Monroville

TV's Frink said:

...but please do an AVCHD.  There are so many of us with blu-ray players who don't have blu burners.  If nothing else, at least consider an AVCHD version without a menu, like your other AVCHD's.

 Keep in mind that you can always download Handbrake 0.9.5 and just create either an MP4 or a MKV out of the blu-ray file that Ady produces (so there is no real need for him to create 6 or 60 different versions of EMPIRE:R).  Sure, it may take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours to remux, but it would keep things simple on both ends (hell, I'm currently remuxing a 17gb 1080i TS file of the original theatrical SUPERMAN 2 into a 6.5gb 720p MKV right now).

Ady: thanks for the reply.  My main thing is just how RED the tank is behind C3P0 (and Chainsaw and Frink?  I don't buy the "not in use" bit.  The thing goes from slightly colored water to cherry jello)... if there was just some more consistency between the 2 shots (as best as it could be done), that would be fantastic (even if it meant making the tank behind C3P0 more clear like how it looks when Luke is in it).

Here are the scenes in question (for other viewers):





Here is an alternate take (a bit more magenta than red, but you get the idea, as the bacta liquid is supposed to be thicker than water):



On the Taun-Taun issue: understood, as it would take a good month or more of work to tweak the fall to make it look right (or more, as it could just be effort than what it's worth).  While it may look like its falling in slow-motion, at least that is the original way it was shot. 

Also, I can understand if more blinks and ear twitches (like a horse) aren't working.  I think if there was anything that could add more life to them, it would be figuring a way to make the eyes move to the left and right.

Not sporadically, but like when the Taun-Taun is hit with the Wampa hand, or when Han gets on his when riding out to find Luke - in both cases, the puppet eyes are looking straight ahead with that dead doll eye look. 

Again, not sure if anything can be done [be it those particular scenes or ones where the Taun-Taun isn't moving as much] but an idea none-the-less.

A quick question: is the bacta water/liquid supposed to be redder?  Not a biggie for me, but at least something to note:

Check out these 2 scenes on the youtube video: one at 16:20 and the other at 16:41.

The first scene has Luke inside the tube and it is clear for the most part (looks like there is a small red light in the bottom of the tank to light up the water).   The second scene where C3P0 speaks to Luke you can see the bacta tank behind C3P0 (on the right) and it is RED, and I mean solid red.  Is that the tank?  If so, is one or the other going to be changed so as to give it a more consistent color/look?

Another suggestion/idea.  Again, nothing big or necessary, but just putting it out there for thoughts: when the Taun-Taun falls down from the cold when Han finds Luke (at 13:50), the entire body falls in slow-motion due to the stop-motion aspect of the Taun-Taun model.  Would it be conceivable to speed up the 2nd half of the fall slightly to convey weight due to something that heavy falling (ie a gradual slight increase in falling speed, as the way it is now is continuous)?

And while not necessary, it would still be cool to see shadows under/around the snowspeeders during the search scene (at least at 16:11 on, as the sun is directly behind Zev's snowspeeder, which should cast a slight, fast-moving shadow).

Regardless, I like the enhancements to the cave entrance at 4:20 (you can now see the shield door and the hanger inside) as well as the snowspeeder control panel upgrade.  Can't wait until December!

Per previous post, this may be a while, since I still am in the process of wrapping my brain around After Effects and all the other programs...

That's the intent.. it may take a long while for me to get there, but my angle is to enhance FX work, but along the lines of only doing something that could be conceiveably done in the early 1980s.

I figured a trick to redo the Nostromo explosion while retaining the horizontal visuals...

Ghostbusters said:

EyeShotFirst said:

Chainsaw had some good ideas a while back:

 While I can definitely more than live with what we have currently, I can see at the very least eliminating the "Episode IV" above the movie subtitle (STAR WARS.... A NEW HOPE, followed by scroll).

Even so, this would be a very cool alternative.  Eliminating the Episode number and film subtitle, and replacing the STAR WARS with the title of the movie - though I would at the least keep the yellow to retain consistency with the original STAR WARS logo.

Even so, at the very least, I would consider eliminating the "Episode" line above the "The Empire Strikes Back" film subtitle above the scroll, as well as the on for JEDI.

