That Rolling Ball Droid From The Force Awakens Trailer Wasn't CGI

[Steven Bogos]

That Rolling Ball Droid From The Force Awakens Trailer Wasn't CGI

Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill himself says that the crazy rolling ball droid from The Force Awakens trailer was an actual thing that was built.

Remember that crazy rolling soccer ball droid from the Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens trailer? We all pretty much assumed it was some CGI trick, as after all, why and how you would even build one seemed ridiculous. Well, it turns out we're wrong. Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill has been playing around on the set of the film (because he's apparently going to be in it [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122167-Harrison-Ford-Will-Return-as-Han-Solo-in-Episode-7] or something) and says that the crazy droid is a totally real thing that someone built.

"They never cease to amaze me with what they're able to come up with, you know? I said, 'How are you ever gonna top R2-D2, the most adorable droid in movie history?' And then they have this new one. I can't even tell you his name, but you saw it in the trailer," he told Yahoo Movies [https://www.yahoo.com/movies/mark-hamill-on-playing-with-the-star-wars-the-105015597302.html].

"And when they were demonstrating how they did this thing, live on set - because it's not CGI, that's a live prop - I was just amazed. They let me play around with it. [Laughs] I was running it all around at the creature shop up in Pinewood. I'm telling you, it's an absolute delight. And not having thought that I'd ever go back there, to go back into that world, is just - I get the chills. It's just so much fun."

Good news for fans (that include even Hamill himself [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123748-Mark-Hamill-Hopes-Episode-VII-Will-Balance-CGI]) who were hoping that the new trilogy would have a better balance of CGI than the green-screen explosion fests that were the prequels.

Source: Yahoo Movies [https://www.yahoo.com/movies/mark-hamill-on-playing-with-the-star-wars-the-105015597302.html]

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[Dark Knifer]

Oh shit that was unexpected.

That's actually a really cool thing then. I didn't mind it before but now I want one.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

Doesn't change the fact that it's just R2's head on a football. I really don't like it but whatever.

 

[STENDEC1]

Neat, but you have to feel for the effects guys. All that work just for it to end up looking like CGI anyway.

 

[Magmarock]

I wander if the ships are CGI. That what I would like to know.

 

[PH3NOmenon]

Isn't it more likely that that shot is CGI, but that a live version of the droid also exists for still shots?

 

[Chefsbrian]

Well, that's a welcome sight. I have no real objection to CGI, but as someone who has done some acting, I can attest that it is an absolute pain to try and act out a scene alongside something that, at best, has some sort of rough representation on set. Having physical props makes it much easier for an actor to behave appropriately. Here's hoping that good comes of it.

 

[Travis Fischer]

Neat, but you have to feel for the effects guys. All that work just for it to end up looking like CGI anyway.

Yeah. I still have a hard time believing that first shot of Finn isn't greenscreen, even though I know it was shot on location.

 

[Pyrian]

Heheh. Remember when people identified CGI on account of it looking bad? Now we think things are CGI because they look too good. And the poor effects crew might have to make previous-generation physical props for people to think they look real (by dint of looking the right type of fake). Perceptions are weird.

 

[Olas]

I don't care. I mean, if you couldn't tell in the first place why does it matter? I just want stuff to look GOOD. Sometimes that requires practical affects, sometimes it requires CG, both are an artform, both can be done well or poorly.

Sorry, it just annoys me how hipsterish some people have become when it comes to Star Wars.

 

[themilo504]

Neat, but you have to feel for the effects guys. All that work just for it to end up looking like CGI anyway.

Yeah. I still have a hard time believing that first shot of Finn isn't greenscreen, even though I know it was shot on location.

Wait the stormtrooper guy is called finn? Cue the adventure time star wars crossovers.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

People thought that was CGI? Really? I though it was obvious that it wasn't. They already said that they will tone down CGI. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that this droid isn't CGI.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Wasn't it already pretty obvious that that thing was real?

Sorry, it just annoys me how hipsterish some people have become when it comes to Star Wars.

It's not as much hipster-ness as very happy that we're seeing a return of practical effects. As you say, both are an artform, and practical effects is one that's been pushed into the margins in favour of CGI for the last decade and a half. And to the detriment of many films like the Star Wars prequels themselves. Attack Of The Clones was one big green screen fest, and boy did it show.

Cracked.com published an interesting little interview with some practical effect artists a while back, it's a pretty interesting watch.

Heheh. Remember when people identified CGI on account of it looking bad? Now we think things are CGI because they look too good. And the poor effects crew might have to make previous-generation physical props for people to think they look real (by dint of looking the right type of fake). Perceptions are weird.

Nah, special effects have a way bigger influence than just whether they look good or not. For instance, actors who have to interact with the thing. When it's an actual robot it gives you a way different result than if it's a CGI thing that's put in during post-production. I again would like to refer to that interview on Cracked, it's really interesting.

 

[RealRT]

And I give zero fucks. People should get over this already. CGI is the standard now and for a good reason.

 

[Pyrian]

Heheh. Remember when people identified CGI on account of it looking bad? Now we think things are CGI because they look too good. And the poor effects crew might have to make previous-generation physical props for people to think they look real (by dint of looking the right type of fake). Perceptions are weird.

Nah, special effects have a way bigger influence than just whether they look good or not. For instance, actors who have to interact with the thing.

That's a valid point which simply does not contest mine - there are no actors in the snippet under discussion.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Heheh. Remember when people identified CGI on account of it looking bad? Now we think things are CGI because they look too good. And the poor effects crew might have to make previous-generation physical props for people to think they look real (by dint of looking the right type of fake). Perceptions are weird.

Nah, special effects have a way bigger influence than just whether they look good or not. For instance, actors who have to interact with the thing.

That's a valid point which simply does not contest mine - there are no actors in the snippet under discussion.

Well what I was trying to say is that we're going to see the difference a lot better in the actual movie. A trailer is just a trailer after all.

 

[castlewise]

Folks are quick to point out that the prequals were CGI heavy, but CGI was terrible then. On the other hand, how much of Guardians of the Galaxy was CGI? All of it? So I'm not sure there is much point to "toning down" the CGI in these new star wars movies.

 

[Something Amyss]

Thank God. That was the biggest and only issue with football droid.

 

[King of Asgaard]

Well it still looks fucking ridiculous, so really, that's another point against it.
I swear, is JJ just trying to redesign everything to absurdity? Because at this point I wouldn't be surprised if C3PO shows up as a battle mech with shoulder spikes.

 

[LazyAza]

I wander if the ships are CGI. That what I would like to know.

Well they aren't going to be prop making ships for the purposes of action scenes etc (because films stopped doing miniature work like that a long time ago) only for closeup scenes with actors present where they can just be full scale static props such as the xwing abrams is standing in front of in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWBGrkc360M