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5 - Models just look more real

They look real because they are real, it's simple really

While the Special Editions of the original ‘Star Wars’ films are undoubtedly atrocities that need to be permanently buried under sack of camel plops, there was one idea that they got right, which is that stop-motion models look absolutely great when they’re cleaned up a bit. This is demonstrated perfectly in the Special Edition of ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ where the marching AT-ATs and nippy Snowspeeders have had all the black edges digitally removed from their outlines where they were super-imposed. The result is a Hoth Battle that looks far more real and earthy than any of the battles in the prequels to come.

The reason for this is that models have a natural weight to them. When an AT-AT’s leg hits the ground, it looks like it’s hitting the ground rather than skimming on top of it via a computer. There’s also something about the way in which model-makers craft and paint their models, where painstaking detail is paid to the paint highlights and shadows to look as real as possible. By comparison, many CGI effects have abandoned the focus on realism in favour of visual impressiveness, which, like the monsters playing up to the cameras, stops you believing in the film, even if it’s only for a moment.Check out the awesome cleaned up Hoth battle below.



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