CaptainFaraday

I personally prefer it as a different moon. It makes sense to me that the planet would have different moons, and those could have different biomes, so I enjoy it as worldbuilding. That’s why I really want to give it a matching title to the Sanctuary Moon. (I’m still unclear whether the planet is called Endor, or the forest moon is called Endor, even after looking it up on Wookieepedia, and I prefer it that way.) Each planet having its own biome feels quintessentially Star-Wars-y to me.

Maybe the Estuary Moon?

DominicCobb said:

Make Holdo’s hair blonde.

This is one of those brilliant ones that feels like someone, somewhere, would unironically want to implement.

Hal 9000 said:

Make Holdo’s hair constantly rotate between colors like a fiberoptic Christmas tree.

Chromakey it to display reaction gifs that help convey her inner mood at key moments.

Hal 9000 said:

lol, did you just make that?

Yep! My other hobby is making memes. I’m actually a moderator for a somewhat well-known Star Wars meme group.

Edit: That wasn’t meant to be, like, a brag or anything. Pretty sad brag if it was hahaha.

I’m back! I’ve been having some computer and internet issues, but at least I’ve got very basic connectivity for the time being.

I’ve decided to go back and add Dark Side Whispers surrounding the Dagger, using RogueLeader’s idea:

RogueLeader said:

…if the wielder embraces/taps into the dark side, the blade will point them in the right direction.

It’ll require me to add that explanation from 3PO at some point (I think that’s the easiest and most unobtrusive way to explain it to the reader), and there’s a good place to add a small scene on the Falcon after they leave Kijimi where Rey can take out the Dagger and listen to it.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to change 3PO’s Sith translation to replace the latitude-and-longitude style coordinates with something that could only be useful to a Force-wielder. Here’s the original:

“The Emperor’s wayfinder,” he said, “is sealed inside the Imperial Vaults. At delta-three-six transient nine-three-six bearing three-two on a moon in the Endor system. From the southern shore. Only this blade tells, only this blade tells…”

But instead of naming Kef Bir directly, I want to give it a title - a counterpart to “the Sanctuary Moon,” as the Emperor calls the moon in ROTJ. A forest moon and an ocean moon; the Sanctuary Moon and the Something Moon. I don’t know what the Something should be, though. Is there an aquatic counterpart of a wildlife sanctuary, with hopefully as mystical-sounding of a double-meaning? Regardless, this is the type of fun detail that other people seem better at supplying.

Here’s what I have currently:

“The Emperor’s Wayfinder,” he said, “is sealed inside the Imperial Vaults on the [something] Moon of the Endor system. From the southern shore, only this blade tells. Only this blade tells…”

Anakin Starkiller said:

I thought she said towel.

In TLJ, when Rey says, “Do you have something, a cowl or something you can put on?”, replace the “c” sound with a “t”, and add this for the rest of the scene:

JackNapier said:

Eyepainter said:

Make an anime version of Star Wars.

Wouldn’t that be an awesome idea?

Yes.

Someone really needs to grab a bunch of these which don’t step on each other’s toes and actually make an insane jumbled edit. But one that’s actually capable of being watched, with the same sort of design philosophy as the Most Unwanted Song.

sherlockpotter said:

Hal 9000 said:

I’m getting a small business off the ground and so there will be times where I may not be all that active for a while. BUT, things are obviously still in motion and it will all come together. The Rey Nobody version is not pushed back by the default version taking a while, as development of that aspect is in the Rey Nobody thread.

“We’re taking this baby to the mooooooon!”

I hope it’s a video editing business, Hal. haha

Congrats! Best of luck with the new business!

No, no, no:

Reverse the footage so the porg flies back out, then she can throw it in again. Put a porg’s face over an insert shot of Anakin burning to death in ROTS.

Hal 9000 said:

I think that’d be a whole ‘nother level, unless your two clips were at the same angle to begin with.

That’s what I’m wondering about - could deepfake technology take a video of a talking head facing camera, and fit it to existing footage.

I agree about recolouring the houses. Smoke passes over them though - would that potentially cause a problem?

Shamook said:

There are primitive ways to alter mouth movements but the quality is subpar for me to consider using it at the moment.
You could film yourself acting the role, rotoscope yourself onto the original actor, then apply a deep fake on top of all that.

I’m assuming that deepfakes use some kind of automated facial tracking to keep the deepfake in the correct place, angle, and lighting - if that’s right, would that same technology be able to be used in the rotoscoping stage, to seamlessly line up a new facial performance?

