KMC Forums - Knollvision Index

Quite a few people unable to find Knollvisions, so...

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv1.mov
The first set used during the first day of principal photography of Episode III was a turbolift lobby aboard a sprawling Trade Federation cruiser. Only one of the quartet of blast doors opened, revealing the smaller set of the turbolift car within. In this particular set-up, the sliding doors have been replaced with a scored door, and the interior props reveal that a pair of crafty Jedi is loose aboard the Separatist starship. The adjoining hallway was also built out as a larger set on a different part of the stage.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv2.mov

A new corridor extends from the familiar offices of Chancellor Palpatine to a new, more secure private office. Here, the Chancellor is able to make holographic contact with his underlings in private, and a display screen allows him to track the progress of the Clone Wars. This set was actually constructed as an extension to the main office, meaning they are properly connected as they would be in Star Wars universe.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv3.mov

Perched on the hitherto unseen side of Padmé's Coruscant apartment is an airy verandah, with a panoramic view of a city-planet that has seen better days. The stairway on the set connects to nothing, but in the "movie reality" actually leads to Padmé's bedroom. This large and ornate set was built on Stage Two of Fox Studios Australia

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv4.mov

The dark chilly interior of Stage One serves as the location of a set-less bluescreen shoot, as Christopher Lee plays Count Dooku in an environment yet-to-exist. Director George Lucas sits in front of the plasma display screens showing what the HD cameras gather. Also seated in the front row are Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll and Script Supervisor Jayne-Ann Tenggren. To the right of the monitors is the massive revolve device used to spin sets. The space heaters help fight off the damp cold of the Sydney winters.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv5.mov

The revolve is a device used to rotate sets -- in this case, a doorway leading into a Trade Federation hangar bay. To the left of this set is a set of pipes shot against greenscreen, meant to represent elements also found in the hangar environment. Turning right from the revolve, atop a platform erected to film the spinning set, are B Camera Operator Simon Harding and B Camera Focus Puller Tov Belling.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv6.mov

The huge bridge of the Trade Federation cruiser had many intricate components that made for a wide variety of set-up and shooting angles. The production design team crafted a large number of workstations and displays, all self-illuminated with green or blue gels. In the finished film, animated graphics will fill these screens. The Neimoidian captain commands from his oversized chair, though his panicky demeanor doesn't help to bolster an air of authority.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv7.mov

The clapper boards mark the action on Stage Three, where Bail Organa makes a hasty getaway aboard his speeder. Two cameras roll to capture the action -- the one on the platform captures a side angle of Jimmy Smits, while the Technocrane-mounted camera has more of a head-on shot. So high is the camera that the slate is mounted atop a large pole to get it into frame. A third camera captures the action, but it is too small to see -- the Hyperspace webcam is near the back of the platform, where stairs lead to the stage floor.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv8.mov

If you asked anyone on the production to pick a favorite set, there was one clear consensus. The iconic white corridor first seen aboard Princess Leia's Rebel blockade runner in A New Hope. Production Designer Gavin Bocquet meticulously researched the original to create this amazing replica. Though identified as a "Diplomatic Cruiser" in the script, fans have come to know this ship as the Tantive IV. In this photo, a Yoda stand-in provides lighting and framing reference for the on-set crew.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv9.mov

A leader of General Grievous' authority commands respect and spacious quarters to keep track of major military offensives. As Episode III begins, intrepid Jedi Knights infiltrate the most secure areas of Grievous' flagship, to spoil his plans of victory over Coruscant. Stage Seven was home to this massive environment.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv10.mov

Connecting the many decks of the Trade Federation cruiser is a network of turbolift shafts. They're the perfect conduits for Jedi looking to sneak aboard. Most of the dangerous environment will be realized through visual effects, but the elevator car and a portion of the shaft with a working door were constructed on Stage Two in Fox Studios Australia.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv11.mov

Crucial decisions of galactic and personal importance are made in the Supreme Chancellor's Office, the most important chamber in the galaxy. A catwalk view over the fully constructed set reveals that much of it looks the same as in Episode II, save for a new doorway that leads into Palpatine's more secure chambers.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv12.mov

One of several set segments built within the massive rotating frame of the revolve is this section of elevator shaft, which suddenly changes orientating beneath the three exploring characters, played here by two stuntmen and a life-like dummy. A static camera platform captures the topsy-turvy maneuver.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv13.mov

Stage One is host to the huge Trade Federation cruiser bridge set, seen here from the outside and a distance. Animation Supervisor Rob Coleman examines the action, for his team will be responsible for adding battle droids and General Grievous into the environment. Beside him, Matchmove Supervisor Jason Snell constructs a digital wire-frame incarnation of the set, using photographs and measurements taken earlier as a foundation. Sitting in front of a separate doorway set is Duncan Young, the off-screen dialogue reader who played Grievous during the Sydney shoot.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv14.mov

The Senator from Alderaan will meet with fellow dignitaries in his offices on Coruscant. Here, political notables like Senator Mon Mothma, Senator Fang Zar and Senator Padmé Amidala begin developing contingency plans in case the unthinkable happens. Built on Stage Six, this environment is expanded in postproduction to include a panoramic cityscape vista.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv15.mov

Meter-for-meter, this small set actually proved to be one of the most complicated and difficult to build. More than just a useful escape route, this vent shaft needed to be enclosed yet had to accommodate working lighting, removable panels for camera and crew access, and had to look good from every conceivable angle and from very close distances.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv16.mov

Stage Seven housed one of several large sets representing a huge complex on an inhospitable world. Inside this control room, sinister forces conspire to defeat the Republic. Pool table-sized control monitors were simply backlit for the camera; in post production, holographic status imagery will float above their surfaces.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv17.mov

Even though it was technically winter when production started on Episode III, the Sydney weather soon heated up to much more enjoyable levels. Here is the lawn outside of the Stages, often the site of informal lunch-time football, soccer and rugby games. The oddly-shaped window-lined building at the end is Building 28, the Production Offices. Grab some fresh air and sun today, and while you're out, be sure to pick up the Star Wars Trilogy DVD and Star Wars: Battlefront.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv18.mov

Stage Two is another location set on Episode III's most hostile world. The tough, heat-blasted metal and no-nonsense hard angle design suggest a planet of little comforts. This is a conference room, a place where the leadership of the Confederacy has gathered to discuss their next move. Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard stands at the open end of the set to inspect the environment.

http://home.comcast.net/~shirazkh/kv19.mov

Obi-Wan Kenobi has some parting words with Commander Cody before boarding his Jedi starfighter on a crucial mission to track down General Grievous. For this scene, Ewan McGregor played opposite Temeura Morrison and Bodie Taylor, who wore blue bodysuits that covered everything except their heads. In the finished film, they will be helmetless clones, and joined by many others of their ranks. This was one of several landing platform sets which consisted only of floor patterns -- the finished hangar environment, complete with compact clone starfighters, is currently being developed in postproduction.