Octorox

Sorry, but this doesn’t really work for me. For one, Chewbacca’s bandolier has two shoulder straps in Solo, so I don’t think the double bandoliers really make it looks like a different Wookiee. And with no bandoliers at all he looks strangely…naked?

Chewbacca never interacts with Yoda in the OT anyway, so I never felt showing them together, despite it being a bit convenient, really took anything away from the original movies. This was Peter Mayhew’s last full performance as Chewbacca (In Force Awakens he only plays the character in some shots) so I’d be inclined to just leave it be.

RogueLeader said:

Omni said:

This is exactly what happens in the movie already though. The flaw Galen left on the Death Star was a leaking reactor. How to get to the reactor is a whole different matter - Luke’s miracle.

I don’t disagree with that. This was just an idea I had to address this issue, which I have heard brought up from time to time. I’ve argued against it before, but I can see where it is coming from as well. Kind of want to get a sense of people’s feelings about it.

A lot of your ideas for Rogue One seem similar to mine, but this one in particular I don’t agree with. I think one of the better things about the film is that it retcons a frankly obvious design flaw to be an intentional decision rather than simple incompetence. I think making this change would diminish that, and the fact that Galen didn’t catch the flaw in the initial design would make him look boneheaded.

Use cuts and VFX to remove the data disc being handed off to the Tantive IV. Mask it out of hand. Maybe replace disc with blaster for the second rebel (since he has a blaster in his right hand when he makes it into the Tantive IV). We can assume both ships received the transmission.

I’m also not sure about this change. I think what makes the Vader hallway scene work is that the stakes are clear. The Rebels are desperately trying to hand off the plans while Vader is cutting them down one by one. If there’s no game of hot potato with the plans happening, the scene is just Vader killing dudes because it looks cool, and doesn’t have much of a purpose.

Personally, I think the way TM2YC handled Vader was more or less perfect, and I wouldn’t change it much at all.

Hal 9000 said:

I think that’s the only tweak of the sort that I would like to apply to ESB, but for ANH I think I’ll do an alternate track with the following:

• “[I] wanted you to have this…”
• 2004 Krayt dragon call
• Luke calling out to Biggs from the radio drama after his death (similar to Adywan’s implementation - to help the SE scene feel more valid)

I’d be interested in this. Would you also consider bringing in any bits from the mono mix, such as the “Blast it Wedge, where are you?” line?

Here’s what I’ve got going so far for the podrace. I decided to bring back our old friend Jabba and make some other tweaks that align closely with the theatrical edit, check it out: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yDX303qJdK2qdfHKy5z69zjqRN3d87Wt

I never had too hard a time believing that Obi-Wan was just bending the truth there to give Luke a nudge down the path of a Jedi. I agree that changing “[a] Jedi Master who instructed me” is fine.

I was able to take a look. I actually think it looks more like the HDTV version. It is full 1080p, just with the same image quality problems as the DVD/HDTV scan. The pink shift seems to be gone though

Wow, it looks excellent! Is there any chance we could see a preview of your version of the Dex’s Diner sequence as well? I’m interested in seeing what you did with it.

I don’t own the digital releases, just the Blu-Rays. Does anyone know how the quality is on this bonus feature? Is it SD? HD? How does it compare to the TV Broadcast and Laserdisc versions?

How about the prequel deleted scenes? Are they pretty much identical to the DVD releases? Thanks!

Here’s a pretty minor suggestion, but could you keep more of Obi-Wan snooping around the separatist base? The way the music currently cuts from him observing the droid factory to listening in on the meeting is a bit jarring to me, as the first part of the “conspiracy” leitmotif is removed. My preferred edit of that sequence is the Phantom Editor’s which keeps it mostly the same as the theatrical but cuts the Trade Viceroy’s line “I’m not signing your treaty until I have her head on my desk.” to just “I’m not signing your treaty until I have her head.”

Iryin01 said:

Buzz Lightyear said:

I can’t see any way to make a complete removal of the factory scene feel seamless. A Dooku VO would not be enough, a real version of the movie just wouldn’t handle the transition that way. It would establish Dooku finding out about Anakin and Padme, and then it would show Anakin and Padme being apprehended and taken to Dooku. Unless there are deleted scenes somewhere that show this, it just won’t feel like an official edit if we jump straight to Padme talking with Dooku.

Honestly, I think the rest of this edit improves AotC so drastically that it can afford to have a single, trimmed down less-than-stellar scene for the sake of feeling like an official movie edit.

I mean, to be fair, Padme said that she wanted a diplomatic solution to the situation. Therefore, it makes sense that they could simply walk in to talk with Dooku without any real confrontation. The reason Obi-Wan was apprehended was because he was sneaking around and sending messages via his ship.

