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Star Wars Episode VIII Production Thread (Principal Photography Complete)

Gravidee

Member
Maul's sustained injury coupled with that fall was just too much for me to believe that he could have survived even minutes after landing.

Just isn't believable to me whatsoever even in a fantasy thing. Like I said I can accept what happened with Anakin for reasons mentioned, but Maul was clearly, very intentionally dead and they only brought him back for fan service.

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."
―Sheev Palpatine

As I said earlier, some people have survived being bisected before in our world. Now imagine that the lightsaber cauterizes the wound so no blood loss, the fact that the dark side kept his will to live alive, and that he used parts with he force to semi-replace what had been lost by the time he was dropped onto that junkyard planet. This is also not taking into account whether or not Zabrakian biology is 100% the same as ours.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I fell in love with that Tatooine Jinn-Maul fight, one of my favorite's from the prequels.

YoungShortHackee.gif

It's filmed terribly, though. Easily the most badly shot fight in the series. Even in that .gif, half the shots are a zoomed in jumble of flying robes and sabers; we can't tell what the heck is going on.
 

Mr Cola

Brothas With Attitude / The Wrong Brotha to Fuck Wit / Die Brotha Die / Brothas in Paris
It's filmed terribly, though. Easily the most badly shot fight in the series. Even in that .gif, half the shots are a zoomed in jumble of flying robes and sabers; we can't tell what the heck is going on.

Looks like Marvel filmed the action scene, confusing, jumpy

Why marvel :(
 

prag16

Banned
He's the most interesting villain in Star Wars. Vader became interesting in the second film, but Kylo Ren is immediately interesting in his debut. Vader in A New Hope was mostly iconic, which Kylo Ren isn't, but that's a direct plot point.

I wanna be cool like you granpaps

A lot of people I know who aren't massive Star Wars fans don't like Kylo Ren. I can reason with them until I'm blue in the face, but they keep coming back to, "He's a lame poser, and he's goofy looking, and he gets owned by Rey, durrrr, therefore he sux and is lame."

They don't care about any of the rationale (well, aside from the "he's goofy looking" charge; I generally don't dignify that one with a response).

Meanwhile he's secretly the GOAT Star Wars villain in many ways.
 
It's filmed terribly, though. Easily the most badly shot fight in the series. Even in that .gif, half the shots are a zoomed in jumble of flying robes and sabers; we can't tell what the heck is going on.

Seriously. The wide shots, especially the tracking one, look good-to-great. Too bad there are so few of them.
 
A lot of people I know who aren't massive Star Wars fans don't like Kylo Ren. I can reason with them until I'm blue in the face, but they keep coming back to, "He's a lame poser, and he's goofy looking, and he gets owned by Rey, durrrr, therefore he sux and is lame."

Yeah, they sound like... well, people. I can see people saying this, because they say stupid shit all the time. Besides, Kylo was a fucking badass in the fight at the end so that doesn't even make any damn sense.
 

The conclusion they draw lends a bit more credence to the idea a lot of TFA deleted scenes were intentionally held back for story reasons. Wonder if the artbook and the deleted scenes we already got will be the only details we'll get until after the trilogy. And if there is a good bit of dropped/shelved/moved story material they don't want us seeing yet, I wonder if there's an even crazier collection of TFA artwork we won't see until years from now.
 
I was surprised it was coming out this year actually. The amount of brainstorming and ideas that were rejected or saved for later films will spoil too much. I'm thinking they're make it after 8 or even 9.
 
It was never actually scheduled, was it? Just a vague "October" listing. So I dont' think it being removed from the slate is proof of cancellation.

Honestly, nothing against Mark Cotta Vaz, but I kinda hope if they're taking it off the schedule and pushing it back indefinitely, that they get Rinzler back on the case.
 
I was surprised it was coming out this year actually. The amount of brainstorming and ideas that were rejected or saved for later films will spoil too much. I'm thinking they're make it after 8 or even 9.

The OT books definitely benefited from being written a while after each film, so I guess it might be a blessing in disguise.
 
Hey, people have survived being cut in half before in real life, and those people sure don't need the force to do it. Also, the implication is that his upper half got sucked into a trash disposal tube (much like Luke), so it's not like he plummeted to the bottom of that huge abyss.

I don't think anyone survives getting cut in half without immediate medical help, machines keeping them alive and and months of repeated surgeries. Call me crazy, but I don't think anyone was around to give Maul medical attention. At all.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
I wish they'd show some cool behind the scenes picture like James Gunn does. I'm fiening for anything Episode 8 related even if it's just the cast on their break.
 

B33

Banned
Honestly, nothing against Mark Cotta Vaz, but I kinda hope if they're taking it off the schedule and pushing it back indefinitely, that they get Rinzler back on the case.
I agree.

Pushing the book back to after the entire trilogy is released in theaters and getting Rinzler back would lead to a better product.
 
Dat Royal privilege...

http://comicbook.com/2016/04/25/princes-william-and-harry-film-cameos-for-star-wars-episode-viii/

With thousands of masked, mostly silent Stormtroopers in the Star Wars universe, it turns out that's a perfect opportunity for people who have always wanted to be a part of the movies, but who -- for whatever reason -- don't necessarily want to be "seen" onscreen.

