episode 3 spoilers perhaps ?

[DarthStiffler]

Reasons for Anakin's Turn
 
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: This is obviously a very pivitol scene for Anakin because this is reuniting with his mother and his youth and at the same time dealing with his inablility to let go of his emotions and allow himself to accept the inevitable. The fact that everything must change and that things come and go through his life and that he can't hold onto things which is a basic Jedi philosophy that he isn't willing to accept emotionally and the reason that is is because he was raised by his mother rather than the Jedi. If he'd have been taken in his first year and started to study to be a Jedi, he wouldn't have this particular connection as strong as it is and he'd have been trained to love people but not to become attached to them. But he has become attached to his mother and he will become attached to Padme and these things are, for a Jedi, who needs to have a clear mind and not be influenced by threats to their attachments, a dangerous situation. And it feeds into fear of losing things, which feeds into greed, wanting to keep things, wanting to keep his posessions and things that he should be letting go of. His fear of losing her turns to anger at losing her, which ultimately turns to revenge in wiping out the village. The scene with the Tusken Raiders is the first scene that ultimately takes him on the road to the dark side. I mean he's been prepping for this, but that's the one where he's sort of doing something that is completely inappropriate.
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: The scene in the garage here, we begin to see that what he's really upset about is the fact that he's not powerful enough. That if he had more power, he could've kept his mother. He could've saved her and she could've been in his life. That relationship could've stayed there if he'd have been just powerful enough. He's greedy in that he wants to keep his mother around, he's greedy in that he wants to become more powerful in order to control things in order to keep the things around that he wants. There's a lot of connections here with the beginning of him sliding into the dark side. And it also shows his jealousy and anger at Obi-Wan and blaming everyone else for his inability to be as powerful as he wants to be, which he hears that he will be, so here he sort of lays out his ambititon and you'll see later on his ambition and his dialogue here is the same as Dooku's. He says "I will become more powerful than every Jedi." And you'll hear later on Dooku will say "I have become more powerful than any Jedi." So you're going start to see everyboy saying the same thing. And Dooku is kind of the fallen Jedi who was converted to the Dark Side because the other Sith Lord didn't have time to start from scratch, and so we can see that that's where this is going to lead which is that it is possible for a Jedi to be converted. It is possible for a Jedi to want to become more powerful, and control things. Because of that, and because he was unwilling to let go of his mother, because he was so attached to her, he committed this terrible revenge on the Tusken Raiders.
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: The key part of this scene ultimately is Anakin saying "I'm not going to let this happen again." We're cementing his determination to become the most powerful Jedi. The only way you can really do that is to go to the Dark Side because the Dark Side is more powerful. If you want the ultimate power you really have to go to the stronger side which is the Dark Side, but ultimately it would be your undoing. But it's that need for power and the need for power in order to satisfy your greed to keep things and to not let go of things and to allow the natural course of life to go on, which is that things come and go, and to be able to accept the changes that happen around you and not want to keep moments forever frozen in time.
 

[DarthStiffler]

Sidious/Palpatine Connection
 
 
TPM DVD Commentary:
GL: Introducing Darth Sidious as a hologram was the way he was introduced actually in Empire Strikes Back, which was the first time we actually saw him in the first three films, so I thought it appropriate to keep that thematic device going so that we only know him as a hologram and not actually deal with him, except in one small scene as a real person, because I did want to make sure you knew that he wasn't just a hologram. Make him sort of flesh and blood.
 
TPM DVD Commentary:
GL: As we come back to the Trade Federation, every time I try to introduce a new element of danger, a new threat. In this one I introduce Darth Maul and at the same time move the plot along in the fact that he wants to have her sign a treaty which is the basis of the whole plot of the movie which is they're trying to get her to turn over her planet to the Trade Federation. The Trade Federation is working on one level of greed, you know, wanting to take over this planet, which Darth Sidious is manipulating because in the end his agenda is completely different. He's just simply using the Trade Federation, using the Jedi, using the Queen for his own purpose. He's the puppet master in all these movies. His goal in this one, the whole plot of the movie really, is for Palpatine to become Chancellor, and this whole thing is a large bunch of machinations to allow Palpatine to ascend to the highest office in the galaxy.
 
