astromech

Erikstormtrooper said:

(How does someone go from being a Jedi to a Count anyway?)

Well, you get George to move you from the Good to the Bad side of the Force...seems all Jedi are either Knights or Masters and the Sith are Lords and Counts...! Or you join the Muppets and become The Count - 1, 2 Jedi...2 Jedi on the end of my sword mwahahaha!!

As for the earlier suggestion that Anakin should start off young - well that wasted an entire movie...! :p I still think he should start off in his 20s and move on from there. Lose the sulkiness and sullen teen which does nothing to endear you to him and distance the fall into the Dark Side. Using flashbacks you can then explore aspects of his life that show he was good and this would strengthen Padme's (or whatever else you decide to call her) ascertion that there is still good in him when Obi-Wan does his sword of fury thing on him.

I'd like to see some changes...but will present them a bit later when I've had a chance to mull them over.

There are some things I agree with and some I don't (the ChainsawAsh-Octorox exchange is something I'll add to later)

The EU is very hit-and-miss. There are aspects which work but also a lot which don't. Having multi-book arcs is difficult to maintain with several authors not really coming up with the goods and almost being like fillers. Zahn's trilogy and the X-Wing books are certainly worthy of live-action treatment - certainly the X Wing books would make a brilliant TV series and would take the emphasis away from the Clone Wars/Prequel Trilogy as I think this has been flogged to death in light of the fact that Lucas managed to kill 90% of the Jedi within 10 years cinematically - how many Jedi can there be left in the SW galaxy?!

Anyway, back to the topic...an animated version of the prequels would be good IF they can be manipulated enough to allow for major changes - Anakin being older from the start, Padme being less than a wet lifeless fish, etc. Palpatine should still be working both sides of the law - this has a lot of grounding in today's politicians...are they working for us or against us with some of the decisions they make? The Jedi should be viewed with a slight suspicion - they are different from everyone else after all and only train their own, so inherently 'racist' to a point :p The droids should be observers, separate to the Skywalker clan and only becoming attached to them in a peripheral manner. In a way, all Lucas really did with the PT is remake the OT with a stodgy storyline - the parallels are too many to mention and kinda shows how limited his writing was.

I'll add more ideas later...

Well it's good to see you back and that you seem to have recovered well!

Cheers Satanika. Looking forward to it. Anyone in the UK who'd like a copy of this, let me know by pm and I'll be happy to send out to you...

I'm having some trouble finding the correct AR to watch this in as the eps were clearly different - TNG was 4:3 whilst Enterprise was 16:9...I'm not going to post up my thoughts until I'm able to watch it in the correct aspect - mostly as I don't want to have my viewing spoilt by something like this.

Gorilla said:

Monroville said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaskolmE944&NR=1

While the first SS shadow shot needs to be lower on the ground and flatter to match the AT-ATs shadow, the scene at 0:32 doesn't have a shadow for the SS at all!   On 0:35 -0:36, should there be a SS shadow on the AT-AT legs?  Also could use a mountainous background (and maybe a squad of SSs flying in the rear) for 0:50.

And as far as the transparent cockpit, it looks like Ady addressed this already: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjEnjYe2Dbg&feature=related

 

I noticed a dialogue error while watching the first clip.  Luke first calls Wedge 'Rogue 3'.  Then a few seconds later he calls Wedge 'Rogue 2'.  Later Luke calls Zev 'Rogue 2'.  Obviously this has to been fixed but who is Rogue 2 and who is Rogue 3?

 

Also, great job on the Asteroid Field, Ady.  I can't wait to see how else you manage to surprise us.

 Wedge is Rogue 2, Zev is Rogue 3 - I believe he identified himself as such when he found Luke and Han in the snow...

adywan said:

jivjov said:

When I was a kid, I had the Special Edition Trilogy VHS box set, with the little commentary thing at the beginning of each movie, and as such, the biggest error I remember about Empire was the transparant Snowspeeder cockpits, because they showed a bunch of comparison shots of that gaffe during the commentary.

yeh, i still have those box sets. I remember thinking how great it was that the cockpits are no longer transparent. it wasn't until i started Revisited that i realised that what they said was totally and utter lies. All they did was slightly change the black level and didn't re-composite the shots at all.  I decided to re watch that clip where they showed the difference before and after because i thought that the 2004 DVD's may have mistakenly used the unfixed footage. but i couldn't believe that , even though they show a before and after comparison and say how they fixed it, that the 2 shots were exactly the same but with different black levels.

Actually, if you look at these comparisons closely, the cockpit is more transparent in the SE version than it is in the Original. You can clearly see the outline of the AT-AT through the cockpit, especially its neck and foot, strut in the SE but you can't so much in the GOUT

i really wish i could get hold of the original elements so i could re-composite them properly but that's never going to happen, sadly.

