How does a Star Wars lightsaber work?
Unfortunately, lightsabers are not real. Like the Millennium Falcon and Yoda (and even Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, for that matter), lightsabers are a special effect that looks so real you actually believe they exist! The technique used to create the lightsaber effect is pretty straightforward, but tedious. On the set, the actors use props composed of handles that have aluminum rods attached to them, and these rods are the length of the lightsaber “blade.” The handles are plastic models and the aluminum rods are painted red or green or blue. The actors use these props as though they were lightsabers. After the film is shot, it is taken to the special effects department. The film is developed normally. In this film, the actors look like they are fighting with painted broomsticks instead of lightsabers. A special effects artist now has the job of making those broomsticks look real. The artist looks at the film frame by frame, and projects each frame that contains a li
