Chapter 2:

So, I watched Star Wars IV: a New Hope. There was something different about the seat, but I could not put my finger on it. Then I got a little shock from the chair. I just thought it was a static shock; I got comfortable. Again, I felt nothing else about it. I could not figure out what it was. I would sit back to watch the movie, relax, and enjoy it. The movie started just after the starting credits finished. The start credits always took me back to the first time I watched it as a kid. I remember it so well because no matter what happened in my life. It would take me somewhere. Anything could happen. No matter how bad things got when I was a kid. I always knew Star Wars would help me find a happy place again. So, back to the movie. So, you see a small spaceship (CR90 Corvette, an Alderanian Diplomatic cruiser), the first to come in from the bottom of the screen. The small ship had been shot at by a giant spaceship (Imperial I-class Star Destroyer). It was trying to capture the boat to get the Death Star plans back from the Rebels and find out how it was helping the Rebels. So, the next scene was filmed in the Death Valley and the Mojave Desert. Parts were filmed in Tunisia, where Luke’s family house was, and Alex McGuinness's scenes were filmed in the desert.

I sat in my seat to watch the movie and enjoy it as it should have come out on Star Wars Day, May the 4th, or as known by Star Wars geeks as the May Fourth, with you. But it was not released in the UK on March 23, (1997). It should have come out on the same day as the first time, on the 25th of May. It was massive when Star Wars emerged in America in (1977). The movie was shown on thirty-two screens at first, making $254,309 in the U.S.A. The cinema queues were all around the block. The UK had to wait seven months after it first came out. As I settled to watch the movie, the seat felt a bit weird. The next thing I knew, I was in the Star Wars movie set. It was the scene at Tatooine. It is set in the desert, but I was not in the desert; I was somewhere else. I tried around, where and when I looked around me, I stood there in shock, not knowing what had happened to me. I started to walk around. There were loads of Campervans and Winnebago’s around me to see what was happening. People were standing around talking to each other. They all wore flared jeans and a short-sleeved polo shirt, and a couple wore very flowery shirts. I saw loads of motorhomes behind me, so I walked towards them. I found a Winnebago that was empty inside. It had wood panels, an orange and white tartan carpet, and bright orange seats. I wanted something to blend in and find clothes for the seventies. Yes, that was right in the middle of 1976, to be more precise. I knocked on one door, which looked empty, and found a pair of flared jeans and a polo shirt. Just by looking, they were the right size for me. I looked around the motorhome and found a newspaper and a pair of sunglasses, as it was sunny outside. The newspaper is called Los Angeles Vanguard and had a date: 11th June 1976, which took me back. I was born on 10th April 1976. I have never been to LA before and was trying to get my brain back into gear. Before I had time to think, someone knocked on the door, and they came into the motorhome. They asked me how you are and said, “It does not matter; I am the one who sorted out the extras for this movie .” He asked me, “I was an extra and looking for work.” I said, “Yes, I am”, trying not to sound nervous. Then he said, “ok, come with me,” so I followed outside. He took me back to the movie of the set; then he told me what they wanted me to do and where they needed me to stand in the bar scene. Then he told me to go to the make-up and props department, which was over the other side of the movie set, where they dressed me up and got the make-up person to put make-up on me. Then, I made my way back to the Cantina bar. We had to wait until the main movie crew and cast turned up.

Here’s me trying to look like I fit in, but I felt stuck out like a sore thumb at the Cantina Bar. The bar had all kinds of aliens: green, blue, red, and yellow. You get the idea that even though Lucas did not like the Cantina bar, everyone loved it, and it came across on the screen as I thought anyway. So, imagine the worst bar or pub you have ever been in, then multiply it by a hundred, and you will get somewhere that looks like it. Just before the Cantina Bar band started playing, you all knew the tune as it went around in my head. Then someone approached me and said, “You be ok, kid?” It was Harrison Ford, yes that is right, the man who played the flamboyant pirate Han Solo. I did not know what to say. I said “Thanks” or something like that. I was star-struck. I thought I was strange, but I knew Han Solo very well and knew how Giant Star Wars would be. I also know how big Harrison Ford was going to be as well. This was only the third movie he had been in. The first was American Graffiti (1973), and the 2nd The Conversation (1974). So, we, in our make-up alien fit, are waiting for the movie director to come to the Cantina Bar. Yes, it was the one and only George Lucas. Everyone waited for the word's action and started filming the scene. I could not believe it was in a Star Wars movie.

