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Star Wars lightsaber work



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samparker

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Nov 18, 2021
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In Star Wars movies, the lightsaber effects are created in a similar way. The operating mechanics of a lightsaber are not explained coherently in-universe.

In both old and new Star Wars films, wooden props are used in place of lightsaber blades. The props have stripes so that they can be tracked digitally. Film is then taken of the sequence, and sometimes flashing lights, squibs (small explosives) and smoke are added to further enhance the effect.

A postprocessing process adds the "blade." In the old movies, Industrial Light and Magic "painted" the glow and hum of lightsabers on each video frame by hand using a process called rotoscoping. In the new movies, much of this was done automatically, using digital technology. This is enhanced by the strategic choice of lighting, fluorescent effects to simulate molten metal, squibs, smoke effects, etc, and by adding other digital effects.

Today, home video editing software has become affordable enough for hobbyists to reproduce the iconic lightsaber effect. It is used in a lot of fan films to varying degrees of success.
 
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