YES YES YES YES!!!
Are the other cut fighter shots on that same reel?
There is one other shot, of a different N-1 exploding, which at first glance appears to be longer than what is shown in the film. ššš½
Suhweet! Shoot me a PM of that bad boy when you get the chance.
New Video: https://youtu.be/xMP2m-SwhD4?si=0CEaNkKMOB-T8hKe
Itās a WIP of five minutes from the End Battle from Phantom Menace. A big thank you to Phase3 for his help with the clean SFX 5.1 track, and all of the cut shots heās been restoring (seven of which feature in this clip). Lemme know what yāall think, especially concerning the SFX on the new shots. I had to build the soundtrack from scratch on those.
Major Bonus Points if anyone can find the one shot that has a new visual effect composited in.
Enjoy the Edit!
-JoE
Looking good! I know itās temp but the lack of music gives it a vibe lol. I love all the extended footage
As for my guess for the new element: The fire on the Naboo fighter around the 2:25 mark? If not that maybe more of the shot, doesnāt look familiar but also doesnāt have the same upscaled quality the other added footage does lol.
Another thought is maybe a lightsaber effect somewhere in the extended footage I missed, otherwise no clue lol.
Honestly speaking of VFX edits pertaining to lightsabers that one close up of Obi-Wan always bothers me because the lightsaber is matted terribly and looks almost see through.
Haha! The SFX track IS a vibe! Iāve really been enjoying working with it, because it allows you to do so many shot combos that are impossible if you have to take the original music into account.
I have to give a huge shout out to Phase3 for all of his work on building that 5.1 SFX track. Itās beautiful! Iāve also really enjoyed mixing the new SFX for the cut shots heās been restoring. I used to do a lot of SFX work in previous jobs, but it has been a quite a while since I put that much effort into a soundtrack (I think one of the new fighter shots alone has 27 SFX tracks).
For Obiās Saber, Iām aware that there are some issues with saber work in the Phantom Menace, however some of the problems are simply from the HDR master which under clocks the whites. Once I color grade the whole sequence I can see which sabers, if any, need to be fixed.
The shot with added VFX is the wide shot of the Droid Control Ship after the N-1s fire torpedoes at the Bridge Deflector Dish. That shot was originally a one-off cutaway during the Gungan Battle that directly preceded the āActivate the Droidsā shot. I repurposed it as a āswing shotā to get us from the bombing run to Anakinās run in with the swarm of Vulture Droids. I timed the last popping blast that hits near the rising N-1 to match a flash in Anakinās cockpit to link those two sequences, but I couldnāt link it on the front end, because the GINORMOUS explosion from the end of the bombing run is absent from the wide shot. SO! I added a matching explosion on the wide shot and roto-ed the N-1 that flies in from of it frame-by-frame.
The new blast is at 2:11 if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMP2m-SwhD4
Love love loved this video Joy!! Itās wild how good you are at duel & chase scenes! The SFX were perfect, I didnāt notice anything out of place. I canāt wait to see this with the soundtrack behind it! The N-1 dog fight pace is way ramped up and I loved it. I do have one additional idea for SFX Iād like to get your opinion onā¦
So in the original TPM (and in your cut) before Anakinās ship is hit, the following happens:
1.) R2-D2 screams, then the ship is hit
2.) Anakinās N-1 seems to take 1 (relatively quiet) shot on his right wing
3.) He spins (itās a good trick) and lands in the hangerI propose:
1.) Anakinās ship is hit, THEN R2 screams
2.) Make the shot that hits the wing slightly louder as it mustāve done decent damage to make him spin out, crash land, and eventually shut down
3.) Add cockpit error alarms/warnings right after the blaster hit (I mightāve mixed that to quiet), and change the alarm type when he starts to level it out in the hanger
4.) Once he starts flying through the hanger, after the first person view in the cockpit, it cuts to R2 and then play a sound effect of him slightly fixing the shipI feel like doing those things helps match the intensity of the dogfight.
