I was initially introduced to Star Wars by my father at the tender age of four. At first, my love for it was simply the action and the fantasy that surrounded what later evolved into why it means so much to me today. It was my earliest and one of my only conscious memories of a true release for me; to become so immersed in something and to fall in love with it. It opened doors to so many things for me as a child: science fiction literature, sci-fi films, other works by George Lucas, my interest in film in general, and now my desire to work in the film production business.
Of course, being unable to have seen them in their original theatrical releases, my father and I made darn sure that we saw the re-release of the original trilogy in theaters in 1997 in order to promote the prequels (which shall not be mentioned here). Although they were not as I remembered them, with new scenes and re-mastered special effects, I felt as though I could join the ranks of the nerds who remember the original theatrical release in 1977. And for a seven-year-old, it was rather awe-inspiring.
The mastermind behind it all, George Lucas, a relatively lesser-known director when he began production of A New Hope in 1973, has become one of the most notable people of the 20th and 21st centuries. Along with George Lucas in shaping my love of the film series was the man he entrusted to make the film look and feel the way it was intended: Norman Reynolds. Reynolds began as the Art Director of the first film in the Star Wars saga, A New Hope, and worked as the Production Designer on the final two films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Lucas and Reynolds fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood motion pictures to include the “right stuff”: from deep, meaningful stories based on dramatic conflict, themes, and irony, to sprawling and breathtaking special effects sequences, as well as the film industry in general.
Star Wars has shaped science fiction, and filmmaking in general, since its inception, as well as helping me shape my own view of what I want to excel in creatively. However, transitioning creativity from film to the theatre can be a bit more difficult than it seems. Reynolds and Lucas’ view of what this “galaxy far, far away” should look like has drawn me into two vastly differing styles of design: the cold, metal, pseudo-steam punk/industrial indoor and space style, and a bright, vivid, colorful, natural outdoor planetary style.
These qualities keep finding their way into my design styles time and time again. Reynolds’ use and knowledge of line and perspective creates an environment that is in reality very simplistic, yet appears to fill the screen and take up the empty space not occupied by the actors while not taking away from the action or drama between them. This is essentially what I think set design should be. A set for the theater should have all of the elements of the world in which it is, be simplistic in nature, and be arranged in a way that creates space while still keeping the action situated clearly in one environment.
The innovative use of shapes and colors to create diverse places and beings across the fictional galaxy has also influenced my desire to attempt to think much more creatively and diversely about how to create these different environments. Knowing the methods of how beings, ships, and environments were pulled together from vastly differing influences to create something original is a big inspiration for my research methods. I have gradually moved from simply researching the topic/setting at face value to going much deeper into what I can take from place A or place Z, and turn it into something that works for the show at hand.
However, the production element that I love the most in Star Wars is the use of light, shadow, and color. In the films, space is black, sprinkled with white stars. Spaceships are off-white and gunmetal grey. Stormtroopers, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia wear white. Darth Vader wears black. Tatooine is a wave of beige sand, bleached by the sun. Inside the Death Star: grey walls and floors, grey-uniformed officers, black prison cells. However, the starkness is contrasted with vivid blue and red light sabers, firing lasers, and exploding spaceships, and in the final film of the trilogy, the striking green foliage of the forest moon of Endor . The lighting plays off of objects and characters to create a realistic environment and to highlight important sequences. In addition, in times of dramatic tension, most notably the duel between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in the Bespin Mining Facility, the background colors of red and blue light both create an exciting, enticing environment for this battle to take place in, as well as represent the colors of Vader and Skywalker’s light sabers, respectively, and to symbolize their inevitable intertwined fates. It is times like these when what might have been only a modestly exciting action sequence is amplified, by contrast with the rest of the film’s chromatic plainness, into literally a dazzling thrill.
What makes Star Wars so inspiring is that Lucas and Reynolds have collaborated to create something that has become a staple of popular culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. It has shaped me not only as a person, but also as a designer. The beauty I see in its production value is something I want to strive for, even if it is dated by a few decades. In relation to films being made now, with the aid of over-the-top computerized special effects, the original Star Wars trilogy utilized real sets, “real” alien beings, tangible effects, and still reads as natural and organic as it did when it was first released. It has also inspired me to choose a career path in special effects, specifically in prosthetic makeup effects. I view the field of prosthetics as a dying art form, being killed off by the aforementioned CGI effects. It makes a film or television episode feel more real and grounded, rather than taking you out of the story by how different CGI and real life looks.
George Lucas and Norman Reynolds have also been inspiring as artists and as people in general. Reynolds has taken someone else’s ideas for a piece of work and has turned it into something iconic and beautiful. The role of production designer and art director is a huge responsibility, and being in charge of the look of the entire production and adhering to the intentions of the director and writer can be a daunting task. Like a designer in the theater, the production designer must collaborate and communicate his or her ideas to the director. Reynolds has also made something that is so iconic and famous, for little recognition. Everyone associates George Lucas with being the mastermind behind the project, which is completely understandable. Star Wars was his brainchild, but few people know who was responsible for conceptualizing what sticks with us most about the films: they way they look and the way they make us as viewers feel. George Lucas (although I choose not to acknowledge the newer prequel trilogy as canon at all), has been quite inspiring to as a director, artist, and visionary. He had the guts to make something new and original, and through the trials and tribulations of “production gremlins” he succeeded by his hard work and dedication to the craft. The production of the original trilogy was close to a disaster, but somehow, Lucas created a masterpiece out of the chaos. Though he has admitted that he may not be up to par in his ability to write, and during production he was no communicator, but his ability to “strap on the blinders and just plow right through“ has made him pull it together and create something from nothing.
Lucas has said, “Everybody has talent, it’s just a matter of moving around until you’ve discovered what it is.” This quote really means a lot to me. Having been in the boat of not knowing what my true talents are, and still being unsure, I keep going back to this quote as a bit of inspiration to keep trying new things. Knowing the hardships that Lucas and Reynolds had to face during production has also made me create a new motto to live by, “Failure is always an option.” As negative as this sounds, I view life as a series of failures, regardless of how big or small they may be. The more often you can pick yourself up from a failure truly shows what you’re made of, and this has never been made more apparent than watching Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy in preparation for writing this essay. Seeing the chaos that surrounded the productions made me reflect back on my four years at Wells College and the chaos that surrounded my productions in that time. I had a wave of nostalgia hit me; nostalgia of freshman and sophomore year and nostalgia of my childhood… and then I realized something. Star Wars really changed my life. I know that it sounds incredibly half-hearted, cliché, and nerdy, but I can’t comprehend what my life would be like had I not been exposed to it at such an early age. It’s shaped me as a designer, a reader, a thinker, a critic, an artist, and as a woman. I truly love it… and you never forget your first love.
No comments:
Post a Comment