8 Signs J.J. Abrams Understands Star Wars Better Than George Lucas
4. The World Has To Be Immersive
The prequel trilogy's reliance on CGI to expand the Star Wars universe proved to be groundbreaking for its time. Lucas also set a benchmark for digital cinematography with Episode II being the first feature film shot entirely with digital cameras. Unfortunately, Lucas reliance on new technologies meant Star Wars lost some of its transportive, escapist qualities.
The roughed up interiors of the original trilogys practical sets gave its locales an authentic feel CGI failed to replicate.Some fans contended that the abundance of CGI in Episodes II and III robbed the prequel trilogy of the illusion of being a credible, authentic fantasy world.
Abrams seems to understand that the artificial sheen CGI sets and effects possess takes away from the immersive experience Star Wars can offer. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal Abrams explained that he shot The Force Awakens on film to avoid getting "lost in a world of synthetic".
Relying on effects created in post-production can make a filmmaker lose sight of the human-scale drama amidst the spectacle. Abrams contends that his most important goal is to make The Force Awakens feel authentic, an attribute that set the original trilogy apart from other sci-fi films of its era.