The Making of 'Star Wars' Episode III : Revenge of the Sith

The Making of Star Wars #3

by j-w-rinzler

This book documents the making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. There are many photographs which accompant the text.

Genres: Star Wars, Nonfiction, Film, Art, Media Tie In, Reference

Paperback

Published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things that is immediately striking about Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is how this book is unlike many of the other Making of books out there. I think it really tries to capture the drama that is inherent in making a movie. This does come at the expense of not having a lot of information on how special effects or difficult shots were done. The book also doesn't have that overly positive tone where everyone who worked on this movie is a genius which is meant to appeal to fans. I love Star Wars, but I still found this to be a nice change of pace. This format also works well for Star Wars because of George Lucas's process which leaves a lot of uncertainty in the movie, especially until post production starts. The beginning of the book is also particularly interesting because it shows how the amazing art/visual aspects of the movies are created.

The Making of Revenge of the Sith has a nice mix of images as well. Many of them are set photos which have a lot of green screen backgrounds, but there is some concept art too. The only area where this book could be improved is that it tries to capture the monotony of the mid to late shoots. Everyone knows what they're doing and are just trying to power through it. The book dwells too much on this less interesting part. While it certainly captures how those on set feel, much less time and space could have been devoted to this subject. I've been reading quite a few Making of and Art books lately and this is one book that I think anybody interested in how films are made will like. It really shows the process and potential pitfalls of making a movie. Of course, Star Wars fans will also love seeing how the best of the prequels was made too.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The process behind Revenge of the Sith is both fascinating and concerning. Fascinating, in the level of detail and freedom and incredible world-building that went into making these movies. (Did you know over 50% of the film was digitally drawn?!) Concerning, in the way George Lucas seems to crowd-source... well, basically everything. Dude didn't even have a script until like two weeks before shooting. Everyone seems to love working for him, all-bow-to-the-god-of-the-Force, but then he takes all the credit for a world the concept artists basically designed for him.

But hey, it's George Lucas, and he was somewhat behind the invention of the Pixar technology, and, you know, the invention of Star Wars. So I guess it all comes back to him anyway, and now he's a billionaire however many times over because he sold the franchise to Disney. He had a vision, and dozens of other people helped him achieve it. Props, dude. Your films changed the world.

I love these movies, no matter the gritty reality behind production. Reading an in-depth, firsthand look at the process behind a film that seriously altered my life was entertaining, intriguing, and thoroughly rewarding. Still waiting for Episode III in 3D, George. Or do I appeal to Disney, to whom I've already sold my soul? JUST GIVE ME THE OBI-WAN/ANAKIN BATTLE IN THE THIRD DIMENSION. PLEASE.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read through this once but have flicked through it a few times looking at the illustrations and photos, and I like this just as much for all the photos as the writing. It has pictures from the other star wars time as well. There's lots of info on the actors and the stunts and all the special effects and what it took to make the film. Its a pretty awesome book. If you want to know just a bit more about the film then its worth getting hold of a copy.

[Zuzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating deep dive into the making of Revenge of the Sith - George Lucas style. The process starts in absolute chaos, with designers churning out concept art based on little more than vague prompts from Lucas. There’s no script (and won’t be for a worryingly long time), making me wonder how the producer didn’t develop multiple ulcers from the sheer stress of this approach.

I loved the artwork and the detailed day-by-day shooting diary, which gives great insight into the filming process, the order of scenes, and just how much effort went into capturing an average of 2–3 minutes of footage per day.

One odd quirk: instead of a final chapter, there’s just a notice directing readers to readstarwars.com for the conclusion. Of course, nearly 20 years later, that link is useless - but thankfully, a quick Google search led me to a PDF of the missing 56 pages. It’s well worth tracking down, as it covers the sound design and John Williams’ composition and recording process for the score.

Overall, this is a must-read for Star Wars fans, offering a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes madness. Highly recommended!

[Neil Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what you want

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of the making of books - as with the making of the phantom menace it tells the story through illustrations production shots and candid interviews the trials and challenges that went in to making the last of the new trilogy. There is a lot of additional information in here since the on going saga (no pun intended) had moved on from the events explained in the making of the phantom menace. One issue i have with this book is that there are references to going online to read additional information and even the last chapter goes on to say that the story is not finished go to this web address to read more - now i am all for adding in at the last moment but one day that web site will be switched off or removed - and then that chapter will be lost - never good since it means the book will outlive it and what then to all the references. all the same this an interesting book and shows how hard working and dedicated people are in the film industry - all praise where it is due.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thorough and detailed look at the process of making the film - which was burdened by the fact that it capped a poor trilogy and most of us knew what was going to happen at the end - which manages to become boring since a big bulk of the film was CGI. Reading about and seeing pictures of the model crew working is excellent, watching anonymous bods sitting in front of computers is dreary. And Rob Coleman comes across as a thoroughly obnoxious bloke too, which doesn't help. For completists only, I think.

[Serene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock-full of insider information and exclusive interviews, this book is very funny and meticulously put together from day-to-day experiences on set. The anecdotes that Rinzler gathers are golden, including his interactions with befuddled crew and cast.

[(Jen) The Artist Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading "the making of" books that feature my favorite movies/movie series.

[Stellaluna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this over and over again

[Megan Kammeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at production in this book is presented. The book was very informative, so it still warrants the five-star rating from me, although some parts of the book feel uncomfortable to me.

[Bradyasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff