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It's not easy being green
Inside a Studio Shoot
Take away the bells and whistles -- no droids, no spaceships, no lightsabers, no holograms -- and what have you got? You've got a typical day on the set of REVELATIONS.
Many of the film's locations are amazing real-life places but sometimes the Star Wars universe demands elements not to be found on this planet or physically impossible for the filmmakers to re-create. When that happens, it's time to turn to the studio and the computer generated magic made possible by chromakey.
In the simplest possible terms, the chromakey process involves filming against a solid colored background. The CG artists select ("key") this color when they work on the scene and make it disappear. They can then add any sort of background in its place, creating a brand-new location. (Just about any color will work for this but shades of green and blue are most often used because they contrast clearly against skin tones. The terms "greenscreen" and "bluescreen" are used interchangably with "chromakey".)
It sounds simple enough but the reality can get pretty complicated when it comes to a film like REVELATIONS. Lighting becomes complex when the director and cinematographer have to account for lighting sources that don't exist in the studio -- the sun, holograms, cockpit controls, neon bar signs, etc. Wind and other natural elements have to be replicated in some way. And the actors have to interact with their surroundings in a believable manner while surrounded by nothing but green walls.
To see how REVELATIONS handled these challenges, visit the studio as one of the last scenes is being shot. (pictures)
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