words: Bonnie Burton
As a proud resident of San Francisco, I can tell you I’ve often daydreamed of how cool it would be if a Star Destroyer hovered over the Golden Gate Bridge as I was stuck in traffic. Or if AT-AT’s shared Ocean Beach with joggers and dog walkers.
It looks like a fan had the same brainwaves I did, and made it happen — at least in video form. Check out this awesome short film by Michael Horn of Star Wars vehicles and ships as they sneak into various video footage around San Francisco all thanks to some creativity and impressive tracking software. Maybe one day tourist snapshots of Coit Tower and cable cars will have the Death Star in the background! A fan girl can dream, can’t she?
VIDEO: Death Star over San Francisco (Current TV)
Here’s a few of our favorite screenshots from the film including our interview with Michael about how he made the film and why:
Why did you decide to make a short film of Star Wars vehicles and ships co-existing with the citizens of San Francisco?
I was raised on Star Wars and really love the aesthetics of the Imperial ships and vehicles. I wanted to see what it would look like if our Moon was actually the Death Star, so I took it from there.
What gear did you use to make the film?
I shot everything on my junkie DV camera, did motion-tracking and comping in After Effects, and basic sound design in Final Cut.
Which scene was the hardest to make look realistic?
The shot of the Imperial shuttle landing on the rooftop. It was hard to match the camera’s movement and zoom.
Which scene is your favorite?
The very last shot with the parrots of Telegraph Hill sitting on the tree branch with the fog and Death Star behind them.
Any plans on making another one?
I’m thinking about getting news feed footage of current events and super-imposing some of the Star Wars world into it.
Any words for George?
Thank you to Lucasfilm for making my childhood so magical! One day I hope to build my own Ewok Village 6000.
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That is SO awesome!
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I was going to write a pontificated mess, but I’ll be frank. This is great.
Beautiful stuff – made to look so real. Often in movies, the CGI shots are beautiful, but the camera moves are so detached from reality, that they take you out of the story. This stuff looks like real amateaur camcorder shots that happen to pick up the fantastic. Of course, if any one really did catch a UFO on tape, who on earth would believe it now?
Great work, hope Michael Horn continues to make these fantastic Star Wars inspired shorts.
Wow!
I love these pictures. Great job!
That’s no moon!
Amazing !
I am curious!
How many hours (on the computer) did it take to get the final result?
That was actually … terrifying! I really felt like I was watching archival footage from a planetary invasion. I kept expecting the last scene to be the Death Star shooting its superlaser and vaporizing everything. Great stuff.
Wow! Amazing work! If Star Wars wasn’t such a well-known movie series, you could actually have a “War of the Worlds” moment here!
you did all your matchmoving in after effects? i don’t believe it!!! some great mm in there
Yeah, this motion tracking is way better than some I have seen on the big screen. Of course inconsistencies are easier to spot in a big picture, but still this is impressive work.
This video was awesome! Have you played the Star Wars game yet?
that video is awsome!
Grooooooooooooooooooooovy!!!!!!!!!!!
[...] Star Wars fans can’t have a little fun. Filmmaker Michael Horn (who previously brought us Death Star over San Francisco, is at it again. But this time the Death Star has its sights on destroying Star Trek’s USS [...]
I love it! I love Star Wars! I love the video where Enterprise is zapped because of whale poaching hahahahaha! Nice work looks so real!
[...] you loved watching the Death Star loom over San Francisco (while often taking out a Star Trek ship) by filmmaker Michael Horn, you’ll dig this lovely [...]
Far more realism than most megabudget flicks.
Brilliant.