Caught on the Cam: Lisa Shaunessy

By Bonnie Burton

Fans watching the webcam closely during the filming of Episode III in Sydney, Australia, could have easily gotten a candid glimpse of Publicity Assistant Lisa Shaunessy giving tours to special guests on the set of Revenge of the Sith.

Assisting Lynne Hale, Lucasfilm Director of Communications, in all the daily publicity matters involving local and international press, a large part of Shaunessy's job during the shoot was the ongoing process of supporting the 15-member department in documenting the filming of Episode III through photographs, cast and crew interviews and documentary footage of the shoot.

"It was a very exciting department as we saw the activities occurring inside all departments and got to know so many of the talented, warm people who made Episode III such a great production to work on," Shaunessy says. This isn't the first time Shaunessy worked within the Star Wars saga. She also served as the publicity assistant on Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Coming from a theatre background, Shaunessy had experience working in a variety of administrative jobs, as well as publicity and marketing campaigns. She started in film making low-budget Australian films, but since then has been part of the crew on many of the American films now being made in Australia including Scooby Doo, The Great Raid and Stealth. However, even though Shaunessy has offered her expertise on numerous movie sets, Episode III remains unique.

"The Episode III set differed greatly from most other sets -- the main reason being working with mostly the same crew (from Episode II) for a continuation of the same project," Shaunessy explains. "This is a rare occurrence in the film industry. Often you work with many of the same crew, but always on different projects. The combination of the same crew working on more of the same project created a very special collaborative feeling amongst the crew. Much of the familiarization processes had already happened so people could just focus on their work and ultimately it created a more relaxed working environment, even though the production was under the normal deadlines of any production."

"Episode III had a special atmosphere for many reasons," Shaunessy continues. "Working on Star Wars is an exciting experience for anyone, but getting to work on the last episode carried a very special energy with it. And people's attitudes were different on Episode III -- kind on melancholic and nostalgic, as we all knew we were part of something historic."

Prior to working on the last two prequels, Shaunessy's only connection with Star Wars was that it was the first movie she saw as a child on the big screen in the middle of the Australian desert in the mining town of Mount Isa. A New Hope had such an impact on her that she styled her hair in Princess Leia buns for almost an entire school year.

"Working with all of these characters really brought back my childhood and sense of fun," Shaunessy admits. "Of course, now I'm a whole different kind of Star Wars fan -- one who appreciates the story George felt compelled to tell and hopes that the message this story carries will stay with people for generations to come, as it truly is timeless." Fans glued to the Hyperspace webcam may have seen Shaunessy rush passed in a blur as she quickly went from one task to another as soon as her day began.

"The most important part to our mornings was working out what was on the schedules of the all the departments and the shooting crew, to make sure we didn't miss documenting anything great," Shaunessy says. "We also worked with the ADs, waiting for them to let us know when we could photograph new characters or have some publicity time with the cast. This would be followed by going through the daily local papers and liaising with the Publicity Department back at Skywalker Ranch with regards to national and international publicity requests."

Shaunessy also would give tours of the set and various departments to special visitors, contest winners and the fan club editors, as well as assisting marketing and LucasArts people with individual requirements.

"I also booked a lot of restaurants," Shaunessy laughs. "It was a very social crew! Being the last episode, we all wanted to make the most of the time we had with our multi-national crew."

One of the most memorable moments on the set for Shaunessy was getting the rare chance to be immortalized on the big screen as an extra. Despite an overall jovial attitude on the set, Shaunessy's small role is one of several extras in a somber setting. "Senator Silya Shessaun" is one of many galactic potentates in this environment. "It was magical to get to be dressed in one of Trisha Biggar's designs, made up by one of Nikki Gooley's team, lit and photographed by David Tattersall's team and directed by George Lucas!" Shaunessy says. "Of course, the hardest part was trying to persuade Roger Barton to convince George to include the scene in the final cut!"

Even with the busy work schedule, Shaunessy and other crew members made time to wave to fans watching the webcam for a behind-the-scenes sneak peek during filming.

"I think most of us loved the fact that we could offer Star Wars fans around the world, at least a little glimpse into the awesome experience that was Episode III," Shaunessy confesses. "Not to mention being able to manipulate it in ways that gave everyone a laugh."