WW : The Excellent Adventure Edit

[Wakeupkeo]

Bad Movies Made Less Bad Presents:
A audio mashup of one of the best movies of the 80's with one of the worst DC movies, set in the 80s.

I loved Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure in my youth, one of the few VHS movies i owned and I know it by heart. So dumb, but so great.

I was in the majority that did not love WW84. Especially after so many delays, I thought they had extra time to tighten the movie up, but clearly they did not. Bad... well - so many bad things.

But it popped up for 4.99 on blu ray a couple months ago, and with a few ZSJL edits already released next to zero for this turd, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Main Narrative Changes:
Dialing up the campiness of the score while dialing down the campiness of the script to find the fun movie in between.
Show, don't tell philosophy in effect.
Remove bad CGI Shots.
Fix some of the main plot holes.

• Steve doesn't inhabit anyone's body
• Diana doesn't steal a plane and make it invisible, she already has one and reveals it to Steve, avoiding the fuel issue.
• Barbra doesn't ask for the second wish to be an apex predator, its a side effect of Max's megalomania.
• Only Max needs to renounce his wish for the world to be fixed.
• Max gets punishment.

I was also in the group of people that thought WW84 should have dialed up the 80's soundtrack. But Bill and Teds came out in '89, was shot in '87. So I already knew I couldn't lock myself into 84 if I wanted to mix the soundtracks. And while Bill and ted's gave me tons of source material to work with, I needed more. Bill and Ted wanted to work with Eddie Van Halen, so Van Halen leads the additional songs needed.

• There is also Judas Priest, Pat Benatar, New Wave (The Band), Killing Joke, Vangelis, Oingo Boingo, Def Leppard, Scorpions, Harold Faltermayer and Kenny Loggins.

I've been trying hundreds of songs and many from the 80's are lyrically on the nose but not the right tempo, and picking music like this is admittedly out of my range to be great, but I think the resulting movie is fun!

• FYI I am open to samples of suggestions for better song choices, I will have an "unscored" version available for potential collaborators to work with. But please no "how about ...?" I have found its easy to armchair QB tossing suggestions, but usually mostly only frustrating. Always open to ideas, but be ready to create a sample to show your idea, rather than just tossing out

I have also been re-foleying most everything because OF COURSE the center channel is no where near clean. Sometime dialogue and overall sound suffers and sometimes sounds "tin-like" and I have been trying ways to rebuild full sound, but most of the time I try to mask with the soundtrack. I recommend subtitles on this one. I'll keep working to make the audio great, but if anyone want to help me on the audio aspects, like helping to clean the center channel better or you can offer better music selection choices., I would be most appreciative.

Heres a sample of the bank robbery intro. More detailed notes to come on the specific cut list. Otherwise, watch for its release someday! Admittedly still bad, but better than before!

Password: fanedit

 

[Dwight Fry]

This is a great idea! Unlike the majority, I did enjoy WW84 quite a bit because it felt like a throwback to those campy Silver Age stories of yesteryear. May I suggest attempting a color correction to remove or minimize the generic modern video preset filter and make it look more like an actual 80s movie? I mean, I was a kid in the 80s and skies were definitely not green then...

 

[The Danger Zone]

Max gets punishment?

 

[Dwight Fry]

Max gets punishment?

That's the one aspect of this edit that I'm not sure about. As a big fan of Justice League International, and thus of the original (Ambiguously) Good Guy Max, and as someone who deeply detests what DC did with him from Infinite Crisis on, I liked seeing him getting redemption in the movie. But an editor's choice is an editor's choice, and let's see where it takes us.

 

[TinyBreadMouse]

Love that poster

 

[Wakeupkeo]

Love that poster

Thank you TBM! I've spent a lot of time on it! (Usually when the movie is outputting lol) That just made it all worth it!

Max gets punishment?

Nothing monumental, just in the form of audio sirens closing in on him while he talks to Alistair (we lose the shot of the helicopter dropping Max off so) and then a text epilogue over the shot that pulls back from Max hugging Alistair.

That's the one aspect of this edit that I'm not sure about. As a big fan of Justice League International, and thus of the original (Ambiguously) Good Guy Max, and as someone who deeply detests what DC did with him from Infinite Crisis on, I liked seeing him getting redemption in the movie. But an editor's choice is an editor's choice, and let's see where it takes us.

Awesome @Dwight Fry , I was hoping to get some thoughtful feedback on how to give a fitting end to Max, and with your deeper knowledge, maybe you can help craft a better epilogue?

For Max, I wanted to address the criticism that it seems like he gets no punishment for all the chaos that he caused. I also played with the idea of how to leave him open for more villain-ness later, thinking that he was a majority villain character. I read a little about his pre-Infinity Crisis Good Guy Persona, but did not pick up on it as much as you seem to know!

But, I also figured that with the movie set in the 80s, a likelyhood of ever seeing the Pedro Pascal Max was non-existent, so I opted for an epilogue in my edit that "makes his son proud" in the end, since then his conversion by WW would be even more deep.