It looks like most of what they did was sharpen the image and take away the grain...then applied the blue wash over the film afterward when they realised the fixes hadn't worked and hope it hid everything!

Well I thought the Yoda footage was well done. Subtle blinks and facial movements brings the character even more to life now. I'd like to see something done with the eyes - make them look moist perhaps and less glassy?

As for Yoda's wobbling ears when he walks, I'd expect a certain amount of wobbling due to the size of them! Elephant have large ears which have a constant movement when they're on the move. Granted it's not wobble on the magnitude of Yoda's but it's difficult to keep those ears still! IF the animators tried to replicate the wobble on the CG puppet, then the wobble has been accepted as a character trait - it does mean that no work needs to be done to eliminate it...

The following is included tongue-in-cheek...it's not meant to cause offense or upset anyone...After all, ANH:R had a fair few debates and arguments running through it too! I'd guess it does show how much we care about this being more 'perfect' than it already is!

*What new debates will be added to the rollcall of scum and villainy? Who will be the next to 'want the impossible'... 

The green laser debate...

The AT-ATs and the number/colour of...

The grey/blue TIE Fighters...

The Taun-taun flick/breathing...

The Yoda's wobbling ears...

Tune in next time - same time same Jedi channel...*

Taolar said:

astromech said:

Also, Superman seemed to be flying through clouds after being in space (I think!) As I said, it just seemed to go against the work done earlier in the movie - to me in anycase. Of course, I'll shut up if it isn't the case - I do need to re-watch this in one shot rather than a few sittings...

Hmm...  I wonder if your TV's black setting is too high.  After he drops Lois off, while he contemplates what just happened, he takes a fly through the city, and over the river, and then up into the clouds.   He's not in space until the very last shots.

-T

As I said, it was quite late when I watched it so I could have misidentified his flight from the Earth and it was on a small 19" screen which never lives up to the main screen I have. I'll watch it on the big screen and will let you know.

I think what I meant by smooth it down was try to make the zoomed in footage less in your face. To me it seemed to jar with the earlier really seamless edits whereas the new ending (and I do appreciate it was a completely newly fashioned ending) seemed to be a collection of brief edits utilising zoomed in shots and quick shots. Also, Superman seemed to be flying through clouds after being in space (I think!) As I said, it just seemed to go against the work done earlier in the movie - to me in anycase. Of course, I'll shut up if it isn't the case - I do need to re-watch this in one shot rather than a few sittings...

However, I do appreciate the hard work you've put into this and look forward to the 'official' release!

I finally finished the second part last night. For me, the first part was definitely a more successful edit, perhaps because there was only one director on the first movie rather than the 2 for SII. For the most part, things worked well, although I felt some of the cuts during the big street battle seemed a little too abrupt, but that might have been me watching it late at night!

I like the ending but feel the footage used could be done a little more subtley - is there anything that could be done to smooth it down a bit? There are two shots of Superman which stick out as zoomed in shots of him. I appreciate there isn't a great deal of footage available to use so creating a new ending to tie in with Superman Returns will be difficult to do. Also, the news reporter is sitting in a studio marked Metropolis Morning News...so why are they all watching at nightime, or is this meant to be very early morning?

Thanks for answering my comments...it's been a hard slog, but definitely a worthy edit of a classic superhero movie!

I'm willing to reserve judgement on this until I've seen the finished product. Trailers can be designed to showcase the best of the movie or in some cases, show very little of the actual story. Whatever the case is, this is a highly anticipated movie and will live or die by the audience reaction.

Times do change...we no longer accept the day-glo colours of the 60s and if the Enterprise was designed exactly as it was back then, we'd be mocking the movie for trying to showcase a time long past.

I hope the movie does well...I've seen positive reactions and some negative ones surely we should be judging it on the finished product not what the spin machine known as the internet deigns to give us?

There have been far worse things than a series reboot - labouring under the impression that CG imagery is better than real sets and real reactions, for example. Did Lucas, for example, air almost 30 minutes of his unfinished movie to movie critics to get reactions? I think not. Chris Nolan was lambasted initially when he took on Batman for 'being a Brit who knew nothing about an American icon'...look what's happened there with his reboot.

It shouldn't matter that Abrams is a TV writer/producer/director. If he has been picked for his vision, then he should be able to bring his vision to the screen without someone screaming that 'he's raped my childhood!' How does that work, anyway - is Abrams in possession of a list of everyone who's seen Star Trek? Is he now going through that list to work out what he can screw up for that person individually, so much so that they can never watch Star Trek again? Is that the same for Lucas? If anything Lucas has screwed his own history up more than any of ours...he's the one in denial over the original path of his story - it's not like we had any say in any of the storylines given in the first place.

