Burdokva

SilverWook said:

Some WWII vets might disagree with you on that.

 With all due respect, some WWII veterans can also describe the shapes of B-24 "Liberators" and P-51s as "evil", especially some who've seen relatives bombed and fellow pilots being shot mid-air under a safety parachute...

There's nothing inherently "evil" about the A6M Zero. All that can be said is that for any aviation buff it's inherently Japanese with its recognizable Sakae engine and light construction.

The same can be said for a Star Wars fan and a Star Destroyer. It just look inherently Imperial.

And please, do not make such comparisons with real world events and things. "Evil" in the real world is a more complex issue than a movie.

While I admittedly like the sleek aesthetic of the Naboo starfighter, so it's not an issue for me, it was Lucas who insisted in the "sleek and chrome retro visuals". Still, most of the stupid decisions for the non-functionality are again his. This is Doug Chiang's original N-1 concept:

Originally he wanted to have that "bulge" behind the cockpit precisely to accommodate the R2 unit, and to have machinery put it in place. Lucas insisted it looked ugly and decided it should be "streamlined". Seriously, watch an Ep. I making-of, I've seen it on film. Doug Chiang looked very disappointed.

From what I've read on the Ep. II Jedi starfighter, Lucas again insisted on putting an astromech droid in a ship that was not designed to house it. So, again, he's to blame.

Personally, I'm happy for this. Ep. I looked different the OT, but at the same time it too was also magical and took you to a galaxy far away. Ep. III looked bland and unispired with its copycat designs.

Any updates on this one? Even though I thoroughly hate RotS, the edit looks absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to see it!

After browsing through the gallery and videos again, one minor general criticism. While I love what you did with the general picture, having desaturated the unrealistic colors, a more realistic color palette, etc. some scenes do look a bit... intense?

I'm not sure if it's due to greater contrast in the desaturated scene and/or darker scenes but sometimes it looks a bit like crushed black right next to a very bright highlight.

Two examples - the shot of the Star Destroyer hangar (before Utapau), and the background shots of the space battle in the hangar of the Invisible Hand (although I love that you've removed the blue tinted hangar shield screens).

Still, looks utterly amazing. Especially the backgrounds, with much of the uneeded flashy screens removed.

Marty.McFly said:

If someone already knows this, or is actually capable of opening the vault and having a look at original drafts, notes and/or storyboards is Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo ( twitter.com/infinata ). It wouldn't hurt to ask him via Twitter I suppose. If a bunch of people ask the same question, he might just take the time to research and give an answer if he doesn't know for sure already.

 

FWIW, I always thought that tower belonged to a regular SD, not the Executor.

 Isn't there a making-of / behind-the-scenes feature that sheds some light on this?

Anyway, I still believe it's a regular SD conn tower. And no, I'm not pushing for a change in Revisited, it's just how I see it. :)

Tobar said:

Are you 100% certain it's the Executor in that opening shot? I always interpreted it as look at how massive the bottom of this bridge section is, then cut to the entire star destroyer to show the scale of the rest of the ship which is then engulfed in the shadow of an even bigger ship that dwarfs the already massive star destroyer in size. The whole thing being a play on the opening of the original Star Wars.

 Always though so myself. For that ship will always be a regular star destroyer that gets dwarfed by the shadow of the Executor...

So, large sets? Maybe model spaceships?

Sounds good. Also, props for comparing it to Pacific Rim. Del Toro is a fan of old-school effects, so if the new trilogy is even bigger the Pacific Rim on physical/analogue effect, I'm very excited.

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Burdokva said:

To be honest, I'd be glad if Wedge was not a Jedi. I'm tired of lightsabers, robes and the Force

Given PT-style Jedi, I would agree with you.  But the Jedi in the OT were Yoda, Obiwan, and Luke, the coolest characters of all.  And they were down-to-earth fighters - knights.  Right before the attack on the death star, the leader said "may the force be with you" to the pilots.

