Released in 2002, Attack of the Clones made full use of CGI. Yet, it also used traditional filming techniques to boost the production value. That is one item you can look for below in these 10 facts about the second prequel that’ll change how you see it.
Table of Contents
- 1. Battle Droids and Clones Looked Like Their Makers
- 2. R2 Can Climb Steps
- 3. Anakin Made Lightsaber Sounds
- 4. Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Multi-Colored Lightsaber
- 5. A Practical Set for the Outlander Club
- 6. The Main Villain Came Late to the Franchise and Movie
- 7. No Actual Clone Troopers
- 8. Many Actors Were Considered for Anakin
- 9. Obi-Wan’s Wig and Fake Beard
- 10. The First Digital Cinema Camera
1. Battle Droids and Clones Looked Like Their Makers
As fans pointed out here, battle droids and clones looked just like those who made them. Technically, Baktoid Combat Automata made the battle droids, but as specified on Wookieepedia, the B1 series had been “designed by the Geonosians in their own image”, especially the skeleton part. For the skull design, we may also detect how that could have been inspired by the Neimodidians.
Clone troopers do resemble their Kaminoan makers, but as one fan noted, they also have “Mandalorian aesthetics.” Hence, they could be seen as more of a combination build.
2. R2 Can Climb Steps
The clip from Attack of the Clones shown here shows how R2-D2 could climb stairs. We may think that R2 would fly up or have to use a ramp, but it appears he can just lift himself up.
As this video briefly conveys, the second prequel not only established that R2 had rocket thrusters, it also reflected this more mundane ability. It’s not listed with his equipment features probably because boosting himself up doesn’t capture our attention as well as a buzz saw, fire extinguisher, or holoprojector.
3. Anakin Made Lightsaber Sounds
During the filming of Attack, Hayden Christensen would sometimes make “lightsaber noises” to mimic the blade. Lucas actually had to stop filming and tell the actor that they could see his mouth moving and asked him to resist that urge.
As one fan above remarks, for Christensen and other actors who “grew up playing Star Wars”, “they struggle to keep from making the sound effects.” It’s so tempting, as Christensen indicates in this video. He admits to being “conditioned from a very young age to make the sound effect.” Many of us probably would make it too.
4. Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Multi-Colored Lightsaber
Among the interesting facts in this video (at #18) is that Ki-Adi-Mundi’s lightsaber changes color during the fight at the Petranakin arena on Geonosis. He starts with a blue blade, and it is that color on the LAAT Gunship, but in between we can see a green color.
This multi-colored lightsaber was initially an editing mistake. Yet, Mundi’s blade was later updated to have two kyber crystals, one blue and one green, to provide continuity with the movie.
5. A Practical Set for the Outlander Club
The above video (at #9) also reflects how CGI was not always the go-to for Attack of the Clones. In the extended Outlander Club scene on Coruscant, the creators opted for a practical set with “dozens of extras” bringing out the human and alien interactions. Blue screens were not prioritized here, making it Hayden Christensen’s favorite scene.
Miniature sets were another non-CGI technique used for Mustafar and “the clean-white buildings of Kamino.” The second prequel was not all technology-bent.
6. The Main Villain Came Late to the Franchise and Movie
Actor Christopher Lee was first offered the role of Grand Moff Tarkin in A New Hope, but he declined. He regretted that decision and “did not let the opportunity pass him by a second time” when he agreed to be Count Dooku, about 25 years later.
As the main villain of the film, Count Dooku also didn’t appear in Attack until 76 minutes into the movie. It looks like the actor and character took their time to become part of the universe.
7. No Actual Clone Troopers
Along with the CGI theme, no actual actors played clone troopers in Attack. Rob Coleman, the movie’s animation director, indicated that “100 percent of the armored-up clones” were “computer-generated.” The same goes for the droids and ships, which does indicate in the end that “CGI was everywhere.”
8. Many Actors Were Considered for Anakin
We may now associate Anakin with Hayden Christensen, but several actors almost played that role. The first choice was Leonardo DiCaprio, but that “fell through”. The list of actors who auditioned for the role include Topher Grace, Colin Hanks, Joshua Jackson, and Paul Walker.
And there were others who were largely “unknown at the time,” such as Heath Ledger and James Van Der Beek. If you think of one of those actors as Anakin, it will certainly change how you see the movie.
9. Obi-Wan’s Wig and Fake Beard
In some scenes of Attack, Obi-Wan appears with a wig and fake beard. That’s because actor Ewan McGregor was filming Black Hawk Down, which required him to be “clean-shaven and sport a tight buzz-cut.” When called back for retakes, McGregor had to use a hairpiece and fake beard to match the earlier filming of Obi-Wan.
This video highlights the elevator scene and his interrogation with Count Dooku as instances when the differences between earlier and later beard and hair are noticeable.
10. The First Digital Cinema Camera
Lucas and Attack of the Clones broke new ground by using the first digital cinema camera for filming. For the second prequel, Lucasfilm partnered with Sony to develop “cinema cameras that captured digital footage at 24-frames per second” to be aligned with traditional cameras. One of the benefits was that the cast and crew could immediately view the footage on plasma TVs on the set.