http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/rel ... dexp6.html


Steven Spielberg was involved in some of the animatic sequences in the film. Can you tell us about that?

As George explains in the book, he gave Spielberg a few scenes to play with at the animatics stage: a bit of the Mustafar duel, and Yoda's duel with the Emperor, along with a couple of others. How much of Spielberg's contribution made it to the final film, only Lucas or Spielberg could say, particularly as George revised and reinvented every scene in the film so extensively in editorial.

Now I'm curious if the "writing assist" will get mentioned.

That was Frank Darabont. He did a dialog wash of the early script draft while he was still working on Indy 4.

Not the name I have down....where did you get that idea from?

I remember a name being thrown out a while back about someone who helped polish the ROTS script, but I can't remember either. It definately wasn't Darabont though.

Spielberg 'helping' out on the prequels isn't unique to Episode 3 either. He gave his imput on Episodes 1 and 2 and even said that next to Empire, he enjoyed Clones the most. So people who are all of a sudden thinking Spielberg affecting the film in some way is this incredible 'saving grace' for the prequels (to those who have found the first two films sub-par) need to get a reality check.

Tom Stoppard, or something like that, right?

I really have no idea - I remember looking at the name and gave a 'meh who cares'. People need to realize Star Wars dialogue will be the same no matter what person writes it. It was the same when Lawrie Kasdan wrote it and it was the same when Jonathan Hales wrote it.

If you want to make the right complaint, point to direction or the actors' performances. The dialogue in all the movies is hokey.

Spielberg went off and put together the scenes himself with his team. Framing, editing, pacing, etc.

Entirely different than "George, this looks great! The middle part was a little slow. Maybe it needs a trim in a spot or two."

Well, I remember for TPM, Spielberg was involved in the final sequence with Maul. He suggested Lucas change his original idea with the ray shields, which he did...but then changed it back.

Screening rough cuts of the film for acclaimed directors and asking for imput is in my opinion, having them involved in the moviemaking process. They become quasi-editors. Maybe Spielberg helped out MORE in ROTS, but his imput was there in the other films...which he praised I might add.

Spielberg WAS involved with TPM.

Remember his attempted repair of a Battle Droid, as seen on the awesome documentary "The Beginning"? That was priceless stuff

Ha! That was funny. I like the part when they both say "That's gonna be great" like five times each.

As for anyone helping out, I don't really care. I love TPM and AOTC, whether anyone else was involved or not.

So which Steven Spielberg helped on the film? Saving Private Ryan/Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg, or his evil twin who gave us shitty AI and Jurassic Park II?

Hey if Spielberg somehow infused the emotional content from AI into ROTS I don't think it would be a bad thing. I doubt his involvement in Ep3 went that deep, but Spielberg certainly knows how to pull heart strings and ROTS needs quite a bit of that to convey the tragic elements.

(I'm a fan of AI can ya tell? )

AI sucked.

For all you people you dislike the prequels and think Spielberg is gonna fix things, you should remember what somebody else here already pointed out.. Spielberg has liked both prequels, specifically said that he thought AotC was the best Episode behind ESB, and that he thought AotC was George's best directing to date. He used the word "operatic". So I don't know what makes you think Spielberg is somehow gonna change anything..

And anyway, even if he didn't like the first tqo prequels, he's just kind of jamming with Lucas and tossing out ideas like the animatics guys do.. it's still Lucas' movie, and it's still a matter of Lucas' taste what gets kept or thrown out.

Oh, and, AI was brilliant.. either you get it or you don't.. there never has been a truely great movie that didn't have people bashing it.. oh well, that's the way it goes. I guess in a way if it's not advanced enough to go over the heads of a lot of people, then it can't really be considered great.

A.I. was brilliance.

Don't misunderstand.

I am not saying that Spielberg is here to save the prequels. I am not even of the opinion that they needed saving.

I am only pointing this out because I think it is kinda cool that George is letting a close buddy, who knows how to direct a movie or two, play in his sandbox with him for the last time. And instead of just looking over his shoulder and tossing suggestions out there, George was open to letting him take a more hands on and active role of putting sequences together.

I think AI is seriously underappreciated in most quarters.

That said, the last twenty minutes, while intriguing, spoil an otherwise intelligent movie by pulling on the heart strings unnecessarily.

*relurks*

I think everyone´s getting worked up for nothing, Spielberg came with suggestions and opinions before, and Lucas seems to comb everything in post-production anyway. If there´s anything Spielberg-ish in the final film, it will be miniscule. As it should be, since this is a film directed by George Lucas, not Steven Spielberg.

Can you tell I´m not a big Spielberg-fan?

Funny enough, I like AI, but not much else from the man. Must be the Kubrick-influence.

