Did another of my own edits to Episode VII yesterday.
[eye roll]
I did my first edited version back about a year or so ago. I'm a graphic designer by trade, and have managed to teach myself enough of using Premiere Pro to be a little dangerous with it. But I do have an understanding of how editing works and why editing works. And I also tinder like mad!
So, duh. Of course I'm highly trained and professional enough to tackle a Star Wars edit.
And it's also way easier to critique, bash, edit and redo creative work that someone else far more talented than I has already accomplished. So, I offer up apologies in advance to Ben Burt and Marianne Brandon and Mary Jo Markey. You three did a bang up job considering you were also likely saddled with a huge room full of Disney committee members give their two cents.
I, on the other hand, do not have such limitations. [insert evil Emperor laugh here]
I've been filling my ears and airwaves the last several months on and off with various banter about Star Wars via YouTube, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, for sure. And one of the off-handed comments caught my ear, because I agreed with it and it's bugged me on every re-watching of The Force Awakens. It's that Fynn is a bit of a whiny baby and there's too much contridctions in his manners. He's a bad ass trooper fighter dude when he wants to be; good with a blaster and in a fight. But then contrast that with how he's surprised when he actually hits someone or something, can't figure out how to manage the guns on the Falcon, a very old freighter of all things. He's telling himself to stay calm while walking Poe towards the hanger bay to escape.
He's a freaking stormtrooper (yeah, I can't say fir est oar der. Just can't.) And all he wants to do is run away all the time. And that's fine- be that. But don't be both.
Most of these things are put in there for comedy sake, and I get that part. But take Han for example. Han has his own brand of comedy and awkwardness in the face of struggle or overwhelming odds, or even capture. And you never doubt who his is through all those moments. And he doesn't start making your mama jokes for a chuckle. When Han wants a chuckle, it's something under his breath, or cocky, or blatant. But always him.
For me, I never know who Fynn is, other than another causality of this new franchise never making anyone interesting; everyone is just really good at being good at things, no one struggles, no one fails. Best fighter pilot, best Jedi who doesn't even have to train and knows how to fly anything even though she's been stuck on a desert planet her whole life and has never been anywhere, best bad guy teenager tantrum boy.
Not bitching. Well, OK I am bitching again. It happens. My blog. :)
Still, I tried to tackle this edit with that in mind. It's small moves here again; since I built this edit off the last edit I made it didn't take super long. Dropped another ten minutes off the runtime, though that wasn't my intention.
My intention was to make Fynn tougher. Make him personable. But he's a former trooper; so he's not such a chicken. He's maybe more capable this way.
I also removed the whole fight scene with Kylo at the end, which is a little awkward, since we have no reason why Fynn is injured. This part I may have wrong and will have to watch it to know. And some of that back and forth with Rey and Renn that is gone, too, and that might be missed.
The reason I wanted to remove this scene started with the whole "I'm really good at lightsaber dueling even know you're a dark Jedi master and I'm a scavenger from a desert planet who's never ever been anywhere, have never seen grass or snow before in my life, but I can still best you in this battle so bring it one tantrum boy" parts. Tossing out all the original movies training to become a Jedi thing just irritates me.
[sorry - I get that way]
Not sure if its works well like this or not. Would love a big bowl of popcorn and a snuggle buddy and give it a good watching.
You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake.
This could be it, Sweetheart.
