I had always assumed that the AT-AT on Endor was just arthritic or breaking down until a few years ago, when I realized that it had picked up Luke in the forest and that arthritic movement was it docking with the base.
whenever I watch Return Of The Jedi, I eat a tuna fish sandwich and wear a bib .It’s a bib for tuna .
Well done.
I like it. It feels kind of weird that they start to look for the codebreaker and then say 2 seconds later that they’ve searched the whole casino, like it should cut away to Luke or something while that’s happening. Did that happen in the original? I don’t remember.
Definitely agree that this section needs to be tied more closely into the rest of the movie somehow.
Trippy.
Maybe just desaturating his fur so that he looks a lot older, or giving him stripes like Logray…
No-one’s ever really gone.
Glad you’re back, Duracell 😃
The first post has been brought up to date with my current intentions for this edit.
If I were to create my own version of changes I like/dislike, (Which I could; it just wouldn’t look good) here’s what I’d do:
AHN
Have it be original up to Mos Eisley. The first shot with the ‘scurriers’ I would leave in. Then cut to the SE shot, minus the droid wackiness. Then have the original version for the shot that starts the stormtrooper diolauge. Then have the SE far shot, before having the original Canina entrance. Then it will be entireley original version until the Falcon takes off, which will be SE.
The entire inside the Death Star scenes will be SE for just general better Matte Paintings, except for major things like Han’s lots-of-stormtroopers-room.
The Death Star space battle would be primarily SE, except for the explosion which would be original.
The Award Ceremony would be SE, just because they aren’t cardboard cutouts.ESB
Original version. The whole thing.
ROTJ
Everything would be original up until the new Bantha shot, which would be SE. Then entire ordeal with Jabba’s Palace will be original.
Come the end of the film, I would have all the shots of the galaxy-wide celebration, but when It comes back to the Ewoks, they will sing as in the original.I think I will do this sometime, if I ever want to give Star Wars to a friend.
So it’s been 15 years, any ETA on this?
😉
I really need to clean up the first post again, since about half of these ideas have either changed substantially or been removed entirely, as the latest few pages attest.
However with regards to the new ending sans Rey actually finding Luke, there are several recent previews where you can judge how this works for yourself. I’m not particularly concerned with giving Rey the power of prophecy because she already displays this power in the original version since she has dreams of the island (and in TLJ it’s established she has specifically dreamed of the Jedi Tree), and when she touches the lightsaber she sees events that haven’t occurred yet in the movie. Also, and I’ve touched on this before, but this new ending of TFA would lead into an edited TLJ where Luke never appears in his Jedi robes and she instead finds him hiding in his hovel. This changes her ‘prophecy’ into a thematically resonant bit of subversion.
Another issue for me when approaching the end of the film is that Rey, a person with only a vague connection to Luke and entirely new to the Resistance, is chosen along with Chewie to go on the most important mission in the galaxy without even a Resistance operative to accompany her. With the new sequence of her repairing R2 and specifically dreaming of Luke, there is a much stronger argument for her to complete this mission.
Finally, TFA definitely ends on a cliffhanger despite her technically finding Luke. There is no way that this movie could stand on its own without the resolution of the scene in the next installment, hence why Rian chose to reshoot the scene. Besides, I would make the argument that the quest to find Luke is basically over once the map is complete. There’s no reason to think that Luke will not be found after this point, so the mission is a success. Everything else is just fanservice.
The second change seems anodyne enough, but the first significantly changes Luke’s motivation IMO since he now decides to become a Jedi without any information about his father’s wishes. Because of this, the revelation in ESB could have less of an impact because Luke is becoming a Jedi more of his own volition and less because he believed that his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps.
i love the way the scene is put together except for one thing that probably can’t be fixed and its the fact that when Rey runs away she runs to the right of the frame and then a split second later our eye has to dash to the other side of the frame because thats where the shot from Starkiller is going.
Like I said before it probably cant be fixed very easily but its something that gave my a small headache because of how close to the screen i am
I wouldn’t want to horizontally flip the Starkiller firing shots since their movement is consistently and villainously right to left.
Really, really great work on the Starkiller firing scene.
