318
George Lucas before CGI. (files.catbox.moe)
submitted 6 months ago by Blaze@reddthat.com to c/star_wars@lemmy.world
all 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 30 points 6 months ago
[-] pjwestin@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

To be fair, they added way too much hair to that puppet. It does look better than the dated CGI though.

[-] GraniteM@lemmy.world 26 points 6 months ago

Original Yoda looks great. That puppet from TPM has too much hair, has its eyes too wide open, is lit poorly... it's just a laundry list of how not to use a practical effect.

[-] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

That picture is a great example of how to light a puppet. Overhead diffused lighting gives the hair an airiness that makes it feel like an aura around the puppet head. TPM is diffused side lighting like they are lighting a person, but it highlights the differences that make it not a person. Plus the puppet is ugly and only tangentially like Yoda.

[-] all-knight-party@kbin.run 3 points 6 months ago

Damn, I think you need a higher res picture to really drive that home

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 28 points 6 months ago

The death star trench run briefing was one of the first computer generated sequences in a movie.

But as for CGI good or CGI bad, you don't notice the good CGI. But models are definitely more fun to look at behind the scenes.

Relevant no CGI is just invisible cgi https://youtu.be/7ttG90raCNo

[-] jballs@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago

Damn I've been watching this all morning. Really interesting watch. The main takeaway is that the "practical vs CGI" debate is entirely fabricated by the media, but doesn't exist in the film industry. Though it seems likely that studios have something like Non-disclosure Agreements with actors and directors where they have to talk around it.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 6 months ago

The public have no idea what CGI even means. Technically something like The Volume is CGI, but most people would look at it and think they are seeing practical effects, because, in a very real sense, they are seeing a practical effect, a practical effect that's also CGI.

The fact that an effect can be both, undermines the whole definition the public have in their minds.

[-] mipadaitu@lemmy.world 25 points 6 months ago

For those who haven't seen it yet, this is a great video series on why practical effects and CGI aren't mutually exclusive, and why the backlash on CGI is mostly unwarranted.

https://youtube.com/@TheMovieRabbitHole

[-] theinspectorst@kbin.social 23 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Jabba before CGI...

(In a deleted scene in ANH. Obviously he'd gone full slug by the time of his first actual on-screen appearance in RotJ.)

[-] xantoxis@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago

George Lucas after CGI

[-] Xantharian_ocelot@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

Lucas looks much older with the CGI. Must be an industry secret.

[-] Another3quenc@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago
[-] ShadowCat@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Revenge of the Fifth

[-] pissclumps@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

No, that's George Lucas in the middle of props

[-] HWK_290@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

I'm enamored with these old models and techniques. Light And Magic on D+ is a phenomenal retrospective of ILM. Through watching that, I learned recently that the Mandalorian's ship was, in fact, a physical model. Presumably enhanced and composited using CGI.

Nevertheless, it was a weird realization. There is an old charm to the techniques of the 80s, matte lines and all. Even with the same approach (physical models and motion control), the shots in the Mandalorian just looked too clean, too smooth.

The moral is: it'll never go back to what it was, and even if it does, it won't be the same.

[-] Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 4 points 6 months ago

CGI really made him put on weight.

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

And this isn't even the best.

Just learned yesterday they almost caused an international incident filming in Tunisia. Libya almost declared war, since the Jawa sandcrawler was practically made... with military vehicles.

Matters reached high intensity when Libyan made a demand that Tunisia immediately cease its provocative deployment of a massive military vehicle near the border. Gaddafi warned that conflict was inevitable if Tunisia did not comply with his demands at once.

I'm not gonna link a source for that quote because they were all just endless link-circlejerks to other equally bad websites.

There was a Yt short with Lucas talking about that bit as well, but here's him talking about them having the military help them and have all sorts of tracked vehicles as well because the trucks were stuck https://youtube.com/shorts/CPG2fSoM9HE?

[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

Didn't they also almost get in trouble with Hollywood for filming out of the country? There was some sort of guild issue at the time trying to boost in country filming

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago

These models were pioneers of visual effects. I think they were one of first to use tracking shots for minis that replicated the full scale moves. They also created the way of moving the camera just enough during an exposure to give it realistic motion blur.

[-] Emperor@feddit.uk 2 points 6 months ago

He is the kid with all the best toys.

[-] massive_bereavement@kbin.social 1 points 6 months ago

If you didn't know, George Lucas was a time traveler..

this post was submitted on 05 May 2024
318 points (100.0% liked)

Star Wars

4870 readers
4 users here now

Discussion for all things Star Wars. Movies, books, games, TV shows and more are welcome.

1. Keep it civil.

2. Keep it Star Wars related.

3. No memeposts. Memes are great and everybody loves them, but there is already !starwarsmemes@lemmy.world for those.

Community icon art from DeviantArt user DavidDeb.

Banner art by Ralph McQuarrie.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS