fred@umcp-cs.UUCP (06/24/83)
The June issue of ``Sail'' magazine has an interesting article about Jabba's sail barge. Apparently a lot of effort went into the design and construction of the rigging on the barge, which was to some extent operable. The original design description of the barge is that it is ``an antigravity vehicle with sails to assist in steering''. Sort of mixed technology there. And now for something completely different: Since Tatooine has two suns, a fact which the filmmakers like to show off, howcum we never see any double shadows on Tatooine? We see shadows beneath the sail barge and the smaller craft, but they're all single. These craft were high enough off the ground that the shadow should have split into two distinct shadows. Just think how much fun (i.e. headaches) the special effex folks could have had with that one! Since Tatooine's two suns are of a slightly different color, they could have even made the two shadows of different colors. Fred Blonder seismo!umcp-cs!fred fred.umcp-cs@UDel-Relay
gll@mb2c.UUCP (07/05/83)
Re: Fred Blonder's comments on shadows...
And now for something completely different: Since Tatooine has two suns, a fact which the filmmakers like to show off, howcum we never see any double
shadows on Tatooine? We see shadows beneath the sail barge and the smaller
craft, but they're all single. These craft were high enough off the ground
that the shadow should have split into two distinct shadows. Just think how
much fun (i.e. headaches) the special effex folks could have had with that
one! Since Tatooine's two suns are of a slightly different color, they could
have even made the two shadows of different colors.
This reminded me of a TWILIGHT ZONE episode which are now being
rebroadcast by a local independent station. The plot of the show is
that years ago a ship of Earth people crash on a hot, hostile planet,
surviving only because they have a strong leader who imposes harsh dis-
cipline and because they spend most of their time in caves. The con-
flict comes when a ship comes to rescue them but their leader doesn't
want to give up his control of the group and refuses to return to Earth.
The reason I mention this is that early on there is a panorama shot
of the landscape and two suns are shown. Later on there is a scene
where the leader and the captain of the rescue ship are walking out of
the cave and on to the surface. They have two distinct shadows - one
strong, one faint.
I was impressed. I don't know when these shows were made but it
must have been in the early sixties. Rod really knew his stuff. I wish
he was still here.