One thing I think I missed though: you no longer have Hux yelling, “Fire!”
I think that makes it a little more powerful, specifically when that female First Order agent turns to face the camera. If he yelled it right then, I think it would be as though she is listening to his orders.
Also, it’s just a little scarier when that happens.
Or maybe not.
One more thing: it definitely needs some audio work (which I’m sure you’re aware). Missing some explosions and X-Wing sounds.
The ‘Fire’ line always felt a bit weird, since it’s all but impossible to remove the echo of Hux in the large outdoor space. I’ll try to reinstate some version of it though, since the scene really cries out for Hux in some capacity.
The audio is definitely still unfinished, but I’m slowly working through the scene. A lot needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
Nev, have you had anymore thoughts about the Takodana moon/space station idea recently?
Not really. I posted that idea in the other thread because it felt a bit too ambitious, effects wise, but if it were done I think it would be a net benefit to the edit.
I’ve honestly disliked that line from the get-go.
Why say it within the context of this story? Luke is about to face down Vader. Don’t tell the audience Luke isn’t important anymore. Even if Lucas was thinking Luke should have a sister at the time, I don’t see why he would reveal that to the audience now.
It is clear to me Lucas originally wanted to have a new character be Luke’s sister, but when he decided to stop making Star Wars movies, he wanted to tie everything up into a neat bow. Happily ever after. So if Han and Luke are having a love triangle, just make Luke her brother! Tadaa!
The idea of having this line was to give the audience pause and consider that Luke might actually be going to his death. I think it works in the context of the film. Obviously it works less well in the context of the next.
From the current discussion, I am probably more curious with Sir Ridley’s work on having Anakin’s lightsaber retract showing he has his lightsaber but is surrendering … that is the simplest and probably the better way to go.
Here’s the shot in context, if you’d like to take a look. We’re lucky to have Ridley around. 😃
Nice work. If you’re still entertaining suggestions, the one thing that seems weird is the final shot of Anakin; it seems superfluous, and cutting from Padme to the next scene sounds like it would be a natural progression for the music.
I never thought the broken lightsaber effect was at all convincing anyway, so not showing it is definitely a plus.
It’s been removed.
Been working the past few days on the Starkiller Firing scene, including shuffling the sequence and timing of a few shots, changing the firing shot so that the strong sunlight is no longer visible, and finally adding a new establishing shot to better transition from Rey/Kylo to the Starkiller cue.
Password: fanedit
I don’t think the were meant to be heavy or light per se, just difficult to handle due to the energies involved. I imagine that it would be like swinging a gyroscope.
Keeping part of the droid factory is probably the right call here and most of it feels seamless, except for the bit with Anakin nonchalantly releasing Padme from the cask. I wonder if it wouldn’t be more effective to imply that it was the Geonosians who released her, since they immediately surround her anyway.
Other than that, great work!
Ha!
But yeah, I won’t be changing the ball, it was just a weird idea.
They look good, but have you considered using Frame Compare or something to show the difference from the original?
Just a weird idea I had just now, in thinking about how to show more of Ben’s childhood on the Falcon, that the training ball could now be one of Ben’s old toys:
It would need to be a physical prop filmed and rotoscoped into the shot, but it would turn a moment of fanservice into something which recontextualizes where Han is, mentally, that the memory of Ben and his childhood interests still has such a hold on him. It might also give the Rathtars a little bit of relevance in the larger story.
Probably impractical/confusing/not really worth the trouble though.
That is correct. I suppose it could also be interpreted as ‘Bring her to me…alone’, but that would be kinda weird unless it’s Snoke’s idea of a pun. 😉
It’s a neat concept, and with keyframing and a more subtle glow it could look really good.
The sound on this one is still a work in progress:
Password: fanedit
I felt the scene needed some confirmation from Hux after Snoke’s ‘Prepare the weapon’ line, so I took it from the previous Snoke scene. Now that scene has Hux wordlessly smirk at Kylo as he leaves, which works about as well. Also, Kylo is now hemetless in the final shot.
