logo Sign In

CGI Yoda for TPM

Author
Date
Author
Time
Post link
As a tune up for working on Episode III, and to make sure all the new programmers new how to animate the little green guy, the people at ILM were instructed by Lucas to replace the puppet in The Phantom Menace completely. They were to have it completed by the time he got them the footage from Sydney for ROTS. This was over 2 years ago. So don't think that in this release in November, a CGI Yoda won't be in it.

That will atleast make the film 2% better. Only 42% more to go.

Can a mod please move this to general discussion?
The Jedi are all but extinct.......
Author
Time
Post link
I'm glad they're doing this. The puppet looked more like a muppet, with his flapping head. I kept expecting him to say "Wakka wakka wakka!"

I'd like to see AoTC's Yoda redone too, to match RoTS, particularly the later Yoda scenes.

DE
Author
Time
Post link
What if we replace all the CGI Yodas with the original ESB puppet? Now that would be the best thing to do.

And the fight scenes? Hmn... stop motion. There.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
Author
Time
Post link
Quote
Originally posted by: ricarleite
What if we replace all the CGI Yodas with the original ESB puppet? Now that would be the best thing to do.

And the fight scenes? Hmn... stop motion. There.

You could just cut the AOTC Yoda/Dooku fight. It was only there to show Yoda brawling, and he does that in Sith anyway.

War does not make one great.

Author
Time
Post link
Quote
Originally posted by: Yoda Is Your Father

You could just cut the AOTC Yoda/Dooku fight. It was only there to show Yoda brawling, and he does that in Sith anyway.


And to expose that Dooku was Yoda's apprentice, drawing a direct line of apprenticeship from Yoda to Dooku to Qui-Gon to Obi-Wan to Anakin. And to establish Dooku's escape ... interrupting the saber battle to drop a Big Heavy Thing on Obi-Wan and Anakin, forcing Yoda to disengage from Dooku to save Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Consider this: If Yoda had chosen differently, things would have turned out quite differently for the galaxy. Obi-Wan and Anakin would have been dead before their choices destroy the republic. Dooku would have been captured before he could spread the fire of the Clone Wars and before he could get the Death Star plans to Sidious. Yoda was unwilling to sacrifice Obi-Wan and Anakin, and look at the results. This gives new meaning to why he tells Luke it's okay to sacrifice one's friends if you honor that for which they fight.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
Author
Time
Post link
wow, thats a very interesting take on it ADigitalMan. Now im more eager to go home and watch your edit

-Darth Simon
Why Anakin really turned to the dark side:
"Anakin, You're father I am" - Yoda
"No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!" - Anakin

0100111001101001011011100110101001100001

*touchy people disclaimer*
some or all of the above comments are partially exaggerated to convey a point, none of the comments are meant as personal attacks on anyone mentioned or reference in the above post
Author
Time
Post link
Why CG Yoda in TPM?

At least it reminds of puppet Yoda from OT. At least 88% of the film is CG. If CG Yoda is added then 89%
"A Jedi can feel the force flow through him".
Author
Time
Post link
Well, the biggest argument for making Yoda CGI in TPM is that the puppet they used looks more like Yoda's baby cousin than Yoda himself.
Author
Time
Post link
I do chalk up the problems to the pupped in Ep I to the way he was lighted. There is a lot of sunlight and bright lights on Yoda in Ep I, whereas in V and VI, he's living in the darkness of Dagobah. The subtleties of lighting can make all the difference in one shot to the next. I just think they tried too damn hard to make the prequels look like something original and not part of the classic trilogy. Apparently they never heard the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" axiom. Or it's just that Lucas sees cinematic perfection as broke because he can't see the forest for the trees.

</cliches>
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
Author
Time
Post link
I heard he's going to CG the Yoda from the OT.
"A Jedi can feel the force flow through him".
Author
Time
Post link
hmm. now that will be interesting. i dont know if that is the best think to do. I know that if he did that, lucas will finally have done something to the OT that really bothered me. i just laugh at most of the stuff right now, but a CG yoda would b wrong.
Author
Time
Post link
How could even casual OT fans (is this possible? lol) not get upset about CGI'ing Yoda in the OT?
Author
Time
Post link
I wouldn't like the idea of Yoda being changed in TPM, and I would have to lead an angry mob to Skywalker Ranch if Lucas ever even thought of replacing the puppet in Empire. Even though the prequels suck, Lucas changing any of his movies is a bad idea just on principle. If we happily accept changes to the prequels, then it makes us look wishy-washy when we complain about him changing the original trilogy.

