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Welcome
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Roderick Vonhögen's
Virtual Edition
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| August 2004 |
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Two weeks pickup shooting at Shepperton Studios, UK !
28th August 2004 |
| As on the previous two episodes, JAK productions ensures there is at least one round of pickup shooting scheduled into the post-production stage of the movie-making process. These pickups are derived from the evolving edit of the film as it is being cut, a process that for Lucas is famously, digitally, in constant flux. Shooting covers such requirements as reaction shots, transition sequences, the 'top and tail' of stuntwork, sometimes new dialogue, and even a new scene ! We all know that the battle in the Geonosis Droid Factory is the prime example where the plot & pace of the film suggest a new cut and a new hybrid scene. |
| The first week's set diaries can be found in the subscribed section of the Official Site, and the Monday report that kicks off the coverage can be found here. |
| These last five days have seen a hectic shooting schedule and a myriad of setpieces. Since the set-ups are much smaller than that required at the principal Sydney shoot, the turnover of scenes is quite rapid. The more notable scenes this week have included Anakin's entrance to the Galaxies Theatre on Coruscant, where, intruigingly, he is in somewhat of a hurry ! Also, interiors of the space-faring Nubian skiff, plagued by sounds of what possibly may be hungry mynocks ! Inserts involving Obi-Wan's hunt for General Grievous - which apparently echoes a line from the Alec Guiness days - and a tensely civil meeting between Jedi Master Mace Windu and Chancellor Palpatine. And a scene was shot where Anakin surveys a dystopian view with the realisation that he knows he can fix it ! |
| We know that Ewan McGregor was an original Star Wars fan, so it's heartening to hear him request the Fox Fanfare prelude when Lucas treated everyone to a short clip of the semi-completed opening sequence. He knows, as we all do, that that fanfare, and, more importantly, the two second pause of black silence, is what makes the Star Wars Theme and Opening Crawl ! :o)) |
| Nathaniel Reed, 28th August 2004 |
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"Alderaan's a peaceful world !"
12th August 2004 |
| Mere days after wondering if we will have to steel ourselves to not seeing the planet Alderaan in Episode III : Revenge of the Sith, and the american magazine Insider confirms that we will indeed be glimpsing this world ! :o) |
| Fansite
theforce.net reveals three points highlighted in the magazine : apparently the alpine scenery of Switzerland will be used to help represent Bail Organa's home world, while the decor of the Tantive IV will inspire the architectural styling. I also recall from the set diaries last year that one Alderaanian setting may be an enclosed underground hangar from where spacecraft will land and take off. |
| I can't wait to see a glimpse of this world in the final episode : akin to Lord Vader's line on the first Death Star, the circle will feel even more complete as we 'place' Bail and Leia, and associate their idyll with the planet's destined destruction ! We have been discussing the appearance of Alderaan in this thread in the discussion forum, the link to which can be found in the top right of this page. Come join us.... |
| Nathaniel Reed, 12th August 2004 |
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Kashyyyk, the Wookiee World
7th August 2004 |
| The Official Site's subscription fortnightly newsletter 'Homing Beacon' reveals some fascinating design insights into the Wookiee World, Kashyyyk ! The Force.Net has summarised the main points, but I think we can now start to piece together the world that is being revealed to us.... |
| Along with the slideshow of 43 images that has been added to the subscribed official site, a recent set diary has described a 'typical' day of additional filming for the two primary Wooks, Chewbacca and Tarfful. Although there were nearly a dozen Wookiee extras filmed in Sydney last year, through digital magic we will be seeing hundreds of the "walking carpets" in a great decisive battle against the Separatist forces. Most Wookiees will be in padded battle-armour, and artillery, hovercraft skiffs, and ornithopter-style gunships will be seen. As the Art Department revealed in the recent Homing Beacon, the hardware in use for the most part has been commandeered and modified for the larger proportions of the population. |
| But what about Kashyyyk itself ? Through exquisitely detailed scale models, and digital extensions, we will be privy to a jungle world teeming with rich flora.
The 'city' that we see in Episode III : Revenge of the Sith is situated on the edge of a coastal lagoon with islands and outcrops of rock.
The Wooks live in vast structures slung about the wide girths of giant trees, interconnected by timber and vines, housing a harmonious balance of the natural material and the high-tech gadgetry of the Republic.
Clearly, it is the Ewok Village on a vastly greater scale ... and as any fan will know, Lucas has wanted to envision this 'tree-tops' village since the early drafts of the Star Wars Saga, when Owen Lars was an anthropomorphic scientist studying the "quaint Wookiee customs", prior to helping to train them fly starfighters to attack the Imperial Death Star !
The world 'established' in the EU material apears to remain intact - a planet whose ecology gets more violent as one descends further into the darker lower levels of the jungle undergrowth, the Wookiees remaining above in their leaf-surrounded homes of branch and computer circuitry. The choice of movie setting was inspired more by the need to cut to a visually distinct location as Episode III reveals the ravages of the Clone Wars.
The portrayal of Kashyyyk in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special was rendered by a Ralph McQuarrie painting and a very 70s impression of a home made of wood and technology !
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| It will be interesting to see how the forthcoming canonical representation will sit with the images conjured up in the minds of fans by the EU material, both written and drawn. So too, the brief glimpses in between war that I am sure we will get of the Wookiees' more peaceful and habitual way of life : those sequences similar to seeing the baby Ewoks, their story-telling, and their celebrations, that we have already seen in novels and comics. Discuss all things Wookiee in the discussion forum here ! |
Another piece of official release that is worth mentioning is this great HS picture of Bail Organa in his red speeder ! The commentary reveals that he is not only in mid-escape, but that he is to rescue a "stranded" Jedi - spy reports have already identified this Jedi to be none other than ...
[Highlight to read] Yoda ! |
| Will we get to see Alderaan ?? I'll have to check around the official quotes and the spy reports, but I think we might have to steel ourselves to the glimpse of the planet moments before its destruction in A New Hope as the only canonical images we have ! We know that much Alderaanian paraphenalia has been designed and built - weapons and such forth - but items such as these don't necessarily need to be seen on their homeworld ........ |
| Nathaniel Reed, 7th August 2004 |
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