Arch 443/646: Architecture and Film
Fall 2005

Star Wars Series
(1977 to 2005)

Please answer the questions below. Use paragraph form. Your answer should be around 400 words. Email me your responses in Word .doc format to: tboake@sympatico.ca I will be posting these each week after the class. You should be prepared to deliver your answer in class -- but paraphrase, do not read it.

The original Star Wars episide, "A New Hope", released in 1977, used the full range of filming technologies that were available at the time. Green screening combined with rear and front projection, limited special effects, live scale models that represented objects too large to physically build and move, site shooting as well as studio sets. George Lucas spent the next 15 to 20 years creating technologies that would see his dreams more fully and more believably realized. I believe that what was accomplished in cinematographic terms in the making of "The Revenge of the Sith", through the use of CGI technology, has taken the making of "space films", and indeed any film that wishes to use an imaginary environment, to a realm of realism in both vision and the accomodation of movement, that it is fairly safe to say that whatever a director or a producer may wish to happen in a film, can happen. Lack of technology can no longer be the reason to exclude just about anything from a film.

We will use this film as a springpoint for the creation of the web sites designs that form the terminal submission requirement for this course. Instead of each student undertaking a site that is based upon a single film, each student will select a "word" or "topic" and be required to address the progression of that "piece" of the theme of the course, through all of the applicable films that we have viewed this term. Other films with which you are familiar and whose techniques or approaches can fortify the discussion, are also welcome to be included. I will place a CD in Musagetes with the 1000s of screen captures that I have created throughout the term to assist in populating your web sites.

more on the web assignment...

1. B J Smith

Speak to the presentation of the future city on some planet in space.

2. David Takacs

How does "story-telling" change the presentation of the future in space?

Star Wars is a film that made countless advances not only in the science-fiction genre, but also in filmmaking techniques and the public’s ability to really be phased by nothing. In this postmodern world, anything is possible. When examining the role of ‘story-telling’ in the presentation of the future in space, it takes on a necessarily skewed look.

Story-telling, in its most basic implications, certainly results in a much more fairy-tale like feeling. This feeling is almost exclusively on the surface, as at its core, the majority of issues explored in these films are a reflection of real human characteristics. Wherever story-telling does affect or even change its film, it really only does so to parts that are unbelievable in the first place. For example, in Star Wars there are issues of fraternity, freedom, trust, and love to name a few. Although sometimes obscured by a blaze of blasters and the glow of lightsabers, the core of them is timeless and universally applicable.

Story-telling does have the positive effect of making the science fiction genre a lot more appealing. Every successful space film relies heavily on fantasy, and the presentation of notions drawn from the corners of our minds. It is very hard to imagine enduring a film about the subtle navigational changes in charting a course through space. Although story-telling could be omitted and core human issues used instead – such as the difficulties of space travel over long periods of time and isolation – this would almost certainly not appeal to the vast majority of primitive people in our general public.

Ultimately, every fictional film relies on one or another form of story-telling. Perhaps what does set science-fiction films apart is their vast scale in space. This setting respectively has an effect on the scale of the story-telling, giving it the surface appearance of a dramatically different fairy-tale. However, it must not be forgotten that a space film predicates a large amount of fiction to its very nature, so the people producing it might as well have fun at the same time.

3. Andrea Wong

What effect has the ability to include "time of day" changes in the representation of the sets had on the film? Are these believable?

The ability to include “time of day” changes in the representation of the sets on the film contributes to the believability of the existence of complete civilizations on other planets, on other galaxies, in the universe. It adds credibility to the story, as the passage of time can be registered.

4. Derek McCallum


Speak to the melding of the sites in the film into a "natural landscape".

In contrast to the immense and technologically advanced cities seen throughout the film, certain places and planets are portrayed as still being very much in connection with their natural setting. They are built into rock faces, located on tropical beaches, in tree houses, or perched perilously over flowing lava. Similarly, most of the films viewed this semester have shown in their vision of the future an eradication of nature and the environment. The Star Wars series takes a completely different stance, and illustrates how many people maintain a somewhat primitive or traditional way of life while still living in the modern age and possessing all the conveniences of modernity – droids, machines, and of course laser weapons.

In the rock-face planet, the architecture is built into the landscape in a similar fashion envisioned in Total Recall. However, an important difference is the attention paid to the exterior environment – on Mars it is fatal, while in Star Wars all the different species exist comfortably outside. The scale is also very different. The habitations on Mars are small and cave-like, carved into the massive valleys. In Star Wars, the settlement seems to take on the scale of the natural landscape with immense interior spaces and vast open plazas. The set is quite literally superimposed on the cliff-face to create a close relationship both visually and spatially.

