Star Wars - Dark Saga II: DarkSaber (Part 1 of 3)

[Lennon4ever1]

@AlphaSpartanOmega So did Alderon..before Tarken blew it up!

[kainkusanagi]

@AlphaSpartanOmega And more specifically, Eastern Oregon near Baker City. Funny how that works with fan films.

[esperanza407]

i recognize the music from KOTOR

[kainkusanagi]

@esperanza407 Good ear. I would have used more but most of the music in the game was very short and designed for looping.

[esperanza407]

@kainkusanagi Onderon, right?

[esperanza407]

@kainkusanagi telos, right?

[JONIMASAKIS]

listen to this secret and use it for your films: Export the movie in 29.5 fps... ALWAYS... this will make a great change and WILL look like a movie.... Great vids btw

[kainkusanagi]

@JONIMASAKIS

Thanks for the advice.

[117rami]

AWESOME

[kainkusanagi]

@117rami Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. It was fun to make, that's for sure.

[kfa888]

Ok, I get it now. Thanks for taking the time to tell me.

[kfa888]

Ok, that makes sense but wasent the other person a real jedi?

[kainkusanagi]

@kfa888 Both are Dark Jedi undercover and loyal to Vader and the Empire. Sol goes rogue and wants the thrown for himself. Kale is still loyal to the Vader so he fights to stop his former friend. They weren't technically evil, just on the dark side, but Sol is corrupted beyond the dark side.

[kfa888]

Great music though there should not be any Jedi left, especially Jedi working for the rebels because luke was the first 1.

[kainkusanagi]

@kfa888 Well, they are secret Dark Jedi undercover in the rebels. That's why they take orders from Darth Vader. It's explained better in Dark Saga I, but we couldn't make that part because it required too many people and locations.

[pantscrapper12]

I think the best thing, besides the KOTOR soundtrack, was the Vader voice acting. Sounded perfect.

[kainkusanagi]

@pantscrapper12 Yeah Christopher did a great job and with very little prep.

[421starwars]

it was osim

[NoobSnoopy]

nice editing

[jurassicraptor111]

Some of the sound track used in this film was knights of the old republic...plus John William's score...correct?

[kainkusanagi]

You have a very good ear. I wanted the soundtrack to have the Star Wars flare, but using only the films' music didn't work for all the scenes. Luckily the game's music sounds like Star Wars, but it also sounds different and new. plus it has emotion specific tracks for various kinds of scenes. Very useful for fan film maker.

[jmoritz22]

um sry 2 burst ur bubble but all of the jedi were killed by darth vader and emp palpatine. but i still liked it

[kainkusanagi]

These are two Dark Jedi trained as spies by Darth Vader. Glad you liked it.

[jmoritz22]

o ok now i get it

[DarkGhost058]

even in the Real Series Palpatine trained a lot of spies in the basics of the dark side. Not enough to give them strength or lust for more power but enough to get the job done. Lumya was one such even traied by Vader and Mara Jade Skywalker Lukes future wife was an assain for palpatine.

[AngerIncarnate666]

Very good video, except for one thing: The Mammoth Super Star Destroyer wasn't even completed and spaceworthy until the time period between Episodes 5 and 6. It was being constructed in the Kuat shipyards. But I did really like the story, costume work, and the setting. Great job.

[kainkusanagi]

Well the Executor was unfinished and still in dry dock as you can see in the scene. As for the location of the shipyard and Death Star, I did fudge that. I have to confess that I just wanted both in the movie.

[malteseknights]

damn i wanna duel someone :S /.//me got obi wan clone wars lightsaber fully retractable blade :P ...50 euros lol i will make a film maybe :P

[kainkusanagi]

I think wanting to make a fan film is the natural progression of a Star Wars fan. Good luck and have fun.

[KittyCaterpillar]

3:45, I believe it was...

POSTER MOMENT!!

Love the vid...

You people have deep voices..........

[destination2013]

If this is part two of a trilogy, where's the first part?

[kainkusanagi]

We made the part 1 first because it was the only one we could film with what assets we had at the time. Parts 2 and 3 require a costumes, sets, and larg casts that we just don't have access to.

Part 1 is currently planed as an audio drama. Much like the NPR Star Wars radio plays. Part 3 is planed as a motion comic similar to the recent Watchment motion comic DVD.

Part 1 is in production and Part 3 is in preproduction. Each chapter basically stands on it's own, but they do build on each other.

