the CineSecret... Star Wars blog

The making of Yoda part I

Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:04:00 -0400

In the mid 90’s we launched our first website. The stories and interviews that we published there were an instant success in an information hungry world eager to make use of the new technology known as “the information super highway”. With the making of A PHANTOM MENACE in 1997 our popularity soared to half a million hits a week and I started to write unknown facts about the building of Yoda for ESB.
The article below is from that site with a few additional notes. This is the only technical information on the building of Yoda ever released. To get a full understanding of the background to the design of the Yoda puppets you would do well to read some of the earlier postings on this blog about the background to STAR WARS creature designs before reading this.

The making of Yoda part II

Sat, 10 Jan 2015 08:13:24 -0400

The second file in my series about creating Yoda. You should read part one before this.
The making of Yoda part I concentrated upon background information about the design, the principle people involved and the construction of the first puppet. Part II relates to several other versions of Yoda that were made to suit specific shots and circumstances.
Because it had been decided that Yoda would be a puppet built on Frank Oz’s arm, George became concerned that we would never see Yoda’s legs and that would give away the illusion. So he asked Stuart (Freeborn) for a WALKING version.

The making of Yoda part III

Fri, 9 Jan 2015 02:25:40 -0400

Read part one & part two before this.
You'll remember that I mentioned before that Ron Hone built two versions of the Radio Controlled Yoda mechanism. The second was a form of insurance against any problems arising with the first mechanism. The principle of having a back-up was welcomed by Lucasfilm.
As we got closer to filming Yoda, Stu (Freeborn) was looking more and more harassed. The long weeks Stuart had spent locking down the modeling (at one time there were 4 versions in progress simultaneously) had left Stuart with less time than he would have liked to complete his mechanism the way he wanted. The compromises he was forced to make meant that the mechanism was less effective than he knew it was capable of. The first few days of Yoda's hut were very difficult. You may have read Mark Hamill‘s recollection of sitting around on Degoba waiting for Yoda to be fixed... because the first week of shooting the prototype puppet broke down a lot.

The Walking Yoda

Mon, 21 Jul 2014 10:42:34 -0400

For 30 years I told people that I had been involved in making a walking version (man in a suit) of Yoda but had no evidence that such a version existed. When they had asked for a walking version of Yoda for the end of the scene where he and Luke meet, My boss Stu (Freeborn) told them we didn't have time to build such a thing. Once filming had started, Graham (Freeborn) was busy heading the Make-up department on set. Kay (Freeborn) was with him. Wendy Midener who worked with us creating the Yoda puppet version was also on set with Frank (Oz). That left Stu and I in the workshop with 3 trainees... Bob Keen, David Barclay and Nick Dudman. When Stu thought of a walking version he was thinking of a 26" mechanical version and we had neither the man power or experience to create that at the time.
Stu was already very occupied with issues over the prototype puppet mechanism. When they asked me if I could come up with something, I took a leaf out of Graham's book... looking for the simplest/fastest solution. I pointed out that nobody knew how tall the trees were and as such, if Yoda was alone in the shot, nobody would notice if Yoda was oversize. Deep Roy was already on the movie. He was 36" tall and the best person for the job as he is a midget not a dwarf and walks normally. But I couldn't do everything in the week we had as there were other responsibilities occupying my time. So I said I would create a larger head if they got feet and hands made by the modelers and plaster shop.
Rather than start from scratch, I took one of the foam latex skins made for the puppet and chemically expanded it using diisooctyl phthalate. I used that regularly (suspended in alcohol) on skins to compensate for the 8% shrinkage that foam latex skins had at that time. I simply took the ration for that, divided by 24 and multiplied by 36 to scale the expansion up to the right size. It worked out ok. But expanded it was super soft and floppy. I used plaster bandage to support it inside, made eyes from plastic spheres (glued into place) and Graham and I hair punched and art worked it late one night. The hair was a bit precarious as the skin was very delicate. We tried to handle it as little as possible.
I continued with other projects in the workshop and trainee Bob Keen looked after it on set. It was a little puffy looking I thought. But for the shot needed it was ideal. Unfortunately Stu felt I undermined him by accommodating this and another request that he said we couldn't do. Our relationship was never quite the same after that.
I first saw these photos in 2012, thirty three years after they were taken, when I was doing autographs for Official Pix at Stat Wars Celebration VI in Orlando. I’m thrilled to have these photos to back up what I have been saying all these years.

The full sized wampa suit...

