STAR WARS: TWILIGHT OF THE REPUBLIC

FanEdit Information
Type of Fanedit: True Fanedit
Intention With This Edit: To combine the best aspects from other AofC fanedits along with many of my own concepts/edits to create a definitive version of "Attack of the Clones".
Original Titles: Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones
New Title: Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic
Original Runtime: 142 minutes (2 hours, 22 minutes)
New Runtime: 90 minutes (1 hours, 30 minutes)
Time Cut: 53-54 minutes
Time Added: 3-4 minutes
Software Used: Sony Vegas 7 (video editing), Adobe Photoshop CS2 (image editing), Bahaus Mirage (compositing), Adobe After Effects 6.5 (compositing), Sony Sound Forge 8 (audio editing), Sony DVD Architect 4.5 (DVD authoring)

AVI Release Information
- Resolution: 720x320
- Audio format: 5.1 Dolby Surround
- Language: English

DVD-9 Release Information
DVD Format: NTSC - DVD9-DL
Region: 0 (region free)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1, 16x9 widescreen
Audio format: 5.1 Dolby Digital
Language: English
Subtitles: none
Custom DVD Menus
DVD Extras: Fanedit Trailers - "Star Wars: Attack of the Federation" and "Star Wars: The Black Knight Rises"

Major Cuts/Edits/Changes
01. Added a new title crawl (developed from an After Effects "Star Wars title crawl" sequence originally created by Taolar)
02. Major cuts/edits to the Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Jango, Shmi, and Count Dooku characters
03. Tried to edit the Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship to be more akin to a elder brother or friend relationship (much less of this constant "my young padawan" or "yes Master" crap)
04. Jar-Jar only speaks twice in the film
05. Re-edited the "Zam Chase" and "Hiding in Alien Bar" sequences
06. Edited Zam's final lines to include subtitles about the Kamino System (eliminating the "toxic dart" subplot)
07. Removed the "Dax's Diner" sequence
08. Removed the scene of Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Mace Windu walking in the Jedi Temple
09. Removed the scene of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the younglings training
10. Added the deleted scene of Obi-Wan talking with Mace Windu before leaving for Kamino back to the film
11. Tried to refined and streamlined the Anakin/Padme relationship into an actual romance
12. Added the deleted scene of Anakin meeting Padme's Family back into the film
13. Boba Fett is not a clone of his father, Jango Fett
14. Jango Fett's helmet now has a voice modulator
15. Re-edited Obi-Wan's space fight with Jango in the asteroids
16. Completely removed the "Shmi Skywalker captured by Sandpeople/Anakin turns to the Dark Side" subplot - Anakin now arrives on Tatooine to find his mother already dead and buried
17. Removed Jar-Jar's speech to the Senate
18. Completely removed the appearance of C-3PO and R2-D2 in the "Droid Factory" and "Coliseum" battle sequences
19. Added the deleted scene of Padme facing Count Dooku back into the film
20. Re-edited the fight sequences of the "Droid Factory", "Colosseum", and "Geonosis Battle" scenes
21. Count Dooku is no longer "Darth Tyranous" and has absolutely NO connection to the Sith - he is still a Jedi (abit a rebel Jedi) in my Prequel fanedits
22. Re-edited the duels between Obi-Wan/Anakin and Count Dooku
23. Dooku's lightsaber has been rotoscoped purple instead of "Sith red"
24. YODA NEVER FIGHTS COUNT DOOKU
25. Added "Faneditor's credit" to the end credits

Another fine job then JasoN. You actually made Hayden give a good performance and only goes to show that Ben Burtt had no business editing these movies. I think he benefits the most from this edit, as he is no longer the whiny teenager that we all grew to hate. His relationship with Padme also now makes sense, as with removing all that constant we shouldn't/we can't stuff you show how they were breaking the rules and that it will lead to the downfall of the Jedi.

