[ScoJo]

Hey - so I went ahead and did my first fan edit today!

I couldn't find one anywhere that was quite what I envisaged, so I decided to put together the Preview Version of Escape from New York - the version that starts with the bank robbery sequence.

To do so I utilized the VHS workprint video of the full sequence, along with a handful of higher quality shots/alternate takes, and cut them all together very closely matching the original edit sequence. To improve quality overall I did make some choices, some slight recutting here and there, and colour graded the different elements to bring them closer to the same timing.

The final aspect, which I know nobody else seems to have attempted, is to integrate the 'Bank Robbery' cue from the expanded soundtrack for a section of the sequence - for this I had to use my best judgement to decide where it may have originally been intended to go, but regardless of how accurate or not I am - it sounds friggin sweet!

I topped it all off with a vintage, year appropriate Avco Embassy logo.

I used a 1080 rip of the film itself, as anything higher would have really shown up the deleted sequence/lower quality. I would say think of it as an alternate version of the movie for funsies, a big 'what if' in Carpenter's filmography, rather than in any way a replacement for the theatrical version.

It's currently bouncing but when it's done I will make a high bit rate MP4 available and you fools will be the first to know.

Call me Snake.

[inksb]

looking forward to checking this out. I've actually never watched any of the alt footage for this

[ScoJo]

In case you don’t know Carpenter originally shot and included this scene in the version of the film that was previewed, an extensive robbery sequence with Snake and a partner (Joe Unger) that was shot in a newly opened Atlanta train station. Audiences apparently didn’t care for seeing Snake being ‘humane’, going back for his fallen buddy and getting caught. Carpenter agreed and cut it.

But hey - it’s more Snake, more one-shot Panaglide, and a really amazing location with robots, futurist architecture, a train, and a shootout! Add to that JCs deleted music cue, and it all adds up to big fun.

[static14]

Looking forward to you working your magic on this! :) Someone did something similar a few years back on youtube but the quality was only so-so.

[ScoJo]

There are quite a few reconstructions of just the opening sequence on YT from various sources (laserdisc, dvd extra, bluray extra) but the only place I can find where someone has integrated it back into the actual film is on Fanedit/Original Trilogy sites and those d/l links are long dead. That particular fan edit doesn't appear to include attempt at re-scoring the prologue scene with the Bank Robbery cue as far as I'm aware. The only time I've seen an attempt at that is a short vid on YT where someone has put the cue over the first half of the deleted scene, which is otherwise silent. But that must have been before they found workprint copy of the scene with full audio mix throughout. As it turns out, the first half of the scene and the end part were actually scored with some really nice JC music that's as far as I know entirely unreleased (and not the BR cue). The only place where the Bank Robbery cue could then go is then effectively where I've put it (mid section of scene). It's all pretty much guesswork unpicking all this however ;)

[ScoJo]

To complete the effect I've added a period-accurate Embassy Home Video VHS intro and logo, a 1982 VHS trailer promo of Avco Embassy 'Action' movies from that year, and at the end a vintage EFNY home video making-of featurette!

[static14]

Can't wait! :)

[deafmetal]

@ScoJo - this sounds really fun

[ScoJo]

Finally found some hard intel on the EFNY deleted prologue, explaining the sound issues and why there is previously unheard music on the scene/no ‘Bank Robbery’ cue:


“This sequence premiered in its entirety on the US Special Edition DVD released in 2003 along with an available commentary track by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell. It was found in its entirety while working with Alan Howarth in his studio on the documentary featured on this DVD. Howarth had kept a VHS copy of Carpenter's first reel of the Final Cut that he had used during scoring session. Sound effects had to be added because the sequence was dropped before sound editor David Lewis Yewdall had begun working on it. Carpenter composed new music for it as well. The original score track is called Bank Robbery, a bonus track on expanded editions of the score.”

So yes, I’ve been forced to take liberties with my ‘fan edit’ since the only version of the scene with sound fx/dialogue is the one detailed above, which includes the new music JC added. I would need a completely clean fx/dialogue mix to be able to run the Bank Robbery cue over the scene in it’s entirety, as originally intended, but that’s impossible. So I’ve had to do the next best thing: keep JC’s new music in the scene, but I also found a way to underscore part of the scene with Bank Robbery too.

It’s all good anyway because I took other liberties too: apart from cutting in higher quality alternate takes/shots into the workprint cut, I also moved the position of the scene in the edit - as presented on the bluray, the deleted scene comes AFTER the opening titles/prologue narration. I felt like that was weird and decided to have the prologue be just that - so in my edit it plays out in full BEFORE the titles/narration. This really works much better imho, as it doesn’t slow the film down coming up top- we get Snake’s robbery/capture, and a nice moody fade into titles, then narration, then Snake in chains as per theatrical cut. Plus, having a full reel before the titles is classic Carpenter! (Think of Prince of Darkness.)

Anyhoo it’s cooked now so I’ll drop a link in the STBC Movie Club thread, see what folks think.

[static14]

I'm gonna fight against the urge to watch this before the screening. :)

[ScoJo]

FIGHT!!