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STAR WARS PAGE
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) – Production Notes
Provided by
Twentieth Century Fox
The 1977 release of Star Wars launched a celebration of imagination that has flourished
for a quarter of a century – and counting. Hundreds of millions of people
spanning two generations have embraced George Lucas’ epic saga of grand design
and boundless fun. His evolving space fantasy entertains and inspires as it
explores the conflict between good and evil, technology and humanity. The story
of the Skywalker family celebrates heroism and the limitless potential of the
individual.
The newest chapter in Lucas’ saga, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,
is set ten years after the events of Episode I The Phantom Menace. The Republic
continues to be mired in strife and chaos. A separatist movement encompassing
hundreds of planets and powerful corporate alliances poses new threats to the
galaxy that even the Jedi cannot stem. These moves, long planned by an as yet
unrevealed and powerful force, lead to the beginning of the Clone Wars – and
the beginning of the end of the Republic.
To counter this looming menace, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, continuing his
consolidation of power, authorizes the creation of a Great Army of the Republic
to assist the overwhelmed Jedi.
Against this troubling setting, our familiar heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé
Amidala and Anakin Skywalker are thrown together for the first time since the
conflict between the Trade Federation and Padmé’s home planet, Naboo. Anakin
has grown into the accomplished Jedi apprentice of Obi-Wan, who himself has
transitioned from student to teacher, while Padmé, the former Queen of Naboo,
is now a distinguished Senator. Anakin and Obi-Wan are assigned to protect
Padmé, who is targeted for assassination.
As Obi-Wan investigates the mystery behind the threat on Padmé’s life, he
travels to two disparate worlds on the galaxy’s outer rim. There, he encounters
a fearsome bounty hunter whose role in the mystery extends far beyond Obi-Wan’s
initial suspicions. Obi-Wan also crosses paths with a once-revered, but now
disillusioned Jedi Master who leads the separatist movement.
With Obi-Wan away on his vital mission, Anakin is left to guard Padmé, first on
Naboo and then on the young Padawan’s home planet of Tatooine, where he makes a
fateful discovery. Growing closer, Anakin and Padmé find themselves torn
between duty and honor and a love that is forbidden. As powerful forces prepare
to collide in epic battle, they and Obi-Wan face choices that will impact not
only their own fates, but the destiny of the Republic. Star Wars: Episode II
Attack of the Clones was written and directed by George Lucas, co-written by
Jonathan Hales, produced by Rick McCallum, and stars Hayden Christensen,
Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, and Samuel L. Jackson. Additional cast members
include Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee, Temuera Morrison, Kenny Baker, Anthony
Daniels and Frank Oz.
Attack of the Clones is rich with themes we’ve come to recognize in all of the
Star Wars films: continual discovery, personal aspirations, heroism, duty and
honor. EPISODE II of George Lucas’ six-chapter epic features passion, love,
adventure … but most of all, fun. Interwoven with these familiar themes is one
new to the saga – forbidden love – as well as the notion of Jedi heroism on a
scale previously unseen in any Star Wars film: In one sequence, hundreds of
Jedi battle powerful and seemingly innumerable forces.
The title itself hearkens back to the sense of imagination and excitement that
characterized the classic movie serials and pulp fantasy adventures from which
the Star Wars saga draws inspiration. “Attack of the Clones is a big, wide-eyed
adventure film in the tradition and celebration of the Saturday matinee serials
of Hollywood’s golden age,” says Lucas. “They were unpretentious and designed
to thrill with lots of energy, suspense and excitement. You went to those
movies to escape and enjoy yourself, and that’s what I wanted to capture with
Attack of the Clones.”
Attack of the Clones is a complete story unto itself, yet also is part of a
larger, continuing epic tale. “Ultimately, the saga will be six films, a
twelve-hour story,” Lucas points out. “I’ve always stayed focused on when the
new trilogy will be completed. Then people can watch all six films together as
they were intended to be seen.”
Lucas likens the saga’s structure and themes to a musical piece. “The Star Wars
saga is, in a way, symphonic in nature,” he explains. “I have certain musical
refrains that I am purposely repeating – in a different key, but still
repeating.”
This symphonic structure leads to the notion of “connections” that resonate
backwards and forwards through the saga, linking motifs, themes, actions,
attitudes and phrases. Most importantly, they tie together the story’s
memorable characters: the feisty princess, Leia, who is the daughter of the
strong-willed queen, Padmé Amidala; that queen’s son, Luke Skywalker, a young
farmboy whose yearnings for adventure lead to the end of an Empire – and
revelations of family secrets; Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Padawan who becomes a Jedi
Knight and connects father to son; and Anakin Skywalker, a young Podracer who
travels a tortuous path to the dark side before ultimately finding redemption
at the hands of that son.
Attack of the Clones’ story, characters, environments, vehicles and other
elements add to the richness of the saga’s multi-layered links. To bring it all
to life, Lucas again returns to the director’s chair. Lucas enlisted the aid of
screenwriter Jonathan Hales to refine the script. Hales and Lucas have had an
association since the critically acclaimed television series The Young Indiana
Jones Chronicles, for which Hales wrote or co-wrote several episodes.
Attack of the Clones adds to the Star Wars saga, but not just in the form of
new characters, droids and locales. The story traces the growing political
unrest in the galaxy, adding political complexity to the saga. It is similar in
tone to the darker-themed The Empire Strikes Back, but features all the fun,
action, and adventure one expects from a Star Wars film.
Bringing these key elements into ever sharper focus, Lucas and Hales continued
to refine the script – even as costumes were designed and sets were built. “At
that stage, Attack of the Clones felt like a ‘virtual film’ because we got the
script only three days before we started shooting,” recalls producer Rick
McCallum. “We had to build these sets to a script that didn’t exist.”
The story continued to evolve well into production and even post-production, as
Lucas fine-tuned specific scenes and dialogue, sometimes adding new sequences
months after principal photography had wrapped. Instead of following the
decades-old blueprint of pre-production, shooting and post-production, Lucas
instead employs a more fluid, nonlinear approach to filmmaking. Periods of
additional photography are scheduled in advance, with filmmakers and cast
coming together months into the editing process to shoot additional scenes
whose need was identified by Lucas’ evolving rough cut. “It’s still a pretty
normal seventy-two day shooting schedule,” says McCallum, “except it’s spread
out over eighteen months.”