Thu, 27 Jun 2013 19:45:54 -0400

A few years back I was interviewed for the Star Wars Insider magazine about building the Wampa. The original design was done by Ralph McQuarrie but the initial drawings did not take into account the physical limitations that would be needed in order to make this creature work. The drawing's proportions had to be adjusted to allow a man to fit inside.
My boss, Stuart Freeborn, gave the job of building this HUGE monster to his son Graham and myself. Stuart modeled the head I believe and Graham modeled the body. It was mainly constructed as a fiberglass shell jointed to be articulated. I applied much of the fur and Bob Keen and I built the mechanism that allowed the arms and hands to work.
The actor inside was named Des Webb. Des was 6' 10" tall (2.1 meters). But inside the suit he appeared tiny. He looked out through the fur of the Wampa's neck. His arms reached down only as far as the wampa's elbows and a sprung counterweight system lifted the forearms which were suspended from the upper arms. Hand controls within the elbows operated the fingers.

The birth of animatronics...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:11:40 -0400

One of the problems we had with the early evolution of the modern MFX Department was transcending from specialist makeup artists, (doing prosthetics), to multi faceted creature builders. You have to realize that at the time we did STAR WARS it was hard to find 10 people in Europe who specialized in that kind of work. In the US, of course, Dick Smith had built some mechanicals for THE EXORCIST assisted by Rick Baker and by the time that EMPIRE was being made, Rick and Stan Winston were separately experimenting with complex mechanical devices, but the craft that we now commonly refer to in movies as animatronics didn't exist, as such.

The Wampa was almost Chewbacca - how Des Webb almost played the wookie!

Tue, 6 Mar 2012 21:02:11 -0400

In the early months of 1976, Stu Freeborn was preparing to make "The Star Wars" as A NEW HOPE was then called. Although I had worked with Stu previously on YOUNG WINSTON and other films, at that time I was also working with other make-up & creature designers on movies like SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER, SHOUT AT THE DEVIL (with lee Marvin and Roger Moore… what a combination!) and SATAN'S SLAVE where I met my wife to be, Gloria. Stu's son Graham was my close friend. I would spend a couple of nights each week with him and his wife Shiela at their home and Graham gave me the low down on plans for creating creatures for what would become Episode IV. I was eager to work with Stu again, especially on a make-up effects movie, and took a keen interest in the project.
One night we were discussing the Millennium Falcon’s co-pilot Chewbacca. Chewie was perceived as a 7 foot dog like character. I suggested Peter Mayhew (7'2") for the part who had been the Minotaur in SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. Graham told me that production assistant Pat Carr had recommended Peter too. But Graham said that Stu was favoring another performer, Des Webb (6'10"), he was unsure how heavy the suit might be and felt Des was the stronger of the two performers.
That weekend we were playing mini golf in Stu's back garden in Esher. I wanted to involve myself somehow in the Star Wars project so I took the opportunity to explain to Stu about the work I had done with Colin Arthur on SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. Colin was an unconventional designer who built his creatures in controlled chaos in his suburban house in Putney. On different productions I watched as Colin modeled the Kracken in his front room and assembled bits of Troglodyte in the Garden. The house was an menagerie of fantasy creatures, I told Stu of the difficulties Peter had endured in the Minotaur suit. Over the weeks on Sinbad I had gotten to know Peter quite well and I stressed how his quiet and gentle nature had been a great asset. Made of flexible polyurethane, the Minotaur suit wasn't that light, or easy to wear, and I felt sure Peter could handle the Chewie suit which was basically a giant wig. With platform soles in the feet and an extended head, Peter could make Chewie 7'6" and I stressed how he was such a nice chap to work with.
So it was that Peter became Chewbacca and eventually toured the world as a Star Wars Convention celebrity. I won out too when, a couple of weeks later, I joined Stu’s team on the movie that would change my life. 2 years later, on EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, I worked with Des Webb as well. Stu chose him for the Wampa that hits Luke on Hoth. Graham and I built the suit and Stu built the head. It was actually a much harder suit to work in than either Chewie or the Minotaur, with stilts and mechanical arm extensions. When I got to know him, Des was a nice guy too. I never told him how close he came to playing the part of Chewbacca. (He was a lot bigger than me and I didn't want to admit I’d talked him out of a job).

Background to the Empire Strikes Back Creature Design.

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 16:55:34 -0400

When Episode IV was finished the toy manufacturers discovered how difficult it was to make plastic toys out of all of these crazy things in the Cantina. I am sure reducing our stuff to 2" high plastic toys was a real nightmare. There were some awkward shapes like hammerhead that probably increased the manufacturing costs. Perhaps there is no connection....but Lucasfilm approached the creatures for EMPIRE STRIKES BACK very differently.

