Bonus Features on the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Combo Pack
Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's
In Star Wars: The Force Awakens the force awakens in a young woman and the dark force awakens in a young men. The Blu-ray combo pack is filled with plenty of interesting and fun bonus features.
The little star of the film is the newest droid, BB-8. A bonus feature looks at how the filmmakers brought him to life, so to speak. They built several configurations of the little droid: one worked by a puppeteer, one that wiggled, one on a carrier, and on a trike. It’s interesting to see how imaginative they were in creating him. Besides this adorable little droid, there were 105 various creatures in the film, some were animatronic, puppets, and some were completely CG.
The folks at ILM discuss how they used “restraint” in their creativity and created the “grand illusion” in the film. The effects, they say, were only meant to “fill in” the story.
Training, choreography, and cardio buildup were part of the preparation by the actors for their grueling scenes. They discuss their pre-filming training and the filmmakers discuss the epic and visually striking light saber scene, which takes place at night in a snowy forest.
John Williams returned to create the magnificent score for this seventh film in the franchise. He knew he needed to keep the flavor of the franchise while adding to the new characters and paying homage to the returning characters.
The first table read of the script was documented and all the actors and filmmakers remark on this memorable and historic day. The script was read aloud by Mark Hamill. This was the first time the cast gathered together, bringing the original actors together with the new generation. Harrison Ford said that the casting choices were “audacious” and viewers see how they all reacted to their first meeting.
“Secrets of The Force Awakens” is an in-depth feature looking at the entire production, from the time George Lucas handed over the helm of LucasFilm to Kathleen Kennedy. Director J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan talk about their involvement in this film, and the actors discuss their contributions and experiences. For instance, filming in 120 degrees in the Abu Dhabi desert was daunting. And working with BB-8 was a delight. Other interesting tidbits in this educational and enlightening feature look at motion capture and the Skellig Island location for the final scene. Harrison Ford also recounts how he felt about his character of Han Solo and how in this film “his destiny is resolved.”
Deleted scenes and a feature about how the filmmakers are using the Star Wars franchise for a “Force for Change” by giving back to various charities and working with UNICEF round out the remaining features on the bonus disc in the combo pack. Needless to say, there are plenty of interesting aspects of creating this movie that are explained in all the additional features included in this pack.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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