The Battle of Yavin

Share

Yavin IV is a small moon orbiting the gas giant Yavin. It’s also where the Rebel Alliance decided to set up camp. Most of the battle preparation scenes took place in the hangar, briefing room, and throne room, not counting the few exterior shots. The battle obviously took place in space and there were a few changes made from script to film. Let’s take a look.

Read More

The Cantina

Share

When I think back to 1977 and seeing Star Wars for the first time, I remember that the Cantina scenes contained some of the most memorable imagery. There were all these wonderfully crazy aliens, our introduction to Han Solo and Chewbacca, the over-zealous Greedo, the catchy music with the swinging band, a bar fight resulting in the loss of an arm, and more. All the TV shows and news programs aired clips from it all the time. However, even the most memorable scenes fall prey to the mighty editors.

Read More

Life on Tatooine

Share

Tatooine was home to Luke Skywalker. His friends lived there. He grew up and was educated there. He worked there. The only family he knew about lived there. It seemed that he was content but as with most teenagers, all he thought about was leaving. Until Obi-Wan came calling, it didn’t seem like that would be happening any time soon.

Read More

The Droids You’re Looking For

Share

C-3PO and R2-D2 are two of the most beloved characters in popular culture. They are also central to the Star Wars universe. Those first lines spoken by C-3PO (“Did you hear that?”) started us on a never-ending journey full of action and adventure that will live on forever. Faithful companions and servants, it’s a safe bet you’ll never see a Star Wars film without them in it. This semi-comedic pair never seem to be out of trouble and someone’s always searching for one or both of them at any given time.

Read More

The Lost Cut of Star Wars

Share

There are many phases associated with making a film. First there’s the preproduction phase, where much time needs to be invested otherwise you’re flying blind for the rest of the production. There’s the actual shooting of the live action, known as the production phase, which is where you capture your vision on film. Then there’s the postproduction phase, where everything comes together and you use your skills and talents to create an end result that’s pleasing to not only you but hopefully to everyone who sees it. In between those three phases, however, lie many sub-phases too numerous to mention here. From writing and casting to lighting and cinematography to editing and looping dialogue; the process can be very involved but it’s that end result, the zenith of the director’s vision and the crew’s hard work, which makes it all worth it. Getting to that point is the real challenge. Read More