For Episode I the creative challenges are far more complex than those faced before. Many aspects of the film must be created as visual effects, leaving the rough cut of the film filled with holes, both missing shots and shots in which the actors are filmed with little more than bluescreen, where backgrounds or even important alien characters may be missing from the shot. These incomplete shots prevent the editors from knowing exactly how well the scene is working. And, as before, the visual effects crew still needs to know exactly what Lucas wants.
To fill these gaps and guide both the editors and effects artists, elaborate computer-generated animatics are being created for Episode I, building on the creative traditions stretching back to the very first
Star Wars movie. Hundreds of shots-in fact whole sequences-are being created as CG animatics, using three-dimensional modeling programs. Computer compositing is bringing together disparate picture elements, including CG models, filmed stage and location footage, and even flat artwork standing in for elements yet to be realized in 3-D. A small but dedicated team of computer artists is working late hours to build these motion blueprints for the final effects, and they are, in fact, pre-creating a considerable portion of Episode I. Most importantly, David Dozoretz and his animatics team are giving director Lucas a whole new level of creative control over the way his vision is realized on film.
