Petty's Purist LotR Edits

I shall do my best for you Ringdrotten! Can't have you out all day with crane sized fishing rod and coming back to nothing to watch of a dark night.

Fish trolls, are they like very, very ugly mermaids or is it the other way round?

Cheers, Petty Don't worry about it if it's too much work, though, I'll only have more to look forward to when I get home again


"Fish trolls, are they like very, very ugly mermaids or is it the other way round?"

Not sure, but google says:

I can't promise anything for the very simple reason I've never outputted HD files before from the edititng program, so how long it will take exactly, plus converting to a better HD compressor and then spliting it and uploading it is a bit of a guess. But if I can I will get it uploaded before you go.

Whatever you can do, Petty

Book 1 is being uploaded- they are in the folder called HDbook1. They can be downloaded now, but you will need all of them and its going to take a while to upload, being going about 4hours and only on part 11 of 52- but if you start now less to get later.
Two things to note though- this version the subtitles have yet to be done for when Arwen arrives- because I am still trying to get the wording right- I was going to do it today but opted instead to try to get this up in time for Ringdrotten going away. So eventually this will be replaced with an updated book 1. But will be putting the rest of the books up first before I get back round to reupping this one so it will be awhile so as well getting this version in the meantime- and its the only thing that will be different (unless anyone makes a good suggestion inbetween of course). And the other thing is due to human buckiedness I didn't set the cut right so instead of ending at the white flash out at the the ed of the ford sequence it carries on a few extra minutes into the Rivendell bit. So I'll need to do it again anyway so all parts can be put in a player and watched as a whole piece if desired.

Anyway happy viewing. I look forward to finding out what everyone thinks of this (I hope) final cut of the megaedit.

Great stuff, Petty, downloading as I type

I''m sorry Ringdrotten, I tried I really did. Uploading parts 30, 31 and 32 as I type out of 52. The uploading is so slow there is just no way. Might have made it if I hadn't come back home from work today to find that the 10 I had set to upload while I was out hadn't- it had inexplicably signed me out my account and I came back to 10 messages saying "Upload cancelled you do not have permssion to edit this folder'- was not happy!
I will continue to upload them in the hope of a miracle.

Upoloading parts 39, 40, 41 as I type- but I supect it is already too late for you Ringdrotten to get them.

Don't worry about it, Petty - thanks a lot for trying I'll get back to downloading when Easter comes!

At least by then (with any luck) the whole thing will be there for you. Sorry I couldnt get it done in time- bloody skydrive upload speeds suck!

Well Book 1 is up! Rest to follow.

Outputting book 2.

For those interested (probably noone but hey) these are the time lines from my editor for FotR, TT and RotK. Every bit is a cut, and many are too small as its zoomed out enough to get the whole bit on screen. Every segment with a sort of purlply line on it (not sure if that'll show up actually- thats a bit which has a new effect of some sort on it, usually a filter.)

Petty I finally got round to watching the first draft of mega edit, will post thoughts later when lots of time and I've read the rest of this thread to avoid pointless comments - have to say mostly loved it!

Waiting with interest on your take on it Kafria- epsically the bits falling outside the 'mostly' section!
You may want to start downloading the latet version- its HD as well- which means bigger to download Im afraid but to compensate I am putting it up spilt into the novels books. Book 1 is ready to download now in the folder called HDBook1, suprisigly enough, it wil extract as a film on its own and can be watched without waiting on the rest to be uploaded. (And it means theres only an hour and a bit to watch!)

I just noticed something interesting (well it intereted me) PJ has always maintained that the changes he made to the start of Fellowship were all to get the story moving.
The point at which Frodo and Sam leave Bag End and head off is 43 minutes into PJ's. It is 41 minutes in my own edit. So as little difference a smakes no matter. And this despite the fact I brought a whole new scene from elsewhere into it.
There is more information given in my edit and in a different fashion and the 17 year gap is maintained. For me the changes I have made do not in anyway at all slow up the start to the film but in fact make it a lot more interesting by using the books narrative structure as to when to reveal info. I am keen to see how others feel about this- if it does slow things up for you or like me you find it makes things more interesting.

Okay, I give up!

Downloading taking forever, not even half way there due to stupid internet, will have to phone BT in the morning and see if there is any reason I have crappy slow speeds most of the time (it got all the way back to old dial up territory earlier!)

So thoughts on Mega edit first draft while waiting for new version to sort itself out, apologies for anything that has already been sorted!

First of all I have to say I love the final credit, laughed enough to have enquiries as to what I was looking at.

I love the new opening, I know I'd already seen it, but it fits beautifully and you don't lose anything with the prologue cut.

