Star Wars: Episode 7 is Filming in IMAX. Lucafilm Will Not be Featuring the Movie at SDCC.

Episode VII IMAX

Bad Robot made a hint in their latest tweet that sequences from the new Star Wars movie will be shot using IMAX cameras. Later IMAX rep confirmed the news. Hit the jump for more…

 

Here’s the tweet:


/Film managed to contact an IMAX rep, who confirmed the news:

“All we can say at this point is that we can confirm that JJ Abrams is using the IMAX camera for Star Wars: Episode VII.”

 

They also confirmed it is shooting on film.

 

Again, Abrams shot his last movie, Star Trek into Darkness, partially in IMAX with about 50 minutes shifting aspect ratios to the larger format. He then converted it into 3D. Since IMAX wouldn’t confirm more than the above, we can only assume the same will be happen here. Most of the film would have a classic 2:35 to 1 aspect ratio, and bigger scenes would expand to a full, square, IMAX screen. Potentially in 3D.

 

In other news Lucasfilm officially issued a statement that Episode VII won’t be featured at this year’s SDCC:

With Star Wars: Episode VII creators deep in production in anticipation of the film’s December 18, 2015, release, Lucasfilm will not be featuring the movie at SDCC.

 

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Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

38 thoughts on “Star Wars: Episode 7 is Filming in IMAX. Lucafilm Will Not be Featuring the Movie at SDCC.

  • July 9, 2014 at 1:10 pm
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    Please no 3D.

    • July 9, 2014 at 1:36 pm
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      The 3D post convertion is inevitable whether we like it or not.

      • July 9, 2014 at 2:50 pm
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        I’ll at least see the 3D version once to see how it looks like in a Star Wars movie.

        I just hope this isn’t my only option opening night. -_-

    • July 9, 2014 at 4:38 pm
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      As long as they don’t do any scenes that are obviously there for the cool 3d effect.

  • July 9, 2014 at 1:16 pm
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    Actually with all of the real sets and props and locations 3D would be pretty spectacular.

    And I think that switching the aspect ratio with certain scenes is brilliant. It takes advantage of the best of both worlds.

    • July 9, 2014 at 4:02 pm
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      PT movies are also filmed on real locations.
      And VFXs were combination of practical effects and CGI.

      So nothing new in SW 7.

      • July 9, 2014 at 9:27 pm
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        Hey I’m not dissing the prequels. I love them as much as anyone. (And, please, no replies about how awful I am for liking them)

    • July 10, 2014 at 9:59 am
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      I haven’t actually seen this done but it sounds like it would be jarringly disruptive to one’s immersion into the movie. Is that not the case? I guess it would be okay if at some impressive point, it filled the screen and then STAYED that way for the rest of the film. But going back and forth sounds like a nightmare.

  • July 9, 2014 at 1:30 pm
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    I love how this will be done. But PLEASE NOOOOOOO CAMERA FLARES !!!!! Star Trek and Total Recall made me get burned out with all them flares quick…. But so far from what we have seen, and from how Kevin Smith has reacted saying it brought back his childhood when he was with JJ, i say so far so good….

    • July 9, 2014 at 2:13 pm
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      Agreed. They aren’t going to mess this up. They know what a money maker they have if they play this game right!

    • July 9, 2014 at 4:17 pm
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      It’ll just ruin the whole movie for me if I find myself counting lens flares, like in Star Trek. SO JJ PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF

  • July 9, 2014 at 1:41 pm
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    I´m not a friend of 3D movies (went to see Edge of Tomorrow 3D and regrets not to go to 2D version instead). Las hybrid movie like this was Hunger Games 2, mostly dark screen and the change from wide screen to full screen was weird and distractive….and now we have to deal with the same……great…I´m sure there will be many people screaming Oh My God, it´s 3D, soooo cooooooooooool……I´m not gonna be one of them. I was hoping from some old school continuity with the other 6 movies….2D and 2.35:1 so when I watch it it looks homogenous..

    • July 9, 2014 at 4:14 pm
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      If it’s homogeneous, count me out… That stuff should be kept off the cinema screen…

    • July 9, 2014 at 5:00 pm
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      Who cares about 3d anymore? I was blown away back when Avatar came out, but now I’d rather save a few bucks. Still like the big IMAX screen though – and that usually means paying for the 3d as well:(

  • July 9, 2014 at 2:53 pm
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    I’ll be iffy but hopeful on the IMAX and 3D features for VII until I check them out in theaters.