Iām by no means an editor, this is a mock-up of what it might sound like. I couldnāt find N-1 cockpit sound effects online, so I just put in some alarms I thought might fit. You could always change those to a different sound effects, but again this is just to give you an idea.
K. I LOVE what you did on the Artoo scream, that timing change is a major improvement in my book, and Iāll definitely take a look at reworking that when I do another pass on the sequence.
As for the other adding SFX, I think thatās a great idea, but I personally wouldnāt bother with adding them, because you wonāt really be able to hear them once the music is added in.
GREAT WORK!
With regards to the N-1 starfighter getting shot, the footage on the DVD documentary is of very low quality, so it didnāt upscale very well.
Bobson Dugnutt informed me that there was a higher-quality behind-the-scenes shot on the Blu-ray bonus disc. I will upscale this shot and create a new composition, so there will finally be a higher-quality version of this deleted scene.
YES YES YES YES!!!
Are the other cut fighter shots on that same reel?
With regards to the N-1 starfighter getting shot, the footage on the DVD documentary is of very low quality, so it didnāt upscale very well.
Bobson Dugnutt informed me that there was a higher-quality behind-the-scenes shot on the Blu-ray bonus disc. I will upscale this shot and create a new composition, so there will finally be a higher-quality version of this deleted scene.
YES YES YES YES!!!
Are the other cut fighter shots on that same reel?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1feFd4DCaqTB_EJt0JdchH_KVhfyRrkt_/view?usp=sharing
Thoughts, comments, or concerns arenāt only allowed but encouraged.
All of it looks great, but the regrade of the interior of Benās house is phenomenal. The way you brightened the room to reflect the correct time of day while still maintaining a good level of contrast is top shelf work, mate!
New Video: https://youtu.be/xMP2m-SwhD4?si=0CEaNkKMOB-T8hKe
Itās a WIP of five minutes from the End Battle from Phantom Menace. A big thank you to Phase3 for his help with the clean SFX 5.1 track, and all of the cut shots heās been restoring (seven of which feature in this clip). Lemme know what yāall think, especially concerning the SFX on the new shots. I had to build the soundtrack from scratch on those.
Major Bonus Points if anyone can find the one shot that has a new visual effect composited in.
Enjoy the Edit!
-JoE
Interesting ideas, all of them. However, I really need to be finished with the prequel trilogy. I heartily encourage anyone to do anything they like with my projects.
JJB, those reinstatings that you highlight were each deliberate, as of some time ago. I donāt have ready access to the decision-making process behind them, but thatās how the dust settled for those things. Iām pleased though that the only bad feedback was about not including something extra that was not part of the original movie. (For the droid factory, Iām content with it; I donāt wish to remain open forever on new ways to slice and dice various sequences and would prefer for this to crystalize as a final product.)
AOTC fan edits are dead. Long live AOTC fan edits.
AMEN Brother! Iām 99% of the way to never thinking about AotC ever again. Keep that door shut to lock in all the flavor. š
Oh, I donāt think you understood what I meant about the droid factory sequence. Iām not suggesting that you follow Joyās editing sequence at all, but that you cut away from Anakinās lightsaber getting caught on his cloak for 2 seconds. Itās a really small trim, shouldnāt take much effort at all.
Not gonna lie, that cut is a lot harder than it looks, lol!
Thatās where mine is different. Anakin is more questioning of himself not being able to fix things. He only carries his anger inward, not towards Obi-Wan or the sand people. It is more nuanced, which Padme then picks up on and consoles him about it.
The nice bookend is then Anakin promising to his mother that he wasnāt strong enough and he wonāt fail again.
Itās funny how including only that first snippet and the aftermath, plus the words to his mother, help reframe that Anakin thinks he is a failure as a Jedi and he blames himself for being weak, not everyone else for holding him back.
Then with Halās Episode III edit, Anakinās fall comes about more from a distrust of the Jedi holding things back from him. Here Anakin is thinking the Jedi are teaching him all these things and then it turns out, or at least he is led to believe, that the Jedi fear him and are holding him back which causes him to go off the rails.
