Page 96 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2019)

The Art of Star Wars

ther printed matter, such as art
books and toy packaging also
added to the Star Wars mythology.
OOften uncredited, the editors
labeled the technical components in
a Joe Johnston sketch or wrote character
descriptions on Topps’s bubblegum cards.
They also contributed articles to Lucasfi lm’s
fan newsletter, Bantha Tracks, run by
Ira Friedman.
Of all the publications, Titelman
considered The Art of Star Wars to be her
crown jewel. Arranging Ralph McQuarrie’s
paintings and other Star Wars production
art—including fan-submitted pieces—
around Lucas’ screenplay took more than
a year. “People don’t have a clue nowadays
concerning how labor-intensive producing
a book like The Art of Star Wars was,” says
Lindsay Smith. “We didn’t have computers.
Every revised copy had to be typeset and
go to the lithographer.” With Titelman’s
insistence on the highest quality, Smith

spent five days at the printer’s offi ces in
upstate New York, rejecting proofs until
the colors were just right.

PRINTED MATTER
SUCH AS ART BOOKS
AND TOY PACKAGING
ADDED TO THE STAR
WARS MYTHOLOGY.

A New Egg Company’s kitchen. The director tested
his actresses by baking cookies with them.
Over time, the Egg Company veered
he surge of licensing deals from the vision Lucas had of a casual,
brought the Los Angeles branch creative environment into something

of Lucasfilm out of trailers and akin to a corporate Hollywood studio.
Tinto a building known as “the Egg A strict dress code was enforced.
Company.” Lucas had purchased the site Executives received expensive luxury
from a poultry firm and renovated the cars. A fueling pump was installed in the

interior with walnut paneling, industrial back. It was precisely the management
kitchens, and a tree-lined atrium. No style that Lucas had rebelled against as
longer were the editors as cramped a filmmaker. In 1981, Lucas shut down the

for space when laying out images for Egg Company and relocated Lucasfi lm’s
illustration-heavy tomes. Many fondly corporate headquarters to San Rafael,
recall Steven Spielberg’s actor auditions next to ILM, in Marin County, far away
for Raiders of the Lost Ark in the Egg from Hollywood’s temptations.

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