Why does Obi-Wan's Lightsaber shrink in Episode IV

The Jazz Intern · Post by **The Jazz Intern** » 2005-07-13 02:16pm

I think that his light saber was old. So yes, I think that he forgot to charge the batteries. Besides, where is he supposed to get a power cell like that on tattooine?

SVPD · Post by **SVPD** » 2005-07-15 11:34am

Stuart Mackey wrote: Which is weird, given that real, combat, swords are not all that heavy. A two handed warsword {think Wallace's sword in Braveheart} around 2.3 -3.6kg only. Smaller swords are around 1.5 kg, if that.

They aren't, but the more you point the blade out in front of you, the more moment the tip of the blade has.

Try taking a 4 foot 2x4 and holding it pointed out in front of you parallel to the ground, then hold it so it's perpendicular to the ground. You'll see what I mean.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-07-15 12:53pm

The Jazz Intern wrote:I think that his light saber was old. So yes, I think that he forgot to charge the batteries. Besides, where is he supposed to get a power cell like that on tattooine?

No, as someone else said, it primarily has to do with the fact that Kenobi's sabre was more or less pointed virtually straight towards the camera, making it appear like a dinky point or line. They tried to fix it for the DVD, but you can't fix what's too far messed up like that in the first place.

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Concerning the "heavy sabre" conception, I thought they said it was that the blades weren't heavy, but that it had to do with rotational values in the hilt. I swear they said that in the lightsabre feature on the DVD set.

Rommie2006 · Post by **Rommie2006** » 2005-07-22 04:01am

Anyone knows IF it will ever be fixed? That SFX error?

My mom always comment on how obi-wan saber runs out of battery... it's really glaringly obvious and that it's still unfixed after 97 SE and 04 DVD is really amazing!

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-07-22 04:12am

As has been pointed out, because of the angle of the sabre blade in relation to the camera, there's frankly pretty much nothing that can be done to "fix" it.

Kenoshi · Post by **Kenoshi** » 2005-07-22 07:30am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:As has been pointed out, because of the angle of the sabre blade in relation to the camera, there's frankly pretty much nothing that can be done to "fix" it.

Well, if they took the original footage and applied identical digital SFX that was used in the Prequels to completely mask the saber prop then it should look like it the Prequel sabers did.

General Brock · Post by **General Brock** » 2005-07-23 04:51am

Kenoshi wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:As has been pointed out, because of the angle of the sabre blade in relation to the camera, there's frankly pretty much nothing that can be done to "fix" it.
Well, if they took the original footage and applied identical digital SFX that was used in the Prequels to completely mask the saber prop then it should look like it the Prequel sabers did.

Maybe they already tried but the results just weren't convincing. I wouldn't have thought there were limits on SFX magic, but Lucas seems to pay a lot of attention to detail, and has the tech, time and money. He's kind of stuck, short of cutting a key segment, or trying to redraw it like he did to make Solo shoot first. The angle would not have been used in the prequels, or a conventional swordfight scene and is probably more a camera/choreography blunder than an SFX one.

Kenoshi · Post by **Kenoshi** » 2005-07-23 06:33am

General Brock wrote:
Kenoshi wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:As has been pointed out, because of the angle of the sabre blade in relation to the camera, there's frankly pretty much nothing that can be done to "fix" it.
Well, if they took the original footage and applied identical digital SFX that was used in the Prequels to completely mask the saber prop then it should look like it the Prequel sabers did.
Maybe they already tried but the results just weren't convincing. I wouldn't have thought there were limits on SFX magic, but Lucas seems to pay a lot of attention to detail, and has the tech, time and money. He's kind of stuck, short of cutting a key segment, or trying to redraw it like he did to make Solo shoot first. The angle would not have been used in the prequels, or a conventional swordfight scene and is probably more a camera/choreography blunder than an SFX one.

If they were really paying attention to detail they wouldn't have made Luke's lightsaber green while he was training with Obi Wan on the Millenium Falcon. I think Lucas was more interested in experimenting than really fixing anything.

General Brock · Post by **General Brock** » 2005-07-27 03:19pm

Strange; I remember the MF scene - it was blue. I could be wrong... maybe the translation to digital (or my brain) muffed the blue-green.

DoctorPhanan · Post by **DoctorPhanan** » 2005-07-27 08:13pm

No, they made a mistake in one shot of the Millenium Falcon scene. The lightsaber is most definitely green.

And in the Next shot it goes back to blue.

And I agree with Spanky, about the original footage being too messed up in the first place.

Dangermouse · Post by **Dangermouse** » 2005-07-27 11:51pm

The lightsabers in ANH are the only area for me in which the movie shows some of its age. When the SE first came out in the theater, it was the one aspect I was hoping to have been fixed .

DoctorPhanan, thanks for the screenshot. Its amazing how green it actually is in that capture.

General Brock · Post by **General Brock** » 2005-07-29 03:30am

Dangermouse wrote:The lightsabers in ANH are the only area for me in which the movie shows some of its age. When the SE first came out in the theater, it was the one aspect I was hoping to have been fixed .

DoctorPhanan, thanks for the screenshot. Its amazing how green it actually is in that capture.

Second that. All those viewings, never clued in.