Chewbacca, Chinese soup and the Minotaur's shoes

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:52:21 -0400

Nick Maley recalls a crucial element in the evolution of Chewbacca. ........Ergo
"If memory serves me right, it was in 1974 that I helped Colin Arthur with the MFX for SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER. Colin's career had gotten a kick-start when he helped Stuart Freeborn on 2001 - A SPACE ODYSSEY and he quickly proceeded as make-up effects designer on a succession of low-to-moderate budgeted, fantasy films. Colin was a good guy. He helped me a lot in those early years.

Yoda, the Nogard's sacrifice, and the guy we nailed to the floor!

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:57:17 -0400

I don’t think there can be much doubt that this will be the craziest memory of STAR WARS that you’ll ever get to read. Fans have this image of us working away seriously in the workshop, and of course there were big budgets and big responsibilities that lay upon us. But we were also a wacky bunch of guys who periodically let off steam in som pretty extreme ways.
To understand what happened I need to explain the layout of the Make-up Effects (MFX) workshop on THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Bear with me while I do this because it’s critical to what happened. Considering that there were only seven of us working there, it was huge. I guess Stuart (Freeborn) had not forgotten the way we were squashed into the old schoolroom on Episode IV. He certainly made up for it on EMPIRE where the workshop was made up of a series of interconnecting rooms.

Those OTHER Yoda Guys

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:41:11 -0400

Nick announces the publishing of his latest website... thoseYodaGuys.com.
“Because of confusing credits and publicity that focused upon just a few individuals, the majority of talented people who contributed to creating Yoda for STAR WARS have gone unnoticed,” Nick explains. “My notoriety with the Caribbean Cruise Lines has made me an exception. But I have found blogs that actually argue over who did what. So I decided to tell fans about my past associates to make it clear... Stu and I weren’t the only ones there.
ThoseYodaGuys.com sets the record straight with never before told details on the creation of your favorite alien.

Perseverance, fate, the phone & the road to Star Wars

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:40:19 -0400

People ask me all the time about how I got to make STAR WARS. They usually think I sent drawings of aliens to George Lucas. They forget that few people took George Lucas very seriously before STAR WARS. My journey toward being part of movie history, had more to do with perseverance than talent and was driven by a determination not to give up.
I joined the British film industry in the Summer of 69. To this day I remember the excitement when the call came to tell me that I'd got my union card and should report to Cliff Sharpe, the Make-up Supervisor of the star studded JULIUS CAESAR at MGM studios. They were paying me £24 a week! A fortune. So I quit my £9 a week job as Deputy Head of the Mortgage Dept. for the London Borough of Brent, (actually there were only two of us in the Department), said my good-byes and set off on my new career.
My first movie had a MASSIVE cast of stars, Charlton Heston, Jason Robards, Richard Chamberlain, John Gielgud... even the man from Uncle (Robert Vaughn & the tasty Diana Rigg! Starry eyed as I was, the new kid on the make-up crew, I tried to be inspired by the glamorous task my colleagues assigned me of making up the legs and feet of 400 extras every day. It’s quite hard to make sun deprived Brits look like Romans. So I tried to be inspired by the task and consoled myself with the belief that someone would see how great my 400 feet were and in a few months I’d be making up the stars.

How the early lightsabers worked

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:51:20 -0400

It’s amazing how many people ask how the lightsabers worked for the classic trilogy. Mak Man wrote:
“I was wondering how the special effects guys made those cool lightsabers? was it using computers? it doesn't look like it but i don't know any other way they could have been made. can you please tell me?”

Background to early Star Wars Creature Design.

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:05:04 -0400

I was 27 years old in 1976 when I was one of 7 make-up artists in England who assisted Stuart Freeborn in creating the creatures for the main unit shoot of the Mos Eisly Cantina filmed at EMI Studios, England.
They gave us 10 weeks to create a universe of creatures, which in those days, compared with DR WHO and SPACE 1999, was considered quite a long time. We worked in a small room at Elstree Studios that was previously known as "The Old Schoolroom". It was pretty crowded by the time we got tables, chairs, materials, paints, glues, foam latex ovens and the eight of us in there.

Conceiving Yoda...

Mon, 5 Jul 2010 12:37:25 -0400

There are so many rumors about the inspiration for Yoda that they are hard to count. Followers of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi have told me that they are certain Yoda was based on him. The similarity of “Yogi” and “Yoda” being used to justify the claim. A group of marshal artists who follow the teachings of Sokaku Takeda in Japan think Yoda is based on him too. Possibly because Sokaku was small and wise and fought hard. But the most popularly held sectarian belief by far is that Yoda's features were patterned after the Mormon prophet Spencer W. Kimball which almost every Mormon missionary who passes through Planet Paradise likes to tell me.
Since I was in the workshop the whole time that Stu was modeling Yoda, I have been asked repeatedly to confirm or deny these rumors. So I'm here to set the record a little straighter.

the next Star Wars trilogy...

