The lack of smoke in the prequels....

So, has anyone else noticed it?


Okay, now you're thinking, "What's Sithy talking about?", don't worry, I'll explain.



Okay, look at the first scene in ANH when the Stormies storm the Tantive IV. There's smoke everywhere! Smoke when they fire their blasters, smoke when the lasers impact on walls, smoke when the lasers impact on people!
For another example, take the carbon freezing chamber, there's smoke and fumes everywhere! Also, just about everytime a person fires a blaster in the OT there's smoke (yes, I know it's because they're firing blanks of real guns, but that's besides the point ).


Now, in TPM when Padme is trying to capture the Viceroy, there's no smoke throughout the whole gunfight! Laser blasts are impacting everywhere, but there's just perfectly-executed CG sparks where the lasers hit. Don't get me wrong- it looks great, but it just doesn't seem like the Star Wars we're used to without the smoke.
The same thing happened in AOTC. For the huge land battle of Geonosis and there was a lot of *dust*, but no smoke!
Once again, there's nothing BAD about this, it just doesn't seem Star Wars without the smoke. The smoke makes the Star Wars world seem more "used" and "lived in" for some reason.


Now, how does this apply to EpIII? Well, a lot of us are hoping for a climatic on the rim of a volcano somewhere. What's present on the rim of a volcano? Smoke, sulfur, and more smoke. I'm hoping that GL will give us LOTS of actual smoke pumped onto the set for this battle. It contributes to the overall mood of the scene and makes it seem so much more real.

Anyone else notice this lack of smoke and want more of it for EpIII?


[image=http://bestanimations.com/Sci-Fi/StarWars/Emporer-01.gif]
~Sithman~

 

Mace was smokin' after Jango fried him, but it's just not the same

I too miss the billowing smoke crawling the ceilings of the OT, Luke chasing Leia on Cloud City being another prime example.

Maybe red lasers smoke more than blue?

 

umm sithy there was plent of smoke when the trade federation ship got shot down. It billowed all over for the nxt few shots. The Republic Gunship with obi ani and padme flew through it.

 

I too hope that the Obi-Wan/Anakin duel is smoooooooooooookinnnnnnnn, to quote a horny green guy played by Jim Carrey.

I agree that in ESB the Carbon chamber duel got a lot of its atmosphere from the smoke everywhere.

 

Hey, you're right. I feel sort of gypped now. But now that I think about it, I don't remember a whole lot of smoke in ROTJ, either. But I could be wrong.

 

It's not the amount, it's just what it was used for.


In ROTJ it was still used for blasters firing, lasers impacting, Luke getting electricuted, used on Dagobah to create the misty effect, etc.


I think Kaa understands what I'm saying.

It seems so much more realistic. When a super-heated bolt of energy hits something, it should incinerate it- causing a vapor of some kind, not just a few sparks.

And if GL goes to digital smoke for the volcano battle.... I won't be happy.

[image=http://bestanimations.com/Sci-Fi/StarWars/Emporer-01.gif]
~Sithman~

 

Perhaps the smoke will go along with the advancement of weaponry in the PT. It was either McCallum or Lucas who said that AOTC and EP III will greatly show the advancements in technology and weaponry

In AOTC, you see that the clonetrooper armor absorbs blasts from blasters most of the time.

In the OT, stormtrooper armor does absolutely nothing against blasters....and they get SMOKED.

Perhaps as the weapons get stronger they start to "fry" the point of impact, whether it is flesh or armor.......or ewoks.

 

The prequals are too clean. I let the lack of grit slide for Ep 1. It was supposed to be a beautiful, un-ravaged universe.

But Ep. 2 needed more grit, more crud to show how the galaxy is turning to the darkside.

 

Right on, MusicJedi, that's sorta what I was thinking.


AOTC moved a little in that direction, but we really need EpIII to kick in with the grit and smoke, IMO.

 

I'd agree MusicJedi but the problem is that it's not crud until the end. And then things get pretty dirty.
Hmmm AotC, there was smoke and such in the geonosia factory.

 

Maybe alot of smoke makes compositing Blue Screens more difficult?

 

I just don't understand why they had to make the smoke in Geonosis ALL digital!

