Sir Ridley

pleasehello said:

Cobra Kai said:

pleasehello said:

I just listened to it as well.

It’s fine, but it’s pretty anemic when it comes to new thematic material with a couple of exceptions (both of which Sir Ridley mentioned). I know this isn’t a complete soundtrack, but as-is it has the least to offer of all three sequel trilogy soundtracks. It either spends a lot of time playing with different colors or weaving quickly in and out of motifs we’re already familiar with. I know John Williams is very old now and I honestly wonder how much involvement he really had in scoring this movie. Much of this soundtrack sounds like it might have been delegated to one of his proteges.

Also keep in mind, most of Williams’ scores that he’s composed over the course of his career were written AFTER the final cuts of the movies were finished. That is no longer the case as modern big budget movies are now cut and re-cut right up until the release, so composers no longer have such luxury. As a result the final scores end up being cut up and patched together by the music editor to match the final edit.
This is one reason why thematic scores in general are mostly a thing of the past; modern scores are no longer linked to the movie structure, but are just relegated to simply being appropriate moments for individual scenes.

So yes, Williams is very old now, but it’s also not really fair to compare his modern scores with his old classics where he was completely free to work his magic.

Yes, that’s true. But not being able to score the final cut doesn’t preclude a composer from writing compelling thematic material for the individual scenes you mention. Comparing this score to OT or PT scores is unfair and not something I would do, but even when comparing it to TFA, this score has a lot less meat.

At Johnny’s age it’s almost a certainty he had collaborators who contributed musical material to this score, so it’s not so much a question of if he had help, but rather how much help he had. And honestly that’s fine. I love John Williams and I’d rather he contributed only 50% of the score than if he didn’t contribute at all. It’s a fine score and it’s no less than I expected.

I don’t think he needs help, unless you have some proof that he has ever used ghost writers I’ll assume that’s not the case. And I believe he had access to a rough cut of the film when he started composing, and he could make changes and record new versions until very late in the post production. He started recording in June and finished just 20 days ago. That’s at least five months, so I’m sure he’s had time to do his best.

Also, here’s a new amazing and spoilery clip:
https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsLeaks/comments/e9s5uy/new_the_rise_of_skywalker_clip/

SPOILER

It confirms that Palpatine talked to Kylo as Snoke and Vader (through the burned helmet).

I may have listened to it as well. Too early to say if it’s the best one, I really like the previous ones.

There were two new themes that stood out to me, one of which might be a friendship theme for the main gang, and another one that sounds like a triumphant theme with a bit of a romantic vibe. Also many uses of the emperor’s theme, although I think this selection focuses on the music that isn’t based on earlier work (because of Oscar Academy rules).

The last song is curious, it’s called A New Home (a nod to A New Hope, I assume), but it’s not cosy music for a happy ending or epic music for a twin sunset shot, it has a subdued and mysterious vibe. I don’t think it’s the actual last music in the film though, this selection leaves out the credits music and the lead up to it.

The shots look good, the grain is a good idea. If grading the grain works for you then go for it, but it limits your possibilities a bit. You can’t adjust shadows or highlights separately, you can’t adjust individual colors and you can’t adjust saturation.

Tracklist (SPOILERS)

1 Prologue (1:45)
2 Falcon Flight (2:22)
3 We Go Together (2:10)
4 In the Desert (2:26)
5 A Prisoner (1:23)
6 To Kimiji (1:37)
7 Fleeing from Kimiji (1:53)
8 Hallway Shooting (2:11)
9 Hard to Get Rid Of (2:19)
10 Join Me (2:21)
11 The Old Death Star (2:14)
12 Off the Waterfront (1:03)
13 Final Saber Duel (1:38)
14 Healing Wounds (2:49)
15 Advice (1:54)
16 Battle of the Resistance (1:54)
17 Approaching the Throne (4:16)
18 Parents (1:57)
19 Coming Together (1:44)
20 Seeing Sights (3:17)
21 Rescue (1:10)
22 Farewell (4:27)
23 A New Home (1:42)