Now that that scene has been brought up, I always wondered if it would look better if that entire area was redone with something closer to what we see when Han finds Luke (not to mention that the scene above has a very "enclosed set" look to it).

Here are some alternatives...
(CGI/animated/live snowstorm footage overlayed on top of the background image, which could be desaturated or given a closer look to the overall blue-grey color timing of the Luke and Han night scenes):

Here are some alternatives to show that the cave roof would probably be darker in the shot with backgrounds similar to above (even with a snowstorm overlayed over the background image).  Something else to keep in mind: it was dusk when we pull away from Han after he stuffed Luke into the Taun-Taun belly.. it wasn't full-on night yet (such as what we see in the original version of this shot).  So realistically, the outside should represent dusk (regardless of whether we can actually see the sun) to at least synch up with what we see in the following shot with Han and Luke:






In the last shot, maybe the "Han on Taun-Taun coming out of Ben's ghost" could be flipped and slightly altered to look more like a regular rebel solder to show one last scout barely making it back in as the gates are in the process of closing (this could help with the sense of distance and space).

BTW, any tute links on how to create layers (in GIMP)?  If it looks sloppy, it's because I used the CLONE tool to copy info from one image to another...

I think I'm with Ady on just having the names of those who actually put some work into the edits... you know, kinda like what the movie credits do anyways (list those who actually worked on the movie).

It will be nice to see my name in the list on EMPIRE:R.... maybe (though I have a feeling it will be like the "Bart gets a bit part on the Krusty the Clown show" episode, when he points out his name in the end credits as they fly by), but here is another idea (regardless of acceptance).

Only list the names of those whose ideas you actually use.  That way, if someone posts just to get their name on a list, they won't unless they actually offer a reasonable suggestion, much less one worthy of using (since if it is used, that would mean some sort of involvement for giving a usuable idea).

I guess you could say it is the difference between the STORY BY and SCRIPT BY credits... one is for the idea and creation of the story, whereas the other is the actual written development and final execution of that idea.  The script could be almost completely different from the initial idea (Dan O'Bannon's ALIEN versus Walter Hill's ALIEN), but the creator of the idea still gets credit.

Also, keeping with the conversation on THE TRANSPORTER, can anyone tell me if anything exists of the "missile deflection by china tray" scene that was in THE TRANSPORTER movie trailer but not in the movie?

I know people ragged that scene in particular for being a bit over the top, but I always saw movies like THE TRANSPORTER and CRANK as live-action LUPIN THE 3RD type movies.

You can see it here at 1:07:
TRANSPORTER trailer

adywan said:

The smile was a nod to the original Emperor who smiles at the exact same point.

I've given up on this video. No matter what i do there will be complaints. First the face is too static and that the original emperors face is more emotive, then i add the smile at the same point as the original Emperors smile and some motion to the face, then the face needs to remain more emotionless.

So that's it. No more videos. I'm spending so much time going back over videos i have posted trying to please everyone that i'm wasting time that could be spend on other scenes. When i get to the point that i'm pleased with a shot, i should stop there. I'm never going to please everyone and things just then get bogged down. 

I'm pretty sure that some people thing i can perform impossible things. You have to remember that i can only work with what i have available with  existing footage, etc. The only way i could do the emperor any better now would be to pay Ian to reprise his role in this scene and get him to wear a prosthetic that matches his ROTJ one. But we all know that this is never going to happen.

I can understand, and frankly I can be patient enough to just wait until it is finished the way you want it.  It would have been nice to see it this summer, but I would rather you take the time to make it right and release it 4 to 6 months later than have something that you wouldn't be happy with.

...which (or at least I would like to think) is the motivation(s) behind a lot of these posts.  Most of us understand that you are doing all the work, and it is easy for us to "make a suggestion" when the suggestion only takes a bit of time writing a forum response, whereas you have to dig through After Effects and all of that stuff.