The first scene is when Luke and Obi-Wan are at the bar, looking for transport to Alderaan. I was at the end of the bar watching it all without looking like I was watching without looking look I was a fan, like I knew what was coming next. Then the following sense was when Han Solo’s Greedo shot by, and we all knew that Han shot first, but in 1997 it had been changed so that Greedo shot first. It had been changed because George Lucas did not want Han Solo to come across as a murderer by shooting first. They had to take twenty shots of the scene from different angles and check that the special effects were proper. In 1976, they had CGI special effects. It was not what it was like now; they used more explosions and puppets to do them. Gorge Lucas employed his special effects team to Make Star Wars, which had never been done before in film. They got back to where I am right now.

After filming the movie scene, we all went to the coffee van, and the queue was exceptionally long. I stood there with Mark Hamilton and Harrison Ford, just talking to each other. I wish I were closer to them to hear what they were discussing. Then the man who asked me was an extra came up to me and said: “Sorry I did not tell you my name, it’s Mark, and I look after all the extras for this movie .” Then he said, “We want you in the Cantina Bar scene and the same alien. What do you think about that?” I said, “Yer, why not.” Also, Mark said to me, “The other part of the movie I want you to be in is The Death Star as a Storm Trooper because of my height. There are two parts in the Death Star. One ran after Hon Solo and Chewbacca down a corridor with guns as a Storm Trooper. The other one was an Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot that had two parts. The first was where Darth Vader and you two came with me, and the other bit was where I flowed behind Darth Tie Fighter in a Tie Fighter. The Two parts were easy to do as well. So, before moving,” I had to visit the costume department to try on the Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot and Storm Trooper outfits. It took a while to fit both costumes as they had racks and plastic parts for the body and helmets, which was the Star Wars movie I was a part of. It was surreal for me as the movie was made Before I was born; I couldn’t tell anyone abo my involvement without sounding strange. We shot two scenes on the same day towards the film's end, and I was invited to the after-party. Everyone, including the actors and crew, felt relieved and happy to finish the movie. George Lucas, the director, was absent as he was in Hawaii and did not read any reviews. He said, ‘I go, lie on the beach. Steven (Spielberg) was there too. Lucas did show the third edit of Friends, like Steve Spielberg and Steven King, but only one person liked it, and that person was Steven Spielberg. He got John Williams to create the musical scores for the original soundtrack. He is so famous for Spielberg’s Jaws (He won an Oscar for it) and the Lost in Space TV series 1965. John Williams also talks about writing scores for worlds we have never seen, bringing an emotional bond to the movie, as Princess Melody for Princess Leia. This is dramatic, so Princess is used for the battle sense. A very heavy declamatory for When Darth Vader Comes on Seen is when John Williams led the London Symphony Orchestra in 1977 for the Princess soundtrack, which was recorded over twelve pieces. It was a masterpiece that brought the movie together. The London Symphony Orchestra. It was the first time Williams had been recorded in twelve days with the London Symphony orchestra. It was a thrill for him to do that with the London Symphony Orchestra. Don’t forget it was the seventies disco back then. But back then, it did well because it was when America was struggling. It was a big detraction for them.

Then, the minute someone else came up to me and asked me if I could go to the unique effect place Industrial Light and Magic or ILM for short) They need help to finish the movie. Of course, I paid yes because I knew where to go in Los Angeles. It was where it all started. What I had seen in a documentary (ILM) was like a frat house in college in America. Then I saw It was like a frat house, too. There was an aeroplane escape slide going into a hot tub from the roof of the building. I thought it was an exaggeration, but It was not. There was working hard but having fun, too. As I walked into the reception, no one asked me what I was doing there. I’ve been asked to come and help in any way I can, but I know I did not know much about special effects and movies. I can help them build stuff; if they have been, anyone dresses up in different outfits for the movie. This was when I was Gorge Lucas talking to John Dykstra. I could hear them discuss what they could do with the Dykstraflex camera system.