So the following is the current "epilogue of Max." I know its currently a bit heavy handed, and I only have time for three "chunks" of text:

• "Following these events, Max Lord faced hundreds of
  lawsuits by over a thousand different litigants. He was
  sentenced to a total of 25 consecutive lifetimes in
  federal prison, without the possibility of parole."
  
  
• "Max Lord earned his law degree from behind bars and
  dedicated his life to defending those less fortunate."
  
  
• "His son is very proud."

Alright @Dwight Fry, thoughts?
Also, love the idea of the color correction, this movie is in line with most of the DCEU, but I'm open to making it feel more 80s for sure. And with the narrative adjustments, I think this movie leans into that classic genre anyways. Feels a bit more like the old "body-swapping" goffy stories of the 80s too now! I might need some guidance there though, I am not an expert with color yet... do you have any experience with Lumetri color correction presets or settings? That is what I mainly use within Premiere.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

 

[Dwight Fry]

Awesome @Dwight Fry , I was hoping to get some thoughtful feedback on how to give a fitting end to Max, and with your deeper knowledge, maybe you can help craft a better epilogue?

For Max, I wanted to address the criticism that it seems like he gets no punishment for all the chaos that he caused. I also played with the idea of how to leave him open for more villain-ness later, thinking that he was a majority villain character. I read a little about his pre-Infinity Crisis Good Guy Persona, but did not pick up on it as much as you seem to know!

But, I also figured that with the movie set in the 80s, a likelyhood of ever seeing the Pedro Pascal Max was non-existent, so I opted for an epilogue in my edit that "makes his son proud" in the end, since then his conversion by WW would be even more deep.

So the following is the current "epilogue of Max." I know its currently a bit heavy handed, and I only have time for three "chunks" of text:

• "Following these events, Max Lord faced hundreds of
  lawsuits by over a thousand different litigants. He was
  sentenced to a total of 25 consecutive lifetimes in
  federal prison, without the possibility of parole."
  
  
• "Max Lord earned his law degree from behind bars and
  dedicated his life to defending those less fortunate."
  
  
• "His son is very proud."

Alright @Dwight Fry, thoughts?

A brief history of the original Maxwell Lord, for the uninitiated: His charm lied exactly in that he should be a villain, but he was not (and when he was, it was due to outside mind-control forces, but on that account every single comic book hero has been a villain once or twice). He was on the surface a Gordon Gekko/Donald Trump (as a businessman, not as a politician) type, frequently profit-driven and misguided (initially backed the Justice League International for self-aggrandizing purposes), but despite everything, deep down he was good-hearted and actively tried to become a better person. That's why DC blew it so badly when they turned him into an actual villain. From unique to generic. He's now just Lex Luthor with hair. Yawn.

So, while movie Max is still not my ideal Max (apart from being the villain, movie Max is too tacky, original Max was modeled after Sam Neill in The Final Conflict), it came close enough, was more misguided than purely evil, genuinely loved his son, and I want to believe that as a way to redeem himself he decided to form the JLI after the events of the movie. So, for a text epilogue, let's say he does get parole or a pardon, and "Max Lord vowed to make up for his past wrongdoings and decided to actively back justice - in an international way. His son is very proud." That'd be a nice nod for JLI fans.

Also, love the idea of the color correction, this movie is in line with most of the DCEU, but I'm open to making it feel more 80s for sure. And with the narrative adjustments, I think this movie leans into that classic genre anyways. Feels a bit more like the old "body-swapping" goffy stories of the 80s too now! I might need some guidance there though, I am not an expert with color yet... do you have any experience with Lumetri color correction presets or settings? That is what I mainly use within Premiere.

Unfortunately not an expert on that, nor have I ever used Premiere. What I usually do is a made-up solution: get a frame from a film that has the aesthetics I'd desire, find a frame in the movie I'm editing that is in some way similar, and do a match color correction (in Sony Vegas) applied to the whole file. Not the ideal way to work, but one can always try.

 

[Wakeupkeo]

@Dwight Fry I love that solution for the epilogue, and also for color correction! I will try that!

 

[Last Impressions]

I also love that poster...its gorgeous.

I've only seen the movie once... but if i did ever do an edit then it would have been mainly to rescore with some 80's cheese. ..so im looking forward to this. Do you work in Vegas because if you do i can nick your project file and add my own soundtrack once you have done all the hard work with the foley

Have you tried spleetergui ? It does a half decent job separating music from dialogue ...but at the moment you won't find any software that gives you perfect seperation ( i dream of the day that happens)

 

[Wakeupkeo]

"Max Lord vowed to make up for his past wrongdoings and decided to actively back justice - in an international way. His son is very proud." That'd be a nice nod for JLI fans.

Hmmm, I still want to make the epilogue accessible to those that don't know anything about JLI. How is this:

"Max Lord vowed to make up for his past wrongdoings.

He earned his law degree from behind bars,
committing himself to actively supporting
justice internationally, and dedicating his life
to defending those less fortunate.

His son is very proud."

Short, sweet, and buries the "international" part a little more. Is it still a good nod to JLI fans in your opinion?

