Since this scene was originally slated for the March shoot, this meant over two dozen costumes were suddenly bumped up in the schedule. I continue to be amazed by the work of Trisha Biggar and her crew. The assortment of costumes has enough similarity in its range to denote a shared social class and history, yet the costumes are different enough to offer visual diversity on even the most casual of glances.
For the Creature Shop, the scene calls for two slip-on creature heads (an Ishi Tib and a Quarren) and two prosthetic makeup heads. It's the last two that proved particularly challenging -- both are brand new designs that needed to be added onto an already heavy workload. One of these aliens was based off an early "out-there" exploration Creature Shop Creative Supervisor Dave Elsey did of what Sidious might look like underneath his hood. Though the concept was quickly abandoned months ago, the work was salvaged and resurrected for today's scene. The alien Senator is likely a benign character, but I can't help but see his dark origins in his features.
Capturing the 30-odd characters on the screen means a wide shot that hoists the Technocrane-mounted A-camera up to a lofty height. The characters, thus, are fairly small in frame, but for the tighter shots, the B-camera is closer, moving along a track to follow the action. In subsequent takes, the A-camera gets lower to the ground.
While watching the plasma monitors and observing the figures move across the frame in HD clarity, my eyes pay special attention to the background extras. I mentally track who blocks who from view on each setup I observe, and take note of just how visible some of them are, and how much screen time certain ones get. Though it may not mean much to viewers sitting in a movie theater come 2005, some of these extras are members of our crew lucky enough to have made it as a cameo in Episode III.
It seems more fitting that this scene comes so late in the schedule, on the penultimate day of shooting. Had this happened earlier in production, before I had gotten to work with many of these people, I may not have recognized a crewmember from an extra. But now, after these long weeks that have gone by inexplicably fast, I can't help but smile when I see a familiar face march past the camera. The likening of this crew to a family is an increasingly accurate analogy, and today has more than a few passing similarities to a graduation day.
So, what makes these folks so lucky? Several of them were recommended by the Assistant Directors to fill the roles of extras. One of the key determining factors of their inclusion was whether or not they could fit into a ready costume. Given the short lead-time of this scene, the Costume Department wasn't about to spend time altering a costume to fit an extra when the role could more easily be recast.
As I watch the shoot progress, I can see Matchmove Assistant Malcolm Eager, Best Boy Grip Jason MacPhee and On-Set PA Hamish Roxburgh near the front of the crowd. They have the height and build necessary to fit into the uniform of the local planetary guard. "I feel naked without my clipboard," says Malcolm, who has traded in his daily task of carefully measuring the dimensions of the set, and is instead taking carefully measured steps as a trained member of the local security.
Also playing a guard is Peter Jackson, who had previously served as Hayden Christensen's stand-in. Next to him is Lawrence Foster, the Cast PA. Their features are now hidden under the new blue Senate Guard helmets, and they carry the silvery rifles at their sides in expressionless military form.
Another stand-in will get a chance to be on screen thanks to today's shoot. Holly Stringer, who had served as Natalie Portman's stand-in up until her last day on August 12, has a welcome return to the set. She'll be on camera as one of ten handmaidens.
There are two Senatorial cameos I followed with close interest, since they were the two crewmembers that I had interacted with most often. I watched the anticipation build in both of them as the thought of being in Episode III evolved from a hope, to a chance, to a reality.
When I have to book time in Rick McCallum's busy schedule for an online chat or a quick interview, I dial up Jacqui Louez. As Assistant to the Producer, Jacqui helps manage the flow of an endless number of things that demand Rick's attention while here in Sydney. She did this on Episode II as well, but she hasn't appeared on screen, and expressed doubt that she'd get the chance.
When I heard that Dave Elsey had to pull together a bunch of alien Senator concepts to pitch to George Lucas, I told Jacqui that he'd be looking for some new faces willing to undergo lengthy life cast and makeup sessions. This didn't deter her one bit, and in just a few days, she got a dunk in alginate and a plaster face-hug to produce an exacting duplicate of her features for Dave to sculpt a brand new alien design.
Jacqui completely disappears under two hours' worth of makeup. Her alien features are, well, unsettling, but she vocally champions her alter ego's unique beauty and seems rather enamored with her alien form. As the nameless Senator, she has pale skin with fathomless dark orbs for her unblinking eyes -- the kind that Kit Fisto could relate to. Her oversized lips scowl around a cluster of ghastly teeth. "I can't smile while I'm in here," she says, repeating it to remind herself of the makeup's restrictions. Despite the alien visage's stern countenance, I can clearly hear the smile in Jacqui's voice.
What did her boss think? "Rick seemed a bit freaked out by it," she says."I feel wonderful, though. The costume is rather heavy, and it's been a long day, but going back to the desk seems a bit anticlimactic." By the end of the day, she's back to her regular job, which today takes her off the lot. This evening's to-do list includes packing up Ewan McGregor's Sydney accommodations as he's departing right away for another project.
She too is a Senator, but her features aren't hidden beneath foam latex. She will play a human, so far known only as Senator 21. She wears a flowing blue dress and head-covering scarf. "It's just fantastic to be able to wear a costume designed by Trisha Biggar," she says. Getting a day's makeover from the pros in the Hair and Makeup Department ain't too bad either.
This crowd scene takes up much of the morning shoot, and was only momentarily delayed when one of the new handmaidens was felled by a fainting spell (worth a gasp or two from the set, but ultimately, not at all dramatic.) At the tail end of the lunch hour, I overhear Jacqui and Lisa conspiring over future convention appearances, though I know they're just joking. It's way too early in the process. No one knows just how much of what was shot will appear in the finished film, or how big anyone will be in frame, or whether or not a computer-generated character or digitally-composited extra may horn in on their close-up.
At least, I think they're joking. Regardless, I'm first in line to be their manager.
I think one of my favorite comments regarding on-set cameos came from Kenji Oates, way back when he played Saesee Tiin earlier in the shoot. He said the biggest mental hurdle was remembering that you were supposed to move when First Assistant Director Colin Fletcher yelled action, instead of what everyone else has been conditioned to do on set, which is to stand perfectly still.
For those wondering about Lisa's designation as Senator 21, the highest numbered Senator on set today is Senator 25. That doesn't mean, however, that 25 Senators fill this shot -- at least, not as it was photographed on set. The Costume Department did have 31 Senate costumes ready for the crowd, but not every body type was needed for today's shoot. There are still many Senators, dignitaries and nobles yet to fill out this shot.
I don't profess any overwhelming desire to be in the movie; just getting to observe as much as I have has been dream-come-true enough for me. But, you'll excuse me if I quietly cross my fingers and hope they might need a short Senator to help populate this scene during post-production bluescreen shooting.
I may have spoken too soon when I commented on Beru's hairstyle on September 9. Turns out, I was looking at one of several proposed hairstyles. The final 'do isn't as Shelagh Fraseresque as originally reported.