John Knoll remarked on the significant impact of the Dykstraflex system on the movie industry, stating that before the introduction of motion control systems, visual effect shots were easily identifiable due to the limited camera movement. The sudden appearance of locked-off shots within a movie indicated that a visual effect was about to occur. Motion control systems were eventually replaced in the 1990s as moviemakers increasingly shifted towards computer-generated effects. This new technology eliminated the need for physical photography or multiple elements to be photographed in movies. However, time and technology continued to progress. Dykstra was a member of a team that was awarded the Academy Award for Visual Effects in 2004 due to their usage of computer-generated effects in "Spider-Man 2". The motion control systems that were initially employed are currently being exhibited in museums. George Lucas generously donated the Dykstraflex to. In 2008, the Dykstraflex was restored and reassembled under the guidance of John Knoll from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bosselmann also aided in the preservation of the history of motion. The origin of the Berkeley rig provided to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is unknown; neither the individual nor the organisation is responsible. As I was walking around the offices to get the lay of the land, to get to where everything is in the back of my mind, I Was thinking, I’ve got to meet George Lucas, but what would I say to him? As a kid, I watched all Three Star Wars films and all the documentaries on TV, so I know George Lucas did much work here. Plus, the movie was well over budget, about three million dollars, just under 16 million dollars, in sixteen million dollars, with inflation today's money. I know he (George Lucas) would be swamped trying not to spend any more money on the movie. They already had to borrow money from the bank, so the movie had to make a Profit. Luckily, it did it made. So, someone approached me and asked, “if I could help in the props department”. I said, “Yes, no problem. Where is it?“. They told It to me right down this long condor the door on the right. They know you are coming and tell you what they want you to do.

As I entered the room, I saw different alien heads on the walls, drawings of spaceships, and storyboards of the movie scenes in the order of the movie. They asked me to try on some alien heads, and I put one on. There are no holes to breathe out of. The person who asked me to put this one on started making holes so you could breathe in it. The door opened. George Lucas began to talk to Frank Bruton about how a property master. The property master, also known as the prop(s) master, is vital in talks, television, or theatrical production. They are responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, correctly placing, and overseeing any props required for the production. The property master collaborates with other team members to maintain the stage or set's physical appearance. For instance, I might work with the script supervisor to maintain set continuity. The property master is part Of the pre-production, and the team develops the stylistic concept of physical production. They continue to work as a physical shooting/production crew member responsible for buying the props. It can be called a production buyer or a props buyer.

I could hear George and Frank discussing how they would finish the movie without spending more money. It did get entirely heated between this m, but then Frank had an idea. The idea was to use the alien to make what was on the wall instead of using stop-motion, which took a week or two. Where the sense could be in the scene two days. George Lucas started, looking at all the masks on the wall. I had one on my head. He liked that one, then asked me, “Can you take that one off and try another one on, please? I had about four or five different masks on. Can he work out how tall he wants the aliens to be? Then he told Frank I’ll have that one that I had on my head. I took it off, and he asked me to take all the masks he had picked to the pops department.

He added some of the alien's backstories to the Cantina bar scene. The first one, Hem Dazon, an Arcona, was the first to appear in the cantina. Arconas are recognised by their T-shaped head and gold glittering eyes, as described in reference books. Dazon, a grumpy Arcona, had spent all his credits and got stranded on Tattooine. Dazon can also be seen sitting around with other alien cantina patrons; one is a Siniteen male, Pons Limbic, who is seen with his brain-shaped head. Both species would also be incorporated into characters in The Clone Wars (2008) animated series. In Season 3, Episode 1, titled Clone Cadets, the episode features a group of clones in boot camp, with two bounty hunters turned instructors training the clones, Bric, a Siniteen, and El-Les, an Arcona.

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The second one was Arleil Schous, a Defel male, a wolf-like species with glowing red eyes, sharp teeth, and pointed ears. Devils could bend light around their bodies, making them nearly invisible, but Schous’ ability had diminished with age.

