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Galactic News
Friday March 21, 2003
Homing Beacon #81 |
The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk about
models! Since the beginning of the Star Wars saga, the Industrial
Light & Magic model shop has been crafting vehicles and locales
from a distant galaxy, continuing a decades-long tradition of
miniature work standing in for things that would be impossible or
impractical to create in real size.
Nowadays, the computer has taken over many visual effects
disciplines, but there is still a need for the model shop, which has
become increasingly high-tech alongside the digital innovations. Its
task is similar, but with a new twist: the model shop is crafting
practical miniature work for things that would be impossible or
impractical to create in CG.
"Many times practical miniature effects have proven to be a
very efficient solution to some challenging shots that film
directors envision," says Model Supervisor Steve Gawley.
"We often use computer aided machines to fabricate true
3-dimensional parts that are derived from computer files we
generate. We also use digital files from the CG group as well as
providing 3-D maquettes from which digital animation elements are
built."
As a facility, ILM is involved in a dozen different projects at the
same time, and Episode II had over 2,000 shots done over a two-year
period, which is really aggressive," explains Vice President of
Creative Operations Jeff Mann. "As a company, you can only do
so much in the digital pipeline. We have to make decisions about how
to do all of that work at the same time, and you just can't do it
all in the digital world. The decision comes down to what would look
the best and be the most cost effective. Miniatures and models play
a key part in things like pyro effects, where you're having to blow
things up and control that kind of shot, or when you need realism in
a 3-D landscape."
"Sometimes, the model shop picks up shots near the end of that
pipeline, if CG gets totally booked up," explains Lorne
Peterson, Model Supervisor. "Many times, we'll be relatively
free right near the end of production, so we can do a Geonosian
ground plain for the last battle. Sometimes it's money and time.
Sometimes it'll be more expensive to do things in CG than it does to
do the model, so the model shop will get those shots."
Once the decision has been made to create a miniature, the next step
is to figure out how much of that miniature to build, and at what
scale. Usually, digital animation and practical miniature effects
are combined, as the models give a backbone of reality to shots,
like the inner dome of the Kaminoan training facility, or the far
wall of the Geonosian droid factory.
"After you get the design drawings, you have to go back to the
storyboards or animatics, and decide what kind of model you
need," says Gawley. "Many times, you don't build the whole
thing. It's through the vision of the director and what he wants to
happen in a scene that we then give an estimate of what to build. If
everybody agrees on what's needed in the miniature world, we go from
there."
"There are times when we go outside to the parking lot and lay
out with tape how big the different models will be," says
Peterson. "We ask, 'do we want to pay for one that size or do
we want to pay for one this size? Will that do for your shot or will
this do for your shot?"
Large miniature sets are still photographed outside, in ILM's
parking lot, to take advantage of the California sun for lighting.
This practice dates back to the original Star Wars, when Death Star
surface segments were shout outside in a relatively low-tech
fashion: a VistaVision camera mounted on the back of Steve Gawley's
pick-up truck drove past the miniature in the lot. "I think
Steve told me that he was paid an extra $50 to have his truck next
to the explosions," laughs Peterson.
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Posted:
by Jedi
Power
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