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Star Wars Abridged — 9 films cut to 3 (new preview for sequel 3-in-1 available)

subjectzero

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Roughed out the battle of Hoth which replaces the battle of Yavin IV and bridges ANH and Empire. It'll be about ten to twelve minutes long and was put together using shots from the battles of Yavin IV, Hoth, Endor, Scarif, and D'Qar.

Most of the action is provided from Hoth and Scarif with shots of the pilots from Yavin so now there's a ground battle and a space battle. Obi Wan tells Luke to travel to the Dagobah system during this battle in space so he's removed from the snowspeeder scenes. I also took Wedge out of the snowspeeder scenes as I was cutting but he doesn't show up in the space scenes so I'll probably cut him back in. The first half of the battle is a pretty long slog of speeder SFX.

The escape was a bit of a pain to cut together since the shot of ships going to lightspeed at Scarif is interrupted by the arrival of another star destroyer. I basically cut from a moment before the SD shows up to Tarkin looking out and then the resistance D'Qar escape.

The battle of Hoth was my last big question mark as to whether I could pull off a single OT Star Wars film. With this (more or less) put together, I think I can now move onto actually editing the full thing together!

Currently, I'm guessing that the whole film will be about 3 hours long. I'm hoping to get it under that time and if I can make some choice edits, maybe even have it come in a reasonable 2.5 hours.
 

Jrzag42

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This sounds so amazing, I can't wait!
 

subjectzero

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Resurrecting this thread because I've expanded the idea. Instead of just condensing the OT down to a single film, I'm now thinking of cutting each trilogy to a single film... meaning we'll get a trilogy again. Here's the names for the films:
  1. Star Wars: Republic
  2. Star Wars: Rebellion
  3. Star Wars: Resistance
Some ideas that I have include getting rid of the prophecy entirely, trying to square the emperor's survival hole (somehow), only one death star, etc. I might have Leia die in TLJ as well. The prequels will probably start with Attack of the Clones and I might cut out Phantom Menace entirely.

One idea that I have that I already think is controversial is doing away with the opening scroll. I know, I know, but I don't think it'll be necessary.

The big issue right now is figuring out how to end the OT since the Ewoks will be cut out entirely. Lando will also not be piloting the Falcon during the Death Star attack, rather Han will.

In any case, just beginning to really piece this all together in my head.
 

asterixsmeagol

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I really like the idea of combining Death Stars and removing Ewoks.
 

addiesin

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Lando could pilot a Falcon, using footage from Solo for the exterior, with the blue stripes and the escape pod intact.
 

subjectzero

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I thought of that but the only problem is the footage doesn't match. Because the way to kessel is covered in a layer of interstellar gas, it won't match.  :(
addiesin said:
Lando could pilot a Falcon, using footage from Solo for the exterior, with the blue stripes and the escape pod intact.
 

subjectzero

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Did some rough tests and it seems to work. Just need to repurpose the asteroid sequence of Han et al in the Falcon from ESB for RotJ and it works pretty well!
 
asterixsmeagol said:
I really like the idea of combining Death Stars and removing Ewoks.
 

subjectzero

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I think there's a lot to work with with The Last Jedi. I'm actually a fan of that movie and was let down by Rise of Skywalker but, in the interests of this edit, a lot of TLJ will probably get cut out in order to really make it work with TRoS. 

Speaking of which, a lot of TRoS will also see a huge chunk removed too... although I still haven't quite worked out a lot of how this will all fit together. One idea that I have is that Leia dies far more early (like during TLJ explosion) rather than in TRoS. We'll see if I can pull that off. Luke will be far more mysterious in my edit considering what he says in episode IX. 

I'm still thinking that I want to get rid of the opening scroll. I MIGHT add some cold opens but I'm not too sure about that right now. The big question mark is still how I end the OT. Getting rid of the Ewoks still makes the end fairly abrupt. If I can somehow create a coda from the sequel trilogy, that would be great but not sure quite what it would be. I'd really like to tease the Emperor's return in the coda too but we'll see.

