Sometimes you come across opportunities that are made of dreams… It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Star Wars, and I’m also not hesitant to work with the right charities, and in this instance, the Force has led me to this film. Rumors began to whirl about this project and I decided to submit my previous production photography work, I could feel the anxiety building, it’s like the Emperor’s grip was reaching in, no wait, maybe it was Vader’s. None the less weeks went by as I was stand by and then I got the message… the Empire accepted my bidding (Yes, there will be lots of fan boy Star Wars references here because well you know, it’s a fanboy thing). I was tasked to photograph behind the scenes and promotional content for “Star Wars Hand of the Empire”, a fan film benefiting Norton’s Children’s Hospital. But let’s take a step back for a minute on why this came to be. In 2016, Executive Producer Ken Daniels met a child by the name of Phil Parks, and he had a wish. This wish was to have a Storm Trooper kit for himself, unfortunately he passed away from brain cancer. Ken went on to explain this on day one of filming, and with a somber yet genuine inspiration, we all went in head first. Not only was this one of the largest film sets I’d been on, it was also brought to life through a pure culmination of donations ranging from skills and time to location hospitality and food as well as logistical and financial support. The hours were long, the heat was unreal, and the ticks, well they were definitely from the Dark Side!
I knew my time with the crew would be limited, so I had to capture what I could while on set. During the first weekend, I was stationed on Clipar, an agriworld reminiscent of Endor, the only difference was there were no Ewoks, there were those darn ticks. Following our lead troops, Cpt Quarrie, Sgt Saxon, Pvts Pizzo & Ramos through the bush, I was studying the light and figuring how to best capture these soldiers. I knew the Emperor had the utmost standards for them and I also knew if they didn’t like how I portrayed them, well, let’s say we all know Storm Troopers never miss with their blasters, right? I could not fail! Anyhow, I found a small nook off the beaten path were I pulled each of them to side to capture their portraits. I think they liked them, I mean I made it out.
My next assignment would be be to document our heroes Kanan Jarrus and Mara Jade and along with our lead protagonist Loto Tane, a mandalorian. So back on planet Earth, I was brought back to reality. I knew these characters needed to be portrayed in a noble and epic manner, there was only but one way to do this… modern portraiture in the studio. My style is heavily influenced by Annie Leibovitz and her work with Vanity Fair, so given I would be photographing characters from the Star Wars universe, I felt in my heart this was the only way that it should be done. We set a date, the Jedi and Mandalorian showed up, energies merged and the Force was with us once again. We discussed their personas and relationships with one another, I then formed a vision for the portraiture story and we got to work.
And here we are now, at the dawn of our work’s release… the trailer has debuted at 2,300 views (within 24 hours), the engagement has been overwhelming and I do believe we all have done right by Phil. Now, without further ado, I’m humbled to present the production photography and my portrait documentary for Star Wars “Hand of the Empire”, a charity fan film.
** Disclaimer – No Jawas were harmed during the making of this film.
Portraits of Jedi and a Mandalorian
John Wells as Kanan Jarrus
Kystabelle Dawn as Mara Jade |
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Jonathan Garlinghouse as Loto Tane
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Crew Executive Producer – Ken Daniels Producers – Nathan Thomas Milliner and John Wells Story – Ken Daniels, Nathan Thomas Milliner and John Wells Director and Screen Writer – Nathan Thomas Milliner Cinematographer – David P Bonnell 2nd Unit Cinematographer and 1st Assistant Camera – Jimmy Sanders 2nd Assistant Camera – Kristine Renee Farley Sound – Brad Reinhart Score – Joe Stockton Special FX – Nick Taylor Creature FX – George Crenshaw Production Photographer – Gary Barragan Behind the Scenes Photographer – Bill Spangler Wrangler of Ticks – Barbie Clark Stunt Coordinator – Chad Zigmund Costume Designers – Barbie Clark and Gary Collins Props – Don West and John Sandor Speeder Bikes and Props – Derby City Pit Crew Autumn Barefoot – Make-up Melissa Majors – Hair Stunts – Chad Zigmund and Logan Abell Shaman of Luck – Pocket Storm Trooper |
Cast Kanan Jarrus – John Wells Mara Jade – Krystabelle Dawn Lots Tane – Jonathan Garlinghouse Cpt. Quarrie – Darrin Dickerson Sgt. Saxon – Don West Pvt. Pizzo – Chad Zigmund Pvt. Ramos – Clark Spalding The Ronk – George Crenshaw Clipar Leader – Gary Collins Clipar Extra – Phil B. Fox |
On Location at the Moon Clipar to document these TK’s
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Darrin Dickerson as Capt. Quarrie
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Don West as Sgt. Saxon
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Chad Zigmund as Pvt. Pizzo
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Clark Spalding as Pvt. Ramos
Star Wars Hand of the Empire Official Trailer
Behind the Empire Lines
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A few outakes under the Emporer’s Nose
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Special Thanks to Louisville’s Iris Pro Imaging for donating canvas prints to the family of Phil Parks at the film premier.
And there was just no way I going to leave set without throwing on a TK bucket! Because Empire Combat Photog. 🙂
May the Force be with you…
Canon and Profoto Technical Info
Studio Portraits
Camera – Canon 5D Mark IV with 50mm f/1.2L.
Key Light – Profoto B1x (StarKiller) with 2 x 3 OCF Softbox and Grid.
Primary Fill – Profoto D1 Air 500 w/ White Umbrella XL (diffused), extra diffusion with Lastolite 6 x 6 Skylight.
Secondary Fill (Camera Right) – Profoto B2 w/ 1 x 3 OCF Strip Box.
Hand Painted Backdrops and Floor Drop – Oliphant Studio.
Camera – Canon 5D Mark IV with 50mm f/1.2L.
Key Light – Profoto B1x (StarKiller) with 2 x 3 OCF Softbox and Grid.
Primary Fill – Profoto D1 Air 500 w/ White Umbrella XL (diffused), extra diffusion with Lastolite 6 x 6 Skylight.
Secondary Fill (Camera Right) – Profoto B2 w/ 1 x 3 OCF Strip Box.
Hand Painted Backdrops and Floor Drop – Oliphant Studio.
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On Location Portraits
Camera – Canon 5D Mark IV with 70-200mm f/2.8L II. Key Light – Profoto B2 w/ White Umbrella M (diffused). Fill Light – Ambient. |
I give my utmost thanks to Ken, Nathan and John for bringing me on board.
Click on the HOTW Logo below for the official website!
Official Poster by Nathan Thomas Milliner
Visit the official site below.
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