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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

PT Practical Effects in the Prequels- Sets, Pictures, Models, etc.

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by Han Burgundy, Dec 28, 2013.

  1. Delta Scepter

    Delta Scepter Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 5, 2014

    That's actually a parade float.
     
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  2. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2003
  3. DarthAnakin96

    DarthAnakin96 Force Ghost star 5

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    Feb 5, 2016
    OMG, I was wondering in what deleted scene a bunch of jedi went to naboo[face_laugh]
     
  4. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    it was with the other pics and it was a thumbnail. now that i'm looking closer there are apparently giants living there.
     
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  5. Darth Basin

    Darth Basin Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 15, 2015
    Some of the Clone Troopers looked so real that when I first saw ROTS I was like "oh look some of the Troopers are in real suits." When cgi fools you it can be better than pratical.
     
  6. Tonyg

    Tonyg Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 16, 2016
    This is a clip, not a photo, still it is important. It is from AOTC that is heavily acussed to use to much CGI that's why I post it.
    It explains how the models are important no matter the special effect guys actually wanted to make the movies in most advanced possible way. It is just not possible, or more precisely, it wasn't. They used models because was essential even for the CGI shots (they areactually mix of CGI and practical elements). It can be seen how the action is shot in the practical sets, ot only in blue screen sets.
     
  7. Darth Basin

    Darth Basin Jedi Master star 5

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    Aug 15, 2015
    @Toyng. Look just because cgi was used in ALMOST, not EVERY, shot does not make the prequels "Toy Story" like you keep repeating.
     
  8. Tonyg

    Tonyg Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 16, 2016
    Repeating? I said several times in this thread that it doesn't make PT a Toy story (we had a discussion with Darth Downunder about that). And sorry for the spelling mistakes above ( I meant to said 'Not only in blue screen sets" but it was late to correct them) but I think it is obvious that even in CGI 'transformed sets" they used practical models not to mention they real sets.
     
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  9. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015

    Do you have clips of the real-looking clone troopers to share? I've been looking for years and haven't been able to spot them.
     
  10. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    we thought they were real when the movie came out.
     
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  11. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015

    Who did? On first viewing, it was 100% clear to me that they were digital. I'm wondering if there are some shots where they look realer than others, as Basin said.
     
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  12. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 5, 2001
    They can look real in still shots. The problem is the lighting & especially the movement. Breaks the illusion immediately IMO.
     
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  13. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015

    Oh sure, stills are one thing (though they still look digital in most stills, IMO, mostly due to how they are lit). But as these were films, movement is important. :)

    Basin suggested, however, that there were some scenes where they seemed real. Any idea what he might be referring to?
     
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  14. Darth Downunder

    Darth Downunder Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 5, 2001
    Yes they're called motion pictures for a reason. That's why if people start posting stills I don't think it'll be very useful.
    Not really. Particularly now in HD on a big screen. The animation jumps out at you. Well me at least.
     
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  15. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015
    Yeah, I have no issue with fans appreciating the more animated aesthetic of the PT. But to try and argue that the most glaringly CG elements look real seems a little much. Just accept that the PT style is not a realistic one, enjoy that if you enjoy it, and leave it there.

    TPM, apart from the gungan stuff, is an exception though. I think that's generally a very realistic looking film, and certainly the best-designed of the prequels. I chalk that up to Chiang's design influence (he had far less influence on AOTC and none on ROTS), as he's the true heir to McQuarrie.
     
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  16. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    back when the film came out in 2002 no one was talking about them being digital because people didn't know.
     
  17. Alienware

    Alienware Jedi Master star 3

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    Apr 19, 2013
    I did.
     
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  18. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    everybody did. it wasn't until after the movie came out that articles were released saying there were no actual suits made that people knew. i was on a bunch of forums then including this one and no one knew.
     
  19. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015

    Er, I don't think you speak for "everybody" here JT. :) When I saw ROTS in the cinema on the fourth day of its release, I recognized that the clone army, including individual troops in closeup (such as the guys who hang out with Yoda), were digital. It was so obvious that I had no doubts about it, and didn't need that opinion confirmed online. Indeed, during that time I was living abroad and had no regular access to the internet (apart from on occasional visit to an internet cafe), and wasn't following any news or chatter about the film.
     
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  20. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    talking about aotc.
     
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  21. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015

    Had the same experience with AOTC, though I didn't see it in the cinema. In that case, I wasn't online at all, really. I picked it up when it came out on DVD, watched it, and the clone troopers were clearly CG on first viewing. I was a little shocked, to be honest, and asked some friends about what happened. Were the on-set shots somehow ruined? I couldn't believe that Lucas would have human characters in armor, in close-ups, be CG. It didn't make sense to me, not least because it's generally cheaper (and looks better) to have someone in a costume. Friends confirmed for me that nothing went wrong, and it was an aesthetic choice Lucas made as he was pushing the boundaries of realistic CGI. Fair enough. Some didn't mind it. I did.

    Though I'm still waiting for Darth Basin to send me clips of those realistic clone troopers in ROTS! :)
     
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  22. Alienware

    Alienware Jedi Master star 3

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    Apr 19, 2013

    Um, well for me every shot of them is realistic, even if I know that they're digital. Suspension of disbelief I believe it's called.
     
  23. JabbatheHumanBeing

    JabbatheHumanBeing Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Jul 14, 2015

    Yeah, we each have different thresholds about that. As someone who hasn't spent a lot of time gaming, it's hard for me to accept digital humanoids (and obviously digital lighting) in a live-action film. But I have no problem with other people having a different threshold. No reason to be judgmental about it.

    I don't, however, fully understand the decision to have human characters be digital in close-ups. It makes sense when you need to create thousands of extras. But in more intimate scenes, it seems hard to justify. Just my two cents.
     
  24. thejeditraitor

    thejeditraitor Chosen One star 6

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    Aug 19, 2003
    i'll just say this, the majority of people were unaware of the cg clones in the pt until the articles about it came out. all the pt cg holds up great still except for a couple shots like anakin riding the shaak but compare that to matrix reloaded and the big brawl. that movie was great and the shots were jaw dropping but even a couple years later they looked dated and pretty bad. the pt still holds up better than most movies even today.

    to think they were making those quality cg effects (in the pt) in the late 90's and early 2000's is staggering.
     
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  25. Torib

    Torib Jedi Master star 2

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    Jan 27, 2016
    I would speculate that at least part of his reasoning in going this route was due to the need for extremely consistent performances on the part of the clones, who even in close-up shots were often in groups of a dozen or more. There's a lot you can tell about a human being from the way they move, even when they're behind a costume. The exact way that an actor shifts his weight as he walks, the amount of muscular tension you can see in his movements, the specific postures that he takes, all of that is stuff we instinctively pick up on as human beings. You can try and find extras who are of similar heights and weights and try and train them together, but there will always be tiny idiosyncrasies that will stand out to the human eye. Normally this might be a good thing, but in the case of the clones, from the moment we first see them marching in eerily perfect unison to the tune of the Imperial March, they are portrayed as being unnatural, uncanny, and almost robot-like in their lack of individuality. In this context all those little unavoidable idiosyncrasies on the part of the extras would undermine that feeling of otherness that Lucas is going for. Now, granted, there are a couple scenes like the one with Yoda where you could get away fine with a human actor, though I never noticed the clone was CG anyway and I'm not sure how much difference it would make since he's interacting with a CG Yoda anyways.
     
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