To demonstrate how the animatics team creates a typical animatic shot, we've put together a demo shot made just for the web. We have thrown in an Episode I battle tank to spice things up, but this is not a shot from Episode I, nor is it necessarily anything like one. This is just a demonstration to show how many of the real Episode I animatics were cobbled together quickly from various sources, including both CG elements and live action footage of handy personnel dashing around like space heroes for a day in front of home video cameras. For mock-up lightsaber battles the players have sometimes had broomsticks in hand, but we're not showing you anything that chintzy.
The point here is to illustrate how different elements combine in an animatic to make a useful shot, even when some of the elements are only quick approximations, like sketches or improvised video footage. In the end, this combination of elements helps George Lucas and editor Martin Smith decide how to cut a scene. It also helps producer Rick McCallum schedule and budget needed shots.
