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THIS EDIT IS IN HDR IN BOTH 4K AND 1080P. IT WILL NOT BE RELEASED IN SDR.
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A guide to watching in HDR when everything looks washed out:
Use this tool on your current TV or monitor (it is universal and works on everything).
Then install this thing and you are good to go.
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The purpose of this edit is to re-conceptualize Season 1 of this amazing series into a two part feature film duology.
It reorganizes the scenes for a more cohesive story, congruous concept and dramatic impact, removing a lot of extraneous filler material. While Season 1 was just plain outstanding (for the most part), it had substantial bloat. I consider this edit an improved, definitive version, and also a good way to watch it again before Season 2 is released—a very full story told in 5 hours instead of 8½ hours.
The story of Bill and Frank is retained! Their characterizations are integral to this series and this edit. I almost removed them but found a natural and coherent way to integrate their storyline into this alternate (film) format.
Overall, this edit is intended to be even more of a gut punch than the original. And the most important thing is:
NO SHITTY PUNS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS FANEDIT. NOT ONLY WERE THEY ALL LEFT IN, I ADDED ONE.
Part 1
A retelling of Episodes 1 through 3
Original Runtime 3h 29m
Edited Runtime 2h 22m
Time Cut 1h 7m
Part 2
A retelling of Episodes 4 through 9
Original Runtime 5h 11m
Edited Runtime 2h 32m
Time Cut 2h 39m
Major Changes:
- Scenes are kept moving along while still allowing PLENTY of breathing room. Much less filler scenes and dialogue.
- New intro credits and opening visuals. Gave credit to one of the main original writers of the game who was omitted from receiving credit in the series.
- Used some music from the game soundtrack
- New dialogue added in a few scenes (Joel's voice).
- No more 1960's television segment discussing the fungal threat. This conceptual introduction is done much better using the Indonesia footage.
- Some minimal regrading and post production to make lower budget scenes look in league with the rest of the "movie."
- We get to post apocalyptic 2023 about 20 minutes into Part 1.
- Some important information is withheld and then told in flashbacks for dramatic effect and to keep the story moving.
- Joel has a bit harder edge and is more decisive and less wishy-washy around Tess. He also shows weakness but does not blubber on and on either like a total wimp. He can now be best described as a pessimist, no longer a defeatist.
- Removed Robert in action. We only see him dead.
- Removed side story of Joel selling narcotics. Also Joel drinks heavily but isn't popping pills (it’s ok he was popping pills, they just overdid/overemphasized it).
- Joel, Tess, and Ellie don't have to backtrack after they escape the Quarantine Zone.
- No Cumberland Farms visit.
- The story of Bill and Frank is interwoven with the journey of Joel, Ellie, and Tess. Even with removing Joel and Tess visiting them at their compound, they feel more connected to the story now.
- Part 2 is in a more compelling non-linear order to create rising action and conflict.
- A lot of fluff happens in Episode 6 when Joel reaches Tommy's commune. De-fluffed.
- Digital removal of some of the various opening credits that happen over scenes.
- Much much less Kathleen. They developed her character more for the series and she wasn't all that compelling.
- No second stop to rest in Kansas City with Joel, Ellie, Henry and Sam. Once they get going they're going.
- Cut Episode 7, Ellie's backstory in the mall.
- No older Native American couple.
- Much much less cult leader speeches. We see a short glimpse of the hunger club.
- More hard hitting ending that feels like an ending.
- Custom redone end credits for Part 1 and Part 2.
