The Empire Strikes Back Irvin Kershner, George Lucas

Commencement in Norway

Principal photography began on March 5, 1979, on the Hardangerjøkulen glacier near Finse, Norway, representing the planet Hoth.[l] Initially scheduled to conclude on June 22, by the end of the first week it was obvious it would take longer and cost more.[41][112]

Filming the Hoth scenes on a set was considered, but ultimately rejected as inauthentic. The location filming coincided with the area's worst snowstorm in half a century, impeding the production with blizzards, 40-mile-per-hour (64 km/h) winds, and temperatures between −26 °F (−32 °C) and −38 °F (−39 °C).[m] The weather cleared only twice; some days, filming could not take place.[115] The frigid conditions made the acetate film brittle, camera lenses iced over, snow seeped into equipment, and effects paint froze inside the tin.[17][116] To counter these effects, lenses were kept cool but the camera body was warmed to protect the film, battery, and camera operators' hands.[117] The crew was outside for up to 11 hours at a time, being subjected to thin air, limited visibility, and mild frostbite; one crewman slipped and broke two ribs.[118] The difficult conditions led to strong camaraderie among crewmembers.[119]

Avalanches blocked direct transport links, and trenches dug by the crew quickly filled with snow. Scenes could be prepared only a few hours in advance and many scenes were filmed just outside the crew's hotel as the shifting weather regularly altered the scenery.[17][120] Although Fisher was not scheduled to film scenes in Norway, she joined Hamill on location because she wanted to observe the process.[87] Ford was not scheduled for the Finse phase, but to compensate for the delays, he was brought there instead of creating a separate set in a Leeds studio. On a few hours' notice, he arrived in Finse, having traveled the last 23 miles (37 km) of the snow-laden journey by snowplow.[121] Production returned to England after a week, though Hamill had an additional day of filming. The second unit remained in Norway through March to film explosions, incidental footage, and battle scenes featuring 35 mountain rescue skiers as extras. The skiers' work was compensated with a donation to the Norwegian Red Cross.[122]

To film the Imperial probe landing, eight sticks of dynamite were placed on the glacier and set to explode at sunrise, but the demolitions expert in charge knocked the battery out of his radio and received the message too late to capture the intended shot.[123] The opening sweeping shot of the area was captured by flying a helicopter to 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and performing a controlled drop at a rate of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) or 2,500 feet (760 m) a minute.[124] A heated shelter for the helicopter had to be constructed, which delayed filming of the shot by four weeks.[125] The second unit, scheduled to be in Finse for three weeks, was there for eight.[124] When the crew returned to London, they had only half the planned footage, and background images for special effects shots were uneven.[17][114][126] Empire's budget increased to around $22 million because of the delays and having to rework scenes to compensate for the missing footage.[127]

Filming at Elstree Studios

Filming at Elstree began on March 13, 1979.[127] Production remained behind schedule without Stage 3 (which had been destroyed by fire), and the incomplete Star Wars stage lacked protection from the cold weather. The result was that the crew had to work out of any available space.[128] To save time, some scenes were shot simultaneously, such as those set in the ice cavern and medical bay.[129] Kershner wanted each character to make a unique entrance in the film. While filming Vader's entrance, the snow troopers preceding Prowse tripped over the polystyrene ice, and the stuntman behind him stood on his cape, breaking it off, causing Prowse to fall onto the snow troopers.[130]

The shoot was strenuous and mired in conflicts.[17][131] Fisher suffered from influenza and bronchitis, her weight dropped to 85 pounds (39 kg) while working 12-hour days, and she collapsed on set from an allergic reaction to steam or spray paint. She was also allergic to most makeup.[132] Her overuse of hallucinogens and painkillers worsened her condition, as did the anxiety she experienced while performing her speech to the rebels.[133] Stress and personal traumas led to frequent arguments among Hamill, Fisher, and Ford.[17][134] Ford and Hamill fell ill or were injured at different times.[135] Hamill was depressed by his isolation from human cast members, as his scenes required him to interact mostly with puppets, robots, and actors whose voices would be added later or dubbed over.[136][137] He was meant to use an earpiece to hear Oz's Yoda dialogue, but for various reasons this did not work, and he struggled to form a relationship with the character. The Dagobah set was liberally sprayed with mineral oil, which caused him physical discomfort for long periods. Hamill called it a "physical ordeal the whole time ... but I don't really mind that".[136] At one point, Oz cheered Hamill up with a Miss Piggy routine. Hamill recalled Ford giving him a kiss instead of reading his lines, which entertained the crew.[59] Mayhew fell ill while filming Han's torture scene because the set used bursts of steam, which raised the ambient temperature to 90 °F (32 °C) while he was wearing a wool suit.[138]

