In the grand tapestry of filmmaking, it’s not just the directors, actors, and writers who offer vital contributions. There are also production designers who play a significant role in transporting audiences to an entirely different world through the meticulous craft of production design. But unfortunately, George Lucas will beg to differ, for he holds different opinions on the use of practical sets.
During an old interview at the time of Return of the Jedi, George Lucas is heard sharing his candid views on the filmmaking techniques of contemporary sci-fi directors. While praising their dedication to practical sets, Lucas didn’t shy away from expressing his concerns. But, considering this generation’s two of the greatest sci-fi filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve’s frequent use of practical sets, Lucas’ comments are deemed to spark outrage.
George Lucas’ Opinion on the Sci-fi Filmmakers Who Use Practical Sets
Legendary filmmaker George Lucas, famous for bringing the Star Wars franchise to life, shared his crude opinion on the contemporary filmmaking approach of sci-fi directors. During the production of Return of the Jedi, Lucas opened up his views on the use of practical sets by filmmakers.
Being a sci-fi director himself, George Lucas thus noted that in the era of CGI, using practical sets is just a way of boasting the work and effort invested in the movie. According to the snippet of the interview shared by All The Right Movies, Lucas claimed that practical sets are like ornamentation, and have no other significance than making directors flaunt their works.
One of the fatal mistakes that almost every sci-fi filmmakers make is that they spend so much time on the settings, you know, creating the environment, that they spend film time on it. And you don’t have to spend so much film time to create an environment.
What they are doing is, they’re showing off the amount of work that they generated. And it slows the pace of the film. The story is not the settings, the story is the stories, the plot.
George Lucas certainly didn’t shy away from expressing his opinion on sci-fi filmmakers’ approach to turning a movie into a blockbuster or a fan-favorite franchise. But while his comments, back in the day, didn’t spark controversies, they are deemed to cause an outrage in today’s date.
Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve’s Frequent Use of Practical Sets
Considering two of the most preferred sci-fi directors Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve are known for using practical sets, which earned them massive respect and a fanbase, George Lucas’ criticism is expected to create an uproar and Nolan and Villeneuve’s fanbase. Well, the two contemporary filmmakers have undoubtedly gained acclaim for their commitment to using practical sets to enhance the realism of their films.
From the expansive desert landscapes of Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune: Part Two to the gritty urban streets of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the directors have spared no expense in creating immersive worlds for their stories to unfold. However, George Lucas, known for his groundbreaking visual works in the Star Wars franchise, had called out the emphasis on practical sets as useless, from directors like Nolan and Villeneuve.
Take for example, the set design in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2, and the meticulous attention to detail employed by the director and production designer Patrice Vermette, which gave birth to the sprawling imperial city Arrakis. Speaking with Elledecor, Vermette opened up on how he and his team handcrafted the iconic city by taking architectural inspiration from World War 2 bunkers and Mayan temples.
Similarly, even for Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster Oppenheimer, the filmmaker along with his production designer Ruth De Jong recreated the entire town of Los Alamos in the form of a life-size set. According to Parametric Architecture, since the modernization of the actual locality was obstructing Nolan from bringing out the aesthetics of the 1940s, the filmmaker scouted numerous locations across New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado to build a Los Alamos look-alike town.
In an era dominated by CGI and visual effects, Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve’s commitment to practical sets is commendable. But, when it comes to George Lucas, he prefers filmmakers who focus on storytelling rather than losing sight of the heart of filmmaking.
Star Wars movies are available on Disney+.
Dune movies are available on Max.
Oppenheimer is available on Peacock.