TPM DVD Commentary:
GL: One of thematic issues here is how Palpatine becomes Chancellor. Telling how he moved to the next level, and then when you see all of the films together it will all make a lot more sense. But this is kind of a very small thematic issue that transcends all six movies as opposed to something that's actually neatly tied up in this particular movie alone. Step one is that Palpatine becomes Chancellor, and you'll see in Episode II that he then makes another step, and in Episode III he makes another step.
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: I wanted to set up in this little scene with Anakin and Padme that these are all elected officials and that they have a term of office and she had a term of office and even though the people wanted her to stay, she didn't stay. This is in contrast to Palpatine who also has a term of office but has managed to stay because of one crises or another and in this film even gets more power.
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: This idea of a democracy being given up and in many cases being given up in a time of crisis, you see it throughout history whether it's Julius Ceaser, or Napoleon, or Adolf Hitler, you see these democracies under a lot of pressure, in a crisis situation, who end up giving up a lot of the freedoms they have and a lot of the checks and balances to somebody with a strong authority to help get them through the crisis. It's not the first time a politician has created a war to try to stay in office.
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: The confrontation between Obi-Wan and Dooku originally was a confrontation between Padme and Dooku and it was a political thing. I decided after seeing the movie that I didn't need that scene with Padme and Dooku, it was in the wrong part of the picture, and this one with Obi-Wan would be more appropriate and would work better if Dooku would actually tell the truth about what was going on and then create a situation where nobody would believe him. It also allows you to kind of have some sympathy for Dooku in that he carries the sympathies of most of the Jedi which is that the Senate is corrupt and it's incapable of carrying on any meaningful actions because they argue about everything all the time. I accentuate that by introducing Darth Sidious again. Darth Sidious we refer to in the first film and he's a hologram and we see a little tiny bit of him but I needed at this point to say that there is a Darth Sidious, especially if you haven't seen the first film. I needed to identify that there is a Darth Sidious who is behind all this and who is the same Darth Sidious that was in league with the Trade Federation in the last movie. It's really important to set up for the very end scene here where Darth Tyranus and Darth Sidious come together in the end and you realize who's behind all of this.
 
AOTC DVD Commentary:
GL: We do reveal that Dooku is Darth Tyranus, he's a Sith Lord, and that he's in league with Darth Sidious and Darth Sidious is pulling all the strings and everything is going just the way he wants them to go. The Emperor continues to pull the strings.
 
Starlog Magazine: Why is it that the Jedi never sense the Dark Side's devious deeds coming?
GL: It's not that they can't see the Dark Side coming, it's just that the Dark Side begins to envelop everything. It's like walking into a fog. The Jedi's ability to see lessens as the Dark Side grows.
 

[DarthStiffler]

Tarkin
 
 
Leonard Maltin: Can you tell us a little about Tarkin and is he in Episode 1?
GL: Well, Tarkin was basically a small time politician who was a governor of a small Outland Region sector until he became one of the first supporters of Palpatine. As a result of his ties with Palpatine, Tarkin steadily moved up the "political ladder" during Palpatine's climb up the political ranks, which culminates in Palpatine becoming Emperor. (December 1997)
 
Star Wars Insider: Will any OT characters like Tarkin or Chewbacca appear in Episode III?
GL: There are some, if I can fit them in, but I won't say who they are. Some key characters are scheduled to be fit in if I can make it work. They are not so integral to the story--it's really done to say, 'Oh look, there's so-and-so.' (May 2002)
 

Anakin & Luke
 
 
TPM DVD Commentary:
GL: It's kind of a theme that reoccurs in Episode IV is that I've purposely developed themes and ideas and I repeat them. It's very very clear in the two trilogies that I'm putting the characters in pretty much the same situation, sometimes even using the same dialogue so that the father and the son go through pretty much the same experience. Obviously Anakin takes a different road than his son takes, so that at some of these turning points they go the other way. But it's been set up for you to almost expect that they will go, you know that Luke will follow in his father's footsteps because in a lot of these Episodes they do follow each other which leads to a subtle influence which gives the audience a little expectation.
 