5. Helen Pallot


Talk about the representation of the interior environments in the film. Their style. Their detailing. How this impacts the presentation of space in the future.

The interior spaces take on curves and lines that can be seen in architecture during the art deco period. The magnitude and scale of certain spaces amplify the grandness and importance, sacredness of certain spaces. The entrance into the Coruscant is the Galactic Senate building, was elegant and over whelming by its scale. Pods intense and arranged like a hive. Unlike Jedi head quarters were it is an intimate and warm setting. The spaces combine the technologies of the time but sanctified the traditions of the classical era. Although it is situated on a planet which is not earth the colonnaded entrance echoes a suggestion if similar traditions and styles. The entrance is public open space but the huge columns create large shadows that become intimate spaces.

There are vast contrasts between interior spaces on planets and in on ships and stations. While all display a fabric of high technological designs, the interior spaces on ships maintain the typologies of hard metallic and fortified materials, geometric walkways and structures and minimalist living and working spaces.

The interior space of Anakin's home is at a human scale, the lines are clean and elegant, and only a few selected pieces dress the space, rather the actual walls and ceilings are objects enough. The use of colour also characterise scenes and enable one to depict the different planets and environments that are shown. The uses of dark and light schemes was used vaguely to depict the good and the bad. They also set the formal and casual spaces.

It can be compared to early 1920s movies, which were influenced by the art deco styles, but also took on ‘futuristic interpretations of other planets”. What separates this movie from any other is the detail and depth of all the spaces, every element was thought about, the spaces were depicted as advanced and futuristic places but also possessed a rich and strong link to there past traditions and culture.

6. Allison Janes


CGI technologies are able to quite accurately include light and shadow into the presentation of digitally created space. How does this impact the film and its presentation of space?

Light and shadows are a primary tool for creating atmosphere in any film and they are particularly important in films such as Star Wars Episode III that rely heavily on rendered backgrounds and digital sets to portray a variety of spatial and atmospheric conditions in a variety of “worlds”. The light sources of the backgrounds are now able to bleed into the images of the characters and physical sets. There is no longer a flat and stationary background, but a dynamic interaction between the foreground motion and a horizon line that not only moves, but provides the primary source of light and atmosphere in a believable manner. For instance the mood created by the sunset lighting effects in the home of Anakin and Padme.

Using this technology the director is able to convey larger scale spaces in the film. The camera can pull back and show a greater interaction between interior spaces and exterior spaces, for example how light falls through windows. Neither the light source, nor the set (windows) needs to be present at the time of filming to create the effect. The characters of the film are able to pass through physically and digitally created light and shadow patterns at the same time. Creating films using CGI technology becomes the process of layering multiple effects, shadow, light and colour to create a new and unusual atmosphere.

7. Mat Triebner

The use of geometry in the design of the architecture of space has taken on a slightly different look in this film. Speak to the effect that this has had on the reading of the architectural spaces.

The use of geometry in the design of the architecture of space featured in Star Wars Episode three has evolved – or perhaps devolved – to create a world which could not specifically be summarized in a series of hexagons and geodesic domes. In fact, the architectural spaces that have been created feature elegant curves and emphasize large, flowing spaces rather than the small modular units which we have visited aboard the confines of ships in other films. In addition this is one of the few films in which the architecture and geometries can be understood as a derivation of earlier times. Fluted columns, the presence of ornate and perhaps ancient urns, and the tragic return of the sunken living room all lend to the feeling that although this third episode of Star Wars takes place in the distant future, it maintains innumerable links with the past.

Aside from the scenes which take place aboard spacecraft, the aesthetic which had been introduced by 2001: A Space Odyssey and solidified by Solaris seems absent from the film. Gone are the stark white walls and hexagonal doorways that characterized earlier space films. Episode three instead favours more organic forms, and somewhat earthen tones. Due to the high volume of scenes set on planets, the number of large interior spaces has increased dramatically, and Lucas has actually destroyed the limitations of working within a small spacecraft. A similar effect is visible in later films like Total Recall, or even Outland. However, the harsh industrial feel of the architecture reminds us that in the situations described in these films, namely the atmosphere (or lack thereof), characters are still enduring a much more primitive method of space inhabitation. The architecture of spaces in Episode Three, in contrast, is much softer and more refined, freed from the restrictions of a zero-atmosphere/zero-gravity environment.

