Robert Watts
Production Manager (A New Hope), Associate Producer (The Empire Strikes Back), Co-Producer (Return of the Jedi)
Interview: February 2011
How did you get started in the movie business?
I began in the movie business in 1960. It was hard because there was
no formal method of getting in, the business being a union closed shop.
You had to be a member of the union to work in a union job and to become
a member of the union you had to have a union job, a catch 22. The only
job you could get was as a runner which was not a union job. These jobs
were few and far between, so it was difficult.
I got my first job from a production manager who I knew, because my
grandfather had helped him get his first job. My grandfather, after a
varied career, became a script writer at Ealing studios in the years
following the Second World War. He wrote the 1948 Royal Command film Scott of the Antarctic,
starring John Mills. He used to get his car serviced in Ealing, and the
guy who managed the place asked him if he could help him get a job at
Ealing Studios. This my grandfather did, and many years later, after my
grandfather’s death, he did the same for me. I was a runner on a
Boulting Brothers film called A French Mistress. My two half
brothers were child actors, one of whom continued in the movie business
as a career. His name is Jeremy Bulloch and many years later I was able
to get him the part of Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back.
I scratched about for the odd job that year until I got a permanent job,
as a runner, with a company based at Shepperton Studios, which made TV
commercials and documentaries. I stayed with them for just over two
years, by which time I was their production manager. It was my
equivalent of film school. I got union membership during this time and
when I left I returned to feature films as a second assistant director
on a film called The Man in the Middle, starring Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard.
That is how it began.
You worked on all three original Star Wars movies and the
first three Indiana Jones movies. How did you get involved with Star
Wars and Lucasfilm?
In 1971 I was at MGM Studios in Culver City wrapping up my work as Production Manager on a film called The Wrath of God,
starring Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth, which was her last film,
when a producer called into my office. He wanted to know about filming
in England.
His name was Gary Kurtz and he was preparing American Graffiti with George Lucas.
About a year later he contacted me in the UK to ask for a resume, I sent it and heard nothing.
Some three years later I was working on a film in Greece called Skyriders
for 20th Century Fox, when the head of Fox London, Peter Beale, called
me and said they wanted me in London for a day to meet Gary Kurtz. I
flew to London and the next day met Gary at Fox in Soho Square. Peter
had lined up a bunch of production managers/supervisors to meet Gary. I
got the job and I reckon it was because I had met Gary those years
earlier.
Can you describe in your own words what your tasks were regarding the original Star Wars movies?
This is a massive question and could run for several pages, so I will keep it simple.
My job was to first schedule the film to see how many weeks it will take
to shoot, and when the various crew members should begin. Next is the
preliminary budget, based on the schedule, to see how much it will cost.
This is not the final budget; this will be dictated by where we will
shoot for the location elements of the film. The first person to be
hired, apart from the production secretary, who starts the same day as
me, is the Production Designer. He and I will travel to wherever to find
the locations required. For example, on the original film John Barry
and I travelled to Morocco and Tunisia to find the elements required. We
all chose Tunisia because it had some very interesting actual buildings
as well as all the desert and salt flats needed. Morocco
architecturally was just too Moroccan.
During preproduction the art department assembles and prior to their
engagement I meet them to do their deal for the movie. I, with the
designer will take the director to see the chose sites so he may approve
them. The director of photography is also taken to see the locations,
often he comes for, say a week or two, before his full engagement
commences. The sets are being built; other department personnel are
engaged as preparation for shooting continues. Finally the first day of
principal photography arrives and off we go. This is the most expensive
part of the production and only now will the schedule I have done and
agreed with the director, be put to the test.
So my job with the help of the heads of department is to oversee and be
responsible for the running of the show. The director directs the film
and all of us, every crew member is there for one reason, to help the
director tell a story. When shooting is complete, the editor, who has
been on for the full run of shooting, now takes pride of place. My job
is easier now as the crew is quite small and not so vulnerable to going
over. The composer joins and we organise the music recording sessions.
Finally it is all sound mixed and the first print of the finished film
arrives. So my job is to coordinate these various stages of production.
In other words, if the shit hits the fan, it hits me first.
What are your fondest memories regarding working on the Star Wars movies?
My fondest memory of working on the Star Wars movies was working on the Star Wars movies.
Seriously though, things that stand out:
1. Finishing shooting the first movie.
We were under a great deal of pressure from 20th Century Fox. They were
under great financial problems themselves and did not believe in the
movie. At the time we were the only Fox movie then shooting anywhere in
the world. Their eyes were focused on us and George was under a great
deal of pressure. As a result so were we all. We split into three units
to complete the film.
Gary Kurtz directed the second unit, shooting, for example, the hologram
of Princess Leia as in “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope”. I
did the third unit which was just inserts, as in a close up of R2-D2
third leg coming down. So we finished shooting. When the movie opened
Fox’s price on Wall Street doubled. What a result.
