Regarding Season 2
Similar to my previous process, I started by dividing the story into 15 distinct chapters.
Season 2 Chapters:
- Return to Synnax: Gaal and Salvor on Synnax and their attempt to reactivate the Beggar’s Lament, so they can return to Terminus.
(Episode 10 of Season 1, Episodes 1, 2 of Season 2)
- Inside the Prime Radiant: Hari Seldon’s consciousness trapped inside the radiant and his attempts to escape.
(Episodes 1, 2, 6)
- Gaal’s vision: Gaal relates her visions of the future to Hari and Salvor about a warlod named The Mule who brings darkness and despair -and the death of Salvor- and the trio’s discovery of planet Ignis as the location for the Second Foundation.
(Episode 2)
- A New Empire: Brother Day’s assassination attempt, Queen Sareth arrival for the her marriage with Day, Dawn and Dusk discovering that Day has the authority to conduct memory audits on them and Sareth’s investigation about her family’s murder.
(Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5)
- The New Terminus: The flurishing of the Foundation on Terminus, Poly Verisof and Brother Constant spreading its holly mission and the the words “Hober Mallow” appearing on the Vault’s surface.
(Episode 1, 2, 3)
- Hober Mallow: The escape of Hober Mallow on Korell, his return to Terminus with Poly and Constant and Hari Seldon’s instructions to stop the imminent war.
(Epidoes 3, 4)
- Bel Riose: Demerzel briefing Empire that the Foundation is building alliances in the Outer Reach, the recruitment of Bel Riose to deal with them and his reunion with his presumed dead husband, Glawen Curr.
(Episodes 1, 2, 3)
- On Oona’s World: The trio arriving at Oona’s World, Hari’s encounter with Kalle and his resurrection in an actual body.
(Episode 3)
- The New Empress: Brother Day’s announcement to wed Queen Sareth and end the Genetic Dynasty, Sareth confronting Demerzel and her scheme with Dawn to end of Day’s legacy.
(Episodes 6, 7)
- Ignis: The trio meeting the Sighted and their leader Tellem Bond on Ignis, Tellem’s attempts to detach Gaal from Hari and Hari being held prisoner by Tellem and being found by Salvor.
(Episodes 5, 6, 7)
- The Negotiation: Hober arriving at the coordinate that Hari uploaded on the Spirit, his meeting with the Spacers and his encounter with Riose.
(Episode 6, 7)
- The Peace Offering: Poly Verisof and Brother Constant arriving at Trantor and being brought to the Emperors, the execution of Poly and Constant and Hober coming for the rescue.
(Episode 6, 7, 8)
- Attack on Terminus: The aftermath of the attack on Trantor, Hober and Constant escaping from Trantor and being captured by Riose, Day arriving at Terminus with Polly and his meeting with Sheldon, the attack on Terminus and the fight between Day and Riose.
(Episodes 8, 9, 10)
- Ignis No More: Salvor escaping her mind cell with the help of Hari from inside the Vault, Tellem trying to force her consciousness into Gaal’s body, Salvor rescuing Gaal, Hari returning to kill Tellem, Salvor dying, Hari and Gaal getting into cryosleep.
(Episodes 8, 9, 10)
- The Forever Empress: Dusk and Rue discovering Demerzel’s origins, Demerzel returning to Trantor, Dawn and Sareth escaping the planet and Demerzel decanting three new Cleons.
(Episode 8, 9, 10)
From this process, same as for Season 1, four feature-length films were crafted. Only this time, it was impossible for me to reach the 2-hour-limit for each film. But my primary objective was and has always been to create straightforward and coherent stories, and I believe I have succeeded in this regard.
Another significant distinction from the method I used for Season 1 is that this time, I made the decision to remove multiple scenes and a lot of conversation lines from my edits. I understood that the writers of this season were going for a more carefree vibe and weren’t afraid to inject humor, but some of these choices didn’t sit well with me. Having said that, I realize that not all characters have to be serious and dominating and I can appreciate a little silliness sometimes. Just not in dramatic situations where the stakes are supposed to be high.
