Set Diary - Inside the Alderaan Cruiser

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Bass
It's up!

Anyone care to post it?

pooperpants
no

jedijunky1138
Inside the Alderaan Cruiser
August 31, 2004
Diplomatic cruiser. Alderaan starship. Rebel blockade runner. Corellian corvette. Tantive IV. Whatever the name, this starship is instantly recognizable to Star Wars fans.

For those on set last year, and to fans just seeing the images now, the classic white corridor always triggers old memories from the original film. During principal photography, magazine and web content reveal plans kept me from writing about this most iconic of sets recreated in Sydney. It was only this July that the first photos of this environment began to be made public.

Though that set has long been destroyed, today we're once again aboard the Tantive IV. In Episode III, we'll move beyond the corridors to new areas of the vessel, thanks in part to a recent revision of the Episode III script.

A lack of network connectivity kept me from planting a webcam on this morning's set, as we moved to a very cramped stage. Our two standard stages during pick-ups are large -- measuring in at 12,000 square feet and 10,200 square feet. This third stage is very cramped in comparison, encompassing a mere 3,168 square feet.

In this space is one of the few full sets of this phase of photography. From the outside, it's not much to look at: a rectangular enclosure with a wooden exterior. Inside, though, we're in the cockpit of the Tantive.

The familiar gleaming white surfaces are dotted with 1970s-era blinking displays and lights. Tucked into one corner is Roddy Barron, the B camera operator. The A camera, helmed by Calum McFarlane, is tripod-mounted just outside the door to the bridge, looking towards the viewport. The framing for this sequence is very similar to shots near the start of Episode I, inside the Republic cruiser that voyages to Naboo. In fact, that footage currently is serving as a placeholder in the rough cut of Episode III.

With the A camera removed from the TechnoCrane, the telescoping device is transformed into a moving light-source. A powerful light, representing Coruscant's sun, is mounted on the end of the crane. Grips Pete and Luke Myslowski gradually rock the light, providing moving shadows as the starship approaches the capital.

Inside the cockpit are five occupants: four of them human, one of them an alien. During rehearsal, the Yoda puppet provides an eyeline and framing reference of the little Jedi Master, sitting between Jimmy Smits and Ewan McGregor. Two Alderaanian crewmembers helm the ship; one is an extra without dialogue, the other should be recognizable to classic Star Wars fans.

Jeremy Bulloch is the Alderaanian pilot for this shot. He has a single line of dialogue, informing Senator Organa of an incoming transmission. Like the other Alderaanian crew, Bulloch wears the sleek light blue and gray jumpsuit that fits with the '70s-inspired view of a futuristic society. Bulloch played Boba Fett in Episode V and VI, though his face wasn't seen in that role. He also plays the Imperial officer who manhandles Leia through Cloud City's abandoned corridors, a character that has since been named Lieutenant Sheckil.

Makes you wonder if Sheckil has an Alderaanian relative.



A cautious traveler should know to factor in starport security delays into his or her itinerary. With the galaxy undergoing seismic political changes, you can't blame Bail Organa for being caught off-guard. Having touched down the Tantive IV at the Senate landing platform, he gets stopped by security. It's very similar to a scene that was shot in Sydney, but it's now been modified to include Obi-Wan Kenobi at his side.
In Sydney, we had a floor -- one of the many landing platform sets I described last summer. Now, we've got nothing, save for green shapes that help sculpt the lighting around the principals to better fit them into virtual backgrounds. Giles Nuttgen is the Director of Photography for the pick-up shoots, matching his lighting and angles to what David Tattersall did last year, or creating all new set-ups when required. For this scene, controlled curtains that spill angles of light onto the floor are the clues to the virtual environment. In the finished shot, the light comes from the Tantive's lift, and a corridor that exits the hangar.

More and more gaps in Episode III are being filled in. After the cockpit scene completed this morning, we were back in the larger stage by 10 am, shooting the Senate landing platform exchange. Today's shoot also includes a holographic transmission from Bail Organa to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a walk and talk between Anakin and Bail, with Threepio tagging along in the background with R2-D2. The astromech droid isn't really here, though -- he will be digitally inserted into frame. For the rehearsal take, to help Anthony Daniels time his stroll, he pulled along the stage vacuum cleaner. Once again, a low-tech solution to a high-tech challenge.

With the completion of this scene, Jimmy Smits wraps on Episode III. Also finishing today is Anthony Daniels. "Thanks for the 30 years of adventure," says George Lucas to him, as they shake hands after Daniels last take.

"Where has it all gone?" wonders Anthony.

We continue on track for a Friday wrap.

Gangularis
awww that's so sad :'(

Bass
Thank you, jedijunkie smile

darktim1
that was a great send off for c-3po anthony daniels for now may the force be with him .

Indy_Knight
That was good, thanks, jedijunkie. So they wrap pick ups on Friday? Episode III looms so very closely...

Brosnan
Can anyone post pictures? I heard there were 12?

queeq
Good send off to Daniels, excellent stuff.

NoMeN
12 pics! woah!

bobafett81
wow! Would love to see the 12 pics.

Thank you!

queeq
Are they legal?

wolfdraven
That's cool that Jeremy will have a cameo in ep.3.

Jedi Priestess
not by a long shot and neither is the actual diary entry UNfortunately. crybaby

PVS
nope, not legal...neither is thinking about the entry in the presence of those who dont have hyperspace.

never thought i'd live to see the day where you had to pay to see a few paragraphs of text on a computer.

Jedi Priestess
hysterical it DOES seem to feel like its coming to that doesnt it?

Sith Master X
Thanks for the update. smile

queeq
At least the diary has public access, so I call that free news gathering.

Jedi Priestess
actually only the first paragraph has public access dear......kind of a teaser trailer of sorts wink

queeq
Ah.. well, I'm stupid.

Jedi Priestess
not stupid.....just pre-occupied

queeq
That won't hold out in court.

PVS
paying for words..what a crock
i understand when an author spends months writing a novel,
and he doesnt want it to be given away on the internet, thats totally reasonable. but this is a journal entry, what kinda nonesense is that?

i think we need to melt mr. lucas's icey heart with a cool island song....

guiro72
laughing

PVS
http://images.southparkstudios.com/media/sounds/609/COOLISLANDSONG1.wav

http://images.southparkstudios.com/media/images/609/609_img_16.jpg

Text-only Version: Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.