Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

[Iroscato]

Ah, I see. Obviously an upgraded or alternate version then. Makes sense given the 30 year or so time jump.

[Batman]

403 on pre-production painting by Mange.

Most pictures show the Z-95 with four circular intake vents too, while I can't seem to see a seam on the wings themselves the intakes are clearly bisected and it does have the classic quadruple wingtip guns of the X-Wing.

[applejack]

Most pictures show the Z-95 with four circular intake vents too, while I can't seem to see a seam on the wings themselves the intakes are clearly bisected and it does have the classic quadruple wingtip guns of the X-Wing.

There's another shot of one being built here, third picture down. As you can see, the wing panels aren't on top of one another, but rather one behind the other. Comparing the Follow The Nerd picture to the one from the Abrams video, the bottom wing appears to be the leading edge while the top one is behind that.

[Mange]

403 on pre-production painting by Mange.

Oh, sorry about that! Lucasfilm also tweeted the same concept art yesterday: Twitter

[Anacronian]

Found a picture that when inspected shows the scizor wing configuration.



Front half of the wing drops down and the aft half moves up.

[Lagmonster]

If you guys haven't entered the Omaze.com "Force for Change" contest and can spare ten bucks, you have only a few days left to do so. Winner gets to be an extra in a scene in the new movie, among other things. Because you fucking want to be in Star Wars, that's why.

Oh, and it helps some kids or something like that but REALLY the point is Star Wars.

[applejack]

Don't know how much more speculation we want in this thread, but supposedly, these are pics of Episode VII stormtroopers. If this is true, then Imperial forces are still stomping around the galaxy somewhere.





Makingstarwars.net is saying that the second trooper type had been spotted at Pinewood studios and is referred to as a "jungle" stormtrooper due to being shot on "treehouse" sets.

[applejack]

Sorry to double post, but this is starting to look legit:

Makingstarwars.com



The guy who runs that site says there are actually quite a few more pics coming down the line, including a TIE Fighter pilot.

[Borgholio]

I like the new look. And yeah I think it's fully realistic to expect some small imperial holdouts in some part of the Galaxy.

Or...perhaps New Republic stormtroopers? I know in the Old Republic they were more colorful but they were still basically stormtroopers.

[Darth Yoshi]

I dunno. I'd expect the NR (or whatever the Rebels became) to avoid using a helmet that's so clearly based on the old Imperial design.

[Borgholio]

Well you can't argue with efficiency. If it's the best design then maybe they just kept using it despite the PR issue...since in the NR you would probably keep most of your stormtroopers on base or on ship instead of oppressing the population.

[Lagmonster]

I read recently that they had announced that Episode 7 would be shot on 35mm film and use more scale models and hand-built sets than CGI, so as to remain more aesthetically similar to the OT. Has anyone been able to confirm that officially? 'Cause that would rock.

[ray245]

I read recently that they had announced that Episode 7 would be shot on 35mm film and use more scale models and hand-built sets than CGI, so as to remain more aesthetically similar to the OT. Has anyone been able to confirm that officially? 'Cause that would rock.

That would be ridiculously stupid in my view. The last thing Ep 7 needs to be is a nostalgic trip back to the 70s and 80s. I want SW to look visually more impressive than films like Avatar and Gravity.

[The Romulan Republic]

Their is nothing wrong with using 35 millimetre film. 35 millimetre film looks fine. And models can look good, as can CGI. It depends on how they're used.

[Lord Revan]

yeah the thing you got to remember is that even the youngest of the orginal trilogy is about as old as I am (I was born in late 1982 and Return of the Jedi came out in 1983) so back then you had to use models if you wanted something to look good but that was over 30 years ago and special effects have evolved since then as the expectations of the public and lets be honest Disney isn't making this movie just for the hardcore SW fans, it's not economically viable for them to do so.

[Purple]

Honestly I agree with both you and Disney. CGI has it's place and I would love to see it used in that place. But real models and even puppets have their place as well. I would for once like to see someone knowledgeable with both tools take them and actually use each to their fullest to complement each others abilities.

