episode 3 spoilers perhaps ?

[DarthStiffler]

July 31, 2003; Hyperspace: "Seeing Doubles":
• Shooting today involved a dressed "revolve", a huge spinning circular frame that houses a set which will be used to represent four environments that change orientation on camera. The only actual pieces of the set that will not be created digitally are a door and a passageway.

• The set will revolve 90 degrees on camera. For the shot of the tilt, costumed stunt doubles do the acting and the actual real actors will be shot later when the set is not tumbling.

[DarthStiffler]

• Ewan's stunt doubles were on set today, including a complete artificially created Obi-Wan which is needed for a particular effect that is not practical with a live actor.

• Christopher Lee shot a pivotal confrontation scene as Count Dooku which will have action and powerful dialogue. The set was all blue and only featured specially patterned lighting. Much of the action in the scene will be performed by stunt double Kyle Rowling.

• Count Dooku 's role in Episode III is brief.

[DarthStiffler]

August 01, 2003; Hyperspace: "To the Bridge":

• Today's shooting is on the fully-constructed Trade Federation cruiser bridge set which is one of the largest built for Ep3.

• The Neimoidian characters in the scene today will show them working the controls of the ship and looking up with alarm at a new development. The "alarmed cries" of the Neimoidians will be added in later.

• The scene is only the beginning of a series of complicated series of actions that occur on the bridge.

• One of the cruiser pilots will have three lines of dialogue. This pilot sits in an oversized chair and is helming the capital starship itself.

• Stunt doubles Ben Cooke and Kyle Rowling are on set in blue suits so that they may be digitally replaced in post-production with new menacing character designs.

• Before the bridge scenes were shot, more work was done on Count Dooku's scenes. Christopher Lee jokingly "decapitates" Nick Gillard and mentions all the previously movies he filmed when he decapitated a character on -screen. (hint?)
 

[DarthStiffler]

August 02; SLJ on The Tonight Show:

"I Finally got my sword fight..."; Samuel L. Jackson said that he finally got to “do that” (use his lightsaber). He said he has already filmed his death scene and was visibly happy that he “doesn't go out like a punk”.

[DarthStiffler]

August 04, 2003; Hyperspace: "The Ultimate Toybox":

• Props, Modelmaking, Art Department, Costume Props, etc. gave tours to representatives from Hasbro and other toy companies to see the designs of Ep3 and begin planning for future Ep3 toy items.

• Shooting continued on the Federation cruiser bridge.

• Almost all the largest sets have been torn own and a new round of sets are being completed.

• Bruce Spence's alien character's species is decribed as "gaunt".

[DarthStiffler]

• The bronze and copper astromech droid won the Hyperspace contest. The copper droid will be Obi-Wan's astro droid in his starfighter during the film.

• The newly designed Jedi starfighter will now feature bold, aggressive lines further bridging the gap between ship designs from the prequels to the classic trilogy. The ship will feature designs and functions first seen in the toy version of the previous Jedi starfighter but were not used in the film itself (Ep2).
 

[DarthStiffler]

August 05, 2003; Hyperspace: "The Jedi Trials":
• This upcoming Friday's shoot requires eight new Jedi. The Costume and Wardrobe Departments are busy today fitting the Jedi with costumes.

• The eight hopeful Jedi candidates are both male and female and maybe some aliens - possibly Nikto.

• One of the Jedi is "Gervais Koffi" who is dark-skinned with a partially shaved head with a crown of short dreadlocks. Josh Canning is a young, fresh-faced Jedi with a Padawan braid. The other two Jedi are women. Aliyah Williams has long dark hair, while Dominique Chionchio has short cut dark hair.

• On the Federation Cruiser set, a Neimodian pilot shot his close-up today with the three lines of dialogue. Light casts shadows on the set to give a sense of shake and maneuvering. The pilot will move around in the scene near a 20-foot drop.
 

[DarthStiffler]

August 06, 2003; Hyperspace: "Sheer Brute Droidpower":
• C-3PO will carry something very heavy in the film. R2-D2 has a "similar task to perform", which will involve pulling.

• C-3PO and R2 will be shooting again tomorrow.

• Shooting has competed for the Trade Federation bridge.

