S-04 Building from Scratch | My Walker Project

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Building from Scratch

Principal Photography Models

George Lucas had been particularly impressed by the holographic chess game sequence in Star Wars, which was animated by Phil Tippett and Jon Berg. Wanting to replicate that same strobing, mechanical motion for the AT-AT Walkers, Lucas chose to use stop-motion animation as the primary technique for bringing the walkers to life in the new film.

With that decision, he also considered establishing a dedicated stop-motion department within the new ILM facility to handle not only the Walker sequences, but also scenes featuring the Tauntauns.

Once Lucas committed to stop-motion for the walkers, the team still had to build a working prototype and conduct a series of animation tests to ensure the technique would achieve the desired effect.

Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 playng the "Holochess" aboard the Millennium Falcon. Star Wars 1977

No specific scale was initially set for the AT-AT models, but Dennis Muren, the Special Effects Director of Photography, suggested that the model should be large enough for the animator to physically manipulate it. The key was ensuring the model was big enough for the animator to hold and move the legs, forearms, and head of the miniature, allowing for smoother stop-motion animation.

“It has to be poseable. It has to hold that pose in each position you place it in without slipping or sliding; it has to work very smoothly, so the animation is as clean and precise as you can get it without a lot of resistance from the mechanics of the figure. I worked that out when I started on the picture; once I had the engineering figured out, we built a prototype based upon the principle I’d designed.”

Jon Berg, Animator & Creature Designer

Before starting work on the prototype, Jon Berg visited several surplus stores in search of parts. In fact, during his first meeting with Producer Gary Kurtz and Assistant Director Gary Kurtz, there was even discussion about creating the AT-AT Walkers as marionettes.

On July 22, 1978, Berg received a $500 check for his work on the prototype, marking an important step in bringing the iconic walkers closer to reality.

“If there was one person responsible for getting the walkers on the screen, it was Jon Berg. He developed the entire armature, working from just a couple of my rough sketches. And he managed to integrate a lot of experimental ideas that worked really well.”

Joe Johnston Conceptual Artist/Designer

Jon Berg's early leg and foot model based on Jhonston's squetches. (Aluminium, late 1978)

To establish the appropriate scale for the AT-AT Walkers and assist Jon Berg with his building task, Joe Johnston, along with model maker Ease Owyeung, created a cardboard 3D model. As Berg made progress on the aluminum prototype, parts from the cardboard model were swapped out and integrated into the prototype, helping to refine the design as the work advanced.

Ease Owyeung (Model Maker) with the conceptual 3D cardboard Walker.

Ease Owyeung (Model Maker) and Joe Jhonston shoting the model with his 8mm camera.

Jon Berg and Joe Johnston sharing impressions on the body armature of the Walker.

“Jon broke it all down and figured it out. It was a minor miracle of engineering. Joe worked very closely with Jon in developing a functional prototype for how this thing would actually move, because the functional stop-motion parts were right on the surface and had to operate—so the engineering that Jon had to put into this thing was quite complicated, like little cams and pistons that would self-animate as you moved the legs, along with some very odd couplings that Joe had designed.”

Phil Tippett Animator & Creature Designer

Jon Berg and Phil Tippett, and Johnston. Berg built the prototype walker (whose parts are here being swapped out with model shop parts)

The preparation for the Walker shots took 10 months. Once the prototype was complete, the team was able to identify any issues that needed to be addressed. They shot numerous test videotapes and some film to determine how the Walker would move most effectively and believably on screen. Since the AT-AT was supposed to be 50 feet tall, it was clear that it would move quite slowly. The team worked tirelessly, testing different techniques to make the Walker not just a machine, but also a character—one that conveyed personality and presence, not just mechanical function.

Jon Berg animating the unfinished prototype walker

Phil Tippett consulting a Video Animation System from time to time to check the work

Jon Berg on his workbench toying with a wind-up R2-D2 figure from japanese licensee Takara.

Prototype version with early "shoulder" and neck designs and undetailed plain body and head.

Prototype version with early "shoulder" and neck designs and final and detailed body (Master)

One of the three finished models with aluminium armature and polyurethane casted and detailed head and body

Once Jon Berg completed the prototype and the mechanical issues were resolved, the team began constructing the finished AT-AT models. Tom St. Amand, a stop-motion animator and model maker, worked for many months overseeing the manufacturing of the necessary parts. He meticulously duplicated all the Walker components, machining the joints, swivel hinges, and other critical elements.

The bodies and heads were cast separately in urethane, and then detailed by model makers using "greeblies"—small model kit parts added for extra texture and realism. Finally, the models were painted by Nilo Rodis-Jamero and Joe Johnston, adding the final touches to bring the Walkers to life.

A cost sheet from ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) detailed the expenses for the three models created for the film, estimating their total cost at between $80,000 and $100,000.

Tom St. Amand, Jon Berg and Joe Johnston preparing the parts needed to assemble the three Walker models.

General view of unassembled Walkers parts , most of them being manufactured for months by Tom St.Amand.

Joe Johnston, Phil Tippett, Tom St. Amand, Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Jon Berg, and Doug Beswick pose with the three finished walkers.

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