NeverarGreat

I feel like there has to be an easier way to clean a static starfield.

Since the automated dust cleanup presumably erases stars, have you considered stabilizing the shot, running the cleanup, and layering it over the original on ‘darken’? Then if you had just a single frame manually cleaned, it could be overlaid on top of that with the blending on ‘lighten’, which would return the accidentally erased stars.

Good points all. The sequential version feels like it needs Rey waking up and being in that final map scene, but since I don’t have such a shot of her waking up, and since her costume changes back and forth for the map scene (among other reasons), I am leaning towards going back to the parallel version like Ziggy suggests. Definitely going to go further with the dream distortion in any case.

I’ve decided to leave this scene for the time being and come back to it when I can judge more passively.

In the meantime, the deleted Kylo on the Falcon scene needed some work:

https://vimeo.com/337922444
Password: fanedit

Just as Rey should be going down a darker path as the film progresses, this felt like an opportunity to push Kylo’s character in the direction of being more conflicted and tempted by the light. The laughter hopefully reads as a contrast to the anguished screams Rey hears in the castle.

Here’s a version with most of the Luke scene and the dream effect applied to the rest of the shots:

https://vimeo.com/336952153

Password: fanedit

I’ve also gone ahead and applied the final piece of the map to R2’s projection, now all that remains is to erase Rey from this one shot and she will be gone from the scene.

It still feels incomplete though. Maybe parallel editing wouldn’t be so bad if it was applied near the end of the two scenes. I’m imagining Rey meeting Luke, then cutting to R2 waking up and in place of the Leia scene having the final bit with Rey offering the lightsaber, then the map reveal.

Could we maybe have a before/after for these? I find that’s helpful in seeing the changes.

RogueLeader said:

Seems like it’d be a lot of work to cut Rey out of the map reveal scene. I do like the new sequence of events though (and the blue and rgb split!).

Also, why didn’t you keep the flickering light on R2? I think having him plugged up to the computer plus having the flickering light would help imply that something is in progress, if that makes sense.

I thought the light was working at cross-purposes to the display across from R2, and I think it might be better to have something like a red light blinking slowly on the display to indicate that progress.

SomethingStarWarsRelated said:

There is a continuity issue that looks like it can’t be fixed: Rey’s appearance. She’s all cleaned up asleep, dirty in the map scene, then clean again with Finn.

Yeah, I don’t think Rey can appear in this final scene. I am working on a version of the scene where R2 projects the full map without BB-8’s help, so it should allow me to remove Rey in every shot except this one, which will take some more effort:

I guess the question becomes, which version of the edit has more promise? The sequential edit might lose the saber entirely as well as the Leia scene while also raising the question of where Rey is after the dream, whereas the parallel edit could keep these things while maybe not being the most intuitive from the outset.

Hal 9000 said:

The audio is rough, because I don’t want to sort out the intricacies unless we like where this is going. I wanted to try to re-include only Jar Jar getting his tongue caught in the energy (without any other clowning around), and this is the way it seems the scene has to be in order to make that work. Unfortunately, there’s a necessary shot of him wildly dropping the wrench in reaction to Anakin calling for him.

https://vimeo.com/336833977
password: fanedit

With Ani starting the pod with a literal wrench in the engine, now I can’t expect anything other than an explosion.

4throck said:

Perhaps your last suggestion - Rey’s dream and R2D2 finding the map. Should be clear enough 😉
And yes, leave all the sword and training stuff for TLJ. Here seeing Luke’s face is enough.

I’ll try that.

RogueLeader said:

I think I get what you’re describing. Honestly I think this is one of those things where you have to test it out, because it is hard to say what works better on description alone, at least in this case since it is a very different idea.

Here’s a rough idea of what it could look like.

https://vimeo.com/336731924

Password: fanedit

Though, it probably makes more sense to cut the brief scene with Leia in favor of 3PO announcing his intention to tell everyone, which would better explain Rey’s sudden appearance in the next scene.