This softness is induced by a variety of factors including colour and shape. Soft earthen tones and curvilinear geometries pervade in almost all of the environments to which Lucas exposes us. More importantly, however is the constant and thorough task of referencing the past (distant past in many cases), which Lucas executes with an incredible amount of vigour. The architecture of the film seems to be informed by a plethora of classical geometries. The materials, forms and order all seem to evoke a sense of pre-Roman times, which has been combined with state of the art technology and building to create a strange neo-contemporary classical architecture hybrid; futuristic structures decorated and covered in classical ornamentation. Although Lucas’ attempts to ensure that Revenge of the Sith is placed clearly in sequence before A New Hope is indeed admirable, some of his choices for interior spaces seem to not only evoke a sense of the distant past, but also to mimic some of the less notable architecture of said past. Skywalker’s apartment, for instance, seems like a bad hotel room on the Las Vegas strip. The classical geometry introduced by Lucas, though well intentioned, seems wholly confused and despite all efforts to have sets reek of regal and elegant – yet futuristic – spaces, the end result seems far less convincing than the resolute futuristic geometry visible on the spacecraft and the structural foundations for the Death Star.

8. Matt Storus

The interior of the original space craft, whether as seen from Episide IV 1977 (left) or Episode III 2005 (right) seems to maintain continuity between the many films of this series. Is this enough to create credible continuity from the old to the new series? What other aspects of the two series do you see as capable of making a successful link between films that are technologically separated by close to 30 years?

George Lucas and the Star Wars designers were faced with the challenge of blending Episode III and the original Episode IV together, across 28 years of technological advances. Apart from the obvious thematic and plot continuities, they needed to create a visual seam between the two movies. They were able to do this through three movie elements: objects, costumes and environments.

The link between objects in the two movies is predicated on a similarity between the weapons, robots and spaceships. The weapons, namely the light sabre, are recreated faithfully from the original movie. Although each new movie tends to put a spin on the weapons (for example changing the blade configuration, or adding more blades) the actual visual representation is consistent. There may have been room to modify the visual appearance of the coloured light, but instead they chose to maintain it. The robots, however, are not continuous. The only two robots that seem to make the jump are R2D2 and C3PO. In episode III the robots are depicted with more detail and with more fluidity of motion as compared to the stylized and abstracted robots of the late 70’s. However, to maintain the level of robot detail in the newer movies would have eliminated a number of stunning visuals (and toy marketing potential). Lastly, the spaceships maintain a fairly good continuity through the movies. Both the death star, wedge-shaped ships, X-wings have ancestors in the newest movie, and although they are slightly modified they are still visibly of the same family. The interiors in the new movie are much sleeker than the original, and when they try to reproduce an old spaceship interior during the closing “continuity montage” it looks ridiculous.

As for costumes, great care was taken to create some resemblance between characters in the two movies. Specific examples are Obi Wan and the Emperor, who appear similar despite having different actors. And although a faithful reproduction, the costume of Darth Vader (particularly his chest control box) looks ridiculous in comparison to the intricately detailed robots around him. Similarly ridiculous was the reproduction of the crew’s costumes on the final ship – as they could be clearly dated to the late 1970s.

Lastly, environmental continuity is also handled well – particularly in reference to the depiction of Luke and Leah’s home planets. Both landscapes are reproduced faithfully with a key attention to detail. However none of the other environments bear resemblance to the original ones in episode IV. Particularly, no real city visuals are given in the original, whereas the new movie makes use of advanced modelling technologies to show them off.

9. Elfie Kelfakis

How has the role of the robots in the film stayed the same/changed since the 1977 debut, and how does this relate to the presentation of robotic elements in any other space films that we have either seen this term or that you are aware of.

10. Nathan Rehorick



Space travel has taken on a distinctive style and level of high technology in the film. How does this element begin to define the attitude of the film towards scientific accuracy?

In Star Wars III high technology and space travel appear to have evolved to the point that they are only present in terms of outward forms and stylization of space crafts and related things. The assumption seems to be that this film happens at a point in the future when high technology has been refined to the ‘nth’ degree. The photos presented depict two hyper-aerodynamic, colourful and materially rich vessels that each seem to be stylistically suited to their respective roles. The ambassador’s transport looks fast and expensive, and as if it has been stretched backwards by extreme speeds, while the speeder is more modestly decorated, even with some reference to a car hood and headlight, and is more suited to intra-city travel.

