SpenceEdit

Last one for today, here are some pictures demonstrating how I cut 3PO out of the middle of a shot.

Here is the original shot in the theatrical version:
https://ibb.co/g6vggZL

Here is the plate of just R2
https://ibb.co/LZyCbYW

And just Padme:
https://ibb.co/4WW5PPT

Combined so the horizon matches and the house doesn’t look weird. Missing a little sand in the middle…
https://ibb.co/THC1Hyh

And the final shot:
https://ibb.co/FHKFw47

Here’s a little video I made that illustrates all the small changes I’m trying to make to get these scenes feeling more natural. I have notations on the video in the bottom left detailing what was done.

https://streamable.com/rg02xy

Here is the scene without the notes, if you’d like to see it clean:

https://streamable.com/mp74pc

This is partly why I don’t have a detailed cut-list. I just fidget with scenes until they feel right.

Octorox said:

I apologize that I haven’t gotten the change to watch your workprint yet, but the changelist sounds excellent! My only reservation is that I think it would be much better to cut/down remove the Obi-Wan/Jango fistfight on the landing platform than the asteroid battle sequence. The original “Attack of the Phantom” actually removes both, but I generally find that I miss the space battle more. Just a thought.

I tried putting it back in, and it just doesn’t play right with the pacing based on how I’ve cut the stuff around it. We are just getting some momentum in the Anakin/Padme story so taking an unnecessary deviation for an action scene just feels weird.

It’s less about the scene itself and more about how everything is playing together.

PsyGemini said:

An updated crawl would be very appreciated to properly introduce the state of the galaxy, what the Separatists are after exactly, what is this “army” the Senate is debating, why is Padmé being targeted, Dooku’s role, yada yada yada. Movie does an extremely poor job at that.

Also IMHO 3pO not being here and then appearing in Clone Wars is not a problem at all. It’s just a manufactured protocol droid we see every corner, it could have come from literally any place in the galaxy.

Just…

SpenceEdit said:

• Removed the Jango/Kenobi space battle. I love the sonic bomb things as much as the next guy, but we really don’t need another action scene here given the way I’ve recut things.

oh no! needed or not, that is one of the coolest things in star wars ever! trim it down if you must, but please please leave it! even makes the slave I bombing in the mandalorian so much more nostalgic and impactful!

Also, will you be using the updated sound effect for Jango’s blaster?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3SJoXFhZfY&ab_channel=Porkula
sounds a millions times more badass!

SpenceEdit said:

• Remove the scene with Yoda and the Younglings

I would argue against that. I know that the younglings scene is very… divisive and just not very good, but nowadays it’s just so part of the main lore (mandalorian, kenobi, clone wars) that not having this here makes them showing up later on very confusing and out of nowhere. Also, it’s the only time in the entire trilogy we see Yoda more relaxed and even cracking a couple of jokes, which IMO makes him more in line with what we see in the original trilogy.

Anyway, can’t wait to watch this!

I feel like the Senate deleted scene clears all of the crawl concerns up pretty well, and if I updated the crawl it would just repeat that information.

I don’t think the space battle with Jango is a particularly good or exciting sequence, or a necessary one, so the only reason to keep it is because it has bombs that sound cool, which honestly isn’t enough for me.

I don’t plan on changing the blaster sounds in particular, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard that idea.

I don’t think I quite understand your concern about the youngling scene. It’s needed to… introduce the concept of younglings? I feel like there being children that are Jedi is pretty well set up in TPM and is kind of a logical conclusion.

EddieDean said:

Changelog sounds great. Are you also making the common changes made by the current leading edits (Hal’s, L8WRTR’s, etc)? Do you have plans for an alternate opening crawl?

C-3PO’s removal from 1 & 2 is understandable - are you likely to make any other similar deviations from canon? I’m asking here more in the sense of other media which reference events of those movies, whose references might not make sense now. Coming at this from a Clone Wars angle (naturally), C-3PO appears in that as a previously known character, for example.

Speaking of C-3PO (but irrespective of my last paragraph), his inclusion in TPM does introduce a nice connection - if you cut the lines where one of Padmé’s aides (posing as Padmé) assigns Padmé (posing as an aide) to clean up R2-D2, it’s implied that she’s essentially assigned herself that task. And if Padmé’s just naturally interested in working with droids (or at least working with her hands) it makes sense that she’d be impressed that young Anakin has made his own droid - something that might add a nice first step in their relationship.

I always found the world shrinking to be much less noticeable/offensive when the movies are watched in chronological order, but I understand the objection, and the priority to keep these movies tight and ask fewer questions, which may override that.

I think that’s the only thing that could be considered a canon deviation, other than like Yoda not fighting Dooku and minor stuff like that. If people end up caring enough about this to have a “Canon version” I would consider doing that and keeping 3PO, but so far I can’t really gauge what the interest level is.