What this sequence really cries out for IMO is a transition from Rey asleep to R2, but I don’t really want to reuse the same sleeping shot.

I am still trying to think of ways you might help make it very clear that this is a dream or vision of some kind. What about some kind of edge blur and a slight RGB split?

Your wish is my command (at least for the TFA bits of the dream).

Also, if you end the film with Rey leaving to go find Luke, do you think you might include a “Rey’s Journey” sequence in a potential TLJ edit where we see them jumping from planet to planet before she reaches Ach-To? I always loved that test you made for that idea, and I also like the added meaning of the various points on the map being another level of “Jedi steps”.

I think that would be very fun. It all depends on the available footage or if someone like EC Henry is willing to take on another render project.

dgraham414 said:

Do you have a rough cut of this?

I don’t think a rough cut would be particularly helpful at this stage, since so much is still being assembled. Maybe when I have all the big ideas in place and all that remains is polishing I’ll release something for comment and dissection. It’s getting there!

4throck said:

Nice, looks like ash or salt. I like it very much!

The dream sequence drags on a bit and I got confused. It felt a bit like parallel editing.
Perhaps a shorter, more mysterious sequence where we only see Luke from the back (and no sword).

Might that make it more confusing though? We would just assume it was Luke, and Rey wouldn’t actually make the unspoken plea for his training if I cut the saber.

SomethingStarWarsRelated said:

I agree with 4throck. It did feel like parallel editting as opposed to a dream sequence. Yeah I would suggest it being shorter too…maybe adding some sort of dreamy filter either on top or something around the boarders of the frame aaand perhaps playing with the sounds by adding reverb or something.

I mean it is parallel editing.

When you suggest making it shorter, I assume that means cutting some of the music which would be problematic since that scene is carried almost entirely on the strength of that cue.

I guess I just want some more specific ideas for how the scene could be cut without parallel editing and without making it longer.

Some version of R2 finding the map could happen right after the night establishing shot, and after the map is revealed cut to Rey and the entire dream. Then it would probably need a transition shot before going back to Finn. In this case the entire Jedi Steps cue would be required for the dream, and additional time would be reserved for the mapfinding.

Alternately, Rey could dream of Luke before R2 finds the map, and the dream could end on the dramatic notes when Luke turns to face Rey. When the music goes quiet again, instead of the lightsaber it could cut back to R2 and have a condensed scene where 3PO says they must tell the others and the condensed map reveal. Cut back to Finn as usual. This version wouldn’t add any time to the sequence and avoid parallel editing.

Thoughts?

True Facts About the Mantis Shrimp

L.I.A.R

Darth Lucas said:

Sky_ said:

LordZerome1080 said:

Sky_ said:

does anyone know where i can get the HD version of this, I only have the DVD version when it first came out
thanks

Adywan is creating the HD version right now.

Ahhh ok that makes sense, thanks for the info dude

Just make sure it’s ready by my dogs bar mitsvah.

Is that determined by dog years or human years?

Thank you both!

I wanted to revisit an older idea, that of turning Jakku into more of a purgatory through lighting. The prior attempt worked well except for lasers and explosions which turned blue, so I played around some more with just bleaching the highlights and keeping the shadow/midtone reds the same:

This subtle approach seems to play nice with the explosions, as you can see.

Must agree that the original timing is the best.

I see the mind trick as more of a gradient difficulty depending on several factors, which include but are not limited to the weak-mindedness of the subject(s), the number of subjects, and how much you want the subjects to deviate from their intentions. On a scale of Not Really Tricky to Impossibly Tricky:

For Obi-wan vs the stormtroopers, it probably would have been easy to sway their minds and also to have them simply overlook a mildly suspicious pair of droids. However since it’s a group of Stormtroopers, he would have had to mind trick all of them to some extent for it to work. Moderately Tricky

Luke vs Bib Fortuna was probably on the easier side since it was just the one lackey, but not a walk in the park since he had to overrule a direct order. Mildly Tricky to Moderately Tricky depending on the Bib’s SAT score.

