Welcome to the Homing Beacon Archives. The Official Newsletter of Star Wars.Com, no longer available. I have salvaged as much as I can but have only concentrated on the main part of the newsletter and not the peripheral stuff. I have used images where possible. Enjoy this blast from the past!

Thursday, May 27, 2004
Issue #111

The second installment of Star Wars Weekends at Disney-MGM Studios bubbled over with excitement as fans met with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and the man of many Star Wars alien faces, Jerome Blake.

During the “Stars of the Saga – Star Wars Celebrity Talk Show,” Blake entertained audiences with stories of his experiences portraying some of the more unusual characters in the prequels, while Mayhew reminisced about his role as one of the most beloved characters in the original trilogy.

Blake, most noted for his role as the slimy Neimoidian schemer Rune Haako, has also stepped into the shoes of Mas Amedda — the booming voice of order in the Galactic Senate — as well as the shaggy-haired serpentine Jedi MasterOppo Rancisis, Watto’s tall-crested betting partner Graxol Kelvyyn, and alien senators Orn Free Taa and Horox Ryyder.

“I seem to always be playing the dodgy characters,” Blake laughs.

When Blake first auditioned for The Phantom Menace, he and fellow actor Silas Carson were put to work shooting animatics of the submarine scene playing the parts of Qui-Gon (Blake) and Jar Jar (Carson). Even though Liam Neeson and Ahmed Best played the intrepid heroes in the final film, Blake joined Carson in the Star Wars universe depicting half a dozen notable characters.

To the audience’s delight, Blake mentioned that his latest movie project will have him working closely with none other than Star Wars alumnus Warwick Davis (Wicket).

“I’m working on a little movie called Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Blake says over the applause. “Have you heard of it?”

Hitchhiker’s is being shot in the same place Star Wars made famous, Elstree Studios. “When I work there I get the sense that history is creeping out of its very walls,” Blake remarks.

After Blake was asked by a fan to do his impression of Darth Vader by breathing into an empty glass, it was Mayhew’s turn to take center stage.

When asked by a fan which scene was the hardest to play, the towering 7′ 3″ actor explained that acting around bluescreen wasn’t the only obstacle on the set. Director George Lucas asked Mayhew to pretend to play against R2-D2 in a friendly game of holographic chess in the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope.

“He said to just pretend as though I was playing chess,” Mayhew says. “But of course I’d never played chess in my life, not to mention against droids. So I faked it.”

Mayhew also went on to describe what it felt like to meet one of his heroes while he was being fitted for his Wookiee costume last year on the Sydney Episode III set.

“I met Christopher Lee and was completely awestruck,” Mayhew recalls. “When I shook his hand he said, ‘I think you have more screen-time than I do.'”

To the audience’s surprise, right when Mayhew reminded fans that Episode III is scheduled to be released on his birthday of May 19, 2005, his alter ego Chewbacca, accompanied by a few Ewoks, walked on stage with a chocolate birthday cake to celebrate Mayhew’s recent 60th birthday.

“Chocolate is a Wookiee favorite,” Mayhew smiled.

Star Wars Weekends continues this weekend, May 28 – 30, with special guest stars Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Andy Secombe (Watto). In addition to the celebrity talk show, other fun activities keep fans busy during Star Wars Weekends.

These include the Jedi Training Academy, where youngsters train in the art of the lightsaber to face off against Darth Vader or Darth Maul; the Galactic Game Show, where Star Wars trivia mavens compete in a “Who Wants to Be A Millionare”-type setting; roaming costumed characters from the entire saga, including new bounty hunters, clone troopers, and even Mickey Mouse as a Jedi; and the ever-popular Star Tours attraction.

For a complete celebrity list, see this story here. For a look at some of the exclusive merchandise available at Star Wars Weekends

Thursday, June 10, 2004
Issue #112

Space Battle Recipe
Episode III starts with a bang. The starfleets of the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems are locked in a jumbled brawl of lumbering capital ships and swift starfighters, exchanging fire high in the Coruscant atmosphere.

Hundreds upon hundreds of ships are engaged in this high-stakes battle of the Clone Wars, but the audience will only really follow two small snubfighters into the thick of battle. As Obi-Wan and Anakin dive into the heart of the conflict to carry out a most important mission, they’ll be the camera’s guide through the chaos.

Designing the motion of the revealing opening shot fell to Animatics Artist Euisung Lee, but filling the enormous background battle in the entire scene is a group effort. “We had a brainstorming session about possible cool background battle stuff that can happen,” he says. “We have a list of ideas. I don’t know how many of them are actually in the movie, but we had come up withsome modular background action so that we can pop them into place.”

One of Lee’s most intriguing contributions may be missed upon first glance, tucked away as it is in the backdrop of the action. A triangular Jedi cruiser is locked in a deadly embrace with the much larger Trade Federation battleship, occupying the gap between the battleship’s forward arms and pointing its dagger-like nose straight towards the huge central sphere.

“My thought was that maybe the clones were actually boarding the donut ship,” explains Lee. “There’s an opening in the waist of the Jedi ship. The middle sphere is falling apart. The idea is that they took over the whole thing, and the middle sphere is drifting away from the center.”

A dry-erase board hanging in the Animatics Department serves as a recipe list for otherpossible mini-dramas playing in the background of the scene. Note that not all may not be in the final film. This list instead just represents some of the tantalizing possibilities:

Colliding | scraping starships
Sacrifice ship to break through blockade
Diving formation of assault frigates to save cruiser from swarm
Shockwave causing havoc from large explosion of ship
Shockwave bombs across surface of larger ship causing damage
Shockwave bomb on droid fighters
Tractor beams picking up ships to repair | collision
Pockets of intense debris caused by explosion that heroes fly through
Reinforcements dropping out of hyperspace to help less-than-fortunate ship
Launching and docking tri-fighters | clone fighters
EMP bomb causing loss of power to large ships, out-of-control collision
Vulture droids landing on large ships and attacking
Leaking fuel ignited by ship passing
Combined ray attack

For continued coverage of the post-production process, including in-depth examination of this epic battle sequence and others, subscribe to Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club today!

Thursday, June 24, 2004
Issue #113

Report from the Battlefront
The endless storm pelts your armor as you scramble up a rain-slicked ramp. A report from headquarters rings in your helmet — the Confederacy is in danger of taking the Kaminocloning center! If they control this vital command post, it may choke the flow of your reinforcements. A team of droidekas and super battle droids blocks your path, but two platforms away, you see your salvation. An unmanned Jedi starfighter sits unguarded. If you can get to it, it may just tip the balance…

Welcome to Star Wars Battlefront, an action-packed open-ended multiplayer action game that spans the entire Star Wars saga. The game isn’t due out until September, but this past Tuesday, June 22, select members of the electronic gaming press were given a taste of the action to come.

The setting: the woods. Not painstakingly detailed and amazingly rendered foliage, but actual woods in the Presidio in San Francisco. LucasArts transformed one patch of Endor-like forest into a unique gaming event. Stormtroopers and Rebel commandos from local 501st fan detachments were there in full armor and gear, flanking the paths to camo-netted tents that served as gaming stations.

The game supports up to 32 combatants on a battlefield, so to fully experience the potential of Star Wars Battlefront, LucasArts set up a number of LANs and unleashed the press into the firefight. Players could choose from Xbox, PlayStation2 and PC tents, and their stations were each assigned a character name so they could keep track of just who-fragged-who.

