NeverarGreat

Impressive - most impressive.

Consider the facts:

-TLJ establishes that the Force can arise in anyone, and GL has claimed that anyone can learn to use it.
-Han has spent thirty years around the most powerful Force users in the galaxy.
-He is a believer in the Force and has been for decades by the time of TFA.
-He has always had an abundance of luck, trusts his feelings over his rational mind, and is a quick draw with a blaster even in his early days.
-In ROTJ he shoots the Sarlacc without the use of his eyes (‘Trust me’), and in TFA he headshots a Stormtrooper without looking at him at all.
-He is able to exit Hyperspace between the Starkiller’s shields and the planet’s crust, a feat lifted from an early script of TPM where only Anakin’s Force ability was able to manage such a thing.

Going off of Rogue’s suggestion, I’ve shifted Kylo’s ‘I leave that to you’ from the end of the interrogation to the villager scene. I think it works, the interrogation definitely so by giving some more breathing room at the end of the scene before cutting to Rey.

JEDIT: Also tested the Village attack without seeing Poe give the map to BB-8, and it works really well without even messing with the audio, and since it allows the audience to fill in the blanks for this scene or wait until the interrogation later, I think it’s a good change. While I was at it, I also cropped and color corrected the flickering red saber light before Kylo strikes down Tekka. Here’s the entire thing from the village attack to the interrogation:

https://vimeo.com/313617492

Password: fanedit

The one thing I’m not sure about is whether or not to show the destruction of Poe’s X-wing and BB-8 in the desert. On the one hand it’s some nice imagery and provides some buffer between scenes, on the other hand it broadcasts Poe’s plan while the point is to preserve some ambiguity.

DominicCobb said:

NeverarGreat said:

DominicCobb said:

RogueLeader said:

Good point. The scene doesn’t bother me either, but just trying to see ways to make it more enjoyable for others. Although at this point I think people either like it or don’t, know matter how much I might try to make it more bearable for those who didn’t like it.

Honestly the more I think about the Last Jedi, the less things I think are necessary to change. I think for some inevitable edit of my own, I probably would use some of Hal’s trims as a basis (along with the additional Finn scenes, darthrush’s shift of the Yoda scene, and maybe a slightly altered opening crawl), but beyond that I think I would only introduce maybe two major additions that I haven’t scene before.

I myself have a fan edit in mind which is mostly pretty light save for one semi-major change that I haven’t seen proposed yet. Will post if I can ever get it to work right.

The suspense is killing me.

Well, depending on your definition of “semi-major,” I hope you don’t have your hopes up too high:
https://vimeo.com/313568431

(keep in mind this idea requires a decent amount of color correction, and this video just represents a rough mockup of that).

I see where you’re coming from with this idea, but for me it wouldn’t really work even if the color correction was perfect - Rey’s lightsaber moves in this scene are so amateurish that it feels like a joke, clashing with the intense music and Luke’s expression. If the music were changed or absent, the scene would actually work well as a humorous example of how unready she is to become a Jedi.

Sounds excellent!

One could make the argument that Han has Force powers in TFA.

By one I mean me.

Han has Force powers in TFA.

Also, I just listened to the commentary and have a question for Hal (and everyone else): When watching Rey tap into the Force and overpower Kylo at the end, do you interpret this as her using the Dark Side, or just harnessing the ‘light’ which has ‘always been there’? I ask this because if Rey were so susceptible to the Dark Side here, that might constitute a very great character flaw and go a long way towards making her a more dynamic lead.

BTW, thanks for the many shout outs in the commentary Hal, you’re really too kind!

littlev87 said:

Hal, you mention in your commentary that you found Finn’s character arch to be disappointing, specifically referring to the “taken from birth and programmed” part of his history, and that he doesn’t seem to fit that description in any way. I am in the process of watching your latest version of the edit, and it seems it would be possible to edit out those specific facts about the first order storm troopers. It would make his character much more realistic if he wasn’t taken from birth. It could be reasoned that he only partook in the first order out of fear. Just a thought.

edit post viewing:

I also want to say this edit is absolutely unreal. Honestly, in my opinion the best ep7 edit. One other question can anything be done about the music during the falcon tie chase on jakku? Ep5 asteroid chase theme is all I can think about watching that scene.

thanks for making this excellent edit.

That’s an interesting idea, taking out the ‘raised from birth’, but you would have to remove both Hux’s line on the Finalizer and Finn’s admission to Rey in Maz’s castle.

littlev87 said:

NeverarGreat said:

littlev87 said:

This whole tracking ships thing is kinda ambiguous since day one of star wars. Doesn’t Leia suggest in ep4 after escaping the death star that they are being tracked, that is why they escaped so easily? Doesn’t boba fett track the falcon to cloud city after drifting off with the garbage? Also, doesn’t obi wan track jango in ep2 from kamino to geonosis? I can’t remember all the details off the top of my head but in all instances I think lightspeed was used. So whats the deal?

None of these examples are ambiguous.