The third one was Alz male, abandoned on Tattooine as a newborn and teamed up with Kabe, a bat-like creature of the Chadra Fan species. The two spent their days together as pickpockets in the cantina.

The four ones were Devaronians, devil-like creatures with two horns native to the planet Devaron. One Devaronian named Kardue'sai'Malloc, alias Labria, was a former army captain known for his brutality. He fled his home world and ended up with a bounty on his head, hiding in the cantina on Tattooine.

The fifth one, the upbeat jazz-style "Cantina song", is a tune any Star Wars enthusiast would recognise. The Modal Nodes, a seven-piece all-Bith band, played a variety of horns, strings and drums to keep the energy up in the rough crowd. Figrin D'an led the band, a regular fixture at Chalmun's Cantina, where they played their most famous song, "Mad About Me". This song was featured in the movie Star Wars: A New Hope. The Bith were most recognisable for their bulbous heads, large black eyes and folds around their mouths. They were primarily regarded as a peaceful species, often becoming musicians, artists, scientists, and engineers.

The last sixth one was how he told Luke, “He doesn’t like you. I don’t like you either!” Those famous words were spoken for Ponda Baba, the Aqualish patron that Luke Skywalker had the misfortune to encounter at the cantina bar. Ponda Baba and his nefarious surgical friend, Dr. Evazan, who threatened Luke for his partner, were local spice runners for Jabba the Hutt. Ponda Baba is of the Aqualish species of their native homeworld, Ando. To explain some behind-the-scenes details, a curious factoid about their anatomy is that their red blood does not char. This evidence can be seen when Obi-Wan slices off Baba’s arm with a lightsabre, but blood still hits the cantina floor. This is one of the few displays of blood in the Star Wars franchise, which continually tries to appeal to viewers of all ages and rating systems.

The seventh one is the most famous. The species of Rodian were humanoid reptiles hailing from the planet Rodia. Their physical structure consisted of coloured skin, thin snouts, a pair of antennae, and large eyes that could see in infrared. They were adapted to survive in aquatic and swamp-like environments, characteristic of their hot and humid home planet. However, their proximity to the hyperspace lanes allowed them to travel across the galaxy. In Star Wars canon, the most prominent Rodian is Greedo Tetsu Jr., a criminal and bounty hunter hired by Jabba the Hutt to capture Han Solo. When Solo met Greedo, the latter pointed a blaster at him, leading to a tense conversation that ended poorly. The question of who shot first, Han or Greedo, is famous, but in the theatrical version, Han was the only one to shoot.

So, I was in the Cantina Bar, ageing, but this time, I could see the famous Han and Greedo table all set up with a flash bang, and I could watch in real life how shot first in the scene. It has been a debate for years until George Lucas's movie came out in 1997 with its new special effects and added scenes. In the interview, he said Han is more of a hero in the film, so I did not want him to be shot first like in the original movie. I was the alien Hem Dazon; an Arcona was the first to pop in the film, as they shouted actions. I watched Harrison Ford as Han, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, and Tom Kenny, who played Greedo, sat in a crowd from Han. The next second, there was a bang and a flash, as was Had that shot first. I knew it all along. It still amazed me that I was there but could not tell anyone about it. Then I just about heard cut; that’s a wrap. Then I took my mask off, and Harrison Ford spotted me and approached me. How are you? Kid then joked that they may have to reshoot this scene because Lucas would always say,” It was good, but can you do it again but a bit faster and with more intensity?”. I replied to him, “I am ok. How are you?” He answered, " I am good if this scene is good.” Thankfully, the scene was good enough for Lucas Harrison’s ask, “How was your flight here?” I just said “it was ok. How was yours?“ he replied “just glad to back movies I enjoy acting”. We both went to the pops department to remove all our stuff, but he went to his Winnebago first. He said to me, “See you around, kid” “I replied, see you soon, Mr Ford” Then he said “, Call me Harrison’s next time” I said, “No problem, my name is Stevie”.