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 13:15:47 -0400

This was the subject of a question asked by one of Nick’s Twitter followers.
You will find the answer in our Q@A section

about the Prequel Yodas

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:56:30 -0400

One of Nick’s Twitter followers asked Nick’s opinion of the Yodas in the Prequel Trilogy.
You will find the answer in our Q@A section

First impressions of Star Wars

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:26:26 -0400

This was the subject of a question asked by one of Nick’s Twitter followers.
You will find the answer in our Q@A section

Favorite Star Wars moment

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:14:06 -0400

This was the subject of a question asked by one of Nick’s Twitter followers.
You will find the answer in our Q@A section

A tribute to Stuart Freeborn

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:41:13 -0400

If anyone deserves a BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to innovation in make-up and creature effects it has to be Stuart Freeborn. There are several other worthy contenders for this honor but this feisty little man from Beckenham, Kent, who could have doubled for his most famous creation, Yoda (Star Wars), overcame all odds to become a giant of the British film industry.

Q&A: Creature Effects School

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 12:30:49 -0400

A lot of fans have written to me asking about a good school for creature effects. Although this isn’t directly Star Wars related it is critical info for budding movie makers and model builders so I’m going to take a moment to answer the question.
Special effects covers a LOT of ground and so it's hard to pinpoint specific courses that may be of help. Depending upon your field of choice you might look to acquire knowledge about general engineering, hydraulics, pneumatics, radio control, chemistry mold making, art, cosmetology, hairdressing, wig making, puppetry and in today’s world of CGI effects, a multitude of computer related areas too. Although most of my comments below refer to creature effects, the general principles apply to other effects fields.

Greedo - the alien makeover...

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:02:56 -0400

As I told you before, there were 6 of us in "the Old Schoolroom" at Elstree Studios creating creatures for the Mos Eisley Cantina while Stu, (Freeborn), our boss was building Chewie across the room. Graham, (Stu's son), and I were foaming and baking the latex skins in ovens to one side of the room and the air was filled with the aroma of baked ammonia.
It was into this environment that Greedo was born. In the script he was not described in any detail and in fact the crew modeled creatures not knowing how they would be used or what characters they would eventually portray. Because we only had 10 weeks to fill the cantina with as many aliens as possible, any old masks used for previous jobs that were available in Stuart's storeroom were brought into play. They were altered in any way possible to make them different from any previous appearances, and then added to the cast of available finished

Harrison Ford before the world knew Han Solo...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:59:06 -0400

Talking on http://twitter.com/thatyodaguy today brought to mind recollections of Harrison Ford while we were making ANH. Only Alec Guinness (Obi Wan) and Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin) were known stars when we prepared that movie and there was no clue that Harrison would achieve such a following.
Graham Freeborn was Harrison's make-up artist so he knew Harrison better than me. But I was around from time to time and the "scoundrel" personality that most fans know was not in evidence much of the time when the cameras were turned off. Harrison was the quietest of the three main characters. Almost introverted at times, he was thoughtful and somewhat reserved. At the same time he was friendly and courteous, but until you saw his performance on screen, you would not have said he was an actor you expected to go places.

An unknown Star Wars hero...

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:11:01 -0400

Graham Freeborn is an unsung hero of the Classic Star Wars trilogy. Graham was Stuart Freeborn's son. He was Stu's lead assistant for making all the creatures filmed by the main unit in Elstree, Tunisia and Norway. On ESB Graham was also the Make-up Supervisor. He was my very good friend and helped me join Stuart's team on Star Wars.
Graham modeled many of the Mos Eisley creatures and without his fast and imaginative modeling we would never have completed so many creatures in the 10 weeks that we were alloted. He and I assembled the full sized Wampa and the Ugnaughts and he artworked 2 of the 4 versions of Yoda for ESB. It was also Graham who did all the severed hands and Luke's head in Vader's helmet.

Chewie descended from 1001 A SPACE ODESSY

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:02:52 -0400

It’s an unknown fact that the Chewbacca suit was based on the work Stuart Freeborn and his team did on the SciFi epic 1001 A SPACE ODESSY. Stuart Freeborn's work on the apes in that movie were the very beginnings of animatronics way back in the late 60's.
When we made the first Star Wars movie, nobody could have guessed that George Lucas would make a SciFi saga of such magnitude. Few people knew that much about him before Star Wars. And those who did associated him with AMERICAN GRAFFITI, a movie about America in the 50's. But the apes in 1001 A SPACE ODESSY meant that George Lucas knew who Stuart Freeborn was... and that Stuart would get all the best creature effect jobs that came to England (where Star Wars was filmed).