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

Discussion Michael Kaplan joins Episode 7 production

Discussion in 'Archive: Disney Era Films' started by The Hellhammer, May 19, 2013.

  1. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Depends.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Scummy_and_Villainous

    Scummy_and_Villainous Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    May 13, 2013
    "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Ships making kessel runs in less than 12 parsecs. I've a watched a T-16 bulls-eye Womp rats that were not much bigger than two meters. All those... moments... will be lost in time, like tears... in... rain."
     
  3. Jedifirefly5

    Jedifirefly5 Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012

    Yes, on whether there is a reigning monarch or not.
     
  4. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2009
    But we don't know if there's going to be formal monarchy and such. Let's be honest. We don't know enough about the story to make a strong statement on whether he's an appropriate designer for 7 (or the ST). It's not fair to judge him solely next to the PT.

    The OT costume look was basically utilitarian, with a limited amount of environments, filtered through a sense of fairy tale color coding. (white for purity, organic hues for good, sterile colors for bad, black for evil, etc) Even the royals and delegates we see are rather stripped down compared to the PT.

    The PT was basically a Merchant Ivory period piece in space, with an emphasis on broad world building. And Trisha Biggar executed that beautifully.

    For all we know, a utilitarian approach is exactly what is needed for the ST. Am I skeptical that Abrams is hiring a guy historically known for these gritty, utilitarian looks? Perhaps. But, does Kaplan have it in him to "get" the fairy tale aspect of Star Wars aesthetics? Well, that's a broader question regarding the designers of the movie. I'm confident that he has enough experience to execute a movie on this scale. But really, John Mollo hadn't done any elaborate space operas before 1977, and Trisha Biggar had certainly not done anything on the scale of the PT before.
     
  5. phatdude1138

    phatdude1138 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2005
    LOL!!! [face_laugh] This might be the greatest post of all time! ^^^

    That "costume" is cutting edge.

    Seriously though, I barely can use my new sewing machine and I think I could make something better than that. Actually I could make anything better than anything worn in Star Trek.

    But good point The-Eternal-Hero , one of the things that defines Star Wars is it's costumes. I hope this dude makes Ralph Mcquarrie proud (R.I.P.)

    [​IMG]
     
    The-Eternal-Hero likes this.
  6. TtheForceHurts

    TtheForceHurts Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2010
    I am fine with Kaplan.While I have no problem with Biggar, I did not like some of the PT costumes/design choices though ( Naboo guards, Coruscant night club crowd, Senators), I think the biggest problem was Lucas (let's put Portman into 30 different costumes, so I can sell 30 differnt action figures and dolls)...
     
  7. The Hellhammer

    The Hellhammer Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 2012
    I'm sure that Amidala sometimes changed outfits midsentence.
     
  8. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Oh sure, there's nothing that toymakers, like Hasbro, enjoy making more than girl character action figures in elaborate dresses that essentially turn their normally poseable toys into salt shakers. Lucas, you mad genius!
     
  9. Chewgumma

    Chewgumma Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 14, 2009
    Implying Hasbro give a rat's ass about how consumers use the articulation points on their products.
     
    LawJedi likes this.
  10. The-Eternal-Hero

    The-Eternal-Hero Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2012
    Well, traditionally, a lot of costuming in SW is done by the concept designers and then interpreted by the costume designer. That's true of all six films.
     
    jedinightwing, sethg and FRAGWAGON like this.
  11. BigAl6ft6

    BigAl6ft6 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Nov 12, 2012
    If anyone is wondering exactly who the crew will be for this film on the majority of the behind the scenes parts, take a look at the credits for Abrams 4 movies and copy and paste probably 80% of that into Ep. 7. Bad Robot is co-producing so he's basically just gonna move his entire crew over.
     
  12. Episode Swag

    Episode Swag Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 9, 2013
    Interesting, albiet slightly disappointing. I'd rather Trisha reprise her role but this isn't a deal breaker by any means. Though to be fair the styles of both trilogies don't differ that much in my eyes. It's just that we see a lot of rich senators, monarchs and Jedi masters in the PT. It makes perfect sense that they would be wearing the absolute best of the best in terms of fashion at the time. Whearas in the OT, we see a ton of ragtag rebels that don't have a whole lot of money going for them. This is essentially why their clothing is much less extravagant than what we see in the PT as a whole. And as for the pilots in the PT, I think that was more because it was a peaceful era (till the clone wars hit) and so their uniforms were more ceremonial and decorative than anything. Rebels couldn't afford to be super ceremonial however.

    The only rich guy I could think of that has extravagant clothing in the OT is Lando. But he's more rougue like than your average aristocrat so it's not that extreme compared to the PT.

    Overall, we'll see what happens.
     
    Darth Chiznuk likes this.
  13. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Honestly, the more I look at the his costumes, the more I'm impressed. Costumes aren't always pretty and flashy, they have to fit with the universe, the story line, etc. Sure Kaplan has costumed things that had very now costumes like Fight Club and Ghost Protocol, as that is the type of costume those movies called for, but that doesn't mean he can't do Star Wars justice. I reiterate that he managed to keep Star Trek like Star Trek but with a newer feel. Had the costumes been flashy and/or overly elaborate they would not have fit and that would have been bad costuming.

