ST Chewbacca / Peter Mayhew in Ep. VII

I doubt JJ will use as much CGI. Of course, he'll use some. But not as much as Lucas. A man in a suit can easily do the work that will be required in this script.

 

Didn't they try that when shooting Jedi? Apparently, Peter was sick/flu, whatever, and they had someone else in the Chewie costume. Upon seeing the footage afterward, they decided to re-shoot it when Peter was better because it just didn't look like the real Chewbacca moving.

 

Sadly I'm only familiar with the production of A New hope and the prequels. Not to much on RotJ and ESB. You may well be right!

 

Some people think that any tall person can play Chewie. I don't especially if Peter plays him when he is static and another double plays him when moving. Body language speaks as loud as words. It was Empire and Kershner who refilled scenes that a double was used for because he felt that he could notice the difference in the performance of the actors. I think the better way would be to write Peter's limitations into the character of Chewie.

 

I'm wondering if Chewie will have more of a longer-haired, unkempt look as he did in ROTJ. If you look at his looks in ANH and ESB vs. ROTJ, there is a noticeable difference...





I personally like the unkempt look. It's more like a lion's mane, making him look more distinguished. I also wouldn't mind some touches of grey in his hair. What do you think we'll get?

 

I always wondered where Chewie got his hair done for ROTJ

 

I prefer the ANH/TESB look, I hope they go back to that.

The Chewbacca in the Bob Iger selfie has the longer hair and I assumed it was Mayhew getting fitted for the costume.

Maybe Chewbacca has had several different looks over the 30 years - maybe a mohawk

 

Give me the Axl Rose look:

 

You haven't seen the script, so how do you know?

Abrams will use a lot of CGI - Star Wars goes forward, not backwards.

 

Yup. People act like JJ is not going to use any CGI at all or "very little" just cause a lot of people say that's what was wrong with the prequels when that wasn't the problem. I fully expect him to utilize both CGI and practical. I'm betting we'll see extensive use of CGI.

 

Where the CGI appears to have been reigned right back if reports are true is in the actual studio sets. There were sets in the PT that were little more than a couple of props and the rest was green screen. In the Opera scene in ROTS for example, only the actors and chairs were real; everything else, even the floors and walls were CGI. Someone else here once illustrated the pre-CGI scene of Commander Cody handing Obi Wan his lightsabre. Even Cody's armour in that shot was CGI! That's two examples of the sort of thing I don't think we'll see too much of this time around.

Conversely I've no doubt we'll still get spectacular CGI space battles and what I'm really looking forward to most CGI-wise are Andy's Imaginarium created motion capture characters. I've a hunch they'll be truly memorable if Gollum or Caesar are anything to go by.

Sorry for going further off topic! But this being Peter's thread: I wonder what, to any extent, will we see CGI enhance Chewie's performance since poor Peter's knees aren't up to much running these days. A body double would have a job doing Peter's run I think which looks very distinctive, though I could be wrong.

 

After ESB, Chewie had a flat-top... and also some newer gear. But then apparently tamed back down for ROTJ... Maybe Han would never let him wear that stuff so he had to get it out of his system while he was in carbonite... Maybe we'll get something like that again in E7 haha

 

Exactly - and that isn't a big deal - it is a filmmaking choice not Abrams rebelling against CGI. People seem to think he is making some kind of retro borderline B-movie that looks 50 years old - which are great by the way

He is just using CGI differently.

I think the CGI, and effects, in Episode VII will push VFX to next level, just like the previous six did.

I'd say no CGI on Chewbacca - at least very little, some kind of enhancement on a stunt or such.

There will be a body double for sure for moment that Mayhew isn't able for - but the double will really have to learn from Mayhew how to bring Chewie to life.

Hopefully, Mayhew will be in good health for many years to come but Lucasfilm may have to secure a back up plan in case Mayhew's legs aren't strong enough for future films.

 

From Twitter:

Chelsea Viegas ‏@chelseaviegas
They are filming the new Star Wars 15 minutes away from me chewy has grey hair

I hope so! Chewie should be aged up a little bit!

