Could someone please explain how AOTC is badly edited?

I'm not an editor, or having anything to do with movies, but I don't understand why people say AOTC is badly edited.

What exactly do you mean by that?

Is it mean that the scenes are cut too short, so the movie is uneven?

I'm not being sarchastic, I just want peoples opinion who think this movie was edited so bad, Thanks.

 

'Bad editing' is ONE criticism I HAVEN'T heard about AOTC... Bad dialogue, wooden acting, woeful 'comedy' and (in places)horrible CGI; but never bad editing.

 

I don't know myself but people say that the duel is badly edited. That was edited by Ben Burtt, wasn't it?

 

Bad editing is a complaint I have often heard levelled against the chopping between the Kamino & Naboo scenes. Two completely different environments, one clinical and artificial, the other lush and "natural". The constant switching between these two opposites can seem jarring. Not to mention the fact that as soon as we are meant to be engaging with one storyline (Obi-Wan's investigation, Anakin and Padme's romance) the scene switches to the other.

What is at stake here, I believe, is the delicate balance between 1) dramatic tension and 2) a feeling of alienation and unease for the viewers. Some would argue that this is the intended effect of AOTC. Each to their own, I guess.

 

my only problem is towards the end of the movie we're treated to 3 very long and pointless FX sequences that add up to a grand total of like 40 minutes,

1) the droid factory! why is that there? wasn't even part of the script.. GL said, make me a cool looking cg matte painting of a droid factory, FX guys make a cool looking matte painting of a droid factory, program a simple fly through to show it off, GL says.. that's cooooool asks them if they could put real people in the digital environment, an obvious yes, then goes off to write in a scene about them walking through his fancy matte painting for 20 minutes for no particular reason

2) The arena: GL goes to his magic FX guys, says, can you make CG monsters? yes! ok, can they iunteract with real people? um, yes, duh.. GL goes off to wirte the 'new' rancor battle, except this one lasts 20 minutes of unedited cartoon like action

3) GL goes to his FX people again, and says, hey can you give me a quick shot something that looks like a star destroyer landing and a bunch of shguttles and fighters flying out, GL looks for a second time at his animated matte painting and goes.., gee gosh that's cool, can you make this sequnce longer? sure! how about you show a bunch of clones? can you make people digital? sure.. how about lots of stuff flying around? ok.. How about a dog fight IN THE ATMOSPHERE, surely this is impossible.. nope, pretty simple! How about armies and armies of digital clones fighting armies and armies of digital robots>?!!?!!?!? why not


.......in short, GL growing up in the anolog generation, overestimated people's ability to be 'wowed' by computer graphics, something that happens all the time to filmakers who grew up w/o it

 

I never thought that it was edited badly. There are a few instances where Ben Burtt shows him newb-editor status, but that didn't break the picture.

To the above poster:

CGI choices you don't like DO NOT constitute bad editing. The actual editing of those sequences you named are pretty good.

 

Personally I think most people would not have any idea what constitutes bad editing. However, they SAY AOTC has bad editing because they hear the bad MUSIC edits in the film, I believe. There are MANY bad edits in the music, it doesn't flow well in many noticable places. I think that is what these people notice that makes them say AOTC has bad editing.

 

There are two reasons why myself and others have levelled this criticism at AOTC:

1)Bad timing--the choice to use certain shots for a certain amount of time, the choice of when to make a cut, the choice of which reaction to hold on and for how long, the general flow of the scene; AOTC is very choppy and lacks any sort of dramatic pull in any scene that is not action-driven (and even some of the action scenes are a bit dodgy). This is the main reason for me why AOTC is poorly edited. The main body of the film is okay, but its the subtle minutae of the timing--the film could have so easily been much much better if only a few moments were allowed to play out more naturally and others taken out or restructured completely.

2)Bad structure--the choice to omit or retain certain shots/scenes, the way the scenes are pieced together, etc. Although the last forty minutes are great the way they build and build in action, the first forty are absolutely dreadful, and the best character scenes were cut out of the movie (Padme's parents house, even though it is cheesy by most movie standards, is still the best Anakin-Padme scene, and does more to develop their relationship than any other scene and it makes it seem so much natural).


Editing is a very subtle and subjective thing so it is not easy to articulate what is "wrong" with a piece. AOTC is still a decent film, but even TPM had better editing. AOTC has the potential to be one of the best of the films, but the editing just kills it--the Anakin-Padme scenes are almost all unwatchable, and as i re-watched them for the first time in a good year or so the other day, i realized that it would have been so easy to make them work with just a few extra lines of dialog, some brief snipping and a more natural flow. Its such a shame that the first half of the film is so poor. It isnt really until the film gets to Tatooine that things start to fall into place--i suppose because that is when the film begins to be visually and action driven and not character or dialog driven (of course even the second half of the film has many problems but those are acceptable for the most part).

