JJ Abrams Reveals CG in ‘Star Wars’ You Never Noticed

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is getting ramping up to its 3D blu-ray collectors edition which will feature several deleted scenes as well as a commentary track with director JJ Abrams providing new insight into the production of the incredible film.

The Force Awakens struck a perfect balance between visual and practical effects to the point that it was able to trick your eye into believing a visual effect was actually practical and vice versa. Plenty of scenes featured visual effects that you would have never guessed were CGI and this morning it has been brought to our attention thanks to io9 (h/t CBR) just exactly what one of those scenes were.

In a clip, which you can view over at io9, Abrams discusses how Kylo Ren’s face was to first be revealed in the scene that introduced Supreme Leader Snoke, however. It was later decided to add Ren’s mask back onto Adam Driver in post production. This marks the second scene where Ren’s face was going to be revealed instead of when he removed his mask to show Rey he was not a monster, but a human underneath what was simply an intimidation device. The shot when he slammed his mask down into what I believe were the ashes of Darth Vader, was actually shot for the scene when Ren spoke to Vader’s mask in his chamber. The shot was lifted and then placed back into the interrogation scene later in the film. This has me wondering what other scenes Ren’s mask could have been a visual effect in but I don’t think when he spoke to Vader’s mask was one of them. I believe they actually shot that scene twice, once with Ren’s mask on and once with it off as they were still trying to figure out when the right time for the reveal was going to be. Hopefully, the 3D blu-ray will shed more light on this.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 3D blu-ray collectors edition hits shelves November 15^th.

SOURCE: io9 (via CBR)

JJ Abrams Talks Rey’s Forceback in ‘The Force Awakens’

Another clip from the commentary track on the upcoming 3D blu-ray collectors edition of The Force Awakens featuring director of JJ Abrams made it’s debut on yesterday’s episode of ‘The Star Wars Show’.

In the clip, which begins at 1:54 into the episode, Abrams provides his insight to one of the more mysterious scenes in the film — when Rey discovers and touches Anakin Skywalkers original lightsaber, lost by Luke in The Empire Strikes Back — propelling Rey into her forceback vision, witnessing several moments in time from the Skywalker Saga.

In this scene, she is drawn to this place, almost like Cinderella. And she goes to this box, which, when she opens, she discovers something that of course has no meaning to her. She’s never seen this before — doesn’t know what it is, but has meaning to the audience. Touching the lightsaber triggers what we called the “Forceback.” There were many iterations of this. In one, from the Cloud City Corridor, she looked down and saw Vader fighting Luke, which we ended up cutting. We wanted it to be a more personal story, something that she couldn’t comprehend, that was overwhelming to her, frightening to her, that was taking her through all of these elemental experiences, of fire, of rain, snow, wind. But also that she was being confronted with truths about the Force, about the past. The Knights of Ren here, the past for herself. She realizes that the cries she heard were actually her own cries as a young girl being taken away from her family. And then she hears a voice, “Rey,” and that’s Obi-Wan Kenobi.

What’s interesting here is that Abrams mentions how Rey saw Luke in his confrontation with Darth Vader — which was cut from the film, however. What he doesn’t mention was the young boy she also saw at the end of the corridor on Cloud City. While the book does not describe who he is, most fans assume it is a young Anakin Skywalker.

Due to these moments being cut from the film but still included in the novelization by Alan Dean Foster, the canon tends to get a bit murky specifically for The Force Awakens. But Lucasfilm has said that everything included in the novelization is in fact canon.

There are several other scenes that were cut from the film as well including Unkar Plutt catching up to Rey on Takodana which was revealed in a clip just the other day. In addition to that, Poe’s escape from Jakku was also mysteriously absent from the film but made it’s way into a DLC for the films Lego game. I myself was pretty confused when he popped up leading the Resistance into battle against the First Order smack dab in the middle of the film’s second act.

Lastly, when Rey began to overtake Kylo Ren in their duel she heard a mysterious voice egging her on to strike down Kylo. While it was not said who the voice belonged to, many fans assume this was Supreme Leader Snoke communicating to her as she no doubt channeled the dark side.

Time will tell whether we learn if any more of the film found it’s way to the cutting room floor (I’m looking at you Korr Sella).

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 3D blu-ray collectors edition hits shelves November 15, 2016.