Battlefront does away with an overriding story or puzzles for players to solve – it’s raw combat and battlefield adrenaline. Though it can be played as a chaotic free-for-fall, there are definite benefits to teamwork and strategy. Throughout each environment, there are key “command posts” to control, which ultimately determine the number of spawning areas in which new combatants appear. If a warring side — be it Imperial or Rebel, Confederacy or Republic — completely conquers all the command posts on a map, they emerge victorious.

The martial refrains of the Imperial March, the din of blaster fire and roar of explosions filled the chilly San Francisco air as locales such as Rhen Var, Endor, Yavin 4, Hoth and Kamino were opened up for eager combatants to sample. The absolute freedom for soldiers to explore anywhere, and jump into and out of turret emplacements and vehicles was a big hit. These fully textured and detailed vehicles are not just cover or scenery – they are workable battlefield assets, fully controllable armor and air support experienced from a first person perspective.

These vehicles uniquely expand the game experience — they’re not just powered up soldiers. For example, the flight capabilities of the droid and Jedi starfighters on Kamino allow for players to fly below the city surface levels, and enter into combat in the girders beneath.

“If you’ve seen a vehicle in a Star Wars movie, odds are it’s in the game,” says Executive Producer Greg Burrod of Pandemic Studios. There are over 30 different vehicles that appear in Battlefront, one of which specifically underscores how teamwork can make a tactical difference.

“If I jump into a snowspeeder, I’m going to want to take out AT-ATs,” explains Burrod. “Well, from the movies, the best way to do that is to use a tow cable. So, I’m going to need a gunner. Another player will need to jump in, and over my headset, we’ll need to coordinate that attack,” he describes.

Keep checking starwars.com, and especially LucasArts.com for more detailed Star Wars Battlefront coverage and war stories. The game is scheduled for release on September 21 for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC. For those wanting a sample, the DVD release of the Star Wars Trilogy will feature an Xbox playable demo of the game.

Thursday, July 08, 2004
Issue #114

Star Wars fans get ready. It’s going to take some preparation, planning, and maybe a little perspiration to make sure you’re equipped to get the most out of what’s in store for you at this year’s Comic-Con International, coming July 21 – 25, 2004 to the San Diego Convention Center.

Prepare to explore the huge Star Wars Pavilion at the front of Hall D, which will feature a wall-sized screen of exciting Star Wars video footage, plus eighteen Lucasfilm licensees presenting a virtual “street fair” of Star Wars. Many are debuting products or selling Comic-Con exclusive merchandise in the Pavilion. There will be autographs, events, give-aways, and prize drawings throughout the show.

It’s hard to imagine Comic-Con without Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Spectacular, scheduled this year for Saturday, from noon to 2:00 PM in Hall H. Sansweet will share the inside scoop with fans on the coming original trilogy DVD release slated for this September, and the latest on Star Wars: Episode III. The head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm has been known to have a few surprises up his sleeve just for Comic-Con fans, and this year should not be any different.

Thursday night, fans can enjoy the works of promising filmmakers in the #3rd annual Star Wars Fan Film Awards at 8:30 in Room 20. There will be special entertainment by Charlie Ross, performer of the One Man Star Wars Trilogy, too. Come for fun, and come for free popcorn while it lasts, courtesy of Comic-Con International.

Friday is Star Wars Day at Comic-Con, repeating a popular tradition of Star Wars panels and news throughout the day. This year, kids can enjoy special Star Wars activities, contests, and prize drawings just for them during Comic-Con Kids’ Day on Sunday.

Pack a schedule, pack a lunch, and prepare yourself for days of Star Wars fun at San Diego Comic-Con.

Thursday, August 05, 2004
Issue #116

Kashyyyk Revisited
The Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk has the odd distinction of being a world established in detail by George Lucas, but that has only been explored thus far in the expanded universe. During the development of the original Star Wars, Lucas had planned a journey to the Wookiee homeworld but the evolving storyline and budget realities kept the arboreal world from appearing on the big screen.

Nonetheless, Lucas’ detailed notes about Wookiee ecology and culture became the springboard for a number of authors and artists who weren’t limited by fiscal restraints — any planet can be visited in a comic book, for instance, for the same costs. The Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk appeared in the Marvel run, the Star Wars daily newspaper strips, and even on television in “The Star Wars Holiday Special.”

Finally, the Wookiee homeworld will be given the movie treatment in Episode III. “It’s a tropical, but cool planet,” describes Concept Design Supervisor Ryan Church. “The only real directive we got from George is that they live in giant trees.”

In developing the look of Kashyyyk, the Art Department first turned to the much-maligned 1978 television special to see what had come before. “We watched that on a loop about four or five times, avoided suicide, and went back to work,” laughs Church. Though produced on a variety show scale, the Holiday Special’s Wookiee world (then called Kazhyyyk — pronounced, oddly, as ‘Kazook’) did have an establishing shot of a Wookiee domicile rendered as a painting by Ralph McQuarrie. The set built for the show — the inside of Chewbacca’s home — was a mix of flashy sci-fi tech and carved-from-wood naturalism.

“We wanted to have a sort of high-tech Frank Lloyd Wright feel where the Wookiees incorporated the natural environments into their living conditions,” says Church. “George was very specific about not wanting to see the same thing over and over again. We’re visiting a lot of planets in Episode III, so when we cut to Kashyyyk really quickly, you have to know where you are.”

The end result will be a single city on Kashyyyk that straddles several massive trees. Though other published sources have explored the thickest areas of jungle canopy, Episode III’s location is on the shore of a tree-lined lagoon, offering greater visual dynamics and story potential.

In Episode III, Kashyyyk will be at war, and as such, the Art Department needed to develop Wookiee instruments of warfare. “We wanted it to look distinct from what the rest of the cultures in the Star Wars universe use,” says Church. “Feng Zhu did a lot of these technical illustrations, and came up with a very unique aesthetic. I wanted to come up with a type of vehicle that implied that only a Wookiee could handle it. Like they took some kind of technology that’s out there, and they commandeered it and modified it for their own use.”

If you’d like to see a slideshow of over 40 concept art images of Episode III Kashyyyk, be sure to check out this article, available only to Hyperspace subscribers.

Thursday, August 19, 2004
Issue #117

Gary Kurtz: Risks Worth Taking
Though most fans would find it hard to believe, there was a time when Star Wars was a huge gamble. Gary Kurtz, the producer of the original Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, had to face a world of skeptical studios executives who couldn’t fathom George Lucas’ outer space fantasy ever becoming a crowd-pleaser.

“The atmosphere in the studios was not very partial to sci-fi,” recounts Kurtz. Even the most popular sci-fi film at the time had been a meager success in the eyes of Hollywood executives. “2001 had come out in 1968 and took six years to make its money back,” he says.

But Alan Ladd Jr. at 20th Century Fox had enough faith in Star Wars to greenlight the project. “It was the cheapest film that they had on their slate that year; everything else was more expensive, so even if they didn’t make their money back and just broke even, it would be okay,” says Kurtz.

In the almost three-decades since the debut of Star Wars, the movie landscape has changed so radically that the quieter days of 1977 seem almost alien in comparison.

