It’s pretty subtle but I think you can imply romance with a gentle re-sequencing of the end celebration. See the link below for proof of concept:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vU8RTCz2mi-SJvnDAeOAhqbqlcHYreF6/view?usp=share_link
First version it is. I really like the emotional beat at this point in the film using this edit but I wonder if it works in the context of the rest of the film. His other interactions with Rose are stiff and don’t seem to indicate anything beyond camaraderie. I wish there was a moment at the end in the celebration that could be used to sell this a little better.
Very late to the party but I finally had a moment to check this out and, well, it’s pretty great.
For me the series was always fine but short of what it should have been. Having it presented in a cohesive, feature format instead really works for me.
I think you’ve got sharp instincts. In fact, the highest praise I can give it is that I was able to turn off the ‘fan-editor’ part of my brain and really just enjoy it. Excellent work.
Cheers!
The broken link in a previous post has been updated but I’m also including it here for convenience.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pw9wuCTDntgqgJNoL_uwuvOKVTUUvbIw/view?usp=drivesdk
Cheers!
Sorry about that. I’ll update the link once I’ve had a chance to revisit some of the introduced dialog inconsistencies pointed out by Neverar with the latest render. I wanted fresh ears when I do attack it (probably this evening).
I like that alot! My only commentary (i dont know how to do that), is if there’s a way to have him say I love you a little bit slower, so the audience can digest the mini emotional impact it gave. But i really like that edit. nice job!
I think I’ve managed to give it a little more separation and polish. Here’s an updated version:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pw9wuCTDntgqgJNoL_uwuvOKVTUUvbIw/view?usp=share_link
Wow, that is flawless! Where’d you get the line from?
Now to establish Jannah as Finn’s sister, something that would go a long way to explaining his instant connection to her. After meeting, he suddenly spends all his time with her as if he forgot Rose. Them being siblings makes sense given their shared backstory. The only issue is that it’s maybe a big contrived to just randomly stumble upon your long-lost sibling in an entire galaxy, but it’s not like SW hasn’t done that before. Then again, I suppose you could argue they’re “spiritually” siblings already because of their shared backstory. Maybe I’m overthinking things.
First off, thank you so much! I pulled a line from John Boyega’s performance in ‘Imperial Dreams’ (available on Netflix) where he is talking to his son. Honestly, it was just luck (or the force) that the quality and delivery were in a workable range for this edit.
Regarding the stuff with Jannah–I don’t want to hi-jack this thread and harp on my own edit too much but I think small changes like focusing on Finn’s force sensitivity throughout with subtle zooms and a minor scene adjustment here or there and suddenly the through-line of “the force brought us together” has more weight. De-emphasizing implications of romance (I’m looking at you “you had a good teacher” scene) also works well for this purpose.
I do see the motivation in wanting to do that. I think where your train of thought is going though at the end is enough of a reason to explain the bond they share. They both are lost children, and that shared experience brings them together. Someone may have done this in their edit already, but I think it would be
great if was more explicit that the story of Finn was what inspired Jannah’s group to abandon the First Order. It might add more to why Jannah and her people are eager to follow Finn into the fray.
Ummm, if this exists—I need to see it. That was something I always wanted to do more with but could never quite crack. In any case, you guys are all fantastic. Thanks for the feedback.
Cheers!
Even though I wish we would have gotten Finn/Poe, this feels totally seamless and would totally work for an edit.
Same. I tend to de-emphasize the implied romantic interests with both Zorii and Jannah in my edits already for that very reason but at least a continuity argument can be made for this change to keep it in line with Last Jedi as Anakin already mentioned.
I don’t know if I’ll have enough footage to slow it down or if it will remain kind of in sync with his mouth/head movement but I have some ideas to help emphasize the line. Tracking in some kind of sustained music when Rose says, “what, how?” and then dropping off right before he says, “I love you” kind of like the lead in to when he senses the navigation being moved to the command ship might work. Also, I might try a high frequency roll of right before the delivery too. I’ll post an update if I come up with anything that works better.
It’s hard to keep objectivity after a while. Here’s a test of the idea. Let me know what you think because I might just have to render out a V2.1 of my edit for this.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_vnit8T_z1A9Z7QJDN5lTvlPG9S6KoU-/view?usp=share_link
Cheers!
I…really like that idea. Something to try for sure.
Now that V2 is released I will be attacking the 4K edition in earnest. I’ve included some still frames that link to short, compressed clips below to give an idea of what it is looking like. I recommend downloading the files for viewing as the further compressed and downscaled versions available in the player are–not great.
MUSTAFAR MINUTE
SEEKING THE EMPEROR
SPACE CHESS
Cheers!