Bank of America representatives visited the set in late March, concerned about rising costs.[139] Lucas rarely visited the set, but arrived on May 6 after realizing the production was behind schedule and over budget.[41] An official Lucasfilm memo instructed staff to misstate the film's direct costs as $17 million.[140] At this point, Kurtz and Lucas estimated it would cost $25–28 million to complete filming.[127][140] Finances ran out in mid-July when Bank of America refused to increase the loan.[17][141] The crisis was kept from the crew, including Kershner, and tactics were used to delay its impact, including paying staff biweekly instead of weekly and Lucas borrowing money from his merchandising company Black Falcon.[141] Lucas worried he would have to sell Empire and its associated rights to Fox to sustain the project, losing his creative freedom. Fox was also threatening to buy out the bond and take over filming.[127][141] With about 20% of Empire left to film, Lucasfilm president Charles Weber arranged for Bank of Boston to refinance the loan to $31 million, including $27.7 million from Bank of Boston and $3 million guaranteed by Fox in exchange for an increased percentage of the theatrical returns and 10% of merchandising profits. Lucasfilm took out the loan, making the company directly liable.[17][127][142]

The Star Wars stage was completed in early May. It was too small to house the Rebel hangar and Dagobah sets, and an extension had to be funded and built. The producers mandated filming begin on the stage on May 18, regardless of its state.[143] The hangar scene involved 77 rebel extras, which cost £2,000 per day.[144] Around 50 short tons (45 long tons) of dendritic salt, mixed with magnesium sulfate for a sparkle effect, were used for the snowy sets; this combination of substances gave the cast and crew headaches.[145] Second unit director John Barry died suddenly in early June; Harley Cokeliss replaced him a week later.[65][146][147] The typical purpose of the second unit was to do time-consuming filming for special effects shots, but they were now filming main scenes—including Luke's ice cave imprisonment—because the schedule had overrun by around 26 days.[148] Hamill was unavailable for several days after injuring his hand during a stunt jump from a speeder bike. Having been called in for the stunt the same day his son was born, aggravated by the salt-laden setting, and exhausted, he angrily chastised Kurtz for not using a double for the scene.[149] Kershner's hands-on directing style, which included him acting out how he wanted a scene performed, agitated Hamill; Kershner, for his part, was frustrated that Hamill was not following his advice.[150]

The life-size hangar set was dismantled in mid-June to allow the construction of other sets around the full-scale Millenium Falcon. These scenes had to be filmed efficiently, so the Falcon could be dismantled to make way for the Dagobah set.[151] Filming began on the carbon chamber scene in late June while the second unit filmed anything they could.[152] The raised set was largely incomplete, and low lighting and steam were used to conceal any obvious flaws. The fog machines and heat from the steam made many cast and crew members sick; it took approximately three weeks to film.[153] The confession of love between Leia and Han was scripted with both of them admitting their feelings for the other. Kershner felt this was too "sappy". He had Ford improvise lines repeatedly until Ford said he would do only one more take; his response to Leia's confession of love in the final take was "I know".[17] By the end of the month, cast and crew morale was low.[154]

The duel, Dagobah, and conclusion

Hamill returned in early July to film his climactic battle against Darth Vader, portrayed by stunt double Bob Anderson, who said the experience was like fighting blindfolded because of the costume. Hamill spent weeks practicing his fencing routine, eventually growing frustrated and refusing to continue.[155] The next scene, where Vader confesses he is Luke's father, was shrouded in secrecy. Prowse was given the line "Obi-Wan Kenobi is your father" to read because he was known for repeatedly leaking information.[17] Only Kershner, the producers, and Hamill knew the actual line.[17][156] While filming the scene, Hamill was positioned on a platform suspended 35 feet (11 m) above a pile of mattresses.[17] Footage of his fall into the reactor shaft was damaged during processing and the scene had to be reshot in early August.[157]The Vader confrontation took eight weeks to film. Hamill insisted on doing as many of his stunts as possible, though the insurers refused to allow him to perform a 15-foot (4.6 m) fall out of a window. He accidentally fell from a nine-inch ledge 40 feet (12 m) high but rolled on landing to avoid injury.[136] Lucas returned to the set on July 15 and stayed for the rest of filming.[141] He rewrote Luke's scenes on Dagobah, removing or trimming them so they could be shot in just over two weeks.[158]

