​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Carroll Ballard (born October 14, 1937, in Los Angeles) is an American film director. He started out making documentaries for the U.S. information agency, Beyond This Winter's Wheat (1965) and Harvest (1967); the latter was nominated for an Academy Award. He also made the documentaries The Perils of Priscilla (1969), and Rodeo (1970). He was second unit director on George Lucas' Star Wars for which he handled many of the outdoor desert scenes. His first ...