The next minute., I found myself feeling shell-shocked back in the cinema. I wondered if I had been asleep and if it was all a dream. Or was I in the movie? There was only one way to find out – watch the original one that I had on DVD. So, I rushed home to start watching it. There it was – the alien I dressed up as in the movie, which was not there before.” In the Cantina Bar, I could not believe my eyes. I started running rubber them to make sure I did not see things. I had to rewind it three or four times to be sure that what I had just seen was right, and it was, but then I could not tell anyone about this, and this is what it was. Then I fast-forward forward to the next scene I was in, which was just like it was in the original movie of the movie. Then I started to wonder if it was just a fluke that had happened and if it could never happen again. If it were, I would feel unfortunate; I love going to the cinema because you can escape your everyday day and forget any problems you may have for a few hours.

I went back and watched Star Wars IV: a New Hope again, so I booked my seat the same as last time, row c, seat number 8, to see if the same thing would happen again. It did. Just a couple of minutes later, I got a static shock off the seat again, but I was not where I was last time; it was hot and sandy, and I did not know where I was. Loads people in shorts, t-shirts, and bucket hats. Instead of motorhomes, there were loads of tents behind the cameras, so I popped into one because I was wearing jeans and a hoodie with a band called Machine Head. There were two reasons: I had to get changed, it was scorching, and the second reason was that Machine Head did on form till 1991, so I would look well out of place. The first tent I entered had lots of water and soft drinks, so I grabbed a water bottle. I did not know how long I was going to be there. I found another tent with clothes in it, and this one had T-shirts and shorts and a pair of white trainers and socks. Remember it was in seventies style from head to toe and I found some sunglasses as I left the tent and found Mark again! He said hi to me again. I remember you. “Where were you in L.A. where I need you as an alien and Storm Trooper extra?” I said, “Yes, I was,” he said, “Was your name Stevie?” and I said, “Yes.” Then he asked me, “Can you help me? We had a sandstorm last night, and some of the set was broken. And we need to get it fixed. Can you help us, please? Of course, I said, “Yes to the problem.” He asked me to follow him, so we ran past the movie crew, actors, and producers. So, we started to try to fix parts that had felt off and put them back on with whatever we had to hand. Once it is all fixed, we will move out of the producers so they can see if it looks okay for movies. Thankfully, it was. This is when all the actors get in their places for the scene. George Lucas turned up to see if everything was in the right place for his movie. I could see He wanted everything to be spot on.

The scene where Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi with the two droids R2D2 and CP3O were on a Land Speeder. The geek in me thought it was an X-34 Land Speeder. I could see the wheels it was running on. Then, I smudged the wheels out by putting Vaseline on the camera to smudge them out, making it look blurred where the wheels were. Now, it seems like a place hovering across the ground. The moviemaker appears like a thin line. The camera lenses and hung mirrors underneath reflect the ground towards the camera, creating the illusion that the Land Speeder was hovering across the land. However, this shot was a close-up of the Land Speeder, so nothing was visible under it. During this scene, two stormtroopers ask the characters about their droids and request to see their papers. Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Alex McGuinness, used his Jedi mind trick to persuade the stormtroopers that they did not need to see their papers. The Storm Trooper him and let them go. This moment was unforgettable as I witnessed the actors’ seamless performance and the iconic line, “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” Even though McGuinness had acted in multiple films, I could not believe I was watching him in person. As the scene concluded, I could hear a...cut; that’s a wrap you could listen to from Lucas.

Then Mark asked me to help him get the actors out and off the land speeder, so we did. I was assisting C-3PO (Anthony Daniel’s) off the land speeder. He struggled to get off it, so I had to help him off it and help him to his seat. Then he had someone else take off his helmet. Then he needed water. As you can imagine, he is in a gold suit in the sun, and the temperature is about 32 Celsius or 89 Fahrenheit, which is extremely hot but not as hot as it can get in the summer. So, I got talking to him as I gave him water and kept an eye on him to see if it was ok; he was from England, so we just clicked. Then he told me that this was the first movie he had ever done, and he just loved the script that made him go to the auditions, and he could not believe he got the part in the movie. He said, “ I just liked how the characters work together.” Even though R2D2 does not talk, it whistles and beeps to C-3PO. We know what R2D2 is saying in the Movie. Before this scene in the movie, Luke had just found his uncle and aunt dead by stormtroopers, which let Luke leave Tatooine for good as there was nothing there for him now. Plus, he wanted to go anyway. So, back to where I am, it is scorching. I was sweating in the heat. In the next scene there, Luke and Obi-Wan go into the bar. You only see them going in the bar because that bit was filmed in the US, as you already know before Adventure. Mark also asked if I could help in the next scene, but that would be after lunch. That part will be where Luke and Obi-Wan meet with Han Solo and Chewbacca on the Millennium Falcon to make their way to Alderaan.

