New Star Wars won’t be shot digitally but VR a future possibility
Colin Trevorrow has announced that he won’t use digital cameras when filming the new Star Wars: Episode IX.
During a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival (via Variety) Trevorrow revealed plans to use film stock when shooting the film, jokingly saying, “It’s a period film. It happened a long time ago.”
Interstellar director Christopher Nolan was also in attendance and defended the use of film “There needs to be a choice,” Nolan said. “As a medium it will continue to exist. It has to continue to exist. It’s pointless to pretend it has to go away.”
Trevorrow followed up on Nolan’s comments “there’s a danger to it turning into vinyl.” he said.
Star Wars – Episode IX may be set to shoot on film but a special report from SlashFilm reveals that Lucasfilm and Disney are currently exploring the use of Virtual Reality. They plan to use the technology to produce stories – cinematic experiences – that connect with the upcoming films which will be helmed by “big-name filmmakers and screenwriters”.
According to the Lucasfilm Story Group’s Diana Williams, the filmmakers involved in the upcoming batch of Star Wars movies will be involved in these side projects, and will work with “creatives from the world of video games that have more experience in interactive storytelling”.
The publication notes that the ultimate goal for Disney is for the VR medium to stand on its own as a category of entertainment, rather than as a supplementary experience.