The first film that came up from my process will be titled Foundation: The Empire’s Dominion or Foundation: The Emperor’s Dominion and covers Return to Synnax, Inside the Prime Radiant, Gaal’s vision and A New Empire.
Runtime: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Episodes: 10 (S1), 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
The film opens with Gaal landing on Synnax and discovering Salvor in the Season 1 Finale and follows the majority of their plotline from Episodes 1 and 2. While tracking Hari’s time inside the Radiant, I repurposed some of the footage from Episode 6 and included a few short flashbacks from Hari’s early years and his relationship with Yanna. Regarding the royal marriage plotline, I used scenes from Episodes 1 and 2, along with some portions of Episodes 4 and 5, to establish Queen Sareth and Rue’s ulterior motives from the outset. The film ends with Sareth realizing that Demerzel is a robot, Dawn and Dusk starting to have doubts about Day, and the trio deciding to locate planet Ignis.
The second film, Foundation: The Prophet’s Revelation, covers The New Terminus, Hober Mallow, Bel Riose and On Oona’s World and focuses mainly on introducing the new characters.
Runtime: 1 hour and 39 minutes
Episodes: 1, 2, 3, 4
The film starts with the Vault re-opening on Terminus and the discovery of the dead claric on Siwenna by Polly and Constant.To reintroduce Polly, I made a brief dream sequence in which he is dreaming of his first encounter with Hari Sheldon, as Constant enters the tent. After that, we reunite with Gaal, Salvor, and Hari on Oona’s World, where we follow their storyline throughout the whole movie. Regarding Polly’s preaching on Siwenna, I cut out a number of dialogue lines and a ton of reaction shots, to make it a little more interesting and immersive. As we move to Trantor, we find Demerzel giving the Emperors an update on the Foundation’s operations and suggesting that they bring in Bel Riose to handle the situation. After that, we follow Polly and Constant as they return to Terminus and meet Hober Mallow for the first time on Korell. Following Demerzel on planet Lespsis and her encounter with Bel Riose, I cut out all reference to the events on Siwenna, since I completely removed that plotline from my edits. Bel Riose simply strolls through the Outer Reach without ever setting foot on the planet. The film ends with Hari returning to his human body, Bel Riose reuniting with his husband and Hober, Polly, and Constant leaving Terminus to follow Sheldon’s instructions. During their farewell, I cut out Constant’s awkward declaration of love and shortended their goodbye.
The third film is titled Foundation: The Sighting and covers Ignis, The New Empress, The Negotiation and Peace Offering.
Runtime: 2 hours and 8 minutes
Episodes: 5, 6, 7, 8
The film follows Hari, Gaal and Salvor and the majority of their time on planet Ignis form Episodes 5, 6 and 7, Sareth’s scemes againt Day and her alliance with Dawn, Polly and Constant on Trantor and Hober’s encounter with the Spacers and Bel Riose. The film ends with Hober interrupting the execution on Trantor and the rescue of Constant. This film only has a few minor cuts and changes—just a thoughtful rearrangment of scenes to make for a pleasant flow.
The fourth and final film of Season 2, Foundation: The Second Crisis covers War on Terminus, Ignis No More and The Forever Empress.
Runtime: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Episodes: 8, 9, 10
The film opens with Cleon I’s narration of his early childhood in the palace, up to the point he discoveres a secret passageway, from Episode 9. Cut to present day as the Emperors rush back to the palace to pick up their pieces. On Ignis, Gaal confronts Tellem about Hari, and Salvor tries to escape from her mind cell. As Day travels to Terminus, Dusk and Rue discover the secret passageway and find Demerzel’s chamber. While they were strolling through the halls, I inserted clips of young Cleon I exploring the place 610 years ago. After that, the movie essentially consists of the remaining plotlines from Episodes 9 and 10. I also cut short Hober and Riose’s toast on the ship, removing the reference of Becky’s butt.
A rough cut for all four films has been put together and right now I’m finishing up each one to get it ready for rendering. I plan to begin uploading them all by the end of November.
That’s all for now!