Creating a Filler Free Version of Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z

[GotenDaisuki]

Tomorrow's episode will cover Dragon Ball Episode 2 and most of Dragon Ball Episode 3.

Huh. Now I see what you meant when you said "Episode #2 is where things start moving fast".

[Gokuman1993]

Hello everyone, I have been quite a lurker here for a while. I used to be an very active member of the Dragon Ball Funimation Forums but I don't like the new forums they have set up so I decided to jump ship over the Daizex Forums.

I have decided to start my own Filler Free Version of Dragonball that bridges the gap so to speak between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. My video source for these are the Blue Bricks and the Dragon Boxes. The first arc I am working on is the Son Goku Arc. So Far I have managed to cut most of the filler out while still making the show flow pretty normally. All of the Pilaf stuff up to episode 10 is gone. I have also managed to make the fight between Goku and Yamcha vs. Boss Rabbit shorter and more accurate to the manga. You won't see Boss Rabbit chasing Puar around in this version. I have also managed to cut the pinball stuff out in Pilaf's castle, so that is gone too. I am using iMovie 08 for this project. It's nothing fancy but it gets the job done. When I get into the later arcs, I plan on incorporating some footage of Dr. Gero's insect tracking device into some of the later Dragon Ball Fights if possible to help bridge the gap between the two series better. I may even incorporate some movie footage into the show if possible. My source for those would be the steel books. This series will of course be in japanese with subs, I can't stand the dub personally. By the end of the week I should have a couple episodes up and done but I'm not sure where to upload them too. Funi will want these episodes removed in a heartbeat if I put them on youtube. I'm also not sure of what the title of this series will be yet.

Please give me a link to Episode 1

[GotenDaisuki]

Please give me a link to Episode 1

Done and done.

[PiccoloFan7289]

Episode #2 will be up here in the afternoon between 4 and 5 probably. I will also be taking down Episode #1 right before I upload Episode #2 so if there's anyone who hasn't seen it yet I would go watch it now.

[funrush]

I hope it's just my computer, but Piccolofan7289, it seems as if your channel has been deleted/banned.

[PiccoloFan7289]

I hope it's just my computer, but Piccolofan7289, it seems as if your channel has been deleted/banned.

Look for it now I actually hid it but its now visible again.

[spikevegeta]

I'm highly interested in these types of projects, as I've started my own "Fan Cut" of the Z part of the series. Anyways, I really liked the first episode, and will be interested to see where this goes. If you don't mind, I'm going to pass along my own opinion, in sort of a review format. Here goes:

Dragon Ball Filler Free Version
Episode 1
Covers Ep. 1 (1/153) (0/291)
Covers Ch. 1 (1/519)

-In general, I've noticed you have sort of commited yourself to 2 main rules. 1- You are trying to follow the manga panel-by-panel to the best that the old footage will allow, and 2- You want the length of each episode to stay faithful to what a standard episode of the series was(around 24:50ish I believe).

-I would be careful about those rules, since I think that can cause a lot of the problems that Toei ran into while making Kai. They ultimately ran into the problem that they needed to make a standard length episode for television, so they had to make sure it ended by a certain point, but rarely does that work out how you would want it to. What this meant is that they could either push forward in the old footage a little, cover a little more material at the expense of cutting and rushing some of the footage they already had, or they could Finish the episode earlier, and slow down the pace by leaving in some unneeded filler from the old show.

-I think since this is a fan made cut of the show, you should allow yourself a little more freedom than those rules, meaning you don't have to leave in certain scenes because you just want to reach the 24-25 minute mark. I would say as long as it falls between 20 and 30 minutes, it will still have the feel of an episode, and you wont have to leave in unneeded footage. Also, just because something that appeared in the show was a shot in the manga doesn't mean you have to show it. Again, this is your project, but I think in a lot of places you would benefit from leaving out some "canon" if it makes for a cleaner cut, and you wouldn't lose anything from the narrative.

Which brings me to my main notes for episode 1:

-Overall, I liked the choices you made with the episode a lot, but I would have made the epsiode slightly shorter but a cutting a few shots/scenes.

-Your choice to put in the Bardock stuff was fine. I'm not sure how much I was emotionally affected by the scene, since at this point we would have had no idea who any of them were, and we won't know for 100+ episodes likely, but it was a fine way to start the show, and I think it's better than spilling into episode 2, since there really wouldn't have been a good place to end the episode once you got into that footage. I liked the way you started the cut with Bardock's hand full of energy, through Gohan raising Goku to the sky. My only problem was the awkard cut afterwards into the start of Episode 1 of DB. Personally, I would have started the episode with the Bardock/Young Vegeta/Grandpa Gohan stuff, followed by the Opening, then the DB Ep. 1 Footage of the narrator(Long ago...) to seeing the sillhouette of Goku training, into the Title Card.