I’ll be honest, editing through these right now is the first time I’ve watched the theatrical versions in a while, so I likely am doing a lot of HAL’s cuts just naturally, but I didn’t watch any edits to prepare for this one as I wanted to go at it with the freshest eyes possible.

No changes to the opening crawls or titles of the films are planned right now.

G&G-Fan said:

An idea I’m using for my edit that I’d be honored if you stole: Anakin using Padme as bait is his idea. Makes him more bold and calculating like Vader, and using someone to lure someone else is basically also his plan in ESB, which makes him feel even more like a younger Vader.

So I actually debated that sequence quite a bit, and I’m actually cutting the whole “using as bait” bit all together. The only reason we know there are meant to be cameras watching her is because Obi-Wan mentions it, so her being monitored by R2 can just be one of those “star wars things.”

EddieDean said:

Do you have a (tentative) changelog for AOTC? Very curious!

Uh, not really. I’m really bad at doing that. Here is a rough one, no timecodes or anything though:

Overall goals:

• Make Anakin and Padme’s love story more natural and remove the heavy focus on the “forbidden romance” element. The whole story of the prequels hinges on their romance being believable.
• Anakin is no longer creepy or leers at Padme, he’s just a little awkward but charming.
• Anakin no longer whines about Obi-Wan or the council, but it’s still clear he is bothered by them.
• Adjust the awkward editing throughout the film. Long silences, odd framing, or scenes that move at a slow or unnatural pace are all adjusted.
• Tighten up the action editing for more thrilling sequences. Added a lot of zooms, crops, camera movement, and combined shots to accomplish this.

More scene specific stuff (this isn’t every change, barely two minutes go by without some sort of edit or effect, but this is the big noticeable stuff)

• Speed up the landing platform sequence, removing unnecessary dialogue or shots. Also add zooms and camera movement to make the sequence more exciting and dangerous.
• Add in the senate deleted scene, with some trims for pacing.
• Add in the Anakin/Kenobi duel flashbacks from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, with adjusted color timing and music to help it blend into the film better.
• Many cuts made to Anakin and Padme meeting again, making it a less awkward exchanged. Oddly, this sequence has the most new VFX shots to get it to function correctly out of the whole thing, and it’s just people talking.
• Remove Jango/Zam scene, so the first time we see Zam is when they load up the assassin droid.
• Many cuts to Anakin and Kenobi’s dialogue while Padme is sleeping for pacing. Cut the odd “intoxicating” dialogue from Anakin.
• Lots of action and pacing editing to the coruscant chase, slimming down the banter to the best parts.
• Lots of trims to the Dexter’s Diner sequence.
• Reordered a lot of the back and forth between Anakin’s story and Kenobi’s story to keep the focus where it needs to be longer.
• Add in the dinner with Padme’s family, with some trims.
• Remove the scene with Yoda and the Younglings and Yoda/Kenobi/Mace discussion in the temple before Kenobi leaves.
• Replace that scene with an edited version of the Mace/Kenobi landing platform scene.
• Removed the second half of the meadow scene and the fireside confession from the love story. The focus is now more on Padme slowly falling for Anakin as opposed to “we can’t be together!”
• Padme no longer stops the kiss, and we now crossfade to Anakin standing on the balcony in the morning. It avoids an awkward transition back to Kamino and also insinuates that they may have had… aggressive negotiations.
• Lots of cuts and trims to the Jango fight for pacing and intensity.
• Removed the Jango/Kenobi space battle. I love the sonic bomb things as much as the next guy, but we really don’t need another action scene here given the way I’ve recut things.
• 3PO is no longer in the film, and I intend to remove him from TPM as well so he doesn’t show up until he’s serving Padme in ROTS. Remove him with a combination of careful edits and cropping and some masking.
• Cut Anakin and Padme’s dialogue as he’s leaving to find his mother. The moment feels a bit more epic without the dialogue.
• Removed the iris in transition from Anakin killing the tuskens to Yoda, it now smash cuts to Yoda. It feels a bit more violent and upsetting.
• HEAVY trims to the droid factory sequence. It’s not a particularly good action scene, but it feels a little awkward without it.
• Reinstate the meeting with Dooku and the sentencing deleted scenes to slow things down for a second before we hit the last act of the movie, which is basically non-stop action. I also wanted to show Padme attempting to resolve things peacefully as I think that’s important to her overall character.
• The “Across the stars” scene is heavily edited. It now goes:
  “Don’t be frightened”
  “I’m not afraid to die. I love you. I truly deeply love you, and before we die I want you to know”
  Kiss, then into the arena.
• Basically from here on out it’s major cuts, zooms, extra camera movement, reordering of scene, etc. to get this action as exciting as possible.
• I made a lot of alterations from when the Clones show up through to the Dooku fight so that we more or less stay with Anakin/Kenobi/Padme through most of it, keeping the focus a little tighter.
• Lots of cuts to the Dooku duel, especially when he fights Anakin. It’s a lot shorter, but also a lot more intense, and Dooku comes off as a more serious threat.
• Yoda no longer shows up at the end of this sequence. I had to mask him out of a couple of shots when Padme arrives.
• After that it’s basically the same, except for removing 3PO and R2 from the wedding scene.

