Feb 14, 2023

Kenobi vs. Vader | Recreate the Scene Project story Zandt Productions.

Guest blog by: Lars in 't Zandt - Zandt Productions

Kenobi vs Vader | Recreate the Scene Project story Zandt Productions.

(scroll to the bottom of this blog to see the final result immediately)

Who doesn't know it?

These days, there are few people who aren't familiar with Star Wars. Whether you grew up with the original trilogy, the prequels, or the sequels, every generation has had some Star Wars experience to grow up with.

My father first showed me Star Wars when I was young, and I still remember how wide-eyed I was. Glued to the screen, that's where my love for the series began, which has since grown into a massive Star Wars fandom! Back then, the prequels were just coming out, and everyone was still watching them on videotapes. Revenge of the Sith was on repeat almost every day; I couldn't get enough! Now, 17 years later, I've seen just about everything Star Wars lore has to offer, and my house is filled with Star Wars lore, props, replicas, lightsabers, and other Star Wars merchandise.

This Star Wars fandom, combined with my further training as an Audi Visual Specialist, is the perfect combination to fulfill my childhood dream: creating my own Star Wars scene. As an AV Specialist, I immerse myself in everything from camera, lighting, and sound to post-production, including video editing, color grading, and directing.

The Project

About three months ago, my program assigned me to recreate a scene from a film or TV series of my choice. The decision was quickly made; this was the moment I'd been waiting for. Naturally, it had to be a Star Wars reenactment scene. I was given ten weeks to complete this group assignment. As a perfectionist, I knew there would be complications and that it would be difficult to do justice to the real scene, but I was determined and knew this was what I wanted to do.

The Scene

Growing up with the prequels, and having Anakin (Darth Vader) and Obi-Wan Kenobi as my favorite Star Wars characters, it was immediately clear which scene I wanted to recreate. The new Obi-Wan Kenobi series was a true Star Wars highlight for me and truly left its mark. That's why I chose to recreate the battle between Kenobi and Vader from the Obi-Wan Kenobi Limited Series on Disney+. This iconic scene was instantly legendary and incredibly impressive, fast-paced and filled with emotion. The perfect scene to recreate!

The Production

I immediately wanted to take on the role of Darth Vader, in addition to directing the project, of course. For the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, I asked my good friend Max Pigmans, who already has a background in swordsmanship, is a huge Star Wars fan, and works as a goldsmith under the name Balthazar Design.

I also asked several members of my project group to work with me on the camera, using the beautiful Sony PXW-SF7 camera, to ensure the set was adequately lit and the images came out as intended.

The Location

The location was also quickly chosen. The original scene, of course, takes place in a non-existent location, but to maintain the alien planet vibe, a location near the Loonse en Drunense Dunes was chosen. By the time the shoot was scheduled, it was unfortunately a period characterized by rain. This forced the project to reschedule and choose a new location. One that could be used both indoors and outdoors, but unfortunately didn't convey the same feeling as the Loonse en Drunense Dunes.

KenJo Sabers

While Max was training his lightsaber to learn the fight choreography, one of our prop lightsabers (not a KenJo Saber) unfortunately broke. This meant we had to immediately find a replacement to ensure the schedule wouldn't be delayed and that we had good lightsabers available for use in the official filming.

During our search, we quickly came across KenJo Sabers. A Dutch lightsaber company with low prices, a wide selection, various soundboard options, excellent customer reviews, and a next-day delivery guarantee for orders placed before 3 p.m.

After reading some online reviews on Trustpilot and briefly speaking with one of the owners of KenJo Sabers, we quickly decided to order a new saber from KenJo Sabers. The Eclipse Premium RGB Baselit was the choice. Everything was delivered as promised; once we received the saber, we were incredibly impressed.

Fast forward a few weeks, and KenJo Sabers had heard from Max what the new lightsaber would be used for and were very curious about this project. They were so enthusiastic that they even indicated they wanted to participate in the project by providing sabers from their Legendary Category. Ultimately, we were allowed to use the Mark-Two Weathered and the Darth Variant for the project. These sabers are based on replica designs from this actual scene in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Another dream come true. With these two sabers, the scene was taken to a whole new level.

The Filming

After about five to six weeks of lightsaber training with Max to learn the fight choreography, costume design, camera training, a screen test recording, and working on the accompanying intro for the film, the time had finally come for the official shoot.

The shoot took place on a slightly rainy evening near a small lake and a beautiful willow tree. That evening, we found the perfect moment when it stayed dry for a few hours, allowing us to film the scene outside. From that point on, the shoot went smoothly. Thanks to a tight schedule, everyone knew exactly what to do and expect, and that's partly why everything went perfectly.

The Result

Now that all the preparation and filming were complete, it was time to edit the scene. I spent another two to three weeks working on this to ensure the scene was as perfect as possible. I used Adobe Premiere Pro for the rough cut, Adobe After Effects for the special effects, and then a mix between Adobe Audition and Adobe Premiere Pro for the sound design and final mixing.

The end result is something I'm incredibly proud of and eager to share with everyone. This project was a dream come true, and I'm infinitely grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.