“In the box office takings nowadays, the opening weekend is the key thing. In the ’70s, the style of release was quite different,” says Kurtz. “Most films were platformed, which means they were tried out in a few cinemas, and then expanded over time. In this case, we were stuck, as Star Wars was one of the first films with Dolby Surround sound and Dolby stereo mix. We only opened in cinemas which had Dolby stereo installed, and cinemas were so reluctant that Fox had to guarantee they would recoup the costs of the installation, and said they were willing to pay for the costs of removing the equipment if cinemas didn’t want to keep it!”

From the initial 32 theaters on May 25, 1977, Star Wars’s release grew to encompass hundreds of theaters, but it was still just a fraction of the number of theaters most big films open nowadays. What contributed to its box office success was months, not weeks of steady business. “It was never in more than 600 cinemas at one time,” says Kurtz, “but it played for a long time; some ran the films for six months! You’d never have that these days. A big film will open in 4,000 cinemas and be gone in three months.”

The dramatic uphill struggle to make Star Wars is extensively documented in Empire of Dreams, the feature-length documentary found on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD that debuts on September 21. Kurtz is one of the dozens of personalities interviewed in the film. In the coming weeks, keep checking starwars.com for a more extensive look at the making of this long-awaited DID set as the countdown continues to September 21.

Thursday, September 02, 2004
Issue #118

Shepperton Flashbacks
From August 23 to September 3, Episode III Set Diarist Pablo Hidalgo is in Shepperton, UK, chronicling the 11 days of additional photography for Revenge of the Sith. Here is a classic-themed bonus entry, exclusive to the Homing Beacon. If you’re not a Hyperspace member, you’ve missed in-depth coverage of Episode III since the very first day of principal photography, including a live webcam capturing images from the filming locations. Don’t miss a single day, join now!

A casual stroll through Shepperton Studios reveals its deep roots in the history of cinema. Structures on the lot such as the Orson Welles Building, the David Lean Building and the Korda Theatre give hints to its storied past. Here, Lean shot some of Lawrence of Arabia, Stanley Kubrick shot parts of 2001 and Dr. Strangelove, John Huston shot some of The African Queen. And here, George Lucas is shooting Star Wars …again.

In May of 1976, Shepperton became the Fourth Moon of Yavin for three days of studio shooting. Though Elstree formed the bulk of the studio shoot for the original A New Hope, the production trekked to Stage H in Shepperton Studios to find the space needed for the Rebel outpost.

“Stage H at the time was the biggest stage in England,” recalls Lucas. “They didn’t have the Bond stage here yet. I built a bigger one later in Elstree for Empire, but that’s all we had back then.”

On Friday, May 14, 1976 — a little more than a year before the movie would come out — Star Wars came to Shepperton. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew were the principal cast members there for the medal ceremony in the Massassi throne room. Joining them were supporting cast members Alex McCrindle (General Dodonna), Angus McInnis (Gold Leader) and Colin Higgins (who appears to have played Wedge in the Rebel briefing scene, though the report lists no character name).

I figured Colin Higgins may be a common name around here, but I had to ask George: “Is this the same Colin Higgins who wrote Harold and Maude?”

“No, that wasn’t him,” George laughs. I’ve brought copies of the Daily Production Progress Reports from those three days of shooting along with me to the re-shoots, to see if they jog any classic Star Wars memories.

An eye-catching detail is the length of the workday. The current Episode III pick-up schedule has days starting at 7:30 am and wrapping at 7:00 pm. In 1976, it’s a different story. On May 14, it’s 8:30 to 5:40. On Tuesday, May 18, it’s 8:30 to 7:35. On Wednesday, it’s 8:30 to 5:30. Furthermore, on Episode III, the first set-up is typically completed within a half-hour of the day’s start. For Episode IV, these three days have set-up times of an hour, an hour and a half, and two hours, fifteen minutes.

How things have changed. “This was the crowd breakdown then?” asks Ewan McGregor, who also examines the progress reports. He looks at what the extras got paid for the Massassi war room sequence.

“Those were the days,” chuckles George. “In those days, you could get a really good dinner for !”

Ewan, who has spent so much time preparing for the fateful duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, took special interest at the May 18, 1976 report. “Look at this: ‘As per Call Sheet, a rehearsal of the Sword Fight between Sir Alec Guinness and Dave Prowse was held, but the venue was EMI Studios this morning, under the supervision of Stunt Arranger Peter Diamond,'” he quotes. “These are amazing.”

Anthony Daniels, who was present at the ’76 Shepperton shoot, recalls that it was George Lucas’ birthday during the first day. He also recalls the assistant director giving him an important piece of advice on an extras-heavy day. “He told me to have lunch a little early. I said I could wait for everyone else, to which he responded: ‘have you ever seen a crowd of extras rush for lunch?'”

Thursday, September 16, 2004
Issue #119

Behind Empire of Dreams

When documentary filmmaker and producer Kevin Burns began tackling the gargantuan task of interviewing over 40 actors, special effects experts, editors, journalists, friends and George Lucas himself for the 2 1/2-hour Star Wars Trilogy DVD documentary Empire of Dreams, he wanted to give fans more than the typical rehashed back story.

“I really cringe when someone says that Empire of Dreams is merely a ‘making of’ documentary,” Burns says. “Even with all the shows (‘Backstory,’ ‘Biography,’ etc.) that I’ve done in the last 10 years through my company at Fox, I really try not to do a typical ‘making of’ documentary. I’m not interested in how many reels of films were shot on Day 13. I’m concerned with the human story behind the making of a film. And what agony and struggle and curve balls people have to deal with in order to go through the process of making a film. That to me is what’s interesting.”

He wasn’t alone in his thinking. One of the main reasons Burns was able to secure hard-to-come by interviews with such heavyweights as Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher had to do with his unique vision behind the documentary.

“Those are the people who have spent 27 years answering the same 40 questions and have been hounded to death about the films,” Burns says. “They weren’t hostile… they were simply weary and wary of being involved in another Star Wars retrospective.” Burns and Hamill had known each other for quite sometime before he was set to interview the actor about his legendary role as Luke Skywalker, however during their friendship, the Force wasn’t exactly a topic of casual conversation.

“We had been friends for 16 years, but in the time I’ve known him we had never sat down and asked him about Star Wars,” Burns admits. “So it was really odd to sit there with my friend for three hours and conduct a huge cathartic kind of therapy session with him. It turned out to be a great interview.”

Another reluctant interview involved an actor who’s character not only spans the original trilogy, but all three prequels as well.

“Anthony Daniels didn’t want to do the interviews until he spoke to me about his concerns,” Burns recalls. “Daniels had said, ‘I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I want to tell you right now – I will not do this interview if I’m asked yet again, ‘What was it like to be C-3PO’ or ‘How did it feel to be in Star Wars?’ So please don’t ask me something so inane. I hope to have a level of discourse at a higher intellectual plane than that.’ And for that I immediately had respect for him.”

A&E will air a special 90-minute version of Empire of Dreams throughout the month, including this Sunday. Check local listings for times. The full 2 1/2-hour version can only be found on the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. For more information on Empire of Dreams and the Star Wars Trilogy DVD, visit starwars.com.

Thursday, September 30, 2004
Issue #120

Though C-3PO seems to have trouble remembering key events fromone generation to the next, actor Anthony Daniels’ recollectionsare far more precise. With the release of the Star WarsTrilogy on DVD, many of those memories have come rushing back,in crystal clarity thanks to unparalleled image and soundquality and recently unearthed archival footage.

