California Maritime Museum

This is a great archival quality ship models video, check it out-

Star Wars : The Exhibition features an array of items specially selected from the Lucasfilm Archives in Northern California. These objects give visitors a rare glimpse into the making of the epic movies. Among the featured items is the spectacular life – sized Naboo N – 1 starfighter, along with several interactive activities that range from Jedi training to a greenscreen simulation which puts you right into the films. It is the second leg of a touring exhibit that began in Portugal in 2006 and attracted more than 150000 visitors in the space of two months. In 1975, George Lucas founded the visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, which was tasked with completing his complex shots. The effects teams started by building its own motion control camera called the Dykstraflex, which allowed for very precise and repeatable camera movements. This system helped them film several elements, such as miniatures and matte paintings, and later combine them into a single shot. Many of these original ship models are found in the exhibition. With its many technical and creative innovations, ILM has helped drive the evolution of visual effects. Beginning with a mastery of bluescreen photography, matte painting, and model construction, ILM also pioneered the development of motion control cameras, optical compositing, and digital moviemaking. At the exhibition besides learning some of the techniques used to create the movies, visitors can also experience entering the movies by …