Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[Nada]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Is it not in the North American Blu-ray disc discussion forum? Is it not thousands of pages of "Agh! I just want the UOT on Blu-ray! Lucas suxxors!"?

[wormraper]

sweet mother of mary

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by wormraper

sweet mother of mary

TGIF ~ You all have a great day

[Blu-Benny]

[Himmel]

Fandango has started their FORCE AWAKENS page....So keep it tuned there for when tickets go on sale!!!!

http://http://www.fandango.com/starw...10805_4337905_

[Himmel]

The First Star Wars: The Force Awakens Toy has been purchased from a store.

Rebelscum has some very interesting details about a Star Wars: The Force Awakens toy purchased from a Toys ‘R Us in Canada. Aside from the First Order Stormtrooper that was exclusively available at San Diego Comic Con, this is the first new toy for The Force Awakens to be found in a brick and mortar store. The following photos come from a Rebelscum reader Chad H. Congrats Chad.

http://http://www.rebelscum.com/stor...sed_165223.asp

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Nada

Honestly, I never noticed the "digital vs. film" thing when I saw them in theaters. Perhaps because at my theaters they were projected on film, but still. I think a lot of it comes down to the films being so far ahead of their time technically. Only in the last 5-6 years has the industry really caught up to what Lucas was doing 10-15 years ago. And many people, especially a certain group of fans with no knowledge or information, just look at them and say "Oh this looks different. Do not want!" and don't take into account how revolutionary the films really were, similar to the original three nearly forty years ago, but also how the techniques haven't changed a whole lot at the same time. They still use models. They still use matte paintings, they're just digital now. Same for puppets. Instead of a rob puppet we now have fully formed digital characters that can give real performances. The technology has changed, but the techniques are still quite similar. It still takes dedicated artists so many hours to create these wonderful and imaginative creations and I wish people would just take a moment to realize that and appreciate how special it is to have these kinds of expansive vistas and sequences on the screen in the first place.

You're pretty much preaching to the choir; I agree with you on most of that. I was 18 when "Phantom Menace" came out, and remember being blown away by the mere fact that "Star Wars" had returned to theaters. I'd seen the Special Edition of "A New Hope" at the cinema, but this was something different completely...and even now, I enjoy all the movies. I spent so much time on this website a few years ago, debating the haters on both sides, trying to point out the facts...but it quickly became clear to me lots of folks just don't care. They think they're right, whether its true or not, and just want to fight. They moan and complain over every little thing, so I quit posting because I got sick of the rhetoric. Back and forth, over and around, every single day...it was exhausting.

For the record - yes, there are small things I'd change in all six films. No, I don't think the current versions are "bastardizations", or whatever other term folks come up with. I firmly believe that Lucas made some mistakes, but did his best to correct most of them...and as a result, the series has become a pop-culture juggernaut. I'm looking forward to both "The Force Awakens" and "Rogue One", and I'm hoping they get Hayden for a scene with Carrie Fisher; one of my favorite books had Leia speaking with Anakin's ghost. I know Disney's made the EU mostly non-canon, but that concept is still a great one.

[Det. Bullock]

Originally Posted by Nada

Not a Clone Trooper, but he is in Jango Fett costume. The Clone Trooper armor doesn't exist.

That was exactly my point.

There are so many scenes with clone troopers that could have been done with just Temuera Morrison and a bunch of real costumes instead of copypasting his head on a 3D model, there is no reason other than Lucas despising directing actors on set for the overuse of CGI doubles, and you won't admit it.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

That was exactly my point.

There are so many scenes with clone troopers that could have been done with just Temuera Morrison and a bunch of real costumes instead of copypasting his head on a 3D model, there is no reason other than Lucas despising directing actors on set for the overuse of CGI doubles, and you won't admit it.

I think Harrison Ford was more right about Lucas, saying he likes actors but is just impatient with the process.

[Det. Bullock]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I think Harrison Ford was more right about Lucas, saying he likes actors but is just impatient with the process.

That's what I meant, it's not that he doesn't like actors, he doesn't like directing them, which ended up being the basic issue of the prequels.

[Moviefan2k4]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

That's what I meant, it's not that he doesn't like actors, he doesn't like directing them, which ended up being the basic issue of the prequels.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "directing them". The general consensus from the OT cast was about Lucas having two responses to almost any issue: "faster" or "more intense". I liked Anthony Daniels' reply to that: "I don't think a more intense Threepio would be bearable, do you?"

As for the PT cast, we really haven't heard much about the "directing" issue. Some might say that's a good thing, while others might have the opposite view. But at the very least, there didn't seem to be any complaints. I remember seeing part of a "Sith" documentary, where Lucas was talking to Hayden and Natalie between takes. They seemed to be listening, so he was obviously doing something right.

[Det. Bullock]

Originally Posted by Moviefan2k4

I guess it depends on what you mean by "directing them". The general consensus from the OT cast was about Lucas having two responses to almost any issue: "faster" or "more intense". I liked Anthony Daniels' reply to that: "I don't think a more intense Threepio would be bearable, do you?"

As for the PT cast, we really haven't heard much about the "directing" issue. Some might say that's a good thing, while others might have the opposite view. But at the very least, there didn't seem to be any complaints. I remember seeing part of a "Sith" documentary, where Lucas was talking to Hayden and Natalie between takes. They seemed to be listening, so he was obviously doing something right.

We don't know what was talking to them about, Natalie Portman said that most of the time she was told essentially nothing.

