Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[Lentulus Batiatus]

This thread should just be locked.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by robgmun

Unfortunately it's only in SD, hasn't anyone done anything like Revisted but in HD? From his forum Adywan said won't redo Revisted in HD for several years, 2018 at the earliest.

Hmm....me thinks you might need to read the entire thread.

Now once we have an official release of what was great and considered classics it will be a day long remembered.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Lentulus Batiatus

This thread should just be locked.

Don't tempt me because you created the removal of the last batch of removed posts ~ You sir are walking on a fine line as it is!

Originally Posted by Elvis

Hmm....me thinks you might need to read the entire thread.

Now once we have an official release of what was great and considered the only ones considered classics it will be a day long remembered.

You would not see 2/3 of it

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Don't tempt me because you created the removal of the last batch of removed posts ~ You sir are walking on a fine line as it is!



You would not see 2/3 of it

Touche..I forgot about that

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by chip75

I think that because the teams and studios that were involved with Star Trek were largely the same, they had such great continuity, they could keep things and reuse them. It's like the tradition of the transporter pads been recycled from one series to the next (I think the TOS floor became the TNG ceiling?).

Some studios in general have a habit of reusing things. I remember that the Spinners in Blade Runner had to be destroyed for fear that they'd end up in a film or series before the actual film they were made for was released. I think there's a prop that gets used a lot in Star Trek and it pops up in a Roger Corman film too (but I can't remember which one!).

And also - cheaper - LOL. In most cases. It is funny, of course any example escapes me, but I have definitely heard stories of props and such being reused and remade several times for several very different films. For some reason the carriage of the Horse of Another Color from Oz sticks in my mind...

To me, honestly, that's what was one of the absolute keys to Star Wars - just what they were able to do with a relatively limited budget for sets. I mean, reading the Rinzler books and hearing about how some of them were really just slapped up and torn down the same day and how good and convincing they looked is really a testimony to real skilled builders and designers. Particularly the Death Star stuff.

They had such limited sets to work with but it was utterly convincing. It still is today. There is a reason Marcia Lucas won an Oscar for editing, as well - with her precision and Lucas' insistence of the fast pace, it all worked together so well with the sets that you never got too long a look at anything, but what you did see was just so well done you didn't question it. That's why, even to this day - the sequence from the control room to the escape on the Death Star always feels so fresh and new to me. It all goes so fast, yet is so satisfying, that I always go back to it and feel like it's "exciting" every time.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Star Trek was made by Paramount on their own studio lot, of course the continuity was great!

As for props, there's that laser-tube thingy that they take the piss out of in Airplane 2, which popped up in practically every 70's/80's sci-fi show, TNG included IIRC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE8T...youtu.be&t=21s

That's the one! I watched Airplane! a few days ago but Shatner always makes things more Shatner ...

"Sir ... I pulled Ted Striker's record ..."
"And?"
"I don't think you're going to like it!"
"God, it's worse than I thought"

I'm sure Shatner wanted to say "God it's worse than my one!"

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

To me, honestly, that's what was one of the absolute keys to Star Wars - just what they were able to do with a relatively limited budget for sets. I mean, reading the Rinzler books and hearing about how some of them were really just slapped up and torn down the same day and how good and convincing they looked is really a testimony to real skilled builders and designers.

I just read that they built the Millennium Falcon out of plywood and steel for The Return of the Jedi's sandstorm sequence in Wales. I can't remember reading that before, of course the scene was cut from the movie but ended up in a trailer. That was sold as scrap shortly afterwards.

Revenge Of The Jedi Teaser Trailer - YouTube

[Falaskan]

aww I wanna know what I missed!

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by chip75

I just read that they built the Millennium Falcon out of plywood and steel for The Return of the Jedi's sandstorm sequence in Wales. I can't remember reading that before, of course the scene was cut from the movie but ended up in a trailer. That was sold as scrap shortly afterwards.

The sandstorm was shot on a stage where they'd constructed half a Falcon, but you're quite right, the scene was dropped and so they'd built the Falcon again for nothing.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

The sandstorm was shot on a stage where they'd constructed half a Falcon, but you're quite right, the scene was dropped and so they'd built the Falcon again for nothing.

In Star Wars Year By Year it mentions that the Falcon was built by a maritime firm from Pembroke Docks and was sold for scrap later. But in The Making of Return of the Jedi it says that the full-size Falcon had been brought out of storage where it had been for three years since Empire. Afterwards it mentions the stagehands set fire to it! All that's for Scene 44, the sandstorm scene.

[Elvis]

Good stuff....even Star Wars had problems:

http://www.dorkly.com/post/67157/the...s-about/page:2

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Good stuff....even Star Wars had problems:

http://www.dorkly.com/post/67157/the...s-about/page:2

I've always thought Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were blasted by stormtroopers then the residence torched. It was made to look like a Tusken raid. Luke was definitely upset when he saw their bodies!

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by chip75

In Star Wars Year By Year it mentions that the Falcon was built by a maritime firm from Pembroke Docks and was sold for scrap later. But in The Making of Return of the Jedi it says that the full-size Falcon had been brought out of storage where it had been for three years since Empire. Afterwards it mentions the stagehands set fire to it! All that's for Scene 44, the sandstorm scene.

