I was invited by Disney on a Rogue One press trip to facilitate my review.
Not to brag or anything but, breathe in, breathe out, I SCREENED SOME OF STAR WARS AT THE SKYWALKER RANCH!!!! Wow, what a whirlwind of a Star Wars weekend! But if The Force Takes Me to The SkyWalker Ranch and Lucas Film HQ, I am not going to resist that 🙂 Never in my dreams did I imagine getting so up close and personal with Star Wars. As a fan, you know I was in cloud nine…..in a galaxy far, far away that was real and cool beyond amazing!
The Skywalker Ranch
The first thing 24 other fabulous bloggers and myself did during our Disney Star Wars trip, was visit the Skywalker Ranch. As you can imagine, all 25 of us were extremely excited. I think it was the longest drive ever for all of us.
When we got to the ranch it was pitch black. As we walked in, we were given a manila envelope to put away our phones. Next we were invited to the private theater at the ranch. This is the very theater were THE George Lucas himself would sit to preview first cuts of his creations. We sat an enjoyed Garreth Edwards (director) introduce 28 minutes of Star Wars: Rogue One.
The 28 minutes were a huge tease that gave a glimpse of how amazing Rogue One is. I watched at the edge of my seat! Rogue One promises to pull at everyone of our emotions while it delivers impossible action, humor, diversity, I just can’t put it all into words. Just make sure you have you tickets ready for December 16th! Keep your eyes out for K2SO and Chirrut 😉
After the screening we had a chance to pose with the Storm Troopers and mingle at a reception where themed drinks were offered – Jyn Myle and Jyn & Tonic. Eight costumes from the movie were on display. My favorite was Krennic’s but they were are all super cool. I would love to try them all out.
We also got the chance to go shopping right on the ranch. Not only were there t-shirts, caps, mugs and sweatshirts to pick from. Some amazing books were on display along with magnets, chocolate, and notebooks.
I bought a Christmas tree ornament, a Skywalker patch and a bottle of wine. Yes, Skywalker Ranch has their own viniculture along with wine stoppers, etched wine glasses and marmalades to accompany the wines.
I found out that all the audio details of the Star Wars films are worked on at the Skywalker Ranch. I just can imagine focusing on sound and such a beautiful place. What a night! But that was just the begging of the trip: The Force Takes Me to The SkyWalker Ranch AND Lucas Film HQ. Off to HQ!
Lucas Film HQ
The first thing I saw when we got to Lucas Film HQ was not Yoda. My heart was fluttering at the sight of Rogue One Cars!!!
Of course, Yoda was there to greet us as well. To say the least it was an over the top welcome for me.
I didn’t get a chance to explore or play with the cars because we were quickly checked in at the lobby where I got totally distracted by a fashion cool Lego Star Wars dress.
We took time to pose with Darth Vader while we waited for our guided tour of the Lucas Film HQ
Touring Lucas Film
At Lucas Film HQ I was just in awe of the amount of films that have been worked on and finished there. We admired poster after poster of movies that we all have seen and enjoyed. There were plenty of props on display too like this Transformer model of Optimus Prime made out of pieces from a 3-D printer
Or this intricate detailed hand made sculpture that is the basis for the Pirates of the Caribbean character
Ghostbusters was on hand as was E.T. and a very serious MIB receptionist.
The geek that I am, my favorite was this T-Rex from Jurassic park. This particular model used in the original movie was scanned from head to toe, so that it could be recreated for the sequel. That means that the T-Rex in both movies is the same little guy!
Model Shop
Yes, there was plenty more for my geeky heart. I was in awe as I listened to the head of the model shop for Star Wars. He shared with us how his team researched and worked on creating and recreating the space ships for Rogue One.
Of course, looking to what teams had worked on for previous movies was important, but they also relied on scale building models to find specific pieces to include in their ships. A motor piece for an antique Ferrari model for example serves as the inspiration for the wing of one of the space ship. I thought all along it was all up to digital creation. While it is involved in the process, there is just so much more to it!
Motion Capture
I think one of my favorite characters from Rogue One is K2SO (from the 28 minutes I screened, mind you). He is all about motion capture. Yes, the funky suits filled with all kinds of dots that precisely capture motion.
We were able to experience it first hand, and play around a bit with K2SO on the screen. This technology is so incredible, it can also register emotion and eye movement once the talent is considered by the system.
You know what is amazing about Sci-Fi Movies besides their coolness? The amount of things that it drives us to learn. I didn’t realize the amount of research and study it took to create an imaginary world. I could envision the amount of technology being put forth to create things we only dream about. Even at that, it is just so cool to see that the technology created for a film crossed over into our world…like Iron Man’s exoskeleton used for medical purposes today. Yes, I had to 🙂 #TeamIronMan.
What a way to start off my journey for Rogue One! I just have to say it again: The Force Takes Me to The SkyWalker Ranch and Lucas Film HQ!!!
I will be sharing my interviews with the cast and much more, keep an eye out.
What are you looking forward to most on Rogue One?
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