I like the SE shot the best personally, I don’t think it breaks continuity with the prequels in any way because different areas of the planet can look different. As for the Battle Droid, I actually quite liked that little cameo but i won’t be particularly bothered either way.
Here’s a candidate for the entrance to Mos Eisley. I carefully blended Adywan’s color corrected BluRay master, NewGuy’s ANH, and the Despecialized. Sometimes I overlaid the first two in order to better blend between sources, since they align perfectly. A little film grain is applied in spots to help mask transitions between sources, also.
https://vimeo.com/310480965
password: fanedit
Do you plan on following Adywan’s lead in removing the little floater droid that passes by the Stormtrooper in the background? i’m finding it a bit distracting, especially since you’ve cut down on many of the other CGI additions.
The shot of the Falcon exiting Hyperspace is neat but isn’t the bigger issue that they’re clearly not in a hyperspace tunnel for the entire scene? Also, doesn’t the change kind of go against the ethos of this being a hybridization of official versions only?
Your version of ESB looks nearly ideal. Any reason you left in the gaffe with the puppeteer’s arm on the Wampa though? That was fixed in the Blu-Ray version.
The KK650 versions are pretty good primary sources for ESB and ROTJ. His latest incarnations have pretty natural looking colors considering there isn’t really a source for “accurate” colors on those movies.
These are pretty close to ideal hybridizations, although I could disagree on a couple of minor things. It would awesome if they could be made a reality someday.
NeverarGreat said:
-Neimoidian cuts are often good, though subtitling them as well would be better.
I really want to do this, partially so I can reshape their dialogue and don’t need to make so many cuts to them. My audio editing expertise is not quite up to snuff though. If someone could help me with this, it would be much appreciated.
Uh-oh, I’ll do something about that, but it might not be for a few days.
Sorry about this. I had to take my edits off Google Drive due to copyright issues and I currently don’t have another solution for hosting them (besides myspleen). If someone would be able to help me with hosting them elsewhere, please PM me and I’d be willing to work it out. Until then I can’t really provide the edits to anyone who doesn’t have myspleen access.
Has anyone compiled a comprehensive list of extras that are either exclusive to the digital collection or presented in a higher quality than what’s available in the DVD or Blu-ray extras? Digital HD is the only recent format I don’t own these films in and I’d like to get a sense of what I’m missing.
I thought this video was relevant to the goals of this edit: https://youtu.be/GYN2Lp9oHMk
The DNR version is coming along quite nicely I think:
Wow, those are a marked improvement. Can anyone explain exactly how the DNR process is being handled? It definitely doesn’t have the “waxy” look one might associate with DNR.
I’d argue that there’s more detail overall in 4K77 than in the Blu-ray. The Blu-ray has been degrained, sharpened, and regrained so that the resulting image is very ‘flat’, meaning that fine details in already in-focus areas are distorted, whereas out-of-focus elements are sharpened. So whereas the impression upon seeing the Blu-ray is that it is sharper, you’re losing the natural depth of field from the original photography. 4K77 retains this.
The most noticeable issue with 4K77 is the inconsistent color grade, but that’s just how it looked on a Technicolor print.
Funny, I was just comparing 4K77 to Despecialized last night, and although there’s more textural detail in Despecialized (visible in characters’ skin, fabrics, etc.), I couldn’t help but feel that the overall image felt “flat” compared to 4K77. Thanks for explaining why this is.
I wonder if there’s a way to achieve more detail by overlaying one over the other.
It’s a grainy film.
And I’m not saying that the team did a perfect job because I’m sure they didn’t, but the majority of the color issues are inherent in the print.
If you want a SE of this I think you know where you can buy one
I mean, I only brought it up because they’ve outright said they’re doing a DNR’d version. Also, any print is inherently going to have a higher level of grain than what’s on the negative, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to desire a version that attempts to remove a little grain.
Oh, it’s beautiful!
The grain is definitely excessive though, so I’ll be interested to see the DNR’ed version. I hope the grain can be toned down without removing detail or introducing a “waxy” look.
Awesome! As someone that loved the movie and saw it twice in theaters, even I can admit it has some pacing issues, so I’ll be interested to see how your conservative cut works for me. I haven’t watched my blu-ray copy yet (although I pored over all the special features) so I’m debating whether I want to rewatch the theatrical cut again before I dive into this version. Either way, I’ll be happy to give feedback!
You can definitely sign me up to look at a second workprint when you have it.
But real talk R2 still slams into the wall right
Yes 😃
I don’t care for that, it seems kind of like a worst of both worlds to me. You still get the same (frequently criticized) “superman” pose and flying motion as in the theatrical cut but you also rob Leia of her one moment to tap into the force and save herself in an act of desperation. Luke saving her is (imo) much less powerful.
I’m one of the people who didn’t really have a problem with the “flying Leia” scene to begin with, but if there was a way to cut the scene that keeps the intent the same but tones down the “silly” visuals, I’d be game for it.
Yeah, rest assured, none of the slapstick with R2 and the Super Battle Droids will be in this cut (right now, it cuts from Anakin and Obi cutting down droids in the elevator to them exiting the elevator to find Palps, skipping all of the R2 antics in the process) I’m still cutting down the Droid humor mind you, I’m just not eradicating it like most editors do. I may do more if I get a lot of feedback to that effect though.