Also, pilots are way cooler than Jedi.

In SW, the only Jedi we knew WERE pilots.

I guess now, with the PT in the loop, non-gaggy Jedi may be impossible.  Shame.

Noting that I do consider Han, and even Lando, to be better and more interesting characters (I admit Wedge is cool but not much of a character), I fully agree that all of the Jedi in the OT were cool. I think part of their charm was that they were odd, rare things in an otherwise rich universe, full of other characters. I got the sense that they truly were the last ones left. Also, the robes... agh, the robes! It made sense for Ben (Obi-Wan) to wear one in the desert. It actually fit with the rest of the Tatooine clothing.

Yoda pretty much wore rags. The only one who wore an actual robe was the Emperor but he is a kind of evil space wizard, in all honesty...

In the PT robes were the Jedi's fashion statement and the only thing to differentiate otherwise completely bland and uninteresting characters from the (minority) of others. It's ridiculous that the clones are more varied and interesting that the vast cohort of supporting Jedi characters!

I don't want Jedi/Sith and the Force to be removed, not at all. Simply relegated to one of the subjects of the story, among many others. And for Force users to remain a minority compared to other characters to keep their sense of uniqueness. In short, kinda like it was in the Original Trilogy.

To be honest, I'd be glad if Wedge was not a Jedi. I'm tired of lightsabers, robes and the Force (yes, I know I'm a minority), and of the things the PT desperately lacked was central (or even good supporting) characters who were not Jedi or Sith.

We do not need another such trilogy...

Also, pilots are way cooler than Jedi. Proof?

Han Solo and Wedge Antilles.

;)

Yet again I have to say that TPM has the best core concept of the three prequel movies and could have been fantastic if only we had a young adult Anakin, and the romance with Padme begins right away.

Not that much of a fan of younger Qui-Gon, though.  Liam Neeson added a lot of depth and gravity to the movie. And we already have far too many action star Jedi characters in the prequels.

So, the Geonosians are the Neimodians for TPM pre-production ?

Bingowings said:

 It might be fun to see if James Robinson's performance in Braveheart could be edited into TPM with adjustment.

I had a similar idea for a fan edit. Not that particular actor but generally a late tenn-young 20's Anakin would greatly improve the movie even without much other changes (of course, in addition to drastic Jar-Jar cuts).

Each to his own tastes, I guess. As an (amateur, admittedly) aviation historian and with someone with a long-time interest in military affairs and history, I find it disgusting how actual war subjects can be re-made to "celebrate" or "glorify" anything.

You want a lighthearted, fun, heroic movie about aviators ? Cool, pick a fictional subject or even use a fictional war for your setting.

Using an actual war, especially WWII, the deadliest and most brutal air conflict that took the lives of over 60 million people (possibly over 200 000 in the air alone!) is just ridiculous.

Note that also what a historical/factual inconsistency or mistake may be considered a minor issue to some, huge to others. Again, a matter of taste.

Second Titan A.E. Fantastic movie, too bad it was considered a failure when it was released (poor sales?)...

Now, about "Red Tails", I find it horrible due to numerous issues. The CGI sure looks a lot more like "space battles" than actual WWI footage, the aircraft physics are horrendous, and for a movie that supposedly tells the story of how stereotypes and prejudices are wrong, boy, the Luftwaffe pilots sure aren't caricatures...

There's actually an older, early 90s movies about the 332nd AG that used real P-51s and it's a far better movie as far as the actual flying is concerned, even on a tight budget. I've watched in only once, many years ago but I still remember it fondly.

"Red Tails" is garbage.

I wouldn't say that the ships in the Prequels even move correctly. While the space fight between Jango and Obi-Wan is one of the better moments of the Prequels and at least somewhat reminiscent of the original movies, just look how "jagged" Obi-Wan's fighter moves as it dodges asteroids. Especially compared to the graceful Falcon in TESB.

