So apparently the Rancor wears and earring.
In all fairness though, this is practically impossible to see in the film unless you already know its there as the scene is very dark (at least the 4K83 version, maybe other versions are brighter).
My Life In Monsters - Phil Tippett Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTGQ_K0DBPo - from the VICE YouTube channel (22:30 mins long).
The blurb:
“Phil Tippett is the Oscar-winning stop-motion animator and designer behind some of the greatest fantasy creatures and sci-fi set pieces in cinema history. From his humble beginnings as an alien patron in the iconic Cantina sequence from ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’, to pioneering stop-motion techniques used throughout ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’, to seamlessly merging practical animation and CGI in Jurassic Park and beyond. In ‘My Life in Monsters’, VICE chronicles Tippett’s legendary life work, illustrating the process behind his greatest creations, the emotional hardships of transitioning into Hollywood’s digital revolution, and completing his return-to-form, stop-motion opus with the brutal, dystopian ‘Mad God’.”
So I just finished taking over 500 screenshots from the TN1 16mm scans of the Classic Creatures and From Star Wars to Jedi documentaries and I’d like to share a link to the photos. What’s the best way to do that? I normally upload photos to imgur if I want to share them here, but for so many I’d like to make an album of some sort and just post some of the highlights. Any suggestions?
EDIT: Never mind. Making an imgur album was easier than I thought. I’ll post the link and some highlights later today.
Is there a BTS shot showing how much of the rebel hangar set was actually built?
I found these at http://starwarsplaces.com - though seem to recall a few more elsewhere too - with the angle of the photo giving it a larger feel… and I’ll have a route around later 😃
I’m pretty sure SilverWook was referring to the ROTJ hangar inside Ackbar’s Home One.
Great photos either way.
Speaking of misconceptions from this scene, before I saw ROTJ in HD I always though that this pillow was a part of Jabba’s body. When you see it in VHS quality it looks like some kind of weird flesh-bulge and it always grossed me out as a kid, especially since it looked like Salacious Crumb was partially inside it like some kind of marsupial pouch.
The strange thing is that Jabba had two seams on his “tail” section, one which was much larger and hidden without having to add a scar. Though the tail had to move a lot more, and they might have found the scar to simply be a quicker and easier solution while also adding some implied backstory to his life as a crime boss (similar to his tattoo).
As for the story of Fisher puncturing the tail and stepping on the tail puppeteer, the guy who actually sat inside the tail, Mike Edmonds, has made it quite clear that he has no memory of her stepping on his head, so it’s most likely just a rumor (supposedly started by Stuart Freeborn btw). It’s talked about in this video: https://vimeo.com/118751672
Another two small details I never noticed in ROTJ before now.
First off all, and this is very similar to Booman’s first post, but int he first scene where Vader’s shuttle enter the Death Star II’s hangar, you can see a small figure doing some welding. It’s hard to see in the still image I’ve posted, but in the actual clip you can clearly see the light flicker, as well as the other figure walking up to him. It’s funny what we can finally spot when re-watching these films in HD.
Another less subtle detail, though still surprisingly hard to spot, in the “she won’t get a scratch” scene you can see a flag pop into the frame while they’re talking. This one is also a lot easier to spot when you watch he actual clip and see the thing actually enter the frame and stay there until the next shot.
Maybe that is 4LOM hiding in the trash! dun Dun DUNNN!
Lol, now I’m imagining all the bounty hunters, including Bossk and Dengar, hiding in the junk room just out of sight.
Re-watching ESB today I noticed two things that I’ve never spotted before.
First off, most know by now that they put the IG-88 model in the Cloud City junk room to add some clutter, but for some reason I’ve never before noticed that Zuckuss (or 4-LOM for those of you who grew up with Kenner) is there as well. He’s not even that well hidden, his head is clearly visible on the right side of the frame. Maybe this is old news to some, but I was quire surprised by this, especially since IG-88’s presence was canonized in Legends. I guess they didn’t spot Zuckuss either, since he’s alive and (reasonably) well throughout Shadows of the Empire.
A more subtle detail that I noticed, is that after Luke gets blown out of the window during his duel with Vader, not only did he loose his lightsaber on the way out, but you can actually see it lying on he gantry as he climbs back up.
There’s been some really good Star Trek “INtakes” where someone took various outtakes, like flubbed lines, actors being silly, etc. and edited these shots back into the finished scene, but this is the only Star Wars one I could find.
Star Wars INtakes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riVeGxb6OiQ - from the Major Grin YouTube channel (1 min long).
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks.
It’s also nice to see something else than just Banthas and Dewbacks on Tatooine. A lot of old EU stuff seemed overly obsessed with those two, though it makes sense that there would be a wide range of imported “beast of burden”.
Also, while rewatching ANH yesterday I noticed a line that I’ve never really thought about before.
When Luke and Threepio catch up with Artoo before the Tuskens attack, Luke says; “Sand people, or worse.”
We take it for granted nowadays that Tatooine’s natives are Tuskens and Jawas (though the latter seems to have been retconned), but this line implies that there might be other creatures as well. I suppose he could be referring to Krayt dragons, but I still feel this showcases one of the weaknesses of how nostalgia can effect the EU. Tusken and Jawas are great and all, but it would have been nice to see other strange creatures as well.
Are you sure it’s not simply that the sun has moved in the time between when the two shots were filmed?
And I’ve never noticed the small Bantha(?) to the left of the Dewback before!
It’s hard to see unless you’re looking at it on a bigger screen or zoom in, but the steps and the building are clearly a painted element added in post.
And yes, that furry thing with skinny legs has weirded me out for a while now. I don’t even know if it has an EU name. I don’t think most people notice it as it kinda blends in with the scenery.