Regardless, don't feel you have to please everyone... just take all of the comments with a grain of salt, ponder the idea if it is something you would like (since that IS the point of these threads, which is to receive feedback and possibly ideas you may not have thought of) and either work on the ideas or not.  Even so, don't EVER feel that we ever had the power to pressure you to do anything.  This is YOUR EDIT and we're just along for the ride.  I know we can be like the kids in the back of the bus and get unruly, but you're the one driving it and so far I think it's safe to say that we like where you're going.

Another tiny point: the nose lights on the Executor from 0:54 to 0:58 are green (as opposed to the blue of the rest of the lights on the side)... just wondering if the lights will be blue across the entire side in all of the Executor shots...

One last thing regarding the holo-kneel pad when Vader is talking to the 3 SD captains:

I can see why it isn't in the picture (at the 0:28 mark), as at 0:30 you can see that the kneel pad is BEHIND the 3.... I mean 2 holograms of the captains (which means it would be off-screen to the bottom left in the shot at 0:28).

______________________

Okay, I'm warming up to it... ESPECIALLY after just watching the 2004 clip (jeez, the color correction alone destroys the 2004 version).  I can see the slow blink when the Emperor says "yes....YES" if it was to be added anywhere.  Maybe make the hologram intro and pulsing slightly subtler, and maybe show the SD start to slide towards the bottom left and away from us (to show mass displacement from the impact), but overall I can dig it...

Here are some comparison links:

Adywans latest clip

Original version with Clive Revill (with Ian McDairmond's voice)

2004 version (this has the slow fade as opposed to the "scooby doo" wave)

Radi0n said:

Monroville said:

I would also consider when making the explosion to have the explosion burst towards the rear of the video picture, as the SD is moving forward (ie when a plane explodes in midair, the fireball extends across the sky as the plane [or what's left of it] continues moving forward).

Isn't that more because of a movement's relation to gravity, which space doesn't have?

Physics still exists in space (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction).  You still have to take into account that the Star Destroyer (while weightless in space) still has mass, which would be knocked to the side from such a tremendous physical impact. 

Think of it like bumper cars, if the cars were as big as football stadiums.

______________

Overall it IS an improvement, but I don't want to make superficial points.  The SD explosion via asteroid I can go either way... maybe some more tweaking such as having the Star Destroyer react more to the impact would help, or just making the explosion more opaque on the left so it doesn't look AS overlayed.

And I also understand the situation regarding the Emperor hologram.. there is only so much one person can do, much less on a regular home PC.  I'd just rather it be more subtle, as the flickering takes me out of the scene (and Bingo: they're out of the asteroid field so there wouldn't be any interference).

The blinks I would like to see, as it would be a nice nod to the original scene, much less take care of the "lifeless" upper part of the face that others have an issue with.  I think that if the eyelid area of the original Emperor holo was kept and overlayed, nothing would have to be done with the eyebrows or forehead.

Trying to imagine what to do with the SD hit by the asteroid:

maybe CGI could be used to make the model slide away from us and the back- end tilt downwards ala the SD hit by the ion cannon (specifically the shot following the initial hit, where the rebel transport flies beside and away from it).  Combined with a larger explosion and chunks coming from the tower region could better sell the scene (?).

I would also consider when making the explosion to have the explosion burst towards the rear of the video picture, as the SD is moving forward (ie when a plane explodes in midair, the fireball extends across the sky as the plane [or what's left of it] continues moving forward).

Jaitea said:

Sorry Ady I couldn't resist using your new Footage over my old mock-up:

The Emperor says "luke"......still needs adjusting, but its not too bad as a concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzUk0t0Fo6g

This does sound very good and very promising.  I think the LUKE part is maybe a bit too loud, and just needs to be blended at the same audio level as the rest of the dialogue.

adywan said:

You can now view the finished Emperor scene on youtube in 720p:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eStsTNOaED8

Let me just say that it is all too easy for me or anyone else to criticize something you've spent hours or days working on, so please take this with a grain of salt.

The positives:
(1) picture quality and color timing is excellent... I don't think I've ever seen EMPIRE look this good.

(2) the mouth of the Emperor may be a little off, but overall it works quite well (I could possibly see if you could take the slow-blink from the original Emperor and add it onto the new one... just the eyelid part, not the extended eye-socket make-up area)

(3) (at 1:03) I like how the lights on the columns in Vader's holo-room have a blue tint to them, further giving the impression of being the projectors.  I also notice that you included the tip of the steps from Vader's pod on the far left too.

