Ghostbusters: Extended Edition Fanedit

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I’m planning on doing a fanedited version of the first film with all the avalible deleted scenes put back where they originally were. I’ve got all the scenes from the Blu-Ray ready to go, but I was wondering if there was anything other deleted material me to edit in from trailers, behind the scenes or elsewhere that I can work with. The “Nobel Prize” scene isn’t on the Blu-Ray, which I could use if anyone else has a high quality version avalible to share as the bets one I could find was on Youtube.

I will eventually get around to GBII as well, so if anyone can help with that too, it’d be great.

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I believe the “Nobel prize” scene was on the Laser Disc.

Other then that most of the other deleted scenes never resurfaced.

In the old featurette towards the end has a short clip of Ray Holding the trap outside the Sedgwick yelling “we’ve got one”.

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Any idea where to get a high quality version of the laserdisc footage? Best I could see was on Youtube. I’ll also look into using that Ray clip you mentioned

4

You might enjoy prowling around this playlist of test edits I did last year.

I was mainly using clips that were already online, but it will give you a sense of how jarring some of the cuts will be.

In particular, here’s a video with two deleted scenes reinterpolated (Nobel and Stake):

Here’s the extended version of Peter and Dana at her apartment:

The transition from refrigerator to living room is tricky, as I recall. I think in the end I had to either delete or overlay the audio of the fridge door closing, I don’t recall which.

Also notice that even in the middle of the deleted scene, I spliced in a better quality version of the ‘chairman’ line from the teaser trailer.

And in this one, where I explore how the ‘Sedgewick reporters’ scene was originally intended to go, I re-synched the Aykroyd line of “We got one!” back onto his mouth movement as he left the Sedgewick.

This was another fun one, where I recut a section of the film to more closely match how it was written:

The quality of the videos used is pretty uneven, but it might give you some ideas.

Alex

5

Unfortunately unless you can get your hands on the Laserdisc copy, a Laserdisc player, and the associated equipment to rip the Laserdisc content to a computer, you may unfortunately have to settle for what quality is currently available online - The technology was declared defunct years ago, and the masters are locked away somewhere in Sony’s archives. :frowning:

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Until now I never saw the Nobel prize scene. Frankly though I don’t want to buy a laserdisc player. The cheapest one I have seen was on amazon and was $300 after shipping. Nobody I knew growing up in the 90s had one either.

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Are you in the US? There are laser disc players on eBay for less than $300 from people with 100% ratings and offering free shipping.

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These video were very helpful in timing some cuts I had in mind. I’ll definitely be using your “Sedgewich Reporters” line and that Stedicam shot if I can. Where did the Stedicam shot come from by the way?

The current quality online is pretty poor, but I doubt there would be too much gain from a Laserdic rip anyway. Plus don’t have the money nor the knowledge to buy and rip the Ghostbusters Criterion Laserdisc. It’s a shame Sony can’t just re-release what they’ve already released 30 years ago onto a DVD or whatever.

Also here is the “Stake” deleted scene added back into the movie pretty seamlessly.

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It’s the one called Busy on the 1999 DVD ‘Scene Cemetery’. For some reason the first half of it seems to be missing from the copies floating around YouTube, which jump straight into Peter’s line to the Mayor.

I didn’t even realize what was missing for a while, and did some earlier videos where I talked about searching for the Steadicam shot. But one day while looking up something else, I came across a reference to a take where Bill Murray said “Just let us kick some ghost, will ya?” in the Mayor’s Office, and I thought “Oh yeah! I’ve seen that. Where is that?”

So I put in my DVD and rewatched the original source material instead of letting myself get filtered through what the various YouTubers had selected to share.

‘Busy’ begins with the Mayor asking “We got work to do. Whaddaya need from me?” just like in the film, then the Murray “kick some ghost” line, then the shot where the Steadicam operator ran past the National Guardsmen (as seen in one of the 1984 featurettes), and in one continuous shot he stepped onto the crane and they lifted him up in the air for the shot of the Ecto and police vehicles in the City Hall loading dock. The final film only uses the first section of this shot.

When the camera gets high enough, you can see the Mayor, Stantz, and Venkman enter the shot between some of the columns. You hear the Mayor saying “I don’t understand it. Why here? Why now?”

[This portion is not shown in most of the YouTube versions, for some reason. They usually only start with the next section, unless someone’s posted the full thing since the last time I went looking. ]

Then it cuts to a tracking shot of them walking, as Venkman answers “What goes around comes around, Your Honor…”

Which oddly enough is sort of the theme of GB2 isn’t it?

Then we get Janine’s scene giving the NY World’s Fair coin to Egon, then they depart for 55 Central Park West as seen in the final film.

If I recall correctly, I had to get someone who had proper DVD-ripping software to send me a copy of the full deleted scene.

Alex

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With the release of the 25th Anniverary 4K discs, a few new deleted scenes have finally been released including the infamous Fort Detmerring scene.

Hopefully I’ll be able to add these to my own edit when I can get my hands on the disc.

The Nobel Prize scene in the stairway has finally been added, and hopefully in better condition than the '89 Criterion Laserdisc.

Does anyone have the new Blu-Ray and can comment on the quality of the scenes? Have they updated the already released scenes as well? Wishful thinking on my behalf, but it’s unlikely they would.

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The quality of the new scenes, is very rough. Good enough to get a look at them after all these years… but in terms of adding them to a fan edit, I think you’ll be disappointed. It would be very jarring to see the drop in quality.

