Possessed

Hows it coming along?

I'll pm you guys the link when I get this uploaded.  MEgaupload failed me half way through twice.  Grr.

Also, just as a note to you guys:  I am going to re-edit jabba's palace completely.  Largely the same ideas, but hopefully more professional and with a better pace.  I felt like I progressed alot as an editor as I made this, and now I don't think the opening is up to snuff with the rest of the edit that I did later with a break in between.  The avi you are seeing will have the original edit.  Also might add back in some things to the briefing scene.

Bingowings said:

I'd love to give it a spin.

Sure thing, I'll pm you the link when it gets done uploading.  I'm using Megaupload for now.

Also I've figured out a way to make this edit available in 5.1 surround.  I did all the editing in 5.1 and I still have the unmixed down file.  The reason I mixed it down was because of the way I edited the movie, the center channel is very jumbled.  It is not noticeable at all when played in stereo with the other channels to cover it, but on a full 5.1 setup with an individual center channel it would be very noticeable.  My solution is to take my mixed down file, do a pro logic upmix on it, and replace the center channel in the "true" 5.1 mix with what pro-logic deems it should be.  I've already completed the mix, and it isn't on the preview avi that's going out but it will be on the final dvd.

Bingowings said:

My advice is to wait until you have a DVD version you are proud to put your name to before putting it to FE a few off comments can put people off from downloading a perfectly watchable edit from what I've heard.

Putting out a rough and ready preview AVI around privately would be a good way of getting feedback but I'd mark it up as a rough work copy until you are completely satisfied with it.

Good advice.  Is there anybody interested in previewing a rough copy of my edit?  I was thinking somewhere between 2 and 5 or so people whose opinions on things have been helpful in this thread.  (And this may not be politically correct to say, but or if I've seen helpful things said by them in other threads...)

It's encoded, I'm about to start uploading.  Should I ask somebody at FE?  I guess it's completed enough to be archived on fanedit.info/org.  I do consider this avi a 1.0, with a full intention of doing a 2.0 after hearing criticisms.  

Known technical issues:
Sound is too quiet.  All of it.  Just turn the volume up.  I'll fix it for the DVD, I don't really think it matters all that much.  It's just quiet.

Video is highly compressed, and looks it.

Color correction has been carried out, but in the form of an avi script to encode the avi.  (this means I don't have any high quality screenshots of the CC, it'll have to wait until I'm ready to encode the final dvd and I'll just throw the avi synth script on when I'm re-encoding for DVD. 

What I do, because I find it to be the easiest, is edit in 5.1.  The center channel contains most of the dialog.  That way you can mute it when you make a cut and then use the music without dialog (sometimes this doesn't work-- sometimes dialog "leaks" into the other channels a bit).  This leaves the center channel sounding jumbled in the 5.1 mix, that's why I opt for a mixdown.  I reccomend doing this with BeLight and Besweet.  

 I might try that.

The V1 edit is done.  I'm in the process of encoding an XVID of it, then will try to upload it somewhere.

If I upload it to RS or MU, are there any premium members out there who would be willing to download it and re-upload it for me?

daneditor said:

I need to make one thing clear: this cut is in 2.0. These days I watch films through headphones and so 5.1 just isn't any kind of a deal to me. I know for some people it is. So, sorry to those people. Hopefully the 'Possessed edit' will do it for you.

Actually mine isn't in 5.1 either.  You could try what I've done and make the 2.0 mix pro logic compatible to try and please both crowds.  I'm looking forward to this edit, as of yet I don't have much to compare mine too.

TV's Frink said:

L8wrtr Episode 1 Cutlist is now available:
http://rapidshare.com/files/410485688/ep1l8wrtrcutlist.doc.html

If you've not heard of this one yet, I'd suggest giving it a try, even if you're worn out on TPM edits. It's very aggressive cut-wise and very well done, and the end battle sequences are shuffled in a way I've never seen before. Highly recommended.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that he used adywan's color corrected version of TPM as his starting point. :-)

The reviews indicate that the editing is far from seamless however, is this true?

With editing nearing completion, I was wondering if somebody could help me get this on the internet?  I was thinking at first I release it as an approx 700 mb XVID.  After hearing people's opinions on it, I will take any criticisms and apply it to the V2 DVD.  About release, I was thinking maybe I could set up a private torrent and seed to somebody with a rapidshare or megaupload account and when I finish seeding the file to them they could upload it for me?  I suppose the torrent wouldn't have to be private actually... but who knows how its going to pop up in places? :P

I was wondering if anybody with Sony Vegas or something other with good transition scene wipes could help me out?  I was just thinking I could send you the two shots I want merged together as separate files and you could just put a wipe between them.  Could anybody help me out?

EDIT: Thanks to fishmanlee for doing the transitions for me.

RE-EDIT:  Thanks to myself for doing it.  (nothing wrong with fishmanlee's, I just managed to make one that suited my tastes better)

Chewtobacca said:

I like the changes to the Luke and Vader conversation.  You probably know this, but the cut at 1:18 should take place at the frame just before Vader begins to look down.  Vaderios is right that the close ups are too fast.  You removed the line about pther rebels well though. :-)

Yeah the spot with the fast close ups is a work in progress.  I actually just had an idea to fix it.  I was just going to slow the frame rate of the longest shot of Vader I could find where he's standing mostly still and add some slight motion blur so it essentially just makes him stand still... but slower.  That way I could just have that one shot come in before he looks down and keep it until luke looks and tells him to go with him, instead of switching back and forth.