Why wouldn’t they just come in the front entrance then? I think the preceding scene implies that they are looking for an discreet entrance to sneak in.

ChainsawAsh said:

Damn, all the technical fixes you’re doing may mean I have to do a hybrid V5/V6 for myself if you do decide to add the droid factory cancer back in…

Good idea. I’ve been making a hybrid V5/V6 Cloak of Deception for myself too, and can even make it available if Hal is okay with it.

Put me in the pro camp as well. Even though the scene itself isn’t exactly a winner it feels like a smoother transition.

That’s alright. Just something interesting to point out. TM2YC also revealed the Jedi the same way The Phantom Editor did by digitally painting out the lightsabers in the background in one shot of Dooku.

This I’m interested in seeing. One of the strongest edits in Attack of the Phantom that I haven’t seen many editors try to replicate.

So I may or may not be working on a V2 of this that is a little more conservative and includes some of the changes from Hal’s latest version of his edit.

Here’s something I’m experimenting with in order to retain the “short negotiations” joke: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kVnqOCAJaq-XftsR1cNXaOqS8GEayAC4
Let me know if you guys think the lip sync is close enough. I also need to add some droid servo sound effects, although I’m not sure where I can source the audio (Qui-Gon’s original lines are mixed into all front audio channels in this scene). Please PM me or post here if you have a source!

Honestly, it’s not a bad bit. Qui-Gon catching the tongue with his Jedi reflexes would be genuinely a fun moment, if not for the fact that it clashes with the scene surrounding it.

Just got finished watching V6. Congrats on the best version of COD yet! Even though my edits have taken the opposite tact, I really appreciate how your edits slow down and let the movies breathe somewhat, and I think it helps them feel less like fanedits. The new 3PO lines work beautifully and I think your version of the “fixing up the podracer” scene fits in much better than the “before the race” scene in previous versions of the edit.

Although I think the majority of V6 changes are improvements, there’s one change that doesn’t sit right with me, and that’s JarJar slurping apples at the dinner table. I’m okay with the fact that your edit isn’t as aggressive on JarJar as some others, and I feel like you’ve mostly done a great job toning him down when his antics detract from the pacing or dramatic impact. However, this scene stood out as particularly problematic to me because they’re literally having conversation about slavery(!) when JarJar starts poaching apples. For me, it was a distraction and totally undermined the dramatic heft of what was going on. There were also some “wacky races” antics in the podrace that I could have taken or left, but I don’t think they were as egregious.

Overall though, I think this is the version of The Phantom Menace I will use when viewing the saga in preparation for Rise of Skywalker. Highly recommended!

Hal 9000 said:

V6 exists, and is on its way up into the Google Drive. It should be appearing later on the 'Spleen, too.

Woah, I honestly didn’t expect you to be done with the tweaks so quickly! Changelog?

Please no Greedo scene. It’s one of the few things I really don’t care for in l8wrtr’s edit. Honestly, all of the Episode I deleted footage looks pretty rough from a quality standpoint. The only scene I would include is Qui-Gon and Anakin discovering the probe Droid.

For reference, here are l8wrtr’s takes on the droid factory and garage scenes (I think of the edit’s I’ve seen, his were most successful in editing down these scenes):

droid factory: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1L3RMhiG8debz1CUCKgM0gYHrHrN0MUME
garage: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pHLbsJiDweog5gohQGNZTS5ZIuVI4FvX

Personally, I would vote to add the droid factory but keep the garage scene out.

I’m glad you’re re-instating a shortened Diner scene. If nothing else, I do like how it adds a bit of characterization to Obi-Wan, portraying him as someone with relationships and connections outside the Jedi Temple. In A New Hope, Obi-Wan seems to know his way around Mos Eisley cantina, and has no trouble finding the right person to take the crew to Aldeeran. The Diner scene shows a little bit of that side of Obi-Wan, whereas much of the prequels portray him as stuffy and bookish.

As for the garage scene, I think l8wrtr’s edit shows that it can be salvaged, but I honestly prefer Hal’s decision to excise the scene entirely. It’s better that Anakin carries that tension inwardly and shares it only with Palpatine. I think it would be very difficult to cut the scene in the way you’re suggesting, but I’d of course love to see any attempts you might make.

I think you’re probably right in your decision to exclude the apartment scene, I just enjoy brainstorming different options. I’ll stop bringing it up, lest I start sounding like a broken record.

Hal 9000 said:

I’m leaving away from the droid factory action sequence, partly because I’m hoping to cull a line from it for 3PO to replace his line as they leave Tatooine.