Anyway, enough ranting...I'm not going to be upset if the film isn't what I expected it to be but I also won't be running around saying it's not Star Trek. It will be Star Trek, but one for this generation of viewers and we're going to have to accept that movies are made for the current generation, not the past.

will definitely give a fuller review once I've finished but these are some comments I'll make for now:

- As with Doctor M, I found the sound to be a little 'up and down' in places. Quite down in the quiet scenes followed by a mega blast in the more lively scenes.

- Otis' blackeye needs to be explained out unless he's a constant klutz...I notice his attempt at changing the codes on the missile is now missing which removes Luthor's punishment of Otis. Any chance of airbrushing it out perhaps?

- I still have a slight problem with young Clark's race against the train - I'm figuring it's to do with the undercranked nature of that scene when originally shot, but it just looks sped up now.

- Is there any way of matching SII's Brando footage with the footage in SI? He's kinda see through in the first movie but colour in the second. I do accept it would be quite hard to do though seeing as that's the footage restored for the Donner Cut.

Pretty good otherwise so far (have only watched the first part). Pacing, to me, is definitely different, some scenes now run quicker, but will let you know more as I get through the second part of the movie. Good work though...the edit's you've made are pretty seamless...no jarring or noticeable steps.

blimey, that is a lot of info...I'd love to get my hands on a copy of this now!

On the subject of the base walls looking too shiny or plastic or false...if you compact snow enough, it will turn to ice or become the shiny, plasticky stuff you're seeing on the walls, albeit less plasticky looking. Yes, it's also likely to be due to the restrictions of the time - snow is never the easiest thing to simulate because it is wet, dry, shiny and fake looking all at the same time - but this sort of thing isn't the sort of fix I'd imagine Ady has on his fix list (if it is, then I'll shut up!) but to change the look of the entire base is going to be difficult. 

Pre-fab construction is how I'd imagine a small guerilla group creating their base. Dig a hole, drop some container boxes into the ground then cover it with the dirt. This is also witnessed in Terminator 2 when they head to Mexico and also in T3 (I think). 

Anyway, back to normal programming....

Has anyone noticed that the walker on the left appears to be missing its hind legs...? 

Johnny Ringo said:

Is this what you had in mind?

 

 Can't you do something about the dress...it's getting in the way!! :p

This sounds like an interesting edit...looking forward to what comes out of it. Since there are now both Blu-Ray and HD DVD versions of the movies out, will this be an edit in HD or will you only be going for SD at this time?

Ripplin said:

astromech said:

I don't like the way they seem to have someone who can just stick their own additional comments into someone's post

Seriously? I once quit a forum because of garbage like that.

 

I've never been on a forum where you're censured for having an opinion by anyone. Having an opinion is an individual right. Whether it goes against one or another is purely down to someone's preference at the time and should be respected. Just because LFL might not like that someone prefers a fanedit over the official product shouldn't mean someone can edit a post and say so...that's too much of a nanny state!

Well, I'm having a sneaky look on this now...it's an interesting piece and a shame that the edit is limited to such a low number of available sources. It needs slightly less Kirk material as his part in the story seems quite sudden or perhaps a new way of introducing him. Because of this, Sulu does seem to be a bystander rather than a main protagonist. A widescreen presentation would have been better given that the pan and scan version of STIV chops off a lot of the pic but a good effort nonetheless.

George Takei did lobby for a number of years for a Sulu TV show but I think he's moved on from that now. A nice little peek into 'what if....' territory. Needs a little more polishing but a good effort.

adywan said:

unny stuff there ladyferry

 

Well TFN can go f**k themselves. I have just got banned with no reason even given. I did nothing over at those boards apart from defending someone who didn't like my edit and was being attacked for saying he didn't. I wasn't aggressive in any manor. Now they're trying to make out that i'm not adywan but in fact the guy who started the argument

The mods there can stick their pathetic site so far up their arse that they'll be able to clean their teeth with it.

I don't like the way they seem to have someone who can just stick their own additional comments into someone's post, like the guy who had the opinion that it was better than the 04 release with the blue comment that LFL wouldn't like it...they take themselves far too seriously in my opinion. It's a forum - everyone has differing views! It seems they prefer fanmovie to fanedit...obviously tampering with the 'Great God's Movie' is taboo!

Anyway, long live the Revisited series! Now about that snowflake on Chewie's foot.... :p

Definitely looking forward to this...it'll be slightly after my birthday but I'll be looking forward to it nonetheless. It's been a long time coming, but as with most things worth waiting for, this will be worth the wait. 