I’ve been checking the Drive recently to watch the edits before TROS and couldn’t download anything until yesterday. Before that I could only get the TinyEncode versions so I watched episode I and II that way. Very enjoyable edits. I haven’t watched II much so I didn’t miss anything that was cut and could enjoy what was there even if it’s my least favorite episode. I watched episode I a lot when I was younger and have more nostalgia for that one, but I’m glad that all my favorite moments and details were still there in your edit, and it was nice to see some new additions as well. I did miss a “yipee” or two, probably mostly because I was expecting them, though. When Anakin jumped down from Watto’s counter I had to say “yipee” to myself. 😛 Next I’ll be checking out your III and IV, I managed to get the 1080p versions for those. Looking forward to watching them!

DuracellEnergizer said:

Sir Ridley said:

Hal 9000 said:

I predict Kylo Ren will cut Rey’s head off.

I predict that he then undergoes a medical procedure to attach her head next to his own, and this two headed monster proceeds to rule the galaxy as Emperor Reylo.

Just what we need, a The Thing with Two Heads rehash.

It is inevitable at this point. Remember Maz’s line from TFA: “The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is a head.”

Hal 9000 said:

I predict Kylo Ren will cut Rey’s head off.

I predict that he then undergoes a medical procedure to attach her head next to his own, and this two headed monster proceeds to rule the galaxy as Emperor Reylo.

pleasehello said:

Sir Ridley said:

yotsuya said:

regularjoe said:

timdiggerm said:

Hey everyone, I accidentally read some spoilers, so I guess I’m here now instead of the no-spoiler thread. Anyway, the stuff I read was pretty crazy, but then I read some other stuff that seemed to conflict it. So…is there anywhere where I can read a summary of the current state of speculation and leaks, instead of sifting through 127 pages?

here you go

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k-gO17Y1ENyq2aahYqDAFgeMrqP95qaNhIaLtiFLDAE/edit

I kinda hope that is accurate. That is about the level of detail of the TFA leaks that proved very accurate. We will see.

I’m fine with all the leaks, I just hope there’s more to the fate of Kylo/Ben. That’s the only thing I feel strongly about. But I think it’s likely that the leaks are incomplete and in some cases only true from a certain point of view. There are a lot of crucial details missing. But I will go into the movie expecting the worst and see what happens.

The leaked plot stuff seems mostly fine to me as well. Kind of standard, mostly predictable stuff; nothing groundbreaking. Honestly, the dumbest part of the new plot has already been officially revealed which is that Palpatine is returning somehow.

I think his return will help tie the sequels into the prequels and originals. And if anyone in Star Wars could cheat death it would be him, so I think it makes sense. There’s probably some explanation in the film. But I don’t really care how they explain it, I’m just exited to see him again.

yotsuya said:

regularjoe said:

timdiggerm said:

Hey everyone, I accidentally read some spoilers, so I guess I’m here now instead of the no-spoiler thread. Anyway, the stuff I read was pretty crazy, but then I read some other stuff that seemed to conflict it. So…is there anywhere where I can read a summary of the current state of speculation and leaks, instead of sifting through 127 pages?

here you go

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k-gO17Y1ENyq2aahYqDAFgeMrqP95qaNhIaLtiFLDAE/edit

I kinda hope that is accurate. That is about the level of detail of the TFA leaks that proved very accurate. We will see.

I’m fine with all the leaks, I just hope there’s more to the fate of Kylo/Ben. That’s the only thing I feel strongly about. But I think it’s likely that the leaks are incomplete and in some cases only true from a certain point of view. There are a lot of crucial details missing. But I will go into the movie expecting the worst and see what happens.

yotsuya said:

15 days until the first of us will know what spoilers were right and what were BS.

13 days in some countries. I’ll be seeing it in 14 days. Looking forward to it.

When I saw TFA the identity of Kylo Ren and the death of Han had been spoiled for me, but I enjoyed it regardless. I went into TLJ completely unspoiled and enjoyed that as well. TLJ had some big surprises that I enjoyed not knowing about beforehand. With TROS I have read most leaks and rumors (couldn’t stop myself) but will try to avoid confirmed spoilers once people start seeing the movie. I know I’ll enjoy the movie regardless, though. Some studies say that having been spoiled beforehand may actually increase enjoyment, so if the leaks are true I hope that is the case for me.