Besides, even though Phantom Menace Yoda looked way too young and kinda Muppet-ish as well, he still had those eyes. Those classic, Stuart Freeborn, YODA eyes that define Yoda so well. The CGI Yoda's biggest flaw is in the face and the inability to recreate those Yoda eyes.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

Author
Time
Post link
i think he should CGI the yoda in TMP because it would only fit. if all the yodas in the PT are CGI and the yodas in the OT are puppet, it creates a balance of old with old and new with new i think.
Author
Time
Post link
I think Lucas should be slapped on the wrist and sent to his room for good, so he can't touch the movies anymore. He's like a kid drawing on the wall now. He's done enough damage and should just let Star Wars age gracefully. No more movies, no TV show. His story is told. One half of it was wonderful (although a little less wonderful now that he's tinkered with it so much), the other half wasn't. Must this franchise be milked until it dies a slow and painful death? Must everything be continually updated and changed on whims just so another million DVDs or laserdiscs or tapes can be sold? Leave Yoda alone, leave everything else alone, and just learn some respect for the universe, characters, and movies that made you rich and famous beyond your wildest dreams!

(breathes heavily) Sorry. I just had to get that bitterness off my chest. Don't mind me.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

Author
Time
Post link
why? its his movie why can he do what he wants with it.
Author
Time
Post link
I know. This argument has been brought up countless times on these boards. They're his movies. I know that. You know that. Everyone here knows that. George obviously knows that. But it's just like when an elderly person becomes incapable of handling his own affairs, his responsibilities are taken from him. And George just doesn't seem capable of making those intelligent decisions he used to. Now he's like a painter who has finished his masterpiece. Twenty-thirty years later he discovers that new colors of paint have been created that weren't around when he painted his masterpiece. So, he just decides to bring his canvas back and start splotching new color all over the place just because he can, just because it's new. It's like in the immortal of Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. "You guys were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you never stopped to think about whether or not you should." So just because he can do something, doesn't mean that he should do something.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

Author
Time
Post link
George just loves pissing on Stuart Freeborn's work.
"A Jedi can feel the force flow through him".
Author
Time
Post link
You said it, JediKev. Everyone pisses on poor Stuart Freeborn. First Frank Oz back in '80 when he "accidentally" dropped Yoda's head, and now this! ^_~

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

Author
Time
Post link
Quote
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
I know. This argument has been brought up countless times on these boards. They're his movies. I know that. You know that. Everyone here knows that. George obviously knows that. But it's just like when an elderly person becomes incapable of handling his own affairs, his responsibilities are taken from him. And George just doesn't seem capable of making those intelligent decisions he used to. Now he's like a painter who has finished his masterpiece. Twenty-thirty years later he discovers that new colors of paint have been created that weren't around when he painted his masterpiece. So, he just decides to bring his canvas back and start splotching new color all over the place just because he can, just because it's new. It's like in the immortal of Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. "You guys were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you never stopped to think about whether or not you should." So just because he can do something, doesn't mean that he should do something.


and who are you to judge that lucas is no longer capable of doing what he wants to his movies. he knew all along that there where going to be more then the 3 that he made. as far as he is concerned the job wasnt done int he first place. his image was not complete. it would be a different story if ANH was ep 1 then in 97 he changed it to ep4 so that he could make the PT, the PT has always been in his mind, and if things need to be changed inorder to make everything if then they need to be changed. thats why if he wants he should be able to add scenes and make things look better.
Author
Time
Post link
Quote
Originally posted by: Shimraa
Quote
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
I know. This argument has been brought up countless times on these boards. They're his movies. I know that. You know that. Everyone here knows that. George obviously knows that. But it's just like when an elderly person becomes incapable of handling his own affairs, his responsibilities are taken from him. And George just doesn't seem capable of making those intelligent decisions he used to. Now he's like a painter who has finished his masterpiece. Twenty-thirty years later he discovers that new colors of paint have been created that weren't around when he painted his masterpiece. So, he just decides to bring his canvas back and start splotching new color all over the place just because he can, just because it's new. It's like in the immortal of Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. "You guys were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you never stopped to think about whether or not you should." So just because he can do something, doesn't mean that he should do something.


and who are you to judge that lucas is no longer capable of doing what he wants to his movies. he knew all along that there where going to be more then the 3 that he made. as far as he is concerned the job wasnt done int he first place. his image was not complete. it would be a different story if ANH was ep 1 then in 97 he changed it to ep4 so that he could make the PT, the PT has always been in his mind, and if things need to be changed inorder to make everything if then they need to be changed. thats why if he wants he should be able to add scenes and make things look better.


