Star Wars Films VFX: The Ultimate Visual Effects Breakdown

Oh the Star Wars Films VFX! After having a religious moment when watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I had to put this post together for all the indie film hustlers into visual effects.

I was so impressed by the practical and visual effects of Star Wars: The Force Awakens that I wanted to share with you how George Lucas and the gang made the magic come alive in the first six Star Wars films.

Below is a collection I put together of the best visual effect breakdowns and behind the scenes documentaries available on the net. Some of these videos are OLD SCHOOL. Seeing what they went through on the original trilogy is inspiring and remarkable.

The new Star Wars: The Force Awakens VFX breakdowns and interviews are just plan AWESOME!

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Visual effects that took George Lucas’ VFX company ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) weeks to do can now be done in minutes on my laptop today. Crazy!

Each video below is titled and goes into all aspects of the Star Wars films’ visual effects, special effects and overall making of the amazing saga.

If you are into visual effects behind the scenes then sit back and enjoy over 16+ hours of Star Wars visual effects breakdowns and exclusive interviews.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens VFX Breakdown

 

(SPOILER ALERT – DO NOT WATCH UNLESS YOU’VE SEEN THE FILM!)

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Inside the Incredible Visual Effects of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” 

Mike Seymour goes behind the visual effects that earned “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” an Oscar nod. See how Industrial Light & Magic crafted complex action sequences, detailed environments, and realistic characters with the help of advanced motion-capture technology and performances from actors like Lupita Nyong’o.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Exclusive Breakdown

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens – ILM Exclusive Breakdown + Interviews

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‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Visual Effects – Variety Artisans

This special episode of Artisans reveals the making of the visual effects of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with footage never before released publicly and rare on-camera interviews with the effects team’s top artists.

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My Life In Monsters: Meet the Animator Behind Star Wars

Phil Tippett is the Oscar-winning stop-motion animator and designer behind some of the greatest fantasy creatures and sci-fi set pieces in cinema history.

From his humble beginnings as an alien patron in the iconic Cantina sequence from ‘Star Wars: A New Hope‘, to pioneering stop-motion techniques used throughout ‘Empire Strikes Back‘ and ‘Return of the Jedi‘, to seamlessly merging practical animation and CGI in Jurassic Park and beyond.

In ‘My Life in Monsters‘,VICE chronicles Tippett’s legendary life work, illustrating the process behind his greatest creations, the emotional hardships of transitioning into Hollywood’s digital revolution, and completing his return-to-form, stop-motion opus with the brutal, dystopian ‘Mad God‘.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens – The On-Set FX Supervisors

Both of them already have Oscars, but Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould added a fresh set of Oscar nominations to their resumes for the new Star Wars. The duo discuss with David Poland how the effects came to life on the set/in camera.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lucasfilm FX Supervisors

Much of what you saw in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was done in camera… and a lot wasn’t. Meet Roger Guyett (VFX Supervisor) and Patrick Tubach (VFX Supervisor), who headed the digital team on this film at Industriual Light & Magic. They talk to David Poland about bringing this landmark series back to life.

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Related: Knowing When Not to Use Visual Effects

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Making of Holochess for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

[Note: This video contains a very minor spoiler about a special effects sequence in Star Wars: The Force Awakens]

One of the many surprises in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that delighted fans was the appearance of the Dejarik holochess game on the Millennium Falcon. Adam Savage went behind-the-scenes at Tippett Studio to watch Phil Tippett and his team create the stop-motion animation sequence, and learns a secret about how this cameo connects to the original Star Wars!

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Behind-the-Scenes: Making the Stop-Motion Puppets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

The Holochess animation Easter egg in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was truly a labor of love, and the team who made it used a variety of interesting technologies to create it. This week, we return to Tippett Studio to chat with this sequence’s art director, visual effects supervisor, armaturist, and head puppet fabricator, Frank Ippolito, about the fabrication of these stop-motion puppets!

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Star Wars Episode II (Visual Effects) ILM VFX Breakdown Reel

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STAR WARS Films: Visual Effects – From AT-ATs to Tauntauns

Learn the secrets behind the Star Wars saga’s many innovative visual effects, from the Death Star’s detailed interiors to the towering AT-AT walkers.

 

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Making of STAR WARS Original Trilogy Part 1 Of 2

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Making of STAR WARS Original Trilogy Part 2 Of 2

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Related: Breaking Down J.J. Abrams Directing Style and Techniques

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The Making of STAR WARS – 1977 Documentary

This is the television documentary From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga that originally aired on PBS on December 3, 1983. This is from the 1992 VHS of the documentary.

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SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980 TV Movie)

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Making of STAR WARS Return of the Jedi (1983) Visual Effects – Behind the Scenes

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Making of STAR WARS Episode I – Special Effects

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Star Wars From Puppets To Pixels: Digital Characters In Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Making of STAR WARS Episode I: The Phantom Menace

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Related: Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams: Screenwriting ‘The Force Awakens’

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Making STAR WARS Episode III – Visual Effects

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Making of STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy – Concept Art CGI Special Effects

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Making of STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy – World Building & Set Design

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BONUS: Star Wars IV Special Edition Comparison Death Star Battle

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens IMAX® Behind the Frame

Go behind the scenes with J.J. Abrams and the cast to see how they used IMAX cameras to put Star Wars fans into the center of the action like never before.

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Making a Working BB-8 Droid Replica!

Ever since BB-8 first made its appearance in the first Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser, droid builders have been trying to figure out how to make their own working replica. We visit the shop of Mike Senna, veteran robot builder, to follow his progress creating his own BB-8.

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If you like this post on the Star Wars Films Visual Effect Breakdown, then you’ll love: 

Breaking Down J.J. Abrams’ Directing Techniques

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