My reason for being so curious about this is pretty obvious for fanediting - imagine the scope that would open up if a faneditor could completely replace an entire character’s face and dialogue with their own new actor.

There’s a thread for a custom crawl creator here. Hopefully that helps!

I hadn’t thought too much about the marker - I think the interpretation of the Sith Dagger which ultimately emerged a few pages back was that it was an ancient dagger which Ochi had altered to reflect his unique knowledge of where the Wayfinder was. So I guess technically speaking, the marker would be of Ochi’s vintage, unless he uses an existing landmark.

Shamook said:

Hey all, Shamook here.
I was just googling myself and came across this thread. It’s really nice and refreshing to see so many people enjoying my videos. Sorry if I never responded to your emails or messages, I just don’t have the time to get back to everyone unfortunately. I think I got 300+ emails about the Mando deepfake.
Let me know if there are any specific things I might be able to provide you guys with; extra scenes, different video formats etc
Also I can verify I’m definitely Shamook if that’s necessary.
Cheers.

Shamook, I have a question about how your deepfakes work. In your videos, you seamlessly replace one actor’s face with another’s, keeping the original facial performance intact. Would it be possible to replace the facial performance?

For example, let’s say I want to completely replace an actor’s performance and dialogue with new footage I’ve filmed of my own actor. Is that possible with current technology? Either retaining the original actor’s face, or simply replacing it entirely with my new actor’s facial footage?

EDIT: I mocked up a video to try and explain my question better.

Let’s pretend I want to cast myself as Kylo Ren instead of Adam Driver, and change all of Kylo’s lines. Is it possible to take the footage I’ve filmed, and deepfake it onto Adam, resulting in:
a) my face and new performance completely replace Adam’s, or
b) it looks like Adam’s face is giving my new performance.

Like this, except with your amazing facial replacement skills, instead of my drag-and-drop example.

(I don’t want to actually do that, I just needed an example with some footage I already had on the computer.)

RogueLeader said:

The new additions blend in really nicely, Faraday.

Thanks!

Just thinking about the story itself. If 3PO can’t vocally translate it, I wonder why they couldn’t have 3PO write/type it out, or have 3PO pull up the planet on the nav computer.

I kinda wish 3PO didn’t know what it said at all. Maybe he couldn’t read it because Sith was a banned language in general. Then, they all go to Babu to download the illegal language program. But to install it, they have to do a complete system wipe.

I personally like C-3PO knowing exactly what it says but being unable to tell them. I find it funny in the right way - it brings them tantalisingly close to their goal, which still remains maddeningly just out of reach. I really feel their frustration in that moment, but it’s tempered with the dash of humour which keeps it enjoyable. I do think it might be worth specifying 3PO can’t provide any kind of translation from Sith, though, not just that he can’t speak it aloud.

Also, instead of the blade telling them the exact coordinates, I think it would’ve made more sense if the runes explained that if the wielder embraces/taps into the dark side, the blade will point them in the right direction. This would’ve allowed the blade to be ancient, but still lead them to the more modern Death Star ruins, since it would always lead the wielder to the wayfinder regardless of where it was.

Or, she has to let that vision of pain and anguish she first got a glimpse of continue, until she finally gets a glimpse of the Death Star ruins. Once she mentions seeing it, Poe would know where the ruins are. I like the line about sharing the secrets with only the blades victims, so it would be interesting if Rey had to prick her skin with the blade or something in order to have that secret revealed to her through a vision.

Then once they get to the planet, the whispers she hears grow louder as she gets closer to the wayfinder. Sort of how Hal has it right now in Ascendant. Then you don’t need the blade to line up with the Death Star ruins, which would’ve arguably changed in the years following the blade’s creation, as the metal structure kept degrading in the ocean water. But, hey, it’s Star Wars I guess.

But I like the idea of Rey having to tap into the dark side in order to find the wayfinder.

I really like the idea of having to tap into the Dark Side to use the Dagger - it’s a really neat way to keep turning the screw on Rey’s fears about the Dark Side. I also like your expansion on my idea that only the Dagger’s victims see its secrets! I originally only intended it as 3PO speaking poetically. I’d definitely like to figure out where both ideas could go.

