version of the Prequels creatively tweaked where the droids play a more prominent role, with the charm they originally possessed in tact. With all the audio books, promotional material, cartoons, etc, there should be a wealth of audio sources available to play around with in which Anthony Daniels voiced C-3PO, so adding lines may not be as hard as you'd think. And Artoo is... Artoo. Problem solved.

To quote the Emperor: "Can it be done?"

I was under the impression, however, that Trooperman had already locked in his draft cut and was just working on finalizing a finished version of that. Or is he still taking suggestions?
Post
#154128
Topic
***The "Darth Editous" Episode IV DVD Info and Feedback Thread*** - a partially "de-specialed" DVD
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/154128/action/topic#154128
Time
Is there any way to make the Taun-taun (especially in the opening shots) a little more fluid and natural looking? Maybe using the same technique you used to smooth out R2's third leg and Obi-Wan's lightsaber igniting. Some of it is just so glaringly clay-mation.

The SE wampa needs to go. That thing looked horrible! The obvious stuff like Boba Fett's voice reinstated, Vader's line "Bring my shuttle", fix Piett's flipped rank badge at the end, etc.

And for the love of God! There's GOT to be something you can do about the Ian McDiarmid scene. It's like, I want him in there, but the visual looked so stupid. Is there a possibility of making your own hologram out of other Emperor scenes from ROTS or ROTJ and then compositing it with the Vader footage? The transmission can crackle and sputter to hide the lips not matching up. They're in an asteroid field after all. If that's too ambitious, perhaps you could just manipulate the existing image, fix the hood and add shadow to the neck to hide that turtle thing he had going on. It just did not look right at all. Anyway, hopefully you'll come up with something better - and hopefully not the original old lady/chimp thing, 'cause that one doesn't work any more.

Good luck.
Post
#154008
Topic
Star Wars Sound Effects...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/154008/action/topic#154008
Time
Thanks again, Number 20. You've helped me immensely! This has a lot of stuff I can use in it.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know. I'm now mainly looking for ship sounds, crashes, explosions, and space battle sounds, like a Star Destroyer unloading its cannons. And I'm also in need of clean (minus music and effects), high-quality dialogue clips of any character from any of the Star Wars movies.