So I finally figured out how to get the 4K77 version of ANH (I’ve been using the GOUT version for ages), and I’ve never before noticed that this little spot between the cantina entrance and the Dewback has been added in post.
The strangest thing is that in the shot were they enter the cantina there’s no effect added (of course that wouldn’t have been possible in the 70’s anyway as the camera moves), and even thought he angle is a bit different it features be the same few steps and domed building in the background (though the antennae-thing is not present in the first shot). So why was this section added in later at all?
This is probably the oldest making-of I’ve ever seen. It’s actually kinda weird to see a making-of that predates the invention of television. I’m assuming this was show before a movie alongside actual cartoons, newsreels, etc.
The Making of a Popeye Cartoon (1938)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkKjRr_zlxw&list=PLYn2a0e2FVIJ66EP8vMU64l-kIhHU9zg7&index=15&t - from the Margo Burns YouTube channel (6 mins long).
The blurb:
“How the Fleischer Studios made the Popeye episode Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp.”
Spider-Man On The Move (1981)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2qGPQGDmMg&list=PLYn2a0e2FVIJ66EP8vMU64l-kIhHU9zg7&index=17&t - from the Josh Hadley YouTube channel (26 mins long).
The blurb:
“Documentary on the making of Spider-man and His Amazing Friends. Hosted by Stan Lee.”
The Making of Fire & Ice (1983)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPuTVjpuom8 - from the Returning Shadow YouTube channel (13 mins long).
The blurb:
“Fire and Ice was a 1983 animated film collaboration between Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. Because it was the most action-oriented story Bakshi had directed up until that point, rotoscoping was used, adding a sense of realism that also helped replicate the look of Frazetta’s artwork. This footage comes directly from director Ralph Bakshi’s old VHS footage.”
Threepio wearing pants.
You gotta love how esoterically specific Star Wars fans can get in their appreciation of these movies.
’Pink Shorts Boom Guy’ from Star Wars speaks out, becomes cosplay hit
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/meet-ken-nightingall-mysterious-pink-shorts-boom-guy/story?id=64507354
Fair enough.
Is my memory just off, or does the Falcon only use the forward lasers in an obvious way like the shot above in ROTJ?
^Well, why not both of those at the same time. Of course the Falcon could just have some forward mounted laser cannons, but I really like the idea that the top and bottom quad cannons are locked in a forward position most of the time and can then be fired from the cockpit, but that they can also be manned for when the target(s) isn’t directly ahead of the Falcon. That seems like both a plausible and sensible design to me.
A few of my favourite Robot Chicken SW videos.
Don’t tell Vader - Robot Chicken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFihTRIxCkg - from the official Adult Swim UK YouTube channel (1 min long).
This Deal’s Getting Worse All The Time - Robot Chicken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpE_xMRiCLE - from the official Adult Swim YouTube channel (1 min long).
Slight Weapons Malfunction - Robot Chicken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtQZbv9YbOE - from the official Adult Swim UK YouTube channel (2 mins long).
Try the Calamari - Robot Chicken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOaROFFhpL4 - from the official Adult Swim YouTube channel (7 sec long).
BTW. That last one has to be so confusing to more casual SW fans who might not know that Ackbar is a Mon Calamari.
^It seems those costumes really got around in the late 70’s.
Richard Pryor - Star Wars Bar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kJkhEcQ44k&list=PLYn2a0e2FVIKni_wHXR5CJYBnnnYH7mIB&index=20&t - from the almostpink YouTube channel (5 mins long).
The blurb:
“Bartender, Richard Pryor, with real costumes from the original Star Wars.”
It’s fascinating to see how rough some of these costumes look when they’re used for more than just the few seconds they were made for. One of the ask is visibly being held together with duct tape, and if you compare it to ANH they’ve mixed up the sound effects so that they come from the ‘wrong’ aliens.
BTW, I’ve always figured the squid-thing from the end was made specifically for this sketch as I can’t remember ever seeing it in any BTS content. Though considering there was originally a giant praying mantis that they tried to hide in the edit, I guess it could be from the movie as well.
Right, though I’m not sure how much of this was “canon” back when they made the film. Though it obviously makes sense that the Falcon would have more armaments than just the two cannons.
Arena: The Making of the Shining - BBC 1980/1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQVvHj2dwK4&list=PLYn2a0e2FVIJ66EP8vMU64l-kIhHU9zg7&index=10&t - from the Freq Out YouTube channel (28 mins long).
This is the 1999 broadcast of the documentary with added introduction by the producer of Arena.
The blurb:
“Stanley Kubrick allowed his then-17-year-old daughter, Vivian, to make a documentary about the production of The Shining. Created originally for the BBC television show Arena, this documentary offers rare insight into the shooting process of a Kubrick film.”
Dailymotion back-up link of the 1980 version; https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkq12a
I just realized that when Han rescues Luke during the trench run scene by shooting one of the TIE-fighters and knocking Vader out of the way, that we only see Han in close-up and then suddenly Chewie is in the co-pilot seat after the DS explodes. Since obviously someone would have had to be operating the laser cannons, and there’s no one else available but Chewie, I wonder if they cut to the CU to avoid any continuity errors as Chewie is suddenly back in the cockpit shortly after. Looking at the scene now it really seems like Chewie was always sitting next to Han and they had to cut around it.
EDIT: There is of course this outtake but I can’t really tell if this is the same shot as the one I linked to above or if it’s meant to be right before they shoot at the TIEs.
Wow! Were they considering that or was that simply Levar’s look at the time?
I hope not. No, I think they just had a really weird and idea and and thankfully they decided against it. If you google ‘Star Trek TNG make-up test’ you’ll see some weird Troi hairdos, Picard in a toupee and a very freaky looking Data, though nothing tops the Geordi one.
