George Lucas directed the original Star Wars movie, which launched the epic space opera saga in 1977. The film earned Lucas critical and commercial, spawning a franchise that has become a pop culture sensation. The filmmaker later returned to direct the entirety of the prequel trilogy of the franchise.
Despite his lengthy tenure as a director, Lucas never resorted to one filmmaking technique made infamous by one of the greatest directors in the sci-fi genre. Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard shed additional light on Lucas’ approach to direction in the Star Wars franchise. Here is what Gillard revealed about the difference between Lucas and one sci-fi legend’s direction style.
George Lucas Did Not Follow Stanley Kubrick’s Footsteps While Directing Star Wars
Filmmaker George Lucas is best known for his work on the Star Wars franchise, which cemented him as one of the best sci-fi directors. After completing the original trilogy, Lucas returned to the galaxy far, far away for the prequels, with Nick Gillard serving as stunt co-ordinator.
In an issue of the Star Wars Insider Magazine, Gillard spoke about Lucas’ direction skills and addressed the rumors that most scenes in The Phantom Menace were filmed with minimal takes. He said:
That’s not always the case. When George gets something right, then is no point in doing it over and over again.
Gillard’s comments hinted that Lucas was not interested in taking multiple takes. As a result, Lucas’ approach was the direct opposite of sci-fi legend Stanley Kubrick.
Kubrick directed the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is widely considered one of the best sci-fi films ever made. However, to achieve the desired result in most of his movies, Kubrick relied on filming multiple takes and was quite notorious for the same. Hence, Lucas achieved a similarly legendary status in the sci-fi space without following in Kubrick’s footsteps.
Nick Gillard Reveals George Lucas’ Favorite Part of Making Star Wars
During the same issue of the magazine, Nick Gillard also touched upon other aspects of Lucas’ direction style. Since the filmmaker has himself admitted to not being a fan of directing, it was a surprise to see Lucas return to helm all three installments in the prequel trilogy of Star Wars.
As a result, Gillard was asked about which part of the filmmaking process Lucas enjoyed the most while working on the Star Wars franchise. In response, he stated the following:
Loose, fast, intense, and very, very focused, He knows exactly what he needs, to do to get into the editing room and he can’t wait to get there. He wants to get into the editing room as quickly as possible that his favorite part.
From Gillard’s words, it is evident that Lucas still did not enjoy directing as much.
However, the filmmaker’s favorite part was editing when it came to Star Wars movies. Considering the exceptional sound and visual effects involved in transporting viewers to the galaxy far, far away it is easy to understand why editing is Lucas’ favorite part.
The Star Wars movies and TV shows are streaming on Disney+.
