“Yoda and Beyond: Creating the Digital Cast of Star Wars Episode II”
Conference:
Type(s):
Title:
- Yoda and Beyond: Creating the Digital Cast of Star Wars Episode II
Abstract:
Computer graphics play a starring role in the production of Star Wars Episode II: ‘Attack of the Clones.’ This session focuses on creation of the digital cast of the latest prequel to the Star Wars saga. Industrial Light + Magic developed a variety of systems to make the computer-generated characters in this film work credibly with live actors, both in visual quality and physical realism. These systems also made it possible for digital doubles to stand in for actors in scenes that were either too difficult or too dangerous to shoot practically. In an effort to match the fidelity of motion of the computer graphics characters to that of their live-action counterparts, physically based simulation was used extensively throughout the production of this film. Multi-layered clothing, skin with underlying musculoskeletal structures, and the motion of rigid bodies each played a key role in imparting a new level of physical realism to the performance of computer graphics elements. Another challenge in employing this level of proceduralism is directing the resulting performances. This session presents an overview of the pipeline and systems used to produce Episode II, focusing on the specialization required to evolve technologies, deeply rooted in academic research, into effective filmmaking tools. The panel includes individuals who played key roles in development of key digital characters for Episode II.
