Thread by @pabl0hidalgo

I should just start a thread of screen shots of scenes that were reshoots/additional photography.

(seems odd to add vfx shots w/o live action to this, but the two space shots below were added mid-theatrical release)

👀 (this one's my favorite pick-up)

And just a couple of inserts to end this for now. Gonna take a break.

(Anyway movies are great and learning how it’s made is half the fun)

Continuing (for a bit). These shots. (As scripted, the escape from the droidekas was aided by a bunch of smoking instead some strange running trick)

This connecting bit of geography getting them into the heart of the city.

These shots.

This whole scene (shot on digital video)

Some of these hand inserts are typical late pick-ups. In this case, a woman doubled Anakin's hand.

This whole scene (that's Dominic West as the Naboo guard)

This whole scene (as many, many, many have noticed).

A few random shots here and there.

And finally this scene, shot March 20, 1999, two months before release. A lot of stand-in Jedi in the background. Warwick Davis is playing Yoda walking down the ramp.

Actually, let me correct that. Most of this scene was shot in August of '98. The specific moment of Anakin and Palpatine (that last shot) was March '99. It's a pick-up on a pick-up.

From Episode II, this whole scene was as added for pick-ups/reshoots, shot over a year after principal photography.

These individual shots, against blue/greenscreen for performance or dialog changes (and that's a camera double for Padmé since you don't see her face.)

This whole Jedi Council scene was added for pick-ups; they never built the Jedi Council set for Episode II, so this background is made up of Episode I stock footage, with a few Jedi Council members changed.

This whole scene was added after principal photography. The Chancellor's office set was torn down, but extensive reference photography let it be digitally rebuilt as the background for actors composited into the scene.

Third scene in a row that didn't exist during principal photography. This scene replaced and combined another exchange that Mace and Yoda had privately, and that Mace and Obi-Wan had on a Jedi landing platform in the original shoot.

Not a pick-up in the traditional sense - the location shoot at Caserta happened during principal photography, but actor Oliver Ford Davies was not available, so he was shot against green a year later, and carefully tracked and comped into the background plates.

The scene in Mace's quarters was reshot to change environment. It used to be in Mace's office, but George changed his mind about a Jedi at a desk, and came up with a more meditative setting. The set is a miniature. It'd be redressed and repainted as Yoda's.

Another non-traditional reshoot; when a scene of C-3PO getting his coverings was cut from the edit, rather than reshoot the preceding scenes of "naked" C-3PO, they only reshot an element of fully dressed C-3PO and comped him into the principal photography footage.

Yoda sensing Anakin's pain is another scene added in postproduction. Yoda's quarters doubled as Mace's quarters, realized as a miniature set.

Dooku confronting Obi-Wan while he hangs suspended in a containment field was a scene that did not exist during principal photography. It was added during pickups and reshoots.

(we called it the electro-rotisserie)

Everyone probably knows this by now, but the whole droid factory action scene was written, designed, and photographed well after principal photography.

I'd be hardpressed to call the arena stuff pickups because it's really a mix of principal photography, inserts of extras against blue, and pieces repurposed. For instance, this shot of Ki-Adi-Mundi and Plo Koon is lifted from a deleted attack on a droid control ship

(apologies for the pause; had to take a Ted Lasso break)

The last two reels of Episode II become a real blur of classification, as each shot might contain elements of pick-ups (the C-3PO antics, for instance), principal photography stuntwork in Australia, extras shot at ILM, digital doubles and miniature backgrounds.

For example, Amy Allen as Aayla Secura was something shot deep in post at ILM (she was an ILMer at the time), but she's often mixed into principal photography footage, even though her being in the battle wasn't even an idea at the time.

The Geonosian war room scenes were entirely added in reshoots/pickups. It was not in the shooting script. The whole Death Star thread was added in postproduction.

The opening of the final Jedi Council scene required a pickup, since Obi-Wan mentions what Dooku revealed about a Sith Lord controlling the senate -- information revealed into the Dooku/Obi-Wan scene that was only added in post.

And finally, the insert of the mechanical hand was a late addition to Episode II that could only be seen in digital releases. It was added too late to include in the film prints that were struck for the release.

You'll no doubt see in the comments people remarking that many of the pick-ups are easy to spot thanks to Ewan McGregor having to wear a wig and fake beard. Totally fair. But if you were wondering why, it's because he shot Black Hawk Down between principal photography & pickups

and just to, you know, put it out there. none of this info is new. it's all been out there. it's just put together here for your amusement. Not worth writing a clickbait-y article for your site. not even the tiniest bit. would be real tacky to do so, honestly. okay, good talk.

Here’s a photo of the Jedi quarters set that was built in miniature, with ILM model maker Tony Preciado. It appears on spread 230 of John Knoll’s Creating the Worlds of Star Wars: 365 Days (2005, Abrams)

Onto Episode III; principal photography had them trying to track Shaak Ti's signal; pick-ups had them already zeroing in on where the Chancellor was held. The gag of R2 holding the comlink was added here. (Obi-Wan uses Ani's comlink in the elevator).

Not exactly a pick-up, but worth noting. Christopher Lee was not available to shoot when this set was built; so he never set foot on it. He was shot later against green and comped into the scene. Most of Obi-Wan and Anakin's interaction w/ Dooku is with his stunt double.

Some editorial trims in the duel required a pick-up to bridge some action. What was once two separate beats (Obi-Wan thrown, Anakin kicked) were combined into one moment during additional photography a year later.

The elevator slide addition replaced some screen-time of an extended scene of Obi-Wan, Anakin and Palpatine scaling pipes along the 'ceiling' of the hangar bay. I believe that's John Knoll's hand as Anakin's hand for the grappling hook closeup.