THE JOURNEY OF ANAKIN SKYWALKER
The character of Anakin Skywalker is central to Attack of the Clones, and
indeed to the saga itself. “What drove me in the first place to create this new
trilogy,” says Lucas, “was to create a story about somebody who starts out as a
good person, but is seduced by the dark side and becomes evil. And is
ultimately redeemed. “That’s the reason I started the story where I did in The
Phantom Menace, with nine-year-old Anakin being a wonderful, normal kid,” Lucas
continues. “I wanted to explore how somebody like that turns bad.” Adds
producer Rick McCallum: “We obviously know Anakin’s ultimate fate. With these
new films we explore the ‘How’ and the ‘Why.’”
As Attack of the Clones opens, Anakin has served ten years as a Padawan Learner
under the guidance of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin has become a confident, headstrong
nineteen-year-old with an impulsive nature and a flair for adventure. Important
changes in the young man are becoming evident. “In Attack of the Clones we
begin to see flashes of anger from Anakin,” Lucas states, “and the seeds of his
feelings are moving toward the dark side. The same flaws and issues that all
humans are cursed with, curse him. There’s a lot going on there.” Says Jonathan
Hales: “Anakin is still a gifted, talented, likable, good person who is
determined to be the best and most powerful Jedi. He doesn’t set out to be
evil, but in this film we see that pressures are being put upon him, and we
become aware of some new temptations to which he is subjected.”
To bring forth Anakin’s complexities required an actor of impressive skill and
presence. Casting director Robin Gurland saw six months of hard work come to a
successful conclusion with the selection of Canadian actor Hayden Christensen
as the new Anakin Skywalker for EPISODES II and III of the Star Wars saga. “I
was really in a state of despair – until Hayden walked through the door,”
Gurland recalls. “He has those special qualities you hope to find in an actor.
He pops off the screen. And he had two of the characteristics that we were
seeking for the character: vulnerability and edginess. We really had to have
that combination, and it’s rare to find an actor who can go back and forth so
well. I knew he had the physical and emotional attributes to play Anakin at the
most complex stage of the character’s life.”
Producer Rick McCallum agrees that Christensen has a special quality that seems
uniquely suited to bring out Anakin’s dual nature. “Hayden has a wonderful
innocence and decency, with an edge that you can see in his eyes. There’s so
much happening there.”
Christensen fills a role that has been played by actors ranging from then
eight-year-old Jake Lloyd in The Phantom Menace to seventy-eight-year-old
Sebastian Shaw in Return of the Jedi. Christensen, a longtime Star Wars fan, is
well aware of these connections and challenges inherent in the character’s
story arc from young slave boy to Dark Lord of the Sith to redeemed Jedi. “The
hardest part of playing Anakin was finding the medium between what Jake brought
to the role and what Sebastian Shaw did as the unmasked Darth Vader finding
that medium between the good and the bad, and making it believable.”
Christensen embraced both the positive and foreboding natures of the character,
spending long hours with Lucas discussing Anakin, as well as working on the
role on his own. He makes special note of the first glimpses we see of the
character’s dark potential, including Anakin’s emerging aggressiveness and
periodic loss of control. “Anakin is very passionate about the responsibilities
he’s undertaken as a Jedi,” the actor comments. “He’s very determined to break
free, wants to be the best at everything he does, and never backs down from a
challenge.”
FORBIDDEN LOVE
Anakin’s passions also lead to a romance with Padmé, although it is forbidden
for Jedi to form such attachments. Anakin and Padmé are reunited after ten
years, when she finds her life endangered and is offered the protection of
Obi-Wan and his young apprentice.
Anakin and Padmé share an evolving relationship. “It’s a subtle, grown-up love
story,” says Jonathan Hales. “It isn’t a question of love at first sight. When
they’re reunited, she still sees him as a child. Initially, there’s tension,
but always with an underlying attraction. Add to the fact their feelings for
each other are forbidden. That’s interesting and it’s adult.”
Like Anakin, Padmé, played by Natalie Portman, who originated the role in The
Phantom Menace, has undergone important changes in the ten years since their
last meeting. Her term as Queen Amidala of the planet Naboo has ended. Still
passionate about public office, Padmé now serves as Senator. In a galaxy
undergoing tumultuous changes, her outspoken nature and commitment stand out in
an increasingly fragmented Senate. Padmé’s beliefs lead to her becoming
targeted by a growing separatist movement working outside the system, which in
turn leads to her reunion with Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Padmé’s commitments to her career at first seem to rule out any notions of
romance with Anakin, (as does the Jedi credo forbidding romantic attachments).
“Padmé’s matured as a woman,” Portman notes. “She’s idealistic, honest and
good, and because of that, sometimes naive. Padmé doesn’t want to fall in love
because she thinks she has more important things to accomplish. She sees a
future for herself as a leader, which doesn’t allow for much vulnerability,
which in turn is a key component of romance.”
CONNECTIONS
Anakin’s other key relationship in Attack of the Clones is with Obi-Wan Kenobi,
who guides Anakin on the path to Jedi Knighthood. The film’s exploration of their
friendship points to one of the saga’s central motifs and connecting threads:
the dynamic between father/son, master/apprentice, and teacher/student. The
Anakin-Obi-Wan relationship also recalls Kenobi’s wistful remembrances of Luke
Skywalker’s father – Anakin – in the original film of the saga, 1977’s Star
Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
In many ways, Anakin looks to Obi-Wan as the father figure he never had.
“Obi-Wan and Anakin have been together a long time, and have worked together
probably every day since Qui-Gon [the Jedi Master portrayed by Liam Neeson in
The Phantom Menace] died,” reminds Ewan McGregor. The actor reprises the role
he played in The Phantom Menace – a part that Alec Guinness created in the
original trilogy.