I really don't care if it's a "Jedi thing, being better pilots with superhuman reflexes" (which isn't established anywhere in the Originals) but it looks silly. In a universe where spaceships seem to follow atmospheric physics (being based on WWII aircraft) that maneuvering would splat you due to g-forces.

Anyway, it looks silly. TPM had far better, albeit brief, space battle.

Also, something that irks me greatly in the Prequels is Lucas' obsession with long, uninterrupted shots of spaceships. Whether he does it because he doesn't know how to direct it to be more dynamic or to show off cgi, you can't 'feel' the sense of speed and movement without switching shots, so that the eye has some object to relate distances to (due to space being empty).

Just following ships around feels like a kid playing with toys going 'zoom', you don't have an object to relate to and it feels your 'ships' are static.

EDIT:

Jaitea said:

Is there not a thread for general prequel chat

J

Yes, it was a discussion regarding Ady's use of sale models, and apparently you post is entirely connected to the topic ?

 With all due respect, I've been following this project way back since 2008, even before registering here at OT.com. Can't say I haven't seen entire pages on this thread go way off-topic but it's okay as long as only long-timers do it ?...

Fine, rant over. I'll not comment further un the subject.

doubleofive said:

The debate is over. ;-)

 

 True. I don't care what the script says. :P

doubleofive said:

I love the fact that the other pilot is so shocked that he crashes into Vader.

To be honest, I've always thought it was completely intentional.  Call it a cultural thing, but rather than panic, I thought that the TIE-Fighter pilot "crashed" into Vader's TIE/advanced so that he could get him out of the way of the Falcon's fire.

That's the Empire. Total obedience and disregard for human life, regular pilots, soldiers, even officers being nothing more than living drones for the Emperor and Vader.

Or maybe he panicked. They're still human but it takes away of the "elite" status of the Imperial TIE pilots compared to the (mostly) rookie and undertrained rebels...

It seems that I'm in the minority here among both OT and PT "fans", but I 've always though it was plain and boring natural aging. The Emperor is very old. He's, what, 90 by the time of RotJ ?

I've always thought, way before the PT, that he was very old and just like Yoda his strength in the Force kept him alive. But while Yoda had that aura of a wise, honorable even if fragile looking old creature, the Emperor looked scary but warped, disgusting and hunched.

For me RotS was a huge letdown in this regard, either with a "reveal" or "Force lighthing" cause-effect.

I see. I knew that clone troopers were CGI but I thought that the blaster fire was actually a painted effect (rotoscoped?) and that there was pyrotechnics involved, while the stormtroopers do look very shiny and reflective. :)

Just had to post this. I was having a conversation with my mother regarding the financial bust of the Disney "John Carter"movie (so sad, I'm a huge fan of Burroughs' Barsoom series) and how naming it different could have saved (?) the movie.

She insisted that "John Carter of Mars" would have still not cut it, as it's a boring premise of an Earth man who is... from Mars? No logic.

And citing: "Now, I movie about Boba Fett from Oberon, that would be awesome."

:D

I saw the OT as a kid on VHS in it's...er, original glory. Saw the 97'SE in cinema. To be completely honest, I have no issue with the updated effect and actually enjoyed them. The pointless plot changes and CGI Jedi Rocks, on the other hand ...

1. TESB - the best of them all plot-wise. The most polished and professionally done. Also, the camera work and directing are fantastic.

2. Star Wars / ANH - close second.  Fantastic movie but just doesn't have the same quality as TESB.

3. ROTJ - sloppy, plot holes. Still, fantastic score, battles,  sequences  on board the Death Star are great drama.

4. TPM - best prequel despite huge flaws. Lovely visual design, actual props and sets, Liam Neeson. Action sequences were great and the soundtrack is amazing.

5. AOTC - distant fifth. Has its fun moments (Obi-Wan and Jango in the asteroids) but way, way too much CGI, thin plot, horrible acting. Too over the top action scenes, and not in a good campy way.

