SW : Episodes 7-9 "Rey Nobody" Sequel Trilogy Edit

[revel911]

Think how much better Holdo would have been with intro in TFA and dies in ROS, I personally never cared about her sacrifice as she was introduced in a movie, stepped on a character I loved, then died in same movie.

 

[DetectiveStrange]

Very interested to see how this plays out - I'm a fan of the first two, but I'd love to see an edit that salvages IX.

 

[revel911]

Was curious how the updates are coming? Sorry to ping you about something so trivial, just excited to see the next version of this edit.

 

[Wakeupkeo]

Was curious how the updates are coming? Sorry to ping you about something so trivial, just excited to see the next version of this edit.

Hey Revel911!
No worries, sorry for the delay. I needed to step back before the next round of edits - this edit, due to the extended length, takes a bit more work than some others. Working on a couple other edits right now to "cleanse the palate." Plan on getting back into this within the month.

Collecting a few more notes from reddit viewers in the meantime as well, which is always a mixed bag - sorting out the quality notes about character development and narrative from the Ep8 opinion diehard notes from weirdos LOL

I think the idea you mentioned that I am most excited for the next cut, is to try to get Force Luke to get that green saber against Kylo - I get chills whenever I think about it, such an awesome idea.  I wonder if the Mando storylines will eventually retcon Luke for these?

 

[revel911]

Doesn't the flashback with Luke have him also with a green saber, so it shouldn't be reconned.

I am still hoping you can remove planets from the story as a way to reduce whiplash of "where are we now?"

 

[Wakeupkeo]

Doesn't the flashback with Luke have him also with a green saber, so it shouldn't be reconned.

Sorry, I meant his whole post-ROTJ journey to TLJ might get retconned due to his appearance on Mando - it couldn't be much but might show more of his Jedi school eventually. But you are right - green in the flashback of TLJ shows he could totally use it on Crait.

I am still hoping you can remove planets from the story as a way to reduce whiplash of "where are we now?"

Agreed. If I can keep character development, I want to trim more. Not sure if its possible, but I might see if I can get away with an idea I found here...

He mentions "what if C3PO just translated the knife as soon as he saw it, in the tunnels?" I'm not sure yet if is works, but I LOVE that idea... it could remove a huge chunk of planet travel and really turn Ep9 into a simple final act for the edit.

Wheels are turnin!

 

[revel911]

What if in addition, they went back to Jakku or Tattooine where they found the knife. Maybe just remove the planet name, do we really need 3 dessert planets?

 

[Wakeupkeo]

What if in addition, they went back to Jakku or Tattooine where they found the knife. Maybe just remove the planet name, do we really need 3 dessert planets?

The video makes a great point about the jedi-hunter's journey being dumb, so this is a great idea. Since she's not actually Palps granddaughter here, he probably wouldn't have a reason to be on Jakku, but if I can make tatooine work, it could better connect to Rey leaving the sabers on tatooine at the end...  hmmm 

I mean, if we only use the tunnel scene with the knife, it COULD be any planet... lots to contemplate...

 

[Wakeupkeo]

@revel911 had the great idea to incorporate the green lightsaber into the Luke/Kyle duel, and I have been stewing on while working on other edits - it got me thinking... what the hell actually happened to the green saber? In the sequel trilogy, they tease it in Luke and Kylo's flashbacks, but thats it. So I did some research...

• "According to the TLJ novelization, Luke brought his lightsaber to the planet Ahch-To (after losing his nephew to the dark side, along with his remaining students, who were killed in the destruction of his Jedi temple,) where he lived in self-imposed exile and isolation. After his death, the native Caretakers took possession of Skywalker's lightsaber."
• "Luke certainly never used his green lightsaber again. Living in exile on Ahch-To, he would hardly have had much use for it short of slicing toast, and during his duel with Kylo in The Last Jedi at the battle of Crait, he didn't use his green saber. Instead, he used Anakin's old blade, knowing that it would have maximum effect to infuriate his volatile nephew who had always tried to live up to the legacy of Darth Vader. Sure enough, seeing his grandfather's blade in the hands of the uncle he so despised was enough to send Kylo Ren into full-on temper tantrum mode again. Thus, the green lightsaber passes into legend with its wielder, likely resting permanently on Ahch-To."

That answer sucks.