JJ Abrams Talks ‘Star Wars’: “The Force Awakens” Reshoots

The 3D collections edition blu-ray for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is getting ready to hit shelves on November 15. Just a few days ago Lucasfilm released a clip from the film’s commentary track featuring director JJ Abrams commenting on that heartbreaking scene that left many fans with their guts ripped out.

Today Yahoo! has got the exclusive on another preview of the film’s commentary track featuring Abrams discussing one of the film’s most iconic moments when Rey (Daisy Ridley) takes a moment to focus and find the strength of the force within her as she duels with Kylo Ren.

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/star-wars-force-awakens-exclusive-125500342.html?format=embed

It’s interesting that JJ mentions the shot featuring Rey in her fiercest moment — no doubt channeling the dark side — was actually a reshoot added into the duel at a later point. This is most definitely an attempt to ease audience’s minds who are feeling a bit trepidatious over the infamous reshoots for the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In addition to the reshoots for the duel in the snow, JJ Abrams has already gone on record stating that the chemistry between Rey and Finn (John Boyega) was not working after he reviewed dailies from the shoot in Abu Dhabi. At first, there was too much hostility between the two characters. Some scenes were completely reshot including much of what happened on the Millennium Falcon after the two escaped from Jakku. Harrison Ford’s on-set injury allowed Abrams to go back and rewrite the scenes he felt needed improvement.

Head on over to IGN to watch another clip from the commentary where Abrams describes the differences between what was originally shot for Rey and Finn’s first meeting compared to what was reshot for the film’s final cut.

(sorry about the html embed not working — WordPress)

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Chewbacca Deleted Scene Released

Last year Star Wars fans who read the novelization of The Force Awakens noticed a scene featuring Unkar Plutt in Maz’s castle was mysteriously absent from the film. The scene saw Rey confronted by Unkar for stealing the Millenium Falcon and gave fans the moment they had been waiting to see since A New Hope when Chewbacca finally ripped out the arms from someone’s sockets.

Ahead of the 3D collectors edition blu-ray, Entertainment Weekly has given us our first look at one of the many deleted scenes that will be featured per this release.

The films editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon said last year that “Emotionally, it didn’t track with the story.”

While it would have been a fun scene to see, we can now see how it would have thrown off the rhythm of the film. Unfortunately, the clip ends just before Unkar gets what he deserves but it gives us Star Wars fans something to look forward to that will hopefully help hold us over until December when Rogue One hits theaters.

New Force Awakens Deleted Scene Featuring Chewbacca https://t.co/lE43G15uTZ

— Michael Mistroff (@mmistroff) October 18, 2016

SOURCE: EW, STARWARSNEWSNET

JJ Abrams Talks Kylo Ren and That Heartbreaking Scene

Ahead of the 3D collector’s edition blu-ray release for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm has released a clip from the film’s commentary track via USA Today that features director JJ Abrams providing his thoughts on the film’s pivotal scene which cemented Ben Solo’s journey to the dark side.

People have asked me if I think that Kylo Ren was just playing with him the whole time if he meant to kill him from the beginning, and the truth is I think that Kylo Ren in this moment is actually being convinced to walk away from this. Snoke is, as Han says, using him and I think that somewhere Ben knows this.

You can listen to the full clip here.

Ben absolutely knows that Snoke is using him for his power. Snoke is terrified of Luke Skywalker and knows the only chance he stands at defeating the Jedi Master is by using someone else in his bloodline against him. Only a Skywalker can defeat a Skywalker. Ben was on the edge the whole time as he felt drawn back towards the light throughout the film. But as it has been mentioned in the new canon novels, Snoke saw Vader’s final choice to turn back to the light and save his only son as the mistake that doomed the Empire.

Ben was on the edge the whole time as he felt drawn back towards the light throughout the film. But as it has been mentioned in the new canon novels, Snoke saw Vader’s final choice to turn back to the light and save his only son as the mistake that doomed the Empire. Ultimately, I don’t think Ben wanted to make the same mistake.

We know that Ben didn’t learn the truth about his grandfather until he was at least in his early twenties which is still a very impressionable age. Given that Ben resents his parents for their absence in his younger years and for being sent off to train to become a Jedi with his Uncle, it would make sense for Ben to latch onto a figure of such power in his family.

What we still don’t know is how exactly Snoke seduced Ben to the dark side. But one thing is for sure whether he was on the edge or not, his choice to kill his father and extinguish the light within him solidified his commitment to the dark side.

The 3D collectors edition of The Force Awakens hits shelves November 15.

SOURCE: USA TODAY