The negatives:
(1) while I can go with still seeing the SD tower when the asteroid hits it, it now has the impression of a CGI explosion being overlayed upon the tower which is very much completely intact.  I would rather see a slightly larger explosion (with the possibility of larger chunks of model debris, maybe taken from other spaceship explosion scenes from other movies) and showing only the neck of the tower intact, or simply not show the tower head remaining.

It may also be that the Star Destroyer doesn't budge at all after getting hit so hard.. it seems to be not effected physically at all from the impact despite the explosion (which is an issue with the original scene as filmed.. I don't know what could be done, since a shudder might not work either, and I don't know how you could show the SD tilt away from the explosion short of filming an actual model).

(2) there is WAY too much flickering on the Emperor hologram... I can understand the slight wave as it flickers on in the beginning (even then, I would rather see it slowly light up, as opposed to the wavy effect), but even compared to the original (which had a slight pulse to it) it is very distracting, and I found myself paying more attention to the flickering than to the dialogue.  Subtler would be better, at least for myself.

I can't say I have a problem with the forehead, as it is mostly covered with the hood anyways... maybe the eyebrows could be given a tweak in at least one shot (maybe when he says "yes... YES".. his eyebrow area raises slightly to convey the emotion in his voice), but the focus is on the lower area of the face, specifically the mouth, so as long as the mouth matches the dialogue that should be perfectly fine.

Here is something interesting:

Yoda hero pendant



You know, I never noticed Yoda wearing this at all.... surprised nothing was made of it in the Prequels...

Not to mention: when EMPIRE:R finally comes out and you show it to her, I'm sure she will notice the differences having now seen the 2004 version first.

In fact, I would consider seeing about getting her to watch the 2004 ANH, just so she can see just what anyone can do through FX and editing on their home computer...

The colors throughout the movie are more naturalistic.  I specifically meant those particular scenes (since those were the ones that stood out to me, and not in a good way), but the rest of the film seems to retain the overall prior color timing (nothing like the blue tint running throughout the entire play of EMPIRE).

I still have it... I can up it over at tehparadox or TPB.  Give me a few days to set it up...

Now if someone can find some little people, and make some Ewok costumes, and do some decent gore effects... well then maybe you got something...

We can only hope.  I am personally glad Ridley gave it up and decided to do something a bit more original.  ALIEN 3 should have been the William Gibson script, which would have led to humans going to the source of the signal, so to speak.

And right now, the ALIEN ANTHOLOGY is going for $70!:

fishmanlee said:

i prefer this music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m8NgBx1TGk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL ;)

I concur... I like how it is more subtle but what music is there adds emotional beats to the fight and remains fairly silent when the gang shows up in the corridor opposite the Falcon.  Not sure about the initial drum beats, but I do like how the music pauses/fits for the dialogue.  I will say he needs to follow through to the end of the scene with Luke and Co. getting on the Falcon after Ben's death.

Radi0n said:

It would be far easier for Jedi to have an on/off button on their hilt that actually works. Especially if they use lightsaber throws on enemies.  Imagine having to both guide the lightsaber, keep it on, and focus on your other enemies as well? Should be brutal on any Jedi's mind :p LOL

 

That's why they're Jedis.  >:)

On another note: not that it is a big deal or anything (as the shot is pretty cool already), but this may cause some hair-pulling. 

If you notice the angle of the shadows in Leia's room, the sun should be somewhere around the 1:00 area on the X-Y axis and around the 2:00 area on the Z axis... which does not match the lighting on the buildings at all, as the sun (for the buildings) is around the 7:00 area on the X-Y axis and 10:00 on the Z. 

EDIT: okay, after messing with the pic on GIMP, maybe it's another one of those optical illusions...

If the shield generator is on Abaddon/Corusant, maybe shots of the Van Allen Belt machine from HIGHLANDER 2 could be used in place of or along side the giant dish array shots.  Hell, even the shot of the Van Allen "shield" coming down after the machine is destroyed by Conner could be used to show Abaddon/Corusant's planetary defences being destroyed.