When I first started this edit a year ago, my dream was to somehow have Rey using Kylos red saber in her duel with Palps. I easily let that go due to the enormous FX work that would be needed and worked on the end fight FX with Palps. But now, these answers about the green saber inspired a much more complicated dream, and I think my FX skills are rising enough that this may be a great challenge... I may be breaking some canon about purple sabers but here goes:

1. The green saber in the Kylo/Luke duel is actually more emotional to Kylo, since its the last saber he saw Luke use when Luke betrayed him.
2. Anakin's blue saber breaks in TLJ for good.
3. Rey should begin training with Leia's purple saber. (Opens the question about its location, but hear me out.)
4. Rey fights Kylo with Leia's saber.
5. Rey runs away to Ahch-To and chats with Luke where he reveals the green saber and tells Rey to take both sabers.
6. Kylo ditches his red saber.
7. Rey faces Palps with the green saber, then gives the green saber to Kylo and he fights for good with the green saber
8. Rey eventually faces Pals blue lightning with the green and purple sabers.
9. Rey buries Luke and Leia's sabers.

This way, IMO, the final fight with Palps becomes more symbolic of their character arcs and the sabers willl actually matter more, meaning their burial at the end means more. I may spend a ton of time never actually finishing this, but I'd love any feedback on this angle. There are now so many Ep 8-9 edits, so I am in no rush to push this out.

@revel911, still going to try to condense locations to and some of your other notes too! Slowly getting back into this!

 

[revel911]

LOVE that idea @Wakeupkeo, that starts giving everything a purpose and brings in themes that grab at the emotions.

 

[Wakeupkeo]

OK @revel911, I've got a new update for ya!

V3 update!
@revel911 was amazing enough to watch my preview edit and provide some amazing notes. Here is how I addressed them on this latest update:

• Opening Text Crawl: Rebranded does not sound star wars CE marketing ... maybe “now designated” or “reorganized as..”
  Why not make the movie just Episode 7: X name rather than 7-9 (makes it feel like a fan edit)
  
  Done! I think a good Edit title is "Star Wars : Lost Hope". The New Text Crawl looks like this:
  Episode VII
  After the fall of Emperor Palpatine, the New Republic achieved many humanitarian successes. There was peace... for a while.
  
  But since the mysterious disappearance of the last of the Jedi, the Dark Side has regenerated in the shadows, feeding on the apathy growing in the galaxy. New leaders took control of the remains of the Empire, now known as the FIRST ORDER, and the authoritarian regime is again spreading across all known quadrants.
  
  Many veterans have stepped up, with General Leia Organa leading the way. They believe Luke can unite the Galaxy to resist this new threat, and Leia’s best pilot has discovered a clue to Luke’s location. But the FIRST ORDER has caught up to him...
  
  
  
• Kylo/Poe first meet: Remove the “who talks first” joke as it ruins the intro to Kylie Ren as a serious villain. Think about Vader’s entrance in a New Hope and how serious it was
  
  Done! Removed "who talks first", but since Poe is pulled up to standing while saying "apparatus", I needed to keep "very hard to hear you with all that..." response from Poe. I hope that satisfies enough here. Couldn't get the right flow with anything less.
  
  
• Poe/Finn steal a tie fighter: Would be nice to remove Finns saying he has no training in a tie .... as he does quite well afterwards
  
  Done! I was able to remove the weapons discussion after "Can you shoot? Blasters I can." I hope this is enough. Couldn't get the right flow with anything less.
  
  
• Rey/Finn pilot the Falcon for the first time: have you thought about removing the “that ones garbage” as it’s not really a funny joke followed “this one hasn’t flown in years” once she’s on the inside .... it conveniently flies afterwards
  
  Done! Completely agreed and found a way!
  
  
• Snoke hologram appearance: Anyway you can make Snoke’s video similar blue with scan lines to that of the emperor in OT? I gave Digi the same feedback and loved seeing it closer to the look we know and love. The reason I like with the blue hologram is that it is the aesthetic Star Wars has “taught” me. It’s visual consistency that we know.
  
  So I tried to use the Dig footage for simple frame swapping, but our scenes are cut differently enough that I am missing many parts. I tried to create my own, with the scan lines, but was unhappy with the result, some areas were noticeably bad. But I liked the color work to a blue hue, so I went with this simpler solution, making sure to match the TFA hologram blue to the TLJ hologram blue.
  
