Rosie Seagrave, publicity secretary, smiled as we put on our rubber boots. "The mud is quite deep. They've been making it rain every day this week," she added, describing the conditions of the massive castle set we were about to enter. "Everyone has to wear galoshes," Geoff Freeman, the unit publicist, continued, "else you'll be taking a bit of England back to the States on your shoes." We had come over 5000 miles to spend a week in the mud of Nockmaar Castle, one of the incredible sets built for George Lucas' latest big screen epic, Willow, in the backlot of Elstree Studios in London. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it!

Director Ron Howard and executive producer George Lucas behind the camera.

Dan Madsen, President of the Lucasfilm Fan Club, would be busy the next few days interviewing all the major stars and many of the production crew, while I had been assigned the job of writing this behind-the-scenes look at Willow. This required getting as close to the action as possible without getting in anyone's way. Considering, while we were there, that the crews averaged 30-40 people, with another 30-40 extras, as well as the assortment of VIP's (Alan Ladd, Jr. showed up one day), publicity people, horse handlers, stuntmen, etc., staying out of the way was a challenge.

As we approached the castle set for the very first time we were astonished at its size. Standing 60-70 feet tall and easily covering an acre of land, the castle was an engineering feat that would have impressed King Arthur. Thousands of metal pipes bolted together with clamps formed the framework of the castle. Once completed, the set builders had covered every inch of the structure with styrofoam, cut and textured to give the castle walls the illusion of real rock. The rocks were then painted, many appearing to have water stains, and moss was pressed in between them, giving the castle the appearance of having existed for hundreds of years. We walked through the drawbridge entrance, avoiding puddles that had accumulated over the last few "rainy" days, and were seemingly transported to another time, another place. Evil Nockmaar guards lined the walls, while others passed by on horseback, each clutching a weapon designed to crush, chop, or, in some manner, do away with the good guys. To our right was a 6-ton catapult, extremely authentic (as a matter of fact, so authentic, that they use it in the film to launch one of our heroes over a castle wall!). Across the top of the Nockmaar castle, flags and crosses with skulls hanging from them waved in the breeze. From the walls of the castle, huge wooden beams jutted at different angles. Each had a cage, suspended with a rusted chain, holding the remains of some very unfortunate individuals, their warped and twisted bodies perishing in the most hideous of ways--starvation. Around the castle grounds could be seen the remains of previous days' shootings--a partially burned stable, the head of a monster (with a mouth large enough to swallow a man), a massive gate with 5 ft. metal spikes to repel rushing invaders, a ceremonial gong, and several statues with the faces of dogs. Scattered across the ground were broken arrows, helmets, a variety of armor and several stuffed dummies that had apparently taken the plunge from the top walls of the castle. Certain to send a chill at first sight, the castle was as impressive a movie set as you would ever see.

Most of the filming that would take place on our visit to the set would be fighting scenes from the climactic battle at Nockmaar Castle. The battles would be staged first, each actor and extra going through his routine in slow motion practices. The swords would ever so gently touch as each person got their movements memorized. To be unprepared for the ensuing battle scene could be very costly. The swords were made from a special fiberglass designed for this picture that made them much more study in battle--thus they could be used over and over without having to be replaced. At the same time, an unexpected blow with one of these swords could easily put someone out of the film business for a long, long time. Believe me, they shoot these action scenes at full speed. Swords crashed together and axes splintered shields. This was WAR! Thankfully, there were very few injuries on the sets--mainly scratches and bruises, although a broken leg and a heart attack occurred during the filming of this high action-oriented film which certainly had the potential for accidents much worse.

I had my own visit to the nurse when I accidentally brushed into a "nettles" plant. Similar to poison ivy, its leaves have needles that cut the skin leaving a mild poison that burns and itches like crazy. It seems that everyone in England knows about "nettles," and the fact that the antidote for the poison, "duck leaves," grows right next to it. Just pull a leaf off, rub it where you brushed the "nettles" and you have instant relief. (Well, now I know!) I only brushed my hand against the plant but it was quite irritated for about thirty minutes. Imagine my grimace when I learned that, a few weeks before, Val Kilmer had accidentally leaped into a field of "nettles!" He'd never heard of "duck leaves," either.