There are little cuts and trims throughout this edit to tighten it up; here is a
Complete List of ENTIRE Scenes/Storylines cut from each episode:
Ep1
- Fungus Talk Show
- Breakfast schmarm, taking Joel's cash
- Pawn shop, fixing the watch
- Drug dealer Joel
- Robert is a jerk, Tess arrested
- Joel visits radio operator
- Marlene's conversation with Firefly lackey
- Sad times outdoor coffee shop in the QZ
- Tess, Joel, Ellie wade in water, have contrived jump scares, have expository conversations, then they backtrack
- Cumberland Farms, Zombie petting zoo
- Frank showers
- Bill and Frank in Bed
- Bill and Frank argue
- Bill and Frank meet with Joel and Tess
- Joel and Ellie drive around, go camping (not the Northern lights camping scene)
- Kathleen discovers the zombie sinkhole and does nothing about it
- Kathleen's lackluster speech to detainees
- Henry and Sam hiding in attic
- Joel, Ellie, Henry and Sam relax in underground playroom
- Burying Henry and Sam (good scene but no longer needed the way the scenes are rearranged)
- Older Native American couple
- Joel having health issue in the commune, watching people on the street
- Ellie after shower, looking at menstrual cup, walking around bored (we were bored too)
- This entire episode is cut (Ellie's flashback / Zombie mall backstory)
- Cult leader preaches
- This episode has trims and rearrangement but no entire scenes cut
Spoilers below!
- Added disclaimer and krausfadr production logo.
- Created new opening graphics and opening credits.
- Gave proper credit to Bruce Straley, who co-wrote the video game.
- Opening is now the Indonesia outbreak sequence to provide a similar ominous introduction that gives the viewer some information about the infection. Superb acting in these scenes as well!
- Trimmed military arrival at restaurant.
- Trimmed the somewhat unnatural exposition when Dr. Ratna is in the car being transported. We don’t have to know she’s a doctor yet.
- Cut the scene with Dr. Ratna first examining the specimen in a microscope. We get right to her in the protective medical suit.
- Trimmed the doctor’s drawn out examination of the corpse.
- Trimmed the doctor’s subsequent conversation with the military official.
- Next scene is Sarah exiting her house with her Dad with Uncle Tommy waiting in the truck.
- Since the breakfast scene was cut, added new dialogue to establish who Tommy is.
- Drastically trimmed the activities and conversation when Sarah visits the neighbor’s house to “help” bake.
- Trimmed Sarah’s conversation with Joel after he finally gets home. Flows much better now.
- Trimmed Sarah finding the neighbors dog and making her way to find them being attacked by the zombie grandma.
- Joel doesn’t have to wrench the old lady in the face. It’s not time for “epic” action quite yet. She chases after them after the truck already starts driving away.
- Drastically trimmed the attempted escape in the truck by Joel, Tommy, and Sarah. The sequence now ends with the plane crashing. Sarah’s exact fate is told later in flashback.
- Trimmed Ellie’s dialogue with her captors.
- First we see of Joel’s plan to leave the Quarantine Zone is him tracing along the map to Wyoming, drunk.
- Added more audio to the short audio flashback while Joel is in bed drunk and passed out.
- Trimmed Joel’s first kitchen conversation with Tess.
- Trimmed Ellie’s first conversation with Marlene, including removal of multiple unneeded early hints at Ellie’s backstory.
- Trimmed Joel and Tess climbing the ladder in their quest for Robert.
- Cut Marlene’s lines to Joel after she tells him not to fuck up the mission.
- As Joel sleeps in the apartment, he has a dream flashback of what happened to Sarah. The sequence has various trims and also post processing to look like a dream. Replaced scoring with heartbeat SFX.
- Added VFX and SFX at the end of the dream to make it more tense.
- Post production to the scene where Joel, Tess, and Ellie are detained by the soldier so it doesn’t feel a little like a dead, sterile movie set.
- Trims and changes to the same scene so we have better action and we don’t get audio cues that the soldier personally knows Joel and Tess.
- Far less banter when Ellie wakes up being held at gunpoint by Joel and Tess. Joel does not act like a weenie, ready to give up.
- As the trio surveys the area and walks, removed multiple “keep moving” or “let’s get going” lines from Joel.
- Used Tess’ discussion of early attempts to contain the infection as a transition to go back to when FEDRA forced the evacuation of Bill’s town.
- Regraded outdoor scenes related to Bill stocking and prepping his compound.
- Scenes with Bill and Frank are intertwined with Joel, Tess, and Ellie journeying to the capitol building.
- Trimmed conversation between Ellie and Tess, removing hints at Ellie’s backstory.
- Bill and Frank kiss but no bedroom scene as it’s just not vital information.
- Trimmed some of the bad action choreography when the trio fights off the two clickers in the building.
- After a wounded Bill begs Frank to contact Joel for help, we cut to Joel walking the city with Tess and Ellie, suspiciously looking at Ellie’s bandage.