  
• Maz's Planet: Could also make the planet Maz is on and the one the resistance is on the same planet in TFA cutting one of the planets names being said. One of Kathleen’s sequels was just planet hopping to just say “how cool is this universe?” And that was just in each movie. As a 3 in 1, them more separate planet visits you can cut, the better.
  
  This was such a great idea. I removed the planet jump from Maz's to the Resistance base, and it make SO much more sense. Along with less planet skipping, not it seems like Han knew Leia was on the same planet, so he's dropping Rey and BB-8 off close to her. He just doesn't want to go the rest of the way. And the planets look so similar anyways. A real hardass might notice the difference in the way the planets look when the resistance leaves, but I doubt most will.
  
  
• Rey fist touches Anakin's saber: LOVE seeing Palpatine, but curious if we can bring a little of Vader into this (Maybe Rogue 1 scene or just his breathing) as it was Vader’s light saber.
  
  After removing Pasana (see below) and taking away much of Rey's "knowing a showdown with Palpatine was coming" feeling that came from many of the ROS scenes, so I wanted to use Rey's earlier "visions" to build that fear instead. She now sees AND hears Palpatine and the throne of the Sith right from the beginning. Rey touching Anakin's Saber is that the saber "awakened" something inside her, as she explains to Luke. I tried to add in some Vader as you mention, and I was able to add a little "Vader breathing" at the beginning of her vision. But any more just seemed to distract from this overall goal. I hope this is enough. Couldn't get the right flow with anything less.
  
  
• R2D2 Hibernating: Have you seen where they made R2 awake and ignored the weird “he’s been asleep and depressed motif. It’s kind of dumb. I would say just have R2 awake, but just staying at base.
  
  I agree, but removal proved problematic, and felt plot holes IMO - like why wouldn't BB-8 and R2D2 just start talking like they do later? And I need the break between Han and Leia's discussion, as the two parts don't visually merge well without it.
  
  
• Kylo interogates Rey: what if Rey hears something that helps show she is pulling “information” back from Kylo
  
  I like this one! I used a little bit of Adam Driver in Marriage Story yelling about inadequacies as a really light audio bit Rey hears.
  
  
• Side note: still wish the Ren face reveal was somehow held until Han and Kylo met on the bridge ... would have added to the intensity as he unmasks himself for the first time to his father.
  
  OK, I really tried on this one, I think it could work too, but not this time. Dig's example cuts out a lot of dialogue I wanted to keep in this exchange. Maybe someday, I can rotoscope a mask onto Rey for this scene.
  
  
• Rey walking the Ahch-to steps for the first time: That fade is ridiculously long. Would try a star wars circle fade or cross fade if you want a long fade, otherwise would have it shorter. (Never mind a star wars transition as you have one a minute later ... so maybe just a Quicker transition)
  
  Like you say, these fades are actually part of the original edit, trying to convey that Rey is walking a long time. I made the cuts to remove them. I think a little "storytelling" is lost with its removal, but as you mention elsewhere, maybe thats ok sometimes in a 4hr+ movie LOL
  
  
• Luke milking the creatures: The creatures and the milking still seem vastly forced, the creature design poor, and the milk less a homage and more of a joke. You could cut that whole scene and no one would miss a beat
  
  I never had a problem with it, but we don't miss much without it. Removed.
  
  
• Luke/Rey in the Sacred Tree: I would cut the “I have scene your routine” As it keeps this scene serious as it should be ... it’s the reason Luke has disappeared
  
  Removed. Between this and the cut above removing a bit of lightheartedness, Luke is coming off a bit more jaded. I like that.
  
  
• Rey in the Cave: I am not seeing the scene on my phone now, but what about a palpatine laugh to scene where Rey is in the force cave .... just to again, bring in palpatine earlier.
  
  Added Palps laugh, the second time in the movie, to right when Rey is disappointed and falls to her knees.
  
  
• Canto Bright: Surprised you kept Canto Blight, what was the reason? Give Finn something to do? Roses character and Del Toros character both don’t go anywhere the entire series so there really isn’t a pay off. Could always cut Canto blight and have the Finn wake up scene right before Crait. I only bring it up because all of the cuts for a short and near pointless scene take away from the main plot too often. If Canto Blight was cut and all of the middle section of RoS, you could almost get this down to 4 hours. That’s LoTR length for a single movie experience. Additional note that came to mind, what if the painfully slow chase from TLJ was removed entirely? What would that hurt? They leave D'Qar, they fight off dreadnaught, they hyperdrive, the first order finds them (remove tracking sub plot) and they fight on Crait. What's lost?
  