“The very first day out in the desert, I thought there wasgoing to be Hollywood-style trailers, and there was aboy-scout tent.” recalls Daniels. “I stood there andput on my underclothes and then had six people attackme with various bits of the costume and two hours later,I was in pain!”

It took two hours to fit Daniels into the very firstThreepio costume, a process that now, by Episode III,has finally been perfected to just a matter of minutes.”Somebody switched on the light and C-3PO’s eyes lit upand then they pulled back the curtains of the tent andI stepped forward into the rising sun,” continuesDaniels. “The sun was just coming up over the dunes,and just hit my costume. Around me, all the crew –Americans, Europeans and the local Tunisian people –just stopped work and gazed. It was his greatest moment,but from then on we had to start filming and was all abit down hill from then on!”

What coaxed Daniels into the uncomfortable golden suitwas the poignant strength of a concept painting byRalph McQuarrie, depicting the lonely droid standingin the sprawling desert. Daniels says he felt akinship with the droid, particularly when it cametime to shoot the desert sequences.

“You have to realize that the cameras were about amile away and Artoo was empty and being pulledalong by someone with awire. The wind was blowing.It was cold. I’m all alone. I can see people at thecamera, and they’re going to wave at me when they’reready. I’m looking around, and there, very, veryclose to me, is a Tunisian desert person — a realone, not someone George had made up. With a facelike a million old leather handbags all sewn together,he was looking at me in this strange way.”

Daniels likens the experience to the classic scene inE.T. The Extra Terrestrial when young DrewBarrymore sees the alien for the first time. “It wasthe same. We both went, ‘AHHH!’ I looked at the cameraand I looked back and he’d gone. He absolutely meltedback into the sands. That was a very bizarre experience.He’s in some village now saying, ‘And then there was theday when I saw the gold god…'”

Just as a FYI, to avoid old posts becoming one with the Force, this post has been republished so it can be a blue glowy thing, it was Originally posted 2022-06-20 02:52:14.

Welcome to the Homing Beacon Archives. The Official Newsletter of Star Wars.Com, no longer available. I have salvaged as much as I can but have only concentrated on the main part of the newsletter and not the peripheral stuff. Enjoy this blast from the past!

Thursday, June 01, 2000
Issue #11

Episode II — By The Numbers
As producer for Episode II, Rick McCallum constantly has to juggle numbers to make sure the movie is done on time and on budget. Here’s a look at some of the numbers being crunched during these final weeks before production begins. Hundreds — Number of people Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard is looking at for potential stunt roles 300 — Number of workers currently involved in construction.24 — Hours a day sets are in construction.1,200 — Costumes to be created, similar to the number crafted for The Phantom Menace.”A lot” — The number of different new looks for Natalie Portman, according to Rick McCallum.

Thursday, June 15, 2000
Issue #12

The Animatics Department

Returning to Episode II is David Dozoretz, the Previsualization/Visual Effects Supervisor who leads the team of animatics artists crafting a rough, temporary version of the movie.

Much has been said about how George Lucas’ non-linear approach to filmmaking is continually blurring the lines between such formerly distinct phases as pre-production, production and post-production. The work of the Animatics Department is a perfect example of this:

Pre-Production: “We’re closely related to what the Art Department does,” says Dozoretz. “We get to be the first group of artists to implement those fabulous designers’ work. We’re constantly getting information from them about what designs look like. We occasionally throw info back up to them, where if they need to do a storyboard or concept painting, we’ll help place things for them and compose the frame, because we have the ability to do that really quickly since we’ve got 3-D models.”

Production: Once shooting begins in Australia, the all-digital nature of Episode II’s production will allow Dozoretz’s team to utilize the footage immediately. “We will be able to incorporate dailies,” he says, though that will not be the Animatics Department’s primary focus. While Lucas’ crew gathers the necessary performances on-camera, “we’ll be back here at Skywalker Ranch doing design work on other sequences in the film, specifically action sequences,” says Dozoretz. “There are a couple of really really big action sequences which are primarily going to be done with digital technology, and very little of that will be shot during principal photography.”

Post-Production: “One of the great things about Episode II is a lot of the design work that we do in the animatics phase will cross over into ILM, so there’s no repetition of work,” says Dozoretz. The team does use some of the computer generated models crafted by Industrial Light & Magic. “Generally, ILM stuff is very high-end and very cumbersome because it’s so sophisticated,” he says. “We don’t use it too much, because we’re just trying to be very quick and rough and sketching stuff out. But we do use it sometimes, because obviously it’s the best models, the best animation and the best motion capture stuff.”

In most films, an editor’s work doesn’t start until after shooting has wrapped. Even before the cameras start capturing their digital images for Episode II, editor Ben Burtt has been hard at work cutting sequences together. “That’s my job right now,” says Burtt, “Cutting together these temporary shots, and doing shots with our own digital video camera, simple things, cutting them together to get a sense of how fast a sequence might flow, and how many shots are necessary to tell a story. And of course I’m able to think about sound at this point too. And I’ve got a list of things to record. I have ideas in mind for what they might sound like.”

Thursday, June 29, 2000
Issue #13

Co-Screenwriter Jonathan Hales
Although Jonathan Hales has had a professional relationship with Lucasfilm for the past ten years due to his involvement in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, his relationship with Star Wars began like most peoples.

“I remember taking my two very little boys to see Star Wars in a big cinema in London,” recounts Hales. “My kids were saying ‘Wow, Dad!’ and I was saying ‘Wow, boys!’ Now, I find myself [almost] 25 years later actually working on one, which is extraordinary. I love it. I mean, thats life.”

Hales is the co-screenwriter for the second chapter in the Star Wars saga, a role he finds both exhilarating and daunting. “My personal goal was to make it the best screenplay that ever was, so that it will be the best movie that ever was. You just do your very best,” Hales explains of his approach. “I tried to forget, in a way, that it was Star Wars, in a sense that I didn’t want to think Oh my God, there is a world out there waiting to see this stuff. I just tried to concentrate on it and what it was, and forget about that terrifying dimension thats out there.”

Episode II will add to the Star Wars saga, says Hales, but not just in the form of new characters, aliens, droids and locales. “It will add political complexity,” explains Hales, “but it will also add an interesting and a fascinating love story.”

Hales is scheduled to depart for Australia soon, to meet up with director George Lucas, who is currently filming there. “He and I will sit down and hell tell me what more thoughts hes had about the screenplay, and I will tidy that up,” explains Hales. “I shall only be there for a couple of weeks, anyway. Theres nothing more useless than a writer on a soundstage,” he adds dryly.

Hales also notes that his sons are pretty proud of their fathers involvement in Star Wars. “Theyre grown up now — theyre not little boys anymore; theyre quite big boys,” the writer laughs. “For the first time in their lives, they probably take me really serious as a writer now, because this is big stuff.”

Thursday, July 13, 2000
Issue #14

Episode II: Familiar Faces
Though Star Wars: Episode II will feature new worlds, new heroes, and new villains, fans will be heartened to know that many familiar favorites will be returning to that galaxy far, far away.

Once again providing the voice to the miserly Toydarian Watto is Andy Secombe. In Episode I, Watto was left the victim of his own gambling vice, having lost everything to Qui-Gon Jinn in the Jedi’s cleverly crafted bet. Now, moviegoers will revisit Watto on Tatooine a decade later, to see what has become of the junk-dealer.