Qui-Gon vs Watto is right out due to biology. Impossibly Tricky

Rey vs Daniel Craig would seem simple because it’s just one trooper with a presumably weak mind, but it also goes directly against his orders. Mildly Tricky

RogueLeader said:

It’s possible that the hope of her parents returning was what allowed her to survive for so long. It was her willpower to preservere because of that hope.

Indeed. My interpretation of the character as written is that of devotee/true believer. TFA is steeped in Medieval European imagery more than the previous installments, and Rey’s characterization is similar to Galahad in search of the Grail (also a contrast to Anakin as Lancelot).

That’s the best explanation I’ve heard for the map’s origin.

It’s been a while since I’ve worked on the crawl, so here’s a new attempt coming at it fresh:

Luke Skywalker has failed.
Hiding in exile, his new order
of Jedi Knights lies in ruin,
vanquished from within.

Without the wisdom of
the Jedi, the galaxy has
begun to lose faith in
the fragile New Republic,
supporting instead the
sinister FIRST ORDER
which has vowed to
regain the power of the
once mighty Empire.

Desperate to win back
the faith of its people,
the Republic orders the
formation of a covert
RESISTANCE to find the
last Jedi and return the
light of hope to the
galaxy…

RogueLeader said:

Nev, I like the ending shots! Good idea to use that extra shot to make it fit with the music. Totally dig it.

I wonder if there are some effects you could add to the “dream shots” that wouldn’t be over the top. Throwing out ideas, what if you played with the stuttering frame effect of the Dagobah cave, or the wispy vignette of Anakin’s ROTS dreams?

In the latest version of the dream sequence I’ve significantly slowed the first handful of shots to achieve a similar effect. I think that plus the different TLJ aesthetic gives an otherworldly feel to the scene. I’ve also done away with Finn being medic-ed and shifted some shots for the finale to cover the weird transition from the Falcon in the clouds to it flying past the rings.

https://vimeo.com/335299081

Password: fanedit

I think the stuttering framerate idea might feel too Dark Side for the dream.

So in a hypothetical TLJ edit for you, you might have Rey reach the Jedi Village, then she’d hear the hut door slam maybe? Having Rey dream of an idealized Luke at the end of TFA, but then our first real intro to Luke is him holding himself up in his hut like a hermit, you’d still be getting that subversion Rian wanted without being beholden to how JJ ended TFA.

Something like that. I imagine her going to the cliff, maybe using some of the TFA footage of her climb, then taking the shots of her looking confused and walking back down as if she expected him to be standing there like in her dream.

Lesser said:

RogueLeader said:

I wonder if there are some effects you could add to the “dream shots” that wouldn’t be over the top. Throwing out ideas, what if you played with the stuttering frame effect of the Dagobah cave, or the wispy vignette of Anakin’s ROTS dreams?

You beat me to it. I was also gonna highly suggest, recommend, whatever adding the wispy dream vignette from ROTS.

https://youtu.be/7Mvzb5gHANA

The vignette is kind of weird for TFA since this movie establishes a different style for Force Visions - Rey essentially just finds herself in a different environment.

This edit also adds the echo to the VO, and while there isn’t VO in that dream sequence edit, maybe changing the Jedi Steps track to a slightly softer (or slower) dream-like variation of the track? After watching these final scene clips I feel like the momentum is at an increasing montage-like level where there’s not too much of a breather once they blow up Starkiller and are back on D’Qar? That’s just me assuming from what’s been posted here after silently watching, and I don’t really know if softer music would make any difference.

The latest video is the entire D’Qar sequence so you can judge for yourself whether it feels too rushed or too slow. I’ve debated moving the R2 map reveal scenes to before or after the dream, but if the dream is placed before the map reveal it seems strange for Rey to not be present (or to be present but in another costume) and if the dream is placed after the map reveal it feels weird for Rey to wake up for the map reveal then go back to sleep for a dream then wake up again in the space of a few minutes.

ziggyonice said:

NeverarGreat said:
Two versions would be tricky unless you also prefer the original version with R2’s coincidental awakening, since I’d have to make two entirely different versions of an edit-heavy sequence.

