George Lucas: Revolutioninzing the Special Effects Industry

that will only last for a couple years, but nobody ever sits down and

says ‘Hey let’s make a bad movie!’ (McCallum 10)

George Lucas and special effects are synonymous. A movie without special effects would

not be a movie. Special effects are meant to grab people’s attention and keep them at the edge of

their seats the whole time, making them feel that they are in the middle of the movie, an active part.

The Academy Awards were never and incentive; the salary was an

incentive. I am here for the same reason now as when I got here: a

yearning to fulfill a vision. (Muren 59)

George Lucas has accomplished this. The special effects that Lucas has pioneered has

changed all movies and inspired many like Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Ghostbusters and the Indiana Jones Trilogy. With Star Wars Lucas has changed the way we watch movies by developing new technology and new ways to present ideas with visual impact. Lucas’s technological innovations are used industry wide and are essential to film.

Growing up Lucas was not interested in movies at all. He would rather be reading a book or dreaming about race-cars. When Luca

is to use a camera that can precisely repeat the same

Lucas’s inspiration also came from Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress had a lasting impact on a young Lucas. The plot of Hidden Fortress deals with a powerful princess that has been captured by an evil army. A group of unknown and unlikely heroes come together to save her; two comical farmers tag along with the heroes, but do nothing but cause trouble and constantly bicker. Kurosawa’s Hidden Fortress shows 16th century Japan with elaborate costumes and comprehensive sets (Pappas 1).

After Star Wars: A New Hope came The Empire Strikes Back. A was set for Empire, to out-spectacle A New Hope and it did. Empire had twice as many effect shots than Star Wars (Baxter 63). Lucas brought back many of the same special effects artists from A New Hope (Baxter 64). Ivan Kershner was brought on board to help direct some of the more difficult live-action scenes throughout the movie. Lucas financed this film independently; Kershner and Lucas discussed the film in great detail. Kershner compiled a nine inch thick book describing the movie shot by shot, with a total of sixty-four different sets being constructed. Empire, like its predecessor was a huge success. This stunned critics, since sequels are traditionally not as good as the original (Baxter 65). The trilogy was now centralized around a galactic civil war with three heroes and a villain. The Empire Strikes Back was a very dark film, similar to a three act play, leading to tying up all loose ends. For Return of the Jedi, Richard Marquand was hired by Lucas to direct the final installment. They met often, just as Kershner and Lucas met for Empire. One thing that was evident in this film was that the characters actually grew into their characters. Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) was now a mature woman, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) fully arrived at manhood and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) a world-weary, odd man out (Baxter 92). Like Lucas had done before he challenged his special effects crew. In Jedi, Lucas explored a truth, “That a larger mechanical force is vulnerable to a natural force.” (Baxter 96).

created objects that could be viewed from any angle. (Rickitt 124)

Some topics in this essay:
Motion Control, Star Wars, Growing Lucas, Light Magic, Hidden Fortress, Wars Saga, Kershner Lucas, Imperial Officer, George Lucas, Seven Samurai, star wars, special effects, motion control, luke skywalker, motion control camera, jedi lucas, wars lucas, george lucas, rickitt 124, hidden fortress, akira kurosawa, star wars lucas, kurosawa’s hidden fortress, star wars hope, movie special effects,