I donāt want to sidetrack Halās thread though if he doesnāt plan on adding any of the garage scene back. I did go through the edit again and this would be the logical ordering for it:
Carrying Shimi -> Garage -> Obiās Message -> Funeral / Viewing Message
Haha! Yeah, I donāt wanna sidetrack this either, so after this Iām running back to my own thread.
I do think adding back in the garage scene in some form is a good idea, and the scene flow you laid out at the end, works well (Itās the exact flow I used in mine).
Your logic for the characters makes complete sense to me, and I think your general approach is a great way to frame Anakinās arc in the Prequels. My cut uses a completely different logic (which is why my version is so different). I completely removed the idea that the Jedi/Obi-Wan were holding Anakin back, and instead reworked it so that Anakinās mistrust is politically motivated (The Jedi are plotting against Palps, his adopted father). With that in mind, when Anakin says heās not the Jedi he should be, itās because he knows what he did was wrong, but has no one to confess to. I really like that idea, but your logic works great too.
To Jar Jarās point my cut is jarring, but I think the Imp March actually makes the jolt feel intentional (like certain cuts in Empire). But again, itās all down to how you like your edits cooked.
The sequence is finally ready!
Here it is: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tRirrt-2vk8FvbIwPLfHMhEwWFAt6Lvu/view?usp=sharing
Iām currently working on a comparison. But Iād like to see who can name all the changesā¦
Thoughts, comments, or concerns arenāt only allowed but encouraged.The color grade/effects look phenomenal, bro!
The shot with the Devastatorās gunnery officer, and the shot looking through the pod window, are especially good! Great work!!!
Thanks! It took a lot of time to roto all of thatā¦
Oh I know! Thatās the only way it couldāve looked so good. For my money it was more than worth it!
If nothing else, Iāll agree that the scene does help in furthering their relationship together since Padme otherwise gives Anakin no sign of empathy or comfort on-screen. It does help us buy into the two of them falling in love.
I think I already posted this elsewhere, but in case you missed it, this would be my two cents on the garage scene: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ml90rgWBTyGyIv0d2pM0xU-foauZ_Esp/view?usp=drivesdk
To my mind that version gives you the best of all worlds - Anakinās anger/regret without the red flags + Padmeās sincere care for Anakin.
The sequence is finally ready!
Here it is: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tRirrt-2vk8FvbIwPLfHMhEwWFAt6Lvu/view?usp=sharing
Iām currently working on a comparison. But Iād like to see who can name all the changesā¦
Thoughts, comments, or concerns arenāt only allowed but encouraged.
The color grade/effects look phenomenal, bro!
The shot with the Devastatorās gunnery officer, and the shot looking through the pod window, are especially good! Great work!!!
Markās Down On Your Syntax said:
Yo! New RECUT is now live for Wattoās Shop: https://youtu.be/PEOioLEokYs
Iāll be covering this sequence in Episode 5 of the Joy of Editing. In the meantime, lemme know what yāall think and Enjoy the Edit!
I like it, I like the pacing and the presentation - it both looks and feels better. Though there is one small thing Iād change if it were my edit. Iād remove the shot of the group exiting the shop, where Jar Jar is flopsying about in the doorway. Not because of any anti-Gungan sentiments, because mesa liken the Gungans, but when Padme says goodbye and smiles at Ani he doesnāt verbally respond, and we donāt see that itās because heās giving a little social smile back at her until after that shot of them all leaving. Ani mightnāt have had time to say anything because Watto flew in right behind Qui-Gon. So, if their exit is removed, we can go right from Padmeās face to Aniās reaction, to him turning to look at Watto. Itās clear that theyāre all leaving because of Qui-Gon speeding through and Padme turns to leave as she says goodbye so nothing important would be lost. To me, the rhythm is better and bringing those two shots together ends Padme and Aniās first meeting on a connection rather than a separation, which is, I think, the point of that interaction.
Just my thoughts. But great work as usual, I love everything youāre doing here.
Yo! Glad youāve been enjoying the recuts!
