STACK NZ Dec #69

GAMES

FEATURE

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Imagine getting your hands on the props, costumes and models from the original StarWars trilogy! For some lucky members of EA DICE, that became a reality.

I t’s a dizzying time to be a Star Wars fan. We’re on the eve of a new generation of Star Wars films, Star Wars figures are fighting for space on toy shop shelves, licensed Star Wars products have infiltrated a broad range of industries, and EA has released its first Star Wars game since acquiring the right to do so back in 2013. By now you’ve undoubtedly put countless hours into Star Wars: Battlefront – we certainly have. Aficionados of the franchise will have appreciated the depth that Swedish developer DICE have painstakingly undertaken to ensure that the game feels intrinsically linked to Lucas’s original trilogy. This extends from the accurate representations of the characters, the score, the used- future aesthetic, and even right down to the shower of sparks that explode when a Stormtrooper is struck in the chest by a well-aimed blaster.

This comprehensive level of detail would have been impossible without the unprecedented access to the Star Wars archives that the studio was granted. For many, the chance to rummage through the accumulation of props and costumes from Star Wars,The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi would be a coveted opportunity strictly reserved for the realm of reveries. But that’s exactly what a fortunate team from DICE did. “They have this cultural arts museum as they call it – I guess the common word is the archives – on the grounds of Skywalker Ranch (Lucasfilm’s sound design, mixing and audio post-production facility situated 40 minutes north of San Francisco), and access to that is super restricted,” recalls design director Niklas Fegraeus. “I think George Lucas himself owns it or something like that. We were just given a special tour and assistance from the guys there and that was super, super helpful.” We frantically try to picture the scene in our minds. Strolling through a doorway to see a Stormtrooper helmet on a stand, Vader’s mask in a cabinet – we’d even give the Ewok costumes a

And after a while we could start getting professional, but it was such an emotional experience to go through.” Enthusiastically, our questioning/stalking continues. We need more information. How are the props stored? “That is highly dependent on the type of item it is,” says Fegraeus. “The clothing and costumes from the films are stored in these special long wardrobes. Some of the very sensitive materials were stored in – I don’t even know if it was a vacuum sealed or something like that – glass containers, like display boxes in a standard museum. “On top of that there are shelves crammed with items,

cursory glance. Pulling ourselves from the daydream, we press for more information; how did they feel when they entered the museum? “I was with the team when we first visited the place (the studio visited the Skywalker Ranch twice). When we first walked into there, it was truly breathtaking for us as we are such fans of the film and knowing the material so well, having seen it so many times. "It actually took a while for me to collect myself when we walked in through the door," Fegraeus continues, “but then we just started jumping around, laughing, pointing, 'look what about this one, look at that one'. We just started acting like kids.

DECEMBER 2015

26

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