Frank Oz defined the concept of a wise Jedi Master through his performance as Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and again in The Phantom Menace. The talented performer — a gifted and successful director in his own right — will reprise his role as Yoda, who promises to become more actively involved in the strife threatening the Republic.

When Anakin Skywalker was brought before the Jedi Council as a nine-year old, his thoughts dwelled on his mother. Pernilla August, who played the quiet, kind Shmi Skywalker in Episode I, will return.

Silas Carson donned many masks in The Phantom Menace, playing a variety of characters. Perhaps his most important one was that of Jedi Council member Ki-Adi-Mundi. Carson will return for Episode II to portray the Cerean Jedi.

For continuing developments of Episode II’s casting and production, be sure to regularly check the Official Site.

Thursday, July 27, 2000
Issue #15

Episode II: Metaphorically Speaking
How can one describe the energy, stress, excitement, frustration, and scope of being on set and making a new Star Wars movie? Some of the people involved in the production took a crack at it:

“Its like the big bang theory–a huge explosion which is eventually going to create something beautiful, but the only one who knows what its actually going to be is the creator of the explosion.”
– Ahmed Best, Actor

“Its like the traveling on the Titanic — its incredibly exciting and romantic and we wont know whether or not it will sink until the film comes out. Youre going along as the captain of the ship saying everything is fine and wonderful and not to worry, but you know as the captain of the ship that there are many icebergs and treacherous obstacles you have to cleverly weave your way through, without upsetting or disturbing the passengers.”
– George Lucas, Writer and Director

“A giant locomotive, fuelled by the imagination and energy of so many, powering its way inexorably across the galaxy — to a theater near you… Its like being in a giant vat of minestrone and only the chef knows whats in it … or perhaps like a lavish banquet but only the chef really knows whats on the menu; Id skip lunch if I were you.”
– Anthony Daniels, Actor

“Like me, its all about bits and pieces but Im sure it will be even greater than the sum of its parts … if you take my meaning, that is.”
– C-3PO, Protocol Droid

“This film set is like an ant colony. A walled city where frantic workers move in small circles towards a comparatively still center, breaking occasionally to exchange information about whos doing what and/or where the food is. Its even got a Queen at the center of things.”
– Lizzy Eves, Documentary Crew

“The making of Star Wars is like fine wine: It takes years for the grapes to grow, then theres a lot of effort from the winemakers put into crushing the grapes and making the wine, then it takes time to ferment. It really gets better with age and the quality of good wine will last for years.”
– Jill Goldberg, Personal Assistant

“My metaphor for making the movie is pretty much the same as the last one, which is an enormously huge train which takes a long time to get going and then reaches terminal velocity and heads towards a 14-foot concrete wall at maximum speed. So when were rolling about a year from now the trains going about 95 miles an hour and its flipping through the stations and nothing can stop it.”
– Rob Coleman, Animation Director

“Like going to one of those bars in the middle of Kentucky and getting on one of those electronic bull horses and just trying to hold on for dear life.”
– Julie DAntoni, Visual Effects Plate Coordinator

“You know Sisyphus, pushing that big rock up the hill endlessly? Thats what its like.”
– Tony Kaplan, Documentary Camera

“Its like standing at the bottom of a hill saving a small town from a landslide.”
– Giles Westley, Stills Photographer

“Walking onto the Fox Studios lot is like pressing play on a video game: you walk into a new environment in which you have no idea whats around the next corner, one day you have various species of aliens traveling past you on a golf cart, whilst looking in a room and seeing an environment of an entirely different spaceship and maneuvering your way skillfully through it … or stumbling across famous actors–when the sun comes out, out come players Samuel Jackson and Ewan McGregor fighting a duel on the grass quadrangle between the stages.”
– Joclyn McCahon, Stills Image Supervisor

“Its like a bizarre dream.”
– Katie Newman, Assistant Script Supervisor

“It’s like being Santas helper in a really big shopping mall.”
– Lisa Shaunessy, Assistant Publicity

Thursday, August 10, 2000
Issue #16

Graduating to Fox Studios
Many involved in the production of Episode II have likened the experience to school. Specifically, they cite Episode I as the freshman year, and now Episode II is the sophomore year. Much of that has to do with the fact that so many involved in the production have worked together in the past — through Episode I and through The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles before that. This is especially true of Production Designer Gavin Bocquet’s department.

“I think that probably amongst the people who have done it before, there is a sort of comfort blanket that came with doing the first one,” says Bocquet. “Doing the first Star Wars after doing Young Indy was a whole new experience to all of us. It was first thing ever of that size for us. I think we were probably unaware of the slight trepidation we all had while we were doing it. But obviously doing it a second time, you’re much more relaxed, even with doing it in another country.”

Bocquet and his crew are currently immersed in realizing an immense set in Fox Studios, Australia. “It’s a big environment,” he says, “which has a big ship in it. Probably the biggest ship, I think, full-size, that has been built. Probably even bigger than the old Millennium Falcon. We’re not building all of it, but we’re building a fair chunk.”

Although some on the crew are old hands at constructing the galaxy far, far away, there are many new Australian crewmembers working diligently to turn Lucas’ imagination into reality. This marks the first Star Wars film to be shot in Australia. The previous films, including Episode I, had their studio work done in facilities in England. Comparatively, the Australian film industry is younger than England’s. This meant that finding available crew with a certain level of experience was challenging.

“I think Rick McCallum is an incredibly sensible producer and understood that there are certain skills and experience lacking in Sydney, more on the Art Department side. Apart from the last two or three years they haven’t been used to building sets that big and that many at that speed,” explains Bocquet. “So we brought down a few skills in the Art Department, like the Art Directors and the head of paint, head of plaster, head of carpentry and construction, just to cover those. Underlying that, you have a very new, youthful business down here. There’s a great enthusiasm amongst the crew that comes with that.”

Bocquet adds, “I think we’ve hit the balance pretty well. Bringing people versed in Star Wars has a lot to do with continuity as well. You know a lot of our things are for Tatooine and Naboo, and to have people who have never been part of that in Art Department and Construction would have been quite a headache. I think if Episode III is done here, which I think it should be, then we will probably bring less people down.”

Thursday, August 24, 2000
Issue #17

R2-D2: Thrillseeker
While schedules have been tight, Sydney and the surrounding areas have provided wonderful opportunities for the cast and crew of Episode II to unwind and enjoy themselves during precious down-time. While many have enjoyed the shopping, the scenery and the culture, some are looking for something a little more dangerous.

Artoo-Detoo, returning in Episode II to one of his most famous roles, wrapped his work in Australia this week. Before moving on to location-shooting, the little droid received permission to seek some local thrills while he waits. “Artoo’s never been in better shape,” said Don Bies of Industrial Light & Magic. “He’s doing all of his own stunts in this film. None of us can keep up with his energy level. When he said he wanted to go bungee jumping, we knew there would be no stopping him.”

Artoo and a small entourage of translators and bodyguards traveled outside the Fox Studios lot to an adjacent bungee jumping attraction. While the droid was unavailable for comment after the jump, the smiles of the children and on-lookers who gathered were proof that the entertainer is still in top form after all these years.

Thursday, September 07, 2000
Issue #18

The Art Department: From Start to Finish
In response to a recent question to the Ask The Lucasfilm Jedi Council feature on the official site, Design Director Doug Chiang revealed that the Episode II Art Department is still busy at work even though the first phase of principal photography had wrapped in Australia.