McGregor particularly appreciated the evolving dynamic between the two
characters. Obi-Wan incorrectly believed he could train Anakin to the level of
the revered Yoda. Obi-Wan’s mistake ultimately proves to have grave
consequences for Anakin and for the galaxy.
Attack of the Clones depicts the first steps in this dire scenario. Despite the
close friendship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, the Padawan feels suffocated and
restricted by his mentor’s careful teachings and experiences the first
stirrings of power. He begins to resent, even resist, Obi-Wan.
McGregor points out that this relationship, as well as the film’s overall scale
and sense of adventure, compare favorably with his reaction to the first two
films of the original trilogy. “Attack of the Clones is reminiscent of A New Hope
and The Empire Strikes Back,” he explains. “You can feel the tension building,
and at the same time there are some nice humorous moments. I also really
enjoyed the film’s mystery aspects – Obi-Wan’s detective ‘spree’ that takes him
to the underworld, backstreets and bars, and to strange planets.”
Samuel L. Jackson, returning as Jedi Master Mace Windu, agrees that Attack of
the Clones recalls the original trilogy’s sense of adventure and wonder. “All
those millions who loved those films are going to get the same kind of
irreverence, thrills, action and romance with Attack of the Clones,” he points
out. “It’s going to appeal to a lot of people.”
The character of Mace plays a critical role in the new film. A respected Jedi
on par with the venerable Yoda, Mace is a senior member of the Jedi High
Council. As the galaxy finds itself increasingly fragmented by the rise of a
powerful secessionist movement spearheaded by a former Jedi, Mace comes to
realize the time for negotiation has passed – and the time for action has come.
In Attack of the Clones, Mace, with his consummate skills, is in the thick of
the action, something Samuel L. Jackson has long anticipated. “Mace knows that
war is coming, and he’s in full attack mode,” says the actor. “I’ve watched and
enjoyed Errol Flynn movies all my life, and now I finally get to fight in these
incredible scenes.”
Among the enemies of the Republic with whom Mace and Obi-Wan cross paths is a
bounty hunter considered to be the best and most fearsome in the galaxy. His family
name, like his sleek armored suit and well-worn starship, Slave I, are familiar
to the saga’s myriad fans. The brutal bounty hunter under the armor is Jango
Fett, who has a unique relationship with his son, Boba.
Boba Fett, the feared warrior introduced in The Empire Strikes Back as cashing
in on Jabba the Hutt’s bounty on Han Solo, finally emerges from the shadows in
Attack of the Clones. (The character was “re-introduced” in new footage created
for the Special Edition of A New Hope). Attack of the Clones reveals Boba
Fett’s history, identity and destiny, and depicts how Boba plays a key role in
the galaxy’s greatest conflict. We learn where he comes from, and why he grows
up to become the infamous killer we know. Bringing the Fett legacy to the screen
is newcomer Daniel Logan, 14, who plays the young Boba Fett, and famed New
Zealand actor Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors) as Jango Fett.
Boba follows the path of his father. The mentor/father-son thematic links also
come into play with a figure new to the Star Wars universe: Count Dooku. A
once-revered Jedi Master, Dooku has grown disenchanted with the ways of the
troubled Republic, and has taken the lead in a growing separatist movement.
Yoda himself had trained Dooku as a Jedi; Dooku in turn served as master to
Qui-Gon Jinn, under whom Obi-Wan was an apprentice. Obi-Wan’s Padawan, Anakin,
becomes the fourth generation link to the master-apprentice tradition of the
Jedi Order.
Acting legend Christopher Lee, who defined the macabre for a generation of
horror fans through his portrayal of Dracula in a series of Hammer Films
productions, takes on the key role of Dooku. The elegant, distinguished actor
and his Attack of the Clones role are reminiscent of one of the key figures
from A New Hope: Imperial official (and mastermind of the Death Star) Grand
Moff Tarkin, played by Lee’s friend and colleague, the late Peter Cushing. The
resemblance is far from coincidental. According to Robin Gurland, Lucas
envisioned Dooku as “the Peter Cushing of this film. The minute George said
that, he came up with the idea of casting Christopher Lee.”
Dooku is a far cry from the iconic visages of other Star Wars antagonists, such
as Darth Maul and Darth Vader. Nevertheless, Dooku’s skills are no less
formidable than those of his illustrious predecessors in the saga. Dooku, a
master swordsman of the old school, is, according to Lee, “a man of immense
physical and mental power. He’s very aloof, self-contained and completely
fearless. Very much a force unto himself.”
Dooku’s disillusionment with the Republic is tied to Palpatine’s continuing
rise to power. In The Phantom Menace, a trade embargo and crisis on Naboo led
to Palpatine becoming Chancellor, after he promised to reunite the Republic and
bring order and justice to its government. Despite his assurances, the Republic
continues to be mired in strife and chaos. New threats to the galaxy lead the
Galactic Senate to extend Palpatine’s term in office and grant him emergency
powers as Supreme Chancellor. He then orders the formation of a massive Army of
the Republic to protect the citizenry. This Army points to another connection
to the first trilogy, as a seemingly brief reference in A New Hope to the Clone
Wars becomes a pivotal story element of Attack of the Clones.
Ian McDiarmid reprises his role of Palpatine, which he played in both Return of
the Jedi and The Phantom Menace. The actor continues to relish the task of
bringing out the nuances of the most evil man in the Star Wars galaxy – perhaps
in all of cinema. “Palpatine’s the consummate politician,” McDiarmid explains.
“On the surface he’s ‘Mr. Nice Guy’, but in reality he’s quite the opposite of
that. Palpatine is interesting to play because he’s a brilliant actor and
gloriously insincere to those who trust him most.”
Also returning to the Star Wars universe are the beloved droids R2-D2 and
C-3PO. Attack of the Clones features an important evolution for the latter. In
EPISODE I, Threepio, a creation of Anakin’s, was bereft of “skin” and very much
a work-in-progress. During his ten years of waiting, the protocol droid finally
receives his coverings. But he’s still not the golden figure we remember from
the first trilogy. Instead, Threepio is a bunch of found pieces put together
like patchwork.
