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

Lit A/V The Force Awakens and the EU [TAGGED spoilers.]

Discussion in 'Literature' started by TypoCelchu, Oct 30, 2012.

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  1. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    I got the VF issue, will make a nice companion piece to my 1998 VF issue they did too. I purposely didn't read the online content beforehand because I wanted, y'know, the purchase to count for something. It's a longggggg article (because they add more text and jump to the back of the mag for about another page and a half of just txt and no pics) but I think the whole thing did come online recently. Also VF website has added a few things, extended interviews with Kasadaan, Williams and Hidaglo. (I don't think the last one even gets much of a quote in the article itself). It ends on a pretty great note of Abrams doing a VFX review and there's a practical puppet-based visual gag in the movie that one of the ILM'ers (probably a guy who was around in the PT) suggests doing a digital cleanup of but Abrams wants to keep the practical VFX puppet vibe to keep the "Wonderful preposterousness"

    Also the glossy pics are real purty and I kinda dig owning something that officially first has pics of Rey & Finn, etc.

    Anyway, here's the whole damn article on the VF website for free if y'all haven't read it yet, verbatium as it is in the magazine:

    http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/star-wars-the-force-awakens-vanity-fair-cover
     
    Barriss_Coffee likes this.
  2. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003

    "Wonderful preposterousness" -- if that doesn't describe a huge reason we all because fans of this franchise, I don't know what does. Nothing beats that wonderfully preposterous 80s sci-fi vibe.
     
  3. The_Four_Dot_Elipsis

    The_Four_Dot_Elipsis Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2005

    It's the big point of difference for SW - you're supposed to laugh at the space slug, not scream.
     
    BigAl6ft6 likes this.
  4. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    No once they cast her they should have ditched the mocap alien idea altogether and just had her play a human woman, regardless of how that affected her character's role in the script. Either that or they should have turned her down for the part and told her she was just too good for it. Not sure which would have been kinder.
     
  5. DigitalMessiah

    DigitalMessiah Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 17, 2004
    they should have made her wear a baggy fur coat thing
     
  6. _Catherine_

    _Catherine_ Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2007
    Jabba was always supposed to be CGIed over.
     
  7. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    Man, that's the sort of thing that always gives me really mixed feelings. As Coffee said, "wonderful preposterousness" is such a great phrase for Star Wars, and I like seeing the continued use of puppetry - but at the same time it doesn't really help with my concerns that this movie thinks that all you need to make better Star Wars than the prequels is to placate the traditionalist fans and CGI Luddites.
     
  8. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

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    Nov 12, 2012

    I don't think this is going to be completely CGI free, you can see a lot of CGI in the trailers in, like, a hellova lot of shots. But as Abrams describes the bit in the article:

    At the effects session, Abrams was demonstrating his commitment to the more retro, more tactile filmmaking Kasdan had talked about. One scene featured an alien creature that abruptly pops up out of the desert landscape with glowing, flashlight eyes that make it look like a distant cousin to the Jawas of A New Hope. Abrams later called it “a classic, old-school seesaw puppet. We just buried it in the sand, and Neal Scanlan, the creature guy, pushed down on one side and the thing came up on the other side.” At the session, the scene, with the alien suddenly sticking its head over a dune, got a big laugh. Some perfectionist suggested a few digital polishes, but Abrams was wary. “It’s so old-school and crazy,” he said. “We could improve this thing, but at some point do we lose the wonderful preposterousness?”

    The question was tabled, but “wonderful preposterousness” isn’t a bad descriptor of the Star Wars ethos at its best.


    So the theme seems to be, "Whatever works for best the bit, do that." For this particular bit, old school puppet. which I am totally in agreement with for that bit. Other bits, use other tools.
     