(I apologise if I've come across all rambly and nonsense...I've just got back from the Far East, so on top of a 13 hour flight and an 8 hour time difference to overcome, I've had about 6 hours sleep at best over the entire day and a half and went straight back to work this morning...!)

It seems to work well, although like the previous post, perhaps you can find a clip of Piett saying 'Lord Vader...' as part of the interruption. The breathing could be with being faded in a little more subtly as well as a way of him returning to the present but nice work...

Vaderisnothayden said:

I think it's understandable skyjedi wanting to say what he said on this thread. This thread was basically started to praise Lucas. For some people at least, it hurts to see Lucas praised after what he's done. And it's not like he's not praised enough over on some other sites.

But if we're in the business of making complaints, what about johnboy getting personal with me and skyjedi? Disagree with an opinion, disagree with a topic being brought up on a thread where you feel it doesn't belong? Fine. But getting personal is something else and doesn't have a place in civilized discussion. Just because somebody doesn't like somebody's opinion or how they express it doesn't license them to get personal and start calling people ignorant or whatever. That is far more seriously out of line than bringing up a topic some people don't want to hear about on a particular thread. I want to try to get on with people, but that's made difficult if some people are going to take the attitude that they're entitled to get personal if they don't like my posting style or views.

I'm sorry if I've bothered anybody. I don't mean to be a trouble to anybody. But I believe I have a right to express my opinions in the way that feels right for me and I really don't appreciate it when a poster descends to gratuitous aggression.

There is a difference between praising a person for his more wide reaching influences on an industry/area than there is for constantly bashing him for making changes to his creation. This is more a thread congratulating the man on his achievements outside Star Wars - of course it would end up praising him as without Star Wars, we'd still be using sticky tape and wires in our SFX...

Lucas created ILM because there was no SFX industry capable of doing what he wanted at the time. This is a positive. That it also shot-off to create undoubtedly one of the greatest modern animation studios in Pixar is also another positive - and also proof that CGI can be done in a much more subtle way than Lucas' full-on 'I'm CGI pretending to be real but looking suspiciously CGI' method.

By all means express your opinion but have the mind to refine your arguments and be prepared to back them up rather than shoot crap all over the same thing again and again. Yes, the PT was a pile of steaming poo and Indy IV turned out to be less than anticipated - everyone knows it and has accepted it to a certain degree. However, it goes without saying that everyone still went to watch those movies (some more times than others) and bought them on DVD, adding to Lucas' bank balance whether they liked the movies or not.

I'm more than aware of Lucas' extreme shortcomings for the PT - he has an extremely stilted method for dialogue, is not able to fully integrate his CGI and live actors without making everything look like a giant video game and has a tendency to warp his original ideas to suit the need of the moment. However, you look at what he did achieve: ILM - the biggest SFX house at the moment and almost certainly the premier 'go to people' for most things SFX, THX - purveyors of all things aural for better quality (allegedly as I don't have a THX rated system to tell if there's an improvement!), Pixar - arguably now the biggest CG animation studio about and even bigger thanks to it's reverse takeover of The House of Mouse (Bolt being mostly produced by Pixar). Nevermind that he's generated billions of dollars in revenue for his own purposes - that's his own business and we have all contributed to that pot whether by choice or not.

Sorry if I've gone over the same ground of any others. Sorry if I've trodden on the toes of Lucas detractors...I'm always up for a bit of Lucas bashing, especially in his stilted dialogue areas and pointing out how someone like Adywan can infinitely improve a movie using less than interstellar equipment but give the man a bit of credit - he might have completely screwed up the Star Wars Saga and is in denial over it, but he has given the industry a lot more than he's destroyed.

skyjedi2005 said:

Does it have how George Lucas destroyed Star Wars with the special editions and prequels, or how he ruined Indiana Jones with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

Lucas did not change the world all he did was change the size of his money bin.

Does it mention how in 2006 he released the original films as non anamorphic bonus discs from a laserdisc master, the biggest joke in cinematic history.

That the only star wars film to ever flop was 2008 Clone Wars?

I cannot even believe they are Giving Him Credit for Pixar.  Look at how crap the clone wars animation is in comparison to Wall-E.

I am glad Lasseter looks to great people like hayao miyazaki for inspiration and not george lucas.

You really do need to give this rant a rest for a while...I might not appreciate everything he's had a direct or indirect input into, but he has set off a chain of events that has effected a lot of different things in the movie industry. Good or bad, there are a lot of people who will be saying they were either influenced by him or employed by him at some point in their career and will have benefitted from that association.

Pixar was part of Lucasfilm at one point. They were directly responsible for the Genesis Effect which also happened to be the first fully CG'd movie sequence (if I remember correctly). They were then sold off to Apple (I think) and the rest is history.