    They didn't need to be cutting edge, they needed to be true to the show. I can see how some people might have some reservations but the one picture of Cumberbatch in what is pretty much a coat and saying it's uninspired is unfair. I finally found a picture of one of the best homages to the original thing, with a comparison side by side pic (MAJOR SPOILERS!!):
    [​IMG]
    While it wasn't seen very long, it completely fit with this Khan, yet had an homage to the original Kahn.
     
  14. Bobatron

    Bobatron Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    Remember from watching the DVD featurettes that the approach with the prequels was different...well, unless they are doing things the same way. Lucas called upon his designers to brainstorm stuff based on a few details, usually not related to the story, and that led to stuff like the Sith Witch, extrapolations of Ralph McQuarrie's drawings. This kind of planet, this kind of city, etc. The only Prequel people I'm expecting to see are the ones who've been around all along like Dennis Muren, Ben Burtt, John Knoll.
     
  15. Bobatron

    Bobatron Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    Implying the figures are bought more for kids to play than bought by adults to keep in the packaging. Heck if Padme had worn one costume, Hasbro would have about ten different figures for that one.
     
    Episode Swag likes this.
  16. Chewgumma

    Chewgumma Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 14, 2009
    Not really. I'm pretty sure Hasbro won't care who is buying their products so long as they're being purchased.
     
  17. LawJedi

    LawJedi Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2009
    Toys are for opening, losers. [face_talk_hand]
     
  18. Darth Claire

    Darth Claire Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2012
    I've accepted the idea that we most likely wont be seeing all the OT/PT crew returning. Id like to see new people working on these films *much like how we have a new writer, director and inevitable cast* instead of just rehashing the same people again. Sure you can combine the old crew and the new but I'd like to see some new things.
     
  19. A Chorus of Disapproval

    A Chorus of Disapproval Head Admin & TV Screaming Service star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2003
    [​IMG]
    ****ing grim...
     
  20. Jedifirefly5

    Jedifirefly5 Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012
    Lando is also the only civilian inthe OT. The galaxy id made up of trillions of beings. Not all of them want to wear leather carharrts. Not all people are pilots, soldiers or mechanics. Some peole like to look good.
     
  21. FRAGWAGON

    FRAGWAGON Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2012
    For now, disappointed. But who knows how horribly modern the script is in which case I'm sure he'll be perfect.
     
    The-Eternal-Hero likes this.
  22. TCF-1138

    TCF-1138 Anthology/Fan Films/NSA Mod & Ewok Enthusiast star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2002
    I don't think certain people here understand the real role of a costume designer...
     
  23. The-Eternal-Hero

    The-Eternal-Hero Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2012
    They design costumes, don't they?

    It depends on the production. With SW (and with Blade Runner as well) the conceptual designers put their stamp on the costuming. But Trisha really contributed major things through her interpretations, her choice of fabrics, the way the costumes were cut, details she added. The PT is truly one of the most beautifully costumed series of films ever produced.

    Some costume designers like to start from scratch, either with sketches based on the script or hunting down materials suggested by the story and building up a library of textures that capture the look and feel of the "world" they'll be helping to create. Some directors being them in early, others bring them in late in the process. It's never exactly the same.

    Some of us here are a little bored by the current Hollywood trend to spend millions of dollars on sci-fi/fantasy-type films, and then deliver a blurry, shaky-cam movie with characters wearing t-shirts and khaki's with shaved heads and ponytails. You can see that at the local mall any day of the week! We totally understand that the OT was very minimal in the costume dept, that the OT is perceived to be more popular than the PT, and that the new film will be mostly copying the OT style, in all probability. And we get that SW also has smugglers, bounty hunters, and civilians along with its Jedi, Sith, royalty and senators. We'd just rather have the visual opulence of the PT if we had a choice. 'Cause it's more fun to look at and it helps sell the fantasy that we're looking at another world, not our own. This particular designer does jeans & t-shirts type stuff, so some of us are a little bummed. That doesn't mean we won't like or love E7, it's just that we know what we like :)
     
  24. FRAGWAGON

    FRAGWAGON Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 3, 2012
    To me it sends a signal that we're moving out of the naive, gee-whiz, swashbuckling territory and into modernity. I hope I'm wrong but that's my honest gut reaction.
     
  25. The Hellhammer

    The Hellhammer Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 2012
    Hah, well unless you're working on fantasy or sci-fi movies your whole career, pretty much everyone does "jeans and t-shirts" type of stuff most of the time. If a movie is set in this universe and this timeframe, you can't really have them running around in Adeptus Astartes Terminator power armor, now can you? That argument holds very little water.

    In fact, let's take a look at some of the things Trisha Biggar has done.
    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0081773/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

    Well, I'll be damned - except for Star Wars, she seems to have mostly designed clothes that I can see every day on the street!
    How ever did such a "regular clothes" designer get to work on our precious prequels?