As for the Goonies stuff with the Dagger lining up with the Death Star - for mer personally, it feels just like the kind of weirdly slightly-self-contradicting idea that the OT, in particular ANH, threw out all the time, but always just fuelled my curiosity about exactly how this strange Star Wars Universe works. It does stretch beyond my suspension of disbelief that she just stands in any old location on the shore and it works, though. My plan was to add some kind of Sith marker on the ground for her to stand on, like the amulet scene in Indiana Jones. But I think that’s a complementary idea to the Dark Side Whispers leading her there, rather than an incompatible idea.

It’s like Sith designed it so only dark siders could find it. And if they weren’t dark side users before, they could be well along their way by the time they find it.

I am so taken with this part of your idea specifically. It works so well.

I could imagine a scene where a holographic star field is projected in a room, and Rey reluctantly taps into the dark side, letting in all that pain and anguish she got a taste of when she first touched it. Then, with the blade extended in front of her, she points to the correct planet. Like a water diviner finding ground water.

There’s actually a scene in the DOTF screenplay that’s extremely similar to what you’re describing! I don’t know if there’s a good spot to try and work it into TROS, but it’s definitely worth thinking about, because it would recontextualise into what you’re describing really neatly.

Jar Jar Bricks said:

CaptainFaraday said:

• Kylo’s ship no longer explodes, just crash lands. He also wasn’t trying to actually kill Rey; it was more like a test to see how far she’s come and how in sync they are.

Wait, did Rae Carson seriously say that he was trying to kill her? That’s probably the most stupid explanation for that scene I’ve ever heard LMAO. Glad to hear you fixed that. I always assumed that he was baiting her into using dark side powers to escape the situation.

Yeah, there’s a lot more of them actively wanting (and trying) to kill each other in the book. It’s really the only place where I completely disagree with Carson’s interpretation of events.

In Rey’s cave vision in TLJ, when Rey asks the mirror to show her her parents, replace Rey’s reflection when the mirror clears with her parents from TROS.

Seventh chapter:
https://pastebin.com/NNHNKL4H
Password: CaptainFaraday

Changelog:

• Nothing significant. Just quality-of-life edits.

Eighth chapter:
https://pastebin.com/Wkn2psKV
Password: CaptainFaraday

Changelog:

• Added Ochi of Bestoon’s armour from the comics.
• Extended C-3PO’s explanation of the Sith Cultists, to set up the new explanation for why the dagger lines up with the Death Star wreckage.
• Kylo’s ship no longer explodes, just crash lands. He also wasn’t trying to actually kill Rey; it was more like a test to see how far she’s come and how in sync they are.
• Removed the cutaway to Kylo’s perspective as he climbs out of the TIE. It adds nothing, and stops the tension ratcheting up as Rey tries to pull the transport back down.
• Moved the reveal of Chewbacca still being alive to later, to give the reader longer to stew in Rey’s shock.

BrotherOfSasquatch said:

Count me in on the people who think Blackened Mantle frickin’ owns.

I’d never heard of Blackened Mantle until this thread, and from looking it up, it’s the exact sort of thing that’s in my wheelhouse. Has anybody got a link for it? I couldn’t find anything.

RogueLeader said:

Just to get your wheels turning, here is a version of that scene I did that doesn’t just drastically change the major points of the conversation:

I’ve kept thinking about your version of the hangar scene, and the more I think about it, the cleverer it gets. I love how vulnerable Kylo seems by mentioning his call to the light, and how it simultaneously preserves that great pair of rhetoric devices. It wouldn’t work in the book for various factors, but it works so well in the film, and achieves the same effects at the same moments, which I find really fascinating.

Jar Jar Bricks said:

The 3PO stuff is hilarious. Nicely done.

You’re definitely taking it very seriously to leave the original structure in place! I think that’s great. I know if I was rewriting some of these scenes I would just slap what I liked better in without considering the structure.

Thank you!

I’m probably going to lengthen the conversation just a little bit, to accomodate the fact that the replacement ideas I’m going with require a little more explanation, but I’m trying to keep it as brief as I can while still sounding natural.

RogueLeader said:

I love the new stuff with 3PO and the bowcaster! I see what you were saying about how BB-8 gets 3PO to shoot. I wonder if BB-8 could zap 3PO’s leg or something, which could make his finger squeeze the trigger.

I like your breakdown of the hangar scene.

Just to get your wheels turning, here is a version of that scene I did that doesn’t just drastically change the major points of the conversation:

Kylo Ren: Rey, I know the rest of your story.

Rey: Tell me.

Kylo: He saw what you would become. You won’t just have power, you’ll have his power. You… will kill Palpatine, and take the throne.