The prequels will probably be the shortest film with TPM probably not making any appearance at all. There's already a lot of good fan edits that tackled turning the three prequels into one so I have the most faith in reworking those.
 

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Finished going through Attack of the Clones but still need to add my Revenge of the Sith edit to it. The current plan is to make rough edits of all nine films before fine tuning them. Currently, the plan for episodes 7-9 is the least thought out but I think a lot of The Last Jedi will probably get cut. If I can get rid of Starkiller base as a planet killer I would be so very happy. I'm also hoping to cut out Supreme Leader Snoke entirely as well but I'm not too sure that's possible.
 

subjectzero

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Just spent a chunk of time finishing the prequel trilogy down to one film! It turned out pretty short at just 2:25 including credits. The edit won't have anything you haven't seen before in one of these 3-in-1 prequel films but there are some choice differences:
  • No chosen one. I'm getting rid of the entire prophecy and Anakin is just an exceptional Jedi.
  • No scroll. I know this is probably controversial since it also means getting rid of the main fanfare.
  • Planet name title cards. Taking a cue from Rogue One here... I'm sure some people won't like this one either.
  • Prologue. Qui Gon has been recast as a Jedi recruiter who finds Anakin on Tatooine... Yes, I went with this rather than the Maul/Kenobi fight.
I've also given the series a name: Star Wars Abridged. This film's full title will be Star Wars: Episode I — The Republic.

Now that this one is in the can, I get to move on to Star Wars: Episode II — The Rebellion and some of the changes to this one are going to be a doozy! If you haven't already guessed it, each film is going to have a prologue and a short version of Rogue One will be the opening for the next film. If I can also swing it, I'm going to try and tie elements of the sequel trilogy into this in surprising ways... but I still don't know if I can pull them off.
 

subjectzero

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You would think that the prequels would require way more edits, but you'd be wrong! The OT is a helluva a lot of work because there's only one Death Star and that means reworking a lot of the three films so that the rebel base is on Hoth rather than Yavin IV.

I was able to fit in a clip of Krenic talking to Tarkin from R1 as work on the Death Star continues. It's not supposed to be operational yet and it works to help establish that.

The Battle of Hoth, which is where I am now, is a TON of work. There's a space and ground battle now using shots from ANH, ESB, R1, and a few choice shots from RotJ and TLJ. Luke will be in the space battle and hear Ben in the cockpit rather than the Wampa scene and the ion cannon has been taken out. Tow cables are probably also out as I edit this thing down.

Plans for RotJ include removal of the Ewoks and ground battle during Endor. There's also no Han in carbonite or Jabba's palace and Han takes out the Death Star.

The end of the movie is a bit of a question as well. I'm keeping the emperor in the sequels (I think... we'll see) so I'd like to tease his return near the end. I have an idea but I haven't cut it together so we'll see.
 

Jrzag42

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Your OT edit is probably the current edit that I'm looking forward to the most.
I like the prequels on their own, but I'm not big on prequel 3 in 1 edits because it's essentially just 3 different stories, it feels to episodic, and you can't easily remix the footage because most of the characters look different between the movies. I have seen it done well a couple of times though.
But there's so much potential for OT edits, the characters look similar enough between films, and the stories are more connected. All of your ideas for it sound amazing, very ambitious, very unique. Although, I'm not a fan of removing the Ewoks. I love the Ewoks. But it is what it is.

So, if there's no Han in carbonite in Jedi, then I'm assuming it's also removed from Empire. How does the Empire portion end, and how do we get from there to Jedi?

Also, since you're condensing 9 movies into 3, are there any plans to eventually condense those 3 into one? A single movie encompassing all of Star Wars? I can't even imagine how or if that could work.... I guess if you made it nonlinear...
But I digress.

Really looking forward to your work.
 