The movie features a new costume worn by Anthony Daniels. A veteran of all five
Star Wars movies, Daniels dons the droid costume for the first time in twenty
years, while providing Threepio’s voice.
Kenny Baker, the man inside R2-D2 for the first four Star Wars films, joins
Daniels as the only actors to appear in the entire original trilogy and both
prequel films. While the robotics technology inside Artoo has advanced to the
point where it can achieve most of its performance, having Baker “under the
dome” for certain scenes adds an important element of humanity. Droid unit
supervisor and operator Don Bies oversaw the refurbishment and updating of not
only R2-D2, but of all the film’s astromech droids.
Another central relationship in Attack of the Clones is between Owen Lars
(played by Australian actor Joel Edgerton) and Beru Whitesun, played by
Australian actress Bonnie Piesse. Owen was introduced to the saga in A New Hope
as Luke Skywalker’s jaded, gruff uncle, and Beru as Luke’s sympathetic aunt.
Owen and Beru are as yet unmarried, but very much together. In EPISODE II, we
finally discover Owen and Beru’s connection to Anakin, and we begin to
understand why they were so protective of the young Jedi’s son, Luke, in A New
Hope.
Owen’s father Cliegg Lars (portrayed by acclaimed Australian actor Jack
Thompson), also figures in Anakin’s journey, as does the young Jedi’s mother,
Shmi Skywalker, played by Pernilla August, who reprises her EPISODE I role.
Emmy®-winning actor Jimmy Smits portrays Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, a
character referred to in A New Hope, who is now involved in the Senate’s heated
debates about the creation of a new Army to protect the Republic.
JEDI ACTION
Having crafted an entire fighting style defining the prime of the Jedi for The
Phantom Menace, stunt coordinator Nick Gillard returns to duty for Attack of
the Clones.
In mapping out EPISODE II’s epic battles, Gillard created an individual
fighting style for each Jedi – even the extras – choosing from different
martial arts and sword fighting techniques. Gillard calls the process of
describing in detail the precise movements of the battles, “writing the
lightsaber fights.” “On other films, the fights are simply choreographed, but
we needed something more for Attack of the Clones,” he explains.
Gillard visited twenty Kendo schools and “fight clubs,” where he interviewed
over five hundred swordsmen to fill the Jedi positions. “I heard of one group
that had been banned from the national competitions because they were way too
aggressive,” says Gillard. “When I heard that, I knew they could be right for
us.” Gillard found many of his Jedi at an Australian colony, Byron Bay, living
in woods, “like in a scene from ‘Apocalypse Now.’”
Gillard also focused on training Hayden Christensen, who had to convey Anakin’s
formidable skills with the lightsaber. “We need to see Anakin’s flashes of
brilliance, the man who will be Darth Vader in action,” says Gillard. “He’s
more skilled than even Obi-Wan, and he always attacks.”
Christensen, a talented athlete whose sports of choice are tennis and hockey,
trained three to four hours a day with Gillard, wearing the ensuing bruises
like badges of honor. “You don’t feel like you’ve done your job unless you walk
home with a few bumps and scrapes,” the actor notes.
Christensen more than lived up to his character’s promise and skills. “Not only
is Hayden a brilliant actor, he’s one of the most skilled athletes I’ve ever
seen,” Gillard enthuses. “To give you some idea of Hayden’s abilities, he
nearly creamed one of the great Kendo swordsmen in Australia. He was that
quick.”
While Christensen’s training received most of Gillard’s attention, the stunt
coordinator also worked closely with Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson,
Christopher Lee and Temuera Morrison. According to Gillard, McGregor’s
fierce-fighting Obi-Wan quickly returned to his Phantom Menace form, evidenced
in a knockdown-drag out fight with Morrison’s Jango Fett. Their Jedi vs. bounty
hunter battle points to the difference in their styles. “Comparing bounty
hunters with Jedi is like comparing a tiger with a shark,” Gillard points out.
“Within three feet, nothing can stop a Jedi. Bounty hunters fight from a long
range, for as long as possible.”
The fighting abilities of Jedi Master Mace Windu are second only to Yoda. “Mace’s
style is quite economic,” says Gillard. “If he gets within range, there’s no
question – you’re dead.” Adds Samuel L. Jackson (who previously collaborated
with Gillard on Shaft): “Nick’s put together an incredible fight for me. And
since Mace is the second baddest person in the universe, he’s pretty efficient.
No fancy sword twirling. He uses minimal energy … and maximum lethalness.”
Count Dooku’s skills with the lightsaber are as lethal as Mace’s. Dooku figures
in one of the film’s most carefully planned fight sequences, which impressed
the actor who plays the charismatic separatist, master swordsman and former
Jedi. “I’ve done more sword fights on celluloid than any actor in history,”
reminds Christopher Lee, “and I’ve got the scars to prove it. And this fight is
greater than anything I’ve been involved in.”
While Natalie Portman doesn’t wield a lightsaber, she jumped into the action
scenes as readily as her male co-stars did. “Padmé is more proactive in Attack
of the Clones than in the last film,” Gillard points out, “and Natalie was more
than up for the physical challenges of the role.”
DESIGN
It takes many talented artists to interpret George Lucas’ vision to bring a new
look to the epic Star Wars saga. Working without benefit of a script – the
story was still developing at that stage – production designer Gavin Bocquet
and concept design supervisor Doug Chiang, and their team of designers went to
work during the early months of pre-production, establishing in broad strokes
the style and look of Attack of the Clones.
The film’s new worlds were a top priority. Kamino, a storm-shrouded “vanished”
planet beyond the galaxy’s outer rim, is continually buffeted by heavy rains
and hard-driving winds. The advanced, highly technical residents of this ultra-modern
world, which is built on stilts over a churning ocean, are involved in an
ultra-secret project – the building of a clone army.
“I think Kamino is a really beautiful environment,” notes Rick McCallum. “It’s
a refreshing departure for George, because its high-tech, classic sci-fi look
is something we don’t expect in a Star Wars film. You usually see something
gritty and somewhat familiar.”
