What are your opinions on fan-editing?

[Paul Keith]

I just did a search on DC about fan-edits and didn't find anything so I was wondering what this board's opinions on it are.

It seems even the frontpage of Google doesn't like it because I haven't found any software or howto guides about it.

[sri]

What is 'fan-edits'?

[Paul Keith]

It's basically taking a movie and editing it.

Kind of like the many Youtube videos involving excerpts from one movie or another (I don't know how to do those either) except the intent here is to use the technique on an entire movie. Sometimes with the intent of improving the movie based on the editors' own vision.

[nudone]

well, the phantom menace was certainly better after they fan edited jar jar binks out of it.

google/youtube aren't going to promote/mention it as it's obviously violating copyright just to start editing someone's work without their consent.

[mouser]

I've thought for many years that this is going to be the future of movie making.  In the next decade i predict that when a new movie is released i theatres, the complete unedited raw footage of the shooting of the movie (hundreds of hours of different takes, etc.) will be available on the web for people to reassemble and re-edit.

[Paul Keith]

well, the phantom menace was certainly better after they fan edited jar jar binks out of it.

google/youtube aren't going to promote/mention it as it's obviously violating copyright just to start editing someone's work without their consent.

-nudone (September 26, 2008, 03:07 AM)

Well google and yahoo certainly don't have a problem when you do a search for p2p.

I've thought for many years that this is going to be the future of movie making.  In the next decade i predict that when a new movie is released i theatres, the complete unedited raw footage of the shooting of the movie (hundreds of hours of different takes, etc.) will be available on the web for people to reassemble and re-edit.

Yeah, same here mouser that's why I'm hoping to jump the bandwagon before it catches on but so far no luck on finding a newb friendly guide.

[cmpm]

there is a few sites to check out-

http://www.google.co...1&q=edit+youtube

[nudone]

sorry, i meant "google video" wouldn't want to mention it.

edit:

i didn't realise (foolishly) that this fan edit thing had become such a serious thing. just a quick glance through http://fanedit.org/ and their forum looks very interesting.

i'm very impressed that someone has put together a thoughtful fan edit of David Lynch's Dune - that has been crying out for some serious re-editing since it's release.

[40hz]

I've thought for many years that this is going to be the future of movie making.  In the next decade i predict that when a new movie is released i theatres, the complete unedited raw footage of the shooting of the movie (hundreds of hours of different takes, etc.) will be available on the web for people to reassemble and re-edit.

-mouser (September 26, 2008, 03:15 AM)

Logical. First there was self service gas pumps. Then there was self checkout registers in stores. Why not self-edit movies? Think of all the cost efficiencies the motion picture industry could gain from doing that. 

[f0dder]

i'm very impressed that someone has put together a thoughtful fan edit of David Lynch's Dune - that has been crying out for some serious re-editing since it's release.

-nudone (September 26, 2008, 06:21 AM)

Or rather: it has made Dune fans cry out to get Lynch lynched.

One thing is adapting a story for another platform (ie, book->movie) - I'm all for that. But making changes that make no sense? No thank you. One of the cool things about the fremen is that they're mad elite with their Krys knives, and can take on the Sardaukar troops just using their knives. Wtf did Lynch add those "weirding modules"? And why is baron Harkonnen depicted as a raving lunatic, when he in fact is a stone-cold calculating psychopath? And why is he flying madly around, when he's (in the book) just using the lifters to reduce his body mass so he can walk?

Iirc there were also some other things that pissed me off, but it's been some years since I saw the movie. It's really a shame that Lynch messed up several aspects, as I like the visual style (I absolute adore the visual effect used for the Holzmann shields), and a bunch of the actors were decently cast.

[Paul Keith]

f0dder, I think it's to appease the general audiences who don't know much about Dune. It's much more easier to relate to the cliche plotline of an evil mad conqueror than an equal struggle between three factions.

Don't get your high hopes on fanedit though. At first, I was impressed until I realize more than 50% of the fanedit there had no comments or reviews.

[nudone]

i must confess i didn't get further than about 15 pages in when reading Dune, and i was so looking forward to becoming immersed in the Dune universe. so, i was just disappointed with the film because it looked like it could have been so much more. watching the film has always felt like sitting in front of a 2 hour advert for a yet unreleased longer motion picture.

i'll probably not enjoy any version now that i know it isn't a fair representation of the novel(s).

[Paul Keith]

Well to be honest, it still might be worth watching. I'm not a Dune or a movie elite but Dune was one of the best hack-up job off a license movie that I've ever seen. Casting was great, plot twists were done at an ok pace and there was just something about the Dune movie that makes it less sillier than other sci-fi movies with spaceship battles and "lightsabers".

[f0dder]

The Dune movie is worth watching, and the atmosphere is pretty good. The aforementioned  changes still sadden/sicken me, though, as they're completely unnecessary, and ruin some of the really cool parts of Dune.

IMHO the later mini-series felt a lot truer to the universe, and I can live with minor slip-ups like forgetting to color people's eyes blue-in-blue in some scenes here and there. It also does show that the budget could have been bigger, and not all the actors are supergood++. But all in all it left me with a much better feeling than Lynch's Dune did

[Paul Keith]

IMHO the later mini-series felt a lot truer to the universe

You mean Children of Dune?

[Lashiec]

IIRC, the Dune movie suffered massive cuts from its original length, which was something like 7 hours. As always, if you want the best version, get the book (that also goes for that Phantom Menace thing).

[dsp]

...as it's obviously violating copyright just to start editing someone's work without their consent.

-nudone (September 26, 2008, 03:07 AM)

Surely changing something at this level doesn't infringe copyright unless the fan attempts to go commercial with their version - then they are in copyright infringement terriory. Maybe the owners could bring some lawsuit if the original work was brought into disrepute or its or the owners reputation was damaged in some way, but is that going to happen with a fanedit?

[40hz]

Surely changing something at this level doesn't infringe copyright

-dsp (October 08, 2008, 06:47 PM)

Actually... it does.

Whether or not the copyright holder decides to pursue it is a different matter.