Orson Welles and I (A fanedit of 'Me and Orson Welles')

[Rogue-theX]

Yes Yes!

 

[TM2YC]

Here is the first workprint...

(Click Vimeo button to view in HD / ^ Password is the usual one)

I've uploaded a lower resolution render, the finished edit will be 1280x720.

- Film converted to B&W
- 'I's romance with Claire Danes has been entirely removed (Approx 25-30 mins of footage)
- All mentions of 'I's name 'Richard', have been removed (The real guy was actually called Arthur)
- Several scenes have been rearranged
- 'I' being fired after an argument with Orson has been replaced with 'I' quitting due to stage fright and pressure from his family
- 'I' being re-fired by Orson at the end has been removed
- A 1937 roundup newsreel has been cut together and now forms a pre-title introduction*
- Several shots, images, logos, sounds and techniques from 'Citizen Kane' have been used at the start and end of the edit
- A real-life to film comparison has been added at the end for the principle players
- Welles' short film 'The Hearts Of Age' now plays beside the closing credits
- Not including the opening and closing the film is about 70mins now (37mins-ish removed)

I'd be glad of any feedback on any improvements or any continuity errors created by the large removals I've made. e.g. Have I missed a "Richard"?

and

Since the film takes place across a week (Friday to Friday), are any of the scenes I've move obviously out of place. e.g does somebody say "We open tomorrow" then somebody else says "It's tuesday" then they open of the Thursday... that kind of thing.

(* BTW I got into the spirit of the times and cut a couple of propaganda shots into the newsreel (Also rearranged a few things). See if you can spot them. Far from distorting the truth, I think I've made it more true )

 

[TM2YC]

I made a custom expanded wide screen version of the rko logo from the original king kong, you are more then welcome to use it if you'd like, I made it so that the r.k.o. part is removed for putting a custom title instead, it isn't perfect but hey!:

And there are morse code translator/generators online you can use to make a 'VVV a take me to your cinema fanedt VVV' sound effect ;-)

I just copied the letters from the original and fiddled with them to get the letters I needed for my Public Enemy edit since there doesn't seem to be a correct font online, but if you ever find a free font that looks the part lemme know!

No worries if you don't want to use it.

Thanks that's very cool. Your blank logo is very nicely done. I tried overlaying the RKO logo from Citizen Kane and cropping it to 'Me and Orson Welles's aspect ratio and it look great...



(^ Click to enlarge)

^ I also tried re-cropping the logo I had used (With it very slightly squashed) and it looks a bit better. Nothing like as good as yours though. I've no idea how I would hand animate the letters to appear one by one though.

I also tried your morse idea. Very tricky to do as the original RKO morse has a certain music to it. I'll experiment to see if I can get it sounding right. Though to be honest, I'm not sure I want to change the audio (As I want to evoke the opeing of CK), just improve the visuals.

and no I couldn't find a free font (Similar but not the same).

 

[Rogue-theX]

Excellent! I'm very pleased that you are making use of it!

 

[TM2YC]

If I had the font it would be easy (ish) to do. I think it will be worth the time to hand animate though. Could you send me the logo in another format and at a higher res (Iff it exists at a higher res). I can open the *.avi in VLC but no other program, including my editor (NeroVisioXtra).

 

[Rogue-theX]

It was only done in standard definition, you could upscale it if you need to I guess, it is a lagarith .avi so you could open it in virtualdub and encode to something more compatible with that maybe? I primarily work with lagarith avi's when doing effect stuff and .m2v for editing with womble so I cannot guide you further with this unfortunately, but surely someone else will be able to help out.

 

[TM2YC]

Here's the new Widescreen RKO logo (Courtesy of Rogue-theX)...

(^ Click Vimeo button to watch in HD)

I've replaced the original audio with "A Take Me To Your Cinema Fanedit" in morse code yay! The overlay of the text isn't perfect, as some of the thinner parts of the letters have been scrubbed out and some of the original 'electricity' is bleeding through. But it's good enough in my opinion.

Thanks for the ideas Rogue-theX

 

[TM2YC]

I was reviewing the workprint of 'Orson Welles and I' and I noticed that Claire Danes is still in the first scene outside The Mercury. She is standing in the back of several shots and I had somehow totally forgotten she was even in that scene! Sounds crazy I know but in my defence I made the decision to cut Danes after editing that sequence. Now I'm wondering what to do... is her presence in the scene a distraction or is she not even noticeable? Cropping her out of some shots can be done but others are not possible. Essentially she is a background extra but is her face too recognisable?

What does everybody think?