During Star Wars: The Force Awakens, current James Bond Daniel Craig is rumored to have played a Stormtrooper...and with Star Wars Episode VIII currently filming, it looks like Princess Leia is going to be in some royal company.

The Daily Mail reports that Princes William and Harry -- the grandsons of England's Queen Elizabeth and the children of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana -- filmed a cameo appearance as Stormtroopers for the next film while visiting the set at Pinewood Studios.
 
This may be going far ahead, but any chance that Episode IX will be pushed back into 2020?

Also, given that Disney now owns the license, is there the chance that Episode IX may conclude open ended to lead into the trilogy that follows?
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
It's filmed terribly, though. Easily the most badly shot fight in the series. Even in that .gif, half the shots are a zoomed in jumble of flying robes and sabers; we can't tell what the heck is going on.

Isn't that the point though? I'm loathe to defend the cinematography of the prequels but in that fight Maul is supposed to be a mysterious stranger who just appeared out of nowhere and attacked, it should be messy. He's got this huge robe on that's flapping everywhere while Qui-Gon is trying to work out what the fuck is going on.
 
This may be going far ahead, but any chance that Episode IX will be pushed back into 2020?

Also, given that Disney now owns the license, is there the chance that Episode IX may conclude open ended to lead into the trilogy that follows?
Unless there's a literal disaster, no, no chance. It will hit 2019. They already started development ages ago, they still have years open for preproduction, and Trevorrow is competent enough when it comes to getting a big movie out, so there's literally no reason to expect them to have difficulty meeting 2019. Plus, Christmas is THE slot for these movies anyway, so Disney would never let it slip to another season, and Avatar already owns Christmas 2020, so it wouldn't be pushed there either.

And nah, it'll be a complete story come the end of IX. In the grand scheme there may be some possible dangling lines here or there, but the core story and character arcs of the trilogy will be completed.

Isn't that the point though? I'm loathe to defend the cinematography of the prequels but in that fight Maul is supposed to be a mysterious stranger who just appeared out of nowhere and attacked, it should be messy. He's got this huge robe on that's flapping everywhere while Qui-Gon is trying to work out what the fuck is going on.

You're not wrong. It's definitely meant to be disorienting to the viewer. Maul comes out of no where and no one really has any idea what the fuck is going on at all. It's filmed in a way that reflects that. Now, it doesn't help that Maul (or half the movie) is poorly handled in general, but at least in idea and execution for that particular scene it does what it's supposed to accomplish.

I wouldn't call it an amazing fight either way though.
 

Surfinn

Member
The conclusion they draw lends a bit more credence to the idea a lot of TFA deleted scenes were intentionally held back for story reasons. Wonder if the artbook and the deleted scenes we already got will be the only details we'll get until after the trilogy. And if there is a good bit of dropped/shelved/moved story material they don't want us seeing yet, I wonder if there's an even crazier collection of TFA artwork we won't see until years from now.

This is exactly my frame of mind on the matter. The deleted scenes for one are WAY too short when apparently they had 4 hours of footage to edit.

They're holding back for story reasons, I think. Way too little content post release (in theaters) for the amount of work that went into making the film. Lot's of stuff will show up in the next two sequels, I'm sure.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Isn't that the point though? I'm loathe to defend the cinematography of the prequels but in that fight Maul is supposed to be a mysterious stranger who just appeared out of nowhere and attacked, it should be messy. He's got this huge robe on that's flapping everywhere while Qui-Gon is trying to work out what the fuck is going on.

Nah, that's not a good justification to film something so pooly. You can convey a powerful mysterious figure attacking aggressively out of nowhere without zooming the camera in so far all you can see is flapping robes. They're in the middle of the desert. Qui-gon can see just fine.

There are a handful of good shots in there, such as the wide shot of Maul driving Qui-gon straight back, and they are much more effective at conveying Maul's threat than flapping robes. It's just badly shot.

This is exactly my frame of mind on the matter. The deleted scenes for one are WAY too short when apparently they had 4 hours of footage to edit.

They're holding back for story reasons, I think. Way too little content post release (in theaters) for the amount of work that went into making the film. Lot's of stuff will show up in the next two sequels, I'm sure.

I hadn't read there was 4 hours of footage, closer to 3. IIRC they didn't want to make an epic film from the get go, and scaled the story down accordingly. Do you have a link handy?

Agree about the reason for the scene selection. In particular, the scenes of Maz using the Force, and giving the saber to Leia - possibly explaining how she got it - sound like story beats saved for later.
 

Sephzilla

Member
It's filmed terribly, though. Easily the most badly shot fight in the series. Even in that .gif, half the shots are a zoomed in jumble of flying robes and sabers; we can't tell what the heck is going on.

My first thought looking at that gif was "Did Chris Nolan film this?"
 