• The Episode III Visual Script helps visualize the scenes and includes production paintings of what the finished movie will look like., It includes every landscape, confrontation, betrayal, revelation. It also features character/vehicle illustrations depicting what exactly fills up each scene.

• Today's scenes were shot on greenscreen sets and were described as "major" and "powerful" and include dialogue.
 

[DarthStiffler]

August 07, 2003; Jay Laga'aia Has Finished Filming:

The "Australian MX trainstation" newspaper reports that Laga'aia recently finished filming his part as Captain Typho in Star Wars: Episode III.

[DarthStiffler]

August 07, 2003; Rick McCallum interview in The Daily Telegraph:

• When we left our heroes in Episode II, the Clone Wars had begun and the tempestuous Anakin Skywalker had secretly married Senator Padme Amidala. Meanwhile, Jedi master Yoda and Skywalker's mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are already seeing signs of Skywalker's anger and arrogance that will eventually lead him down the path of the dark side of the Force. Episode III is set two or three years later. The Republic is starting to crumble and the Empire is beginning to form, with plans in place to construct the Death Star. Lucas has said this will be the darkest of the Star Wars films.

[DarthStiffler]

• McCallum read the completed script only 10 days before production started and agrees with Lucas's summary. "It is a darker film and it's much more complex emotionally," he says. "Everybody knows Anakin Skywalker has to turn into Darth Vader, we just don't know the how and the why of it. That's what drives the drama of this one."

• As for keeping the ending a secret . . . well, the finale to Episode III was revealed in 1977 in the original film, Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV in the saga): Skywalker betrays the Jedi Order and hunts down and murders the remaining Jedi Knights; Padme Amidala, Skywalker's wife, gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia, but they are hidden from their father for their protection; Skywalker suffers serious injuries after a battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi and he becomes more machine than man in his recovery, to complete his transformation into the evil Darth Vader.

• "We are hoping it will be the shortest of all of them but it will probably end up at about exactly the same time – two hours and 10 minutes," he says.

• "This is about not really moving from II to III, this is about linking III to IV and tying up all the loose ends. So somebody who doesn't understand Star Wars can start with Episode I and follow the whole saga, the whole family all the way through. Personally, I think this is the coolest of the lot but I also thought that about Episode I and II."
 

[DarthStiffler]

August 07, 2003; Hyperspace: "Smile, You're On Webcam":
• Today's scenes involved Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmι in scenes described as "major" and "grim".

• The new Jedi starfighter was on the set and will involve a scene with R2-D2 debarking the ship.

• Next week's scenes will involve Obi-Wan swimming in the pool set.

• A total of seven scenes were shot today and R2-D2 and C-3PO finished up their cargo-carrying sequence.

[DarthStiffler]

August 07, 2003; Hyperspace Webchat with Anthony Daniels - A Summary:
• Due to the shiny hue of C-3PO's suit, the droid will undergo different suit variations due to the shooting against blue & green screen backgrounds. Perfection of the suit coloring on-screen will be done in post-production.
• The most difficult scenes to perform are those that involve steep inclines, such as a ship ramp. (Hasbro toy reference, see previous HS article about 3PO on a ramp)
• Anthony made a script change suggestion to George in order to change the word "hurt" to "damage" and it was approved.

[DarthStiffler]

• C-3PO has scene(s) with Palpatine in Ep3.
• As dark as Ep3 will be, we will still see classic humorous scenes between C-3PO and R2-D2.
• Ep3 is focused on Anakin's fall from grace, so 3PO will not be in the movie too much, yet we will definitely notice him when we see him.
• Anthony has watched some lightsaber duels being filmed. The skills of the actors involved is awesome and the drama was "real". He mentions that, even without the music being added, the scenes are "thrilling and frightening".
• August 13th is Anthony's last day of shooting for Ep3.

[DarthStiffler]

August 08, 2003; Hyperspace: "The Halfway Point":
• Today's shooting continued with somber scenes.

• The new Jedi starfighter is designed with a removable cockpit.

• Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Plo Koon and other Jedi will fly starfighters. Today's shooting filmed a Jedi being destroyed by enemy fire from behind.

• Shooting is now half-way complete with only 30 days to go.