2. Working with Irvin Kershner. A great director who directed The Empire Strikes Back.
This, for me, is the best piece of film making of the three on which I
worked. We did go over schedule and budget which I found difficult as
George was financing this himself.
3. Completing Return of the Jedi, all units bang on budget and schedule.
What difficulties did you experience while working on the three Star Wars movies?
All the usual problems plus on the first film we were greenlighted at the last moment with very little time to get it together. All the props and costumes had to be made, plus robots and a mass of creatures. The R2-D2 we had on the first film could not turn its head whilst in the three legged mode. And although it was radio controlled, we often had to pull it along on a piece of piano wire. The head could turn in the two legged mode because Kenny Baker was inside. We made it but only just. The C-3PO costume was finally put on Anthony Daniels complete on the first day of shooting in Tunisia. That is the scene where Uncle Owen and Luke Skywalker buy the droids from the Jawas outside the homestead set.
Did any strange, remarkable or funny things happen while working on the movies?
It is hard to pick out individual moments. It was remarkable we finished the first one.
I always knew it would be a hit. I thought it would do James Bond type
business, but it exceeded all expectations and rewrote how much a film
could take. I would have to think long and hard for individual moments.
Perhaps one moment sticks in my mind again from the first movie.
That day we were due to shoot the last day on the homestead set in
Tunisia. I was out very early that morning and it was raining very hard
with a strong wind. I knew that we were in trouble to go on the salt
flats as when they were wet the salt would crack. Underneath the salt
there was greasy mud which would stop the vehicles moving, even those
with four wheel drive. I called the assistant directors and told them to
tell the crew I was calling a rest day. I then went out to the set with
Les Dilley, the unit art director. The roof of the homestead was
nowhere to be seen, it had blown across the salt flat heading for the
Algerian border. Other bits of the set were damaged. Les got his crew
together whilst I figured out what to do. We continued the next day
shooting the other sets scheduled for this part of Tunisia. On the last
day at this location, we returned to the salt flat to complete the
homestead sequence. The last shot was done as the sun was going down. It
is the shot of Luke gazing out as the twin suns are setting. One is the
real sun the other was laid in by ILM. Just as we cut it started to
rain and we were in a mad scramble to get all our vehicles off the salt
flat. We got them all safely off with the exception of six wheel drive
crane, which helped the other vehicles. The crane was on hire from the
Tunisian army. We left it stuck in the greasy mud. Luckily we did not
need it any more.
So all was well.
In Return of the Jedi you had –along with director
Richard Marquand- a small role as an AT-ST driver: Lieutenant Watts.
Whose idea was this, did you enjoy it and can you share some memories of
that scene?
We were shooting pick-ups at ILM having finished principal photography. I
had no idea that I was going to do this when I came to work that
morning. We had two extras lined up for this when, I think it was
George, suggested that Richard and I played the roles. So we donned the
costumes and did it. It took about 90 minutes. I’m glad I did it now.
I’m the one who is yanked out of the vehicle. On the exterior it’s a
stunt guy falling. They produced a card with my character on it and
called him Lieutenant Watts, which is my own name. What they did not
know was that I actually hold the rank of Lieutenant in the British
army. I am old enough to have had to do two years national service. I
got a commission and spent the rest of my time in The Royal West African
Frontier Force, Queens Own Nigeria Regiment. Eight months after I left,
Nigeria became independent and my regiment became the Nigerian army.
There have been a lot of rumours about deleted scenes from Return of the Jedi. There is one rumour that in the original cut the Millennium Falcon was destroyed in the Death Star battle. This scene was cut after a test audience saw it and didn’t like it. Can you confirm this? Or is it just a myth?
As far as I know this is a myth.
Every Star Wars fan knows about the deleted scenes from A New Hope; for example the ones in which Biggs and Luke are seen on Tatooine. Are there deleted scenes from the original trilogy the public doesn’t know of?
Not that I can recall right now. I find that the Star Wars fans tend to know much more than I do.
I read something about an abandoned concept for The Empire Strikes Back; the Elite Stormtrooper. It was basically an all-white Boba Fett. The concept was abandoned and Boba Fett was created out of this. Can you give more insight/information regarding this? Why was it abandoned and what did George Lucas initially want to do with it?
I remember it being called a super stormtrooper. What happened was that the character of Boba Fett appeared and the costume in a different colour was perfect for him. Remember that the screenplay was still being written whilst we were preparing so changes happened. I think the super stormtrooper was thought of for the Hoth sequence and became the snowtroopers you see in the movie.
What are you doing these days? Can you tell us something about your current or future projects?
In 2000, I and my partner Linda Lowrance, founded Transformer Entertainment. During the years, we have worked with a plethora of emerging writers, directors and producers to assist them with the development of a wide variety of entertainment projects. I have reached the point that I want to begin producing films again. Transformer has several viable projects under consideration.