I wasn’t happy with the abruptness of the cut in my 2nd clip when Anakin says “I’m not leaving without you” (I cut him referring to Obi-Wan as master). I’ve made an alternative cut of that sequence where I subbed that line for a cockpit shot from elsewhere: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xLKUYQAuvjYPhnlEhCt3_VnB11XKm-Dc
Let me know which you guys prefer.
Best of luck to you with this. I’d be more interested in it than the other two, given that it’ll be different enough from mine. While I’m pretty burnt out on these three movies, I’d be happy to help in any way which doesn’t involve watching the whole thing through in one sitting. 😃
Haha, I absolutely know that feel! Feedback on any of the clips I post would be wonderful, particularly from a technical perspective. I’d like this edit to be as close to seamless as possible, and I don’t think my other two prequel edits live up to that as much as I’d like.
My goal for the first twenty minutes or so of the movie is honestly just to show these characters having some honest-to-goodness swashbuckling fun before everything turns sour. If the tone borders on camp, I’m actually kind of okay with that. We need to establish that Obi and Anakin are good friends and equals now for those that didn’t watch The Clone Wars, and this should seem like just another one of their many adventures together. Most of the cuts I’m making are to improve the flow and focus of the movie, as well as downplay antagonism between the two friends.
Here’s a first clip for you all to chew on: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YCXH3SjxVsjpE6lVYY2M8ZO50CFmk6DU
It’s Obi-Wan and Anakin’s first encounter with Grievous in the film. I heavily based the whole sequence on Hal’s but added some music and restored a little droid humor. Let me know what you all think.
And because I’m feeling generous today: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Q7YIPh7bvLMVilGPuxJKL1vbUUWsvCTK
The opening space battle and crash landing into the hangar is also heavily based on Hal’s version but once again I’ve restored some droid vocalizations. I’ve also added back a few lines of banter and made some small dialogue changes inspired by NFBisms to emphasize Obi-Wan’s and Anakin’s relationship as peers and good friends rather than as student and teacher. Anakin no longer uses the honorific “Master” with Obi-Wan, instead calling him by name.
So, I’ve started work on my true edit of Episode III, which will be the follow-up to my other prequel edits, Faster More Intense and Sanded Down. So far, I’ve got a close to final cut of the opening sequence, through the crash landing of the Invisible Hand.
A few notes:
This edit will probably be a bit more conservative than my other two prequel edits, and probably one of the more conservative Revenge of the Sith edits in general. While the first two prequels are movies I don’t enjoy because of their flaws, ROTS is a movie that I enjoy despite it’s flaws, I just wish it could be better. Changes to the ordering of scenes and general structure will be less radical than most other ROTS edits. I won’t be making any effort to preserve the OT’s twists.
I might make two versions: one where Padme lives and another where she dies like in the theatrical cut. I’m not 100% set on this but it’s something I’m considering.
Edits I will be inspired by: Hal9000’s Labyrinth of Evil, l8wrtr’s Dawn of the Empire, Kerr’s Dark Force Rising, NFBism’s New Canon Cut and some ideas from The_Cutter’s unfinished edit.
Here’s an open question: how ruthless should I be with excising the Battle Droid’s vocalizations and humor? Most edits have been pretty severe on this front, but I tend to think that without a little bit of the humor, the fact that there are so ineffectual in this movie feels strangely out of place rather than a conscious choice. At least turning them into a joke “lampshades” it a bit.
I have a balance that I’m pretty happy with right now but I will upload a clip soon and let you guys weigh in on it.
EDIT:
It’s been almost a decade since I first dabbled with editing the prequels, and I think I finally have a trilogy I’m fairly happy with. Obviously I could keep making tweaks forever, but frankly I think I’m ready to put these projects behind me. “Another Happy Sanding” is ready for release and uploading as we speak. Please PM for a link, I’ll try to send some out tomorrow.
My overall philosophy with this particular edit was to focus on making a lot of small changes that add up to something greater, rather than radically altering the structure or flow of the film. Like always, Hal9000’s edit was a big influence and a primary source for this edit, but “Another Happy Sanding” diverges from “Labyrinth of Evil” in that it attempts to preserve the original structure of the movie. Like in the original film, Anakin’s fears of Padme’s demise serve as the primary impetus for his fall.
While I’ve made some cuts of my own, I’ve also restored some fan-favorite lines and moments of camp, like most of Yoda & Palpatine’s duel. It’s silly, but it’s fun & inventive and I miss its presence in other edits. I hope this edit strikes a good balance for most people.
Like the theatrical film, Padme dies at the end of this edit. I went with this ending partially in order to preserve canon, and partially because I feel like it’s the natural conclusion the movie is leading up to. I’m honestly pretty divided on this particular question though, so I may at some point upload an “alternate ending” version that concludes like “Labyrinth of Evil”, with Padme living on Alderaan. Chime in if that’s something you’d like to see.
Other edits that influenced this one are Kerr’s “Dark Force Rising”, L8wrtr’s “Dawn of the Empire”, NFBism’s “New Canon Cut”, and SiliconMaster482’s “Rebalanced” edit. I also borrowed a snippet of video from Bobson Dugnutt’s “expanded edition”, which originally borrowed from my “extended edition”. The circle is now complete, as Anakin would say.
Sade1212 provided a visual effects shot that was originally created for Hal’s edit but never used. Keep an eye out for it.
Last but not least, here is the mostly complete, but not exhaustive, cut-list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g2NmJYOkNHSzvguMgKMvTYaCcPSQqwOKI6nQNjMoxQM/edit?usp=sharing
I hope you enjoy and may the Force be with you!