From: roy@watson.ibm.com
Subject: Re: Another error?
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 14:49:16 GMT
News-Software: IBM OS/2 PM RN (NR/2) v0.16 by O. Vishnepolsky and R. Rogers
Reply-To: roy@trigger.watson.ibm.com
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

In <1992Dec30.232949.24642@ifi.unizh.ch> knecht@avalon.physik.unizh.ch (knecht roland) writes:
>: As for Darth's lightsaber, this is further proof of a previous, long-lasting,
>: unresolved thread.  Some stated that the non-glowing blade of Ben's saber
>: near the end of one of the duel scene segments (when Ben is backing up,
>: and parrying (sp?) and Darth is taunting him, just before cutting to a
>: different scene) is an indication that Ben was weak in the Force, and it
>: is the Force that powers the lightsaber (or helps to power it).
>
>Star Wars Fans are so cute...!
>There is a slight bug in the FX and they go searching an explanation.
>Maybe the boxes around the starships on the videotapes are the ship's
>shields, visualized by the "ghost" of a jedi knight that was killed in the
>clone wars and now found a new home in the recorder...
>
>Carry on... it's funny!
>
>Roland

You are correct.  There are quite a few spfx goofs:

  1)  People/scenes jumping when sabers are turned on/off.

  2)  Matt lines around ships (especially tie fighters).

  3)  Orange sand beneath Luke's speeder as it moves through the
      streets of Mos Eisley.

  4)  Some explosions of rebel ship in the Death Star trench look 
      cheesy because the flying debris has fuzzy lines around it (this
      is always a problem when integrating detailed images shot 
      from blue-screen into a backdrop).

We can accept these for what they are, or go the purist root and
explain each (in order) as follows:

  1)  The sudden turn on/off of the saber sucks the Force out of
      (or radiates the Force into, obviously) making the people nearby
      jump.

  2)  Already explained - the ghost of fallen Clone War fighters (I
      like that one).

  3)  Part of the propulsion unit of the speeder actually shoot downward
      to help levitate the speeder.  This downward jet of energy
      slightly heats the sand below, changing it's molecular lattice
      and therefore its color.

  4)  The fuzzy lines around the explosion are caused by the propellent
      used rebel fighter.  The propellent is similiar to the Earth's
      'Duro Flame' (tm) artificial fireplace logs.  As anyone on Earth
      will tell you, when these things burn, they give off a funny flame
      that has a different color at the edges.

Hey, this is kinda fun.  I know understand why you 'Poor misguided fools'
don't want to let go of your delusions.  :-)

Regards,
Tom Rogers
roy@trigger.watson.ibm.com
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