6. ROTS - I pretty much hate that one. Feels like a soap opera series. Rare moment of gold like the broadside exchange during the opening battle or Ewan McGregor's performance. Latino soap opera quality dialogue, plot, camera work, directing, sets, CGI, etc.

rockin said:

dvdmike said:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/35mm-Print-STAR-WARS-THE-PHANTOM-MENACE-LIAM-NEESON-/181122903796?pt=US_Film&hash=item2a2bc42ef4

 

I will just leave this here

That's exactly how I remember it looking when I saw it back in 1999. I can't believe how more Star Wars looking it was then than it is now in blu-ray. I love the grain and the warmer colours. Sigh, and to think, the sterile looking blu-ray is going to be the version people will remember from now on.

 

I watched TPM in 1999 in an old Eastern European communist era cinema that probably had 70-80's technology. And it looked fantastic, one of the best movies I've seen on the big screen even today.

No idea how LucasFilm managed to borch the BluRay so bad...

I'd love to see TPM from a 35mm reel transfer.

emanswfan, any trailer yet ? ;)

How could I not have seen this before ? Amazing videos, watched them all and was sad when they were over - I want to see the entire movie now !

A question - it seems that you've slightly slowed down CGI scenes, am I correct ? I think it looks much better now. Details can be more easily seen and appreciated, and movement has a sense of weight. Computer animator tend t accelerate everything far beyond normal, and it looks fake.

The displays are great ! Also, love your work on the fate of the Invisible Hand. Always hated that in RotS it seemed to be crewed with morons who had no clue what they were doing. Looks like a competent crew now.

As to your special effect.. no words ! Amazing !

One suggestion - have you considered adding film grain ? I know I'm a minority in this but I think film grain adds a lot to a movie when it's not excessive.

Thanks, guys! Yes, sadly, I know it's late. Plus, while I am not sure how difficult it would be, I am sure it would be very time consuming.

Still, here's what I had in mind. As I said, a bit more subtle than here but you get the idea:

What's wrong with the stormtroopers is that their armor is very polished and reflects various kinds of light sources, but not the bright flashes of their blaster carbines. Also, their lenses look like cheap opaque plastic (which it is, I am sure). Polaroid tends to be more reflective.

Anyone, just wanted to share. :)

Having watched several clips from the Prequel recently, I noticed something regarding the clone troopers - when they fire their blaster rifles, there's a short reflection on their armor. See the appearance of the clone army at the Geonosian arena, for example. Or when storming the Jedi temple in RotS. 

Now, admittedly the effect is a bit overdone and fairly inconsistent, as battle droids for example do not suffer from the same "blaster reflection". And it doesn't make so much sense for the dirty and camouflaged  armor of the clones in RotS. 

But it does make the blaster fire more realistic when used with restraint. So I am wondering, can the shiny armors of the Imperial stormtroopers in TESB exhibit the same reflective proporties, although more restrained and subtle ?

For example, during the sunset scene on Bespin's landing pad, as the Falcon is escaping.

Especially the lenses on the helmets. Seeing blaster fire and explosions reflected in them would be fantastic, I think, and lessen the feeling that blaster are a post-process special effect.

Meant no disrespect, Ady. :)

To be honest, I don't have either a 1080p monitor or TV, just HD Ready (720p) so that resolution suits me fine. I was just curios. At any rate, looking forward to TESB:R. :)

That's fully intentional. Maybe I shoul have been more specific and said "last good game". :P

SilverWook said:

I'm fuzzy on the last time Lucasfilm actually developed a game start to finish in house.

I hope somebody at Disney is looking over the old classics in the game catalog. I'd love to see modern versions of Ballblazer and Rescue on Fractalus if done right.

 2005, Republic Commando. Last game developed internally at Lucas Arts. And, honestly, it was a fantastic game.

Let's hope that Disney will actually license things like Imperial Commando, X-Wing/TIE-Fighter, etc. rather than wondering what LA might have or not have published in another decade ...