The 5th one is really, really good.

I’ve got AOTC in a fully working state, which will obviously be tweaked and perfected further.

I’ve started preliminary work on TPM. I don’t anticipate that one to be as drastic as the other two, as I think TPM largely functions well as it is. The pacing is off, but the action is much better edited and kinetic than in AOTC and ROTS. Also, I’m a firm believer in TPM being, at the end of the day, a kids movie. This is before things take a dark turn in AOTC, and it should be fun, light, and appropriate for children. I’m fine with some comic relief from Jar-Jar, and I’m fine with the “boys adventure” vibe for Anakin. I’d want to trim those elements to make them better, not remove them all together.

Some trims for pacing and line delivery are expected, and I’ll probably remove the whole planet core scene, but otherwise this won’t be as drastic of an edit, probably less drastic than HAL’s as far as what is kept vs. cut.

The question is, do I release these out of order as they’re completed, or do I wait and release them all together when I finish the trilogy? I’m leaning toward releasing them all together.

mrbenja0618 said:

Spence, long time, no speak. Glad to see you’re doing this.

Honestly, I like most of your changes here, brother!

I prefer Yoda not fight at all if I can throw my two cents in. I think I agree, that Yoda is one too many things going on.

I would make one minor edit to the landing platform scene. I’ve always cut, “I’ve failed you, Senator,” as it makes no sense. That’s precisely what a decoy does. Dumb writing in my opinion.

This is shaping up great! Keep it up!

Hey! Yeah, that’s actually a good point. You could boil it down to a dying person being unreasonable with their last words, but I agree it might not make too much sense. However, cutting from before that line to Padme’s “no” might not fit right either, so I’d rather have the line if it makes the scene flow better.

hinventon said:

A small visual change I would suggest is adding some purple and yellow sabers to the geonosis battle for some background Jedi. Then you never have to ask why mace gets a special color and no one else does while also just making the battle cooler.

That’s not something that particularly bothers me, but I’ll definitely consider it.

Can you upload this to Google drive or something? Would really like to check it out!

I got all the volunteers I need, thanks for offering everyone!

Are there any particular sections of the movie you are curious about or want to see a clip from?

If anyone here is interested, I wouldn’t mind getting an opinion on a full workprint of this from beginning to end. I’m not comfortable just fully releasing it on here, but if one or two people want to take a look and give me their feedback, I’m up for it. I’m rendering a full version right now.

It’ll be in good enough shape to enjoy, but expect some of it to be a little rough, especially audio as that’s the last thing I really hone in. There’s some sound effects missing and some of the volume levels might not be 100% right.

If you volunteer, please go in with an open mind and without putting too much thought to pre-conceived notions or preferences of how this movie plays out. I’m really trying to just get a sense of if it works as movie in this form. Does the story make sense? Is the pacing working? Are character arcs clear? Stuff like that. I’m not looking for “I really think you should’ve kept this scene because I like it a lot” type stuff.

Let me know if you’re interested!

PsyGemini said:

Sounds awesome! After so many years I’m still looking for my definitive version of AotC. I like Hal’s and Caleb Gamman’s works the best, but… there’s still something that just doesn’t click for me, I don’t know…

Loved the 3PO removal/repainting btw! And the Obi/Ani scene from the Kenobi show was actually a pretty nice touch, will you be using the deepfake version that deages him though?

Very very interested!

Yep! That actually is the deepfaked scene, the quality on GDrive probably isn’t good enough to tell though.

G&G-Fan said:

Any ideas for how you’re gonna execute Anakin’s character and his turn?

For my edits I’m putting a lot of effort into making Anakin colder during his dark side moments and generally more reserved to match Vader’s personality from the OT.

I’m interested in seeing your unique take.

Yes, I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit actually, as that’s one of the major elements that just doesn’t land for me.

What I’d like to do, and what I’m starting with here, is making his character more reserved. He’s awkward and charming but keeps the angry side of him bottled up. He doesn’t tell Padme about the Tuskens. He doesn’t share his frustrations with Obi-Wan and the council. The only person he confides in is Palpatine. Who twists it on him.

I think I’m going to employ the vision he has of Padme dying a little more surgically in ROTS so it haunts him. Using a flash of that at the right time during the turn could make the whole thing come together.