This underscores a common misperception about the Art Department. In other films, an art department’s role is regarded as strictly pre-production — establishing the look of the film long before cameras roll. But the Episode II Art Department began work very early in the process, and continues work right through to the completion of the film, through pre-production, production, and post-production.

“The first day I worked on Episode II was about a week and a half before the release of Episode I,” explains Chiang. “Right when we finished Episode I, I thought we were all done and we were all going to take a break. But George [Lucas] came in during one of our last meetings and said, ‘Okay, let’s start Episode II now. Here’s some information. I want you to just start going with it.’ It was really interesting because I hadn’t realized he wanted to keep the ball going at that point.”

At the time, nearly all members of the Art Department for Episode I had gone on to other projects, leaving just Chiang. Chiang immediately brought Iain McCaig back to work on Episode II. “We just jumped right into it,” says Chiang. “There were some specific costumes that we needed, so Iain started to work on them. George already had in mind new planets, environments, vehicles and characters to develop, so my plate was full as well.”

By September of 1999, the Art Department grew to over fifteen members, and began its regular Friday meetings with Lucas. Working without the benefit of a script — the story was still developing at that stage — they were given the bulk of the design tasks at once — the characters, vehicles, and environments. “That continued all the way through until around January of this year,” explains Chiang. “At that point the focus slowly shifted because George was finalizing the script, and we needed to start focusing our designs toward the sets that Gavin [Bocquet] needed to build.”

The early months of pre-production established in broad strokes the style and look of Episode II. The months preceding principal photography saw a focus on more practical creations — the development and designs of sets, partial sets, and actual structures to be shot in the studio. Now, with production well underway, the Art Department has changed focus again. “In June we started to shift back to some of the other design needs for all the miniature and digital sets that were coming up,” says Chiang. “We had already defined the “global” look, and with the practical sets well under way, our next task was to integrate the two and create a coherent universe. This design integration occasionally changed, however, during principal photography as George updated certain sets and designs. In many cases, we needed to redesign the “global” look to incorporate these modifications.”

As the first unit continues production, the Art Department busily works away on storyboards and designs specific to the sequences being shot. Even before this phase of production is finished, the Art Department will again shift focus, this time turning to the miniature and digital designs required by Industrial Light & Magic to complete the film.

Thursday, September 21, 2000
Issue #19

So, What’s Next?
With the first phase of principle photography on Episode II expected to wrap this week, many fans want to know why the film isn’t scheduled for release sooner than the summer of 2002. What’s left to do? What could possibly take so long?

Most obviously, a film like Star Wars is rich in visual effects. Producer Rick McCallum has described the making of this new trilogy as making an entire live action film, then turning around and making an entire animated feature on top of it. ILM wizards John Knoll and Rob Coleman, among others, worked with the cast and crew on location of Episode II to gather all the information possible to assist them in the generation of the kind of seamless effects that Star Wars fans have come to expect. The ramp up of this enormous effort will be in full swing very soon in ILM’s California offices. They’re expecting to be working right up to the last minute in 2002, tweaking every conceivable detail.

Recently, both Doug Chiang and David Dozoretz answered Ask the Lucasfilm Jedi Council questions about the next year of planned activities of the art department and animatics team, respectively.

Editor Ben Burtt recently arrived back at Skywalker Ranch to tear in to the task of piecing Episode II together. Because the cameras used for principle photography were digital, Burtt was able to have access to footage immediately as the shoot progressed, putting together rough cuts of scenes using animatics, art department sketches and even temporary footage of action figures to fill in the gaps.

For filmmaker George Lucas, the editing room is where the movie comes together. “The way I work is that I cut the movie together, I look at it and figure out what’s missing,” Lucas said. “At that point, it’s more about how the movie flows together rather than how the script flows together. I’m acknowledging more and more that a script and a movie are two different things.”

For this reason, time has already been scheduled for the spring of 2001 for capturing additional footage. While most major motion pictures build in a few days of “reshoots”, this second round is actually more of an extension of the original principle photography for Episode II. There, any holes or improvements suggested by the initial edit will be filled in.

As always, starwars.com and the Homing Beacon will continue to be your source for the official word on how Episode II is progressing right up to opening day. Stay tuned.

Thursday, October 05, 2000
Issue #20

Reflections on Episode II Most visitors to the Official Star Wars website know Lynne Hale as the host of Lynne’s Diaries, the multi-part documentary that covered the making of Episode I. For Episode II, Hale was on set throughout production, handling a seemingly countless number of tasks day in and day out in her capacity as Director of Communications for Lucasfilm Ltd.

“These past few months have been extremely hectic but exciting,” recalls Hale. “Episode II was quite a different experience from Episode I. I learned a lot of new expressions such as ‘good on you’ and ‘he’s good value.’” The lessons learned on the Episode I shakedown cruise came in handy for this production, as many of the first time ventures three years ago were now old hat. “At the start of Episode I, the digital still department which kept track of all the photography was just starting and therefore had a rocky road with technical difficulties. This time around, though, it ran as smooth as silk.”

Technological innovations abounded throughout the production, making a lot of lives easier. “Of course shooting with the digital camera was a big change from Episode I,” explains Hale. “It was great to see the scenes on such a large screen and to be able to capture images directly off the monitor.”

A particular highlight, recalls Hale, was working with the assembled cast as the action played out in Sydney. “It was a pure joy to work with such a fun cast,” says Hale. “The most exciting scenes were, of course, the fight sequences. Hayden [Christensen] and Ewan [McGregor] more than held their own with trained swordsmen. They were fantastic.

“Robin Gurland did a great job in choosing not only the most talented actors, but also the sweetest,” recalls Hale. “Temuera Morrison, who played the baddie in Once Were Warriors, said that people are often afraid of him since they mix him up with the character he played. He is one of the most gentle people I’ve ever met, though.”

Since Morrison is set to play a grim bounty hunter in Episode II, it looks like he may have further to go to shake the fearsome reputation.

Just as a FYI, to avoid old posts becoming one with the Force, this post has been republished so it can be a blue glowy thing, it was Originally posted 2022-06-10 12:00:10.

Welcome to the Homing Beacon Archives. The Official Newsletter of Star Wars.Com, no longer available. I have salvaged as much as I can but have only concentrated on the main part of the newsletter and not the peripheral stuff. I have used images where possible. Enjoy this blast from the past!

Thursday, October 19, 2000
Issue #21

Sounds Like Episode II

Like the bounty hunters to be featured in Episode II, Supervising Sound Editor Matthew Wood goes to great lengths to trap his quarry. His targets, though, are intriguing, organic sounds and his traps are high-tech recording devices.

“You never know what you’re going to get,” says Wood, of his current task of gathering sounds. “You go out with the intention of recording one thing — like, I really need an explosion — but while I’m there the sound of the guy dropping the dynamite down the hole has a weird vacuum sucking sound, and I didn’t even expect to get that. So, I may not end up using the explosion and use the vacuum sound for something else instead.

“It can be an adventure sometimes, because you go out on these really long treks to get one specific sound, but you don’t because the animal or car or machinery is out of commission that day. So I try to get as much interesting material — regardless of the circumstances — as I can to have a great palette to work with, for Ben Burtt and I to start the sound design process. A lot of sound recording is good planning, but serendipity is an exciting factor.”