Masirimso17

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subjectzero said:
You would think that the prequels would require way more edits, but you'd be wrong! The OT is a helluva a lot of work because there's only one Death Star and that means reworking a lot of the three films so that the rebel base is on Hoth rather than Yavin IV.

I was able to fit in a clip of Krenic talking to Tarkin from R1 as work on the Death Star continues. It's not supposed to be operational yet and it works to help establish that.

The Battle of Hoth, which is where I am now, is a TON of work. There's a space and ground battle now using shots from ANH, ESB, R1, and a few choice shots from RotJ and TLJ. Luke will be in the space battle and hear Ben in the cockpit rather than the Wampa scene and the ion cannon has been taken out. Tow cables are probably also out as I edit this thing down.

Plans for RotJ include removal of the Ewoks and ground battle during Endor. There's also no Han in carbonite or Jabba's palace and Han takes out the Death Star.

The end of the movie is a bit of a question as well. I'm keeping the emperor in the sequels (I think... we'll see) so I'd like to tease his return near the end. I have an idea but I haven't cut it together so we'll see.

Your ideas are interesting. I think it would be most beneficial to edit the ST into one movie first so that you can decide what to do with the end of the OT edit depending on how the ST edit turns out.

It’s funny how the Sequel Trilogy is the easiest to restructure, followed by the OT, then the PT because each film is so different from one another.
 

Moe_Syzlak

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subjectzero said:
You would think that the prequels would require way more edits, but you'd be wrong! The OT is a helluva a lot of work because there's only one Death Star and that means reworking a lot of the three films so that the rebel base is on Hoth rather than Yavin IV.

I was able to fit in a clip of Krenic talking to Tarkin from R1 as work on the Death Star continues. It's not supposed to be operational yet and it works to help establish that.

The Battle of Hoth, which is where I am now, is a TON of work. There's a space and ground battle now using shots from ANH, ESB, R1, and a few choice shots from RotJ and TLJ. Luke will be in the space battle and hear Ben in the cockpit rather than the Wampa scene and the ion cannon has been taken out. Tow cables are probably also out as I edit this thing down.

Plans for RotJ include removal of the Ewoks and ground battle during Endor. There's also no Han in carbonite or Jabba's palace and Han takes out the Death Star.

The end of the movie is a bit of a question as well. I'm keeping the emperor in the sequels (I think... we'll see) so I'd like to tease his return near the end. I have an idea but I haven't cut it together so we'll see.

I’m not exactly sure what you have in mind, but if Luke and the gang escape the Death Star to Hoth, you could have them hiding out there until the end of the movie. Luke still gets his encounter with the Wampa and gets instructions from Ben to go to Dagobah. Dagobah proceeds as it was. You may need an excuse for Han and Leia to leave Hoth in order to establish their romance and give them something to do. But then Luke heads to help his friends and goes directly to confront Vader. The Cloud City confrontation could be made to seem to be on the Death Star. He’s rescued and everyone heads back to Hoth. Then the Death Star closes in on Hoth. You have the ground battle and the space battle (mostly from RotJ). Luke returns to the Death Star to confront Vader and is taken to the Emperor. In the space battle hopefully you could make it seem as though Han is piloting the Falcon instead of Lando (sounds like that’s your intent). Shame to lose Lando, but what are you gonna do. End with the medal ceremony from SW.

I’m just spitballing, but I think it could work. I’m sure you’ve put more detailed thought into it than I have but I thought this might help. Looking forward to seeing some samples.
 

subjectzero

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Masirimso17 said:
Your ideas are interesting. I think it would be most beneficial to edit the ST into one movie first so that you can decide what to do with the end of the OT edit depending on how the ST edit turns out.

This is pretty much what I'm thinking as well. I'm fairly certain there'll be a coda but I'm not sure exactly what it will be like.
 