[KittyCaterpillar]

Awesome vid! 5/5, make the other ones!

Why do the people who make good fanfilms always take so long???

[sabotoged]

I think a lot of it is their nostalgia and interest in the Star Wars 'universe'. But alot of it is due to their dissatisfaction with Star Wars movies (and the lack theirof in exploring this universe) as well.

[TVwriter23]

Or because people like making up stories of their favorite characters etc. Remember when you used to play Captain Kirk or Thundercats etc.

[sabotoged]

You do know I was supporting these filmmakers,right?

[martymc76]

Enough is enough. Some of these filmmakers show potential. Explore your own stories and themes.

Star Wars has been done. What themes and stories are left to explore?

Sure there are a good deal that could be, unfortunately they aren't being touched.

It's the same ole story over and over, with the same character type.

[kainkusanagi]

It's just for fun though. All of us kids who grew up on the original Star Wars trilogy used to dream of making our own Star Wars movie. As kids we played make believe games with sticks for lightsabers, as teenagers we read the novels, and finally computer tech and editing software caught up with our dreams. We didn't set out to make a masterpiece, we just want to play inside the Star Wars universe.

[xxTANUKYxx]

Then you should stop watching them...

[TVwriter23]

so what?

[StriderIsAragorn]

Well...the effects here are amazing. Editing, acting is passable. Sound is excellent...use of the classic score and Ben Burtt sounds brings that "Star Wars vibe" to it.

It's just a pity about the opening crawl. Too much text, and some bad grammar in there.

[kainkusanagi]

Yeah, there were two things about the opening crawl that were difficult. One; this was the second episode, (the first episode is still being made), so a lot of what would have been in Ep. 1 had to be explained in the crawl. Secondly; the fitting of the text, cutting unnecessary words, and including important details, all left proper grammar last in line of my priorities. Im sure mistakes were made, Im no where near perfect after all :)

[USSHornett]

context shows that there were at least 7 Super Star Destroyers

[BloodxGusher]

Thanks. Thats good info.

[ransac16]

There were more super star destroyers, but those are only given to the highest ranking officials in the Empire. Grand admiral Thrawn had one I believe, maybe two.

[BloodxGusher]

So is there like only 1 Super star destroyer or?

[kainkusanagi]

I'm not sure, this is the in production Executor. Vader's new flagship being built.

[BloodxGusher]

Ya cause like i remember in the movies there was Star Destroyers and then there was a Super Star Destroyer and I was not sure if there was just one of them or like 10 of them.

[SauronHimself]

As far as I understand it, only one super star destroyer was built, which was Vader's. It was presented to him as a gift between Episodes 4 and 5.

[BloodxGusher]

Ah ok. cause like if there was like a a good 20 of those things, They would own.

[WickedWorld1986]

There were more than one Super Star Destroyer, they varied in size, Super Star Destroyer is just a term for any dagger shaped warship larger than a Star Destroyer. There were at least 13 ships in the executor class (like Vaders ship)

[USSHornett]

context shows that there were at least 7 Super Star Destroyers

[ra70s]

Aww, they shot a defenseless asteroid. it must have been in their way. or they are trigger happy. based on that, I think they're both baddies.

[jedijakeandcrew]

what editing sytem and effects system did u use

[kainkusanagi]

For FX I used Adobe After Effects for lightsabers, opening crawl, etc. Photoshop for graphics, Bryce 5 to model and animate the ships, and Cararra for the logo. For video editing, I used Sony Vegas Pro 6 and for sound effects I used Sound Forge.

[insanekillamonster1]

Wow you must have spent a lot on this.

[kainkusanagi]

Oh yeah I spent a lot on this. Time that is. As far as money is concerned, barely anything. lol :)

[NabilRU]

Darth Vader sounds O.K btw

[Deryl32]

Is that the Republic Cruiser i see in the beginning?

[kainkusanagi]

Yes it is, the Cobalt Star. I built it from scratch and made some modifications. Some to speed up rendering time others for aesthetic reason like the blue color.

[greenconverse12]

i like the kotor music lol

[Dartzy1]

Whoops! Just realised this isn't based on the book "Darksaber" at all. Guess I can still make thsi.

[kainkusanagi]

Yeah, it's completely unrelated and has nothing to do with a prototype death star.

Have fun making your movie, fan films are fun to do.

[Dartzy1]

Damn, looks like you beat me to the chase. I was gonna make a movie of the book after reading Darksaber, but oh well.

[Koszka89]

Vader is the best.

[Sakaki123]

i love the animation and this show

[jedimasterham]

pretty fun and good job, but make use of camera angles more.. Like individual head shots and such..

[Jagent]

Was it just me, or did anyone else think of brooding emo G-men when they listened to the two jedi? :3

Overall, very nicely done! I'm particularly impressed that you used bryce. That program is all kinds of confusing.

[spam1138]

Were did you downloud that CG model for the Vader's flagship under construction?

I've writen a fan film of my own and need that model for it.

[kainkusanagi]

I modeled the "Incomplete Executor" from scratch in Bryce 3D. It's a large and complex model, but I never meant for it to be seen up close. All the shots I needed were distance so I built it with that in mind.

[Poison12346]

I recently got that Bryce 5.5 graphics software and it is REALLY confusing. I don't know how you do it.

[kainkusanagi]

Bryce is actually one of the least confusing 3D graphics programs, but it's also one of the more limited. Don't expect to do character animation, or complex mesh work.

[Poison12346]

Well you make it seems like it's nothing but its hard to me. Well 5/5 for you!

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks. Just start playing around with it and you'll get the basics. There are also plenty of tutorials to get you started, just search for "Bryce tutorial". Good luck!

[Poison12346]

ok thanks!

[6432spencer]

wow i love this

[condeguga]

where did u make this movie maker?

[kainkusanagi]

We filmed it in Eastern Oregon USA.

[condeguga]

but witch program? movie maker?...

[kainkusanagi]

Sony Vegas for editing. Adobe After Effects for special effects. Bryce 5 and Carrara for 3D animation and modeling. Photoshop for graphics. Sound Forge and Sony Acid for sound and music editing.

[condeguga]

thanks. i am doing a star wars film to youtube but its not the best

[LegoBoy334]

You used KOTOR II music didn't you. This festure was pretty cool aswell

[Diodredai]

This is great 5/5 except for the fact that "2 apprentice's" were sent, that means there is a jedi academy somewhere, or where they teached by Yoda?

[kainkusanagi]

Actually if you listen carefully to the dialog and read the opening crawl carefully, you'll notice that they are Dark Jedi and apprentices of Darth Vader.

When the prequel, "Dark Saga I: Dark Rising", is released it will be explained more clearly that they were working undercover as spies at a Rebel base and were sent by both sides to retrieve the weapon.

[22ntzs22]

Hey, where'd you get the costumes, they look nice.

[kainkusanagi]

I made them from scratch. Designed them and then I bought the materials for cheap did my best. Luckely with the Vader costume I was able to purchase a fairly cheap helmet, but the rest of the suit was designed and made on the cheap like the rest.

[Poison12346]

What program do you use for the 3D animations?

[kainkusanagi]

I used two programs. Bryce 5 for all the ships and objects and Carrara for the logo.

[Poison12346]

alright thanks

[chefprotoss]

Jesus...that was incredible! I don't know what else to say. I'm speechless... or textless

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks.

[Chanuk]

I liked how the super star destroyer still looked incomplete, I also liked how you managed to do what you could with that old construction site (or whatever it was)

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks, I originally wrote the script with a finished Star Destroyer docking with Death Star. I even had finished the Executor 3D model as a completed ship. Then I looked it up in my Star Wars Encyclopedia and found that it wasn't finished until after A New Hope. So I did a rewrite, edited the 3D model, and created the dry dock construction site. I modified the interior of the ship's bridge with wires/uncovered panels. I also created construction ties to add some dynamic ship building details.

[kainkusanagi]

I just realized you meant the location we shot and not the 3D space construction yard. LOL, I must have confused you. We really lucked out having such a great location to shoot the "Destroyed Mining Facility". It's an old lime plant for processing cement materials. It was a little difficult to shoot since I wanted to keep as much of the mundane out of shot and focus on the big industrial stuff. I also had to do some post work to remove telephone poles and wires in a few shots.

[interstateruler]

That was good, great job

[Sephiran1]

acting definately could have been better, but other then that it was great

[neatwheatmeat]

"i have a bad feeling about this" :D

[bestSWfan]

how did you do that title scrolling?