Most of the cast completed filming by the start of August, including Ford, Fisher, Williams, Mayhew, and Daniels.[159] Hamill began filming on the Dagobah set with Yoda. They only had 12 days to film because Oz was scheduled for another project.[160] With the film now over 50 days behind schedule, Kurtz was removed from his role and replaced by Kazanjian and associate producer Robert Watts.[161] One of the last scenes shot was of Luke exploring the dark side tree on Dagobah. A wrap party was held on the set to mark the official conclusion of filming on September 5, 1979, after 133 days. Guinness filmed his scenes against a bluescreen the same day.[162][163] Kershner and the second unit continued filming additional footage, including Luke's X-Wing being raised from the swamp.[162] Kershner left the set on September 9, and Hamill finished 103 days of filming two days later.[127][164] The second unit finished filming on September 24 with Hamill's stunt double.[165][166] There was approximately 400,000 feet (120,000 m) of film, or 80 hours of footage.[167]

The final budget was $30.5 million.[168][n] Kurtz blamed inflation, which had increased resource, cast, and crew costs significantly.[169] Lucas blamed Kurtz for lack of oversight and poor financial planning.[17][170] Watts said Kurtz was not good with people and never developed a working relationship with Kershner, making it difficult for him to temper the director's indulgences.[171] Kurtz had also given Kershner more leeway because of the delays caused by the Stage 3 fire.[140] Kershner's slower work pace had frustrated Lucas.[17][172] He described his filming style as frugal, performing two or three takes with little coverage film that could later compensate for mistakes. Watts and Reynolds said Kershner often looked at new ways of doing things, but this required planning that only delayed things further.[135] Kershner had tried replicating the quick pacing of Star Wars, not lingering on any scene for too long, and encouraged improvisation, modifying scenes and dialogue to focus more on characters' emotions, such as C-3PO interrupting Han and Leia as they are about to kiss.[17][173][174] Kazanjian said many mistakes were made but blamed Weber, Lucasfilm vice president John Moohr, and primarily Kurtz.[175] Actor John Morton called Kurtz an unsung hero, who brought his experience of filming war to Empire.[176]

Post-production

The schedule overrun resulted in filming and post-production taking place simultaneously; filmed footage was shipped immediately to ILM to begin effects work.[177] A rough cut resembling the finished film (minus special effects) was put together by mid-October 1979.[178] Lucas provided 31 pages of notes about changes he wanted, mainly alterations in dialogue and scene lengths.[179] Jones recorded Vader's dialogue in late 1979 and early 1980.[180] In early 1980, Lucas changed the long-planned opening of Luke riding his tauntaun to a shot of the Star Destroyer launching probes. He continued tweaking elements to improve the special effects, but even with ILM staff working up to 24 hours a day, six days a week, there was not enough time to do everything they wanted.[181] A Dagobah pick-up scene, in which R2-D2 is spat out by a monster, was filmed in Lucas's swimming pool;[182] the Emperor's scenes were filmed in February 1980.[27]

Fox executives did not see a cut of the film until March.[183] That month, Lucas decided he wanted an additional Hoth scene and auditioned 50 ILM crew to appear as Rebels.[27] The final 124-minute cut was completed on April 16, which triggered a $10 million payment from Fox to Bank of Boston.[183][184][185] Lucasfilm also launched an employee bonus scheme to share Empire's profits with its staff.[186] Test screenings were held in San Francisco on April 19. While the tauntaun special effect was criticized, audiences liked Han's reply of "I know" to Leia's confession of love. Lucas was unimpressed by the scene, believing it was not how Han would act.[17][187] Because the magnetic soundtrack could flake from the film reels, Kurtz hired people to watch the film reels 24 hours a day to identify defects; 22% were defective.[168]

Shortly after the film's theatrical release, Lucas decided the ending was unclear about where Luke and Leia were in relation to Lando and Chewbacca. In the three-week window between its limited and wider release, Lucas, Johnston, and visual effects artist Ken Ralston filmed enhancement scenes at ILM, using existing footage, a new score, modified dialogue, and new miniatures to create establishing shots of the Rebel fleet and their relative positions.[188] By the project's conclusion, around 700 people had worked on Empire.[189]