With Episode III post-production in full swing at Skywalker Ranch and Industrial Light & Magic, Hyperspace web cam viewers have been watching the activities in the Animatics Department office including various meetings with George Lucas and Pre-visualization Effects Supervisor Dan Gregoire. In addition to Gregoire's Animatics team and various members of the Episode III Art Department, there also happens to be another important member of the Episode III team, standing on the sidelines with his notebook firmly in hand -- LucasBooks Senior Editor Jonathan Rinzler.

At LucasBooks -- a small department within Lucas Licensing -- Rinzler edits various fiction titles such as Scholastic's Jedi Questand Boba Fett series, as well as the Making of and Art of Star Wars books for Random House. He also edits the Dorling Kindersley Visual Dictionaries and Cross-Section books, as well as the comic book Star Wars Tales published by Dark Horse.

Not only is Rinzler attending post-production meetings at Skywalker Ranch, but he also spent time on the Sydney set watching actors' performances while sitting with George Lucas and crew.

Jonathan Rinzler and Fay David listen to George Lucas in one of many Episode III post-production meetings. Jonathan Rinzler observes George Lucas, Fay David and Dan Gregoire (with Ryan Church in the background), as the documentary team films them in the Animatics Department. Jonathan Rinzler watches the action from the set filming scenes with Amy Allen as Aayla Secura. Jonathan Rinzler grabs a quick snack. Jonathan Rinzler (Lucas Licensing) holds his notebook and an issue of Millimeter magazine (March 2004) with George Lucas on the cover. Jonathan Rinzler listens to George Lucas along with the Animatics team.

"I spent a lot of time on the set of Episode III and attended nearly all the Art Department conceptual meetings for the year leading up to principal photography," Rinzler explains. "So I've seen how remarkably calm and collected George Lucas is over a period of years. He is also able to focus incredibly well while moving from one subject to another seamlessly. I've seen him go from answering an actor's questions, to a makeup question, to a production design problem, to setting up the camera, to talking philosophy to talking business--all in a five-minute period and all under a fair amount of pressure."

Before he came aboard LucasBooks, Rinzler taught art history and cinema, and worked as an associate producer at a video game developer, in Paris. When he returned to the U.S. he became managing editor of GamePro magazine.

Rinzler can often be spotted on the cam listening from the sidelines to various Animatics team meetings with George Lucas. With pen in hand, Rinzler takes notes for the Making of Episode III book, which he's been working on since April 2002.

"The goal of this book, in addition to being entertaining, is to show just how organically George Lucas makes his films; how he's constantly revising and being inspired," Rinzler explains. "Watching him direct in Animatics is a good window into that process, among others."

As a fan of the Star Wars films himself, Rinzler believes that the Making of... books hold a special level of importance to die-hard fans.

"I think when you like anything a lot, you want to know more about it, which in turn makes you even more appreciative," Rinzler says. "Also, I think the group that's been together now for a long time -- George Lucas, Rick McCallum, Trisha Biggar, Gavin Bocquet, Nick Gillard, Rob Coleman, John Knoll, and many others -- have created a following. Then, of course, the films themselves are so well done that people want to know just how they're made -- and I think their interest is justified when they find out the behind-the-scenes people really have put an enormous amount of care into these films."

In addition to the Making of Episode III book, Rinzler is also hard at work researching material for an all-encompassing book about Lucas' films and projects.

"The book, which is called The Cinema of George Lucas -- written by Marcus Hearn and scheduled for release on January 2005 -- is about the his films American Graffiti, THX 1138, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, as well as those he helped get made such as Kagemusha, Body Heat, Latino, Tucker, etc.," Rinzler reveals. "I hope fans and cinephiles will like it. All of Lucas' films are fascinating -- even his student work -- which his book will examine for the first time -- with photos!"

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