The editing of the film is great, particularly the action sequences which seem to be flawless. The Droid Factory seemed a little off, but that could simply be me expecting it to go a certain way and not. I would have liked to see Obi and Jango's fight it full, as it would help add a little to the running time, but I guess you did it for pacing. Regardless, your editing of the action scenes was nearly flawless and you should really be applauded for it.

The only real negative aspect I have is one that you cannot really control, and that's the fact that the middle moves too quickly. Obviously this is where all the problems in the original film existed, so I knew that it would be heavily cut down but it does seem like there are a lot of short scenes in the middle. Again, nothing you can do about that. The only one I really had a problem with was the balcony kiss, as the cut was a little abrupt and may (and I stress MAY) have been handled differently. Of course, you might have not had any other options as I know it cuts off quick as it is so you might have done the best you could have.

Another great job JasoN and I'm looking forward to Episode III.

The "Version 2" DVD is nearly finished - I just have to finish trailers for my EP2 and EP3 edits. The types of updates/changes on the DVD version (from the AVI version) will include:

- added the "Anakin/Obi-Wan talk" at the start of the Arena sequence back into the film (which ends with Obi-Wan's "good job" line)

- improved audio cuts/transitions

- fixed the SW title crawl for better pacing/speed with the soundtrack

- spelling corrections to title crawl and alien subtitles

- rewrites to a few portions of the title crawl and alien subtitles

Great! I always liked the "Good job" line, glad to see that it's back in.

Fanedit trailer now available:

[youtubewide:10poi0au]

DVD-9 version is now available via RS.
(thanks to elbarto1 for WinRARing and uploading the DVDs for me)

Full cutlist is now available:

http://rapidshare.com/files/245028747/e ... utlist.doc

JasonN, I have not had a chance to watch this in one sitting, but from working on the cutlist, I can say that I really enjoyed this, just as I enjoyed AOTF. Your prequel trilogy is shaping up to be a great acheivement. Once I finish the third cutlist, I hope to provide full reviews for each movie. Thanks for the great work.

I modified the DVD covers for JasonN's SW prequel trilogyto give them a different, painted on canvas look and texture.
You can really see the difference by clicking on the low res cover below, since it links to the proper high res version.

So tonight I watched this in one sitting, and it was really enjoyable. As expected, great picture and sound. I have just a few small nits to pick.

I noticed a few audio transitions that weren't seamless. Most of those were during the droid factory battle, when cutting between Anakin and Padme and vice versa. The other one that was noticeable to me was the transition from Anakin and Padme kissing on Naboo to the goodbye scene between Obi Wan and Taun We. I'm not sure if that audio transition could have been improved, but I will say that I definitely prefer that transition to seeing Padme pull away from the kiss. Cutting before she pulls away is one of many improvements to the love story.

Speaking of the droid factory sequence, I love that C3PO is gone from it, as well as the arena battle. The C3PO "humor" in those scenes is my least favorite thing from the original (AOTC) movie. However, removing R2 from the factory causes a bit of a problem - how do we safely get Padme out of the foundry container? In this edit, the container is simply released on its own, rather than R2 doing it. It is a bit of a stretch/coincidence, but I'm going to chalk it up to the first sign that the Star Wars Universe is heading towards the general decay we see in the later movies :-D . At any rate, I still prefer it to seeing R2 fly.

Most of the Obi-Wan/Jango fight on Kamino is cut - only the beginning and end remain. I sort of miss the middle of their fight, but then again, the fistfight portion really doesn't make much sense. On one hand, Obi-Wan should hurt himself more than Jango if he is fighting an armored foe with bare hands. On the other hand, why doesn't he just force-push Jango off the platform? So maybe it's not a bad thing to cut.

Most of Anakin's and Padme's time on Tatooine is gone, due to Shmi already being dead when they arrive. I think this works for the most part, but I miss a few things from those scenes. I miss the part where we just see Anakin and Padme hugging as shadows, and Anakin's haircut sort of makes him look like Vader. And I miss the bit where he takes out the Sandpeople - a brief preview of his dark side. But overall I think it still works. And it spares us the awful scene between Anakin and Padme after he brings Shmi back and whines a bunch about how Obi-Wan is holding him back and how he's going to be all powerful.

