The Making of Star Wars/SPFX:Making of Empire Strikes Back

[Joel_Kirk]

Does anyone remember the two documentaries: Making of Star Wars, and SPFX: Making of Empire Strikes Back...

I was taking a trip to memory lane, while thinking of a million things...(like always)...

I don't think these gems can be found anywhere; and, they are especially gems since the Star Wars films have been changed so much...and even the idea of Star Wars has changed since those early days when it was still 'unique.'

I know Sci-Fi Channel (or is the 'SyFy' channel now?) showed the documentaries years back; the 'cheesy' 70s-like sequences (that disco scene with the brutha doing the 3-PO dance) were edited out, though....

I think those documentaries obviously inspired a lot of individuals (like myself) to pursue filmmaking. Too, it was unique in regards to the whole 'behind-the-scenes' aspect, as I feel every SPFX film has to have an HBO featurette or DVD extra with 'behind-the-scenes' stuff...which is cliched, IMO...and kills the mystery and magic of the film if the story, effects, and acting click....

In any event, does anyone else remember these documentaries?

 

[Nardpuncher]

This is one thing where I've probably seen it, but can't be sure till I see a piece of it.

Many of us fans have seen so many making of thingies that it may be hard to tell them apart for some.

I did buy that huge Making of Star Wars book last year. Gawd it's big! It goes beyond anything even an insanely curious fan could want to know. I think it even tells you what was served by Craft Services on some days! (I'm not sure about that last part)

 

[Joy]

I've got a BTS video of the Making of Stars Wars on VHS; it came with the non-SE OT VHS boxset that came out in '96 (I have that, too).

 

[trevanian]

This is one thing where I've probably seen it, but can't be sure till I see a piece of it.

Many of us fans have seen so many making of thingies that it may be hard to tell them apart for some.

I did buy that huge Making of Star Wars book last year. Gawd it's big! It goes beyond anything even an insanely curious fan could want to know. I think it even tells you what was served by Craft Services on some days! (I'm not sure about that last part)

Actually, there's a lot that is missing from that book, especially about ILM. Well over a year into fx production, ILM was shut down and everyone sent home for a short period, while Fox reevaluated the project. This was AFTER the live-action was all shot.

There is NO reference to this taking place in the book at all (they reference a brief shutdown from the year before), and the times I've tried to contact the author, he has not replied. He had access to all sorts of stuff nobody else had access to, so he has to know that this went down.

It has only been documented in a few periodicals, but it really is the 'end of act 2 hook' for the whole origin of ILM story (which is turning into a helluva spec script for me, one I've been messing with it for years -- using a ton of interviews I did with many of the ILM principals, back in the 1990s -- and now finally I have it in really good shape.)

 

[Nardpuncher]

Wow, that'd be an interesting story!

 

[Marc]

The Making Of Star Wars - was the one with R2-D2 and C3PO in the control room showing the behinds the scene's stuff pretty much in character - I remember at one point C3PO says he still has bad memories about the sand in his gears.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I have SPFX on a tape laying around somewhere. I also have From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga on my hard drive. I'd love from them to get released on DVD or BR at some point.

 

[Mr. Sin]

Anybody remember From Star Wars to Jedi? It was available with some of the VHS trilogy sets (Unfortunately it was never converted into DVD, even as a special feature). It has an interesting interview with Lucas, in which he says special effects are nothing without story....hmmm. The bulk of the documentary is Jedi's production, with some rare footage of Richard Marquand directing, a cool photo op of the OT directors on the Mon Calamari cruisers, some goofiness with the Jabba's palace puppets, and a goofy animatic of the speeder bike chase made using dolls. It also had an incredible box cover with Lucas surrounded by the OT models.

There was also a TPM documentary, from Star Wars to Star Wars. However it's mainly an add for the film with Samuel L. Jackson as the host. There is a funny scene where Sam threathens to "Get medieval" on Jar-Jar though. It's not as insightful as the DVD documentary "The Beginning" which actually reveals problems with TPM's production.

 

[RandyS]

Yeah I remember them. I taped them off the Sci-Fi channel in 1993, and put them on a DVD-R a few years ago. As far as I know, they're not commercially available.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

This is one thing where I've probably seen it, but can't be sure till I see a piece of it.

Many of us fans have seen so many making of thingies that it may be hard to tell them apart for some.

I did buy that huge Making of Star Wars book last year. Gawd it's big! It goes beyond anything even an insanely curious fan could want to know. I think it even tells you what was served by Craft Services on some days! (I'm not sure about that last part)

Actually, there's a lot that is missing from that book, especially about ILM. Well over a year into fx production, ILM was shut down and everyone sent home for a short period, while Fox reevaluated the project. This was AFTER the live-action was all shot.

There is NO reference to this taking place in the book at all (they reference a brief shutdown from the year before), and the times I've tried to contact the author, he has not replied. He had access to all sorts of stuff nobody else had access to, so he has to know that this went down.

It has only been documented in a few periodicals, but it really is the 'end of act 2 hook' for the whole origin of ILM story (which is turning into a helluva spec script for me, one I've been messing with it for years -- using a ton of interviews I did with many of the ILM principals, back in the 1990s -- and now finally I have it in really good shape.)

Good luck with that. It sounds interesting...

Anybody remember From Star Wars to Jedi? It was available with some of the VHS trilogy sets (Unfortunately it was never converted into DVD, even as a special feature). It has an interesting interview with Lucas, in which he says special effects are nothing without story....hmmm. The bulk of the documentary is Jedi's production, with some rare footage of Richard Marquand directing, a cool photo op of the OT directors on the Mon Calamari cruisers, some goofiness with the Jabba's palace puppets, and a goofy animatic of the speeder bike chase made using dolls. It also had an incredible box cover with Lucas surrounded by the OT models.

There was also a TPM documentary, from Star Wars to Star Wars. However it's mainly an add for the film with Samuel L. Jackson as the host. There is a funny scene where Sam threathens to "Get medieval" on Jar-Jar though. It's not as insightful as the DVD documentary "The Beginning" which actually reveals problems with TPM's production.

Yeah, I remember Star Wars to Jedi. I believe it--at least for me--it was initially shown on PBS.

 

[Joy]

Anybody remember From Star Wars to Jedi? It was available with some of the VHS trilogy sets (Unfortunately it was never converted into DVD, even as a special feature).

Ah, yes. THAT's the one that I've got.

 

[Mr. Sin]

Funny thing about the recent book is that the hardcover edition has a lot of George's original ideas for the backstory of the characters. It's VERY different from what we eventually got in the sequels, prequels and Expanded Universe:


-Han being raised by space gypsies, and apparentally learning the smuggling trade while working at a factory. Han being an Imperial pilot for a short time is also mentioned, although it's very different from A.C Crispin's backstory.


-Han had a ship before the "Falcon" but it was destroyed by the Empire.


-Correlia was originally "Crell", not Han's home planet, and was a gas giant.


-C-3PO is 112 years old (I remember this was the original backstory for him in the EU) and has worked through the ranks on Alderaan to finally get accepted to the Tantive IV.

-The history of the Empire is very close to what we got, but without the Clone Wars element.

-Luke's father (Annikin) was one of the last Jedi. Vader's betrayal was also more secretive.


-C-3PO barely has met R2-D2, and in an ironic twist, 3PO has never had his memory wiped, but R2 has.

-Leia had brothers (not Luke) on Alderaan.