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I don’t think there are many people out there who would love to see a “Directors Cut” of Ghostbusters more than me, but a decent fan cut would be most welcome in lieu of that… however…

Of the material that’s out there it would still be difficult to pull off a decent edit in my opinion, and a comprehensive re-assembly certainly would be:

Additional footage from the Hotel Sedgewick is missing - an examination of the honeymooners suite was supposed to have been shot. But the scene of the honeymooners could still be inserted after Peter visits Dana’s apartment… you’ll just be missing the intended follow up before they search the hotel corridors.

The montage sequence would need a heavy re-cut because of re-instating the Fort Detmerring scene later in the film.

A lot of the intended montage sequences were not filmed due to time constraints, but for me the obvious replacement for Ray’s dream would be the Ectomobile ticketing scene - but still presented as a dream. Unfortunately, a portion of the sequence as shot is missing from the new blu ray release, so it’s too short.

The shots of the Ghostbusters leaving the hotel in the theatrical cut are part of a longer sequence, which again has yet to surface, if this footage can be found you could pad out the montage with this no doubt.

Fort Detmerring - exchanges with the guard who lets them into the fort are still missing, as is footage of Ray trying on the officers uniform before he gets on the bed.

Louis and the muggers - the footage on the blu ray is poor quality and sadly the effects sequences to go with it were never made by EEG / Boss. I’m not sure, personally speaking, how I’d feel with digital effects put in as all the effects throughout the film were optical.

Myself, I wouldn’t want to see any of the alternate takes put in (Dana’s apartment, Winston’s job interview, top of 55 Central Park West etc.) - I think the best takes of those scenes are already in the film.

I wouldn’t include the bums scene for the very reasons it was cut - it’s too jarring. While Dan is almost unrecognisable, the other ■■■ clearly is Bill and it just makes the scene really odd within the context of an actual cut of the film. On it’s own it is really amusing… I just don’t see a way of saving it where you don’t go “why is Venkman dressed as a ■■■?”

Has anyone ever formally asked Ivan or Danny if a directors cut has ever been seriously considered?

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Think it be interesting to see deep fake clip of john belushi & Eddie Murphy

I hope they add all extra scenes from the vault to the Blu-ray GB 2020 release .. Even if the movie isn’t good, it guaranties me buying it. I’m going to loose my marbles if they make me buy another copy of GB1&2

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Judging from the 40 or so seconds that have been released of the Fort scene, it seems like they’re in alright quality. If they’re anything like the GBII scenes, then they’ll work alright.

Not to get ahead of myself, but I had a go restructuring the deleted scenes outside the Museum in GBII according to the shooting script so that it flows a little better.

It’s supposed to be placed just after they look at the Ecto 1-A licence plate and before they’re at Liberty Island.

You had the same idea that I had to use the parking ticket scene, it seems like something that was supposed to go in the montage anyway. Is the Fort Detmerring scene cohesive at all? As in if it was cut back into the film it would make sense?

And with the other stuff that is already basically in the film (Dana’s apartment, 55 Central West stuff, etc.) is probably gonna be more optional stuff. I’ll make a cut of the film with the best of the deleted material, and have a more complete “workprint” later.

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Hey Don! This is Derek from the Cleanin’ Up the Town documentary. It’s great to see you posting here!

I can’t remember where I read it, but I believe Ivan said the theatrical cut is his director’s cut. None of the changes were from studio notes—only his direction to Shelley Kahn. I could be thinking of GB2, though.

Speaking of—why no MAKING GHOSTBUSTERS II?! It’s never too late. :grinning_face:

I’m with you, though. I would love to see more of the cut sequences. Jason joked at Fan Fest about doing a 5-hour Lawrence of Arabia cut of GB with of the original raw footage they scanned for the new film. We can hope!

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Per a post of his from several years ago, he’s not Don Shay the author. https://www.gbfans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=37763&p=4807642#p4807642

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Yes, as scripted the ticketing scene would have been in the montage - what makes this really work as an alternate dream sequence for Ray is the Ectomobile was built by him, so the connection of Ray dreaming about the car works.

As for Fort Detmerring… I had to think for a second about this, but my answer is no. You have a jump from them arriving to being in the fort, and then a second jump to Ray being on the bed. There are scenes (at the fort), albeit short ones, that sit in between that are really needed to make it “cohesive”. You could edit it in, and many Ghostbusters fans would know, more-or-less what was happening, but for the less well informed there would be too many jumps within the sequence.

As scripted the Fort Detmerring scences are broken up by action taking place elsewhere.

Hi - yes, as noted above, and as I have pointed out elsewhere - I’m not the Don Shay.

I am, however, very much looking forward to your documentary when it comes out - and that’s disappointing that Ivan won’t revisit the film. What’s interesting though is that there have been Directors Cuts / Extended Editions of other “cult” Dan Ackroyd films - The Blues Brothers / 1941… I hold out hope that one day that list will include Ghostbusters.

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The name gets me every time.

Jason joked at Fan Fest about a 5-hour Lawrence of Arabia cut, so who knows with all of the raw footage being discovered. Personally, I would love to see an oddball version with different takes. I can’t find the interview, but Ivan was discussing the films as his “directors cuts”. That doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t ever be other cuts, just that the movies we have ARE Ivan’s versions. He wasn’t forced to cut or change anything.

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I just discovered this thread and it’s funny because I sorta went and did the same thing. Here is a youtube link of some of the progress I have done.

The only thing I did different is I used a rough, 35mm cut of the film to somewhat match the grindhouse look of the deleted footage. It’s certainly not perfect but I did have to do a little magic to make it work. Added some foley, changed some colors, etc. but I did try and cut only what was necessary (dreaming in bed, Louis in Times Square with the pigeons). Plus, I know the Louis/gang effect is super cheesy. I was just trying some stuff out.

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It’s nice to see some of the new deleted things interpolated back into the film.

But I’m more interested in getting a copy of that 35mm version of the final movie.

Alex