Thanks! I want to be very respectful about the change and I certainly don’t fault anyone who doesn’t find it to their taste but I do think it allows for a better overall story. Also, all credit to SpenceEdit for the original inspiration. Our takes are certainly different but so much of this edit would not have been possible if he hadn’t thought of it first.
PM sent, cheers!
Version 2 of The Rise of Skywalker - Saga’s End Edition is officially released in the 1080p format! The 4K color corrected version is ongoing but the more I sat with the footage the more ideas I had and what started as mini test clips evolved into a full-blown edit. The link is available on request.
Cheers!
I was stunned when I watched with the piano score. It’s a bold, creative choice with a haunting effect. That said, as with all things subjective, your mileage may vary. I’m just glad that version exists even if it doesn’t find its way into the final release.
Just a quick update bump. I’ve listed a showcase link in the top post that will contain all my test edits moving forward. It’s a bit of a sit but Acts I and III I pretty much consider locked for story at this point. I’ve still got some work to do in the middle to make sure nothing contradicts or is missing so that will be the focus of the project for the next stage.
Once that is complete I’ll resume the 4K color grade and ultimately reconstruct with all the necessary changes. Again, I’m doing it this way in case I want to do a different edit in the future as well as to give a basis for other editors so they can work whatever changes they want on the 4K workprint.
Finally, a lot of the ideas required sentence mixing and dialogue re-creation to pull off. If you watch through and notice anything wonky please do not hesitate to call it out. I appreciate your interest and any feedback and as always—cheers!
That’s great! I look forward to seeing your edit fully finished. Keep it up.
Touché
Fair questions. In the original version the two pivotal confrontations (Rey and Kylo & Rey and Palpatine) are resolved by outside intervention rather than by Rey and Kylo themselves.
My solution to the latter is to replace the Jedi voices with her own inner dialogue coming to terms with her nature. It’s this balance that allows her to stand with past Jedi and finally defeat Palpatine.
The former, however, I didn’t have an answer for until I saw SpenceEdit’s work. By having the confrontation between Rey and Kylo play out just between them it re-centers the narrative.
The scenes we do lose don’t outweigh what we gain in focus and added emotional tension and payoff in the first act—at least theoretically.
Regarding Palpatine, I would prefer to keep him more of a looming presence in the film until later. It’s not for any kind of big reveal but just to keep his characterization as far away from schlocky villain as possible.
Welp, my 4K color correction project has taken a backseat again as I was really inspired by SpenceEdit’s No Leia idea.
LINK REMOVED
Here’s a take on the idea that I’m fairly certain will make its way into my own eventual edit. It will differ significantly in that I’m keeping Rey a Palpatine but it shares a lot of the same DNA as SpenceEdit’s (credit where credit is due).
Cheers!
Reached out to eCrater to report illegal product that violated their terms. We’ll see what their response is.
I love your ideas. They’re a pretty radical departure but that’s what I love about this place. You see things from other editors that completely reshape your own views of what’s possible. Kudos and let us know what you come up with.
I’m using the rec2020 to rec709 LUT from the guide I linked to in the project description at the end of my effects chain for final conversion. My starting point in the workflow though has been using Skenera’s LUTs to taste to get a general sense of what each scene should look like. With the RGB Overlay and Luminance graphs up I’ll toggle between the color reference and my workprint and use color curves and color wheel adjustments on a shot-by-shot basis to get the desired grade. It’s very tedious and sometimes I have to mask for troublesome skin tones or wonky lightsaber colors but overall I’m very pleased with the results.
Regarding the final cut list—I currently have a more radical vision in mind as compared to my previous version. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but that’s why I’m doing the grade on everything first in case I decide to do multiple versions or if another editor wants to use the graded 4K workprint as the basis for their edit.
All that said—I still have a ways to go but I am steadily chugging along. Thanks for your interest!
I’m resurrecting this project because I finally have the tiniest bit to show for my efforts. Color correction of the 4K HDR (conformed to SDR) raw feed is more than half way complete. I’ve figured out how to do a basic animatic to showcase the difference between the uncorrected 1080p color reference and my project so I’ll include a link below of the comparison clip. I may do a couple more of these over time but my focus now is on completing the color correction so I can undertake my version of the edit.
LINK REMOVED
Cheers!
Here’s a draft of the final confrontation with much of RogueLeader’s feedback implemented:
LINK REMOVED
Cheers!
I’ve got a second draft that I’m doing some fine tuning to now that takes in a lot of the feedback. I’m hoping to have a new link tomorrow-ish. Fair warning though—it won’t work for every edit because I’m cannibalizing some scenes that were removed in my upcoming, unorthodox version of TROS.
Cheers