NeverarGreat said:

I remember the destroyer sound effect being brought up in discussion when SirRidley was working on the sound/music for this scene and there were a few attempts at making this change. Unfortunately none of them felt entirely seamless and so the idea was dropped from the final edit.

Yeah. There isn’t really a natural place for the sound effect. If you place it early and Finn doesn’t react until later it wouldn’t have the impact needed. If you place it just before Finn reacts I think his reaction still doesn’t match, a sudden sound should lead to a quick reaction. And if the sound is what they react to there’s still the question of how everyone got out to look so soon. I think a sequence where the sound could work would need a new shot, perhaps a shot like in TLJ where the Star Destroyer appears above Takodana (which would explain what the sound is, that would be unclear for first time viewers) or perhaps an interior shot of people in the bar hearing a loud bang outside and going out to see what’s going on, followed by the sequence as it is or maybe with the crowd shot moved before the shot of Finn.

I’ve heard that they intentionally used an older recording (outdated even in 1977) of the Fox fanfare contrasting with the more hi-fi Star Wars theme, to make it feel like you enter a different world when the theme starts.

I guess the fanfare could be updated if you don’t want that effect, but I wouldn’t use a modern Fox fanfare with a higher quality than the theme.

Omni said:

Sir Ridley said:

DZ-330 said:

I’d love for SirRidley to make a version of the crawls with the actual titles if possible. Would be cool to have both versions for those who prefer the original titles.

I’ll consider it! Others have asked for that as well. I doubt Hal would make a separate edition of the films just to change a few words, but maybe he could have the crawls with original titles as separate downloads that could be edited into the films by those who want them.

Sorry for bumping this subject if it’s any bother to any involved, but did this happen? I’d love to get the new, perfect crawls with the original titles.

It hasn’t happened yet, but thank you for reminding me. I’m not sure if/when I will get to it, but I’ll keep it in mind.

Depheros said:

bttfbrasilfan said:

Depheros said:

I haven’t ripped my ESB Blu-ray yet actually, I’ll get on that. Just going off memory, the 19SE hologram looks different to me.

Well, if you wanna do quick comparisons, you don’t need to rip your Blu-ray. Use this:
https://starwarsscreencaps.com/star-wars-episode-v-the-empire-strikes-back-1980/35

True. Didn’t feel like trying to match one of those frames though. Usually the redone stuff has just a slight difference in position/size, hard to tell if it’s not the same frame.

Emperor

Looks about the same to me.

In the second shot they added a shadow over the Emperor’s eyes, to match the first shot. So that’s something. But in the first shot they made the area around the eyes brighter and redder, which is a bit odd.

Mocata said:

Physical as a visible spirit/vision or actually just alive though? Hmm…

In the trailer, where Rey is standing on a stone surface with Palpatine in the left side of the frame, he looks like he is attached to some kind of moving chair. If he was a spirit/vision he wouldn’t have to be physically attached to anything, that seems to imply that his body is weak but real. And in the last few frames of the shot his fingers are visible, and they look normal (if that means anything).

SilverWook said:

That set seems like a blend of Imperial and Rebel aesthetics. Could it be something that only exists in a shared vision?

According to the leaks that should be the inside of Kylo’s Star Destroyer, but it’s true that the white color gives it a Rebel vibe.

Hal 9000 said:

Could one deepfake one puppet onto another?

I’m not sure if deepfake software works on non-human faces, I don’t think so (but if it does, it could be a good solution). But something I’ve been thinking about trying (other than just manually animating and overlaying an improved face in After Effects) is using the free EbSynth software https://ebsynth.com/ which can replace the texture of a moving shot using keyframes as a guide. So what you would do is to create a few keyframes in Photoshop where Yoda looks how you want him to look, and then the software will try to make the rest of the frames match that look. It might work.

