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Corrected spelling of lightsaber. Added "prop" to the question to clarify that this is about production, not the in-universe device.
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edit approved Mar 3, 2019 at 18:16
jeffronicus
edit approved Mar 3, 2019 at 18:16
jeffronicus
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How did the original light saberlightsaber prop work?

The original (non-animated) light saberlightsaber was apparently a wooden slat that could rotate covered with a reflective tape:

original light saber stilloriginal lightsaber still

What kind of reflective tape are we talking about here? The light is so intense and pure, it seems too bright for any reflective tape I have seen. If the illuminator was mounted on the camera shining at the saber so that it would reflect light back towards the camera why do we not see a spotlight effect on the actors?

Also, one of the animation techniques used for the sabers was rotoscoping. How did this work?

How did the original light saber work?

The original (non-animated) light saber was apparently a wooden slat that could rotate covered with a reflective tape:

original light saber still

What kind of reflective tape are we talking about here? The light is so intense and pure, it seems too bright for any reflective tape I have seen. If the illuminator was mounted on the camera shining at the saber so that it would reflect light back towards the camera why do we not see a spotlight effect on the actors?

Also, one of the animation techniques used for the sabers was rotoscoping. How did this work?

How did the original lightsaber prop work?

The original (non-animated) lightsaber was apparently a wooden slat that could rotate covered with a reflective tape:

original lightsaber still

What kind of reflective tape are we talking about here? The light is so intense and pure, it seems too bright for any reflective tape I have seen. If the illuminator was mounted on the camera shining at the saber so that it would reflect light back towards the camera why do we not see a spotlight effect on the actors?

Also, one of the animation techniques used for the sabers was rotoscoping. How did this work?

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Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden
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How did the original light saber work?

The original (non-animated) light saber was apparently a wooden slat that could rotate covered with a reflective tape:

original light saber still

What kind of reflective tape are we talking about here? The light is so intense and pure, it seems too bright for any reflective tape I have seen. If the illuminator was mounted on the camera shining at the saber so that it would reflect light back towards the camera why do we not see a spotlight effect on the actors?

Also, one of the animation techniques used for the sabers was rotoscoping. How did this work?