How ‘Star Wars’ Changed Cinematography

If you’ve spent any time studying film and television, you’re probably a little sick of hearing about how a movie called Star Wars changed everything. But it did!

It’s a movie whose widespread influence has shaped our perception of many different aspects of film and TV.

Today, I want to focus on cinematography. So, join me as we dive into how the behemoth of the Star Wars universe continues to alter our perception of cinematography and to challenge DPs who step in and out of the universe.

Let’s dive in.

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The Cinematography of ‘Star Wars’

In 1977, the original Star Wars came out and blew everyone’s minds. It was a large-scale science fiction movie that used mostly practical effects but had cutting-edge VFX to help sell its futuristic tone and ideas, even though it was set in a galaxy a long time ago.

The movie demonstrated the power of visual storytelling on a grand scale. There was so much scope to the story being told, and it treated that scope in epic ways.

But it also created a problem for the cinematographer, Gilbert Taylor, who was in charge of finding a way to get all this on camera.

To actually capture the images in the original movie, a lot of creativity had to come to the forefront.

Taylor shot on a Panaflex camera paired with C Series anamorphics.

Taylor said in an interview with Mark Newbold in 2005:

“I wanted to give Star Wars a unique visual style that would distinguish it from other films in the science fiction genre. I wanted Star Wars to have clarity because I think space isn’t out of focus, also I was mindful that there was an enormous amount of process work to be done in America with Dykstra after we had finished shooting in England, and a crisp result would help this process”.

Who was Dykstra?

Well, Taylor was talking about one of the pioneers of George Lucas’s company, Industrial Light and Magic, which was the secret for how the franchise changed the way we use cameras.

Lucas and ILM

When Lucas got the greenlight on Star Wars, he knew he would need help on all the technical aspects. This was going to be a movie that needed to invent ways to get shows and to use VFX.

So Lucas created Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in a Van Nuys warehouse, putting John Dykstra in charge of putting together the special effects for the film.

Dykstra was a pioneer in using computers for movie magic. And his contributions to Star Wars were immense. He helped create iconic visuals like lightsabers, the thrilling space battles between X-wings and TIE fighters, and the depiction of Force powers.

His work with Taylor and Lucas on the film is the stuff of legends.

In order to achieve the complex shots, they built what would become known as the Dykstraflex motion-control camera, a system made possible by affordable computer memory and repurposed cameras.

This allowed for unprecedented control and precision in filming miniature models. And it brought the world to life.

‘Star Wars’ Gets a Cinematography Overhaul

The impact of Star Wars on cinematography was not just the first movie. Innovations over the trilogy helped ILM become a landmark company when it came to VFX and shooting things with computer animations inserted.

‘Star Wars’ Goes Digital

When Lucas revamped the original trilogy in the ’90s, he went back and added shots created digitally. When it came time for the prequels, Lucas used tech his company developed for lots of the shots in his movies.

At the time of the prequel trilogy, Lucas worked with Panavision to help him get lenses that could shoot digitally but make the movies still look like the originals in spirit.

“Panavision said they were interested in making the lenses,” Lucas explained in a Panavision retrospective. “So we got them together with Sony and said, ‘We want to be able to shoot Episode II with this [digital system]. That gives you about two and a half years. Can you get it done in time?’ And they replied, ‘Yup, we’ll do it.’ And they did.”

Panavision came back with the Panavising Sony’s nascent HDW-F900 2/3 high-definition digital video camera, which developed a new range of accessories for the camera. They also built the Primo Digital series of lenses, which were conceived to offer double the resolving power of 35mm-format optics so that the 2/3 HD image could be translated to the big screen.

“This was a giant experiment for everybody, and nobody knew if it was going to work,” Lucas reflected. “Both companies really went out on a limb.”

Little did Lucas know that he was standardizing a practice that would be used for almost every blockbuster moving forward, especially with things like Marvel.

George Lucas redefined visual effects twice: first by pioneering the tools to realize his imaginative universe, and later by spearheading the advancement of digital effects through the creation of fully computer-generated environments and characters.

‘Star Wars’ Today 

After Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, they still found ways to continue to push the envelope.

Higher budgets and better technology allowed the series to keep innovating in different ways to blend practical and CGI.

Directors JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson had their DPs use the Millennium XL2 film cameras as well as G Series, C Series, E Series, Primo, and Super Speed optics in order to capture their visuals.

In the new trilogy, they used Panaflex Millennium XL2 cameras, which are far more advanced than the original Panavision cameras they used, but running through those cameras is still 35mm film, and sand attached to the front is still Panavision anamorphic glass.

One of the fun things I learned was that different lenses were used to shoot the heroes and the villains in the newest trilogy.

They used Primo Anamorphics for the movie’s villains and Retro C and Retro Panatar lenses for the heroes.

The emphasis on visual spectacle that Star Wars popularized remains a key element of what they still do today. Large-scale action sequences, elaborate special effects, and immersive worldbuilding are now expected by audiences.

Summing Up 

As you can see, Star Wars not only changed what we think of blockbusters and franchises but also has had a ton of influence on the technical aspects of film over the years.

What are some of the observations you’ve made on how the Star Wars universe handles cinematography over the years? Are there films or shows you think do it best?

I’d love to hear from you.

Let me know what you think in the comments.