[kainkusanagi]

The opening crawl was animated using Adobe After Effects. It took some time to tweak so that it was just right, I even used a Star Wars film as reference to get the angle and timing right. After FX has some simple but powerful 3D tools that allow the user to manipulate text and other objects on a 3D plane.

[freedomfighter1989]

haah the acting could of used work

[fanfilmfan4000]

You are crazy! These guys are better than most of the actors from the new trilogy.

[freedomfighter1989]

it was annoying to listin to haah they need more emotion now they problay are amatures with little training so that's udnerstandable but one of the jedi's emotion does not change at all part 3 was much more improved

[fanfilmfan4000]

I just want to make a point based on an observation I have from reading and making comments on youtube videos. People make harsh criticism were it is inappropriate. Nobody on youtube is professional so they should not be criticized for not being professional. I thought the acting in this movie was good, especially considering they're amateurs. Would you rather they over act? It's obvious they worked very hard. If you enjoyed the film even a little then why not just respond with a positive note?

[darthjinstu]

Great job, I think the acting and walking could have been done better, because remember a Jedi's stance and their walk is a very crucial part.

[stdholder]

Nice job with the KotOR music.

[pobert176]

great job on the movie although u may be sued or something

[darthjinstu]

Fan made films don't get sued. =/

[pobert176]

what ever the point is he used some of george lucas's stuff and the naming rights

[Angenoir34]

pas mal du tout

[mathewchui]

I don't think anyone mentioned this... but just FYI, Dark Saber is the name of a Star Wars novel that's already out. I hope you don't come across any copyright infringements!

Impressive movie regardless.

[kainkusanagi]

LOL, the whole movie uses George Lucas' property, so I think the title would be the least of it. Thankfully, Mr. Lucas has been very supportive and very much encouraging of Star Wars fan films.

Also, to answer the question you didn't ask ;), We were aware of the book with the similar title, but since "Dark Saber" is the subtitle of this chapter of the Dark Saga Trilogy, we decided to keep it becuase of the object's importance to the plot.

Thanks for you interest and insight.

[andydiamond77]

Bravo, Bravo

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks, I really appreciate the support I've received from both you and the others who have comments on the film. I think I'll try resubmitting the film to theforce dot net. For some reason I didn't even get a response last time.

Anyway, thanks again.

[TJboardrider94]

wow the special effects are almost perfect...the only thing that needs help on is the acting. Other then that i cant wait to see more from you guys

[paradicsompaszta]

Great effort! The acting should be worked on (but still for an amateur level and for someone without any experience it`s decent). The story is good, the special effects are very well made. All in all it`s really good! If the acting would be better I`d give it an A+, but so it`s only an A-.

[ineedahero28]

Fabulous Fanfreakingtastic Fan Film, Fellas! Keep it up!

[spideytracer]

Impressive, most impressive. Gotta take my hat off to you guys. well shot, tight editing, decent effects, and the acting isn't too bad either :0)Is the story an original ny you? Gotta give you five gold stars for the effort. Keep up the good work.

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks, we are big fans of Star Wars so we wanted to add something to the Universe, not just another lightsaber fight. I wrote the story alone and edited it for over a year before filming. We filmed the second part of a three part story and are currently working on parts 1 and 3, which will be an audio drama and an animated film respectively.

[wendelllinklater]

WOW that was fucking awesome!!5 stars!

[jaredrb0]

Really nice! Keep up the good work!

[ninjakitty16]

Awesome work - where did you film? The scenery is incredible. =)

[kainkusanagi]

We filmed most of the movie at and around an old abandoned cement plant in the beautiful Baker County in Eastern Oregon. The white mounds are a large field of the byproduct from processing limestone. We filmed the ship's ramp scene in my backyard and set up a green screen in my basement for scenes requiring 3D modeled settings.

[kainkusanagi]

I forgot about an interesting bit about the ending with the sun setting. I filmed that in the morning during a nearby wildfire. With all the smoke in the air I got a beautiful red and pink sky, all I had to do was reverse the footage and viola an amazing evening scene.

[fanfilmfan4000]

I'd put this one up with the likes of "Star Wars Broken Allegiance". Great writing, acting, special effects, editing, and perfect integration into the Star Wars universe. A+

[laina54]

5/5!

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks for the support!

[dutyfreelancer]

I just watched all three parts and all I can says is WOW! Keep'em coming!

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks, we worked really hard on it.

[JoniJenkins]

nice fx! 5/5

[kainkusanagi]

Thanks for the support!