I loved how little Jar Jar is left in the film. The cut-down speeder chase through the city works great. Dexter diner scene? Didn't miss it. Obi-wan/Yoda and the younglings? There were some neat things in there (I love the map reader special effect), but I agree that it makes Obi-Wan look like an idiot. Love story? It's amazing how much better it works now. Asteroid fight between Obi-Wan and Jango? Excellent. Area Battle? Just wonderful. Dooku as a Jedi, not a Sith? Loved it. Dooku lightsaber fights (especially the purple lightsaber)? Really well done. No Yoda fight? Awesome (especially deleting him from the last scene, instead of just cutting the scene).

So, to make a long story short (too late!), while there were a few things I might have wanted different, this is by far my favorite EP 2 fanedit. It goes right up on the shelf next to AOTF. Can't wait to watch TBKR.

So one question, regarding Dooku as ex-jedi, and having no connection to Sidious. I'm curious how you envision who was responsible for what. This is what I got out of it:

Sidious, using Syfo-Dias's name, orders a clone army. He hires Jango to provide the source for the clones. This all occurs around the time frame of the events of AOTF. He also removes any mention of Kamino from the Jedi Archives, so the Jedi will not know he has ordered the army. Once the army is fully grown, and the time is right, he will use it to help wipe out the Jedi and remake the Republic into the Empire.

Shortly before TOTR begins, Dooku becomes aware that Sidious controls the Senate, and essentially controls the Republic. He's decided the only way to fight Sidious is to break away from the Republic and form his own army. He hires Jango, who is willing to work for anyone who pays the right price, regardless of what side they are on. Dooku has no idea Jango either works for Sidious or used to work for Sidious. Dooku uses Jango as a bodyguard, but also has him attempt to assassinate Padme. This is done as payment to Viceroy Gunray, who wants revenge for the Naboo fiasco 10 years earlier, in exchange for the use of his droid army.

Unfortunately for Dooku, Jango is tracked to Geonosis by Obi-Wan. Dooku tries hard to recruit Obi-Wan, telling him the truth about Sidious. He also tries a brief attempt at recruiting Padme. Since these efforts fail, he decides to not stand in the way of the Geonosian execution.

One question here - Padme and Anakin are being executed for killing Geonosians in the tunnel and droid factory. But why is Obi-Wan being executed? Spying, maybe?

When Mace and the others crash the party, Dooku flees the scene. He doesn't try to kill our two helpless Jedi heroes after their saber battles - it's one thing to allow the Geonosian execution, but Dooku can't bring himself to kill two defenseless Jedi. He leaves the planet in possession of the Death Star plans - the Geonosians don't want the plans to be found by either the Jedi or the clones, because they know from what Dooku has told them that they will just end up in Sidious's hands. Of course, at some point, he gets the plans anyway. Perhaps in TBKR, after Anakin kills Dooku, Palpatine/Sidious finds the plans on Dooku's body without Anakin noticing.

Yikes, this was a long post.

JasonN said:

DVD-9 version is now available via RS.

Click to expand...

Please dont ask for links. AvP The JDownloader is hellish. I have to go to a SW marathon with some friends in a few weeks and I'd like to present a more tolerable alternative.

flashget?

Oops! Sorry AVP, I wasn't thinking.

I'll look at this flashget thing.

This has become one of my favorite edits of Episode II. First and foremost, the pacing is ten times better than the theatrical version. The story flows beautifully now, making all the difference in the world. I especially appreciated the inclusion of the scene in which Dooku tries to persuade Padme to join the Separtists. I always found the jump from the droid factory to the arena love pledge incredibly jarring.

Ok, JN, now that I'm done with your AOTF v2 cutlist...