In Ep 4, Tarkin says ‘You’re sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship?’, clearly indicating that it was a device which they installed.

In Ep 5, Boba Fett was able to track the Falcon using line of sight and sensors since the Falcon couldn’t enter Hyperspace.

In Ep 2, Obi-wan throws a homing beacon onto Jango’s ship.

In all of these examples, it’s clear that for hyperspace tracking a physical device is necessary.

Why couldn’t the first order just shoot a tracking device at the resistance ships similar to the one obi wan throws at jango’s ship? The first order fighters are able to pass through the shields of the resistance ships.

That would have made much more sense, actually.

https://i.imgur.com/a1ste6A.mp4

littlev87 said:

This whole tracking ships thing is kinda ambiguous since day one of star wars. Doesn’t Leia suggest in ep4 after escaping the death star that they are being tracked, that is why they escaped so easily? Doesn’t boba fett track the falcon to cloud city after drifting off with the garbage? Also, doesn’t obi wan track jango in ep2 from kamino to geonosis? I can’t remember all the details off the top of my head but in all instances I think lightspeed was used. So whats the deal?

None of these examples are ambiguous.

In Ep 4, Tarkin says ‘You’re sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship?’, clearly indicating that it was a device which they installed.

In Ep 5, Boba Fett was able to track the Falcon using line of sight and sensors since the Falcon couldn’t enter Hyperspace.

In Ep 2, Obi-wan throws a homing beacon onto Jango’s ship.

In all of these examples, it’s clear that for hyperspace tracking a physical device is necessary.

Movies have taught us that people freeze instantly in space, even though there’s no air with which to dissipate the body’s heat. In reality, the body would radiate its heat slowly and you’d be dead long before you froze solid.

DominicCobb said:

RogueLeader said:

Good point. The scene doesn’t bother me either, but just trying to see ways to make it more enjoyable for others. Although at this point I think people either like it or don’t, know matter how much I might try to make it more bearable for those who didn’t like it.

Honestly the more I think about the Last Jedi, the less things I think are necessary to change. I think for some inevitable edit of my own, I probably would use some of Hal’s trims as a basis (along with the additional Finn scenes, darthrush’s shift of the Yoda scene, and maybe a slightly altered opening crawl), but beyond that I think I would only introduce maybe two major additions that I haven’t scene before.

I myself have a fan edit in mind which is mostly pretty light save for one semi-major change that I haven’t seen proposed yet. Will post if I can ever get it to work right.

The suspense is killing me.

Lots of great ideas here, and I’m definitely bookmarking those Phasma lines for later use 😉

It makes a lot of sense to switch Kylo’s line to the Jakku village, it will have to be attempted.

Thanks!

SWOTFAN25 said:

What do you guys think about the star wars fandom in general right now.

I love the members of this website but if you go elsewhere specifically YouTube its just a complete dumpster fire.

Its either clickbait from Mike Zeroh, #StarWarsDead, or “Disney/Kathleen Kennedy should be burned alive” videos. Besides the Vader fan film to me its all pretty embarrassing…

Youtube has always been a Wretched Hive, moreso after The Last Jedi.

I have no hard data to back it up, but I fear that a lot of the toxicity around Star Wars right now is coming from my generation, the ones that grew up watching the OT on VHS and seeing the Prequels in theaters, people who are now in their thirties or forties. Because I can’t imagine people like my parents, children of the 60’s and 70’s, caring too much about what the Mouse House is doing with the franchise after the mess that GL had made, nor having the time to whine about it in YouTube comment sections. And it’s funny, because I had come to assume that the folks here at the OT forums were the nitpicky cantankerous grumps, whereas many who grew up enjoying the prequels would love the franchise no matter what.

But there are still places unaffected by the toxicity:

https://sleemo.com/

That’s one I visit whenever I feel like the criticism and toxicity becomes too much.

I realize now that there are certain ways in which I interpret the (soon to be) three trilogies which allow me to appreciate them. The Original Trilogy requires the least interpretation, mostly just stripping it of the later EU baggage so that the films can stand on their own as the works of art they are. The prequels I can appreciate on the level of theme and concept, stemming from the pulp anthropologist mind of George Lucas. The themes of corruption and allusions to the Roman Republic, wrapped in a stilted classic Hollywood style make these truly unique and valuable films.

Finally, I find I can really appreciate the ST for its high production values and the genuine love for Star Wars on display, centered around some genuinely excellent and magnetic characters. The weaknesses of the ST being an overreliance on coincidence and fan service make it feel like the most extravagant fan project of all time, which I think is why it’s so easy to fanedit - the trilogy itself is an evolving collaboration between fans of the series with naturally differing viewpoints, so what’s one more viewpoint in the mix?

Sounds like fun!

Maybe you could use TFA Restructured as an example of a collaborative edit - I personally had a blast working on it with Hal and Ridley and the many others who contributed. The Leia deleted scene and the Star Destroyer over Maz’s castle were both areas that simply couldn’t have been done (or done well) without everyone working together.

