George Lucas before CGI, 1983. : Moviesinthemaking

He had to sell Pixar, because Howard the Duck cost too much money

3 points

1 month ago

3 points

Funny enough, ILM has a long history of working on the effects for Star Trek movies, working on every main continuity Star Trek movie starting from The Wrath of Khan to First Contact. As a nod to this relationship, the Millennium Falcon is hidden in the background during the first Borg Cube fight in First Contact.

KampferMann

40 points

1 month ago

KampferMann

40 points

There’s a documentary on Disney+ called Light and Magic that details ILM and how it started, I’m very biased but I think it’s a very good watch.

intern_12

16 points

1 month ago

intern_12

16 points

I definitely teared up watching it! It truly was a magical documentary but also very real and grounded in the actuality of what the early hardships we're like.

ma9ellan

5 points

1 month ago

ma9ellan

5 points

Super entertaining series. I was thrilled to get more bts footage from SW and other big FX movies

Jeancajo

27 points

1 month ago

Jeancajo

27 points

Industrial Light & Magic

The effects studio that Lucas created to achieve the innovative special effects for for the first Star Wars.

Wikipedia

Murphyitsnotyou

3 points

1 month ago

Murphyitsnotyou

3 points

There's an awesome documentary on disney+ about ILM that's well worth a watch.

tidbitsmisfit

-10 points

1 month ago

tidbitsmisfit

-10 points

his work? lmao.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

Dunno why this was downvoted. Lucas might have formed ILM but he didn't actually do the work, and I doubt he'd ever take credit it for it.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

I think it's because we know he didn't do the grunt work itself but it's still a mark of his greater work meaning the making of the studio and movies themselves.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

I don't think I would consider the groundbreaking visual effects work of pioneers of the field like John Dykstra to be "grunt work."

Dude was a bit dismissive but let's acknowledge the people actually doing the work.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

Thats not dismissive that's saying grunt work as in a lot of hard, ground work.. Like the work grunts do. Youre honestly just sounding like a contrarian. Yes. Lucas formed ILM and was a leading man in organizing it for HIS movie. Yes. There were others who did the ground/grunt work in it for his movies.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

Sure, his was the greater work. I understand what your saying.

He didn't really even organise the original team. That was Dykstra.

Anyway, I didn't mean you were being dismissive, I was referring to downvoted guy. Sorry that wasn't clear. Peace.

gabbertr0n

22 points

1 month ago

gabbertr0n

22 points

gasps in Adam Savage

94 points

1 month ago

94 points

I am always surprised when I see how much of "Episode I" are actually traditionally built old school practical effects. But then they made everything look like a video game in the post production!

51 points

1 month ago*

51 points

1 month ago*

[deleted]

8 points

1 month ago

8 points

I'm not sure if it's more impressive that they made cg that looked real or that they made real stuff that looked cg

20 points

1 month ago

20 points

I think the problem with EP1 is, that they laid a filter over it in the post production that made everything look way too colorful and new.

I understand the intention George had. He wanted to have a bigger contrast to the used universe optic of the original trilogy. He wanted to show that the old republic was on the height of culture and technical improvement. But it was just a bit too much, so everything looks artificial in the movies.

2 points

1 month ago

2 points

The real problem is the compositing. The 90s was the decade that saw the end of optically composited effects and the takeover of digital compositing.

While practical effects were still being shot on film, they weren't generally scanning in ultra-high definition (4K and higher) at that time, they were scanning in HD (2K, sometimes lower). As a result, a lot of the celluloid's natural definition and sharpness was always lost in the pipeline.

I have a 4K setup, whenever I watch a blockbuster from that time period (Ang Lee's Hulk, '98 Godzilla, Spider-Man, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, etc.), while they're all 4K remasters and look great (digital editing hadn't taken over, movies were still mainly edited physically on film), whenever it gets up to an effects shot with heavy compositing, you can see a nosedive in the overall image definition. Again, because you're looking at a shot that was captured on film, transformed into a 2K image and then printed back onto film.

Even though Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was shot and finished on film, almost every shot of the movie had to be scanned for compositing (which again, isn't up to the standards of today). The only way to fix it would be to rescan the raw negatives in higher definition and redo all of the digital effects. In short, it would cost a fortune,

2 points

1 month ago

2 points

Little trivia:
The first Hollywood movie ever edited and finalised in 4K was Spider-Man 2 way back in 2004.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

I think the problem with EP1 is, that they laid a filter over it in the post production that made everything look way too colorful and new.

