Miniatures and layouts on the service of the galaxy far, far away The return of "Star Wars" to the big screen, which happened in 1999, produced a bombshell effect on the masses. It was hard to find a man who would remain indifferent to the cause of George Lucas' life. Returning to the origins of Darth Vader, the great director revealed to us all the secrets of the galaxy far, far away, which previously we could only guess. It’s possible that some fans of the franchise didn’t want their inner ideas about the arrangement of their favorite story to be described in a different language than they expected, but we should not forget that Star Wars came to us solely thanks to George Lucas, and who, more than him, decides in what direction the franchise should develop. The first episode of Star Wars, titled “The Hidden Menace,” introduced us to new heroes, featuring previously unseen planets and technologies. The film turned out to be truly massive, technologically revolutionary, and not much like the original trilogy, although its influence is felt in a variety of scenes. The triumph of computer technologies, developing at the turn of the century with colossal steps, could not but affect the work of Lucas, a noble master visionary. In the “Hidden threat” was really a lot of footage processed with the help of software, because of which the audience began to harbor a certain discontent with the methods of Lucas, recalling the old days when each scenery was created by hand, and the wonderful aliens were either dolls or actors dressed in colorful costumes. And yet, you should not brand the creators of the prequel trilogy in advance with a rejection of traditional methods. If you get closer to the additional materials from the shooting, you can discover a lot of amazing information, which is primarily worth assessing the skeptics.
The resounding box office success of the First episode allowed George Lucas to work on a sequel called Attack of the Clones. Technological development did not stand still. Literally every day, new programs, finds and other innovative techniques appeared to improve the quality of graphics for expensive blockbusters. While filming Attack of the Clones, George Lucas was one of the first directors in the world to try out digital cameras to achieve amazing image quality. And if we consider that the footage no longer needed to be additionally converted into a special format, then the work on special effects was facilitated several times, allowing the creators to engage directly in creativity, rather than branched tasks that take precious time. The second episode of the space Saga came out at a time when Hollywood studios organized serious competitions in terms of entertainment. The tools of magic were now not only in George Lucas’s hands, but also in the hands of many of his competitors. “Clone Attack” was supposed to surprise the audience with something special, but it should not be forgotten that it is also an indestructible part of the past of “Star Wars”. You couldn’t tear two trilogies apart, otherwise they would never be one. George Lucas understood this, forcing colleagues not only to sit for days at the screens of the monitor, but also to work hard in the workshop, creating miniatures, on the basis of which the further visual series of the film will be built.
Released in 2002, Attack of the Clones did not lack computer special effects. A certain category of viewers again criticized Lucas for excessive enthusiasm for graphics. However, if you look at some of the features of the creation of the film closer, you can see what a titanic work was put into the Second episode. To do this, it is imperative to evaluate a self-informative short sketch called Star Wars Episode II: A Jigsaw Puzzle Webisode, describing in detail that there is still a handmade place in the world of bytes and pixels! Several dozen workers without interruption lined up the sketches of designers in the real world, allowing you to touch the locations with your hands and feel “Star Wars” to the touch. “Clone Attack” boasts several decent scenes, which are breathtaking, and many of them are based on the most real miniatures. Of course, later they were processed with the help of ILM specialists, but we must not forget that in the Original trilogy, most of the frames also went through a long path of transformation, turning into the spectacle that the creator of the Saga, George Lucas, originally wanted to see.
Set 10 years after the end of The Hidden Threat, our heroes have grown up, their world has changed forever. The former Queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala is now a senator and resides in the capital of the Old Republic, Coruscante. An important part of the events unfolds in her apartment, so the filmmakers needed to work them out at the proper level so that the audience did not feel the falsity. Step by step, we watch the creative team build every detail of the apartment without losing sight of anything. It is important that despite all the fantastic story, the viewer believes that this galaxy is really suitable for life. In the Padme apartments you can see several comfortable chairs, tables, cabinets and other utensils. All this was created specifically for the film, making it an invaluable exhibit. But only rooms need to convey the volume of what is happening. The camera must cover various angles, including the external. Thus, the specialists of Lucas had to improve almost the entire building in which Padme lived. Yes, it is a difficult task, but “Star Wars” is not a simple series of films!
One of the best moments associated with the Attack of the Clones occurred on the planet Kamino, on which Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered countless hordes of clone armies. A magnificent, fascinating picture of unprecedented premises was also created using traditional methods, supplemented by graphics at the post-production stage. George Lucas demanded that the companions develop a truly impressive design that could further surprise the viewer. This time, the emphasis was on the predominant white color and the giant size of the locations in which the army could actually be accommodated. The effort expended in re-creating Kamino, namely the town of Tipoca, was twice as great as anything invested in the apartments of Padme Amidala. The work was serious and nothing missed our attention. All the achievements of the team of designers and technical specialists were transferred to the screens, so you can not worry that something important has disappeared from our eyes.
In fact, the locations created for the second episode of Star Wars are not limited to these two copies. The plot of the film opened up many new worlds for us, but all of them could not fit into the format of the short film presented. “Star Wars Episode II: A Jigsaw Puzzle Webisode” reveals a little bit of “Clone Attacks” that’s more complex and engaging than you might think. Under the direction of George Lucas, each film was a marvelous spectacle, capable of carrying away without a trace. and whatever mistakes the director did not allow, he did his work with his soul and never gave up before difficulties.
10 out of 10