And of course if you’d like to use any TFA:Starlight materials feel free.

SWOTFAN25 said:

Sir Ridley said:

SWOTFAN25 said:

NeverarGreat said:

Thank you!

The edit is in progress, and probably won’t be released for quite some time due to the number of edit’s I’m still working on.

As for the TIE crash, I can see your sequence working, but you’d have to lose the scene of the female officer informing Hux of the impending crash. I’m working on some ideas for that scene right now though, and it might be worth losing that bit.

JEDIT: Here’s a somewhat rough mockup of a much earlier concept - the First Order has visited the crash site before Finn wakes up and has left a probe droid behind:

https://vimeo.com/312448116

Password: fanedit

What it really needs is a decent establishing shot of the droid.

Force Awakens Restructured V3 is amazing. HAL 9000 gives you a TON of credit in the commentary. I just need to know, how did you get the time stamp off of the deleted scene with Leia!?

I removed the time stamp from the deleted scene where Leia talks to Snap Wexley and Korr Sella (NeverarGreat did a small part of it too) for TFA Restructured. I used Adobe After Effects to recreate the video hidden behind the time code piece by piece by using still images that were animated to move around and follow the background (and sometimes people and objects) that moved behind the time code. Some shots were easy with a simple background while others needed many layers of objects that had to be animated in various ways to recreate the hidden footage.

Extraordinary work, I should’ve double checked that it was you not Neverar lol

If you want to see the process I used for removing the timestamp from one shot (which was quite similar to Ridley’s approach on the rest of the scene), I posted a little walkthrough here (page 7 of this thread):

https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/The-Force-Awakens-The-Starlight-Project/id/54912/page/7#1147760

Thank you!

The edit is in progress, and probably won’t be released for quite some time due to the number of edit’s I’m still working on.

As for the TIE crash, I can see your sequence working, but you’d have to lose the scene of the female officer informing Hux of the impending crash. I’m working on some ideas for that scene right now though, and it might be worth losing that bit.

JEDIT: Here’s a somewhat rough mockup of a much earlier concept - the First Order has visited the crash site before Finn wakes up and has left a probe droid behind:

https://vimeo.com/312448116

Password: fanedit

What it really needs is a decent establishing shot of the droid.

Okay, I’ve added some distortion to the images, as well as some villainous dialogue implying that Kylo thinks these visions are from Vader.

https://vimeo.com/312342613

Password: fanedit

I didn’t plan on using so much of the music, but it’s just so good I couldn’t help it.

DZ-330 said:

As long as 20 people here donate at least $4 dollars each month that more than covers it. In my opinion, if you can’t spare $4 a month maybe you should stop reading this and update your résumé. 😜

Also, is there a way we can add some kind of indicator to how much is left before the deadline? It may help to incentivize people to donate.

An indicator would definitely be helpful.

Donated!

The ‘Agreed’ is from the TFA Lego game. It’s not 100%, but works well enough I think and primes the audience to expect that the scene will play differently.

You’re right, there’s something still not working about the First Order imagery. If the goal is to make them an intimidation tactic by Kylo, then they need to be more personally relevant to Poe or have Kylo say something villainous about the Starkiller threat.

It’s funny, I did originally have a shot of BB-8, and even played with form cutting to Starkiller, but both versions felt too obvious.

I see what you mean about the reused footage though. If only there were some more deleted materials to use. As it is, the only way to not reuse shots is to rely solely on visions from Kylo like the deleted weapon charging shot and the stormtrooper salute. Maybe it would work if it were implied that the mind reading is mostly projection used to wear down the victim.

And yes, the final shot of Poe was an intentional nod to the trailer 😉

JEDIT: Here’s the interrogation with minimal Poe flashbacks and almost all deleted material from Restructured:

https://vimeo.com/312240300

Password: fanedit

It might also be interesting to remove the Poe shots from earlier, and have them here instead so that there is a slight mystery for some people as to what he actually did with the plans.

I’ve tried several approaches, though none of them were quite what you propose. However, I think it’s best to let this stay hypothetical and move on to other ideas.

For example, I was thinking about how there really should be an introduction to the Starkiller threat early in the movie so the audience isn’t blindsided by it later on, and also considering how the Resistance seems to know about it (in Restructured V3 Poe will say ‘Finn’s familiar with the weapon system, he worked on the base’). So how does Poe know about it? I thought that it would be neat to show some brief clips from the Hosnian destruction scene in Kylo’s interrogation of Poe, keeping some original shots to make it clear that these visions or predictions are unique to Kylo and differ slightly from actual events:

https://vimeo.com/312200109

Password: fanedit

It will also serve to foreshadow the type of thing I will do in Rey’s interrogation scene, and establish how Kylo’s mind reading is a two way street even for non-Force users.

EddieDean said:

I always read Maz’ “union dispute” line as a joke, since she’s clearly not disputing anything. I figured she was just being sarcastic during a gunfight.

I don’t know, I imagine that Maz is the type of person to get caught up in a whole lot of causes, union disputes included.