Walk us through the steps involved in recreating the scene.
The first step, and one of the best, is to watch the film! I watched this scene many times and took note of the details I wanted to try and recreate. The first being the floor. Using as many references from the film as possible, I designed a large floor image. My friends at Gamut Media printed it on a 4x5 foot sheet and I used it as the base platform for the entire shot.
Next was the environment background of Utapau. For this I used Jason Yang’s digirama technique! I took a few screenshots from the film and created an image I could place on my TV as a background. This technique is great for not only capturing the look, but also the lighting of the scene you are trying to recreate!
To complete the overall environment, I had to improvise using things around the office and house that looked like it would fit into the scene. A ladder, computer cases, cables, random metal pieces, parts from a shelf, or anything that looked right.
I used 9 total Black Series figures for this shot. Obi Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, Commander Cody, 2 Battle Droids, and 4 Clones. The final composite is made up of multiple shots. The main dual between Obi Wan and Grievous, followed by multiple shots of the droids and clones creating the larger battle. The post process if one of my favorite parts of creating the final image! I loved adding in all the special effects, lighting up the lightsabers and playing with overall tones and colors!