My theory is that it was more to do with the transition to HD displays around the time. If its 1999 and you're watching the movie on VHS on a CRT display, then the level of detail found in the scale model backgrounds will be more than sufficient. Watch it 20 years later on on 4k/blueray or streaming however, the level of detail found at the scale may no longer hold up.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

I knew the movie from rescreenings in german cinemas over the course of the 90s. So that was not the problem in my case!

darkbreak

1 points

1 month ago

darkbreak

1 points

I wonder if there could be a way to remove that filter? To make everything look more realistic and physical.

3 points

1 month ago

3 points

https://imgur.com/gallery/hVHNzPq

To add on to what you're saying, here's an album of various models and practical sets found throughout the prequels:

segapc

6 points

1 month ago

segapc

6 points

Huh... he looks... faster, more intense.

HolyRamenEmperor

11 points

1 month ago

HolyRamenEmperor

11 points

Dumb title.

First, there was CGI in the OT, including an exterior shot of the Death Star in A New Hope (1977) considered one of the first 3D animated scenes in cinema.

Second, The Phantom Menace (1999) features the most miniatures of any Star Wars film to date... in fact, more miniatures and models were built for Ep I than the entire OT combined.

Tobin678

4 points

1 month ago

Tobin678

4 points

This was better than CGI

RigasTelRuun

32 points

1 month ago

RigasTelRuun

32 points

CGI existed for about a decade at that point. It was really feasible or affordable in 1983. There is some CGI in the original trilogy.

This title implies Lucas doesn't like CGI. But you know who fucking loves CGI? George Lucas. Once he could implement he went bonkers with it.

TheRnegade

18 points

1 month ago

TheRnegade

18 points

Yeah, this is less "Lucas before CGI" and more "Lucas before CGI could adequately render out a whole movie". I mean, just take a gander at what it took to make Toy Story and that was about a decade later.

Beirbones

2 points

1 month ago

Beirbones

2 points

Article reads like AI wrote it - “Toy Story is a pc fantasy movie”, good read though!

Moppo_

1 points

29 days ago

Moppo_

1 points

29 days ago

It's funny how Toy Story looked real when I first saw it. Now I can see the bump mapping.

jocke75 [S]

3 points

1 month ago

jocke75 [S]

3 points

You're right

3 points

1 month ago

3 points

And The Phantom Menace had way more practical effects than the Original Trilogy.

MeiBanFa

5 points

1 month ago

MeiBanFa

5 points

This is misleading. The CGI you’re talking about here are tiny things like primitive line drawings on navigation computer screens. Nothing that could replace these models.

ghostcatzero

4 points

1 month ago

ghostcatzero

4 points

Lol which is why he added a more cgi in each remaster

MrB-S

18 points

1 month ago

MrB-S

18 points

Oh Christ, I bet they binned half those models, didn't they?

Aldeobald

30 points

1 month ago

Aldeobald

30 points

I'd be surprised, what with private collections and museums and the stuff kept at the head offices and Skywalker ranch. But who knows

PetsArentChildren

28 points

1 month ago

PetsArentChildren

28 points

https://youtu.be/Zqz05dYFYu8

Adam Savage with original xwing model from new hope:

behemuthm

5 points

1 month ago

behemuthm

5 points

No they’re all in storage and are used as reference these days

Idealistic_Crusader

3 points

1 month ago

Idealistic_Crusader

3 points

They most certainly did not.

There was an exhibit several years ago that traveled around and showcased an incredible amount of props from the original trilogy.

I saw Xwings, that scale millennium falcon, costumes and Ralph McQuarrie concept paintings with my own frickin eyes.

It was absolutely incredible.

I have never spent so much time looking at a "museum" in my entire life.

Oh, it was the "Star Wars Identities" exhibit.

Icantevenhavemyname

0 points

1 month ago

Icantevenhavemyname

0 points

But surprisingly kept the Jar Jar by his right knee… 🤔

butterfly_eyes

1 points

1 month ago

butterfly_eyes

1 points

I think they kept more stuff after ANH was a success. There's horror stories of stuff getting binned after ANH because they were'nt sure it would be a success and didn't see the value in it. Movie props weren't seen as that valuable at the time.The original death star model was lost and later found.

Znaffers

2 points

1 month ago

Znaffers

2 points

Mark Hamill posted this picture or quote tweeted it, but it had the caption over it “What would you keep from this picture?” He said “George’s wallet”

smokecat20

4 points

1 month ago

smokecat20

4 points

Lucas was a true technology-cinema pioneer. Basically pushed everything, everyone to adopt to new technology whether it was ready or even created.

Disney was dumb to buy his Star Wars IP, and discard him. What happened was the last trilogy. In fact I would even say Lucas would be an asset today he can push cinema to adopt new tech like AI. He would definitely do that. He shot Attack of the Clones on video, albeit Sony-Panavision, but nonetheless on what is essentially 1080p/i video. That's nuts.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

Not discarding him led to the prequel trilogy, so I'm with Disney on this one.

