Category: Sci-Fi

Bits of Film to Bits of Data

Part 4 of Light & Magic gets into ILM of the 80’s when, by that time, they were turning the crank on analog/optical special effects. There was some burnout within the ranks, along with a feeling that they’d reached the limit of what could be done with cameras and physical objects.

The EditDroid, that I discussed here previously, is credited as the start of the push by George Lucas into digital technology. After that, Photoshop and Pixar were created. (Yes, Photoshop had a Lucas connection.) That’s a DEC VAX 11/780 minicomputer shown at the start of the video.

A Long Time Ago…

Syd Mead concept illustration for United States Steel that became the basis for the AT-AT walkers in The Empire Strikes Back

Much of the third part of Light & Magic, Lawrence Kasdan’s ILM documentary on Disney+, is about the making of The Empire Strikes Back. Something I’ve neglected to say is, the clips from Star Wars and Empire are from the original film elements, with scratches and speckles intact.

Seeing these widescreen HD snippets of the movies as they first appeared in movie theaters, even the color differences compared to the “corrected” digital releases opened doors in my memory. It would be wonderful if Disney were teasing us for an upcoming re-release of the original Star Wars, before the “New Hope” title was added in 1978. What is much more likely is that Kasdan wanted to show examples of the special effects that were faithful to what the ILM team created.

My favorite moment in part 3 is when illustrator Joe Johnston talks about Syd Mead’s portfolio of concept paintings for United States Steel.

One of Mead’s paintings has a vehicle with a split rear window. It reminds me of the 1963 Corvette Stingray, a car that fascinated me as a kid.

https://sydmead.com/category/gallery/us-steel/

1963 Corvette Stingray with split rear window

Stapp’s Straps

Jack Kirby was born on this day in 1917. The late-50’s comic strip Sky Masters of the Space Force was superbly illustrated by Jack, with perfectly complementary inking by Wally Wood. Note: Kirby/Wood refers to writer Dave Wood, not the unrelated Wally.

The last panel in that strip reminds me of the famous rocket sled tests performed by Dr. John Stapp.

John Stapp (1910-1999)

Stapp’s groundbreaking Air Force work, testing the limits of human endurance under extreme conditions, was nothing like the ghoulishly criminal experiments conducted by the Nazis. Stapp was entirely practical in considering the effects of supersonic flight on pilots, and his data was invaluable when the manned space program began. The 3-point lap belt for cars came from Stapp’s research. The PBS series American Experience profiled Stapp in its “Space Men” documentary.

Spaaaaaaaaaaaace Forrrrrrrrrrce!
Art by Jack Kirby and Wally Wood
Color Guide, watercolor on photostat of original art

Lights! Camera! Magic!

Having watched part 2 of Light & Magic on Disney+…

… I could be completely happy seeing only the first two installments…

… because as familiar as I was with the story behind the making of Star Wars…

… this documentary really brings back the delighted amazement I felt…

… of seeing it in a movie theater in 1977.

Ralph McQuarrie’s paintings were, for George Lucas, what the Decca audition tape was for the Beatles — the thing that sold the Big Thing. Speaking of the Beatles, Light & Magic makes for quite a contrast with the other big multi-part documentary that’s on Disney+, Get Back. One shows the struggles at the beginning…

… and the other shows the struggles at the end.