The red rock planet Geonosis, while perhaps more recognizable, still impresses
with its striking look: the planet is featureless, apart from buttes and mesas
that stand out dramatically on the arid world. As for its residents, Lucas
envisioned hard-working, industrious insect-like creatures – “they’re like
termites,” says Doug Chiang – uniquely suited to their task at hand: building
hundreds of thousands of droids, which threaten the very existence of the
Republic.
A familiar world from EPISODE I is Coruscant, the center of the Star Wars
galaxy and a world-city where urban sprawl has covered the entire planet in
colossal skyscrapers. It is from here the Jedi make their headquarters in the
mighty Jedi Temple, and the Galactic Senate rules the Republic. Adding a new
dimension to the planet, Attack of the Clones shows us a Coruscant we haven’t
seen, taking us down into its streets, into its bars and alleys, and bringing
alive Lucas’ futuristic ultra-noir look.
The vehicle designs for Attack of the Clones link the art nouveau, fluid forms
from The Phantom Menace, to A New Hope’s industrial, engineered shapes. A new
vehicle, yet at the same time disconcertingly familiar to the Star Wars fan, is
the Jedi starfighter, a sleek one-man vehicle equipped with an astromech droid.
Piloted by Obi-Wan, the starship is reminiscent of the triangular-shaped
Imperial Star Destroyers that cast such an ominous presence in the original
trilogy. The link is more than visual. “The Star Destroyers grew out of the
Jedi starfighters,” notes Gavin Bocquet, “so the symbolism is very powerful –
we begin to see how everything begins to turn to the Dark Side.” Attack of the
Clones’ other vehicles run the gamut from a bright yellow, convertible, hot rod
speeder piloted by Anakin to a rickshaw-like conveyance pulled through the
streets of Tatooine by a wheeled droid.
The film’s costume designs also offer foreboding links to EPISODES IV-VI.
Costume designer Trisha Biggar (with the help of concept artists Iain McCaig
and Dermot Power) created the costumes for Anakin Skywalker, which echo that
worn by his later incarnation, Darth Vader. Biggar’s initial thought was to
give Anakin a costume that would mirror the one worn by Ewan McGregor in The
Phantom Menace. “But we wanted to have a feel of the future to come, so we
looked to aspects of Darth Vader’s costume,” recalls Biggar, another EPISODE I
veteran.
The use of leather in Anakin’s costume gives him a bit of an edge, while Biggar
took the shape of Darth Vader’s cloak and tried to steer that back to a Jedi
style to create a simpler outline than the traditional Jedi cloak. The result
was something definitely Jedi with a hood, but with the vaguely familiar
outline of Vader.
Padmé, no longer the elected queen of Naboo, wears an equally impressive,
though less institutionalized wardrobe than her costumes in The Phantom Menace.
Padmé’s Attack of the Clones wardrobe outnumbers even her numerous outfits in
EPISODE I. The new costumes, while simpler in some ways than those of EPISODE
I, were still quite labor intensive. “There is a lot of handiwork in all of the
EPISODE II costumes,” Biggar notes. “There’s much embroidery, beading – all
sorts of decorative things.”
In Attack of the Clones, we see Padmé as more of a person and less as a ruler
of a nation. She wears softer, less formal clothes. Since the character is
older, Natalie Portman was able to wear some sexier clothes as well. “George
wanted Natalie to have a softer, more feminine, less formal look in EPISODE
II,” Biggar notes. As the film progresses, Padmé’s wardrobe becomes more
informal, as she transitions from her duties as Senator, to a woman falling in
love, and ultimately a woman of action, fighting for her life.
An early scene set in Palpatine’s office points to one of Biggar’s more formal,
“Senatorial” designs. Padmé wears a multi-layered outfit, with a coat made of a
deep purple velvet over an Elizabethan-style underdress with long flowing
sleeves, and a heavily textured purple dress. A large antique jewel at the back
holds the sleeves, and a petticoat brings additional formality to the imposing
costume.
After an attempt on her life, Padmé and Anakin leave Coruscant for Naboo, where
their romance begins to take hold. Against the idyllic setting of her retreat,
Padmé wears a delicate, multi-colored pastel dress that hangs from a silver
metal choker around her neck. “It’s meant to look romantic and flowing,” says
Biggar, as is a soft, floating dress with a multi-layered skirt made with
chiffon and a stitched embroidery, worn by Padmé during a picnic scene. For a
romantic dinner set at the Naboo retreat, Padmé wears a dress with a leather
top and leather sleeves, and a long, hanging jet black panel made of antique
beads.
When Padmé arrives with Anakin in Tatooine, she wears an embossed velvet
traveling cape that is clasped together at the neck with an antique brooch.
“When she’s wearing this cloak, she’s in disguise,” Biggar explains. “She’s
quite covered up and mysterious.”
For action-packed scenes set on Geonosis, Padmé wears a utilitarian outfit made
of stretch fabrics that allowed maximum mobility. The costume even has a belt
with pouches, similar to those worn by the Jedi. The outfit, like its wearer,
takes a beating, with part of the top being ripped off as Padmé fights for her
life against monstrous creatures.
Also working closely with the art department were Dan Gregoire and David Dozoretz,
the previsualization/visual effects supervisors who led the team of animatics
artists crafting a rough, temporary version of the movie. “We're closely
related to what the art department does,” says Gregoire. “We get to be the
first group of artists to implement the designers’ work.”
The animatics team played a key role on the film, providing quick and dirty
moving storyboards – over 4000 shots – for later use by the director, actors,
editors and effects artists to pre-visualize what final scenes would look like.
Gregoire notes that with advances in technology, the animatics work over the
last few years is not only faster, but has also looks better than ever. Using
comparatively low-resolution computer graphics, the animatics artists staged
some of EPISODE II’s biggest action and effects-laden sequences.
The film’s rich palette of color and mood, devised by concept design
supervisors Erik Tiemens and Ryan Church, was some of the most exciting work to
emerge from the art department. Tiemens and Church also came up with the
designs for key sequences set inside a droid factory and an execution arena, as
well as for the climactic battle scene.