  OK, for me personally, I like Canto Blight and the chase scene as one of the few moments of actual character growth for Poe and Finn. Yes, Rose and Del Toro ultimately go nowhere, but they are ways for Finn to grow.
  
  But I get you. So I have two ideas:
  
  Solution 1: The current Pro-TLJ Version - I cut Del Toro's exit to remove "you shoot them, they shoot you" (kept "its just business") and removed "youre wrong" "maybe". Hopefully this will give Del Toro's character a more definitive "bad guy" ending for him, rounding out his usefulness better. Now its just "Just business" and walks away. Feels right for the lesson Finn is learning.
  
  Solution 2 The possible Anti-TLJ Version - they fight off dreadnaught, they hyperdrive, the first order finds them (remove tracking sub plot) and they fight on Crait. I'll commit to doing this version too, just to see if it works.
  
  Wow, I may release 2 versions of this edit LOL
  
  
• Leia returns to the ship: Guess this one is personal opinion .... I am on the crew who hates the Mary Poppins Leia. I like what you did to connect her force training to it. Wonder if reducing how far she was outside the ship and how long she went in space would make it better.
  
  Done! Although I don't have the initial reservations you do, the scene works just fine with less of her "flight."
  
  
• Poe flying craft at Crait: When Poe puts his foot through the speeder, and then makes a comment. It makes the moment about humor vs about the action to come. How much humor like that was in the Hoth speeder scene or the attack on the Death Star?
  
  Removed. Again, I had no problem with this but works fine without it.
  
  
• Kylo/Luke Crait fight: Any thoughts of using any of the effects to change hilt and lightsaber to Luke’s classic green? Even in the new mandalorian, we knew exactly it was by the lightsaber used.
  
  Done! I used various examples from the web, but all end before Luke turns the green saber off, so I was had to do that scene without the handle change, and I think it was fine, from that far away. Then I realized Luke walking onto the battlefield shows the Anakin handle quite obviously, so I had to cut that shot out too. But I think it works and definitely worth it For Kylo to get his ass handed to him by the blade the would have killed him as a kid - the rage!
  
  
• Kylo retrieves the Wayfinder: The Dathomir scene feels pointless and out of nowhere with no context or where Kylo is at or what he is doing. Minimal, I would delete this scene. And go straight to Kylo in his fighter.
  
  Agreed. Love this flow without it.
  
  
• Thoughts of restructure: have Kylo find Palpatine before he goes to Crait, this would show his arrogance of being supreme leader, then do Crait, then Rey closer the million falcon door it goes straight to her training with Leia. Honestly in a second view, what’s gained from everyone running on the millennium falcon and Kylo finding the dice? Possibly could cut from Luke’s death straight to RoS.
  
  I tried to do this before, to space ROS out better into the overall edit, but couldn't get the flow right. But this might work on the Anti-TLJ edit!
  
  
• Poe/Finn return with spy info: Why keep the scene of Poe and Rey bickering? It doesn’t add anything ... it also makes it seem like Poe hasn’t learned any lessons as a leader from the TLJ screw ups.
  
  Agreed, cuts directly from Rey training to Falcon arriving and the briefing meeting.
  
  
• Spy info about Palpatine: In addition, I would cut the “sith secrets” line. People barely know about the Jedi, why would they know of a secret order like the Sith? And how is cloning only a sith thing? There is a freaking clone war. Everyone knew about cloning.
  
  Removed. Great call.
  
  
• Pasana: Can we remove everyone being surprised by the festival existing as they did land from space ... they would have seen it. I personally think the festival feels out of place theme (end of a movie and bad things have been happening), but understand why you need it for the story. I keep wondering if there is a way to remove one planet from being visited? There is just so much planet skipping. We aren’t able to stop and just enjoy action vs new planet, new planet, new planet. Could it be that some of these are already existing planets we have visited? And is the Chewbacca fake out even worth it? Is there a way to relive the C3PO “I can translate all languages ... BUT this one” McGuffin? Would we lose much by the team going straight to the Death Star and skipping the whole hunt for the knife? This way we could also miss Kylo’s helmet on/helmet off fiasco .... he just keep it off. That would also remove the c3po loses memory, gains memory redundancy.
  