I am not going to say too much about the early section until I have seen the new edit except that I found it a little underwhelming, cuts for purity reasons meant that a number of scenes ended slighty before they could resonate. Also found the Black riders slightly less scary and wondered if they needed adding earlier to build tension, or leaving till the road. It could just have been me, I have been away from the films for a long while!

Form what you have said here there are a couple of changes that I wondered about. I like trollshaws without subtitles, you share the hobbits confusion and it makes Sams yell about the wraiths more powerful (also love the dialogue cut at the fords, this is so much more powerful).

You also say you have reinstated some of the Gandalf section and I apologise if I am contradicting myself here, but I like the palantir being cut and wondered if you could go further here - straight from outside to the throne room. (Reinserting the long shot from the moth will help with the slight jumpiness of the condensed shots on top of the tower.)

Rivendell plays well - did you add in 'Ring of Power, Doom of men'? or am I just deaf and never picked it up before at the council?

My only issue is with the Arwen scenes. I came to realise you where trying to leave the escence of their story in as I got further in, and I like how it's been done, but here there are too many, too close on to of each other I think. Given that you have played the her agreeing to go and returning later I think you could get away with less (would take out a couple of shots and put the later used scene in here?). It certainly makes more sense of Aragorns delight in seeing her.

Have you cut more out of Moria? It seemed so, but it is a long time since I saw the last cut, I missed the breaking of the door

From here till end of FOTR, loved it! Lothlorien retakes it rightful place, you now get the sense they really rested and recuperated here. The recut of the breaking works as a complete piece really well too (Wondered why you didn’t cut all the Sam and Frodo leaving stuff first, then the other as in the books, till the end when the timing of Legolas’ comment on Frodo and Sam made much more sense, felt far more complete as one sequence).

In fact, from this point on it seemed to flow really well with only two exceptions for me. I'll get to those in a minute, but first:

Love the re-ordering into book sequence, a lot of bits that felt really short or missed seemed more complete. Your tendency to cut out the purely silly or over the top actually allows the good dialogue scenes the space to breathe and mean something. There was a lot that although I have watched the EE's repeatedly I hadn't registered properly. Not sure it would work for someone who hadn't read the books as a complete piece, but I was actually thinking of it as a six part mini -series as I watched it (over four nights) and it that sense it does work.

Think Eowyns story plays so much better. You get a sense for who she is and what she goes through and it actually plays like a character arc, not background scenery. You see the cause of her despair, her hope and her self abandonment to death when that is stripped away and also meeting Faramir!

The story of the three of the fellowship in pursuit of the hobbits and treebeard works really well. You get the
sense of pursuit, the build up of tension about the white wizard is stronger and the Hobbits role in raising the ents is in it's proper place.

The edits in Gondor work well, you get the sense of long fight and love the palantir inset, brill! (plus the osgiliath battle where it belongs adds to this.)

Equally, Sam and Frodo's journey comes in better when all linked, smeagol is more sympathetic and so more wretched too.

So, those two exceptions

The lesser first, the cuts at the stair means there is nothing left, so we get to the tunnel too quickly. I guess your hands are tied here, either have the mess of the Sam being sent away stuff or have no stairs.

My biggest problem now is with the Helm's deep cut. Have you taken more out from the last cut or is it just that with these bits stuck together in one section it doesn't work as well. To be clear the Rohan stuff upto getting there is good - didn't realise we were missing Wargs until the keep came into view - and the shot of Aragorn as a scout works (although he ends up reporting too quickly, yeah I know I'm just contrary!). Equally the women and children in the caves play well. It is just the dialogue in the run up don't seem to quite follow and the battle itself seemed incredibly short. This may be a reaction to PJs epic and not the reality of the tale.

Following your comment about how little ROTK Sam and Frodo footage there is, I was a little worried this section may feel rushed, but it doesn't and the mithril shirt reveal is much better here.

I was curious how much rendering work have you done? It is clear you have darkened a lot of scenes down, but did you also change some from day to night or vice versa, I thought maybe you had, to great effect! The only issue I have is that in a couple of sections it is too dark to see much (Sams tower rescue being one example!)

Sorry for the length of this, I did tell myself I would try to keep it short this time, but failed!

Overall, I have to say you've done a wonderful job. I wouldn't know where to start. Thankyou again for continuing to share

"I am not going to say too much about the early section until I have seen the new edit"

The entire openng, especially the Shadow of the Past section has been reworked and rejigged- I hope you will find the new version (when you finally get it!) to be more to taste.


"Also found the Black riders slightly less scary and wondered if they needed adding earlier to build tension, or leaving till the road."

In the latest version they are left until the road on a suggestion from Orwell- I think it works much better that way and makes them considerably more scary than in he original or earlier edits Ive done. Hopefully you will find it to be the same.