[Moviefan2k4]

Well overall, I think there's a lot more good in the prequels than bad. People started howling in protest over Anakin being a child during "The Phantom Menace", but I never had a problem with it. So little was told about Anakin's life in the OT, that I was able to accept most of Lucas' new ideas. I still think his turn to darkness was done too quickly, but at least Lucas owned up to that. In some ways, it actually makes more sense, because real shifts like that are often anything but subtle.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

That's what I meant, it's not that he doesn't like actors, he doesn't like directing them, which ended up being the basic issue of the prequels.

It's not so much actors he doesn't like but the whole shooting process, he's always hated it. Lucas has said many times over the years that he's an editor at heart, it's the edit bay where he feels he can really shape his film, hence the decreasing reliance on the shooting scripts as the prequels progressed (he hadn't even finished the Sith script by the time they started filming that one) and the increasing reliance on computer-aided tricks and pickups to fill in his "vision" after the fact.

Those things are standard practice these days (Fincher loves split-screening different takes together) but applying this 'we'll find it in the edit' approach to such a densely layered multi-generational series of films was all wrong. The prequels cried out for a firm hand on the tiller, story-wise, but Lucas was so enamoured with his new digital toys and the flexibility they gave him that he didn't want to be encumbered by anything, not even his own scripts or indeed the entire trilogy that he'd made previously. I'm amazed that the PT lined up as much as it did with the OT.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

That was exactly my point.

There are so many scenes with clone troopers that could have been done with just Temuera Morrison and a bunch of real costumes instead of copypasting his head on a 3D model, there is no reason other than Lucas despising directing actors on set for the overuse of CGI doubles, and you won't admit it.

They're clones. They have to be the exact same height. They have to move the same way, in unison. Making them CG was the easiest, most cost effective way to do it. Remember, Lucas is fitting the bill for these movies and he has to keep the budget in check. The budget spiraling out of control on Empire nearly cost him everything, thanks to Kurtz, so ever since then he's been more economical and in control of how the films are made. And honestly, aside from the shots where a clone is without his helmet on Utapau, the shots look fantastic. Yeah, they probably should have made a suit for a couple of those shots, but it's a nitpick and it's no worse than a plethora of effects shots in Episodes 4-6 that stick out like a sore thumb too.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by Det. Bullock

That's what I meant, it's not that he doesn't like actors, he doesn't like directing them, which ended up being the basic issue of the prequels.

Lucas does a lot of his directing with the casting choices. He picks people that are generally pretty close to the character they will be playing. Yes, he's not overly picky about actors, but he's also very direct about what he wants from what I understand and always has been. The style of acting is very consistent among the entire saga, as is the dialogue and overall style of filmmaking.

[aiman04]

I agree Lucas shouldn't have directed the prequels, in fact he actually didn't want to at first because as mentioned he dislike the process. But Spielberg convinced him otherwise. That said, I think the prequels turned out fine. While some may have a lot to complain, the only issue for me is the dialog in a some romantic scenes.

As for the visual effects, we all can't deny that there are tons of practical stuffs but I can also understand the claim that they still look CGI. The reason some scenes look unrealistic is because of the alien worlds i.e. Geonosis with its reddish environment our eyes have difficulties to relate to reality. Lucas wanted something different for each world, as we know almost none are alike in real life Jupiter's moon Titan has methane lakes and rain! Whenever we go to Tatooine or Naboo in the prequels it feels as authentic as the original trilogy. That is why The Force Awakens will look more practical, Abrams is smart not to have strange environments. It's not so much about the practical vs CGI argument.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

It's not so much actors he doesn't like but the whole shooting process, he's always hated it. Lucas has said many times over the years that he's an editor at heart, it's the edit bay where he feels he can really shape his film, hence the decreasing reliance on the shooting scripts as the prequels progressed (he hadn't even finished the Sith script by the time they started filming that one) and the increasing reliance on computer-aided tricks and pickups to fill in his "vision" after the fact.

As if Lucas is the only director who has gone into production without a final draft. And films are created in the editing bay for him. Just like they're creating in pre-production or production for other directors. No one's style is better or worse. It's all dependent on the what the filmmaker feels is best.

Those things are standard practice these days (Fincher loves split-screening different takes together) but applying this 'we'll find it in the edit' approach to such a densely layered multi-generational series of films was all wrong. The prequels cried out for a firm hand on the tiller, story-wise, but Lucas was so enamoured with his new digital toys and the flexibility they gave him that he didn't want to be encumbered by anything, not even his own scripts or indeed the entire trilogy that he'd made previously. I'm amazed that the PT lined up as much as it did with the OT.

This is a lot of conjecture on your part. Stick to the facts.

[Nada]

Originally Posted by aiman04

s.

As for the visual effects, we all can't deny that there are tons of practical stuffs but I can also understand the claim that they still look CGI. The reason some scenes look unrealistic is because of the alien worlds i.e. Geonosis with its reddish environment our eyes have difficulties to relate to reality. Lucas wanted something different for each world, as we know almost none are alike in real life Jupiter's moon Titan has methane lakes and rain! Whenever we go to Tatooine or Naboo in the prequels it feels as authentic as the original trilogy. That is why The Force Awakens will look more practical, Abrams is smart not to have strange environments. It's not so much about the practical vs CGI argument.

See, I think this is a step back. This is Star Wars, I want to see otherworldly planets with rich and varied environments and landscapes. All Abrams seems to be doing is replicating the same environments found on Earth. A desert planet. A snow planet. Only it's not Tatooine or Hoth, it's some other name, but it might as well be Tatooine and Hoth.

[Riddler The Slag]

We need a full time Mod in here to get rid of all this OT vs Prequels shit. Getting really tired of seeing it in a thread for a film that NOT EVEN OUT YET.

Just drop it.