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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

ST So J.J. Abrams wants Star Wars to feel real.

Discussion in 'Sequel Trilogy' started by PrincessKenobi , Sep 20, 2013.

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  1. ManaByte

    ManaByte Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 1998
    What Abrams meant by this was that the Original Trilogy had a gritty "lived in" look to it that made everything look like a real place. Lucas' reasoning for this was that technology didn't really advance under the iron grip of the Empire so everyone just used what they still had and everything ended up looking lived-in.

    During the Prequel time period, it was a more refined time before the Empire. That means everything was kept up well and looked slick and very Flash Gordon-like.

    Abrams wants the Sequel Trilogy to reflect the lived in look of the Original Trilogy more. One can assume that even with the Empire gone, people won't bust out the floor buffers and paint to keep things up anymore.
     
  2. Diggs

    Diggs Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2012
    It's more than that though I think. It's not just the "grit" of the used universe, although clearly that's a part. I think it's about using every trick available to him as a story-teller to make the characters, the world and the story feel believable - and that is about more than just props and sets being beat up.
     
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  3. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Maybe what he actually means is that there will be actual historical characters running around ala Bill and Ted.
     
    Jedi Merkurian likes this.
  4. Diggs

    Diggs Jedi Master star 4

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    Oct 31, 2012
    SOCRATES!
     
    Pfluegermeister likes this.
  5. Pfluegermeister

    Pfluegermeister Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jun 30, 2003
    "Want a Twinkie, Genghis Khan?" LOVED that film. :cool:
     
  6. TheStorm

    TheStorm Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 8, 2002
    Ya it is more than just the grit. It's not just the visual of it it's how the characters interact with it. Even in the more "clean" look of Bespin, it still "felt" real because the actors gave the illusion and feel that they were walking around in Cloud City. And blue screen can hinder this at times, but in reality it is getting the actors to go beyond and have an emotional connection with the character to make us believe they are walking around in a world, and not a set. The problem with the PT at times was like when Natalie was talking to Ewan in Episode III about Anakin, and Natalie just looked awkward. Like she was an inch away from turning to the camera and saying "Am I doing it right George?" Because even Harrison said that GL just points to the script and says...."Just do that...it's right there what's the problem?" When Harrison and I think even GL has admitted he does not know how to work with actors very well. So especially when you are making a film in a fantasy galaxy, you have to work even harder with your actors to make that illusion that they feel at home, and like they are truly walking around in an alien world, not a set. With more contemporary films it's easier, but with these you need a director who can understand as Harrison put it "More to it than just reading lines". And to me that's what most the PT felt like was just the actors reading the lines as quickly as they could to get on with it. Rather than doing what actors are primarily suppose to do is create a character form an emotional level and help us connect to the story/world/situation.

    Of course the set design and realistic feel of the SFX is a huge part of it, but I think more so it comes down to the actors being a part of the world rather than just saying their lines on a set. Truly acting so to speak. That's to me what I'm pretty sure is one of the elements JJ is talking about. Creating a real gravity feel is more with the characters than anything. Even Nolan was talking about that in that latest documentary about the TDK trilogy. And it was interesting because if the actors can believe they are in a world, so will the audience.
     
    FinleySlade likes this.
  7. Darth PJ

    Darth PJ Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2013
    Great little doc... could watch those all day. Yep - Kersh is on the money when he says "Star Wars is a fairytale".
    Interesting to note that Hamill's sword fight rehearsal comes across much faster than is does in the actual film... more reminiscent of the energy of the PT duels.
     
    Andy Wylde and Diggs like this.
  8. David_Skywalker01

    David_Skywalker01 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2006
    I love it how the Prequel fans start bashing as soon as the OT is used as the direction of the ST.

    Seems like grasping at straws to me.
     
  9. EHT

    EHT Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 13, 2007
     
  10. JediGirl_Angelina

    JediGirl_Angelina Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jan 12, 2003

    Yeah, it looked so much more dynamic than in the final shot.

    What I liked the most were the "paintings" that were edited later on into the shots.
     