EDIT: Done. It actually looks pretty good.  It looks like maybe there is some SLIGHT DNR smearing but the shot of Vader has so little motion it doesn't matter, you really have to be looking on it and it only lasts 7 seconds and it sure is a hell of alot less noticeable than the 2 shots switching like that.

And yeah I trimmed up the beginning of the scene, I've always thought that spot was kinda PTish.  I thought it took too much time for him just telling vader they found luke.  Also him not suspecting other rebels might make it more of a surprise for luke when the emperor reveals he is aware of them.

vaderios said:

This is nice!

I liked you removed the reversed speed close up of vader when he sees Luke ;)

 

Tho even i like what you did in the dialogue i think you ve messed a bit the close up/medium shot timing. It changes way to fast :)

I like the cuts on the fleet shots. Still ackbar says on my mark, but lando seems to go to hyperspace from his own. I dont know if you want to add some kind of altered dialogue. maybe its just me..

Good work :)

-Angel

You're right, I was trying to remove Vader raising the lightsaber, since I removed the spot where he lights it.

Here's a new preview clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chyZbHzB4gw

Tell me what you think.  It's the first conversation between Luke and Vader on Endor.  It goes farther than that tho, it's not perfect yet as you'll see.

Good news.

I don't know if you were aware, but stanpac's is approved now.

TV's Frink said:

Who said he was giving up?

I think the lolwar fuzzed up your thinking.

Yeah!

Well no it's not there yet.  I'm still working on it, but you know things never happen as fast as we'd like.  I have a very full life so I don't have time to work on this edit every day, but it is coming along!

Also, don't be alarmed if I don't post in this thread for long periods of time.  It just means I'm still editing, but just no big news, and I don't have the patience to stay on the forum that long.

eksif said:

[By the by, I believe Windu's lightsaber is purple because Samuel L. Jackson specifically asked Lucas if he could have a purple one.]

 

I've heard that too, I seem to remember something about he wanted to be able to watch himself fight when he watches the battle on geonosis or something like that.

Just so you guys know, I am making great progress on this edit.  I would estimate completion of actual editing to be completed in a week or two, or less.  Color correction shouldn't take long, I'm going to try and do it with colourlike histograms with avisynth.

I've borrowed many ideas from Spence's 2.0 edit, but hopefully most of it is me.

Any updates on this edit?

JasonN said:

eksif said:

so are the links on fanedit.info for the most up to date and color-corrected versions?

Not yet - I'm hoping to get the V2 DVDs of TOTR and TBKR fully finalized sometime next week (after I get back home from vacation).

Also, I only did color correction to the V2 DVD of AOTF (to removed the magenta hue that was present from the DVD release of EP1), but not on my edits of EP2 and EP3 - the V2 DVDs are done to give those edits a bit better video quality and corrected film aspect ratios, along with a few new edits and cuts to EP3.

Are there any updates?

Chewtobacca said:

That might work.  You could also cut to Bobo Fett's drawing his weapon, then cut to Leia-as-Bounty-Hunter's glaring at Jabba, before finally showing Jabba's response.  That would have the advantage of giving you more of a reaction from "the room" - as it were -  and make Boba's subsequent lowering of his weapon seem more consistent.  (We might, of course, have surmised that Boba had drawn the weapon at some point anyway, but leaving it in might avoid potential confusion.)

That's a good idea, I'll try that. I might also try to slow down bobba drawing his weapon, with a little motion blur.  He looks like he's quick drawing in a suprised reaction to something, but in reality he's a little late, so I'll try to make it seem more... menacing.

cutnshut said:

Just seen your clip - looks good, I havnt seen the original movie for a while so all i noticed was the rancor had been cut out, but will watch it again for the changes mentioned above - cutting the rancor is good and looked like a seamless cut. I wouldnt miss the rancor scene at all...

On the other hand, I would say be even more drastic with the cuts - I think much more could be removed from the palace scene - how would it look if you removed everything from the droids entering the palace untill Luke enters.

ie....cut from Darth vaders arrival at the death star to Lukes arrival at Jabbas Palace. Wouldnt that make it more mysterious and a darker Tone?

i havnt looked to see if it would work tho.

Anyway just my thoughts, will enjoy following your work.

The rancor battles Luke... the clip doesn't even go that far I'm not cutting the rancor.

Chewtobacca said:

I quite like Threepio's reaction to Luke's presenting the droids to Jabba as a gift.   It does work, and we have to bear in mind that many edits seem strange as we know these films so well that we expect to see what has always been there.  On the other hand, one might argue that a more dramatic reaction to the news would be more in character for Threepio. 

The reaction to the thermal detonator is clever, but a little too quick for my liking.  You are absolutely right about the Muppets-style reaction shots, but I think that unfortunately the best of the bad bunch might have to stay.  Could you keep Boba Fett and change the music? 

I might try that, keep bobba fett and change the music.  But I don't know what else would fit, it would just be too quick of a reaction.

I had intended for it to come off as threepio already knowing they are being offered as a gift.  This is why he now just says "And... a gift." He no longer says "Gift? What gift?"

EDIT: I just had an idea to slow it down a bit.  What if, instead of reaction shots, I cut from the shot of the detonator to a shot of Leia's face, glaring at jabba, and then cut to jabba's reaction to it.