Details about the making of the Death Star CGI in ANH & ROTJ

As I understand it, the briefing scenes in ANH and ROTJ - the trench run demo in ANH, and the holographic Death Star/Endor in ROTJ - were created using very early CGI. I think a few other effects like the targeting computer displays also used CGI.

In twenty-five-ish years of SW fandom I can’t recall ever seeing or hearing anything about how these CGI sequences were created, beyond some limited discussion about how the trench run demo was created using computers. This is surprising to me, given that the effects were clearly cutting edge for the time, and also given how much is made of the other pioneering special effects in SW. CGI later became a huge component of the effects in SW, so I find it quite odd that these scenes aren’t discussed that often.

Unless I’ve just been looking in the wrong places. Does anyone have any info about how these effects were created?

I know that Dan O’Bannon animated the trench run displays in the original (not with computers, though). Lucas contacted him after seeing a similar effect he created in Dark Star.

I read in Paul Duncan’s The Archives that Larry Cuba worked on the A New Hope death star cg. He tells how hard was the task, as he had to work 20 hours per day at some point to make the visuals before the deadline. And funny story, he actually crashed the computer the day before, was desperate and unplugged the AC in the room to get some sleep but that actually allowed the computer to work out the simulation.

Hey, here’s a video from a guy who makes very interesting videos about how CG was done in movies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N5SpsD71FI

It’s in French but there are English subs.

I really like what he does, he always interviews people involved in creating the effects he’s talking about! And there’s also a video about the Special Edition trilogy on his channel (in which he might talk about the CG trench effect) :3

Cool stuff in the last few posts, thanks guys.

I’d honestly always assumed the Death Star animation in Star Wars was just animation, made to look ‘computery’. Curiously, with all the changes Mr Lucas has made to the original, that often look like out of place CGI, how he hasn’t changed this scene showing this technologically advanced society using primitive looking wireframe graphics is beyond me. Not that I’m calling for such a change. There’s been enough burying of the groundbreaking work of people who worked on the original OT as it is.

Bewy said:

Hey, here’s a video from a guy who makes very interesting videos about how CG was done in movies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N5SpsD71FI

It’s in French but there are English subs.

I really like what he does, he always interviews people involved in creating the effects he’s talking about! And there’s also a video about the Special Edition trilogy on his channel (in which he might talk about the CG trench effect) :3

I loved that interview, it was go cool to hear from William Reeves, one of the guys who worked on the actual VFX for those shots, explain how they all came about.

Also the part of the interview with Terrence Masson, part of Lucasfilm’s VFX department who worked on the 1997 Special Edition, as well as TPM, say about the SE alterations:

“There comes a time where you just have to stop and let it exist as it exists. Us hardcore Star Wars fans were horrified at George asking… you know, making Greedo shoot first, putting that ring around the Death Star explosion, it was just… you know… again I understand… kind of, but… we were y’know… ‘no, please don’t do that’ (laughs)”.

 
And also a mention for Harmy’s Despecialized Editions!

The whole Gorkab YouTube channel does appear to have some very cool videos and some great looking interviews with many people in the industry. I’ll bookmark that. Thanks Bewy!
 

^ It still looks stunning over 40 years later.

Lexa C said:

Bewy said:

Hey, here’s a video from a guy who makes very interesting videos about how CG was done in movies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N5SpsD71FI

It’s in French but there are English subs.

I really like what he does, he always interviews people involved in creating the effects he’s talking about! And there’s also a video about the Special Edition trilogy on his channel (in which he might talk about the CG trench effect) :3

I loved that interview, it was go cool to hear from William Reeves, one of the guys who worked on the actual VFX for those shots, explain how they all came about.

Also the part of the interview with Terrence Masson, part of Lucasfilm’s VFX department who worked on the 1997 Special Edition, as well as TPM, say about the SE alterations:

“There comes a time where you just have to stop and let it exist as it exists. Us hardcore Star Wars fans were horrified at George asking… you know, making Greedo shoot first, putting that ring around the Death Star explosion, it was just… you know… again I understand… kind of, but… we were y’know… ‘no, please don’t do that’ (laughs)”.

 
And also a mention for Harmy’s Despecialized Editions!

The whole Gorkab YouTube channel does appear to have some very cool videos and some great looking interviews with many people in the industry. I’ll bookmark that. Thanks Bewy!
 

^ It still looks stunning over 40 years later.

You’re welcome! I love that Gorkab doesn’t only rely on what’s already been published to rehash it times over, but that he goes to the artists to interview them and get some new anecdotes and facts!
The video on the SE is for instance filled with details probably not many of us knew about. And the one on E.T. (the 20th anniversary version) is also particularly very interesting and full of new information.

And he adds English subtitles to his videos, so everyone can watch 😉