Check Out the Incredible VFX Reel for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
As movies have gotten bigger, the call for more and more computer generated effects has become louder, which some might say defeats the point of making the film. The Star Wars series has ridden this wave from practical effects like puppetry and meticulously detailed sets in the ’70s and ’80s to the CGI-heavy world of today, where there can sometimes be whole scenes made entirely from computer generated textures.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one such film, which, according to /Film’s interview with two of the Industrial Light and Magic Visual Effects Supervisors, Patrick Tubach and Roger Guyett, had even more CG visual effects than The Phantom Menace. ILM is one of the most recognizable names in the visual effects industry, due to its relationship with George Lucas and Star Wars, and the company has evolved with the times to provide special effects so realistic you forget they’re even there.
Visual effects reels give you a behind-the-scenes look into how each shot of a film was meticulously put together, and ILM team behind The Force Awakens has done some truly remarkable work. Check out the VFX reel below and see for yourself:
As you can see from the video, there are very few shots in the movie that didn’t require some digital assistance, but what’s impressive is how utterly real ILM was able to make it all look. The world of The Force Awakens is so diligently put-together that you can easily forget that none of it is real in the first place. There are some really impressive action sequences here, like the bonkers X-wing chase through one of the ravines of Starkiller Base that required layers and layers of effects. But it’s also some smaller details, like the coloring and lighting put onto the Millennium Falcon as a final touch, that really bring everything to life.