To your point, that would be an excellent way to cut the sequence! In fact Iād say George Lucas agrees with you, because the original way that scene runs is this: Padme says, āIām glad to have met you Anakin.ā - Anakin calls back, āIt was good to meet you too!ā (This is the shot I cut) - The crew exits and Jar Jar get confused - Cut Back to Anakin smiling after Padme and Watto complaining.
But. . . There is a overly-complex reason why I changed that wee little cut. Frankly, itās hard to explain without writing a novel, so Iāll try to break it down into pieces.
Technically: The cut on action of Natalie turning to leave improves the rhythm and feels super natural.
The in-scene flow/humor is easier to follow for the audience. The original cut is this: Jar Jar is dropping a bunch of crap - Qui-Gon is annoyed with him/Watto for not taking the credits - Jar Jar drops the crap - Padme says goodbye - Annie Says goodbye - Padme is actually leaving this time - Jar Jar is confused - Annie smiles - Watto Complains.
Hereās what the focus of the original sequence looks like if I assign numbers to the characters (Qui-Gon = 1, Padme = 2, Jar-Jar = 3, Annie = 4, Watto = 5): 3 - 1 - 3 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 4 - 5
And hereās the flow of my cut: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
By reworking the flow that way, the logic/humor of the scene is changed to this: Qui-Gon is JUST ticked with Watto and ready to get out of there. His brisk departure breaks up the meet cute between Anakin/Padme, so the cares of the world are breaking them up, not a juggling Gungan. If you donāt cut back to Annie, saying goodbye, Jar Jarās confusion acts a āback to realityā beat - The āAngelā has left the building taking the magic with her. The transition from Anakinās theme to street noises also helps to sell this effect. The cut back to Watto, completes the āTone Sandwichā: Qui-Gon is worried about paying for the parts - Padme flashes Anakin a warm and beautiful smile - Watto dismisses the āOutlandersā for not paying properly.
Originally, we cut from Wattoās shop to Qui-Gon chatting with Obi-Wan about the money situation, then to Jar Jar getting into a fight with Sebulba, then to Obi-Wan fretting about the Sandstorm, and then to Annie inviting his new friends to ride out the storm at his place.
In my cut we go straight from Anakin being sent home by Watto to Obi-Wan fretting about the Sandstorm, which means that we then cut back directly to Anakin tugging on Qui-Gonās tunic trying to get his attention. In that exchange Qui-Gon lifts his robe to reveal his ālaser swordā which Anakinās looks at with longing. This change makes it feel like Anakin intentionally followed Padme and Qui-Gon, because they both have the two things he wants, but canāt have - Love and Power. Anakinās lust for forbidden love and power will lead to his downfall, and so in this little sequence you have the foreshadowing of Anakinās entire journey. Luke is called to save a Princess and become a Jedi, whereas Anakin will find a way to achieve his desires, because heās afraid of missing out.
So! To finally answer your original point, that is why I cut Padme leaving the shop focusing on the separation rather than the connection, so that their initial meeting foreshadows their inevitable separation at the end Revenge of the Sith.
. . . And this is why editing is hard, lol!
Markās Down On Your Syntax said:
Yo! New RECUT is now live for Wattoās Shop: https://youtu.be/PEOioLEokYs
Iāll be covering this sequence in Episode 5 of the Joy of Editing. In the meantime, lemme know what yāall think and Enjoy the Edit!
I like it, I like the pacing and the presentation - it both looks and feels better. Though there is one small thing Iād change if it were my edit. Iād remove the shot of the group exiting the shop, where Jar Jar is flopsying about in the doorway. Not because of any anti-Gungan sentiments, because mesa liken the Gungans, but when Padme says goodbye and smiles at Ani he doesnāt verbally respond, and we donāt see that itās because heās giving a little social smile back at her until after that shot of them all leaving. Ani mightnāt have had time to say anything because Watto flew in right behind Qui-Gon. So, if their exit is removed, we can go right from Padmeās face to Aniās reaction, to him turning to look at Watto. Itās clear that theyāre all leaving because of Qui-Gon speeding through and Padme turns to leave as she says goodbye so nothing important would be lost. To me, the rhythm is better and bringing those two shots together ends Padme and Aniās first meeting on a connection rather than a separation, which is, I think, the point of that interaction.