Val Kilmer and Ron Howard discuss the particulars of a scene on the Nockmaar Castle set at Elstree Studios in London.

I found myself mainly behind the video monitors, out of the way of swords and "nettles," since I was very interested in seeing what the live action sequences would look like on film. The video monitors capture every take exactly at it would appear on the screen and could be played back immediately for inspection. Ron Howard, the director, depended heavily on the video, heading over towards the monitors after every shot. He would watch the previous shot, determining if all the right factors had been captured on camera. If not, he would do another take, again checking the video for all the right elements. He was often accompanied by Val Kilmer, whose interest in the final product was clear by the comments he would make to Ron Howard on his performance. With the film's creators ever striving to bring the magic to life on the screen, the production video was an absolute necessity on this picture (and a great place to hang out if you wanted to be close to the action).

Industrial Light and Magic had a crew on the set that also depended on exactly what the camera would see. Using dolls, barely 10 inches tall, this special effects unit would map out each step of the characters Franjean and Rool, two diminutive Brownies that would aid Willow in the final conflict at Nockmaar castle. They would shoot each scene once with the dolls in frame. They would refer to this when the actors playing Franjean and Rool would "step into" the following scene, shot without the dolls. The Brownies play a key part in the battle and you're certain to enjoy their comic antics. (Would you believe that on our first day on the set the crew actually thought Dan and I were the actors playing Franjean and Rool! Understandable, since I've never seen a Brownie, either!)

Of course, we weren't working all the time, taking our lunch break with the crew for an hour during the afternoon. The actors would head back to their individual trailers for lunch, (Val Kilmer having brought his own chef with him from the States), and many of the extras heading to the local pubs for a sandwich. Costumed warriors walking down the streets brought little attention; this was apparently just a normal day to the folks that live around Elstree Studios. One day, Dan and I had lunch at a favorite restaurant of George Lucas': a delightfully pleasant Italian place, with great service, excellent pasta and located just across the street from the studio. Great place, George!

The last day of shooting, we were on one of the many soundstages at Elstree. Here they had erected several tents, two of these being Sorsha's and Airk's. For most of the day, they would be in Airk's tent shooting the scene just prior to the final attack on Nockmaar Castle. This was the only time that all the principal actors, bad guys excluded, would be on the set at the same time. This scene would be shot over and over. After successfully capturing the performances from one angle, the scene would be shot again from another. And then from another and so on. Truly, everyone's patience and abilities are tried at these times. To do a scene repeatedly, though, is part of this business and most find some way to amuse themselves or get away when they can. Trying not to make too much noise, the crew seemed to burst into muffled laughter every time Ron Howard would act as the sound effect for a gong that clangs during this particular scene. I must admit to getting the giggles myself listening to him yell, "BONG...BONG...BONG", for the umpteenth time.

Val Kilmer enjoyed hanging out in Sorsha's tent, where I found him laying on a bed of luxurious furs. I took this opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes and let him know that he would be asked to appear at conventions as soon as this film hit the theatres. He was quite surprised by this and wasn't quite sure whether he would be of that much interest to fans. I informed him that not only would he be of interest but that Madmartigan would be one of the most copied costumed characters from this film, with fans dressing as him at conventions everywhere. He laughed at the thought of this and said that he might do a convention and, if not, might still show up at one just to see what it's all about.

For many of you, the opportunity to be on a George Lucas production (just standing in the background, out of the way), is a dream you would give anything for. Well, after spending quite a few days talking to the extras that make up most of the Nockmaar guards and the Tir Asleen rebels, I can report that a majority of the conversations went like this: I would ask, "Have you been on any other George Lucas productions?" More times that I could recall, the answer was, "Well, I've been an extra on just about all of his films." "ALL of his films?!," I would ask in wonder. "Of course, only the ones he's shot here in England," they'd reply. Oh, only THOSE films!