[darth_timon]

I always preferred the 'realistic' look in the OT that came from models and puppets and actual people, rather than CGI clonetroopers and computer-generated everything that grew worse as the PT wore on. That said, CGI, if done properly and combined with models and props, could work really really well.

[Lagmonster]

I read recently that they had announced that Episode 7 would be shot on 35mm film and use more scale models and hand-built sets than CGI, so as to remain more aesthetically similar to the OT. Has anyone been able to confirm that officially? 'Cause that would rock.

That would be ridiculously stupid in my view. The last thing Ep 7 needs to be is a nostalgic trip back to the 70s and 80s. I want SW to look visually more impressive than films like Avatar and Gravity.

Nostalgia isn't the same as 'maintaining aesthetic consistency'. But there absolutely is something to be said for the appeal of a well-built physical prop or puppet; it's something real and tangible. It occupies space and absorbs light and disrupts air currents the way physical objects are supposed to. Actors can express subtle human nuances that we pick up from things like colour and speed and size.

[Mange]

I read recently that they had announced that Episode 7 would be shot on 35mm film and use more scale models and hand-built sets than CGI, so as to remain more aesthetically similar to the OT. Has anyone been able to confirm that officially? 'Cause that would rock.

Shooting on 35mm film is an excellent decision! It certainly is a much better decision than Lucas made to shoot AOTC and ROTS in the low resolution of 1,920x1,080 (and then matted so that only 817 horizontal lines are visible). A good blend of CG and models seems to be preferable.

[Elfdart]

I always preferred the 'realistic' look in the OT that came from models and puppets and actual people, rather than CGI clonetroopers and computer-generated everything that grew worse as the PT wore on. That said, CGI, if done properly and combined with models and props, could work really really well.

I don't remember much that looked "realistic" in the OT. I remember shitloads of matte lines and paintings. As for the PT, they used more sets, models and extras than the OT. Many of the things people assumed were CGI were not:

LINK

The way people bitch about CGI reminds me of how assholes always write "Photoshop" when someone posts a photo online.

[darth_timon]

I always preferred the 'realistic' look in the OT that came from models and puppets and actual people, rather than CGI clonetroopers and computer-generated everything that grew worse as the PT wore on. That said, CGI, if done properly and combined with models and props, could work really really well.

I don't remember much that looked "realistic" in the OT. I remember shitloads of matte lines and paintings. As for the PT, they used more sets, models and extras than the OT. Many of the things people assumed were CGI were not:

LINK

The way people bitch about CGI reminds me of how assholes always write "Photoshop" when someone posts a photo online.

I have to admit, I didn't realise the extent of the prop and model work in the PT. Some of them are incredible.

[Lord Revan]

the funny thing is they even talk about the models in the DVD extras and the reason they say why used models is very logical, something are just easier that way.

as simple rule of thumb you can take anything that moves is probably CGI if it's not built full scale, where as stuff like building or geographical formations are models or "paintings" if in distance.

[Elfdart]

I have to admit, I didn't realise the extent of the prop and model work in the PT. Some of them are incredible.

I always smelled bullshit when people complained about the lack of sets and models because of the hundreds of people listed in the credits as carpenters, electricians, model builders, draughtsmen, set decorators, wardrobe handlers, et al. I guess some people thought Lucas and McCallum hired all these people to do nothing, maybe as some kind of jobs program.

The part that burns my ass like a 3-foot campfire is that now that everyone is such an "expert" on what is real and what is fake on film, we have a horde of fuckwits claiming that the footage of the moon landing in 1969 was a hoax.

So why are Abrams/Kennedy and The Mouse talking so much about using "real" sets and models? It's clearly a PR handjob offered to disgruntled middle-aged fanboys and the hipsters who ape them.

[Anacronian]

Some presumably leaked chrome trooper pictures.



And also this interesting piece of concept art (though even if that is true people should take into consideration that it is supposed to be concept art and only that).

[Anacronian]

To late to edit so sorry for the double post.



Another concept art that seem to be a variation of the first.