Monroville said:In regards to the close-up AT-AT head shots:
I concur that the snow could be removed from the AT-AT headshots, but would you consider showing the crew INSIDE the head through the window (or at least something to indicate there is something/someone inside)? I guess that is one of the main reasons I loved the red cockpit idea. Even without the "red", to add some lighting in the cockpit with something there to indicate it is a working head and not a solid model would be nice to see.
You may want to also blacken the holes on all 6 guns where the lasers come out (the second shot isn't as bad, but the first one you can tell they are a little "model-ly" in how solid the barrels look). Also, is it just me, or is the head model a little "rough around the edges", at least in that first shot (notice the area right above the 2 lower guns and how the front face plate with the window seems to be angled/sliding down to the left compared to the rest of the head)? Another thing could be to add some texturing to the head to help increase the scale.
To add to the "more lasers" issue, maybe you could have the upper side guns shoot lasers along with the longer barreled side guns, or even make them more like mini-guns for close-in defense - you could even have the small gun barrels "spin" when they fire off a laser burst. Even so, you could still retain the 4 laser firing rate for all long distance shots by keeping the smaller side guns for close defense.
Also also, no biggie on this one but an extra idea none the less. Whether the AT-ATs are powered by fusion, fission, coal, or harsh language, I was wondering if you had smoke or steam coming out of either the tail pipe or panels on the AT-AT as the engine vents as the vehicle moves. I don't know how that would look (and definitely not something necessary), but just another idea to throw out there.
Triple also: in regards to the "AT-AT death by hand grenade "scene - a good reference as to how to modify the explosion would be the destruction of the Enterprise in STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. You could extend the AT-AT death a few seconds (nothing major) by showing the side paneling venting some of the internal explosion as the skin almost evaporates. You could also show:
(a) the central engine fall from the bottom before the AT-AT makes it's leftward fall
(b) show snowtroopers jumping out the side hatch on fire as they try to escape.
(c) definitely modify/ re-film the head explosion
(d) add sparks and internal electrical fires within the smoky neck area or even take the far-off flaming Enterprise shot from ST3 (when it is entering the atmosphere) and blend it with the neck, so when the AT-AT makes its fall you have a nice trail of flames coming from the neck where the head used to be (as opposed to just smoke)
(e) making elements of the explosion "bigger" by making the flames appear .. not smaller per se, but you know how a massive fire looks coming from a building or airplane as opposed to a model 2 to 5 feet tall.
I think the snow adds character, why remove it? It's not like machinery can't pick up snow... those walkers are tall and the wind is going to be blowing snow and flakes will accumulate as they move around.
I don't really care that much about the "red windshield" thing but I don't see why a red windshield means the cockpit needs to be tinted red on the inside like some kind of Submarine emergency lighting. Ever hear of a tinted windshield? That's all it is. Plus tinting scenes just is annoying. I disliked the hyperspace tinting done for ANH:R, even if it did "make sense" now that he restored the blue effect (and it didn't have to be that blue after all). Those shots of the interior of the AT-ATs is just too cool that I shudder to think of anything in it changing at all (except maybe normalizing those decals on the back of the helmets).