[DarthStiffler]

• There are parts of the duel when Anakin and Obi-Wan move even faster than the Maul/Obi-Wan duel in Ep1. This is due to the lighter graphite-bladed lightsabers being used for this film, but mostly due to the skills of the actors, and the demands of the scene.  
• The shooting of the Anakin/ObiWan duel scenes is now complete.
• The new bad guy has connections to Darth Sidious.  
• Kyle Rowling was one of the stunt doubles seen on the webcam recently wearing the blue suit on the green set. Kyle was not the only actor there...
• The "new bad guy" is not referring to Darth Vader. It will be an original, separate villain.
• Pablo could not confirm whether or not the March 2004 pick-up shots will be done in Sydney or England (Leavesden).
• We will not see a new answer to why Darth Maul had mentioned "getting revenge on the Jedi" in Ep1. Pablo states that line was answered in Ep1 with the mention that the Sith had been extinguished a millennium ago and hinted that the Jedi were the ones who did it.
• For the three remaining days of shooting left, it is possible that the webcam will have stage access. But Pablo expects the scenes scheduled for these days are ones that George will likely want to keep secret.  
• There may be an EU/canon conflict due to what one character in the film says has happened. Pablo states that it is too early to know if the dialogue will make it into the final film, and also has faith that the EU will adjust to this possible new statement.
• It is possible to have both lots of action and emotional depth to the film. Pablo believes the Obi-Wan/Anakin conflict has the potential to be the most incredible action scene - and have intense emotional impact, due to who we will see fighting, why they're fighting to begin with, and the final outcome.
• Nick Gillard's Jedi character in the film is appropriate, given all of Nick's work on the prequels so far. Pablo was surprised he did not notice Nick's character's cameo in when reading the script the first time, especially given the character's name.  
• Hyperspace will feature video content in the future. There are very cool things being planned for Oct, Nov and beyond!  
• Pablo would not necessarily say that the big chair seen on the set is "the" Palpatine chair.
• Regarding the last 10 minutes of the film, Pablo has not seen the animatics, but he has seen the visual script and watched the shooting of those scenes. He believes it keeps with the traditional endings of Star Wars films, but since we know the futures of the characters and the locations we will see glimpses of, the ending will have more of an impact than usual.  
• We will see evidence that Obi-Wan's Jedi skills have improved since Ep2 and he is also noticeably higher up in the Jedi hierarchy.
• Obi-Wan is still not fond of flying, and we will see new reasons why he still bemoans it.  
• It was not Bonnie Piesse that was seen on the webcam on Wed night standing next to Obi-Wan. That was Tom Maynard, an Obi-Wan stand-in.  
• The Obi-Wan/Anakin duel will be the biggest, longest and best duel in the saga, but that does not mean that the other duels in the film (Dooku, Mace, etc) are not good on their own.  
• Ackbar does not command a fleet in battle.
• Anakin will be a Jedi Knight in Ep3, no longer a padawan.  
• When Pablo returns to the ranch his work first focus on the databank entries will include Asajj Ventress, Durge, and other Clone War related material.
• We will not see the Jedi Trials in the film.
• The Ep4 Darth Vader line, "When I left you, I was but a learner, Now I am the master" will still make sense given Anakin and Obi-Wan's past together.
• Once shooting has wrapped, webchats are expected to continue but on a less frequent basis. None of the main talent (such as Hayden or Ewan) are expected to do a webchat before March pick-ups but anything's possible.