Dialog changes and trims; on the left, principal photography from 2003; on the right, pickups from 2004.

This scene was added for pick-ups. The 'business on Cato Neimoidia' was mentioned in a scene cut from aboard Grievous' flagship and written into this scene instead.

This scene was changed for reshoots; originally, Obi-Wan and Anakin where here, directly reporting that Dooku had been killed. Instead, the previous scene had them step aside and let this just be a Mace and Palpatine exchange.

This scene was added during pick-ups. There was no equivalent during principal photography. It was shot in only a partial build of the balcony in the UK (the whole apartment set was torn down a year earlier in Australia).

The Yoda and Anakin scene was added during pick-ups. It replaced a scene of Yoda talking to Obi-Wan and Mace in his quarters that was more political in nature, discussing the Jedi concern about Palpatine's powers, and if the Jedi should be more proactive in moving against him.

The staircase to the opera was shot during the UK pickups. Anthony Daniels is among the opera lovers that Anakin weaves past. This was shot against a blue staircase. I'm part of the background crowd in this shot, but added much later.

The opera hallway was also added during this stint of additional photography. That's Amanda Lucas in the foreground as Senator Terr Taneel. George and Katie Lucas were added later via a separate shoot done at ILM.

None of the Wookiee action was shot during principal photography (Jun-Sep 2003). There was a separate shoot in May of 2004 in Sydney, overseen by animation supervisor Rob Coleman. Except Chewbacca. He was another element shot at ILM at a later date.

Dialog changes required some pick-ups of this scene, which now plays much closer to the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan return to Naboo pick-up from Episode I. An edit of a line that would have stated Obi-Wan's mission to Utapau was their first mission apart is a blessing for future stories.

This scene was added as a pick-up. Some of the Jedi concern about moving against Palpatine was moved here from an earlier scene in Yoda's quarters. It's made more immediate, and gives Mace some business with Anakin.

The beginning of this scene was added, in Palpatine's private office. New was Anakin telling Palpatine that Obi-Wan had engaged Grievous. Before, this scene started in the adjoining hallway.

Pieces of the adjoining hallway conversation were newly added. Anakin does discover Palpatine's a Sith Lord, but the specific promise of saving Padmé is added and emphasized. A lot of the pick-ups focused on underlining that motivation as strongly as possible.

The scene of Anakin telling Mace about Palpatine in the Jedi temple hangar bay was newly added for the UK pickups. Before this, Anakin would have stayed with Palpatine in his office. Now, he gives Mace even more reason to arrest the Chancellor.

The wordless looks between Anakin and Padmé separated in different buildings and wonderfully scored by John Williams was added for the August 2004 pick-ups.

Anakin rushing to the Chancellor's office is all added during pick-ups. These are all CG environments and vehicles needed for this addition.

In principal photography, the arrest hinged on Palpatine refusing to end the war. He'd use the Force to grab Anakin's lightsaber (who was next to him at the time) and then he'd fight Mace with the blue-bladed weapon. With Anakin gone, the pick-ups debuted Sidious' weapon here.

Much of Mace vs Palpatine with Anakin looking on was reshot to maximize the moment of choice. The dialog was changed to specifically mention Padmé, and the whole beat of Palpatine pretending to be weak was added.

A lot of dialogue tweaks here, especially on Anakin's side to emphasize his obsession over losing Padmé, so the remainder of this scene is a mix of pick-ups and principal photography.

Anakin and his clone troopers' march on the Jedi Temple was added in pick-ups.

Aayla Secura's death was in the script, but just not shot in principal photography. It was shot later at ILM. Stass Allie's death was not in the shooting script, but added later, and shot at ILM around the same time.

The youngling scene - you know the one - was added during pick-ups.

Obi-Wan's contact with Senator Bail Organa while flying Grievous' ship was added during pick-ups.

The Alderaan cruiser cockpit scene was added for the UK shoots. Since this was shot in the UK rather than Sydney the original UK actor for Mas Amedda (Jerome Blake) reprised the role, while elsewhere in the movie his Australian actor (David Bowers) plays him.

These shots of Obi-Wan hiding in the Naboo skiff were added in pick-ups. A nice bit of connectivity is that this UK set was digitally added to the interior of the ship seen through the open ramp, which was shot a year earlier in Australia.

Anakin running up the length of the collapsing gantry on the Mustafar lava river was the last bit of main unit photography picked up for the movie, shot in January 2005 at Elstree Studios.

The dialog exchange between Anakin and Obi-Wan as they travel down the lava river was all added in pick-ups.

This interior scene of Obi-Wan and an ailing Padmé aboard the skiff was a late pick-up. R2-D2 is digital in this shot.

If you watch the original teaser trailer for Revenge of the Sith, you'll see that the beginning of Vader's unveiling on the 'slab' was reshot. His arms were moved down for a more imposing look. His 'Frankenstein' moment of breaking loose was a reshoot as well.

Once again, Oliver Ford Davies was added to a shot in post. The funeral procession for Padmé was shot in Sydney, but Davies wasn't available. He was shot in the UK, and Sio Bibble was thus once again added to a movie.

And finally, this sunset sequence consists of a digital matte painting, Beru shot in Australia during principal photography with a stand-in for Owen, and Owen shot separately as Joel Edgerton wasn't there that day.

That's it for this thread. I'll shut up now. But Episode III holds a very special place as I was there for nearly every day of principal and pick-up photography where I learned so much about techniques that were basically being pioneered. A lot of amazing talent on that shoot.