Wood’s mission to record the real world and transform it into Star Wars is just one of his many tasks on Episode II. “I get to wear a lot of hats,” he says. “I have a role in sound design, recording, ADR recording, and editing. I also supervise the sound editorial team. It’s really fulfilling.” Wood had a similarly wide variety of roles in Episode I, including an on-screen appearance as Bib Fortuna and as the voice of Ody Mantrell.

Much has been said about the switch to all-digital photography on Episode II, but has it affected the all-important dimension of sound in the movie? “It definitely affected the way we recorded production dialogue,” explains Wood, though he warns that a complete explanation would get get pretty technical. “The film is now shot at a video frame rate, and I can use that video rate all the way through the process. There’s a lot of difficulty when film is shot at one rate, and video is shot at a different rate, and you have to compensate for the difference when you’re doing design, editorial, and sound mixing. You always have to change the rate of the sound to match the picture. Now, we don’t have to do that.”

During production, Wood championed the use of a new recording technology, continuing Episode II’s groundbreaking nature. “The production sound was recorded at a 24-bit rate on a new hard-disk technology called Deva. It’s a four-channel hard-disk recorder that records onto DVD-RAM, as opposed to the library of DAT tapes we previously used for production sound. Progress is a sort of overall vibe on Episode II; everything is going forward on the visual area, so I proposed to George Lucas and Rick McCallum the idea to use this 24-bit recorder on a hard-disk. It’s a riskier technology as opposed to the tried and true,’ but Rick especially was very responsive in getting that done. It’s a different way of thinking — take a chance, take a risk. You don’t really get that luxury on a typical project, and the rewards are definitely worth it.”

Thursday, November 02, 2000
Issue #22

The Episode II Juggernaut Train

“It just starts now,” says Producer Rick McCallum, describing the progress on Episode II. Having completed the shoot in Fox Studios Australia, Tunisia, Spain, and England, the production has settled down at Skywalker Ranch to tackle the daunting task of post-production.

The use of digital cameras has indeed sped up the process, but it is still a long road ahead before Episode II sees completion. There is a misconception that the use of digital cameras will allow the film to be completed quite early, but Episode II is so complex that it will require the full three-year timeframe common to all Star Wars films.

“Were on a train, we have a deadline,” explains McCallum. “Its the most extraordinary juggernaut youve ever seen in your life. Nothing can stop it. We cant let anybody rest for a single moment. It seems like a long way away, but every day is critical for us.”

With post-production on everyones mind, the studios that temporarily became the Star Wars galaxy now stand empty. “After we finished shooting in England, I stayed behind for a week wrapping up all of the stages and everything else that wed done. After closing down our London office, I had to rush back down to Sydney to do exactly the same thing: close up everything, close our portion of the studio down. So, basically, we have no one working in Australia any more, except one accountant. Theres not even a trace of us there,” says McCallum.

In March, the production will return to the studio to shoot any extra material required to complete the film.

The Episode II train is still on track for a summer 2002 arrival.

Thursday, November 16, 2000
Issue #23 – Sabacc!

Episode II Animatics, By The Numbers
Heres a quick look at some of the numbers shaping the Animatics Department, currently hard at work in Episode II post-production.

• 14 — Average length, in hours, of an Animatics work day.

• 4 — The date, in May 2000, when the first animatic shots were delivered. One by Matthew Ward, the other by Euisung Lee. The set up of these shots began two days earlier.

• “A few” — Number of terabytes of digital storage for the Animatics Department.

• 10 – 20 — Animatics shots delivered daily (“Were just getting started,” says David Dozoretz, Previsualization | Effects Supervisor).

• 2 — revisions, per shot, on average.

• 1,000 — Approximately the number of animatics already done. Also, about how many there are still to go.

Thursday, November 30, 2000
Issue #24

Episode II Safety Is Job One
Leaving military school at a young age to run away and join the circus, and nowadays plunging into lightsaber fights with zeal may give Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard a reckless daredevil reputation, but safety is his primary concern.

For Episode II, Gillard definitely had safety challenges, such as the stunt-work involving full-sized speeder replicas. “The safety on these things starts on the drawing board, because of lot of these speeders have to go on hydraulic gimbals, which throw them around all over the place,” explains Gillard. “You have to make sure the structure’s sound, so we get a structural engineer in to make sure it doesn’t break up. We have to make sure there are no moving parts that are going to catch a stunt performer. Underneath it, we crash-pad the whole area just in case they get knocked out. Safety is such an issue these days on a film, you cannot hurt anybody. If you’re having actors do all of their own stunts, it’s paramount.”

As glimpsed in an early on location video segment, one of Gillard’s first tasks was blowing up eight people. “We’re going to use a CGI explosion so we just used eight stunt people as doubles, and they march and dive at the right time,” explains Gillard. “Then the explosion is put in afterwards. It’s a much safer way of doing things.”

That is not to say the task isn’t dangerous. “In the rehearsal we use crash-pads for them to land on. But of course, when we do the take they have to land on the floor. Which is another reason why you always have to use stunt people. They dive into the floor.”

Thursday, December 14, 2000
Issue #25

Episode II Update: Additional Shooting
Although Episode II is currently in post-production, this does not mean that filming has wrapped on this latest Star Wars movie. In March, the Episode II cast and crew are scheduled to return to Fox Studios Australia to shoot additional scenes that have developed as part of the evolution of the movie.

“It’s not typical for a film, but it should be,” says Producer Rick McCallum of the additional shooting process. “It’s not typical, because there’s two or three things that happen. For example, some directors get very embarrassed because they think it’s a weakness if they have to do additional shooting. Which is absurd, because an audience doesn’t know how much you shoot or when. This is like writing on a word processor. You cut and paste and you change right up to the minute you hand it in.”

With the shooting completed in March, the new footage will be inserted into the developing cut of Episode II. From there, new angles, scenes and elements will undoubtedly spring forth. Additional shooting later in the year is a definite possibility.

Adds McCallum, “We believe in making that process very fluid, so we change the very nature of how we set up a movie in terms of our talent. If an actor wants to be a part of this movie, he has to know that he’s going to be around and has to be available.”

Thursday, January 11, 2001

Issue #26 – Happy New Year!

Episode II Update: Printing Episode II
Though Episode II is being shot without film — the new Sony Panavision 24-fps camera shoots everything digitally — the movie will be put on film for its distribution to traditional movie theaters in 2002. Although it’s still over a year away from its premiere, tests are already underway to see how the all-digital production will look when its struck to film for a release print.

“That’s been very successful,” says Producer Rick McCallum. “We’re very excited, because this new process allows us to skip two stages.” Traditionally, a film starts off as an original negative, then is processed to become an interpositive (IP) and then an internegative (IN) and then a release print.

“Each time you go through another process, there’s an enormous amount of degradation to the image,” explains McCallum. “Now we can go from data, skipping past the original negative and the IP stage, and go straight to an IN, and then the release print.”

The end result is greater picture quality that holds up after repeated printings. “When you normally make a film,” says McCallum, “you might be able to scratch six or eight release prints, or ‘show prints,’ off the original negative. And those are the very best, pristine prints out there. We can basically do 5,000 now, so we’re really excited about that.”

Thursday, January 25, 2001
Issue #27

Clear Your Mind of Questions
A popular segment of the Official Star Wars website is the Ask the Lucasfilm Jedi Council. Registered members can ask all manner of questions of Lucasfilm staff. A common question is “are the questions you post for real?”