• Not all of the suited Darth Vader scenes have been shot. (Clue to what is involved in those secretive last 3 days of shooting?  )
• Pablo asks that fans have patience in wanting to see the Darth Vader suit. They do not want to introduce such a thing with a small webcam image or vague set diary.  
• It is way too early at this point to talk about details of the teaser trailer.
• We will not see any bowler hats in Ep3 but there will be a character's whose name should remind you of a bowler hats.  
• When asked "Will Yoda and Sidious will get it on?", Pablo said it is not that kind of movie.  
• No common brand names will be seen in the film but there is one speeder that has a very detailed name in the script.
• Geonosis will not be seen in Ep3.
• Rohan Nichol, who plays a young starship captain, has nothing to do with Han Solo. The starship captain character was almost a continuity issue but was later resolved.
• It is incorrect to guess that we will see a total of four new planets and that we would be seeing them for the first time from the ground.
• There will be some new and old capital warships seen in the opening space battle.  
• Pablo hopes there will be some new official casting announcement soon. Two yet unannounced characters are shooting scene(s) next week and Pablo may have to omit them from any set diary since the contract memos have not been signed.
• One of the characters shooting next week is young, but not an infant. It is also a character brand new to the Star Wars story.
• Given the nature of the involvement of Padme's family in Ep3, Pablo would be very surprised if their scenes were cut.  
• There are moments of reflection now that principal photography has almost wrapped. Some are looking forward to moving on to future projects and others are looking forward to the next step in production.
• Hyperspace members will get the first looks at the upcoming Select pics and "Making-Of" documentaries.
• Temuera Morrison just walked by Pablo's office.  
• Pablo never feels an urge to divulge a big secret. Since LFL will be writing about Ep3 over the course of the next 2 years, it is good to keep some secrets so there is something to write about.  
• It is unlikely that Ian McDiarmid will do an interview for Hyperspace at the present time, but the chances of such an interview will become more likely closer to the release of the film.
• There are no scenes in which N1 Starfighters are scripted. But Pablo can think of one scene where they may be added.  
• New Select pics will not be seen daily, The pics will be spaced apart so LFL does not run out of material too quickly.
• There will not be any grand surprises but we will have a sense of familiarity with how the story of Ep3 unfolds. What surprises there are will revolve around the new locations, characters and elements that no one had predicted. For the prequels, the big surprise was when we learned in Ep1 that Darth Vader was once an innocent little kid.
• Pablo may get in one more webchat before he leaves for the United States. Once back at the ranch, he is not planning to do any webchats but will be on the OS message boards from time to time.
• Hayden's last day of shooting is Sept 17th, also the last day of principal photography.
• Bossk is not in Ep3.
• Pablo believes all the set diaries and webchats will remain archived on the Official Site for future reading.
• Scenes involving the infant twins have already been shot.  
• Pablo has never heard about the possibility of Robbie Williams making a cameo in Ep3.
• Dantooine will not be seen in Ep3.
• When describing whether or not Padmι will have any action scenes, Pablo said she while she doesn't sit around all day, she doesn't exactly wrestle a Nexu either.  
• Mandalorians are not in Ep3.
• A young Han Solo is not in Ep3.
• The character who ordered the clones was seen onscreen in Ep2. ( dooku is the one behind ordering the clones i garantee it)

