Far, Far Away Now Means Santa Monica

0

One of the perks received by JJ Abrams for directing the new “Star Wars” film was getting to keep a part of the postproduction work on the next film in the franchise, “The Force Awakens,” in his home city of Los Angeles.

He and his team at Santa Monica’s Bad Robot Productions get to review and approve special effects sent to them by the sci-fi blockbuster’s visual wizards at Industrial Light & Magic from its offices around the world.

“Getting to look over my shoulder in the office and see the absolutely impossible being made amazingly real is an incredible experience,” said Abrams, 48.

“Spending my days in the worlds of X-wings, TIE fighters and lightsabers has been insanely overwhelming, ridiculously fun and an actual childhood dream come true.”

Abrams, speaking back stage at the Visual Effects Society Awards at the Beverly Hilton earlier this month, was presented with the Visionary Award by actress Zoe Saldana, whom he directed in the two most recent “Star Trek” films, another franchise from Bad Robot, which was also behind hits like “Lost.”

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which was shot in England, Abu Dhabi and Iceland, and is set 30 years after the events of 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” the third of the original films in the series, will be released in December by Walt Disney Co.

“I was 11 and a husky, Jewish, unathletic cinema lover living in Los Angeles when I first saw ‘Star Wars,’” he said. “Making movies was all I wanted to do after that. I still feel that way.”

– Sandro Monetti

No posts to display