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

Hi everyone! I'm new here on this forum!

First of all, I wanted to say thank you for having created this topic. I came across it by chance and it really blew off my mind to see these pictures and videos here, on the first pages, about the practical effects, the sets and small scale models used during the making of the prequels. I've also always thought, since the first time I've watched the prequels, that the majority of the practical effects and environments were CGI. But now, this topic allows me to watch the prequels with a different eye.

Concerning the supposed "return of practical effects" for Episode VII: The Force Awakens, I just wanted to point out that they should have used some CGI, especially during the first scene of the BB8 droid where he's running at full speed on the desert in the first teaser:



While we've all seen that BB8 it was a real machine like R2-D2 during the Celebration at Anaheim, I don't think that it would have been possible, physically, to move him at full speed on the ground like in the scene above. My guess is that they should have filmed BB8 at full speed first before a blue screen, and then, added the scene of the environment filmed at Abu Dhabi later, like what they did with the speeder bike chase on the world of Endor in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. I'm just mentioning this because, even if BB8 could move on the stage at Celebration, it looked quite hard for him to keep his head straight at low speed:

 

Very good point, id probably agree with you there. CGI has really advanced so far, I doubt most of us can tell the real from the fake in the BB8 scene.

Anyone notice how the Trailer BB8's head is sitting nearly on top the ball, where at celebration his head was lower appearing more connected?

 

I actually thought the rickety head-bobbing he did in that shot in the trailer and the tilting he did at celebration really added to his character. It's kinda cute, like a little toddler who's running as fast as he can but can't totally control himself.

 

Rolling,rolling rolling.. :3

 

There was an article from the business times on yahoo yesterday with interview with Mark Hamil that has him giving what is apparently disneys company line about the prequels saying he got interested because J.J. was going to practical effects, as if the prequels were all cgi. I cannot like cause I am on my phone.

 

Hamill has defended the Prequels in the past...

 

Quoted for truth, this is one of the best posts I have ever seen.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-...vbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjAwMThfMQRzZWMDc2M-

Second to last paragraph
Here's the thing that I love. This film is the first of the 'Star Wars' films that's actually in the hands of someone who grew out of fandom," explained Hamill, referring to Abrams, a self-proclaimed "Star Wars" fan. "So he [Abrams] feels the way you feel in terms of wanting practical effects, real sets."

 

But the prequels had real sets.

 

I think it all depends on how they say it. Mark Hamil has defended the prequels in the past, and he didn't say anything bad about them here, implied or otherwise. All he said is that JJ is a fan, and that like many other fans JJ has a desire to use practical effects and real sets.

And honestly, if it's a blowback against anything, it's against modern blockbusters. The past 3-5 years of blockbusters have seen a use of CGI and green screen that puts ROTS to shame. But when the rare movie comes along that does actually make a concerted effort to do things practically (as EP7 undoubtedly is), I think you'll see the difference.

 

I respect MH, but find that whole decision process shtick to be a bit hard to swallow. He hasnt been particularly picky about the gigs he's taken over the last 20 years, but suddenly now he's all contemplative about a guaranteed 8 digit income for a year or 2? Yes we know, you were the Joker, but c'mon man.

 

I agree with you on that point. That's why I don't understand fanboys who complain a lot about the use of blue screen and green screen in the PT while they like other movies like the Avengers or Avatar in which, they've used a lot more CGI, blue screen, green screen than during the making of the PT. There are even movies who are considered as very good in which they've used a lot of CGI, movies that I've never thought that it would have been necessary or possible. Here are some pictures:

Life of Pi:



The Great Gatsby:



The Wolf of Wall Street:












Gravity:



The Avengers:

 

I think I'm going to save my cynicism for something else, and go with you, Han Burgundy, on this one.

Mark has even defended Jar Jar in the past, and that takes cojones and serious professional confidence, these days.

Thanks HB!

 

I know he has defended the prequels in the past, which is great but I just did not like the fact that they are making him repeat the company line from disney/lucasfilm that the prequels were all cgi, these people know the prequels were not all cgi but they seem to want to pander to the mr. Plinkett crowd.

 

For the record, I lose a little respect for someone who seriously refers to himself as "Mr." whatever. People should take themselves less seriously, at least in this area of life.

 

The company line is not "the prequels were all CGI". That's you putting words into their mouths. Now, I will grant you that some people have said it in such a way as "we're going back to real sets and practical effects, we're going back to what made the original 3 films feel real", and I agree that those kinds of statements do have a sort of implied dismissiveness towards the prequels, but that's not what Mark was doing. All he said was that JJ wants to use practical effects and real sets. He wasn't comparing it to any other movie, he didn't say "unlike the prequels", all he did was relay the same desire that JJ has expressed through this entire production; to use real sets and practical effects whenever possible. That's not just marketing/fanboy pandering, and it's not inherently dismissive of the prequels.