Hal 9000 said:

If you do borrow that, borrow it from L8wrtr’s edit because that’s where I borrowed it from. (No sense recompressing it twice.)

Thanks for the tip! Honestly, I’m still leaning toward cutting the Yoda bit all together.

Gerry-Mandarin said:

What I think would be a mild improvement: Since you already have the shot of Dooku scrambling into his ship, lightsaber ignited - I think you should cut to the shot of Yoda reaching out to catch the column from immediately after his lightsaber is deactivated. Just so there’s that visual context before cutting to the reaction shot.

As for solving the Dooku lightsaber continuity, an idea you could try: Add the lightsaber ignition sound after Yoda says “Much to learn, you still have” and then cut to Dooku’s “This is only the beginning” shot.

Dooku’s clearly in a fighting pose, and it could imply that he’s ready to fight Yoda if he chooses to follow him rather than save Anakin and Obi-Wan. I think the way the line is delivered and a few quick cuts would also hasten the moment. Add a little urgency to what’s happening rather than Dooku just calmly raising his arms again followed by a straining Yoda.

Though this could end up being time intensive for something you may not want to keep at all.

I believe HAL’s edits masked the saber out of that shot, so if I end up including this sequence, I’ll probably just “lovingly borrow” that.

Here’s a rough draft of including Yoda at the end.

Disclaimer: I personally really dislike the scene. It’s an old man standing in front of a green screen talking to a cartoon and waving his hands around, and it feels like it. There’s very little effort put into making the scene interesting or exciting, and it doesn’t add anything to the movie beyond “oh cool, Yoda with a lightsaber” which is silly and I don’t want to keep anyway.

That being said, I’m open to giving it a try. The sound and effects on this are placeholders, but I tried to at least give the scene a little bit of activity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JCc2Y7hMfoeg-tVP9Usn9gNYaCjEpJii/view?usp=share_link

StarkillerAG said:

But I do agree with you. At least some parts of the Yoda duel should stay as the climax of the fight, otherwise it feels like something’s missing. Spence’s trims to the Anakin vs Dooku fight were very well done, but all they did was highlight how poorly choreographed the fight was in general. I wouldn’t want the climax of the movie to end on that note.

I’ll consider it/ play with it. I personally feel like it’s just one thing too many. You’ve got to remember that there’s 20 minutes of non-stop action prior to this sequence, and having Yoda show up doesn’t serve much of a narrative purpose.

Octorox said:

It definitely feels more visceral! There are a couple cuts that seem to break the 180 degree rule in a way that I found a bit jarring, but that may be inherent to the source. Interesting choice to remove Yoda completely.

That’s a bit inherent to the source, they just break it up with some awkward cutaways that I removed. That’s why there’s like a dozen shots of Obi-Wan and Anakin writhing in pain on the ground in the original version. I’m fairly certain this scene was sort of cobbled together in the edit anyway. It feels disjointed.

It’s the lesser of two evils, to me. I’d rather have it be a little jarring but keep the momentum going vs. have the cutaway shots slow everything down and make it choppy.

EddieDean said:

That sounds great - where’s the link?

I took it down for a minute to replace it with a fixed one. I found an easily remedied editing error in the one I posted.

Here’s the Dooku Duel. Lots of changes here, ranging from cutting sections of the fight, to using pans and zooms to get more activity out of it, moving some shots from parts of the fight to other sequences, etc. I wanted Dooku to feel scarier, and the fight to feel more dangerous. I also removed the cutaways to Yoda and Padme so we stay in the fight the whole time.

Yoda no longer appears as part of this sequence. I always felt like it was one action scene too many, and I love the idea of Yoda not using a lightsaber until he kills the two clone troopers during Order 66.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MgaIbZE0dl0IBooHpNvWNvvI2w5eM_2/view?usp=share_link

Octorox said:

Interesting! I know you said it’s not finished, but I just want to point out you can still hear the original 3PO voice muttering something in the overhead shot.

Yep! I tidy up the audio last when I’m working on an edit, that will be fixed.

Another thing I’m working on for this edit of the trilogy: Removing 3PO from TPM and AOTC. Here’s some early examples of how that’s going.

In the first clip, I masked 3PO out of the wide shot, but it was impossible (or at least, beyond my abilities) to remove him from meeting the Lars. Since he doesn’t have the same coloring as 3PO in the other films, I just changed it to a different droid with a new voice.

For the funeral scene, it was a little trickier as he is standing right next to Padme. Masking him out of the wide shot was easy enough, but I had to do multiple masks and zoom in to create a new shot when R2 approaches.

It’ll be easy enough to remove 3PO from the rest of the film just by cutting the droid hijinks on Geonosis and working around him at the wedding scene at the very end.

All of this will get further smoothed out, but it’s a good start.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1te5aRlEh7rSzp2N0VgOGU9shqTCG5mjF/view?usp=share_link