Although it is tempting to show the story from Luke’s point of view, it’s impossible to do this for the prequels. Therefore, I propose making Yoda the true viewpoint in the story with Luke as the student he views from afar:
Open with Luke seeing a battle in the sky. He goes to see his friends and talk with Biggs, then returns home. The footage begins blurry and indistinct, almost dreamlike, but gets sharper and clearer as the scene progresses. The next day, a sandcrawler arrives with two droids. Luke cleans them and discovers a mysterious transmission. He tells his uncle about it, saying that it might belong to Old Ben, but his uncle dismisses it. Luke goes to contemplate his choices at the sunset.
Two Jedi stare out at the city at sunset. Inside the temple, the Jedi council tests Anakin on his abilities and feelings. Yoda explains that he senses much fear in Anakin, stemming from his fear of losing his mother. Transition to the Naboo palace at sunset, which has been made to look like another part of the Jedi temple, and Yoda declares that Obi-wan is a Jedi Knight and that Anakin will be one as well.
That night, Luke finds R2 has left and can do nothing else until morning.
Cut to the homestead in the daytime. Owen and Beru greet Anakin, and Clieg Lars informs him of his mother’s disappearance. Anakin kisses Padme goodbye and speeds off in search of her.
Cut to Luke searching the desert for R2. He finds the droid and Ben, who tells him all about the Jedi.
Obi-wan voices his concern to Mace and Yoda about Anakin’s abilities, and his emotional connection with Padme. They urge him to trust the boy.
Luke sees the wreckage of the sandcrawler and the burning homestead.
Yoda senses Anakin’s pain, and we see Anakin returning to the homestead with his mother, who is then buried.
Luke makes his decision to become a Jedi like his father.
Amid Anakin’s desolation, R2 arrives with the distress call. Anakin and Padme decide to rescue Obi-wan, the person Anakin considers to be like his father. The ship leaves Tatooine
The Falcon blasts off from Tatooine into Hyperspace.
Anakin and Padme confess their love, are brought into the arena, and Obi-wan jokes about the rescue attempt. The Jedi intervene in the games and Yoda arrives with the clones. Dooku reveals the existence of the Death Star.
Obi-wan senses a disturbance in the Force, Luke takes his first step into a larger world.
Obi-wan remarks on the victory of the clones, but Yoda says otherwise. The Senators watch the ships depart, the beginning of the Empire. Anakin and Padme are married.
In space, Imperial ships gather. Vader is summoned, and sees the rebel base on Hoth.
Luke collapses in the snow, and sees a vision of Obi-wan telling him to go to Yoda.
He leaves immediately and finds Yoda, but in the meantime his friends must flee Hoth.
Luke senses that his friends are in danger, but can do nothing.
Anakin has a dream of Padme dying in childbirth.
Luke faces the Dark Side Tree.
Anakin has visions of the future, but Yoda cautions him against acting on them.
Luke decides to leave. Yoda cannot dissuade him.
Anakin sits in the Jedi council chambers, torn between the Jedi and love.
Luke faces Vader alone. He fails, but he is rescued on the Falcon. They escape Cloud City.
Here follow several scenes of Episode 3, starting with Anakin comforting Padme after the Temple massacre. Obi-wan enters to discover where he has gone, and we see Vader killing the separatist leaders. Padme confronts him, then Obi-wan. Yoda waits on the asteroid awaiting news, and Bail arrives telling him of Obi-wan’s arrival.
Luke returns to Dagobah, and Yoda tells him all about the mission ahead. He dies.
After this there are some flashes, distorted voices, strange noises. The image of a throne room appears, a door opens. Luke and Vader meet the Emperor on the only Death Star to be introduced in this edit. Their confrontation leads to the death of Vader and the Emperor, but as Luke stares into the funeral pyre, Yoda’s words echo – ‘Pass on what you have learned’.
There is a vision of a temple, Luke confronting a student, the temple in ruins, Luke hiding on an island. There is darkness, but then Rey comes to Luke’s door, bearing his old lightsaber. Some of the scenes from the island in TLJ are played here, and eventually Yoda appears to Luke to give him one final lesson. Luke then becomes a legend, dying in front of the binary sunset.
