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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:19 pm 
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darthjones wrote:
Wow! This is a great thread. I always thought there was another half to the Vader head and my question is this - in that shot where costume folks are about to lower the helmet portion onto Prowse's masked face, are you saying that he is wearing BOTH halves of the originally intended face mask? You use the word "complete" and is that what you mean? If so, then very cool.

To your knowledge, were there any scenes in the film in which he was wearing both halves of the face before someone said "heck with this" ?


I don't know if he actually wore both halves on set but I will ask John Mollo next week if I get a chance.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:28 pm 
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artisanprops wrote:
Brian I'm curious now? Since the tabs on the top were to connect the two
pieces (back and front) together. Were the tabs added on the plaster cast
before the final mold was made, or were they added to the final fiberglass
cast..

I'm also curious if you have a picture of the original clay sculpt.. I've always
wondered how the Eyes looked before the plaster.. (bubble, flat, Ect, Ect)


Great thread by the way :)


Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of my work on Star Wars but I do remember being filmed sculpting Vader and also stills were taken but Lucas cannot find them in the Archives.
I sculpted the eyes in clay to the same line as the lenses take (bubble).


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:36 pm 
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HAL9000 wrote:
I have actually got two versions of the same shot in my collection. I won't comment on you know who. But it is an interesting shot and if you look at the
rear of the head it looks like there are 3 or four studs in a vertical alignment.

Anyway, as I said before - there's the possibility this is just something someone did when recasting - but it does seem quite an extreme measure and it would be fiddly and awkward having the rounded back would it not?

So I'm 50/50 on these being the real deal. I guess Brian is the only one who will recognise any form...

I agree with Sithlord that it doesn't look like the original head - particularly the profile.


Image

Image


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:41 pm 
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My message printed in Hal9000's quote-just to clarify - I agree with Sithlord and it doesn't look like the original head, particularly the profile.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:44 pm 
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Hi Brian - :)

I'm wondering - when sculpting the mask, have you only been given the
design sketches, or did they also give you "emotional" clues what to sculpt
like "evil" or "angry" ... something I always wanted to know - thanks :)

... Oh ... and before I forget - was this the "only" Version of Vader you
sculpted, or had there been "different designs" sculpted. I remember I
saw an old pic with a guy wearing a more "Concept-Sketch-like" Helmet.

Cheers :)

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:08 pm 
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Hi JRX

I was given one sketch from John Mollo which was a 3/4 view, no shading just a line drawing.

I don't know what happened to the drawing but it hasn't appeared in any of the Star Wars books I've seen.

The character evolved in the sculpting - I wasn't given any guidance as far as emotions etc.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:13 pm 
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JRX,

To answer your last question - no concept heads were sculpted just the one screen helmet

Brian


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:14 pm 
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Well, there was certainly a lot of character put into the sculpt, that's for sure. :thumbsup

The sketch would definitely be an interesting thing to see... especially hearing from past interviews that it wasn't much like the McQuarrie artwork.

I have to admit, I like what you created! :cheers

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:22 pm 
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:cheers make mine a pint -Brian


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:25 pm 
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vaderman wrote:
Hi JRX

I was given one sketch from John Mollo which was a 3/4 view,
no shading just a line drawing.


Just one refference picture ... wow ... what a way to work :lol ...

vaderman wrote:
I don't know what happened to the drawing but it hasn't appeared
in any of the Star Wars books I've seen.


It would be really interesting to see that picture - hope it will surface
some day. I guess it was actually a bit closer to what you sculpted
than the earlier more Insect-like McQuarrie drawings?

vaderman wrote:
The character evolved in the sculpting - I wasn't given any guidance
as far as emotions etc.


So you ARE definately fully responsible for that great "look" ... :) ...

I must say I wish that this kind of "creative freedom" would be a bit
more common today ... must've been fun to work on when you had
the opportunity to let your own creativity run wild :)

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The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle;
the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!

The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon;
the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:35 pm 
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vaderman wrote:
:cheers make mine a pint -Brian

"They come in pints? Then I'm getting one!"

Whoops, sorry... wrong movie.



But definitely some great insights into a character we are especially passionate about! :thumbsup

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:45 pm 
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vaderman wrote:
JRX,

To answer your last question - no concept heads were sculpted just the one screen helmet

Brian


Thanks Brian - :)

Interesting :) ... what about this pic then ... fake ???

Image

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The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle;
the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true!

The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon;
the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:56 pm 
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That was apparently taken at ILM in California...so would not have been part of the work at Elstree....I'm sure someone else here knows more about the story behind it. Someone should ask Don Bies on RPF about it...


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:03 pm 
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Brian I meant to ask you if you saw the three pulls of the helmet as raw castings or finished pieces? Did they differ in any way from each other in how they came out of the mold? Do you recall their fate at the end of filming?


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:15 pm 
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Hi Thomas

I saw raw castings and finished helmets but I can't say I saw all three in both stages.
The helmets would all differ as no casting would be exactly the same due to the fact that the rubber has to be placed back into the case and it will never sit into the case exactly the same each time. Also in the laying up of the gel coat you can have air bubbles appear in different areas which are filled and rubbed down. These are extremely subtle differences but nevertheless are there.
I don't know what happened to the helmets after the film.

Brian


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