  • July 9, 2014 at 4:14 pm
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    3d is fine as long as the movie isnt made around 3D….we dont need intentional fly overs, guns pointing directly at the screen, people jumping at the screen. Make the movie without 3D in mind and let the 3D process happen naturally. Nothing ruins a movie for me personally then scenes a over the top set-up just because they want it in 3D not because its the best view for the shot. And yes I agree NO TWEAKER CAM shots and limit the lens flares. Its not a documentary JJ so dont film it like one. It just frustrates me when they use the shaky cam technique even when it is supposedly a documentary type film, most cameras have a nice little button on them that says auto stabilize but most of these shaky cam movies act like the actor filming has never picked up a camera before and its always overly shaky like its filmed with a banana. No 3D, No Tweaker Cam, No lens flares = J.J.’s story telling talent = great movie.

  • July 9, 2014 at 4:34 pm
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    Opening crawl jumping out in 3D would be SIIIICK

    • July 9, 2014 at 4:41 pm
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      Yeah, that would probably make me throw up too.

  • July 9, 2014 at 4:43 pm
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    While I didn’t expect much, I am still pretty disappointed that they have decided to do absolutely nothing at SDCC involving the film. I was hopeful we would get a little something.

    • July 9, 2014 at 4:59 pm
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      There were some rumors that maybe a title reveal would happen but doesn’t look like that will happen. It is disappointing.

      • July 9, 2014 at 11:17 pm
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        Title revelation was always happening just months before opening…

  • July 9, 2014 at 5:56 pm
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    Extremely disappointing…

    ..but at least they told us ahead of time that there will be no news…unlike last year.

  • July 9, 2014 at 6:52 pm
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    You guys… please look up the timing of title reveals throughout Star Wars history… usually like half a year prior… not a year and a half prior.

    And who cares if it’s 3D or not? You still can go see the non-3D version. You knew this is what JJ was going to do since the get go considering recent history.

  • July 9, 2014 at 7:59 pm
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    Very disappointed that they won’t have anything on Episode VII at SDCC. Maybe this is all just misdirection? At least they’re doing something for Rebels.

  • July 9, 2014 at 9:30 pm
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    I remember seeing Empire in the theater and it “felt” like 3D when Zeb was looking for Han and Luke on Hoth. 😉

  • July 9, 2014 at 9:58 pm
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    3D is fine if it’s converted after the fact. The problem with shooting films specifically for 3D is that it ends up with a lot of cheap 3D sight gags that are there whether you watch it in 2D or 3D.

    I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness again the other day (first time since the theatre) and though it wasn’t as bad with the 3D gags as a lot of movies, there were still too damned many of them – especially in the opening chase scene.

    What I actually didn’t notice much was the infamous JJ Lens Flare. I saw ’em, but I really didn’t notice it that much.

    What I noticed most of all, and what was really distracting, was the tired old “shaky cam” thing. I REALLY wish directors would stop shaking the camera to simulate tension and just build genuine tension through effective storytelling and solid character interaction.

  • July 10, 2014 at 4:40 am
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    Does that look like water in the background, or is it just me?

  • July 10, 2014 at 10:10 am
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    I’m not sure where to post this but has anyone heard ANYTHING about any of the existing Star Wars films receiving any sort of theatrical release before Episode 7 comes out? For The Force’s sake, it’s been SEVENTEEN YEARS since the original trilogy (or at least the Special Edition version of it) was shown in theaters!

    We were supposed to get all six films in 3-D but they started with The Phantom Menace, nearly everyone’s least favorite Star Wars movie and then, I guess, decided not to proceed on the basis of how that did.

    Actually, I was none too impressed with the 3-D conversion but at least it would have put the films back in theaters and they usually have 2 D screenings of any released 3-D film as well.

    But, since that didn’t happen, is Fox, Disney, or whatever combination is required, planning to re-release the films? A whole generation has never seen these films on the big screen and it could only help build anticipation for the new one. Has anyone heard ANYTHING along these lines?

    • July 10, 2014 at 8:00 pm
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      I’m not sure how one would think that they might rererelease the original trilogy in theaters with only a year and a half before VII comes out.

      • July 10, 2014 at 10:33 pm
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        Simple. Do it as a special event. Each one gets released for a week or something. This was pretty standard practice in the old days. Star Wars was re-released prior to the release of Empire with a special trailer attached. Both Star Wars and Empire were re-released before Jedi, also with a new trailer. Alas, the ready availability of these films on various television formats has made such releases much less standard now.

        The Star Wars films were NOT meant to be viewed on a small screen! They are big screen, audience participation sort of movies and it saddens me to think that a whole generation of viewers has never gotten to experience that. Heck, probably some of you out there have never seen Star Wars on a big screen!

        I truly hope the powers that be come to their senses and re-release the films, at LEAST the original trilogy, before Episode 7 comes out. It’s a license to print money and I really can’t see any downside for them. And millions of kids, including my six year old daughter, would get to see Star Wars the way it was meant to be seen.

  • July 10, 2014 at 4:22 pm
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    I want matte lines and crappy stop motion animation. Why bother with IMAX technology. I want a true OT experience. Let’s even do the sound in Dolby Mono.

    • July 10, 2014 at 10:44 pm
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      Yeah, those OT effects that revolutionised the face of cinema and still stand up amazingly well 35 years later are awful and such methods would look awful done with a $200 budget in 2014/2015 ..

    • July 10, 2014 at 10:44 pm
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      I think I understand the point you’re trying to make but I’ve got to say that what you describe was certainly not MY experience of the original trilogy when I first saw the films. Star Wars was technically on the cutting edge of anything that had ever been done in terms of it’s effects and people were absolutely blown away by it!

      The video releases made things like matte boxes visible but they weren’t visible on the big screen when it was released.

      I agree with you that Star Wars should continue to be on the cutting edge of technology as it’s always been. But to describe the “O.T. experience” in such terms is extremely disrespectful and makes me wonder, if you feel that way, why did you become a Star Wars fan to begin with? Purely because of the Special Editions and the Prequels?

      • July 11, 2014 at 1:51 am
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        I was exaggerating to make a point. I have read tidbits here and there about the move to produce SW 7 using more practical effects and I know that Abrams is shooting the movie in 35 mm. Concerning the effects, I am guessing that these comments are probably made to placate the fans that hated the prequels. Anyhow, I think that SW should embrace cutting edge tech. Why not film it in HFR 3D? I saw Desolation of Smaug in this format and it was beautiful. Lucas always wanted SW to be on the cutting edge of sound and vision. I saw the OT in the theaters back in the 70s and 80s and they were pretty incredible to look at and hear. Let keep this tradition going!

        • July 11, 2014 at 11:20 am
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          That’s essentially what I figured you meant. And, yes, Star Wars should continue the cutting edge tradition although I do think there’s something to be said for taking it back to it’s roots in terms of the overall approach. I think it’s pretty clear that Andy Serkis is playing a digital character so I’m guessing Abrams will be using a combination of old and new technology.

          I’m not sure I agree about the High Frame Rate though. I initially saw the first Hobbit that way and thought it looked terrible. I felt like I was watching a cheap BBC T.V. version of The Hobbit. Then I saw the film at the normal frame rate and suddenly I was back in the Middle Earth we’d all grown to love in the Lord of the Rings.

          So I didn’t bother with the high frame rate version of The Desolation of Smaug. Was the technology improved from the first film so that it didn’t make it look like cheap video?

          • July 12, 2014 at 1:22 am
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            Yes, Smaug looked much better than the first hobbit in HFR. Is is certainly the best way to watch a 3d movie.
            Perhaps you are right, however. HFR is probably not necessary for SW. IMAX is ok, but it can look a bit grainy for my taste. It’s obvious that Kennedy is more concerned about the story than pushing the technology, but I think they can do both. I also would like to see the sequel trilogy have it’s own tone and feel. I hope they do not try to copy the OT too much.

          • July 13, 2014 at 1:19 am
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            I don’t know about you but when Anakin arrived at the Lars homestead in Attack of the Clones, I got a warm feeling from seeing the familiar site of Luke’s home. It didn’t dominate the story or the entire film but I’m thinking that Episode 7 may have a lot of moments like that which sort of us take us back to those original feelings and help tie the whole Saga together without preventing the new Trilogy from having it’s own feel as well. But time will tell.

            And thank you for letting me know about the HFR in Smaug. I probably won’t get a chance to see it that way now but I’ll certainly give it a shot again for the next one.

  • July 11, 2014 at 5:05 am
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    IMAX is great news! I think a lot of us have wondered about how cool it would be to see that galaxy far, far away in IMAX.

    George Lucas was to busy with using his digital camera filming the PT to think about IMAX.

    And I agree with Viral Hides reply above. Episode 7 will get a post 3D conversion, and we will get a 2D version as well.

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