Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 13:54:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: michael setzer <blckjck-AT-mindspring.com>
Subject: PUPT: FROM SCIFIWIRE: Coleman Details Digital Yoda  



12:00pm ET, 13-May-02

Coleman Details Digital Yoda

Rob Coleman, animation director on the upcoming Star Wars: Episode II--
Attack of the Clones, told SCI FI Wire that Industrial Light & Magic
made huge leaps in digital technology between Episode I and II--changes
that manifested themselves in the character of Yoda.

"There were two digital shots of Yoda in Episode I," said Coleman, who
also directed animation for Episode I, during a press conference.
"There's one high shot near the end of the movie, when Obi-Wan [Ewan
McGregor] is on his knees talking to Yoda, and there's another high shot
in the funeral sequence, when he's next to Sam [Jackson]."

Coleman added, "Between Episode I and II, I was interested in seeing if
we  could, with my team, create a truly believable performance with a
digital Yoda that could be intercut with a puppet [operated and voiced
by Frank Oz]. At that time we didn't know what the [Episode II] script
was. Once we saw what was in the script and saw that there was a lot
more Yoda on screen and a lot more movement for Yoda, it became very
clear that we were going to have a [totally] digital Yoda. Even while
shooting in Sydney, they hadn't fully committed to whether he'd be all
digital or puppet. After the first round of  animation that we produced,
George felt comfortable enough that we had honed in and found the
essence and the spirit of the wonderful performances that Frank had
achieved with the puppet. He felt confident that my team could handle
this--not only the digital animation, but the clothing and skin. I
specifically studied The Empire Strikes Back, which was the first time
the older audience saw Yoda. So I made it a point of studying how he
moved, what his facial expressions were, what the clothing and hair
looked like. We needed a thread between what Frank had done in 1980 and
what we were doing now." Attack of the Clones opens nationwide on May
16.



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