Adding to this attitude is the treatment of duration in space travel, which becomes negligible. One minute a ship takes off from one planet, and the next minute it has arrived at another solar system, all via a ‘wipe’ scene transition.

This attitude towards technology is ambiguous in its scientific accuracy. While it is assumed that this is so far in the future that technology is hyper-refined, it also seems that the director has chosen to do this in order to play up the style of the film and not worry about how things really might work.

11. Emily Maemura


Special effects and specialized layered filming techniques have played a large role in the implementation of the plot of this film. How do you think these technologies have impacted the plot of this film? Speculate on the outcome of this series were they to have relied on state of the art filming technologies in 1977.

Technological advancements have greatly impacted the believability of space 
fighting scenes, as well as the urban and planetary landscapes presented in 
the film. The final Mustafar lava-fighting scene would have been substantially 
modified if bound to the technologies present in 1977. As well, significant 
character development of Yoda, as well as the robot-count, is allowed with CGI 
that could not have been possible with solely puppet based technologies. 
However, quite frankly, I preferred Yoda before he needed to be jumping around 
all of the time, and C3PO and R2D2 seemed to have much more character than 
count whatever his name was.


However, I feel that the technologies have negatively impacted the plot of the 
film in terms of actual emotion, and human-acting. In the first three 
episodes, plot seems to be overtaken by these special effects. In watching the 
making-of documentary, it becomes evident that green screens make it very 
difficult for actors to react to the mood of the setting, and to eachother 
within that setting, when they have no physical setting, and sometimes must 
also interact with computer-generated characters.

12. Liana Bresler



Communication technologies are presented in quite a different manner than the video screens of many other films that we have viewed. How does this change our impression of the future presented in the film.

The last installment of Star Wars features very detailed representation of the different types of communication technologies. The holograms that were part of Star Wars from A New Hope are much more elaborate than in the past. In addition to the small handheld communication devices which project small holograms above their surface, this movie includes immersive communication devices with full scale holograms that allow the speaker to take part in a conversation or meeting as if he was present. The holograms themselves are much more realistic, due to improvements in computer graphics capabilities.

The advance communication devices are contrasted by ‘ancient’ influences in the movie such as architecture, governance, and structure of society. This makes for an interesting visual collage that emphasizes the past/future ambiguity which always existed in Star Wars.

Episode III is the first and only movie we have viewed in class in which the advance in communication is equivalent to other technological advancements such as transportation, weapons, and robots. Although previous films did attempt to portray communication that were beyond the technical capabilities at the time they were made, they were not far from reality, while in terms of transportation for example, people could fly across the galaxy in a matter of hours. Perhaps it is because in reality, communication technologies have always been advancing rapidly, that film makers find it more difficult to imagine futuristic communication as opposed to fields which in reality have not been explored as much.

13. Maia Spadafora


How have green/blue screening filming techniques simultaneously positively impacted the advances in filming techniques used for this film while at the same time grounding the film in the state of the art technology of the 1960s?

14. Davide Plantera



The space craft and fighting scenes now incorporate many more ships running at higher and higher speeds, and with varying patterns. How has this affected the portrayal of aspects of the film?

The epic fight between the battleships at the beginning of the film is maybe the most famous sequence in the entire movie. It announces the director’s main intentions: to continue in working on what Star Wars is famous for. Marvelling special effects create a very crowded battlefield in which the starships seems uncountable and never ending and the spectator is stunned by their acrobatics movements. This part is so stunning and the speed of the sequences is every second higher that the hand to hand fight between Obi-Wan and the evil General Grievious appears more comic than serious. This is the main aspect of the film, a screenplay that is written to link the entire Star Wars Saga but is subordinated to the special effects priorities. This is also the main critic to the film. Screenplay and special effects are separated aspects. Even if the battleship is perfect in the effects and in the direction, the plot doesn’t run at the same speed. At the beginning, despite the stunning battle, the plot is entangled in a long introduction, in some important parts instead runs too fast e with a foreseeable ending. In the fighting scenes all the pieces involved in the battles have a wonderful attention to the details. The design is the result of sketches, physical models and computer graphic softwares. Starships and weapons are well mixed to the audio and the special effects. The result is very good and very convincing even the audience could not perceive it as an innovation. The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings used very similar digital high-resolution technique and the impact of this fantasy and Sci-Fi movies seems a bit standardised. In this kind of movies the digital is going to replace the 35mm film, but even if the result is amazing, how long the audience will be impressed by this stunning ensemble of digital technique.