Fair enough, but I do want to point out that I don’t think l8wrtr’s edit of the Droid factory scene includes R2 and 3PO at all, so you’d likely be able to use the line elsewhere if you adhered to a similar edit. Ultimately it’s your edit and I think the way it plays now works, even if it does seem a bit odd that they sneak into a secret entrance only to immediately sit down at the negotiation table.

Hard to disagree too much with that. Let me sit on this for a bit, but I do like it and it makes good sense.

On second thought, the deleted Obi-Wan and Mace scene does add some connective tissue to the Kamino mystery that isn’t there without the “Yoda & the Younglings” scene, which I don’t think anyone wants back. Without the presence of either of those scenes, Obi-Wan goes straight from not finding Kamino in the library to arriving on the planet, with no mention of someone possibly deleting the files from the archive.

You could add the edited-down Dex scene anyway, right where it was the theatrical cut, but I don’t think it allows you to remove the deleted Obi-Wan and Mace scene like I had previously thought. At that point, it might be best just to leave things as they are, even though I kind of like the idea that Obi-Wan has weird alien friends/informants.

That sounds encouraging! If I come across a suitable 3PO line I’ll let you know. While you’re restoring dialogue, is there any chance you’d bring back Obi-Wan’s “you were the chosen one!” spiel? I understand the desire to focus on the personal in that moment but the lines are so iconic and Ewan MacGregor does his damnedest to sell them. It’s something I missed when thumbing through the edit recently.

If Mala is cool with it, borrow his audio for Anakin being appointed to the council, using an eerie Imerial March rather than Anakin rambling

I like this change, although I don’t love the use of non-Williams soundtrack bits to accomplish it. I know Siliconmaster482’s edit accomplishes this and trims Anakin even more without disrupting the music, so maybe that could be another source of inspiration to draw from?

EDIT: I can think of one remaining way the apartment scene could work after the third “seeds of rebellion” scene. Just have Anakin’s “Obi-Wan’s been here hasn’t he” over the establishing shot of Padme’s apartment and then cut in to Padme saying “he’s worried about you”. That way you sidestep the whole “he came by this morning” issue.

So I know this will be an unpopular suggestion, but have you given any consideration to bringing back the Dex’s Diner scene with trims similar to what Cathy Fulcher-Baker did for her edit? clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtBAiWYWR6w&t=10m26s

The reason I ask is that I think this would allow you to include the scene from the theatrical cut where Mace, Yoda and Obi-Wan discuss Anakin, rather than the alternate “deleted scene” version with only Mace and Obi-Wan as you do now. While it may be slightly stronger dramatically, I think the visual effects in that deleted scene stand out as particularly unpolished. Additionally, Mace’s line that Obi-Wan “must have faith” in Anakin seems dissonant with his character in Revenge of the Sith, who clearly doesn’t trust him.

I tried replacing “he came by this morning” with “he came by yesterday” in the apartment scene myself and I can confirm that I couldn’t get it to work seamlessly. It’s too bad, but I think I agree with Hal now that it’s impossible to integrate this scene while staying true to the goals of the edit. I guess that’s more impetus for me to create my own edit at some point…

EDIT: Actually, I can think of one way it could work. Just have Anakin’s “Obi-Wan’s been here hasn’t he” over the establishing shot of Padme’s apartment and cut in to Padme saying “he’s worried about you”

Hal, is there any chance we might be able to see a preview clip of the “plot destroy the jedi” scene integrated into it’s new place in the film before V6 releases? I’m curious as to how the music transitions will play. Additionally, are you planning to reintegrate the beginning of the council scene now that those two scenes are separated (disturbing is this move by chancellor palpatine…etc.) or will you still cut in on “you’re on this council but we do not grant you the rank of master”?

Hal 9000 said:
I think the first seeds of rebellion scene almost has to be placed where I have, due to the lighting and time of day. It’s late morning, not approaching sunset as the Anakin-Obi walk ‘n talk or traffic scenes. Even so, it feels more natural than breaking up the latter two scenes mentioned. My opinion; there’s several edits that have placed the scene in both spots.

That’s fair, although I’d argue the time of day appears wrong in both placements. The council scene already has an overcast early evening thing going on and the sun continues to set throughout the next few scenes. The Seeds of Rebellion scene has a bright morning look as you said. If we’re going purely on time of day, I think the most logical place would be after the new placement of the “Plot to destroy the Jedi” scene and before the scene where Anakin misses a briefing.

For what it’s worth, the original graphic novel adaptation places it between “The Chancellor’s request” and the council scene.