NeverarGreat

Imhotep said:

I finally got around to watching this edit (version 105 I think). You’ve made excellent additions to the film. It’s great to see an edit not only trimming things away, but adding elements in a thoughtful way. Amazing work!

Some notes from my viewing:

• The drawing of the island in Rey’s hut is a beautiful and seamless addition.
• Your restructuring of scenes to space out events over a longer period of time works well, given the constraints of the available material. It always bothered me that the majority of TFA seems to take place over just a day or so.
• I enjoy the new placement of Kylo’s meditation scene, but am unsure about making this a prayer to Snoke. I prefer to keep separate his submission to Snoke and worship of Vader. Though, his worship of Vader was an element that should have been paid off in Episode IX, but wasn’t. So it doesn’t really go anywhere, except for brief dialogue from Snoke at the beginning of TLJ.

Yeah, like you said his Vader worship doesn’t really go anywhere. With him praying to Snoke, it does a few things. First, it introduces the idea of a Supreme Leader without mentioning his goofy name, potentially getting an audience on board through incremental info. Second, it reinforces the implication in TFA that Snoke can manipulate people’s minds across vast distances such as turning Ben to the Dark Side. This is an explicit plot point in TLJ so I think it helps both films in that regard. Finally, Ben knows that Vader turned back to the light in the end, so it doesn’t even make sense to pray to Vader since he doesn’t even exist as a Dark Side spirit at this point.

• I miss Rey’s dream sequence on Jakku from a few versions back, what are your thoughts on removing this?

I went back and forth for a while on this one, ultimately concluding that the scene works better as an introduction to Rey as a normal girl. Giving her a vision this early short-circuits some of the power of her later Force development such as the saber visions. I have also become less-enamored of visions and things which disrupt the flow of ‘normal’ events in the film. It was still a hard decision because I do still like the vision and it will probably make it into the other version of the edit.

• The shots of the Falcon entering and exiting hyperspace after leaving Jakku are excellent.
• I wonder if Leia’s deleted scene with Kor Sella could be placed after the Resistance learn of Starkiller base, as this would clarify the sense of urgency in the deleted scene.

That’s a good idea, but the main problem is one of integration. There would need to be some buffer between Finn telling Leia about the weapon and her going to Kor Sella. Maybe the brief Chewbacca and Kalonia cutaway scene would work there, but it might be too brief. It can’t really happen after the scene between Leia and Han since at that point they’ve already sent a reconnaissance mission to Starkiller and it would be weird to alert the Republic about info they don’t have, and putting the scene after that point feels too late.

The other issue is the music. The music in this scene works really well since it was originally part of the D’Kar landing and all that I did was cut some of Finn wandering around to make room for the deleted scene.

• Rey’s extended mind trick scene is great.
• Great use of voiceover from the stormtroopers, where Rey climbs down to hide in Starkiller base. This really helps give context to the scene.
• I’m keen to see how the restored scene with Kylo in the Falcon worked with the child voice over, would you mind reposting this? I feel this could connect well with Snoke’s line in TLJ, ‘you’re just a child in a mask’.

https://vimeo.com/459628132 Password: fanedit
It’s at about the 6 minute mark.

• If you can add in the dice scene, that would be amazing! Unfortunately I can’t think of any shots that would help in that regard. It sounds like a difficult shot to add, but it would be a fantastic addition.
• The binary beacon is a great addition.

The edit is in a great place. It looks like you’re on the finishing touches at the moment, but then you always seem to find ways to improve the film that I never would have expected! I look forward to watching it again when you get to the final version.

Thanks for the review, glad to hear that so much is working!

“UNLIMITED POWAH” (Lightning curves around entire city blocks and smacks the temple and it gets blowed up)

It would be a difficult endeavor to replace Anakin with Palpatine in the temple scenes, but I’m not gonna say it’s impossible.