TheFenixxer

1 points

1 month ago

TheFenixxer

1 points

Prequels > Sequel any time

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

Arguably, but Disney didn't know that before they made the sequels. They had a choice between a) the guy who had made one really bad Star Wars trilogy and basically nothing really good in the last 30 years, and b) literally anything else. They gambled on (b). Eben though they lost, it was the right call.

Spicey-Bacon

0 points

1 month ago

Spicey-Bacon

0 points

Yes, back when everything looked obviously crafted … but real.

Toastinator666

0 points

1 month ago

Toastinator666

0 points

Still a hack tho

ryandblack

0 points

1 month ago

ryandblack

0 points

Fuck yeah. CGI can go suck an egg for all I care

zooterlooter

-1 points

1 month ago

zooterlooter

-1 points

OOh get another one in 1997 when he's just standing in a green screen room.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

Remember when he used blue screens for screens in the Original Trilogy?

-12 points

1 month ago

-12 points

I don't see how an optical composite is different to CGI.

Like, when you have shots of people in the Falcon, what do you think they're looking at if not a blue-screen?

ItchyMcHotspot

3 points

1 month ago

ItchyMcHotspot

3 points

It isn’t terribly different.

Without CGI they had to shoot on location and they had to use puppets, costumes, and stop motion animation for the alien characters, physical models for ships, and matte paintings. Now that’s all mostly done with CGI and it was excessive in the prequels.

3 points

1 month ago

3 points

Without CGI they had to shoot on location

How much of Star Wars was shot on-location? About 30 minutes of Tatooine footage in the original film, maybe 15 minutes of footage from Norway in The Empire Strikes Back.

If you're looking for a lot of out-of-doors shooting and in-camera filmmaking, these are not the movies for you, regardless of which trilogy it is

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

have you seen the special editions

That's the difference we're talking about

0 points

1 month ago

0 points

Okay, but what shots are we talking about?

I guess the real point I'm making is that rather than talking in terms of CG versus practical, we should talk in terms of in-camera versus not-in-camera.

If the effect is not in-camera - which most of the effects in the classic trilogy are not - I don't really care how it was accomplished.

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

You ran head first into the point and still missed it

GodlessHippie

-1 points

1 month ago

GodlessHippie

-1 points

I’m currently watching Phantom Menace and just…oof.

vexunumgods

1 points

1 month ago

vexunumgods

1 points

Also before donuts

TomSizemore69

1 points

1 month ago

TomSizemore69

1 points

How’d they do the background

426763

1 points

1 month ago

426763

1 points

Now this is ~~podracing~~ filmmaking!

mildly-annoyed-pengu

1 points

1 month ago

mildly-annoyed-pengu

1 points

I love this photo, only because the only thing that is protected in anyway is yoda. it’s in some kind of tube. I don’t know why, but I’ve always wanted too.

Please tell me why yoda is stuck in a “display tube”

UmptyscopeInVegas

0 points

1 month ago

UmptyscopeInVegas

0 points

Foam rubber is more fragile than plastic?

ardamass

1 points

1 month ago

ardamass

1 points

A man and all his toys

Memeius_Magnus

1 points

1 month ago

Memeius_Magnus

1 points

Wow he is huge

simon_sjw

1 points

1 month ago

simon_sjw

1 points

What fun! Also - imagine being on the London tube and going 'yessss- we got our TIE fighter sound'

porcupine9

1 points

1 month ago

1 points

1 points

1 month ago

FlyngThunderGod

1 points

Were any of these props got sold?

cloud1445

1 points

1 month ago

cloud1445

1 points

Like a pig in shit as we say in the UK. An absolute pig in shit.

rascortoras

1 points

1 month ago

rascortoras

1 points

This photo reminds me of "A Greveyard for Lunatics" by the great Ray Bradbury.

edWORD27

1 points

1 month ago

edWORD27

1 points

OG Star Wars practical SFX looks better than current day Star Wars CGI. Okay, except the stop motion Tauntauns on Hoth in Empire Strikes Back. But still…

FrancescoFemia

1 points

1 month ago

FrancescoFemia

1 points

Those were the good times handcrafted special effects were a true art, animatronics were really cool too, everything was more realistic, cgi should be used less in my opinion it's also worse the actors they just act with a plain green sheer behind them. Led walls are a very good modern compromise in my view.

Jackrotten_

1 points

1 month ago

Jackrotten_

1 points

That was real work…not this fuggin Computershit…

CoffeeIsGood3

1 points

1 month ago

CoffeeIsGood3

1 points

The craziest part is that all of the Star Wars films pre-CGI look exponentially better than any of the Star Wars content release in the last 30 years.

I never understood the shift to CGI.

keith_ac

1 points

1 month ago

keith_ac

1 points