    Darth PJ likes this.
  11. Grand_Moff_Jawa

    Grand_Moff_Jawa Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 31, 2001
    Very cool video. I never saw that before now. :)
     
  12. Sith-Mullet

    Sith-Mullet Jedi Master star 3

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    Aug 2, 2003
    I wonder if J. J. will go as far as polyester fabric, 1977 style, to keep it real. :)
     
  13. Mystery Roach

    Mystery Roach Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2004
    Don't forget the sideburns. In ANH, everybody had sideburns. Are we to believe that this was the only period in the history of the GFFA in which sideburns were trending?
     
  14. Beezer

    Beezer Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 5, 2013
    Personally, I don't like the new and supposedly "more real" design of the X-34. Could be a Disney influence.

    [​IMG]
     
  15. kyl-o-ren

    kyl-o-ren Jedi Youngling

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    Oct 24, 2015

    Oh my God, I can't believe you were right
     
  16. Darkslayer

    Darkslayer #1 Sabine Wren Fan star 7

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    Mar 26, 2013
    To me Star Wars isn't supposed to feel real. It's got aliens flying all over the place, planet-destroying super weapons, and humans shooting lightning from their hands for goodness sake! :p
     
  17. JediRocks74

    JediRocks74 Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 7, 2015

    I think what JJ meant was that he wants it to look real. That's why he's using real sets and practical special effects, instead of being lazy and just setting up the green screens and making a fake looking movie. Good idea.
     
  18. Good Blaster

    Good Blaster Jedi Knight star 2

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    Oct 18, 2015
    JJ said he wanted it to look "messy"
     
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  19. B99

    B99 Force Ghost star 6

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    Nov 10, 2014
    Oh my...
     
  20. JediRocks74

    JediRocks74 Jedi Knight star 3

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    Oct 7, 2015

    Does he want it to look scruffy looking?
     
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  21. GregMcP

    GregMcP Force Ghost star 5

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    Jul 7, 2015
    That's the big trick. To make a movie about something fantastic, impossible, and make it feel real.
     
  22. Good Blaster

    Good Blaster Jedi Knight star 2

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    Oct 18, 2015
    Who you calling scruffy?
     
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  23. PymParticles

    PymParticles Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Oct 1, 2014
    I think every good Star Wars movie, and every good fantasy or science-fiction film, should strive for a sense of verisimilitude. The more real the world of the film looks and feels, the more immersive the experience is, and the more readily you accept the more fantastical or out-there concepts. If the world presented is unconvincing, it's difficult to invest in it.
     
  24. Darkslayer

    Darkslayer #1 Sabine Wren Fan star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2013
    The CGI to me though just adds to that fantasy element. Practical effects take away from it in a lot of cases (for instance I was watching ESB the other night and one of the first shots of the probe droid almost took me out of the film, the model/matte painting/whatever they used was so obvious). I am not opposed to practical effects but they have to be used in the right context. The Lord of the Rings, Inception, and The Dark Knight are the best examples I can think of off the top of my head where an emphasis on practical effects makes sense, because the world those stories take place in is supposed to feel more real.

    Star Wars on the other hand is escapism, an adventure to exotic, unknown places and watching guys fight with powers we can only imagine. Practical effects can't do it justice a lot of the time because it's not real. One notable exception though is that with the OT even though I don't think it's ideal, I don't mind the heavy use of practical effects because those were the limitations of the time.

    Just how I see it of course.
     
    Tommy-wan likes this.
  25. Jedsithor

    Jedsithor Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 1, 2005

    Wait, didn't each individual Star Wars prequel have more practical elements than the entire original trilogy combined? What doesn't feel real to me is this forced emphasis on practical work being celebrated by Disney and Lucasfilm, as if the last three films didn't make extensive use of real locations, props, sets, models and miniatures, which of course they did.

    As for the reality of the universe, a lot is made of how the prequels take place in a different time, before the galaxy felt the weight of the Empire pressing down on it. For me, it's more than that. The prequels play out as fairytales and legends. As if Threepio got his memory back and is telling the Ewoks all about how the Republic fell, but there's embellishment and the story is told as a folk tale of sorts, rather than just history. The era of the Republic is the time of legends, of great heroes and grand, operatic adventures. The era of the Empire is the time of legends fading into obscurity and the sequels may be a time where the old legends become real again.
     
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