Even if you have never seen a Star Wars film, the franchise created by George Lucas should be known. Of course, the most striking are the lightsy and various quotes that are shining in different colors, not to mention iconic figures such as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
There are numerous iconic designs, from armor to spaceships. The bounty hunter Boba Fett is the best example: Before the figure was expanded into a real character, she captivated it primarily because of her design, for example by the jetpack strapped onto the back and a flame.
So that Star Wars remains so unmistakable, George Lucas has determined the three-second rule
It is no coincidence that Star Wars has so many recognizable elements. Because Lucas has introduced an important rule to ensure that the films are intuitive. It is the so -called Three-second rule. Everything that cannot be grasped in three seconds is deleted.
Before the first flap falls during a Star Wars film, the filming in pre-production is prepared down to the smallest detail. The design process that begins with the work of the concept art team is very important. How do the armor and spaceships look later? Here everything starts with sketches and drawings.
As soon as a design was finished at the Prequels, Lucas looked at the result with his three-second rule in the back of the head. In this way, he was able to make a selection quickly and efficiently and ensure that Star Wars could continue to be understood without any problems despite his more complex mythology on the visual level.
To read on:
So George Lucas decided which Star Wars designs come into the films and which not
If you watch a film in the cinema, you cannot stop it or rewind it if it is unclear. What happens on the screen must be without explanations of self. Concept art expert Doug Chiang, who has been working at Lucasfilm since the Prequels, describes the process in a making-of video as follows:
During one of our design meetings, I presented George Lucas a number of designs. He came into the room and looked at the whole board very quickly and immediately identified the two or three that he really liked. It was not the one that I liked. I finally had the courage to ask: ‘Why did you choose this and not this?’
Chiang also explains:
And [George Lucas] said: ‘Doug, the designs have to stand for themselves. If you can be seen on the screen, you won’t be there to explain what it is. The audience must immediately connect to this. It has to know his personality, its function where the pilot sits, in which direction it flies. All of these things have to happen in less than three seconds. If you can achieve this in a design without any explanation, the design will be all the stronger. ‘
This approach should have been very valuable, especially in the prequels, since Lucas removed a new aesthetic in the distant galaxy in many ways from the familiar Star Wars of the original trilogy, which more established a new aesthetic, which is more on round shapes with radiant colors instead of angular , put gray designs.
When Lucas was satisfied with the designs, he stamped an “OK” on paper. If he could hardly keep up with enthusiasm, there was a “fabuloso” [sic] And the designs could go into the next phase. In addition, there was a stamp with the words “deep regret”, so it was very regret, but it was rarely used. If a design received neither “OK” nor “Fabuloso” it failed and had to be revised.
Also interesting:
Is George Lucas’s three-second rule still up to date with the new Star Wars films?
Since Disney was taken over by Lucasfilm, George Lucas has no longer been involved in the Star Wars franchise. However, his spirit continues to live in many departments of the production company. Chiang now acts as Vice President and Executive Creative Director of Lucasfilm. He has never forgotten the three-second rule, as he has emphasized again and again in recent years.