Eh, I don’t think it would that difficult. Obviously things are still set to change, but going with your idea of having Rey fix Artoo — that works fine. In fact, I think I’d keep everything after that.

Basically, keep everything immediately after Artoo wakes up.

But that’s just it, in the newest versions R2 waking up is interspersed with the dream.

The only thing I can think of that could be questioned is where is Rey when Artoo shows the map. Granted, she wasn’t in the original scene either, so I don’t really know if this matters.

Rey is in the original map reveal scene though.

…What I’m trying to say is that JJ makes the search for Luke the point of the movie when Luke’s role should really be about what his legend means to others.

I certainly do understand what you are saying, and they are good arguments. What I disagree with you about is that I don’t think JJ made the “point of the movie” to be about the search for Luke. Just because Luke is the focus of the ending scene doesn’t mean that what the movie is about has changed. Also, I do kind of feel like it is necessary because he is a legend, a myth. When the audience sees the mysterious that surrounds him, when we experience that same build-up of curiosity that Rey feels, that’s how you know that the scene is successful.

I can’t argue with the scene being cool. I’ll just have to try my best to keep that mysteriousness and if it still doesn’t work for you, you’re more than welcome to use this edit to create your ideal version 😃

Rodney-2187 said:

Rey has definitely been challenged. She just deals with it differently.

Her entire life on Jakku was a challenge just to survive. Luke had an aunt and uncle with a home, food, and jobs, and he had friends. He even had a Jedi master watching over him, waiting to take him under his wing. Even though Anakin was a slave, he still had Shmi and even Watto seemed to treat him decently. He even had his own racer.

Rey was left alone, got captured by the First Order, mind probed by Kylo Ren, watched her friend Han get impaled on a lightsaber and her other friend Finn get his back sliced. Luke was negative about training her. She felt helpless as the First Order targeted resistance escape ships and Kylo refused to call them off. Yes, Luke and Anakin both experienced adversity and great losses too. I’m just pointing out so did Rey, but she faced her’s without family or a mentor. There are no force ghosts talking her through anything.

Rey has had plenty of reasons to give up but she simply just does not quit. I love Luke Skywalker, but he was very whiny. Anakin was too. Rey just sucks it up and gets it done. She makes it looks easy because instead of complaining, she gets straight to solving the problem. I don’t think Luke or Anakin would have survived long on Jakku alone with their attitudes. If you dropped a young Rey, Luke, and Anakin into the middle of a zombie apocalypse, I’d put my money on Rey being the one who survives and probably becomes the leader.

The Force enhances your abilities. Rey was already shown to be a proficient fighter just to survive on Jakku. Of course she defeats an emotionally distraught Kylo who had just been shot by a weapon that we’ve seen can send bodies flying. She knows a lot about mechanics and ships from salvaging, so I have no problem with her being able to repair the Falcon. There’s no training better than experiencing something first hand. Kylo probes Rey’s mind aggressively, so her being able to get inside a weak minded stormtrooper for a second doesn’t seem surprising to me. It would be more surprising if she just sat there and did nothing while waiting to be rescued. Her abilities are no more surprising than a small boy being the only human that can pilot a podracer or a rural farmboy flying a combat mission in space or blocking lasers with a blast shield down just from a suggestion to reach out.

A great deal of the Jedi training we see in the movies deals with focus. Luke and Anakin both lacked focus. Rey is extremely focused. She is strong willed and determined. She is task oriented and has a can do attitude. All of that can take you a long way.

I disagree that Anakin lacked focus. He was confused, yes, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t constantly striving to become stronger in the Force, to become a master.