That's strange. In John Knoll's book he says that the full-sized Falcon which was made for Empire was too big to store so it got junked, and they then built half (which was all they needed) anew on Stage 2 at Elstree for that scene in Jedi. Rinzler's the one who's done the most recent research for all this stuff (Knoll's book came out in 2005) but when he says "The full-sized Millennium Falcon...was making its last appearance" he seems to imply that it was built full-sized, when it clearly wasn't. Good old Star Wars, still contradicting itself after several decades.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Rinzler's the one who's done the most recent research for all this stuff (Knoll's book came out in 2005) but when he says "The full-sized Millennium Falcon...was making its last appearance" he seems to imply that it was built full-sized, when it clearly wasn't.

I think it's safer to put more faith in the Rinzler books (even though he's a Tron character gone haywire) than others, as his chapters can read like an on-set diaries. I do find all the Star Wars books fascinating the Year By Year one whilst light by the other books standards it highlights George's many contributions to the film and television industry and the pioneering work he's done. It's easy to forget that sometimes!

I am thoroughly looking forward to the Episode VII tie-ins and I hope Disney don't abandon the Making of Episodes I-III books. It would be nice to get the set.

[Thomas Guycott]

By "full size" I think it's pretty clear they mean "full scale," as in a 1:1 set piece versus a studio model or something relying on forced perspective.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by chip75

I think it's safer to put more faith in the Rinzler books (even though he's a Tron character gone haywire) than others, as his chapters can read like an on-set diaries. I do find all the Star Wars books fascinating the Year By Year one whilst light by the other books standards it highlights George's many contributions to the film and television industry and the pioneering work he's done. It's easy to forget that sometimes!

I am thoroughly looking forward to the Episode VII tie-ins and I hope Disney don't abandon the Making of Episodes I-III books. It would be nice to get the set.

Yeah, as I said it's Rinzler who's done the most recent research, but reading through it he kinda glosses over the Falcon in the book and there isn't even a listing for it in the index in the back. Wouldn't surprise me if something got overlooked or the details got deliberately 'compressed' because it simply wasn't that important to the story that Rinzler was telling.

Was there ever any confirmation that we'd be getting similar 'making of' books for the prequels? First I've heard of it, but given how Disney seem to be distancing themselves from the prequels as much as possible I'd say that the idea is as dead as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I'd say that the idea is as dead as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

Too soon, man.
Too soon.

[Geoff D]

Sorry. R.I.P. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. I extend my sympathies to the Lars family.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Was there ever any confirmation that we'd be getting similar 'making of' books for the prequels? First I've heard of it, but given how Disney seem to be distancing themselves from the prequels as much as possible I'd say that the idea is as dead as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

More wishful thinking on my part. As you said as Disney have taken control we may never see them but that's only if there was any intention of making them in the first place.

I'd be happy to get them if they do. The Episode I books were decent but a full 'Making of' would be good stuff. By the time we got to Episode III the tie-ins were pretty extensive with lavish 'Art of' and 'Making of' books available before the film's release.

[al cos.]

Rinzler said on his twitter that the prequel books aren't happening, there's not much prequel stuff on the way at all. But the book he wrote for episode III is basically just as good, just not in the nice coffee table hardcover format.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by chip75

More wishful thinking on my part. As you said as Disney have taken control we may never see them but that's only if there was any intention of making them in the first place.

I'd be happy to get them if they do. The Episode I books were decent but a full 'Making of' would be good stuff. By the time we got to Episode III the tie-ins were pretty extensive with lavish 'Art of' and 'Making of' books available before the film's release.

Leaving my preference for the OT vs the PT aside (because I don't hate the PT, I just don't think it's nearly as good), I don't think those style books would work with the prequels.

Much of the awe and mystery about the OT is that it was relatively publicly undocumented, at least compared to the prequels (though a "narrative" was put forth with the OT in limited publications, it was far from exhaustive). If one wishes, there are hours and hours of special features for the prequels, which go over pretty much the same things over and over - and you just can't get the kind of "drama" out of guys hunched over keyboards and computer tablets (the old kind with a pen, LOL) trying to make something digital do something.

And the thing is, the best, most meaty parts of the Rinzler books (aside from the live action shooting blow-by-blow) was the script and pre-production process - again, the latter well-covered by the "video diaries" and the former, well, very much less interesting on the prequels - George locked himself in a room and wrote and did most of it himself (with a few doctor notes from Carrie Fisher, etc.). He was also very late in delivering a lot of it, especially Episode III (the script was not even dry when they started shooting).

Even the shooting of the film - I mean, we see enough of it on the extras to know the gist, back in the OT there was a lot of "how do we do this? this has never been done before" "is this even going to work?" - while the PT isn't free of that - again, back to - the "risk" was all in the digital. Guys hunched over computers. Stories about Yoda malfunctioning on the set of ESB are far more interesting than Lucasfilm IT rebooting a server. Even the personalities themselves of the participants are likely not nearly as remotely interesting, "Natalie was patient with wardrobe as they spent 3 hours getting her dress to flow just right..." "Ewan cracked a dirty joke while they were standing for three hours in the Tunisia sun while folks debated if the sets were high enough for big tall Liam Neeson."

So yeah, I think Rinzler style books on the prequels really aren't possible to begin with - there are already a trove of "making of" books of the prequels, and there is a reason so many of them are largely picture books - because it wasn't that interesting of a process, aside from CGI technical stuff, and most of it took place in Lucas' head, and trying to pin down the "truth" of what went on in there is a fool's errand, as we'll never truly know.

What interesting stuff there is about the prequel productions is mostly already in the Secret History of Star Wars - for those interested, I honestly think it's covered rather thoroughly.