A Thousand Stars: Episode III, Part 1
Oct. 26th, 2023 09:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilI've seen "fans" whine that the openings of Episode I and II are underwhelming compared to the startling visuals of Episode IV. They seem to forget that V and VI open with comparatively quiet bits. In the cyclical nature of the saga, it makes perfect sense that Episode III would have the stunning beginning to parallel with Episode IV. And 2005 brought the stunning in abundance.
First check out how even the familiar pan down to a planet has a flare of light reminiscent of fire.
Then we glimpse Coruscant foregrounded by a mighty battleship with which the Star Destroyers share an obvious lineage.
Something big is coming, we can sense it. John Williams adroitly highlights this with a drum beat so anticipatory, we feel like we're holding our breath.
Our heroes' ships soar into view, accompanied by an urgent drive version of the Force theme...
...and hurtle down into a full planet-scale battle in the aptly-named "waterfall shot." I can attest to being completely blown away, sitting there in the theater and witnessing this visuals on the screen. What a feast for the senses!
Yet even though the battle might seem overwhelming, we are offered a very consistent throughline by following the trajectory of the Jedi starships all the way until they infiltrate Grievous's ship. Let me extol this meticulous sort of cinematic storytelling. So may CGI battles nowadays are a disorienting array of images, piling more and more shots on top of each other as if to ensure sensory overload. Lucas crafts his scenes much more intentionally.
We are never introduced to any new element without first connecting it to what is familiar. We start with the Jedi and we stick with them through the entire raging storm of battle. The camera tracks according to their movement. For example, we only cut to a clonetrooper in his cockpit directly after Obi-Wan addresses him, and we see how his ship is oriented to the Jedi. It can be so subtle you might not even appreciate it, but on an almost subconscious level you can maintain a sure sense of what's going on, what's important and how it all comes together. This is how action scenes should be done.
Next time, portraying characters through visual symmetry....
First check out how even the familiar pan down to a planet has a flare of light reminiscent of fire.
Then we glimpse Coruscant foregrounded by a mighty battleship with which the Star Destroyers share an obvious lineage.
Something big is coming, we can sense it. John Williams adroitly highlights this with a drum beat so anticipatory, we feel like we're holding our breath.
Our heroes' ships soar into view, accompanied by an urgent drive version of the Force theme...
...and hurtle down into a full planet-scale battle in the aptly-named "waterfall shot." I can attest to being completely blown away, sitting there in the theater and witnessing this visuals on the screen. What a feast for the senses!
Yet even though the battle might seem overwhelming, we are offered a very consistent throughline by following the trajectory of the Jedi starships all the way until they infiltrate Grievous's ship. Let me extol this meticulous sort of cinematic storytelling. So may CGI battles nowadays are a disorienting array of images, piling more and more shots on top of each other as if to ensure sensory overload. Lucas crafts his scenes much more intentionally.
We are never introduced to any new element without first connecting it to what is familiar. We start with the Jedi and we stick with them through the entire raging storm of battle. The camera tracks according to their movement. For example, we only cut to a clonetrooper in his cockpit directly after Obi-Wan addresses him, and we see how his ship is oriented to the Jedi. It can be so subtle you might not even appreciate it, but on an almost subconscious level you can maintain a sure sense of what's going on, what's important and how it all comes together. This is how action scenes should be done.
Next time, portraying characters through visual symmetry....