Just my thoughts. But great work as usual, I love everything youāre doing here.
Ah! The olā duplicate post glitcheroo. . . See below. š
Replace the filmsā opening logos with the Disney+ helmet fanfare.
And replace the 20th Century Fox Fanfare with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNEqQNQNs6I
JoyOfEditing said:
It starts with the Death Star II being built and ends with it being blown up.Huh?
I understand everything else but Iām a little confused here.
Return of the Jedi begins with Vader arriving at the Death Star II as it hovers over Endor, and it ends with the Death Star blowing up and a victory celebration down on the planet.
The Phantom Menace directly mirrors Return of the Jedi, because it begins with the Jedi arriving at the Trade Federation Control Ship as it hovers over Naboo, and it ends with the Control Ship blowing up and a victory celebration on the planet.
Make sense?
You said Ep1 would be the new introduction to Tatooine. Can you explain in detail how youāve accomplished that?
I will. But not yet, because thatāll be one of the things I cover in Episode 5 of the YouTube show. Itāll be a lot easier to explain with visual aids. š
This is all Phase3ās fault. . . He shot me the cut shots from the Naboo Space Battle that heās restoring, and I decided to see if I could figure out where they went. . . This is the result [music is a temp-track to check pacing and color/sound is WIP]: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1864hKUDsi9-FnuZUda_rxcb_S3fe763I/view?usp=sharing
Maybe just one, āIām trying to stopā. The one shot I would love someone to add is the Trade Federation fleet approaching And surrounding Naboo at the beginning. But I am on record saying the big issue with The Phantom Menace is itās not linear enough. The Queen should start out on Coruscant and intend to rescue her people on Naboo with Jedi but get shot down and forced to land on Tattoine en route. Finally getting there at the end. If ANH had the same structure as TPM Luke would have found out the Rebel Base was on Tatooine and have to go back there to blow up the death star.
I hear ya, but Phantom Menace, isnāt mirroring A New Hope, itās actually mirroring Jedi which is also a circle (It starts with the Death Star II being built and ends with it being blown up).
As far as the Queen running away from Naboo to seek political help in Coruscant and then returning to Naboo to claim her rights, that sort of thing is common in Medieval/Early Modern History (Charles II is a good example). Since STAR WARSā genre is a Spiritual Epic in the mode of Medieval Romance, I think it makes a lot of sense for George to use that idea as a story telling system.
Yo! New RECUT is now live for Wattoās Shop: https://youtu.be/PEOioLEokYs
Iāll be covering this sequence in Episode 5 of the Joy of Editing. In the meantime, lemme know what yāall think and Enjoy the Edit!
Finnaly finsihed this shot:
Streamable: https://streamable.com/s64hjzThanks to TheStarWarsPurist and TheOnlyIDontEvenKnow for their incredible Modeling work!
Thoughts, comments, or concerns arenāt only allowed but encouraged.I love it! Your timing on the hit effect is so flippinā crisp, and the CG work is SUBERB!
This is teeny-tiny niggle from an animator who has composited WAY too many blast effects - you might wanna adjust the opacity/blending mode of the smoke effect that is sitting over the sparkler to better match the wide shot. I used to composite blasts the way youāve got it now, but after doing a million of them, I switched the way I layered/masked them and the results were much better.
You donāt need to change what youāve got, Iām the only one on Planet Earth who will notice, lol! But if you composited the effect in AE, Iād be happy to take a quick look at it. Bottom line, this is amazing work!!!
In what way? Itās not on any blending mode. The element itself has a transparent background, changing it to screen or lowering the opacity will just reveal whatās behind it. I did this composite in Resolveās Fusion.
Gotcha! Iām actually saying go in the opposite direction. Without seeing how youāve laid out the comp, my guess was that you had two elements (sparkler/smoke) screened or added on top of each other.