Lost World was good, and AI was brilliant. I agree it's vastly underrated. It's a movie that needs you to think, if you didn't like it it's probably too cerebral for you.

ahhh

so this is why ROTS is looking like a good movie :P

this thread is getting dangerously close to with all the bickering

lol



lol my most regular forum is the farstar forums for star wars galaxies.. and whenever someone makes a post about selling something but in the regular forums instead of the trade forums.... people say

TFN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

trade forums nub!

they need to give us a TFN emoticon me thinks

Even though this is way off topic I had to throw my 2 cents in and say that AI is one amazing work of art for those that wish to take the time to think about the film. It is a little on the slow side and turns some people away, but if you don't mind the pacing it really is great filmmaking. I agree with most that the last 20 mins isn't really necessary and brings the film down a bit, but I still think it is a great movie.
That being said, I'm really excited that Steven is working even a little on this movie. I'm sure any contribution by him will only help the film. Yes, 1941 and The Lost World were pretty crappy, but hey everyone makes bad choices.
I still wish that a long time ago George would have gotten his first pick for directing ROTJ (Spielberg), but perhaps this is the next best thing.

AI started off good and then slowly reached terrible.

Yeah cause it isn't like Spielberg has made a very diverse group of movies....

*SARCASM ALERT*

History says that people are going to be disappointed in RotS and that sheep's childhood dreams will be raped - no matter who directs.

Truer words were never spoken, Tern.

Darabont didn't work on TPM, but he defended it's story.

[quote] I think everyone´s getting worked up for nothing,[/quote]

My opinion of most SW discussions.

[quote]History says that people are going to be disappointed in RotS and that sheep's childhood dreams will be raped - no matter who directs.[/quote]

I agree. I'll go on to say that people who claim that Lucas raped their childhood really need some serious therapy if their whole childhood hinged on a friggin movie. Those claims are also rather insensitive to people who actually have been raped, by the term being used so lightly.

[quote]So which Steven Spielberg helped on the film? Saving Private Ryan/Raiders of the Lost Ark Steven Spielberg, or his evil twin who gave us shitty AI and Jurassic Park II?[/quote]

The Lost World was rather misguided. Read the book instead.
AI was good, to a point. I was disappointed to not see some conclusion to Joe Gigilo's storyline. Although if you put him in the plot of I, Robot, then you'd get an idea of what I was expecting.

As for Spielberg helping out, I think it's cool and all. But in a weird way, I think [i]RotJ[/i] turned out how Spielberg would have made it... almost as if Lucas wrote it for him to direct, or as if Spielberg took on an alias to direct it in secret...

But perhaps I digress...

I don't care what Benovite says. Benovite, you're just not the same without your "GAHHH! Anakin?" avatar.

Sorry.

Oh believe me, I "got" AI. I just didn't care for that stupid talking stuffed animal, that junkyard/destruction derby scene, and the whole ending.

It's Spielberg, not Spielburg.

I get a little defensive when it comes to one of my fave directors.

Fuckin' A.

Yeah, I read that too. Kind of funny how everyone was going apeshit about the "stupid floating on the lava shot," and a few people were saying that the final duel was going to be way too over-the-top with the fight going everywhere and involving everything, and then it turns out it was SPEILBERG'S idea.

Hell, they were even talking about them throwing lava at eachother with the force. Then it says that the Darabont guy is the one who is writing the Indy 4 screenplay. And as of now I think Lucas has scrapped it & now has someone else writing a new one.

Lucas is as well versed and as accomplished a filmmaker as Spielberg. They've both made their share of good and bad decisions. I don't see why Spielberg getting involved would cause much excitement either way, films a pretty collaobartive medium.

Lucas is a producer, and an ingenious one at that, but let's be honest here...the best filmmaker to ever come out of USC is and always will be John Carpenter. Lucas had all this alleged great promise as a director, and in 30 years, he's made six films, the last four of which were Star Wars films. Some potential he lived up to.

And Spielberg at his worst (ie 1941) is still leagues better than andy of the Star Wars films Lucas has made so far, with the exception of ANH.

This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever seen you post.

Go watch 1941 right now, sober. It's probably one of the biggest messes of a film ever conceived. Nice score from John Williams though.

I'm all for personal opinions, but there's an opinion and there's being retarded.

And look what happened to John Carpenter...

Picking one over the other to give the film maker award to is useless, since it's all up to opinion anyway.

People judge directors essentially based upon their acting. The average film viewer only cares about acting, and the Academy Awards only further this silliness by making it the sole reason they judge films. Composition, lighting, montage, framing, these are thing Lucas excels in and that everyone takes for granted. In my opinion, they are a hell of a lot more important than acting. And people used to look for these things. But I think the gradual overemphasis on acting has really put them in the background.

Thats a good point there Manny. If they did use those as keys for chosing a winner then Scorsese would flatten everybody anytime one of his movies was nominated.

There was an interview in the Insider with Christopher Lee. He said Francis Coppola was on the set of AOTC with Lucas. I also read parts of the Making Of Revenge of the Sith that Spielberg and Coppola helped on this movie. Just as Lucas helped Spielberg on Jurassic Park and put together the newspaper montage scene in The Godfather.

Why the fuss about Spielberg?

No doubt I'm hoping that soon the tide will turn and directors who put an emphasis on the image will be rewarded.