Rey is shocked.

Kylo: I feel the pull to the light. And you, the darkness. What Palpatine doesn’t know is that we’re a Dyad in the Force, Rey. Two that are one. Together, nothing will stand in our way. You know what you need to do. You know.

Rey: I do.

Luckily for you, you’re not beholden to what Kylo Ren dialogue exists out there, so you could potentially make something more interesting. One good thing about this limitation, though, is that the dialogue still feels genuine to something Kylo would really say.

Thanks! The issue I’ve got with BB-8 getting 3PO to shoot is that it has to be explained in half a sentence and not require any brain-processing-space on the part of the reader. Maybe there’s a split-level computer bank and he’s already rolled up a ramp or something, to give him the extra height. It’s contrived, but would preserve the key moment. I’m gonna keep tinkering with it.

I like your version. I try to keep my work on this project as close as an editor instead of a writer when possible, staying as close to the existing material as possible. I have a huge amount of power behind the keyboard compared to someone doing video editing. I could make Kylo Ren in the hangar scene declare that Rey should join him because he knows why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, or I could change the film’s final shot so that Rey and the Skywalker Force Ghosts all rap an answer to the old woman. But the more it strays from the original, the more its soul is changed and lost, until eventually you reach a threshold where you have to ask, “what’s the point of any of it anymore?”. So ironically, even though the whole point is to change stuff from the original, the goal is simultaneously to maintain verisimilitude to it as much as possible.

I’m a big believer in restrictions causing creativity. All my favourite films from yesteryear had to work smart and hard to pull off impressive shots and visuals, and they’re all the more breathtaking and engaging for it (to me personally). I love watching a movie and marvelling at “how did they do that?”. Modern blockbuster cinema struggles to engage me the same way, because I know the answer to how they did literally any visual or impressive oner shot or anything like that is just “they stitched it together on a computer using a large team of people.” That’s why I love fanedits so much: they’ve got such tight restrictions to work with, that when they achieve something impressive, I’m once again left marvelling at “how did they do that?”.

Edit:

That’s not to diss the work of VFX people, I should specify. One of my friends works in CGI VFX for big Hollywood productions, and his stories about the insane difficulties of doing what it is they do are fascinating to hear, and I love watching VFX breakdowns. But that’s a very different experience than sitting in the cinema seat and being baffled at how they achieved something.

Also, let’s talk about the hangar scene. I want to maintain the same form and structure of their conversation: I think the conversation itself is actually pretty fantastically written, even if I don’t personally like the information it’s revealing.

Structurally, it has:

• a logical flow,
• a very effective rise and fall of tension and release,
• a nice pair of matching rhetoric devices, which both work independently for each of their individual purposes, yet also enhance each other by their mirrored placements,
• and all of this in a great economy of words.

Let’s break down what it does specifically and how it does it. Here’s the original conversation from the screenplay:

REY: Why did the Emperor come for me? Why did he want to kill a child? Tell me.

KYLO REN: Because he saw what you would become. You don’t just have power. You have his power. You’re his granddaughter. You are a Palpatine.

[Rey looks shocked]

KYLO REN: My mother was the daughter of Vader. Your father was the son of the Emperor. What Palpatine doesn’t know is we’re a dyad in the Force, Rey. Two that are one.

[Wind whistling]

KYLO REN: We’ll kill him together and take the throne.

[Breathing raggedly]

KYLO REN: You know what you need to do. You know.

[he offers his hand to Rey]

REY: I do.

And here’s the same conversation, but the dialogue replaced line-by-line with the information it contains and the techniques used to deliver it:

REY: Why did the Emperor want Rey dead? What was special about her specifically? Emphatic entreaty for answer.

KYLO REN: How Palpatine knows the reveal. Antimetabole building to reveal. Reveal. Brief expansion of reveal.

[Rey looks shocked]

KYLO REN: Chiasmus building to Dyad. Palpatine doesn’t know about Dyad. Brief explanation of Dyad.

[Wind whistling]

KYLO REN: Kylo presents alternate path with him.

[Breathing raggedly]

KYLO REN: Kylo calls back to their earlier connection. Repetition.

[he offers his hand to Rey]

REY: Answer with unexpected double meaning.

So what we’ve got now is a template of how the original conversation is executed, into which I can just plug the new, different, information. (Then I can smooth it out if necessary.) It’s just a matter of deciding the new wording to use, to make it read well and feel authentic.