- After Tess sacrifices herself and is buried (symbolically) by Joel, we learn that Frank became gravely ill with cancer.
- An older Bill and Frank preparing for Frank’s death is interwoven with Joel and Ellie making their way to their compound.
- New custom end credits for Part 1.
- Opening sequence for Part 2 is Ellie’s mom giving birth (not yet including the events that happen there at night when Marlene arrives).
- As Joel and Ellie reach the “river of death,” changed Ellie’s line about the river to one of her shitty puns.
- Trimmed activity and conversation when Joel and Ellie camp, looking at the northern lights. Joel doesn’t talk about Marlene or comment on the possible success of a cure. Ellie doesn’t have to keep watch for Joel.
- Much less conversation as Joel and Ellie walk through the snow to finally reach the dam.
- Much less cringey banter when Joel and Ellie eat as Tommy and his wife watch them.
- Shortened tour of the commune.
- Tommy is not made to look completely stupid by his wife in the communism discussion.
- Trimmed some conversation between Joel and Tommy in the bar discussion so it’s less on the nose. Added dialogue to give Joel a slightly harder edge, showing his lack of remorse for prior murders.
- Scene with Tommy’s wife and Ellie is trimmed. We get right to the haircut where Ellie mentally outmaneuvers her.
- In the heart to heart discussion where Joel reveals to Tommy what’s really going on, as Joel mentions what happened in Kansas City we go back to those events in a very long flashback.
- The Missouri sequence now begins with Joel and Ellie’s arrival in Bill’s truck to the interstate being blocked. Moved siphoning gas footage here so now it looks like it happened during this scene. Pun book is introduced here. We hear Ellie reading another pun as they drive away from the roadblock.
- As Joel has the gunfight with the attackers, we see Henry peeking out the window, watching it and that there is a young boy with him. We don’t get their full story until they apprehend Joel and Ellie.
- Trimmed Kathleen’s conversation with the old doctor. Also trimmed Kathleen’s search for clues; we see the attic with food cans after it has already been vacated.
- Removed some innocuous banter as Joel and Ellie get to the tall building where they sleep for the night.
- As they go to sleep we see Kathleen’s militia murdering collaborators and dragging a corpse behind a vehicle. Trimmed the scene for better dramatic impact.
- Henry doesn’t give a presentation to Joel on how they will escape the city.
- Added a voiceover from Joel so Henry can also explain in voiceover why the militia wants him dead.
- Trimmed parts of Kathleen visiting her childhood bedroom which tried to make her too relatable. Less chumminess with her and the soldier.
- Ellie shoots at the “RUN” truck less.
- Trimmed Kathleen’s dialogue toward and with Henry.
- Less drawn out looks before Kathleen is attacked by the infected girl.
- Less drawn out gawking as Joel pulls Henry and the kids out of zombie land.
- No Joel/Henry conversation about Sam’s comic book.
- Trimmed parts of Ellie’s conversation with Sam.
- When we return to Joel talking to Tommy now with the death of Sam and suicide of Henry fresh on our minds, it makes sense for Joel to be distraught and doubt his abilities. Less blubbering from Joel. He doesn’t ask Tommy to take Ellie. Tommy just says he will.
- During Joel’s Christmas tree flashback with Sarah, we hear voiceover of him telling Ellie that Tommy will be taking her to the fireflies.
- Drastically trimmed conversations between Ellie and the cult leader and his hunting pal, buddy-boy. No mention is made of the distance back to the cult’s resort.
- Gave a shortened version of the hunger club at their depressing dinner.
- Drastically trimmed the conversation with the cult leader and an imprisoned Ellie. Now it’s not like Darth Vader asking Luke to join him (together we will rule the hunger club as husband and underage bride!)
- Joel makes his way into the resort storage area faster.
- Cut back cringey elements of the cult leader hunting Ellie in the burning building. She makes the move to hack him up a little quicker.
- Reduced banter of Joel and Ellie on the far outskirts of the city with the Firefly hospital.
- Trimmed banter downstairs at the monkey lab.
- Drastically changed the arrangement of the finale so it ends on a more powerful note.
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