• In 1980 the world was simply stunned when “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” hit the silver screen. However, Producer/Director George Lucas was less than enthralled by how his movie had been presented in large numbers of cinemas. He noted that in spite of his meticulous post-production standards his movie looked and sounded differently in practically every cinema. Lucas determined to do something about this before his next film, “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” debuted in cinemas.
• Lucas hired audio scientist, Tomlinson Holman, to oversee the entire production chain, from the movie set to the end presentation in the cinemas themselves. Holman found that much work needed to be done. Many cinemas had not seen technological improvements since the Second World War resulting in a sub-standard cinematic experience. As a result Holman drew up a host of standards – all of which were then implemented in Lucasfilm’s own state-of-the-art audio facilities and cinema (Stag Theater) at the Skywalker Ranch.