How Selma director Ava DuVernay had an important hand in improving Star Wars: The Force Awakens
In the last week or so, a few clips have been released of JJ Abrams’ commentary on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in this latest clip released by Yahoo, the director explains that he asked for advice from his good friend Ava Duvernay (Selma) in regards to the final lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren.
In the clip, Abrams says DuVernay added small but vital moments to the scene that gave it the epic feeling and character driven action it needed, he points out where reshoots came in handy to add to what they had already shot during the first stint of principle photography.
“I also showed this film, an early cut to my friend Ava DuVerney, and she had a bunch of great suggestions. One of them was, she really wanted to see Daisy in her attack on Ren coming up to have a really cool moment.” Abrams continued, “We reshot this, and had her take this moment of hearing the force. Thinking about Maz had told her, about closing her eyes and letting [the force] in.”
“Here’s another shot we got from the reshoots…right here..and boom! It’s a little thing, but it really connects you to her intensity.” Abrams picks out another moment suggested by Ava, where he Rey shows her more aggressive nature. We think the clip is very educational, it shows how reshoots are more of a positive than a negative, it gives the director an opportunity to see what doesn’t fit and what can be improved, Abrams was able to seek advice from his peers and build on what he already made. The clip can be watched at Yahoo Movies in the link below.
Ava Duverney’s Selma was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and she currently has a documentary that has just been released on Netflix titled 13.