Actually, Shimraa, that's not quite true. Lucas did not originally plan on making a prequel trilogy. He meant to make one movie, originally, "The Starwars." He dubbed it Episode IV, so it would be similar to walking in in the middle of one of those old science fiction serials that was divided into many different chapters. But "The Starwars" was too long to make into one movie, so he divided it into three parts, thus making it IV, V, and VI. Fox thought that saying Episode IV would be too confusing, though, so they made him remove it in the original theatrical premiere. It wasn't Episode IV because he had this idea to make three prequels before that. He had a backstory. Every writer has to have a backstory to explain to themselves how everything came to be in the story he/she is telling. It was a very basic story as well. Once Star Wars became popular, he decided to go and make his backstory into movies. Even George admits that the events in the new movies weren't fully formed. That's why he had to write the scripts for them in the late '90s. If it had always been six movies in his head, he wouldn't have needed to go back into his original films to change things to make his new movies fit. If he had just been holding the first half of the story back from us for over twenty years, there wouldn't be any continuity problems.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

Author
Time
Post link
I'm sure George has no intention of replacing the puppet Yoda in ESB, seeing as he spent a good amount of money trying to get Frank Oz an Academy Award nomination for his work with the puppet. When they auditioned the CGI Yoda to George, they used the ESB footage, but that's as far as that goes.
The Jedi are all but extinct.......
Author
Time
Post link
Yeah, I seriously doubt it, too. It would be far too much trouble for something that would only be released to a home format. And I know George is too smart to do something that would probably turn half of his fanbase against him. Most people don't notice most of the changes he's made to the movies, it's true, but there is no way they wouldn't notice a digital Yoda and not be pissed about it.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

Author
Time
Post link
Quote
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Quote
Originally posted by: Shimraa
Quote
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
I know. This argument has been brought up countless times on these boards. They're his movies. I know that. You know that. Everyone here knows that. George obviously knows that. But it's just like when an elderly person becomes incapable of handling his own affairs, his responsibilities are taken from him. And George just doesn't seem capable of making those intelligent decisions he used to. Now he's like a painter who has finished his masterpiece. Twenty-thirty years later he discovers that new colors of paint have been created that weren't around when he painted his masterpiece. So, he just decides to bring his canvas back and start splotching new color all over the place just because he can, just because it's new. It's like in the immortal of Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. "You guys were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you never stopped to think about whether or not you should." So just because he can do something, doesn't mean that he should do something.


and who are you to judge that lucas is no longer capable of doing what he wants to his movies. he knew all along that there where going to be more then the 3 that he made. as far as he is concerned the job wasnt done int he first place. his image was not complete. it would be a different story if ANH was ep 1 then in 97 he changed it to ep4 so that he could make the PT, the PT has always been in his mind, and if things need to be changed inorder to make everything if then they need to be changed. thats why if he wants he should be able to add scenes and make things look better.


Actually, Shimraa, that's not quite true. Lucas did not originally plan on making a prequel trilogy. He meant to make one movie, originally, "The Starwars." He dubbed it Episode IV, so it would be similar to walking in in the middle of one of those old science fiction serials that was divided into many different chapters. But "The Starwars" was too long to make into one movie, so he divided it into three parts, thus making it IV, V, and VI. Fox thought that saying Episode IV would be too confusing, though, so they made him remove it in the original theatrical premiere. It wasn't Episode IV because he had this idea to make three prequels before that. He had a backstory. Every writer has to have a backstory to explain to themselves how everything came to be in the story he/she is telling. It was a very basic story as well. Once Star Wars became popular, he decided to go and make his backstory into movies. Even George admits that the events in the new movies weren't fully formed. That's why he had to write the scripts for them in the late '90s. If it had always been six movies in his head, he wouldn't have needed to go back into his original films to change things to make his new movies fit. If he had just been holding the first half of the story back from us for over twenty years, there wouldn't be any continuity problems.


nun the less the story was there and i recall reading many interveiws with gorge stating that there were first going to be 12 then 9 movies. 3 trilogies he decide to start witht he middle trilogy because it had the most action in it. where as the first trilogy(PT) had alot of politics in them.
Author
Time
Post link
There are a lot of interviews in the past where George said he had enough ideas to make both a trilogy before and a trilogy after IV, V, and VI, but as far as those ideas actually being scripts that he just shelved in favor of those three original movies, that's just not true as far as I can see. I'm not one to usually promote the DVD set, but you really should take a gander at the Empire of Dreams documentary. It does a very good job of explaining the origins of the story and the different changes it went through before it became film.

For example, if George's original story was I-VI or even I-IX, why would only IV-VI be so close to trying to mirror the ancient archetypes of mythology, which is one of the main things that motivated him to come up with the story in the first place?

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.