Anakin and Rey are actually very similar characters, where their formative childhood years are concerned. Young Anakin was a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ incorruptible child who saw the good in everyone, despite being a slave. This makes his descent into the Dark Side tragic, and really it’s the only way to make his character interesting. How boring would it have been if he had stayed the hopeful decent person he was as a child, never succumbing to the darkness all around him?

Rey is the answer to that question, at least so far. I’m sure some people enjoy this about her character, but for me it feels entirely undynamic. Thus her proficiency is a bit of a red herring because it simply masks the deeper issue that she doesn’t undergo the dramatic character change necessary to drive the story forward.

ziggyonice said:

NeverarGreat said:

I agree that it’s a great scene, it just doesn’t really work for me as a literal cliffhanger at the end of TFA.

What could I do to convince you to consider more than one version of your fanedit?

Multiple versions of the same fanedit are not uncommon. You have so much very good content that you’ve worked on here. I just believe that the ending scene with Luke is a defining moment for the saga. However, opinions like mine here are not uncommon — everyone has their own take on things and are looking for their “go to” version of their favorite fanedit, after all.

If there’s any way I can convince you or help you make an alternate version, please let me know. It isn’t terribly difficult, especially with the cost of storage being so cheap. Plus, you’d be opening the door to more people being able to enjoy your work based on their version they most enjoy.

You don’t have to answer now, but please at least consider it for the future.

Two versions would be tricky unless you also prefer the original version with R2’s coincidental awakening, since I’d have to make two entirely different versions of an edit-heavy sequence.

ziggyonice said:

NeverarGreat said:

However, now that I have R2 find the map at night with Rey nowhere in sight, it begs the question of what she’s doing at that moment. Sleeping would be the obvious answer, but what better place to put the dream of the island? Honestly I didn’t intend for this when making the night shot though it probably should have occurred sooner:

https://vimeo.com/334596045

Password: fanedit

This is an interesting concept. I don’t dislike it. I like that we’re still getting this feeling of mystery that comes with the Luke reveal in the original.

However, I do think I’m going to have to agree that it is considerably more complex. I feel like movies generally need to be pretty simple and straightforward. Weaving these two sequences together isn’t impossible, but I just think it’s a little unnecessary.

Again, you know my love for the original ending based on my comment above and previously. I’m open to changes to it, but I believe that whatever changes are made needs to ensure the sense of mystery powerful build up to Luke’s reveal remains intact.

I hear what you’re saying for sure. It is complicated, and difficult, and might lose something of the mystery and power of the original. But in trying to come to terms with my issues with the scene, I realize that it comes down to a simple question: is this movie essentially about Luke, or about our new heroes? Because ending TFA with an unspoken plea to Luke ends up making everything else feel inconsequential. Leia and Poe and Finn are now half a galaxy away and all that matters is whether or not our human MacGuffin will save the day. And it’s not about Rey’s feelings about Luke, not really. All we as an audience care about is fanboying/fangirling out over that magical unicorn of a character and his cool, mysterious reveal, and a glorified ‘tune in next week for the exciting conclusion’ TV cliffhanger.

Placing the scene in the context of Rey’s subconscious allows the story to more obviously be about Rey and her image of Luke as a magical Jedi master, resplendent in his Jedi robes and contemplating deep Jedi thoughts. It’s a proper setup for the inevitable subversion, rather than having Luke really standing on that cliff in his Jedi robes which he immediately puts away in the next scene (in an ideal edit of TLJ the lightsaber scene never takes place). What I’m trying to say is that JJ makes the search for Luke the point of the movie when Luke’s role should really be about what his legend means to others.

Hal 9000 said:

When the dianoga has Luke in the trash compactor, he calls out, “Blast it, will ya? The gun’s jammed.”
Did anyone else always hear it as, “Blast it, will ya, for god damn”?

It was only very recently that I actually understood what he was saying there, so I would have believed either one of those interpretations growing up.

Anyone who has watched Digmod’s Heir to the Force edit has seen the end of the Jedi Steps cue used for the Falcon leaving the base, and while it’s integrated quite well it still feels odd. The only good place to iris out is on top of the Falcon jumping to hyperspace, and it’s quite abrupt.