Yeah, anyone who wants to try this edit out be my guest 😃

We’re probably getting away from unpopular opinions, so my thoughts on the subject can be found here.

More to the thread, I think it’s still somewhat unpopular to think of TROS as worse than AOTC, at best most people probably view them as similarly bad. But they’re wrong. TROS is the worst. By a lot.

RogueLeader said:

Are you planning to use the same musical cue from Solo as Ridley did? Perhaps you could trim the shot before his face moves in front of it. You kind of end up with weird continuity between that shot and the following shot regardless. At the very lest that could be an option if that ends up being too difficult.

That’s a possibility, especially since we were planning on making a new shot of the dice directly after that shot.

Master Lawdog said:

Is it possible in the shot where Kylo Ren’s saber is glowing before he turns it on to kill Lor San Tekka to digitally remove the glow than cropping it out? Just curious.

I tried that first, but it’s a very strong glow across a lot of the shot and it was rather untenable to fix the bottom of the frame. I recall it barely worked to fix the rest of it.

Then I won’t worry about it. 😃

I will have to take out the camera rig, as well as remove some of the ceiling and maybe some of the man to the left of Han if he enters shot. The worst bit of this shot will probably be when Han’s face goes half-behind the camera rig. I’ve never had to do that level of reconstructive surgery.

Well if anyone wishes to continue the project or any other which incorporates these ideas, you will have my blessing.

True.

Looks pretty fun!

I vividly recall my first viewing of ROTS and being on board with Palpatine whispering in Anakin’s ear about how the Jedi are flawed and the Dark Side could grant good effects if only the Jedi would allow them. I thought it was a really smart way to go about Anakin’s turn.

But then we get to Mace’s death scene and all of that goes out the window as Anakin cartoonishly pledges himself to Monster Mash and vows to murder all the children. It’s just so out of left field that I mentally checked out and threw the prequels in the garbage because of that scene.

So if this change were to be achieved, it’s not hyperbole to say that for me it would almost single-handedly save the prequels.

LexX said:

Bluto said:

LexX said:

Speaking of small details, does anyone still know what the intercom voice says here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKs0iI68Rx8&t=30s
I have some idea but I still don’t know for sure what he says.

NeverarGreat said:

“Media Squad, prep your team and check any power (powdered?) supplies.”

Maybe. The sounds change based on what I’m expecting to hear.

That’s a tough one. I couldn’t make out anything at first, but now think NeverarGreat is very close.

• “… squad, prep your team and check …” sounds spot on.
• “Media” has the right sound, but the context doesn’t fit. Due to the sudden cut to this scene, perhaps there’s something before the “edia” sound that was lost in the editing?
• My ears hear different vowel sounds (as well as a different rhythm) at the end: I don’t think it’s “power supplies”, but confess not to have a better suggestion at present.

Someone once suggested it’s meteor squad but I don’t know if that makes any more sense.

Meteor does sound more correct from a Star Wars perspective. I was trying to figure out what that first word was and came up with ‘Phoenix’, but Meteor does sound best.

Well in the mockup I posted, I only replaced two window panes with the BTS footage. In the left front window you can just see in the shadows the ESB cockpit door. The door is repeated in the BTS footage behind Han, which means that the perspective is shifted a good meter or so to the right at the back of the cockpit. I could line up the perspective more accurately, but if I do that then Han’s face is obscured by a window pane. Notice also that part of the BTS cockpit is curving down from the ceiling into the window area, which would need to be fixed.

So basically, I had to misalign the shots to create an acceptable composition. If I had a more straight-on view, the misalignment could be sold more easily.

If it’s not a big deal to anyone I could go ahead and work from this, but it’s not entirely ideal.

The implication here could be that Rey might have left it specifically for Finn before being taken by Leia rather than Leia having the other one from the outset. Either way, it’s just a fun thing for sharp eyes to notice for the two seconds it’s in frame.

Also, just a reminder that I’m still on the lookout for HQ reference images of the Falcon cockpit.