 

The only problem with AOTC that I had, was the bad editing and bad saber effects in the lightsaber duel at the end.

 

The thread is about explaining WHY you think AOTC had bad editing.

 

Fine. Let me highlight my (least) favorite example, then:

Anakin's decision to rescue his mom. Although none of the Ani-Padme scenes are that great, this one nearly works, right up until she says: "I'll come with you."

That's a great moment. Despite the tension between them in the previous scene, this single exchange brings them closer together in an act of shared disobedience and further down the slippery slope. It's good rising action. Good drama.

But then we cut immediately back to Anakin saying "I'm sorry, I don't have a choice."

What the heck? Why is he saying that, right after Padme has basically just given him her blessing to do what he must? The line makes no sense. It nigh-ruins the effect of her line. In fact, it's as if she'd said nothing at all.

SIMPLY PUT, THAT FINAL LINE NEEDS TO BE GONE.

Even switching the lines, where he whines about not having a choice coming before her saying she'll come along would be an improvement. But as it stands, it's beyond bad. Not because it's bad in and of itself, but because it was at least decent as written (I guess) and performed (sure) but botched in the editing.

Another bit that should've been left on the digital cutting room floor: "I miss you...SO MUCH." A line that's banal enough on its own ends up wrecking the effect of the much better one preceding it: "I wasn't strong enough to save you, Mom...But I promise I won't fail again." That's a powerful line, one that basically sums up Anakin's motivation throughout the remainder of the PT, and the one line that the viewers need to take away from the funeral scene. (I'm suddenly reminded that all 3 PT films have a funeral.) But its impact is softened unnecessarily by the "I miss you" line. Another case of bad editing.

And later still: did we really need to hear Yoda repeat "Very good!" to the clone troopers in the battle? Or even hear him say it once? Or even see him landing at the forward command center AT ALL?

Editing is supposed to sharpen the focus of a story, to make it as effective as possible with the material shot. But AOTC is rife with scenes like these that could've been trimmed for better effect, shorter running time, and better scene flow.

And that is why AOTC is considered by many to be badly edited.

 

The worst of the lot:

Obi Wan says he is goint to arrest Jango.

Cut to Anakin and his nightmare...

Then morning...

Then a long chat with Padme...

And FINALLY back to Obi Wan trying to arrest Jango!


What the hell is this about! It makes it look like Obi Wan spent the night and had some breakfast before deciding to go and have a chat with Jango.

Is this film supposed to be a logical, progressive narrative or just a compilation of clips? There are no excuses - Star wars always follows a passage of time - it doesn't jump back and forth like some films (intentionally) do.

 

I don't think AOTC is badly edited at all. It moves at a brisk pace. I like the balance between the fast action and the story.

 

I'm not sure if this has to do with editing but it seems II and III have a frantic pace compared to the other movies. It seems like a jumble of important and interesting scenes sometimes. The flip side of this is that there is a density of information and plot which makes re-watching the movies fun. Compare II and III with IV. In IV, there really isn't that much going on at one time. In II and III, Lucas seems to be trying to tie in the saga and so there's a lot more going on.

 

I don't think AOTC is badly edited at all. It moves at a brisk pace. I like the balance between the fast action and the story.

That seems an odd thing to say after my post above yours. Can you explain this bizarre ordering of sequences?

 

i think people had problems with the editing because they didn't understand the story

 

i think people had problems with the editing because they didn't understand the story

I can't decide whether you're being serious or not.

How about the specific examples quoted in this thread where the editing renders the story nonsensical?

MANDALORIAN's example of the timing issue is a good one. How can you explain this away by saying "you just don't understand the story?"

 

When Padme returns from the assassination attempt on her life & Yoda says "seeing you again brings warm feelings to my heart" they cut straight to her talking and she doesn't even ackonowledge Yodas kind words.

Makes her seem either cold or retarded.

 

Palpy's lears at Yoda seem creepy

 

When Padme returns from the assassination attempt on her life & Yoda says "seeing you again brings warm feelings to my heart" they cut straight to her talking and she doesn't even ackonowledge Yodas kind words.

Yep, thats a key one. Some may think it is minor but it all affects how the audience views and relates to the character. The idea that Padme is rude, abrupt and ungrateful should not be in the audiences head at this point.

Really bad editing. Really bad.

 

Another example of bad editing is the droid factory. I know someone has already mentioned this, but, the scene is not neccessarily completely useless. It can be used as another heroic act of Anakin, and a little bit of a filler, but the length of time that's spent especially when it comes to watching 3PO do his stupid things and say stupid things like "It's a Nightmaaaaare!!!!" A good editor sees this material and says, "ok so maybe that shot could be left out."

 

That's not an editing decision, that's a directing decision. George's decision.

 

A lot of these complaints are directorial decisions and not made by the editor. I'm a professional editor and recognise that directors can overule your decision regarding a cut and force your hand into making, what you believe to be, an inferior edit.