-I think after that, the only real cut of the episode I would have made would have been to cut Goku rolling on the log, since it is a somewhat awkard cut from him starting to roll faster to him then cutting wood in front of his house. I know this was a panel from the manga, but it wasn't needed I thought. I would have cut from the title card, to Goku cutting wood.

-I would be careful about making any "teleporting cuts" meaning a character is standing in somewhere doing something, then it cuts to another shot of them doing something else in a different place. This wasn't a problem in this episode though, I just thought I'd bring it up. You had one that didn't bother me, Goku jumping from chopping wood, to getting ready in his house to go get food. It's a case-by-case basis whether it's awkward or not, but this one was fine.

-I like saving Bulma's scene stopping the car until after Goku says bye to the Dragon Ball, which allowed for you to cut that scene before Goku started talking to it.

-A minor cut I would have made would be to cut the shot of Goku's feet while he is dripping water on the rock. He could have been swimming, but if was a reference to him falling in the water after being chased by the Sabertooth tiger, which you cut, plus it would have looked fine if you cut right from bulma getting back in her car and driving to him taking off his cloathes on the rock and dipping his tail in the water.

-From here the rest of the episode seemed pretty much untouched, which I thought was smart. You obviously cut the Pilaf scene, which was good, and you put an eye catch in it's place. I liked the eye catch there, but I would have cut the first eye catch. I think using it for transistions is a smart idea, but try not to overuse it. I thought it wasn't needed in that first part, as Bulma and Goku were just walking, and I would have believed that they just reached Goku's house suddenly. Nothing to really need a transistion scene/eye catch for.

-Again, I liked leaving the rest of the episode untouched, it's good stuff from here, on top of being needed exposition.

-I really liked the episode a lot, and I'm stoked about seeing the rest of these. Good luck man!

[GotenDaisuki]

I totally agree with what spikevegeta said in his review. I felt there were one or two awkward cuts in my opinion, but it didn't bother me very much. And, I think the second "transitional eyecatch" was done a little too soon after the first one.

[funrush]

I actually don't like the transitional eyecatches. They're not really necessary and I'm already used to eyecatches being used for commercial breaks. That aside, I can't wait for the new episode today!

[PiccoloFan7289]

Episode #2 is 100% done. I will keep Episode #1 up till about 4 and then take it down and upload Episode #2. By the way guys no episodes will be uploaded on weekends.

[PiccoloFan7289]

Episode #1 has been taken down. Episode #2 is going up right now. Decided to upload it a little early today.

[funrush]

Just watched Part 1. I think it's pretty good so far, can't wait to see Parts 2 and 3!

[GotenDaisuki]

So far, I haven't noticed anything being cut out. Well, there wasn't much filler anyway. I thought the TV filler was going to be kept out, but I guess that's just the "filling the time" sort of thing.

[GotenDaisuki]

Okay, so, obviously, the "looking for food" filler was taken out in part two, which leaves part three to continue on with Episode 3 of the anime. It seemed like nothing was cut out with the exception of the obvious filler, but it seems episode two has got time left to tell most of the story from the corresponding Dragon Ball Episode 3.

EDIT: (Part 3) Uh-oh, it begins. "This video contains content from Funimation, who has blocked it on copyright grounds".
In order to get rid of this, go to the "My Videos" page and click on "View Copyright Information". Go through the dispute process and we're all set.

[PiccoloFan7289]

Okay, so, obviously, the "looking for food" filler was taken out in part two, which leaves part three to continue on with Episode 3 of the anime. It seemed like nothing was cut out with the exception of the obvious filler, but it seems episode two has got time left to tell most of the story from the corresponding Dragon Ball Episode 3.

EDIT: (Part 3) Uh-oh, it begins. "This video contains content from Funimation, who has blocked it on copyright grounds".
In order to get rid of this, go to the "My Videos" page and click on "View Copyright Information". Go through the dispute process and we're all set.

I don't think that's gonna work. I'm not sure what to do about this.

[GotenDaisuki]

I don't think that's gonna work. I'm not sure what to do about this.

It has worked for me in the past. However, after a few weeks, Toei did catch me abusing the dispute process and took the video down. But since you're only going to keep this video up for a day or two, it'll be completely fine.

[PiccoloFan7289]

I'm gonna try deleting it and uploading it again under a different name.

[GotenDaisuki]

I'm gonna try deleting it and uploading it again under a different name.

I wouldn't bother. I'm pretty sure YouTube has Dragon Ball content in its automative copyright list. This means that if any content from the series is found in the video, it is automatically subject to copyright.

[PiccoloFan7289]

That ain't gonna work. Gonna have to find some other way for u guys to see them.

[GotenDaisuki]

Back to the drawing boards, then. I don't know where you can store them for us to see.