"I like trollshaws without subtitles"

Me too- sadly they are back as the subtitles are hard coded and I can't get rid of them- only overwrite them. I havent done that yet for that particular conversation as it will not be much different from what Pj presents, just a bit more Glorfindel like and a mention when she talks about the ford that her father can command it.


"but I like the palantir being cut and wondered if you could go further here
- straight from outside to the throne room."

I've hummed and hawed over putting this back in. The main reason it is there is simple because cutting to Saruman as he sits on his throne delivering his line is abrupt and messy to matter how I try to do it, leaving the palantir in keeps it smooth.
As to cutting from outside straight to throne- the same messy cut problem appplies but mor so I felt the conversation in which Saruman explains Sauron has no form and is represented by the eye was important information, as in this edit the eye has only been seen when Frodo put the Ring on in Bree- so requires an explanation.

"I came to realise you where trying to leave the escence of their story in as I got further in, and I like how it's been done, but here there are too many, too close on to of each other I think."-
not sure I follow you here- do you mean at Rivendell? If so thats another section which has had some serious work done it for the latest version.

"I missed the breaking of the door"-
which door? The one in the Chamber of Mazarbul- that should still be in there- its def in this latest cut.

"Lothlorien retakes it rightful place"-
its also now green lit like green leaves instead of blue like night!



"the cuts at the stair means there is nothing left"-

I have tried to address this as best as possible with available footage, there is now more of them climbing on the stairs with a fade to black between to give an impression of time passing.

"Have you taken more out from the last cut"

no, theres nothing cut I dont think- the only setion of Helms deep which is sizable and missing is the arrival of the elves and the Haldir death scene stuff where they are fighting behind the walls- I cut away to Merry and Pippin at that point.
That might be different from the edit you have watched I think, there is no Ent Moot anymore- not a loss considering how it was done- the last you see of Merry and Pippin prior to Helms Deep now is the start of the moot- the next time is when Treebeard calls the huorns and the ents set out on their March to Isengard.

"although he ends up reporting too quickly, yeah I know I'm just contrary!"

I'll say that change was made at your suggestion!!!! (I like it, its been tightened though)

"I was curious how much rendering work have you done?"

Quite a bit in terms of filters- there are a few changes from day to night- the March of the Ent scene is now a night scene- so blueish really to match PJ's night look- that had to be done as I moved it back to midway through Helms Deep to give the Huorns time to get there.
And in the latest edit there is the Lothlorien green filter, above. Whih transformers the Lothloriensection in mood completely-it even improves the ghastly cgi Galdriel effect in the middle of her speech by making her look like some sort of elven spirit of the earth- works much better than the blue filter PJ uses.

Sorry for the length of reply! And thanks again for watching- no fun editing a film without viewers. And the feedback is fnatasic for tweaking the edit while its still in the editor!




You will be glad to know its not as dark as before as I found a better way to darken scenes- I use colour correction and reduce the rgb gamma- th eupshot of which more control over the darkening effect to suit the scene. Moria, Shelobs Lair and Mordor and a few other scenes are all much darker than PJ's- I get a bit of a shock seeing the orignal footage again just how bright and sunny Mordor is- but its no longer obscurely dark in an annoying way- I hope.

The Arwen scences are the ones at rivendell, so I'll wait till i've seen the new one.

Like the green colour, a lot

The helm's deep section I've watched has all the ent moot stuff in it, quite liked it as it added to the passage of time you felt was happening, so again it may have changed. A lot of similar dialogue seemed hemmed on top of each other in the run up. May have been the fact that my watching has been late at night so as not to be antisocial while a guest!

Downloading getting there, others must have gone to bed freeing the interweb! Upto part 46 now!

Whose your supplier? I am with plusnet- whose HQ is in your neck of the woods- Ive always found them very good and reasonably priced (And you know what us Scotohobbits ae like about that!).

I'm with BT. Lazy I guess! will have to ring them and see what is what.

Not sure it is a supplier issue, although I've been told I'm not far from the exchange so shouldn't have a problem?

Cant say Im a BT fan- but thats because they offer packages with too many bells and whistles and a price to match. I prefer simple straightforward deals myself, but connection speeds are not usually an issue with BT outside of peak times (and thats the same for all suppliers).

How's the download going Kafria? And have you even started yet Eldo?

I hate this situation. I want the new edits but I don't want all the pain again getting it, Petty! Why do you do this to your friends - especially your humble Most Popular Male vanity-less friend?

You do the same as last time Orwell- the fact you downloaded the previous one means it should be easier, less painful this time. And there's Kafria, probably got Book1 downloaded already and watched {{{{and she's a female!}}}} you don't want to look bad as Best Male in comparison to the Best Female do you?

I may be, and I don't want to put to much emphasis on this, for humility's sake, but even though I'm Most Popular Male I still don't think I remember how I did it last time... Will I have to make a mental effort and all...?