    Barriss_Coffee likes this.
  9. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    Well, I'm not saying I'm worried that they won't use any CGI or anything. But honestly, that's kind of the point - I don't really care how effects are done as long as they look good, and it's a little worrying when Abrams seems so focused on them, especially in the broader context of an article where it's clear that he knew he wanted to "go retro" well before he actually knew anything about a plot. I know this might be reading too much into things, but given that there are fans out there who really do talk this way, I'm just a little concerned that Abrams and company think the most effective way to "bring Star Wars back to the feeling of the OT" is to dial down the CGI and other superficial things like that, and not so much to actually have a good, fresh story and characters.
     
  10. Praenomen Cognomen

    Praenomen Cognomen Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2013

    I don't think they're mutually exclusive. I mean, put yourself in a director's shoes; you have to think about the look sooner or later, and when you do, that's what you're going to think of. To me it would seem going with that obvious choice is probably the less focus-intensive option. In the end, all it amounts to for the director is determining which building he goes into to look at the work being done.
     
    BigAl6ft6 likes this.
  11. Darth Koo

    Darth Koo Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 9, 2013
    I agree with you there. I honestly never understood the CGI hate. I mean look at the movie, Avatar. It was praised for its special effects and its story. The most important thing should always be the story.
     
    darklordoftech likes this.
  12. Grey1

    Grey1 Host: 181st Imperial Discussion Group star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2000
    What?
     
  13. Cynical_Ben

    Cynical_Ben Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 12, 2013
    If JJ wants to focus on the effects and leave the whole story thing to Larry Kasdan, that's cool with me.
     
    Praenomen Cognomen likes this.
  14. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    It's just Pocahontas mixed with Little Mermaid in Space isn't it?
     
  15. Zeta1127

    Zeta1127 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I have heard Avatar referred to as Dances with Wolves in space, and I am inclined to agree.
     
  16. Lugija

    Lugija Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2009
    There would be nothing "just" in that combination if done properly. But nopony sang in the movie :(. Hopefully Avatar 2 is Aladdin and Lion King in space.
     
  17. DigitalMessiah

    DigitalMessiah Chosen One star 6

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    Feb 17, 2004
  18. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

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    Sep 2, 2012
    Sharad Hett might be a good Star Wars example of this.
     
  19. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

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    Nov 12, 2012
    Avatar is worth it because the scope of the ending battle is pretty spectacular and Cameron writes entertaining villains and Stephen Lang milks the part of Quaritch for all it's worth. "Time to wake up!" *smashes avatar transmission thingie with his giant battle mech* C'mon, that stuff is gold!
     
  20. Robimus

    Robimus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 6, 2007
    The difference between having to do something and wanting to do something are completely different things.

    They are not doing the same thing Lucas did by any definition, they are just pretending that they are while slapping "Legends" tags on the alternate universe.

    It is easy to talk about how Disney is being so much cleaner at this point(despite the small discrepancies already creeping in). There is very little to contradict at this point. Give them time.
     
  21. Dante1120

    Dante1120 Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2006
    So Andy Serkis' character is called Supreme Leader Snoke

    [​IMG]

    Doesn't reveal much but it's still nice seeing him work. Kind of.
     
    Valin__Kenobi, Ghost and BigAl6ft6 like this.
  22. DelRiego

    DelRiego Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2002
  23. Abadacus

    Abadacus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 4, 2014
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  24. Taalcon

    Taalcon Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1998
    GUYS. You missed the biggest reveal. LOST CITY OF THE JEDI is now canon.
    Snoke Loroan.

    Which also explains that Kylo Ren is actual Ken the Jedi Prince. Get it? Ken. KEN. K-EN. Kylo rEN.
    #ItsAllConnected.

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Taalcon

    Taalcon Chosen One star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1998
    In all seriousness, though, it is interesting that old, obscure Star Wars names are being mined, even if there is no other resemblance in the characters themselves.

    Snoke Loroan -> Supreme Leader Snoke.
    Kybo Ren -> Kylo Ren

    Forms of Poe, Rey, and Finn have all been used before in the EU as well.
     
    JediMatteus, Revanfan1 and DelRiego like this.
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