NEWS
Revenge of the EditDroid?
George Lucas Talks Digital Cinema in Keynote Addressby Michael Kunkes
Siggraph
2005 kicked off August 1 with a keynote appearance by filmmaker, Star
Wars creator and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) founder George
Lucas. Seated casually on stage in a Q&A format with moderator
Bruce Carse before a packed exhibit hall, the so-called “Father
of Digital Cinema” recalled his first Siggraph in 1984, quipping
that, “This was the first group I could come to that didn’t
ask me what digital arts were.”
With the second Star Wars trilogy now complete, Lucas expressed a desire to return to the simplicity of pure filmmaking, move his studio LucasFilm more into television and return to “more esoteric work.” (One already announced project is a new, untitled “Clone Wars” series that will debut in 2006.)
Of course, Lucas had said many of the same things after the first Star Wars trilogy, but he now seems to have come full circle––technologically and creatively. “I am a storyteller at heart,” he told the standing-room-only audience. “Life is too short to be a film studio, and ILM has reached a level I want to stick with. If anyone wants to come along and open a bigger studio, we won’t compete at that level.” However, he did acknowledge that he is building a new 3-D studio in Singapore.
Part of coming full circle will be the creation of a new editing system, which sounded very much like a re-christened EditDroid, his digital editing system. No details were forthcoming, but Lucas inferred that the new EditDroid interface would be more accessible and more intuitive than any current systems.
Equally intriguing was the talk of a new and improved SoundDroid, which Lucas says will completely digitize the sound effects department and make it an equal partner in the editing. “I am trying to get a system in place that will be less cumbersome; an integrated sound and picture system,” he explained. “I’m still yelling at Avid about that…
“I have a very strong belief that sound is 50 percent of the viewing experience,” he added, repeating his own oft-quoted dictum. “Sound editing should be done at the very beginning of a film, unlike the end where most people who put it.” Lucas also revealed that ILM is working on what he calls a new, “idiot-proof” previzualization system, and “dumbing it down to the point where even I can use it. It will change the way a lot of people make movies.”
The filmmaker also stated that although he believes the world is still waiting for the true digital revolution to happen, “The real leap has already been made. Digital cinema is here––though it’s a little clunky right now. Digital technology will be integrated into the storytelling process; editing and sound will be completely integrated, and every film will be a visual effects film,” he predicted. “This will become part of the new language of cinema, and digital cinema will be the tool.
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