[DarthStiffler]

-A character will be riding a very fast digital creature in Episode 3
-It is a blue barrel with a saddle on it that tries to move like the real creature will.
-Making real people ride fake animals has been a difficult task in all 5 star wars films.
-Rob Coleman has been studying a lot on how to best complete the effect.
-Pablo Helman has lots of video footage of the closest real world animal moving at different speeds on his laptop.
-Jason Snell has taped up several key areas that will be pivot points in the creature.
-The animal looks rather large from the picture.

[DarthStiffler]

• Obi-Wan will ride a non-terrestrial animal in a maroon saddle. The animal is very organic, fast, and agile. Obi-Wab is in for a hair-raising ride. -official site
• In one complicated action sequence, Obi-Wan will be on a new planet, fighting opponents and will concentrate on a group of armed thugs looking for a fight. The thugs will be very thin and wearing cloaks. These new baddies are much more of a challenge in a fight than battle droids or Geonosian drones. They will brandish weapons that are quite effective against Jedi. -Official site
• Obi-Wan will be seen in a new environment within the Jedi Temple and will fiddle with a high tech piece of equipment and a computer console imbedded inside a pillar. -Official Site
• Obi-Wan will enter a rocky cave in an alien wilderness. The cave will have craggy rocks and a circular opening. - Official Site
• Obi-Wan Kenobi will be hurled through the air, hit a wall, and collapse on the ground. -Official Site
• "Hayden's acting and portrayal of Anakin turning to the dark side amazes me. And to see Hayden wielding a lightsaber ("or three") is a treat. The audience will get goosebumps when they see the portrayal and betrayal by Anakin." - Anthony Daniels
• Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmι are in a scene described as "major" and "grim".- Official Site
• Darth Vader will prove to be the "most deadly character" in the film. - PH
• Anakin and Obi-Wan's costumes will have discolorizations, cuts and burns from fighting and from their environment. - Official Site
• Anakin's costume will become darker as the film moves forward. - TB
• There will be no doubt that Anakin is Darth Vader as seen in the film. -PH
• Anakin knows Padme is pregnant and expecting. -PH
• Currently, there is no digital version of Darth Vader but there may be one designed in the future. -DG
• In one scene, Anakin will be running from unseen dangers. George told Hayden he did not need to say his lines, only to look back and run like hell. -OS
• Anakin will slide down the length of a ramp while attempting to control his descent and using his comlink for help. -OS
• Anakin will be a Jedi Knight in Ep3, no longer a padawan. -PH

[DarthStiffler]

OBI-ONE/ ANAKIN DUEL : THE FACTS
• The classic saber of Ep4 Ben Kenobi will be among the sabers in use. - OS
• The major focus is the breakdown in friendship between Obi-Wan and Anakin. - SW Insider
• It won't be the special effects that make the Obi-Wan/Anakin duel so thrilling, it will be the betrayal. - RM
• The lightsabers used by Obi-Wan and Anakin are ones we have seen before. - PH
• The Anakin/Kenobi duel is a lengthy one and will span many sets and travel a lot of distance. - OS
• One of the several settings for the duel with have red-gelled lights providing a glow to the set. - OS
• The duel will be a fierce confrontation and will keep up the pace for a while. Some of the fighting will take place on an incline...and "Anakin is weak on a slope", as Nick Gillard pointed out in his webchat and meant it literally. - OS
• Anakin and Obi-Wan's costumes will have discolorizations, cuts and burns from fighting and from their environment. - OS
• Who is the aggressor and who is the defender will alternate during the duel. - OS
• In one setting for the duel, Obi-Wan and Anakin will move over a large area but will careful of their footing. There will be "obstacles". - OS
• At one point in the duel, Anakin and Obi-Wan will look off-screen at a distraction. Their eyes will be looking at different spots of this distraction itself. - OS
• The duel will have a segment in a darkened room with a metallic surface with mechanical structures. And later the duel will move to isolated platforms. Anakin will circle his former master (Obi-Wan). -OS
• During one point in the duel, either Anakin or Obi-Wan will swipe his lightsaber blade against an outcropping and sever it. -OS
• The duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan is not a gentleman's duel. It will get nasty. -PH
• During the duel there will be a segment when Anakin and Obi-Wan dangle from cables, swinging to and from.The wires being used are supposed to be visible The Jedi will be wearing the "weathered and beaten" robes. -OS
• At one point during the duel, debris will fall and one the characters will deflect it (likely with a lightsaber). -OS
• Some of the words spoken during the duel "will cut as deeply as lightsabers". -OS
• At one point during the duel, it will involve four characters. -OS
• "The Epic duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan will be the longest lightsaber duel ever." - NG
• "The duel involves some of the fastest dueling I have ever seen. It almost appears artificially sped-up. It's just that fast." - PH
• There are parts of the duel when Anakin and Obi-Wan move even faster than the Maul/Obi-Wan duel in Ep1. -PH
• Red-gel lighting provides atmosphere for the duel scenes. There are also flashes from strobe lights going off to signify an alert to some kind of hazard. -OS
• Anakin and Obi-Wan will push their weapons into counter-tops and control panels and the FX Dept ignited squibs that burst to fill the frame and cover the actors with bright sparks and debris. -OS
• The fight involves leaps and throws at an accelerated rate. -OS
• Obi-Wan and Anakin have a moment where they collide with a control panel and land hard against a rough surface. The control panels and display screens have many unyielding protrusions. -OS
• One huge wall has a very thick blast door rigged which is opened by chains. One character will open it using muscle power. - OS
• During the Anakin vs Obi-Wan duel there will be heavy winds in at least one setting. - OS

[DarthStiffler]

NEW VILLAIN : THE FACTS
• The design crew worked very hard to make the new bad guy in Ep3 visually distinctive. -RC
• "Expect someone serious as the new villain." - RM
• The new bad guy has a lot of screen time, a memorable role, and he is central to the plot. -RC
• One character in the film will use two lightsabers at once "and he's bad." - RM
• Animatics have done pre-visualization for the new bad guy and "he is one bad mother". -DG
• The new bad guy has connections to Darth Sidious. -PH
• The "new bad guy" is not referring to Darth Vader. It will be an original, separate villain. -PH

[DarthStiffler]

EU CHARACTER : THE FACTS
• "The scenes for the EU character will not be shot until 2004 and no one has been cast for the part." - RM
• "A character from the Clone Wars cartoon will appear in Episode III." - RM
• The EU character is not a "major character" and his/her part in the story may change by the time they shoot the character's scenes in March 2004. -PH
• For the unknown EU character in Ep3, the costumes will match the pre-determined style and the action this character does in the EU fiction will be different than that action seen in Ep3. The character's costumes will have certain accomodations for these demands. -TB
• If Pablo had to venture a guess, he'd say that the EU Character will not be the only EU thing (ship/place, etc) that we will see in Ep3. -PH
• The EU character is neither Thrawn nor Xizor. -PH
EU character
• The EU character is neither durge nor assaj ventress.-PH
• For EU-is-canon proponents, the inclusion of a certain character, vehicle designs and other concept art created or expanded in literature will add fuel to their arguments. -OS
• For EU-is-canon proponents, the inclusion of a certain character, vehicle designs and other concept art created or expanded in literature will add fuel to their arguments. -OS

[DarthStiffler]

• The Dagobah cave was explained in Ep5 and will not need further explanation in Ep3. -PH
• There will not be any grand surprises but we will have a sense of familiarity with how the story of Ep3 unfolds. What surprises there are will revolve around the new locations, characters and elements that no one had predicted. For the prequels, the big surprise was when we learned in Ep1 that Darth Vader was once an innocent little kid. -PH
• About 1/3 of the action sequences in the film will occur on the new planets where will we also see the most visually spectacular sequences. -RC
• A new alien planet will feature a landing platforms and breezy winds. The architecture of the planet is curved and ribbed and gives the environment an alien feel. The planet will be primarily digitally created since it is unlike any earthly environment where location shooting could help. - OS
• The windy environment in Ep3 is a concept in which Ralph McQuarrie had done previous designs. George decided to re-visit the idea and give it a fresh pass. -RC
• We will not see any further changeling characters such as Zam Wesell. -PH

[DarthStiffler]

Evil has never been more prominent than it has in the past few weeks, with Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Nute Gunray, Wat Tambor, Boba Fett and a number of other galactic villains shooting scenes in the eleventh hour of film production on episode III.
This episode is said to be the darkest and that's been backed up very heavily this week, with more of the cataclysmic duel between Obi-wan and Anakin being filmed, as well as a separatist meeting and some cloaked baddies chasing our heroes to name but a few of the sinister scenes being shot.

Next week will wrap production on Wednesday, and the complicated process of post production begins.

[DarthStiffler]

The actor Hayden Christensen, speaking by phone from the Australian set of the final Star Wars prequel, was comparing his two most recent roles. "They have different kinds of ambition," said Mr. Christensen about Anakin Skywalker  and Stephen Glass, the disgraced former New Republic writer, whom the actor portrays in the upcoming Lion’s Gate film Shattered Glass. "Anakin’s ambition is an all-dominating, rule-the-galaxy type of ambition," continued Mr. Christensen. "But yeah, they are both people who allow their sort of moral integrity to become questionable so that they can get what they want."