So, there was a big tent for lunch with all kinds of food, from pizza, pasta, chips, or fries, as the Americans called them, and anything else you could think of. So, I was in line with Anthony Daniels just in front of me and the actor who played Garindan, who snitched to Imperial Storm Troopers about the location of the Millennium Falcon. I had seen him before, but he did not have his mask on now as it would be hard to eat with it on. It just looked so strange there were people In T-shirts and shorts still dressed as aliens and a tall person that looked like a furry Baer that the Actor who played Chewbacca his name was Peter Mayhew, another Brit in the Movie he was from London. You could see how everyone got on with each other, and they were chatting about the next scene they were going to movie and what they needed to do. I seated a cross from Peter Mayhew as we all tucked into our food. I looked so minor compared to him. He was seven foot three inches, which is 2.21 meters tall. At first, I was shocked and did not know what to say, then I plucked up the courage and said, “Hi.” he stopped eating and looked at me. Then he asked me, “Where are you from?” I replied to him, “I'm from Liverpool.” I could not have been better explaining where Runcorn, Cheshire was; he may have known where it was. It was just easier to say Liverpool in Merseyside. I asked him if he was okay, and he replied, “Yes, I am good. Thanks for asking.” Then he started talking. I missed the freezing weather and rain. I am from Barnes, Surrey, England.

Then, ask me when I arrived; I thought I could not tell him the truth. He would have thought I had gone mad or been on something, as it was the seventies. So, after lunch, we all returned to the movie set. They have been going to watch the Millennium Falcon since then. This was when they tried to stop the Millennium Falcon from flying off into space to go to Alderaan to deliver the Death Star plans to the Rebel Alliance inside R2D2. But they stop just as they set up the guns to fire on the Millennium Falcon. So, I helped set up Storm Troopers, and they asked me if I would like to be one of them because of my height. Of course, I said “yes” just so I knew I would be in the movie again, but I knew I could not tell anyone I was in the film as I was not born yet, which still boggles my mind.

Then, I just realised I could do something in the movie in the background. My initials may be on a wall or a piece of art. It would be my lie Easter egg if you don’t know what an Easter egg is in computer games and computers. An Easter egg is an embedded hidden computer or reference feature for the observant or real geeks to discover. They add them for an element of surprise and enjoyment for the ones who spot them. It also gets the people talking about the movie or game and is a nod to the community or a playful secret within the content. I know it was too late to do it in this movie, though, as they had finished filming and were going to pack everything Away.

Even Lucas and Spielberg are good friends in real life. They both did Easter eggs in each other film. Here are examples of when Spielberg directed Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind. When the mother ship appears over Devil’s Tower. There is a blinding light aimed directly right at the camera. Looking closely next to the light, you will see an upside-down R2-D2. He was attached to the ship’s underside. Lucas has done it loads of times here. One when he directed Star Wars Phantom Menace was the scene in the council chamber. Just after Queen Padmé Amidala spoke to the senate and asked for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Velorum, there is a shot of the delegates chanting, “Vote now.” you can see three ETs from Spielberg’s movie ET. As I was thinking about what I could do as an Easter egg, I was back in the cinema, in the chair I was sitting in. It was like I’d never lifted because it had happened before I knew what to expect, so I did not feel like I did the first time it had happened. Then I got up and thought, is it just this movie that happens, or another film? I‘ll have to discover that the seven next time I go to this cinema. The other good thing is our cinema only has four screens, and the number 1 screen has the best screen and around sound.