Moe_Syzlak said:
I’m not exactly sure what you have in mind, but if Luke and the gang escape the Death Star to Hoth, you could have them hiding out there until the end of the movie. Luke still gets his encounter with the Wampa and gets instructions from Ben to go to Dagobah. Dagobah proceeds as it was. You may need an excuse for Han and Leia to leave Hoth in order to establish their romance and give them something to do. But then Luke heads to help his friends and goes directly to confront Vader. The Cloud City confrontation could be made to seem to be on the Death Star. He’s rescued and everyone heads back to Hoth. Then the Death Star closes in on Hoth. You have the ground battle and the space battle (mostly from RotJ). Luke returns to the Death Star to confront Vader and is taken to the Emperor. In the space battle hopefully you could make it seem as though Han is piloting the Falcon instead of Lando (sounds like that’s your intent). Shame to lose Lando, but what are you gonna do. End with the medal ceremony from SW.

I’m just spitballing, but I think it could work. I’m sure you’ve put more detailed thought into it than I have but I thought this might help. Looking forward to seeing some samples.

Honestly, with the amount of work I put into the Hoth battle I probably won't go back and rework it! LOL! Funny enough, there might be a way to get Han and Leia off of Hoth to go look for Luke but I've already planned out the whole edit. 
 
jrWHAG42 said:
So, if there's no Han in carbonite in Jedi, then I'm assuming it's also removed from Empire. How does the Empire portion end, and how do we get from there to Jedi?

Also, since you're condensing 9 movies into 3, are there any plans to eventually condense those 3 into one? A single movie encompassing all of Star Wars? I can't even imagine how or if that could work.... I guess if you made it nonlinear...
But I digress.

Really looking forward to your work.

The escape from Cloud City has been reworked so that, hopefully, it's hard to realize Han isn't part of the escape. Getting to Jedi is pretty easy when you consider that our heroes regroup with the fleet which then plans the attack on the Death Star. The big difference is that Luke goes out on his own again (seriously, they need to keep an eye on that one) to return to Dagobah.

I thought of doing a 3 in 1 but I think the plot would fly apart. Having said that, I have toyed with a TV version that would be structured more like Lost with flashbacks and flashforwards. I doubt I'd ever get to that one though!
 

subjectzero

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I've finished an assembly cut of the OT into a single film! There's still a lot of fine tuning and some changes that I want to make but it's basically done and clocks in at about 3 hours and 40 minutes. I worked out a brand new ending for the film which uses parts of RotJ, TRoS, TLJ, Rogue One, and... um... Deep Impact.

Work has begun on the sequel trilogy and this one will take a while longer to figure out. I've created a prologue of what happened between Ben and Luke at the Jedi Temple which required rebuilding all the sound but I'm still working out the film structure. I want to get rid of Canto Bight for sure and hopefully Starkiller base as a weapon as well. I have some ideas, but I'm not sure I can pull them off or the order in which some things will happen. Strangely enough, I think I'll probably edit TLJ and TRoS first before going back to do TFA. There's currently somewher between 7.5 hours to edit down so we'll see what I can get that down to. Hopefully it'll be something in the 3 to 4 hour range as well.

With any luck, I'll have some kind of version done in the next week or two and I'll begin to start really refining everything. I'll be honest, there's some ambitious stuff I'm pretty proud of that I can't wait to share after finessing.
 

Jrzag42

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Is this assembly cut available as a preview workprint by any chance, or are you waiting until it's complete to share it?
 

subjectzero

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jrWHAG42 said:
Is this assembly cut available as a preview workprint by any chance, or are you waiting until it's complete to share it?

Not yet but I could export one! There's already a bunch of changes, additions, and removals I still need to make and a lot of the last half of the film is very rough. Also, I've also not watched it all the way through yet either and I probably won't until I come back to it.
 

Jrzag42

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I wouldn't mind that, but I'm perfectly fine with waiting
 

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Wait guys...
What if using the ESB, we see Han and Leia recruiting Lando then scrap the rest of the footage except for luke's training and the vader/luke fight. Just an idea, but it could work.
 
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