Their key-frame production illustrations were the link between the conceptual
art and the final work from the ILM matte painters and effects crew. “It’s kind
of previsualizing lighting, mood and color schemes,” says Church. Adds Tiemens:
“Our job was to bring the blue-screen void to life as environmental landscapes
via production paintings.”
Attack of the Clones’ heightened dramatic potential drew Tiemens and Church to
the project. “We were delighted that George Lucas and Rick McCallum wanted to
intertwine a feeling of drama and moodiness as often seen in turn of the
century American landscape painting, like that of Thomas Moran and Albert
Bierdstadt,” says Tiemens. “We all wanted the visual to carry a lot of
emotion.”
Another returnee from EPISODE I, production designer Gavin Bocquet, bridges the
gap between the design department’s artistic images and a reality in which
Lucas could set up his cameras. Clearly delighted to once again have the
opportunity to build a fantasy galaxy, Bocquet notes that among the sixty-eight
sets he and his team designed and constructed, one particular locale that
stands out is a seedy Coruscant nightclub. There, transients and slumming elite
intermingle, carouse, drink and gamble. “It’s quite nice to move into these
sort of worlds and see how people enjoy themselves in our mad universe out
there,” Bocquet shares. Bocquet and his crew also realized the nightclub
exterior and nearby alleyway, which serve as the launching point for an
exciting chase sequence that starts high up in the skies of Coruscant and lands
down in the bowels of the metropolis.
Bocquet meticulously reproduced Owen and Beru’s homestead kitchen set from
Episode IV: A New Hope. Recreating a piece of the saga’s history was especially
meaningful to Bocquet and his crew. “Like other Tatooine sets, the homestead is
a part of the Skywalker family history,” he notes. “I think everybody who is
into the Star Wars world feels quite in tune with the Tatooine environments in
Tunisia.”
Bocquet then rebuilt the Jedi Council chambers to match its look from The
Phantom Menace. To save time, he tweaked the Council set to create other Jedi
environments, such as Yoda and Mace Windu’s offices, the Jedi analysis room and
a Jedi training veranda.
The film’s newer environments carried their own challenges and rewards. Padme’s
apartment and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine’s office were detailed and more
personal than most other Star Wars sets, as was Padmé’s summer house, with the
latter featuring a grand marble dining room where Anakin and Padmé share a
romantic dinner.
THE DIGITAL CAMERA
Digital technology has always been a major element of George Lucas’ creative
process. Twenty years ago, he pioneered SoundDroid and EditDroid – the first
computerized non-linear sound and picture editing systems. These tools helped
revolutionize the editing field, putting a single frame at a sound or picture editor’s
fingertips, rather than buried inside of thousands of feet of celluloid.
The technology is now available to allow the digital world to become part of
the shooting process itself. In 1996, Rick McCallum obtained a commitment from
Sony to develop a 24 frame high definition progressive scan camera, as well as
the key building blocks of a 24 frame post production system. Panavision then
came aboard to develop a revolutionary new lens that could accommodate digital
cinematography.
When cameras rolled in June 2000, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
became the first major motion picture created by using the high-definition,
twenty-four frames per second, digital video camera and videotape rather than
film. “We received the final version of the camera one week before our first
day of principal photography,” McCallum remembers. “We started shooting without
any film backup whatsoever. We just went for it. We shot in deserts – where the
temperatures were over 125 degrees for weeks – we shot in torrential rain, and
in five different countries throughout the world. All without a single
problem.”
Attack of the Clones director of photography David Tattersall notes that Lucas’
interest in the potential of digital photography dates back even further than
1996 – to their early collaborations on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and
Radioland Murders. Lucas and Tattersall shot some digital tests on their next
effort, The Phantom Menace, but the technology was not quite ready to be
utilized for an entire feature film.
On Attack of the Clones, Lucas and Tattersall finally had the opportunity to
discover the numerous technical and practical advantages of digital
cinematography. “With digital, we can time the movie as we’re shooting it,”
notes Tattersall. “Also, there’s never any doubt about whether or not you see
something in the background. With film, when you review your shot you’re
looking at a pretty poor quality videotape, and it’s sometimes difficult to see
the subtleties. But with high definition video, there’s absolutely no doubt
about what the lens has captured. The playback on the HD monitor is crystal
clear. You can see everything you want to see – or shouldn’t be seeing.”
The use of digital cameras was a time-saver on numerous aspects of production.
No longer hampered with the delays of film processing, scenes could be
immediately modified and edited as soon as Lucas yelled, “Cut!” further
blurring the lines between production and post-production. The digital format
allowed unprecedented flexibility in the construction of shots, with editor Ben
Burtt and Lucas having the freedom to change or move sets, people, and lighting
within the image itself. In addition, visual effects shots no longer had to be
scanned into a computer, manipulated, and then scanned back to film.
With this new high-definition camera, Lucas is mapping out an exciting digital
future for the cinema. But he sees this as an evolutionary rather than
revolutionary process. “The advance of cinema into the digital world is a
normal transition,” Lucas states. “Just as we went from silent films to sound
pictures, from black and white to color films, digital cameras are an addition
to the tools we use to create movies.”
The camera’s impact is felt even in the movie theater, as the digital format
allows the film’s images to retain their integrity, not just opening night, but
throughout the entire run of the picture. There will be no scratch marks, dust
or wear and tear on Attack of the Clones digital prints through their life in
the cinemas.
VISUAL EFFECTS
The original Star Wars trilogy had a major impact in the way visual effects
were created. In order to realize his visual effects ideas for Star Wars, Lucas
created the effects house Industrial Light & Magic, which introduced
computer technology to the film industry and revolutionized special effects.
Since then, ILM has been honored with sixteen Academy Awards® for Best Visual
Effects and Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards for its breakthrough
work.
That tradition of breakthrough effects work continued with EPISODE I’s “digital
backlot,” which realized worlds of fantasy while maintaining a realistic look
and accommodating live-action footage of the actors. Not only backgrounds, but
also many of the sets, vehicles and even characters were computer generated.
Ninety-five percent of the frames in The Phantom Menace, encompassing nearly
two thousand shots, employed digital work.