I think the smoke element is currently a bit too transparent, because on the back half of the shot, it kinda looks like the sparkler is on top of the smoke rather than shining through the smoke from behind.
In the original shot youāre replacing, you donāt get a clear look at the sparkler until the wide shot when the smoke starts to break up. In the close shot, thereās just a glowy white center where the sparkler is shining through the thick smoke.
To match the original, I would make the smoke effect less see-through and overclock the sparkler by quickly junk animating a blurry white solid over the sparkler on an add or screen layer to mimic the way the light from the sparkler would diffuse through the smoke particles (like it did on the original panel).
Am I making sense? I think that quick tweak would make your effect completely indistinguishable from the practical effects that surround it, because the elements and timing youāve got are already perfect.
Finnaly finsihed this shot:
Streamable: https://streamable.com/s64hjzThanks to TheStarWarsPurist and TheOnlyIDontEvenKnow for their incredible Modeling work!
Thoughts, comments, or concerns arenāt only allowed but encouraged.
I love it! Your timing on the hit effect is so flippinā crisp, and the CG work is SUBERB!
This is teeny-tiny niggle from an animator who has composited WAY too many blast effects - you might wanna adjust the opacity/blending mode of the smoke effect that is sitting over the sparkler to better match the wide shot. I used to composite blasts the way youāve got it now, but after doing a million of them, I switched the way I layered/masked them and the results were much better.
You donāt need to change what youāve got, Iām the only one on Planet Earth who will notice, lol! But if you composited the effect in AE, Iād be happy to take a quick look at it. Bottom line, this is amazing work!!!
Hey everyone, quick questionā¦ for the Greedo sequence, do you prefer the subtitles to fade in and out, or just to end?
For some reason the original hard pop-out method is easier on the eyes. When I added some titles to my cut of Jedi, I was surprised that the original titles didnāt fade, but after trying it both ways, the hard cut felt so much better.
Are the 2011 Blu-rays a good source for the Prequels? I know theyāre definitely not for the OT from all Iāve learned about OT restoration (thank goodness for oohteedeeās D+77/80/83). But theyāre the highest quality versions of the Prequels I currently own and I want to know if theyāre good to use for sources for edits or if I should get something else.
It depends on how you want to approach it. If you want the closest to the original theatrical color, then the HDTV versions are to my knowledge the best, until the folks doing 4K99 restore 35mm prints of the Prequels.
Personally, I use the 2019 4K-HDR masters for the prequels which have the worst color, but the most color information, so I can customize the grade without losing quality.
Basically if youāre gonna grade it yourself, use the 2019-HDR, if you want the best raw color available use the HDTV (The 2011 Blu-Rays would be the runner up to the HDTV masters).
It is not exactly a radical idea, but I would still like to propose it. Essentially, I believe I have found a way to integrate the scene from Attack of the Clones in which Anakin vents his grief to PadmĆ© after his motherās death, without necessarily including any mention of the massacre he committed against the Tusken Raiders.
My idea is quite simple: right after Anakin says, āIt is all Obi-Wanās fault. He is jealous. He is holding me back,ā the scene would be cut immediately to the moment when he collapses to the ground and sits down, with PadmĆ© approaching and saying, āTo be angry is to be human.ā I believe that, with the right cut, it could come across as realistic. This way, it would be possible to preserve the most important part of the scene ā namely, Anakinās desire for omnipotence and his determination to prevent people from dying ā without keeping the part where he essentially admits to PadmĆ© that he killed children.
To achieve this, I think the scene would need to be stripped of its original score and rescored entirely. However, I am fairly confident that it is feasible. What do you think?
For what itās worth, hereās my two cents on how to address that problem: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ml90rgWBTyGyIv0d2pM0xU-foauZ_Esp/view?usp=sharing
To me, the āI hate them!ā line isnāt over done. . . cause itās his mom. . . My mom broke her ankle in the Grand Canyon, and Iāve never been so ready to fight a National Park in my life!