Going back through the thread, here’s an idea that I forgot about until today and decided to implement:

“Media Squad, prep your team and check any power (powdered?) supplies.”

Maybe. The sounds change based on what I’m expecting to hear.

As an insider, I completely agree.

Um, what?

Exactly. The Force can be with anyone at any time; microscopic life forms in the blood are a reductive and quite frankly destructive element which constrains the Force to practical irrelevance in its own story.

ZkinandBonez said:

Z6PO said:

The expendable design makes more sense, and is in line with the philosophy of the Empire military! I had always found the hyperdrive ring on the Jedi fighter kinda stupid: if it gets destroyed after you leave it behind, you become stranded and have to call for help…

I though it just stayed in orbit or in deep space until the fighter returned? Or is that an EU thing maybe? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen/read that the fighters can return and use them again.

Perhaps they were saying that enemy forces could destroy the rings, not that they are single-use.

As for the concept, I think it’s neat to be able to shed excess weight for increased maneuverability, something that Jedi pilots would probably prefer. I also think there are plenty of ways these rings would be beneficial in a military engagement, especially if the fighters were part of a strike force containing larger ships. The rings could be left adrift around the larger vessels or even remotely operated in order to draw enemy fire. Any hit on the disposable rings would be one less hit on the large vessel.

Even on its own, a hyperspace ring would probably be difficult to track down by enemy forces if left in high orbit or deep space because of its low/nonexistent power signature - they’d basically have to be searching for what amounts to random debris, which is again more time with their attention drawn away from the real Jedi threat.

GMatias said:

There might be something usable in the Millennium Falcon ship vid from Disney+?

Unfortunately not, that’s the first place I checked.

I’ve heard back from SirRidley who has kindly allowed me to use their scene recreation of Han hanging the dice (Password: fanedit), so I’m starting work on the uncompleted shot. I think the only workable solution would be to view the action from outside the cockpit and frame it through several of the windows:

Obviously the big camera and other rubbish would have to be removed, as well as changing the background to the ship hangar, but it looks possible.

Anyone who looks at this image for more than a second will notice that the perspective is…off. That’s because the best image I could find of the Falcon cockpit was from this shot of ESB, and the perspective is a bit more right-leaning than in the BTS footage. I also don’t have access to a 4K version of ESB so this was from internet screencaps.

However, I know the community’s knowledge of BTS photos is both wide and deep, so I beseech thee to harness thine mighty powers and tell me if I’m missing that high-res photo of the Falcon cockpit exterior that perfectly matches this angle:

If no such superior image exists, a true 4K still or clip from this shot in ESB would be most helpful. 😃

ZkinandBonez said:

The “original” Jurassic Park. This stop-motion dinosaur film (which predates even King Kong) is something of a forgotten milestone in cinema.

The Lost World (1925)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGQfgjCXDoU - from the Classic Movie Central YouTube channel (1 hour 42 mins long - 720p)

Synopsis:
The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.

Directed by Harry O. Hoyt.

Cast: Bessie Love, Lewis Stone & Wallace Beery.

Trivia:
This was the first feature-length film to feature stop motion animation as the primary special effect. The effects were done by Willis O’Brien who would in 1933 work on the original King Kong.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Another fun watch! Admittedly some unfortunate parts due to the time period, but the story was well-done and I can even see where the Jurassic Park sequel drew inspiration.

In the context of the high-action scenes preceding it, this feels too slow. Notice how Vader has already entered the space and is examining the bodies even as his theme continues to play, whereas the original has just a few dissonant notes which hold as he investigates the scene and the same musical idea picks up again as he leaves. It just fits the scene much better.

That’s not to say the Imperial March wouldn’t work here at all, just that it would need to be a shorter, sharper sting. It would also need to be propagated throughout the film with increasing depth and modulation to really act as Vader’s theme.

Also axe “green” because it’s speciesist.