 

Suprised no ones seen Peter about town, he must be very hard to miss

 

I am sorry to say it, but if Peter's legs are making it difficult for him to do the part, wouldn't it be more practical to simply have another tall person do it instead? I know he has a very specific way of moving in the costume, but it's not as if you couldn't coach someone to move like that over time, with assistance from a choreographer/motion expert. They could even have Mayhew as a consultant. To be entirely honest, I was very surprised when I found out that he was returning in the role, given what must be a very uncomfortable costume even for a much younger man. I thought the same thing about Tony Daniels and Kenny Baker. I mean, these guys are getting on a bit to be climbing into those getups. It's one thing bringing back principal human characters, who don't have to wear elaborate make up, but sticking senior citizens into those outfits almost seems harsh.

 

Ok who has stalked this person to see where they're filming now? I doubt she is talking about Pinewood unless Chewie is out for a smoke.

 

Really? Because...



TPM.

Spoiler

AOTC.

Spoiler

ROTS.

Spoiler

That's not to say that there weren't scenes filmed with almost nothing, but blue and green painted props to stand in for speeders, but there was quite a bit of old school sets built for the PT.

 

I think most of us are well aware that the PT had plenty of scenes filmed with extensive sets, backed up by some smaller bluescreen elements. The problem is, for the most part, you can really tell the difference when you go from one extreme to the other. There are definitely scenes where actors are simply in complete void and they tend to stick out like a sore thumb, sadly.

 

But I'm betting he won't be gratuitous with it. I see him using CGI for backgrounds and non-living things.

 

In case you haven't seen it yet, Devin re-tweeted a post from this girl who claims Chewie has grey hair:

https://twitter.com/chelseaviegas/status/491687841421094912

 

Hmm, so if we can believe this, Chewie has scenes without Han? Because clearly Harrison hasn't been filming for some time.

 

OK I've just come off night shift and I'm pretty tired but I'll try this again...

I said, "There were sets in the PT that were little more than a couple of props and the rest was green screen" I gave the Opera Scene as an example because it was two chairs and several people. The rest was green screen. I don't see how you can argue with that seeing as it happens to be true. I can give another example: the scene where Commander Cody hands Obi Wan his lightsaber. Temuera's armour was CGI as was the entire background.

I'm at a loss to understand why you think I would not be aware of the other examples you gave, I knew about those scenes you showed already; I know they constructed real droid props, a real droid tank and so on. In fact I pretty much assumed everyone knew about them!

I'm in no mood to argue after the shift I've just had, but I will say this... everything we've heard leaked from the sets suggests that it is much less likely that any sets are being filmed like the two examples I gave. I could be completely wrong of course, I never said I knew this as fact, I was speculating... Of course they are still using green screen, CGI characters etc, but as Grand_Moff_Jawa said I have a hunch and it is only a hunch that it won't be so gratuitous.

Blimey O' Riley...

 

I've been thinking about this - people have exaggerated over the years Lucas's use of CGI (though I don't believe this is what CairnsTony was implying - a couple were completely CGI as I recall) and now many are really overboard in the opposite direction with Abrams.

Abrams has committed to this movie in a big way - he left his family in the States and I don't know if they followed him over in the summer but he wouldn't see them anyway, That is a big deal on a personal level.

He has also committed on a professional level. Another big deal.

Disney paid $4 billion for Star Wars. That isn't chicken feed, even for Disney. They have a lot riding on this.

Abrams and Disney don't that for movie that will be all miniatures, Muppets, strings and filmed in JJ's mom's basement.

You don't commit all that, and make a movie with old technology - you don't go back to the way is was done in RotJ, not to the Prequels.

The aliens have to outshine Gollum, the CGI has to bury the Apes, the scale has to make The Hobbit look like a SyFy movie and the space battles... well, bar Abrams two Star Treks, which are a different kettle of fish, no-one has done those since the Prequels because no-one can.. so the ST have to make no-one feel up to try for the next 150 years.

Jaws must break in cinemas from sheer amazement and wonder - the technology has to jump lightyears ahead, not revert or do what other big VFX movies do.

The story and characters are not the issue here - they are just a part of the picture - but Episode VII quite simply has to do what each of the previous six have done - look and sound like nothing less that we have seen before.

 

One of the Christian Brothers who thought me maths had a hunch - I swear it used to move from led to right ..

And the the CGI will be super-supergratuitous