How The Star Wars Sausage Is Made

One of the things that Star Wars and Industrial Light and Magic have done for forty years is push the boundaries of film technology. Back in 1977, no one had done what Lucas envisioned for his space opera. They had to invent it as they went along. Sure, the prequels blew bantha wiener, but even they had decent effects. The only time they really dropped the ball was in the Star Wars: Special Editions from the 90's. Skinny Jabba? C'mon. But they redeemed themselves with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and so far Rogue One looks good too. In this reel released by Lucasfilm this week we can peek behind the curtain to see how the effects are done. One of the reasons I think Force Awakens worked better than the prequels is the adequate mix of practical and digital effects. With the prequels it was all just green screen and shiny orbs.

Also JJ Abrams is a MUCH better director with actors than George Lucas. That guy should have taken a cue from his friend Jim Henson and just worked with puppets.