(^ Ignore the first part as this is an old render, Danes appears from 8.48 onwards)

 

[Neglify]

Watched 2 minutes of the scene, seemed fine, wasn't distracting to me.

 

[TM2YC]

Watched 2 minutes of the scene, seemed fine, wasn't distracting to me.

Cool thanks Neglify. I've cropped her out from the foreground in one shot the rest she is in the background so it's fine.

Just this second I finished watching what I thought was the final cut, only to find an error in the very last edit! I was just reaching for the champagne and cigars to!

I'm thinking about DVD extras now.

 

[Vultural]

Thanks for plugging away on this.

 

[TM2YC]

Thanks for plugging away on this.

Good to hear. I'm really pleased with how this has turned out. It's damn close to the film I always wanted 'Me and Orson Welles' to be.

For DVD extras I'm including:

- The '12 films in 12 minutes' showcase I posted
- The original 'Rough concept Trailer' I did
- A new 21 minute alternate story called 'Sonja with a J': An edit I've made using most of the omitted Danes footage.
- Welles' short film 'The Hearts of Age' included as a during credits sequence.

...and maybe more if I can think of anything to add.

 

[TM2YC]

Wow!! This news passed me by... a print of the long-thought-lost and never-publicly-screened early Welles silent film 'Too Much Johnson' (40mins) has not only been found, it's been restored and was screened for the first time last wednesday!

This a cinematic holy grail right here. I'm trying to dampen my excitement by telling myself, it was an very early film by the young Orson that was never supposed to be seen, so it might not be that good. But still, Joseph Cotton starring in a Buster Keaton style silent comedy could be amazing.

Here is a video on the restoration...

Now we just need Uncut-Ambersons, Other Side Of The Wind and The Deep!

Apparently this is just an assembly cut, so there might even be room for a fanedit!

 

[TV's Frink]

'Too Much Johnson

lol

 

[TM2YC]

'Too Much Johnson

lol

Yes it rivals 'Free Willy' for title brilliance. ;-)

Cover completed...



^ Click to enlarge

 

[TV's Frink]

^ Click to enlarge

lol again!

 

[TM2YC]

This is all uploaded and ready to submit except I need to do a cutlist (The bit I always find a pain in the balls but well worth the effort IMO).

DVD9 / 1280x720mp4 (Both with about 50 minutes of extras included)

 

[bionicbob]

Cover completed...

I love the cover! :thumb:

 

[TM2YC]

I love the cover! :thumb:

Thanks!

---

Cutlist is done, time for release...!

GENERAL EDITING DETAILS:
- Film converted to aged B&W
- Richard's romance with Sonja (Claire Danes) has been entirely removed (Approx 25-30 mins of footage) hoever...
- A few shots of Sonja emain and she is refrenced by other characters by name (As are several background characters in the original film)
- All mentions of Richard's have been removed (The real guy was actually called Arthur), he is now just "I"
- Several scenes have been resequenced and drastically recut to change there meanings e.g.
- 'I' being fired after an argument with Orson has been replaced with 'I' quitting due to stage fright and pressure from his family
- 'I' being re-fired by Orson at the end has been removed
- A 1937 roundup newsreel has been cut together and now forms a pre-title introduction
- Several shots, images, logos, sounds and techniques from 'Citizen Kane' have been used at the start and end of the edit to evoke that masterpiece
- A real-life to film comparison has been added at the end for the principle players
- Welles' short film 'The Hearts Of Age' now plays beside the closing credits
- Not including the opening and closing portions, the film is about 70mins now (37mins-ish removed)

'1937 NEWSREEL' PROLOGUE:
00.00.00 TM2YC Ident added
00.00.07 Looped projector footage added with sampled 8mm projector sound
00.00.08 Added 'News on the march' intro from 'Citizen Kane'
00.00.15 Created my own '1937 a year in Review' preface card
00.00.19 Inserted heavily edited and aged 7min vintage 1937 newsreel roundup with added TM2YC propaganda for the eagle eyed ;-) (Projection mockup)
00.00.24 Cuts to full frame of newsreel for next 7 mins
00.07.21 Back to looped projector footage
00.07.26 Added 'News on the march' outro from 'Citizen Kane'
00.07.28 Cuts to projection booth sequence from 'Citizen Kane' with added background noise
00.07.32 Part of Welles introduction to the 'Mercury Theatre on the Air' production of Caesar added
00.07.58 'Citizen Kane' footage cropped and edited to mimic delivery of Welles' words