In light of this, I found an alternate cue which I think works better and gives a moment of silence before the credits:

https://vimeo.com/334803527

Password: fanedit

For a final implementation I would like to have the Falcon jump across the frame with the added camera movement following it into space.

No worries, I appreciate your constructive criticism 😃

The un-dreamlike nature of the shots is the biggest problem for sure, but the length of the ending is actually shortened from the original, which was almost exactly 6 minutes from the shot of Chewie grieving to the end credits. My version right now clocks in at 4:45.

BTW, the entire edit sans credits is 2 hours and 13 seconds on the timeline, cutting 7 minutes from the original.

JEDIT: Updated the map reveal sequence slightly. Rey should probably be erased from the first shot of that scene since she’s supposed to be asleep and in the new costume, but that’s in the realm of the possible.

https://vimeo.com/334596045

Password: fanedit

ziggyonice said:

This is random but I was just reviewing your original changelist. Not sure how much of this is still accurate, but I really hope you’ve changed your mind about removing Rey’s journey to Ahch-To to meet Luke.

That entire sequence — the build up to seeing Luke’s face and the haunting sounds of “The Jedi Steps” — is probably among of the most defining moments in the entire saga. I think it’s up there with Han shooting first, Anakin burning in lava, and Vader’s reveal as Luke’s father.

Getting rid of that ending is something I just don’t think I can get on board with. It’s probably my favorite part of The Force Awakens. Your other changes, however, have been very well done. Just my opinion.

I agree that it’s a great scene, it just doesn’t really work for me as a literal cliffhanger at the end of TFA.

ChainsawAsh said:

What are your thoughts on not erasing the ending entirely, but moving it to the beginning of Episode VIII?

That would be okay if I were sure I was doing a TLJ edit but that’s far from certain (although it’s not for a lack of ideas!). Moreover, TFA feels incomplete without some resolution to the search for Luke in that movie.

StarkillerAG said:

ziggyonice said:

This is random but I was just reviewing your original changelist. Not sure how much of this is still accurate, but I really hope you’ve changed your mind about removing Rey’s journey to Ahch-To to meet Luke.

That entire sequence — the build up to seeing Luke’s face and the haunting sounds of “The Jedi Steps” — is probably among of the most defining moments in the entire saga. I think it’s up there with Han shooting first, Anakin burning in lava, and Vader’s reveal as Luke’s father.

Getting rid of that ending is something I just don’t think I can get on board with. It’s probably my favorite part of The Force Awakens. Your other changes, however, have been very well done. Just my opinion.

He isn’t removing it completely, just repurposing it as a dream sequence right before Rey’s interrogation.

That was the plan for a while, but it didn’t really work.

However, now that I have R2 find the map at night with Rey nowhere in sight, it begs the question of what she’s doing at that moment. Sleeping would be the obvious answer, but what better place to put the dream of the island? Honestly I didn’t intend for this when making the night shot though it probably should have occurred sooner:

https://vimeo.com/334596045

Password: fanedit

Acbagel said:

This is looking like it might be the best TFA edit out there. Can’t wait for the full product, thanks for taking the time to do this!

Thanks, it’s much appreciated!

One of the defining aspects of Star Wars is its apparent timelessness, both in its mythological themes and in its setting. It is designed to remove itself from the contemporary in order to access the universal in everyone, and this is probably why the humor is such a big point of contention for these new movies.

Comedy as a genre is notoriously difficult to sell to a wide audience because many jokes rely on the absurdity of specific things taken from contemporary culture. Poe’s jokey bit at the beginning of TLJ relies on an entire subgroup of crank call jokes, and while the joke isn’t new, it isn’t exactly ancient enough to disappear into this aforementioned universal experience. I think this is why the original trilogy rarely makes jokes, opting instead for more generalized situational humor and physical (often droid) comedy.

TL;DR Star Wars should be generally funny, but not not specifically jokey.