10 Best Practical Effects In Star Wars Ranked

10 Best Practical Effects In Star Wars, Ranked

The Star Wars saga is a triumphant demonstration of great practical effects, but some of its effects stand out more for their astounding results.

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Since the release of A New Hope in 1977, the George Lucas saga has been famous for its iconic imagery and groundbreaking experimentation with special effects. The Star Wars franchise is memorable because of its use of practical effects. These span from the vivid locations and the “used future” details of the universe to the top-notch puppeteering that makes certain characters feel real.

Star Wars is a triumphant demonstration of the wonders of practical effects, which have facilitated further development of special effects in the film industry. However, some practical effects stand out more than others for their astounding results.

10 Location Filming Created Immersive Environments

While the prequel trilogy is well-known for its vast incorporation of green-screen and digital rendering, the original trilogy utilized more location filming with some studio sets and blue-screen. This practical effect choice provides better immersion for the audience as the actors are present in the area and they can interact with the surroundings.

Many of the most iconic places in the original trilogy were filmed in real-life locations. Tatooine was filmed in Tunisia and Death Valley National Park in California. The planet Hoth was captured near Finse, Norway. Redwood National and State Parks stood in for the forest moon of Endor.

9 Real Actors And Paintings Stood In For The Stormtroopers

Since CGI would not reach its peak until the 21st century, production found other ways to increase the number of Stormtroopers. Extras donned the high-density polyethylene armor in the original trilogy. The Stormtrooper’s presence was also increased through matte paintings, which portrayed more Empire mooks than there actually were in live-action.

For the prequel trilogy, extra Stormtroopers were added through CGI. As part of later Star Wars production’s attempt to return to more practical effects, the First Order Stormtroopers were also played by in-person extras. Disney+’s The Mandalorian utilized a real-life fan group, the 501st Legion, for stormtroopers in the season 1 finale.

8 Miniatures Captured Mos Espa’s Grittiness And Bustling Excitement

One of the practical effects the prequel trilogy used was the manipulation of miniatures for crowd scenes. Models of multiple aliens were used for crowd characters and stand-ins. These made ensemble scenes come to life, including the Mos Espa Grand Arena which had an audience composed of 450,000 Q-tips.

The Phantom Menace has the most miniatures out of any Star Wars film. The stadium was also a giant model set, which captured the dusty grunginess of Tatooine’s desert environment and the grand scope of the podracing event. The podracing event is where a young Anakin Skywalker proves the full potential of his latent Force abilities for the first time.

7 Remote Control Robots And Actors Played The Droids To Perfection

Adored for their charming personalities, the droids of the Star Wars franchise are considered some of its pivotal mascots, including the fussy C-3PO and cheeky R2-D2. The droids’ essences were captured by actors’ performances and physical props.

Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels played R2 and 3PO respectively, moving and operating from within aluminum, steel, fiberglass, and/or Vac-formed plastic contraptions. In contrast, BB-8 from the sequel trilogy was portrayed by a rod puppet and a remote-controlled robot prop that operated on-set with the actors.

6 The Rancor Was Treated Like A Live-Action Creature

The rancor appears in Return Of The Jedi as Jabba the Hutt’s pet. The rancor is fed Jabba’s enemies and dissidents as Jabba and his cronies watch. Initially, production wanted someone in a suit but chose a rod puppet when actors didn’t give the desired effect.

Filmed on a miniature set, the 18-inch puppet had 5 handlers and was treated like a living being for the performance. When Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker fights and kills the rancor, the scene combined blue-screen with shots of the puppet moving. The scene was also captured with a high-speed camera, slowed down to give the idea that the rancor was large.

5 The Sarlacc Pit Was A Nauseating Marvel

Known for being Jabba’s second attempt at executing Luke Skywalker in Return Of The Jedi, the Sarlacc pit is home to another animal that feeds on Jabba’s prisoners. The Star Wars Special Edition, under Lucas’ guidance, added digital effects to the Sarlacc’s appearance out of concern that it didn’t seem alive enough. However, it was originally a practical effect.

The pit was constructed in the Yuma desert with teeth and a mouth, and a hydraulic system was intended to give the creature some semblance of movement. Unfortunately, due to difficulties with sand, the crew had to use wires and poles to simulate activity instead.

4 Scale Models And Perspective Created The Ships And Vehicles

The Star Wars AT-ATs and spacecraft were models created for Industrial Light & Magic by visual effects artists like Lorne Peterson. Not only were numerous models made, but many versions of the ships were made since the spacecraft was involved in battles and would be destroyed.

ILM experimented with different building materials and techniques to create the perfect exploding effects. Kitbashing was another strategy used, where they would delve into model kits and add various pieces to models and sets to make the textures intricate and distinctive. These details were dubbed “greebles.”

3 Jabba The Hutt Required Multiple People To Operate

Jabba the Hutt’s first appearance in A New Hope is brief, created with stop-motion imposed over an actor. Return Of The Jedi sees Jabba reappear as a bigger threat, now the owner of a frozen Han Solo since he failed to pay off his debts. As a rather heavy Hutt, it fits that the Jabba puppet was one of the biggest ever used in film and required three puppeteers.

Two people inside operated the arms, head, and tongue while one had the responsibility of wiggling the tail from inside. The entire object weighed one ton, cost half a million dollars to build, and even had its own makeup artist.

2 The Death Star Was Made From Matte Paintings And Models

The infamous Death Star was made from a combination of intricately detailed oil matte paintings, set pieces for perspective, and physical scale models. The use of all three contributed to the illusion that the enormous battle station truly exists.

For the suspenseful trench run at the climax of A New Hope, an overhead shot dives into the trench. This was created by two shots being seamlessly spliced together. The first half was a painting done by Ralph McQuarrie, which transitions neatly into the 3-D model of the trench through the covering flash of a laser blast.

1 Yoda Seems Like A Living Person

Yoda first appears in The Empire Strikes Back. A remnant of the old Jedi Order before the Empire, Yoda becomes Luke’s teacher after the death of Obi-Wan in A New Hope. Despite his convincing facial expressions, movement, and memorable personality, Yoda was played by a puppet. Yoda was operated and voiced by Muppet veteran Frank Oz and built by British make-up artist Stuart Freeborn.

Even though the final result was fantastic, the production had an issue. Due to being made of heavier material than Oz was used to in his time in The Muppets, the weight affected his arms and made Yoda’s filming schedule inconsistent.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/best-star-wars-practical-effects/

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