 

Right, even though it looks the same, for some reason it just doesn't feel the same. The stuff on the conveyor belt and stuff... just didn't look the same. :-\

 

I don't know.. it seems to me that in the OT all an invading force would have to do is shoot the walls a lot and fill the "captured ship" (in this case the Tantive IV) with smoke and thus suffocate the crew without actually shooting anyone!

I like the "lack of smoke" however the lack of crud is something I must contest. In the Tatooine scenes in TPM, especially, everything is pretty grimy... in AOTC we have Watto... Mr. Grimy. On Naboo everything is supposed to be clean and beautiful... even on Coruscant it is the same situation as most of the scenes are shot in Senator's apartments and in the Senate itself. Then again, perhaps Obi Wan should have been grimier after having spent all of that time in the same set of clothes... perhaps the Geonosians gave him a bath?

 

Uh...digital smoke looks the same, but doesn't feel the same...? ?

I think you guys are missing out on a lot of cool smoke in AOTC ---

The arrival on Coruscant is even "smokier" than Cloud City.
The terrorist attack on Padme's ship is "smokey" as hell.
The area outside the nightclub is "smoking".
There are flames and smoke in the speeder chase - Blade Runner-ish.
There are great big piles of smoke when Anakin/Padme arrive on Geonosis.
There is smoke and dust aplenty in the clone battle.
Anakin is "smoking" after Dooku fries him.
There is smoke and sparks as Anakin cuts the cables.
There is smoke in the arena battle, like when Jango flames Mace.

And I'm sure I've missed a zillion smoking things!
This is really creating a nitpick...imo.

At least if it really comes down to a lack of smoke from the blasters.

 

"Umm sithy there was plent of smoke when the Trade Federation ship got shot down. It billowed all over for the next few shots. The Republic Gunship with Obi, Ani and Padme flew through it."

That wasn't smoke, it was a cloud of dust and dirt.

 

I'm surrounded by frickin' idiots

 

Kiri,

Nevermind, I guess I'm not getting my point across.

There's a difference like between the "misty smoke" of Jabba's palace to the pillowing smoke of the blockade runner from ANH.
Padme's tragedy on the landing platform was the "misty smoke" type deal whereas there shoulda been billowing smoke after an enormous cruiser exploded.

Plus, the entrance to Coruscant is "fog", not smoke. And can anyone tell the different between THAT fog and the fog on Dagobah? I sure can.

 

I don't really understand this nitpicking. Certain situations and events call for smoke or something like it, thats all. Its not intentional (GL doesn't sit down and say how can I put smoke in the PT). There are plenty of these situations in the PT as well as the OT. I'm not in the mood but theres plenty in AOTC. TPM had a lot. One word: Dioxis. This nitpicking is ridiculous. Smoke, gas, dust, or fog is used when it is needed. As for there not being as much smoke when battle droids are hit with blasters as when stormtroopers are, they are two different things made of different material. Stormtroopers are humans in armor. Battle droids are just metal machines. I'll need to check, but I'm pretty sure clones smoke when they are hit. Like when the clone gets shot off the platform when anakin and obi wan are going into dookus hangar. I just think this bickering is pointless.

 

I'm trying to say, it's not so much the smoke itself, it's just a general feel that the smoke contributes to.

Even digital "grit" can't compare to dirt that has actually been smeared on or smoke that is ACTUALLY there.

I love the prequels (all SW films are equal in my book), but it's just something that's different about them and wouldnt' be hard to fix.

I'm just saying that I hope GL can do more of it in EpIII.

 

Try watching the hangar shootout at the end of TPM again. I have it on right now, you can see smoke from the explosions. Starting at the point where Darth Maul shows up.

 

Stormcloud, I just rediscovered this thread and was about to post the same thing.

 

Sithman;

I do know the difference between smoke and fog. I just said that the beginning of AOTC has plenty of fog. And does it look different from the fog in TESB? Of course. This is a city-planet shrouded in clouds, probably early morning. Dagobah is a swamp planet. These things don't look the same, period. Quite how you can see that the fog in AOTC is digital is frankly way beyond me.

I still insist that there's plenty of smoke in AOTC.
But I do understand what you're saying.

Now here's something to nitpick about; how can a planet consisting of nothing but steel and glass possibly produce clouds?

 

Perhaps that's smog?

[image=http://bestanimations.com/Sci-Fi/StarWars/Emporer-01.gif]
~Sithman~