In 1999, Christie signed a three-year agreement to supply Lucasfilm with the latest projection equipment to meet its production needs. Christie projectors were first used by Lucasfilm in the post-production of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and were used even more extensively for Attack of the Clones. With the decision to shoot Episode II digitally, Christie projectors played an important role in the production of the movie as Lucasfilm took a Christie projector on location to Australia to review daily footage. In the final post-production phase conducted at Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucas Digital Ltd, the filmmakers used a Christie Digital Cinema projector for the editing and mastering of Attack of the Clones. As the first DLP Cinema licensee, Christie has worked closely with Texas Instruments to provide the film industry with sophisticated projection solutions.
On May 16, when Star Wars opened around the world, 67 theatres, furnished with Christie products, presenting Episode II digitally the way George Lucas intended it to be seen. On May 12, Christie projectors officially launched the release of Episode II at the Los Angeles premiere, held at the famous Mann’s Chinese Theatre.
(Ruth Rossington)