 

Will Agree to disagree then. This thread was about the preception in the mainstream that the pt was nearly all cgi and I cannot help but fell that KK,Disney and JJ are definitely using that belief to distance themselves from the prequels. Sure they are not outright claiming the prequels were cg but as you said Han Burgundy they are implying it heavily. I wish some one would email the a link to this thread.

 

Think about another movie that used so many practical sets,, The Wizard Of Oz.. And yet the sequel, Oz TGAP was just piled with cgi! But yet I feel the movie doesn't get that much hate for it, and yet when WOO was made, there wasn't $*** for cgi.. But when the SW OT was made, there was more...
And personally I didn't like all the CGI in OzTGAP!

Did that sentence make any sense? :3

 

True and yet from MH to KK, JJ and even Bob Iger of all people they have certainly played into the balance of practical and CGI like it's something new.

Iger said things before and now again recently:

https://starwarsalways.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/iger-talks-plans-for-star-wars/

The Force Awakens will be “extremely respectful of the look George (Lucas) created in the ’70s”, balancing CGI with real sets and props in order to create a “physical wow factor” that will “play well with ardent ‘Star Wars’ fans and play well with audiences today”.

Iger noted how the use of computer-generated graphics has made filmmaking seem “too easy.” “There’s a sameness to a lot of these films today,” Iger said. “The wow factor isn’t what it used to be. J.J. decided to create the physical wow factor.”

Now presuming that at the very least KK and JJ know the realities of movie-making. I don't expect MH or Iger to necessarily. At the very least it's a playing to a portion of the vast minority of fans (as fans are a but a small part of the movie going audience that sees the movies).

I don't know what he thinks was so easy about Avatar which did kinda well as did some movie he might have heard of call The Avengers and another one called Iron Man 3 oh and the Pirates movies.

So obviously there is some weird strategy going on that applies to Star Wars movies that Disney does but not apply to Marvel movies that Disney does.

It's not like JJ is saying "We aren't returning Star Wars to practical effects since they never left."

 

Are they saying that they'll be trying to re-create the look of films from the first trilogy?

 

it's all spin.

 

I posted this in the other forum but the thread got locked. This seems to fit within the current discussion here. Let me know what you all think about this.

Don't get me wrong, I have loved the TFA teasers so far and immensely looking forward to the movie. But there has been something bugging me and getting on my nerves.

Both JJ and Kathy Kennedy have been continually going out of their way to state that they are using practical effects and real sets as much as possible because they want everything to look real and tangible.

I don't know about anyone else, but to me, this is an indirect way of saying "we don't want this film to look like the prequels" and "Lucas was wrong to make the prequels with all of the digital effects and blue screen."

Kathy talked about Lucas asking her to continue on with his legacy when he asked her take over LFL.

Are they really honoring Lucas' legacy by continually taking those indirect digs at the prequels and refusing to make the new movies in at least a similar way that George would have gone about making them? Keep in mind that the prequels and all of their digital effects are really the way Lucas wanted to make the OT but couldn't.

Also, each of the 6 existing Star Wars films have gone out their way to be innovative and to push the boundaries of visual effects and other technologies that bring the movies to life, the prequels included with all of the digital worlds and characters. Also George shot AOTC and ROTS digitally, which at the time was unheard of for major motion pictures, therefore a mjor innovation.

Now all everyone is talking about including the filmmakers and cast is going retro and old school again.

To me, this is a bit of a slap in the face to Lucas and the legacy he created, specifically the legacy he created with the prequels, but also what his intentions with the saga have been all along from the beginning.

If they wanted to honor George, they would have asked themselves, "would George Lucas have made these new films going the retro route?" The answer is most certainly not.

It seems to me, this has turned into catering to the haters and nostalgia, rather than TRULY honoring what came before.

 

Today I learned from The Atlantic that Lucas used CGI and greenscreen for EVERYTHING and the Millennium Falcon is REAL in TFA.
"Lucas, to the dismay of critics, doubled down and used CGI and green screen for everything, embracing the fact that he could make the "Old Republic" look like an unblemished jewel, primed for the great downfall audiences knew would come. Abrams has wisely gone the other way, returning to the practical effects of the original films. When the Millennium Falcon loop-de-loops at the end of The Force Awakens' first teaser, the real thrill is the feeling that the camera is actually moving with it, rather than mimicking that feeling with the programmed virtual cinematography Lucas eventually leaned on."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/star-wars-the-nostalgia-awakens/391029/

Can't wait until the dust settles on the Disneyverse. Looking forward to Lucas' next chapter, as described by Lucas here:

 

Do people even realize what CGI is? or compositing? I feel like people are getting CGI, compositing and miniature photography mixed up.

 

pretty much every day on my yahoo homepage there's an article like that