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Times

Bruce Logan obituary: special effects expert best known for Star Wars

Destroying the Death Star was risky both for the Rebel Alliance and the special effects expert who helped to ignite one of the most famous conflagrations in cinematic history. The obliteration of the planet-killing space station by Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars film was physically dangerous as well as a technical challenge for Bruce Logan. To avoid blurring while filming fast-moving model spaceships, the camera and the miniatures had to be in motion simultaneously. This required a special hardware and software system that was not ready when the director, George Lucas, returned to California after shooting live-action sequences in England. A panicked Lucas asked Logan to manage a second effects unit that would take a more rudimentary approach. 'He had this harebrained scheme