I also love that poster...its gorgeous.

I've only seen the movie once... but if i did ever do an edit then it would have been mainly to rescore with some 80's cheese. ..so im looking forward to this. Do you work in Vegas because if you do i can nick your project file and add my own soundtrack once you have done all the hard work with the foley

Have you tried spleetergui ? It does a half decent job separating music from dialogue ...but at the moment you won't find any software that gives you perfect seperation ( i dream of the day that happens)

Ah! Score on the Poster! I usually put a ton of time into them, so its very awesome to hear. Thank you!!!

And Yes!!! I absolutely plan to release an unscored version as well, just for editors like you! I am going to try to add in any frames I removed for better music syncs for that one too, so you have as much to work with as possible. I know someone here can take this movie to James Gunn or Edgar Wright levels with even better musical choices! (But unfortunately I do not use Vegas, I use Premiere Pro.)

I'll check out Spleeter and compare it to Vocalremover.com.

 

[Dwight Fry]

Hmmm, I still want to make the epilogue accessible to those that don't know anything about JLI. How is this:

"Max Lord vowed to make up for his past wrongdoings.

He earned his law degree from behind bars,
committing himself to actively supporting
justice internationally, and dedicating his life
to defending those less fortunate.

His son is very proud."

Short, sweet, and buries the "international" part a little more. Is it still a good nod to JLI fans in your opinion?

Beautiful! The nod stays there and will still give a big smile to JLI fans, but works just as well for those who know nothing about it.

 

[Dwight Fry]

@Wakeupkeo I took the liberty of doing a little experiment. I ripped your clip above from Vimeo, then color matched it to a frame from Back to the Future, and here's the result. It's not perfect as it has a kind of slight purple/magenta hue, but it was a raw first attempt (password: fanedit):

 

[Wakeupkeo]

I dig that! I notice some of that hue you mention, but it is better than my attempt that got the sky blue but left flesh tones a bit too cold... but I love the warmer vibe yours has. I might not use it in Diana's home shots since this is where I noticed the purple most, but I think we are on the right track...

I was messing with overall temperature but do you know any of the color settings slider names you are adjusting? I'm on Premiere so I know it won't be the same, but it will still help!

Otherwise I'll dive into some of the color tutorials here and elsewhere! But great example, thank you!!

 

[Dwight Fry]

I dig that! I notice some of that hue you mention, but it is better than my attempt that got the sky blue but left flesh tones a bit too cold... but I love the warmer vibe yours has. I might not use it in Diana's home shots since this is where I noticed the purple most, but I think we are on the right track...

I was messing with overall temperature but do you know any of the color settings slider names you are adjusting? I'm on Premiere so I know it won't be the same, but it will still help!

Otherwise I'll dive into some of the color tutorials here and elsewhere! But great example, thank you!!

Oh! I could have taken a capture of how the sliders looked after the correction (these are not presets, it's something that Vegas does automatically based on the frame you want to match to). I will do it again, do a screen capture and DM it to you (as far as I know you can't upload images to the forum if not from an url, but DMs allow it).

 

[Wakeupkeo]

Nice... I never knew about such a function and am now learning how to do it in Premiere Pro!

I love how a project inspires new skills!

 

[Dwight Fry]

Drat! Unfortunately I can't give you the sliders because the color match effect doesn't show them. On Sony Vegas (Pro 13 at least), color correction (manual, with the sliders) and color match (automatic, no sliders) are separate effects. So sorry about that.

In any case, on Vegas applying the color match and THEN the color correction over it to slightly tweak stuff to eliminate the purple hue should not be too hard to achieve. So if everything else fails, I can try to color correct the whole movie (to look like my clip minus the purple hue) and upload it for you so you can replace your source video.

 

[Last Impressions]

@Dwight Fry Can you create a LUT in Vegas that is portable - so it can be used in Premiere Pro...that maybe an avenue to explore.

 

[Dwight Fry]

@Dwight Fry Can you create a LUT in Vegas that is portable - so it can be used in Premiere Pro...that maybe an avenue to explore.

No idea if Vegas gives that option. Will investigate.

 

[Wakeupkeo]

That would be optimum. I have been trying to get close on my own but @Dwight fry, yours still looks better than anything I can come up with, and while Premiere has a color match function too, it doesn't seem to work as well as the vegas one.
LUTs are awesome if you can pull one!

 

[Wakeupkeo]

One other wish list for this edit - a post credit scene that somehow shows Barbara alive and well in the present day, since she should still have her pre-Cheetah powers. A tease for a probably never to be made movie but it feels right!

It would be awesome to have her talk with Lex like Lex did with Deathstroke, and tease him giver her "cheetah" powers again, or have him meet her somewhere and say she know who she really is...

But thats pretty crazy. I've been searching Kristen Wiig roles and havent found anything great other than some SNL stuff like "red Flags" that might be hilarious... Bridesmaids was close with the tennis scene but just doesn't feel right characterwise, as much as I try to make her feel evil...

So open to suggestions!