  Wow, this is the rabbit hole I fell down. I started with removing Kijimi, having C3PO translate the knife immediately. Then I kept cutting and it works well JUST the way you say - cut Pasana out completely. Remove the hunt for the knife, C3POs memory loss and Chewbacca's death fakeout. It of course created a few issues, like D-Os appearance and Rey being happy leaving on the Falcon and being angry by the time they get to to the Death Star (now on Endor for even less new planets!), but I made it work. Poe's injured arm is the only noticable plot hole created, but I think its easy to miss.
  
  I thought about what we were losing, and really the only thing we lose is Rey's buildup of worry. So thats why I started to add more Palpatine and sith throne to the visions earlier. Now, when Poe tells everyone about Palpatine, Rey immediately knows what she must do. Its about the throne. Its ALWAYS been about the throne. No thinking by ROS, only doing.
  
  It flows pretty cool too that we get the Rey Kylo confrontation from TLJ, then instead of multiple meetings before their battle on the death star, now that is simply the next time they meet.
  
  So yeah, we still have Crait but we lost almost 30min of movie without Pasana, and it makes ROS feel more like a proper final act. The ROS part is now only 60min, and I love that.

Anyways, this was great feedback, and I am most appreciative, if you can tell. New edit it 4h36m. No Pasana. Previews available.

BONUS: I also was playing with the saber color idea, and I think I can do it. Saber handles, however, will be a long road. Heres a sample.

I will probably make a workprint thread for this version of the edit with the saber colors all done but not the handles. Without the handle FX, this edit won't be good enough for release. But how much more exciting does that look?!?

 

[Wakeupkeo]

Two rough cut version (v3) available now for previewing, and I am leaning towards @Malthus's suggestion "An Old Fear" for the title over "Lost Hope":

• SW : An Old Fear - The TLJ-Positive Edit (4h36m)

and

• SW : An Old Fear - The Anti-TLJ Edit (3h59m) removes Canto Blight and the "Slow Chase" plotline.

I'm gonna mull these two edit over for optimization. but we should be close to release.


I'm also working on light saber color changes for both. Those will be released as "Fates of the Sabers" workprints as proof of concept for the saber changes, until I (someday) get the handle FX done.

 

[revel911]

You know I am in for a rewatch @Wakeupkeo!

I am so crazy excited to watch your "An Old Fear - The Anti-TLJ Edit (3h59m) removes Canto Blight and the "Slow Chase" plotline." edit! You have no idea.

What is the overall time for the shorter release?

I want to do two watches for you for that edit (sorry if I focus on the second edit, but you know how much I despise those two plotlines), first pass to just see how the story connects and make sure there are no glaring errors (which I doubt there will be). I am going to do that edit in VR, so I can watch it in a theater like setting. After that, I will do a second viewing on the PC with nicer headphones, so I can review scene transitions and check for sound cues/pops.

PS. Hoping you are able to get the saber handles fixed one day.
PSS. Love the new Saber colors. (On the saber bounce after knocked out of hand it is back to blue.)

 

[The Danger Zone]

I'm a little late to the party, but this sounds interesting. Can I view this per chance?

 

[Wakeupkeo]

You know I am in for a rewatch @Wakeupkeo!

I am so crazy excited to watch your "An Old Fear - The Anti-TLJ Edit (3h59m) removes Canto Blight and the "Slow Chase" plotline." edit! You have no idea.

What is the overall time for the shorter release?

I want to do two watches for you for that edit (sorry if I focus on the second edit, but you know how much I despise those two plotlines), first pass to just see how the story connects and make sure there are no glaring errors (which I doubt there will be). I am going to do that edit in VR, so I can watch it in a theater like setting. After that, I will do a second viewing on the PC with nicer headphones, so I can review scene transitions and check for sound cues/pops.

PS. Hoping you are able to get the saber handles fixed one day.
PSS. Love the new Saber colors. (On the saber bounce after knocked out of hand it is back to blue.)