...time to release TOTR v2!

:wink:

16. Completely removed the "Shmi Skywalker captured by Sandpeople/Anakin turns to the Dark Side" subplot - Anakin now arrives on Tatooine to find his mother already dead and buried

Click to expand...

Any chance you will put this back in for v2?
Seems that this is the big issue that prevents this from being as highly regarded and your ep 1 and 3 edits.

If I know JasonN (and of course I don't), he won't do this just because others have complained.

I recently found a fanedit of Attack of the Clones on Youtube which removes the aspect of the assassin being a shape-shifter.

[youtube:3n0cmvdr]
So now the assassin's face change is because of the toxic dart.

This is a good idea. The shape shifter thing is completely pointless. Why doesn't the assassin ever put that power to use like, oh I don't know, disguising herself as? one of Padme's companions, and later in the bar she could have changed her appearance to blend in. The whole situation in the bar is kinda stupid. I mean, they're in a room full of people and are looking for a SHAPE SHIFTER, and Obi-Wan just tells Anakin to be "extra careful"? Also if she's a shape-shifter and can disguise her face by changing it, then why does she need to wear a disguise??



I hope, JasonN, that you put this in for v2!

Xtroid said:

I hope, JasonN, that you put this in for v2!

Click to expand...

This seems likely, considering he already did it in v1...unless I missed something?

btw, I don't think JasonN planned any changes for EP 2 other than bitrate and framing issue corrections. But I'm sure he'll correct me if need be.

1. Yes, all references to the assassin being a shape-shifter/changeling was removed from TOTR, even in the first V1 of the edit (as TV Frink pointed out).

2. Right now, there's not looking like there'll be any changes to the V2 outside of AR and video bitrate corrections, but I'll be giving the edit a final little "editing pass" before I start rendering the files on Sunday/Monday, so any little edits/changes will be noted later.

3. Watching that YouTube clip was rather painful for me, due to the audio cuts being somewhat harsh and because the editor left in a lot of things in that sequence that I just could not stand for in the theatrical cut of Episode 2. :roll:

JasonN said:

2. Right now, there's not looking like there'll be any changes to the V2 outside of AR and video bitrate corrections, but I'll be giving the edit a final little "editing pass" before I start rendering the files on Sunday/Monday, so any little edits/changes will be noted later.

Click to expand...

What the hell, I might as well throw out a couple minor things that have always bugged me in the official version.

Obi's line when he first flies over Geonosis "There's an unusual concentration of Federation Starships over there." What the hell would be a "usual" concentration? A single Federation ship would be odd and require investigation. And the use of the word "concentration" is weird too. If they were spread out more, would that be more "usual?" Slumberland is the only one who removed this so far.

When Padme and Ani are in the starship having the discussion about if they should fly off Tatooine to help Obi, Padme pushes the same button twice. Not only is it a repeated shot, but each time she is able to access information by a single button push that makes no sense (unless it's a universal remote button or something). No one has done anything with this yet.

As they fly over Geonosis, Padme says a couple of really dumb lines. "See those columns of steam straight ahead?" is a Ric Olie quality line, and "They're exhaust vents of some type" is just silly. Sithlord is the only one to remove these lines.

After they land, Padme says "As a member of the Senate," another Ric Olie moment. ADM and Father Merrin removed this.

During the Monster Arena battle, Padme swings the chain at the Nexu a couple of times as it attempts to scale her column. It looks fake and I don't get the sense at all that the Nexu would have been so hurt from a small-ish chain like that. A very minor quibble that no one has deleted.

Oh, I almost forgot that at some point during the droid factory fight (I think right around when Padme and the Geonosian are wrestling before she's dumped into the container), there is a noticeable audio cut - either into or out of that scene, I can't remember which.

As I said, these are all minor (and mostly personal preference anyway). Just some food for thought, as I look forward to getting v2 in my hands even if you only fix the bitrate/AR.