Indeed they are. We get tons of great questions, and it’s a daunting task sorting through to the select few that get posted. Not every one of them can be answered, but we try to choose some of the most popular, intriguing or entertaining questions of the lot.

What helps makes the sorting process entertaining are the fans out there who have fun with Ask JC (as it’s called around these parts). A few of their questions make it to the site (as when someone asked Doug Chiang “Are you an especially dangerous Doug?”). There are so many, though, that we can’t answer all of them. Here are some that we’d like to share with our Homing Beacon subscribers.

• Is Chewie a male or a female? Me and my sister have arguments about it. She also believes that Chewie is in love with C-3PO that is why s/he went to rescue Threepio.

• Since so many people want to be in a Star Wars movie, why don’t you let them pay to be an extra? Say \$500/person. I would!

• Do you know if there were any Gungans in The Empire Strikes Back? Because, in one of the scenes, there appears to be one of them.

• Hi, I wanted to know why Yoda’s house is shaped like Sebulba’s face and head.

• Is it true that Ricky Martin will be in Episode II?

• In a fight between Darth Vader and the Predator, who do you think would win? Because he’s the only guy I can think of who can defeat Vader.

• When Qui-Gon first meets Jar Jar, he says “You own my Scottish kilt.” Why did he say that?

• Can Yoda type to me?

• How come there is no Qui-Gon Jinn bubble bath? Its slogan could be “Qui-Gon, take me away!”

• Does Kelsey like me?

Thursday, February 08, 2001
Issue #28

Playing Favorites: A Quick look at LucasArts’ Starfighter
On February 21, LucasArts is set to release the highly anticipated Star Wars: Starfighter flight action game for the PlayStation 2. In it, players can fly as one of three different pilots during the events that surround the tense Trade Federation embargo of the peaceful world of Naboo. With many options to choose from, playing favorites is not only unavoidable, it’s encouraged.

“It’s one of the key things we wanted to do with the game,” explains Starfighter‘s director, Daron Stinnett. “By playing the different characters through the course of the game, we wanted different people to feel attached to different characters, and have their own favorites. That extends to their ships as well.”

The pilots are a mixed bunch, as are their signature vessels. Rys Dallows is a young fighter jockey behind the stick of a gleaming yellow N-1 starfighter. Vana Sage is a mercenary rogue who flies a sleek and deadly craft. Nym’s a gruff alien pirate with a fearsome brute of a bomber.

“Nym is my favorite,” reveals Stinnett. “He’s just cool. We’ve got a great actor, Charlie Rocket, to play him, and he’s got some great dialogue. He’s kind of a Han Solo-type character, with a seedy background, but he’s jumping in to help people in need. He’s got his own reasons to help too.”

Next on Stinnett’s list of favorites is Sage. “She’s more like a bounty hunter-type of character,” explains Stinnett. “She certainly has an edge in her background and depth to her character. In some ways she reminds me of Princess Leia, especially with her interactions with Nym, and how that relationship plays out.”

Rounding out the trio is Rhys, whom Stinnett describes as “the classic young upstart kid who’s cocky and full of bravado, and ends up finding himself way over his head, yet comes out victorious at the end. It’s easy to draw parallels with Luke in some ways. In fact the whole trio somewhat intentionally draws a real resemblance to Episode IV.”

Of the new vessels flying the skies of Starfighter, Vana’s ship is Stinnett’s number one choice. “Her ship is built for stealth, and that really syncs up with my preferred method of gameplay. You can play more of a sneak attack style, rather than in-your-face blow ’em up. That’s one thing I really like about Starfighter. Each of the characters and ships gives you a different style of gameplay to experience.”

For more information about Starfighter, check out the official LucasArts site here. For further insight into the evolution of Starfighter from Daron Stinnett, check out the official Star Wars website on February 16 for an exclusive feature. Clear skies!

Chat With the Creators of Starfghter!
On February 13, 2001, LucasArt.com will be hosting an online chat with some of the people responsible for Starfighter‘s creation. The chat starts at 6 p.m., PST. It is a members-only event, so be sure to register at LucasArts.com.

Thursday, February 22, 2001
Issue #29

Faces Frozen in Data
It’s still a year and a half away, but toy fans were afforded their first glimpse into Episode II at this year’s American International Toy Fair. There, in a sealed off room open only to specially-invited attendants, Lucas Licensing and Hasbro unveiled incredibly detailed busts of select Episode II characters.

The busts were crafted by Gentle Giant Studios of Burbank, California, who used digital scanning techniques to translate an actor’s features into geometric data. This data can then be used for visual effects, archival and licensing purposes. In the rapidly changing world of digital filmmaking, this innovative practice is becoming all the more common.

“Christopher Lee was very intrigued and very cooperative in the process,” recalls Gentle Giant President Karl Meyer. The legendary actor’s role — that of a charismatic separatist — was one of several transformed into a plastic bust.

“He couldn’t wait for the scanner to finish,” says Gentle Giant Technical Specialist Steve Chapman. “He was so excited and wanted to see his form on the computer screen that he ducked out of the scanner to get a look at himself before it was finished.”

“Ewan [McGregor] had Nick [Gillard] there coaching him in different poses,” says Meyer. “It ended up being just a continuation of what they do on a film, but in a different place rather than the studio, and with a different machine rather than a camera. They were really just doing the filmmaking process, and this is just now another step in how movies are made.”

Keep checking starwars.com for an upcoming feature on how these busts were made and what digital scanning means for the future of Star Wars merchandise.

Thursday, March 08, 2001
Issue #30

Episode II: Book Report
Best-selling author R.A. Salvatore has now half completed writing the Episode II novelization. Though there was some trepidation in originally accepting the assignment, he found he couldn’t turn it down.

“Sure it’s high profile, so in that instance it’s good for my career,” says Salvatore. “But more than that, it’s high creativity. Even though it’s a novelization and I’m playing off someone else, I get to sit down with George Lucas and listen to the guy who created all this. That’s a life experience. You don’t turn things like that down.”

Like Terry Brooks, who wrote The Phantom Menace novelization, Salvatore will get to expand the story of the film, and tell of events not shown on the screen. With Lucas’ guidance, he is getting insight into the characters and complexities of Episode II.

Salvatore explains, “I was able to add in a lot of things that I think will complement [Lucas’] vision. Some of them might not be approved, and I’ll have to make some changes, but that’s part of the process too.”

When Salvatore first read the script, one scene jumped out at him. “When Amidala first sees Anakin again, I really enjoyed writing that scene. I know that the most powerful scenes in the movie are going to be when those two are together.”

The author adds,”Their relationship is very complex. Here’s a guy we know is heading for darkness. I was afraid that the turnover for Anakin was gonna be just a simple thing. People don’t snap like that and go over to the dark side. Maybe they have temporary rage, but they don’t become Darth Vader because of that. But with Anakin, there’s a lot more to it. That’s the real beauty of it. She’s a big part in what’s going on in him. It’s all with the best intentions, they’re just misplaced. I think that was a nice touch with the script.”

The Episode II novelization is due for a summer 2002 release by Del Rey Books.

Just as a FYI, to avoid old posts becoming one with the Force, this post has been republished so it can be a blue glowy thing, it was Originally posted 2022-06-11 16:00:06.