This is awesome!! OK, I already have @Closer2God previewing the TLJ-Positive edit, so you can just focus on the Anti-TLJ edit, which is kinda made just for you (there were many redditors who had similar sentiments LOL)

We are right at the 4hr mark for the Anti-TLJ edit. Right now I have a rough 5.1 audio for this, but there are center channel gaps. @Closer2God has also offered to help fix those gaps so the final IFDB release will have those parts cleaned up. You probably won't notice through headphones or even a 3.1 speaker setup. But any audio notes you catch are super, I will take whatever you catch!

The Anti-TLJ is an interesting animal. In principle, I didn't want to remove controversial characters like Rose and Holdo. But here, their stories are gone. Due to Finn being in all the reaction shots to the "Leia Poppins" moment, I had to remove it completely. Leia becomes an aging advisor at most now. Besides Rey, most of the female characters are largely absent, and if you care about these characters, I think its noticeable.

But.

If you can take this version at face value, it kinda works... better? Maybe only in this 3-in-1 style where Ep8 is more integrated into another story rather than trying to stand on its own, but I was surprised to say the least. I thought Finn and Poe's journey's would feel amputated, but they don't, at least IMO. This edit actually feels more intimate and emotional. Less "Disney-ish" if that makes sense.

Anyways, I am super excited to hear thoughts from the one who had this vision! Link sent!

PS As I review these two cuts, I have 2 notes:

1. Starting to agree with you about the Kylo Mask Reveal. Its gonna be hard to make my dialogue work, as I think Kylo calling out Rey seeing Han as a father figure is important for later, but now I really wanna try.
2. Sabers - another one that as I watch seems SO obvious. But the handles are EVERYWHERE, even with Ep reduced to 55min. I'll keep working a little each day but this one is FAR down the road. But I am so glad you liked the example!!

I'm a little late to the party, but this sounds interesting. Can I view this per chance?

Hi Motley!
Thank you for your interest!! Link sent! Can't wait to hear your thoughts! We are still in the changes phase LOL

 

[revel911]

I just watched both edits because something felt off in the Anti-TLJ edit and was seeing if it was in both cuts, it was. My biggest complaint is that the action comes in and out if the movie and rather than feeling uplifting, it feels daunting. I kept wanting to find a way to cut the Crate scene, but can't figure out how. It's the one scene that feels too much. I wish it was on a dessert planet, so the planet was not wasted. I was also thinking, would it be better by cutting the flight portion of the fight vs just having the team feeling trapped?

Do we just leave Luke's story stay unfinished? I have seen edits that tried to make Luke not transparent, so not a Ghost.

For your edit though, why keep it as one long film? Splitting as two movies will allow the mind to settle between action sequences. Now, if you did go that route, I was thinking of a perfect cut spot. The natural spot would be at the end of TFA, but I think it should go further. I would go to write after Luke agrees to train Rey and then it cuts to Ren going to meet Snoke (Time: 1:55). As two films, you could use both titles and set up better that New Order is hidden fleets (way to introduce either the emperor or the fact that more power is coming) and that the rebels are on the run after blowing up Star Killer base.

If there was a cut scene of Snoke's ship in space, you could then pan down post Star Wars Intro straight into Ren in the elevator to meet Snoke as the beginning of the second movie.

Doing this will help settle the tone of the relationship between Rey and Luke, while also ending on still a win. This will then start movie 2 into action.

If you want to stick to 1 movie, your cuts are good for the material you have. The pace for the second half of the movie is at blaring speed.

SO many of your edits are exquisite, which is why "out of place" scenes stick out more than ever.

PS. About the Kylo mask, what if we acquired a high quality one and a green screen? Then could we match the cuts better through pics and rotoscoping?

 

[subjectzero]

PS. About the Kylo mask, what if we acquired a high quality one and a green screen? Then could we match the cuts better through pics and rotoscoping?

I haven't watched this edit but I've toyed around with Kylo's mask in my edit. You could track the cracks and color correct them by desaturating and bringing the exposure down. It's not an easy or perfect fix but it would be easier than trying to track mask on a green screen. Just getting the lighting and camera angles right would be a nightmare I would think!

 

[revel911]

I haven't watched this edit but I've toyed around with Kylo's mask in my edit. You could track the cracks and color correct them by desaturating and bringing the exposure down. It's not an easy or perfect fix but it would be easier than trying to track mask on a green screen. Just getting the lighting and camera angles right would be a nightmare I would think!