Surfinn

Member
Nah, that's not a good justification to film something so pooly. You can convey a powerful mysterious figure attacking aggressively out of nowhere without zooming the camera in so far all you can see is flapping robes. They're in the middle of the desert. Qui-gon can see just fine.

There are a handful of good shots in there, such as the wide shot of Maul driving Qui-gon straight back, and they are much more effective at conveying Maul's threat than flapping robes. It's just badly shot.



I hadn't read there was 4 hours of footage, closer to 3. IIRC they didn't want to make an epic film from the get go, and scaled the story down accordingly. Do you have a link handy?

Agree about the reason for the scene selection. In particular, the scenes of Maz using the Force, and giving the saber to Leia - possibly explaining how she got it - sound like story beats saved for later.

I'll see if I can dig it up. There was a story about Daniel, the fan that ended up passing away due to an illness, who had been shown 4 hours of footage during a special visit from Disney (awesome move by the way).
 

Surfinn

Member
I hadn't read there was 4 hours of footage, closer to 3. IIRC they didn't want to make an epic film from the get go, and scaled the story down accordingly. Do you have a link handy?

Agree about the reason for the scene selection. In particular, the scenes of Maz using the Force, and giving the saber to Leia - possibly explaining how she got it - sound like story beats saved for later.

Here it is:

"The mega-fan, who is terminally ill, received a phone call from director JJ Abrams sometime Wednesday who said he wanted to give Fleetwood a private screening of the uncut version. On Thursday, Fleetwood watched the four-hour unedited film, which isn’t being released until Dec. 18."

RIP. Glad he got his wish.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Here it is:

"The mega-fan, who is terminally ill, received a phone call from director JJ Abrams sometime Wednesday who said he wanted to give Fleetwood a private screening of the uncut version. On Thursday, Fleetwood watched the four-hour unedited film, which isn’t being released until Dec. 18."

RIP. Glad he got his wish.

Thanks for finding it. That's just really odd since both Kasdan and Abrams said they cut 20 minutes from the initial edit of the film, from around that time.

And yeah, was good of them to do the screening. Tragic outcome, but a great thing to do.
 

Sephzilla

Member
I'm just waiting for someone to take that gif of Daisy, make the stick into a lightsaber, and put "EPISODE 8 LIGHTSABER TRAINING" on it and watch it troll a bunch of hardcore fans
myself included, possibly
 

Surfinn

Member
Thanks for finding it. That's just really odd since both Kasdan and Abrams said they cut 20 minutes from the initial edit of the film, from around that time.

And yeah, was good of them to do the screening. Tragic outcome, but a great thing to do.

No problem. I'd imagine that he was shown EVERYTHING that was shot, and not necessarily things that made it into an initial cut. That's my guess.

I'm not quite sure how that process works though.

If they were REALLY amazing, they told him their plans for Rey and the rest of the trilogy. Imagine passing on with that special information. Would be pretty awesome, given the shitty circumstances.
 
This may be going far ahead, but any chance that Episode IX will be pushed back into 2020?

Also, given that Disney now owns the license, is there the chance that Episode IX may conclude open ended to lead into the trilogy that follows?

I'd say it's possible. They've changed their minds several times about a lot of things so far (even for simple things like "Star Wars Anthologies" -> "A Star Wars Story").
 

Hex

Banned
Look at that prequel shit! Just so dancey! :p

I actually do not think that it looks like what you are trying to infer at all.
It almost looks like he is lifting something very heavy with one arm and using its momentum thus finishing with two hands.
It still has a perceived weight and heft to it, which was missing in the PT.
 
I actually do not think that it looks like what you are trying to infer at all.
It almost looks like he is lifting something very heavy with one arm and using its momentum thus finishing with two hands.
It still has a perceived weight and heft to it, which was missing in the PT.

Yeah, that's a movie very clearly meant to convey weight/heft and to repel. Even if weight/heft makes little sense for a lightsaber, it looks much better.
 

Gravidee

Member
I don't think anyone survives getting cut in half without immediate medical help, machines keeping them alive and and months of repeated surgeries. Call me crazy, but I don't think anyone was around to give Maul medical attention. At all.

I could be wrong, but I think it was once said that those Jawa looking guys helped him out when he was dumped onto that junk planet.
 
I actually do not think that it looks like what you are trying to infer at all.
It almost looks like he is lifting something very heavy with one arm and using its momentum thus finishing with two hands.
It still has a perceived weight and heft to it, which was missing in the PT.

I still think it looks "flashy" but there isn't anything wrong with that. I honestly don't understand why a lightsaber would be heavy; how much does a hilt weigh? How much does the actual concentrated blade weigh? I think the more deliberate motions you see in the OT and now TFA is that they're trying to be more careful with wider swings whereas the Jedi in the PT are far more skilled; Luke was learning, Vader was... Vader, Rey was coming into grips with it and by the end of that duel she was handling the thing pretty close, weight-wise, to how they did in the prequels. Finn's motions certainly didn't make it look like it had a lot of weight.

Just how I see it and I don't think it's a big deal either way. It makes sense to me that they'd be virtually weightless but I don't have a problem with a heavy momentum either.
 
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