"they are both people who allow their sort of moral integrity to become questionable so that they can get what they want."
"Anakin’s ambition is an all-dominating, rule-the-galaxy type of ambition"

[DarthStiffler]

*Pablo discusses the misconception that all Star Wars films are shot on blue/greenscreen with no real sets. There is also impressive work done with costumes, sets and props.

*Today though, it's all digital. Ewan McGregor is the only real element on set. Apparently most of the remaining filming sequences will be mostly CG.

*The "planet" Obi-wan is on has such unique topography and architecture that it must be rendered digitally.

*The actual built set is just a green walkway surrounded by crash mats.

*Ewan is fighting a group of unseen opponents described as "armed toughs itching for a fight."

*Ben Cooke, Dean Gould, Michael Byrne and Kyle Rowling are dressed in green or blue tights so that they may be digitally removed during post production.

*One possible problem is that the CGI replacement characters will have very different anatomies from the stunt performers and will be much thinner. The solution is that the characters will be wearing cloaks which may help cover up any overlapping blue.

*The new digital badguys will be tougher than the usual "lightsaber-fodder," and will carry weapons that are actually effective against the Jedi. Obi-wan will be facing a challenge this time around.

*On a side note Daniel Logan (Boba Fett AotC) visited the set.


• Today's shooting focused on a blue ramp which was tilted up to become one big slide.

• Throughout the morning, actors ran across the same area of floor and were running from unseen dangers. George told Hayden he did not need to say his lines, only to look back and run like hell.

• For some takes, the floor is raised to about 30 degrees. Anakin will slide down the length of the ramp while attempting to control his descent and using his comlink for help.

• The glare on the blue ramp was a concern for ILM in regards to post-production work.

• Stunt doubles also did some ramp scenes where they ran the length of the floor and fell into a trap door.

• The Costume Department fitted nine handmaidens today.

• Wednesday, 17th September will be the last day of Principal Photography

[DarthStiffler]

* More than two dozen extras were crammed onto a greenscreen stage for filming with the principal actors. An Ishi Tib and a Quarren were among the alien species represented by the extras. Other characters are a handmaiden, and two blue Senatorial guards.

* This scene was originally planned to be shot in March as part of the pick-ups, but was moved forward on the schedule.

* One of McCallum's assistants, Jacqui Louez, is being made up as a Senator to appear as an extra.

* A correction to a previous report on Beru's hairstyle in Ep3: it will not be "Shelagh Fraseresque" after all. That was one of many styles being considered.

[DarthStiffler]

September 17, 2003; Hyperspace: "Day Fifty-Eight":

• Though the set diaries are at an end, Episode III still has a long road ahead of it, as it enters into postproduction. Work on Ep3 has been ongoing for 18 months and 18 more months remain. So we're at the half-way point, according to George Lucas.

• March 2004 pick-up shots are still scheduled.

• The final five scenes were shot today, four in one stage, and the last in another.

• The first four were dominated by stunt work. George commented that it was not about how fast you get the shooting down, but how good you get it.

• The last set was another original trilogy location, one of two sets recreated in this movie. The set is elevated to allow for sunken crew pits, and removable hand rails also border the set. The set featured control panel design such as knobs, switches, levers, personal computers, and viewports. Letters on the controls read "DEFLECTOR SHIELDS", "REACTOR STATUS", and "REBEL SCUM DETECTOR", "VADER PROXMITY DETECTOR", "Coast Clear. Goof Off", and "He's behind you. Look busy."

• When the webcam had gone all black, it was Pablo holding his ball cap over the webcam lens as George insisted some things in Episode III need to be revealed in a fashion more befitting their character.

• "V177G" was the last slate shot for Episode III. At 6:42 pm, shooting wrapped to the applause of everyone on set. Everyone enjoyed champagne, beer, and farewells.

• George thanked everyone for their hard work. he mentioned Ep3 was the most fun film he has ever worked on and was very easy and swift. He credited this to the fact that everyone worked in such harmony together. George is now looking forward to cutting the film together and "see what happens."