Talking about adding a mask to the entirety of the TFA sections?

 

[Wakeupkeo]

I haven't watched this edit but I've toyed around with Kylo's mask in my edit. You could track the cracks and color correct them by desaturating and bringing the exposure down. It's not an easy or perfect fix but it would be easier than trying to track mask on a green screen. Just getting the lighting and camera angles right would be a nightmare I would think!

Agreed- not sure its worth that much effort, I think I can find the shots needed within the TFA footage and mess with those before trying to match lighting and camera angles. The saber handle changes may end up needing that, and I am not sure its worth it at that point ha ha This is just a hobby.

I just watched both edits because something felt off in the Anti-TLJ edit and was seeing if it was in both cuts, it was. My biggest complaint is that the action comes in and out if the movie and rather than feeling uplifting, it feels daunting. I kept wanting to find a way to cut the Crate scene, but can't figure out how. It's the one scene that feels too much. I wish it was on a dessert planet, so the planet was not wasted. I was also thinking, would it be better by cutting the flight portion of the fight vs just having the team feeling trapped?

Do we just leave Luke's story stay unfinished? I have seen edits that tried to make Luke not transparent, so not a Ghost.

For your edit though, why keep it as one long film? Splitting as two movies will allow the mind to settle between action sequences. Now, if you did go that route, I was thinking of a perfect cut spot. The natural spot would be at the end of TFA, but I think it should go further. I would go to write after Luke agrees to train Rey and then it cuts to Ren going to meet Snoke. As two films, you could use both titles and set up better that New Order is hidden fleets (way to introduce either the emperor or the fact that more power is coming) and that the rebels are on the run after blowing up Star Killer base.

If there was a cut scene of Snoke's ship in space, you could then pan down post Star Wars Intro straight into Ren in the elevator to meet Snoke as the beginning of the second movie.

Doing this will help settle the tone of the relationship between Rey and Luke, while also ending on still a win. This will then start movie 2 into action.

If you want to stick to 1 movie, your cuts are good for the material you have. The pace for the second half of the movie is at blaring speed.

SO many of your edits are exquisite, which is why "out of place" scenes stick out more than ever.

PS. About the Kylo mask, what if we acquired a high quality one and a green screen? Then could we match the cuts better through pics and rotoscoping?

Wow, thanks for checking them BOTH out @revel911 ! I will definitely take the compliment that the rest of the changes were done well enough to focus on these bigger "story" issues LOL

I get what you're saying about Crait in the Anti cut, due to the Resistance being constantly beaten. Luke doing the Holdo maneuver himself doesn't feel like a "win" for the resistance, and they are basically being hunted since Starkiller Base. I think thats why it feels less "Disney" - its less uplifting for sure.​

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I'm not sure I notice the same issues with the Positive cut - to me it still daunting, but with small wins for the resistance along the way (LOL Canto and Holdo, your least favorite parts)​

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Are you proposing cutting most of the Crait battle before Luke gets there? Or remove their "trapped" feeling parts? Can you expand on the Flight vs Trapped part?​

Are you asking for Luke to be alive at the end? I have not seen any GOOD versions with Luke alive in ROS, send me links if you know of one! Not sure what it would add and I would need to remove Rey's Force Ghost Help against Palps, but I'll def entertain options. Could be interesting, and I am willing to go a little wild for the Anti cut.

And finally, I haven't thought about the One movie cut in two split yet, wanted to be sure these major changeswork first, like the Pasana removal and the whole Anti approach. Your suggested split point is great for Anti though, right about the halfway point and a good point in the pacing to make it happen.

 

[revel911]

If I look back at all the star wars movies from Pt and OT, there is battle at beginning, then slow build up (and other a mini conflict in The middle for big battle at the end.


TFA does this nicely. The issue is that the edit second half has a lot of mini conflicts one after another. Luke unfortunately is going to have to die, but curious if Crait was trimmed down to just Luke vs Kylo and the speeder fight was removed, would anything be lost? I did see one proof of concept that had Luke pulling down the exogal felt with the force and that is how he died. That was pretty cool as a death.

does the yoda scene add anything beyond fan service? None of the new main characters are there which is very non-star wars as well. Just want to fan service Yoda at this point. It’s a decent scene, but just asking myself if it adds anything? It does give space between scenes and sometimes that is enough.