DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This is what it was like to be a cinematographer of The Empire Strikes Back

Jul 3, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

All of us writing for DIYP are into photography and/or filmmaking, and since you follow our blog, I believe you are, too. But are you also a Star Wars fan? If you are, then you’ll love this video recently posted by CookeOpticsTV. In this video, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky talks about his experience as the director of photography for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He reveals what it was like to build sets on a budget, how he lit the scenes, and even how he created the light for lightsabers!

Suschitzky admits that he hadn’s have much experience in visual effects before he started working on this movie. He was honest about it even with George Lucas, but he hired him anyway and he became the director of photography for The Empire Strikes Back. He had a great collaboration with director Irvin Kershner, whom he describes as a delightful, fun and adventurous man with a great sense of humor, always full of ideas. They worked in a large studio made especially for them. Suschitzky worked with a lot of large, diffused lights pointed from above because he used 100 ASA film, which is pretty slow. It was difficult to light Darth Vader and his reflective mask, so Suschitzkyhad to work with large light sources from specific angles.

Suschitzky recalls the point when the production designer told him that the budget for the construction got thin. This meant that they would only be able to make the foreground for some scenes, but not the background. But Suschitzky had a pretty DIY solution for a movie that big. He asked for black drapes and some steam and smoke, and he resolved the rest with colors and light. And he did it darn well, if you ask me.

And now for the part that made my inner child thrilled – Suschitzky also created the light of the lightsabers and he explains in the video how he did. He used 3M material, and he first stumbled upon it while he’d been working on Rocky Horror Picture Show. He compares it to the road signs, and you know how bright they appear when you shine a light into them. Well, this material was used for lightsabers, with a weak light source very close to the camera. The light would make the lightsabers shine, yet it didn’t affect the actors. And while we’re at lightsabers, did you know that Luke Skywalker’s weapon was made with a flash handle from a Graflex camera from the ‘40s? I think that’s pretty cool, too.

[The cinematography of The Empire Strikes Back || Peter Suschitsky || Case Study via FStoppers]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

“Unseen Empire” uses 6,000,000 photos to create the Pokémon Go of wildlife The story of Polaroid: From empire to bankruptcy and back again 8 tools every cinematographer needs in their “Ditty bag” Six ways to film like a cinematographer but think like an editor

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: cinematographer, cinematography, director of photography, Peter Suschitzky, Star Wars

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« The Film Carrier Mk1 is yet another film holder for “scanning” your film with a digital camera
Has social media turned photography into a competition? »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Botched selfie escalates to draining of reservoir
  • Panasonic PanaTrack is a big bendy motorised camera slider
  • Once again, tourists are getting too close to bison for photos
  • Fujifilm announces shipping delays for the new Fuji X-S20
  • International Photography Awards reveals breathtaking 2022 winners (mildly NSFW)

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy