Can't Stop the Signal

Don't be afraid, I feel it too.

[angelofdelphi]

Across the Stars and Behind the Score: A Reylo Story.

Okay, so, maybe one day I will be able to post this in video essay because it will make more sense with visuals and audio but I may have to wait until I can get my clips of TROS through “official” channels.  Until then, we will have to make this work.

There are very few elements of Star Wars that have managed to persist throughout the entirety of the Skywalker Saga.  However, perhaps one of the most consistent elements of Star Wars is this man:

John Williams has been the mastermind behind the soundtrack for all nine of the Saga films.  From the Imperial March, to the Duel of Fates, and Across the Stars, Williams’s arrangements are what breathe life into these films.

And, in today’s TED Talk, I will prove that the true ending of TROS rests in the themes of his music.

Beware of spoilers and get cosy.  This is a bit of a read.

Keep reading

[cantstopthereylosignal]

OH MY GOD, PEEPS.

So, after my little experiment with playing around with the TROS kiss scene.  I started to wonder about whether or not my cut of the kiss would interfere with the soundtrack of the following “The Hero Returns” scene.   Out of curiosity, I trimmed my copy of TROS to the beginning of the collapse of the star destroyers that begins right after the Big Kiss™ scene and placed the track “Reunion” under it.  I didn’t touch anything else.  No other cuts were made.

And guess what worked perfectly?  

Not only does it work, but the scenes now stylistically match the endings of the other movies….

Please, just try to convince me that this cut of the movie matched with “Reunion” doesn’t just feel right?  Doesn’t it feel like Star Wars?

ALSO: When you pair my cut of “Farewell” with my modification of “Reunion,” guess what else starts to make sense?  Why is Rey not sad during the Reunion?  Because she knows Ben has survived.  It would also make sense why he isn’t with her.  It’s not like the supreme leader can waltz into the rebel base, even if he’s Ben Solo now.  They will be reunited on the “New Home!” 

John Williams knows what is up.

[cantstopthereylosignal]

Okay, so I went ahead and created a throwaway account for this so I can protect my main account.  Fingers crossed that the mouse doesn’t hit this with the ban-hammer but I took a stab at re-editing the TROS ending.  So, here are a few notes on my process:

1.  I tried to not go crazy with the edit.  Every choice I made was meant to be as logical as possible with what I had to work with.  Keep in mind, sources say that editors were still making changes as late as Nov. 25th.  By that point, little to nothing could be reshot and the score was most certainly set.

2.  Most of my editing cues came from the placement of Rey and Ben’s hands as well as trying to spot which scenes had been reversed in post -- like Ben’s “fall.”

3.  The rest of my cues came from “Farewell,” which is the track that plays during these scenes.  Some of the musical themes only make sense to me in certain contexts (I’m looking at you magical chimes and playful Force theme).  Also, that swell to fanfare towards the end is the stereotypical music that plays during Big Kiss™ scene.  Don’t believe me?  Go watch this scene from Beauty and the Beast for me:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP3x8rGdbsE. Or this scene from Tangled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dXm3lXFTi4. And who could forget this Big Kiss™ scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooWJpI3Chck

4.  Regardless, this exercise has me convinced that there was a lot left behind the cutting room floor.  Editing the scene this way not only hits traditional fairytale beats such as the big fanfare swell to the Big Kiss™ scene, but it also plays out as reverse Anidala.  I honestly believe that this cut is not too far-fetched based on what is already in the scene and in the story.

Hope you enjoy what could have been.