Having “re-invented the wheel” with the digital backlot in EPISODE I, Lucas and
ILM were not ready to rest on their laurels for the new film. “We’re still
learning,” says Lucas, “moving along step by step, improving the way we do
things, and learning to think differently about how to create the saga’s worlds
and creatures.”
The visual effects tasks on Attack of the Clones were so immense that four of
ILM’s sixteen supervisors were called upon to share the load, each taking
primary responsibility for one or more action sequences, as well as specific
effects shots occurring throughout the film. The digital world also plays a key
role in the creation of Attack of the Clones’ exotic and disparate worlds,
including the ocean planet Kamino, the rock world Geonosis, and two
environments already established in the Star Wars universe: the city-planet
Coruscant, and Naboo, a peaceful, idyllic paradise.
John Knoll, who oversaw EPISODE I’s Podrace and spaceship sequences, took
charge of a high-powered chase that sees Anakin and Obi-Wan, traveling hundreds
of miles per hour in a speeder, pursuing a deadly bounty hunter high above the
streets of Coruscant. The scene, which hurtles its characters – and audiences –
through dense streams of traffic and around mile-high buildings, uses over
three hundred effects shots.
Knoll also supervised another high-speed pursuit, this one through an asteroid
field. Knoll calls the sequence a “rhyming scene” to The Empire Strikes Back’s
famed asteroid sequence. Another Knoll-supervised sequence is set inside a
massive Geonosian arena, where our heroes battle three monsters new to Star
Wars: the bull-like reek, the lion-esque nexu, and the acklay, a
crustacean-like creature.
Outside this arena, an epic battle is underway, which provides the first taste
of the immensity of the “Clone Wars” first referenced briefly in A New Hope.
Two hundred Jedi and hundreds of thousands of newly-manufactured clonetroopers
battle a similar number of battle droids; enormous, six-legged and fearsome
looking AT-TE walkers (which provide a visual link to The Empire Strikes Back’s
AT-AT walkers); and giant missile droids. This scene, the largest scaled in any
Star Wars film, was supervised by Ben Snow. Snow and Dennis Muren, the latter a
veteran of the original pioneering Star Wars effects work, and who oversaw
EPISODE I’s huge ground battle effects and underwater sequences, also
supervised a large-scale scene set in an enormous droid manufacturing facility.
They created the entire factory environment: a vast series of interconnected
chambers made up of machines, robotic arms, and endless rows of conveyer belts.
ILM’s Pablo Helman oversaw the more peaceful environments of Naboo, which in
Attack of the Clones provides the setting for Anakin and Padmé’s first
stirrings of a love that is forbidden to a Jedi. Helman and his team created
heretofore unseen sweeping vistas, waterfalls, and a country house where
romance blossoms.
The digital realm also extended into the creation of some of Attack of the
Clones’ characters. Animation director Rob Coleman oversaw a new CG creature
known as Dexter Jettster. An enormous character straight out of a Forties
detective film, Dexter provides critical information to Obi-Wan on his search
to unravel a mystery stemming from the assassination attempt on Padmé. A
“been-everywhere, done-everything” figure, Dexter sports four huge arms and hands
as well as a grubby shirt, greasy apron, and pants that tend to slide.
Coleman and his team brought to life the Kaminoans, tall, thin-necked, elegant
beings hearkening back to classic science fiction creatures. The
clone-manufacturing Kaminoans provide a stark contrast to the primitive,
insect-like Geonosians, who labor in underground foundries creating droids.
Coleman also brought to life some CG characters familiar to all Star Wars fans,
including a fully computer-generated Yoda. Computer effects give Yoda greater
movement, which in turn allowed the character to play a more central role in
the action and drama than in his previous Star Wars appearances. “The chance to
work on Yoda as a CG character was one of the highlights of working on this
film,” says Coleman, who also notes that Lucas gave the go-ahead for the CG
Yoda only after extensive tests proved Coleman and his team could “act” the
role.
Yoda’s earlier on-screen incarnations were defined by Frank Oz, whose
performances set a high bar for Coleman. Oz’s presence was always felt during
and after production of EPISODE II; the talented performer and filmmaker again
provides his unique voice talents, and Coleman was intent on remaining true to
the essence of Oz’s puppet and performance.
Other familiar CG characters returning are the miserly junk dealer Watto (again
voiced by Andy Secombe), and Jar Jar Binks, a favorite among the saga’s younger
fans. Ahmed Best again voices the bumbling Gungan who has now become a
respected member of the Senate while retaining, especially when excited, some
of his characteristic childlike traits.
LOCATIONS AND PRODUCTION
In addition to the digital work done at ILM, Attack of the Clones’ far-flung
locales called for special sets and home bases for the production. Although all
four previous Star Wars films were based in London, that tradition changed when
Lucas and McCallum elected to film EPISODES II and III at Fox Studios Australia
in Sydney. (A small amount of additional shooting did take place in England’s
historic Elstree Studios and Ealing Studios.)
The Australian leg of the production journey began on June 26, 2000 and
continued for two-and-a-half months, after which the company moved to Italy for
location shooting. The Royal Palace at Caserta, which doubled as Queen
Amidala’s -palace in The Phantom Menace, again forms part of the Naboo
background to be seen in Attack of the Clones. Caserta served as the perfect
locale to capture Naboo’s advanced society and rich culture.
In northern Italy, Lake Como’s manicured gardens, crystal clear waters, and
stunning Villa Balbianello served as locations for scenes depicting the
blossoming romance between Padmé and Anakin. The locale, which Lucas himself
scouted during a vacation, impressed cast and crew members with its many
splendors, especially Hayden Christensen, who enjoyed his first trip oversees.
“Lake Como is so beautiful it looks almost surrealistic,” he says. “It looks
like it belongs in a Star Wars movie.”
Even an unexpected Lake Como rainstorm failed to dampen the production’s
enthusiasm – or shooting schedule. Lucas simply relocated the scene to
underneath a series of arches at the side of the villa. At the end of the day,
the storm, miraculously, cleared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving a
gorgeous rainbow that appeared in the back of the shot. “People will think it’s
a digital creation,” says Lucas, “but it’s real.”
