46 shots not used in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
THE FILM
I just got home from watching ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY and am still electrified with the exhilarating experience it provided. In my opinion it is the first STAR WARS film to recapture the spirit and feeling of the original STAR WARS (1977). Even though it is classified as a one-off and stand alone story, it transmitted to me the euphoric feeling and impact of the original film that I saw in the theaters 5 times much to the chagrin of my mother who took me each and every time.
As a film editor, I understand the marketing and have helped in creating the trailers for the 10 feature films I have edited. I have also worked with several trailer houses in Los Angeles that cut the trailers that we all consume in the theaters and online. The specific skillset and mindset that an editor must adopt to live in the world of movie trailer editing is no small task. The notes from the studio, producer, director and countless other people boggles the mind in terms of volume and contradictory requests. The trailer game is an ever-changing pursuit that tries to stay ahead of the intelligent public but must also find new ways to tease, cajole and intrigue. Get the asses into the seats! Show scenes that aren’t in the film. Manipulate dialog and visuals to make a scene more interesting. Shift the order of shots to make it more interesting or compelling. Add music not in the film to hit an emotional beat. Use every trick in the book to make an effective trailer.
THE TRAILERS
ROGUE ONE: A STARS WARS STORY used one teaser, 3 trailers and several BTS promos to build a world that STAR WARS fans would hopefully want to visit and share in the experience. With the reshoots and adjustments that Gareth Edwards, Tony Gilroy and the studio made on the film, a lot of the footage in every incarnation made the final cut…but a lot of it never made the final cut. I have isolated 46 individual shots that were shared in the promotional material but never made the final cut of the film. The goal of the promotional push over the months leading up to the release of the film on December 16th, 2016 had one ultimate goal…to attract an audience.
Apparently 40% of the film was reshot which leads one to believe that changes in the tone, structure and story occurred for whatever reason. The bottom line is you still have to sell and promote the final product that the paying audience will see. The trailer is the hook. It’s eye candy. It’s a device to entice. It can tell the whole story or just a part. There are no rules. You can give it all away or allude to something that may not actually happen. Given all the material presented for ROGUE ONE…I’ve highlighted the 46 shots that were presented in the trailers that for whatever reason never made the final cut.
THE VIDEO ESSAY
I loved ROGUE ONE and after reviewing the trailers…the intent and execution was delivered 100% and only a lunatic editor and cinephile like myself would spend the time to spot the differences in the final product. The 65 shots not in the final cut do not change the story. They do not alter the narrative. They are all shades of gray that all equally tell the same story. Every teaser and trailer for ROGUE ONE hooked me from the first moment. It delivered on all counts. I left the theater estatic and rejuvenated. I did miss some of the trailer moments that resonated with me during the months before the release…but the overall feeling was pure joy. Mission accomplished to everyone that worked on ROGUE ONE. Thank you…ENJOY THE VIDEO:
Until next time…
Vashi Nedomansky