Really cool! Your method allows more movement than mine which isn’t real 3D.

nl0428 said:

Hal 9000 said:

And it’d be reeeeal weird to have a ~17 year old Ben Solo address Rey as ‘sweetheart.’

It may not be from the past, it could very likely be said by him in the future, possibly in The Rise of Skywalker. Afterall, her vision did foreshadow their duel on Starkiller Base.

Maybe we should wait and see what happens in TRoS. If Ben says something like that, or if we learn something new about Rey’s parents then you could extract a line from there and put it in TFA or record a new line based on what we know.

NeverarGreat said:

Thanks! I was pretty excited about it.

JEDIT Reuploaded video due to audio glitch:

https://vimeo.com/363482768

Password: fanedit

That’s really good. And it might be a good thing to get rid of the training line, since we never see much training happen anyway.

Hal 9000 said:

It may help to get more of the audio source Ridley was working from, since the rest of the audio on my end is the 1997 SE mix.

If someone found more instances of the needed words I’d be willing to have a go at it again. And I can match it to the audio mix you’re using if you send me the relevant part.

adywan said:

Sir Ridley said:

I tried turning a still of the Death Star into “3D” using a displacement map to make it look like it was turning slowly and it seems like it could be pretty convincing.

https://vimeo.com/360161256 (password: fanedit)

LOVE IT!!! Can this effect be used on other things, like ships etc? I’ll send you a PM soon 😉

Good to hear! It can be used on anything, but more details and depth is more difficult.

I also found a new After Effects plugin which should be able to handle more advanced cases. I’ll look into it.

https://youtu.be/bRV-NlsWoEA

adywan said:

Sir Ridley said:

Another version. I think it sounds a bit better.

https://mega.nz/#!KdkXzIbS!3sc-75YFln-CKefaUOIdNvsNOwRtpAjo9sp7wZycvEc

Perhaps this is good enough, I don’t want to take over the thread with mother-edits when we don’t even know if Adywan is interested.

The big problem when stitching together dialogue is , if the intonation isn’t quite right, it can throw things off. To me, this sounds unnatural. Great work though. I have a great Vader impersonator that has offered to record some dialogue for me so, if i decide to change the line, it will be re-recorded .

Ah, that should work better.

BedeHistory731 said:

I kind of like the extra-deep rendition as well. If anything, we’ve given Adywan a fantastic demonstration that such a change is doable. I’m curious, what were your sources?

I extracted some useful sounds from a section of his Bible reading (I don’t remember which part). I took a “your” and then I constructed the “mother” by combining an instance of “mother” with the word “another”.

Hal 9000 said:

If Adywan does happen to chime in to express disinterest in this for his edit, feel free to move it to my ‘Custom SE’ thread. 😃

Will do!

Another version. I think it sounds a bit better.

https://mega.nz/#!KdkXzIbS!3sc-75YFln-CKefaUOIdNvsNOwRtpAjo9sp7wZycvEc

Perhaps this is good enough, I don’t want to take over the thread with mother-edits when we don’t even know if Adywan is interested.

BedeHistory731 said:

Sir Ridley said:

NeverarGreat said:

While the latest version sounds pretty good, there’s no escaping that his reading of ‘mother’ is too fast for the scene. I did a search of all instances of the word ‘mother’ in the New Testament and came up with 92, some as the last word of a sentence. Surely there’s a slower reading in there?

It’s based on pieces from his Bible reading (I don’t remember which part), and he reads quite quickly. I’ll see if I can drag it out a bit, the problem is that the sound quality gets worse if it’s stretched too much.

Jedit:
New slower version. https://mega.nz/#!acsDjCYL!gQoGGPf4xwWMvGe1XKGMKi86g3KXklZmTP9uS-FTUE0

I think you’ve nailed it. Here’s it in movie form.

It helps to hear it in context! It sounded a little muddled to me, so I had another go at it. I think this might be as good as it gets.

https://mega.nz/#!KdF02Y5Z!saAJQCl7-OERrGTC4YHJa8NWNVei6QnAxSDFuvbhSUs