In September 2000, the production moved to very familiar territory: Tunisia,
the real world location that has doubled as the desert planet Tatooine in two
of the previous Star Wars films. While braving 130 degree (Fahrenheit)
temperatures was par for the course for this locale, the production managed to
avoid the kind of massive storm that decimated many sets during the 1997
EPISODE I and 1976 EPISODE IV Tunisia location work.
Principal photography continued at the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain, which
doubled for the beautiful city of Theed, the Naboo capital. On location in the
historic inland port, hundreds of enthusiastic Star Wars fans of all ages
gathered, hoping to get a glimpse of the stars and filming. After shooting had
wrapped for the day, many of the filmmakers greeted the fans and signed
autographs.
SOUND AND MUSIC
George Lucas long has noted that sound and visuals work together in telling his
stories, and Attack of the Clones is no exception. The film showcases the
talents of two artists whose work has been acclaimed worldwide. Once again
making their unique contributions to the Star Wars universe are picture editor
/Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt and five-time Academy Award-winning
composer John Williams.
For twenty-five years, George Lucas has maintained that John Williams’
contributions to the Star Wars saga cannot be overstated. His music underscores
the films’ characters, emotions and action. “I’ve always said these are silent
movies,” says Lucas, “and I’m very fortunate that John understands this.”
Williams in turn appreciates the structure of Lucas’ epic saga, which allows,
perhaps for the first time in history, a body of music themes running
throughout the films, while at the same time bringing new themes to each story.
“In writing the music to a Star Wars film, it does feel like it’s one entity,
and that I’m adding parts to it with each new film,” Williams shares. “As far
as I know, in film that is unique.”
In Attack of the Clones, Williams employs “Anakin’s Theme” from EPISODE I,
which was based in part on the Darth Vader’s “Imperial Death March” theme of
The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Williams’ score also reprises
“Yoda’s Theme” and “Duel of the Fates,” the latter an important theme from
EPISODE I.
New to the Star Wars musical canon is a love theme that underlines Anakin and
Padmé’s romance. Early on, Lucas described to Williams his vision of the love
theme. “George said to me, ‘Why don’t you score it as if it were a love scene
from an old Hollywood movie,’” Williams recalls, “‘where you’d see Claudette
Colbert in love with a handsome leading man.’ Meaning what he wanted expressed
here musically was in the traditional vein of a love theme.” According to
Williams, the love theme is resonant of the romantic scores of the 1930s and
‘40s. “There’s a particular sensibility in the love stories from that period
that isn’t really present now,” he elaborates. “In those earlier films, love
stories were more idealistic and spiritual, and less physical than today’s
films. The task for the composers of that era was to provide the erotic aspects
that couldn’t be shown.”
Williams’ Attack of the Clones love theme reflects the forbidden and ultimately
tragic nature of the Anakin-Padmé love story. “There is an aspect of their
romance that recalls classic love stories like Romeo and Juliet and Tristan and
Isolde, where the romantic couples are separated by class, family, or rank,”
the composer explains. “In EPISODE II, we have a queen /senator and we have a
soldier, a Jedi, and their ranks and social structure separate them, creating
tension. And so the love theme expresses this tragic aspect that separates the
two young people. It was a different kind of musical opportunity and challenge
than I faced with the other Star Wars films.”
The Lucas-Williams Star Wars collaborations have been memorable for fans around
the globe, and the famed composer/conductor is among the biggest admirers of
his director’s work. “Anywhere in the world, children know George Lucas’
characters. It’s an astonishing achievement. And peripherally they all know the
music, which is something I have to be enduringly and unendingly grateful to George
for.”
Like Williams’ scores, Oscar® winning sound designer Ben Burtt’s ingenious
sound designs have played a key role in every Star Wars film. Burtt again lends
his special talents – and ear – to the Attack of the Clones soundtrack. EPISODE
II, like its four predecessors, has about one thousand sound recording
“projects,” including vehicles, weapons and voices. Everything heard in the
film is created, and not recorded during filming.
Burtt and co-supervising sound editor Matthew Wood traveled around Australia
recording penguins, jungle birds, sugar cane factories – every interesting
organic sound they came across. Burtt crept underneath a movie theater to
record motors that ran the stage; these ultimately became Jango Fett’s depth
charge launchings. Some of Australia’s fauna provided the sounds of weapons
(the blasters of Jango Fett’s ship, Slave I, is really the manipulated screech
of a bird). And a submarine riding up and down on the waves next to a Sydney
pier ended up as the chilling roar of the Geonosis Reek monster.
Burtt also assumes the duties of picture editor, taking his place at Lucas’
side in one of the most instrumental positions shaping the structure and feel
of Attack of the Clones. Burtt’s background in sound design and sound editing is
of considerable benefit to his role as picture editor. “Sound and picture are
so intimately related in the way the story is finally presented that we tried
to create a department that thinks in the total sense, between picture and
sound,” Burtt notes.
Two of Burtt’s favorite scenes for both picture and sound are the speeder chase
– “It’s like an old-fashioned police car chase,” he says – and the pursuit
through a dangerous asteroid field, which features sound effects only (no music
or dialogue), like EPISODE I’s Podrace.
As Ben Burtt and John Williams completed their critical duties, Rick McCallum
was busy supervising other key sound work: the dubbing of nineteen foreign
language versions of Attack of the Clones, all of which will be released day
and date with the domestic prints.
Even fighting a tight deadline, McCallum relished these final touches – and the
anticipation of beginning anew on EPISODE III. “There are no rules when you
work for George,” he explains. “He creates this incredible space for you to
work in. The four words George never wants to hear are, ‘It can’t be done.’”
There will be little time for Lucas, McCallum and their teams to relax after
Attack of the Clones’ May 16th global release. Soon after, McCallum will be
scouting locations, the art department will be working on costume designs – and
George Lucas will sit down to write EPISODE III, in longhand, in a binder he
has used for all his films.
The saga continues…
The Phantom Menace | Attack of the
Clones | Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: A New Hope | The Empire Strikes
Back | Return of the Jedi
1998-2005,
Jedi Vega