Blog Archives
Filming in Space, You Are?
(Colin Trevorrow, Comic Book Cast)
“I asked the question, ‘Is it possible for us to shoot IMAX film plates in actual space for Star Wars?’,” he said.
“I haven’t gotten an answer yet, but they’ve shot IMAX in space.”
–Colin Trevorrow
Filming Star Wars: Episode IX in the stars?
Let the war for cinema’s best practical effects begin.
Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow, working on his second mega franchise with Star Wars, revealed this stunning news recently during a panel at the Sundance Film Festival. He and a few directors, including Christopher Nolan, were discussing the incomparable quality and necessary future of film as an alternative to digital for filmmakers when this golden nugget surprisingly made its way into the conversation.
The conversation for saving film as a means for making movies is a worthy discussion for another day.
Returning to the burgeoning and ambitious young director, Mr. Trevorrow clearly means business in preparing to tackle the Star Wars universe. If simply daring to direct his second prodigious blockbuster isn’t proof enough.
One of the primary consequences of Star Wars: Episodes I-III was a rejection of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) as central, interactive settings. This forced a return to the newest trilogy to feature locations that are rooted in practical effects. Add in supreme storytelling, better characters (ie-Jar Jar Binks) and a modern twist with a vintage, blue lightsaber glow.
Regarding the first film in the new trilogy, J.J. Abrams did an amazing job with The Force Awakens. The blockbuster utilized practical effects to the max. However, like any industry, innovation is paramount (the word, not the studio). Despite the lack of perfect effects, though groundbreaking at the time, the original Star Wars trilogy is cherished by fans for its revolutionary look and feel.
Episode IV, for example, looks like 1977. Watching this classic is like opening up a time capsule with a lightsaber inside.
Episode IX, with an expected release in 2019, could very well turn an important page for science-fiction epics in ways found only in our imaginations.
The investment in more practical effects correlating with demand for more realism in cinema is constantly increasing. The ROI has proven to be remarkable for movies that mimic real life to a certain extent, yet still give us what we want in a movie and in the theater: suspended belief.
Imagine a Star Wars battle scene, set in outer space, that’s actually filmed in outer space…
That would certainly be a new hope for the series.
Colin Trevorrow’s vision for Star Wars: Episode IX is bigger than any IMAX screen.
Making the Right Count
Perhaps, it was just happenstance that I changed the channel to the cinematic masterpiece Titanic tonight literally five seconds before the beginning of the film?
Or maybe randomness isn’t as random (or decipherable) as we’d like to think it is.
With most movies made back in 1997 and earlier, it’s common to change channels and tune in somewhere in the middle. We’ve become so familiar with interrupting a movie in the middle and at the endings when the play on television that we can forget the opening acts that initially engaged us during our premiere experience.
The poker game with Jack Dawson and friend Fabrizio is a classic scene. It illustrates luck, savvy game play and the American way of betting it all on a dream.
And for a particular writer looking for some game-changing chance luck of his own, the aforementioned risk reveals an appealing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of titanic proportions.
The tricky part is identifying that paramount poker game when it’s not a poker game.
And for me personally, I pray my moment isn’t a literal card game.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 