Page 59 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2020)

things we wanted the new Star
ways that are very interesting not
Wars to be. How it would be similar
to the first trilogy. How would it
be different, because times have
changed and it’s been imitated so
much. It’s hard to make things look
fresh. But all our thoughts were
similar. The movies had to get back
to tactile [effects and sets], rather
than CGI. One of the wonderful
things about the first trilogy is that
it’s kind of funky and puts on a
show. The creatures in the first one
are crude, but become more
sophisticated in The Empire Strikes
Back. Then came more effects and
sophistication.
But even through Return of
the Jedi, there’s a tactile feel like
we’re actually on a set somewhere
shooting this movie. All of us
wanted to get back to that feeling,
which we thought maybe had
drifted away in subsequent movies.
So, that was common ground. Then,
things that interested us in the
story were similar. It was a family
saga, and we talked about how we
would continue to play it out in
just for new generations but for
the people who saw it originally,
40 years ago. So, you’re paying
tribute to a tradition, a saga that
has made an impact beyond
anyone’s imagination. You’re trying
to be supportive of it, loyal, honest,
and respectful of it, and at the same
time, move it forward.
How much did you talk about
balancing visual effects with
the practical?
We discussed balancing the effects
and the physical properties of the
movie endlessly. It was the primary
issue for us. How do we take a human
story with relatable themes and keep
it feeling like a real story that’s been
done by actors on real sets?
The sets certainly do feel like Star
Wars. How did they go about
getting that iconic feel?
Rick Carter and Darren Gilford, the
production designers, created an
environment that’s so powerfully
redolent of the Star Wars saga.
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