'ORSON WELLES & I' PROPER:
00.08.09 'Blank widescreen RKO logo animation' added, created by the super talented Rogue-theX (With a new morse code message from me!)
00.08.12 RKO titles overlayed from 'Citizen Kane' Blu-Ray
00.08.23 'Me & Orson Welles' footage begins (Converted to aged B&W)
00.08.23 'A Mercury Production' titlecard from 'Citizen Kane' added
00.08.31 'Orson Welles & I' titlecard created to mimic style of 'Citizen Kane' titlecard
00.08.38 TM2YC titlecard added
00.08.44 Credits slightly trimmed
00.12.33 Removed several of Gretta's lines including the first naming of 'Richard'
00.13.14 Cropped shot to remove Sonja
00.17.16 Removed 6.5mins Richard spends with Sonja
00.17.41 Removed 30second scene with Sonja
00.24.36 Removed Sam naming Richard
00.26.02 Removed 3min scene of Joe discussing Sonja and brought CBS Radio scenes forward
00.26.20 Removed Sam naming Richard again
00.34.12 Removed 3min scene with Sonja and brought first half of 'arson' scene forward (So it flows out of the earlier CBS "Bad luck thing" dialogue)
00.34.25 Cut back to poet scene rehearsal
00.35.11 Cut to second half of 'arson' scene
00.38.49 Return to Richard's stage debut scenes
00.39.36 Removed 90second chat with Sonja
00.40.46 Moved 'bored in classroom' and 'Richard being told off by his mother' scenes to later in the edit
00.43.53 Removed Richard offering to pass Gretta's story to Sojnja
00.47.20 Removed Sonja's arrival
00.47.46 Removed Joe chatting up girl scene
00.48.09 Removed Richard talking to Sonja and cropped one shot
00.49.16 Removed 4min 'Night out with Sonja' scene
00.55.11 Removed Richard chatting to Sonja on the street
00.55.17 Cut in 'worried' reaction shot of Richard from later in the sequence
00.55.20 Cut in second 'worried' reaction shot of Richard
00.55.55 Cropped all shots of Orson talking to Richard to remove Sonja and recut sound and visuals
00.56.27 Removed Sonja telling Richard she is sleeping with Orson and chat with Joe
00.56.40 Removed Richard's argument with Orson scene plus cut in 'Richard being told off by his mother' scene
00.57.05 Cut in 'bored in classroom' scene
00.57.19 Cutaway with Richard still 'head in hands' (Was boredom now implied to be dispair)
00.57.19 Heavily edited version of 'Joe trying to talk Richard round' to remove references to the arguement
00.57.36 Drastically re-edited, re-sequenced and re-dubbed version of the 'Park bench' scene. It was about Orson saying sorry, it's now about Orson lifting Richard's spirits
00.59.47 Removed Shot of Richard getting a card from Orson
01.00.36 Removed Richard being named again and press photo
01.01.52 Added reaction shot of Richard to Orson giving same pep speech to George
01.14.07 Cut end of party scenes where Richard found out the truth and instead there is a long fade to the empty theatre scene
01.14.15 Drastically re-edited, re-sequenced and re-dubbed version of Richard farewll to Sonja so it's now a melancholy private moment reflecting on his experiences
01.14.29 Removed final 2min classroom speech scene
01.14.57 Removed a few shots from 'box of memories' scene to maintain continuity with the new story
01.15.28 Removed final naming of Richard
01.16.20 Removed reference to Sonja
01.16.36 Removed refrence to Gretta being there on opening night as this was both bizarre in the original cut and implies that this final scene is taking place much later in time than I want it to
01.18.42 Added overlayd 'The End' title from 'Citizen Kane'
01.18.47 Created moving shadow effect under title to mimic the lengthening of afternoon shadows as the film fades to black
01.18.56 Completely remaid cast list credits to showcase the real people versus the actors who played them
01.20.21 Added 8min 1934 Welles silent short 'The Hearts Of Age' to play oposit the credits and beyond
01.26.00 Added credit for Rogue-TheX's 'RKO Animation'
01.06.12 Film glides slowly from left to center
01.28.32 Specially created widescreen RKO end card added

FanEdit Length: 88 Minutes
Original Length: 114 Minutes
Time Added: 10 Minutes
Time Removed: 36 Minutes

SOURCES USED:
'Me & Orson Welles' Blu-Ray
'Citizen Kane' Blu-Ray
Several Public Domain sources (Including Welles' 'The Hearts Of Age' short)

"I do not suppose I shall be remembered for anything. But I don't think about my work in those terms. It is just as vulgar to work for the sake of posterity as to work for the sake of money." - Orson Welles

 

[TM2YC]

That's it submitted!

Here's two clips I added...