Star Wars 'Rogue One' Trailer Shows Handheld Camera Shots, Other New Franchise Techniques - The Gritty Effect This Has on the New Movie
Star Wars fans are on cloud nine. Days after the release of "The Force Awakens" on home video, aficionados of the galaxy far, far away got another present from Disney: a new trailer for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
And unlike the teasers for Episode VII, this one actually gives viewers far more details into the story of the new franchise.
But what immediately jumps out after viewing the two-minute trailer is how different it feels from past Star Wars movies.
While there are certainly iconic imagery (the Yavin base, the Death Star, the Imperial Star Destroyers, Storm Troopers and AT-AT), this film has a lot of interesting visuals and techniques that set it apart from the other episodes in the saga.
Handheld Camera
There are only a few images that utilize handheld cameras in the trailer, but their use is not the norm in the Star Wars universe. The George Lucas films tended to use static cameras with movement mainly coming from a tripod or in some cases, a crane. J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens" kept to that style closely, but also utilized energetic movement via dollies and vehicle rigs. Handheld cameras simply did not fit into the movies.
Until now.
The impact here of course is to give it a grittier feel and look, not surprising considering that director Gareth Edwards has called this film a "war movie."
More Violence
Star Wars movies have always had violence, but it has come down to lightsaber fights, blaster shots and a limited melee or hand-to-hand combat.
But the new trailer shows us that the melee combat will be utilized far more, adding to the brutality of the film. While lightsabers can be violent, they are fantastical items and the viewer processes it as such.
But when you see a character using martial arts and slamming people with a metallic object, it feels more real and is not quite so easy to process as "fake."
Long takes
At the end of the trailer, we witness the warriors of the film running into a field of AT-AT machines in a war zone. The shots are in movement and seemingly follow the characters throughout the battle.
Star Wars movies are not known for particularly long takes, with the exception of the opening image of "Revenge of the Sith" and a few moments in "The Force Awakens."
Lens Flare
Everyone expected abundant lens flare in "The Force Awakens" due to Abrams' ample use of the technique in "Star Trek." But to everyone's surprise, they rarely existed in Episode VII.
But from the opening of this trailer, with rebels running through Yavin, the flare is apparent and abundant.
Of course, this adds to the level of immersion, almost pulling the viewer out of the fantasy film and making it feel more grounded and life-like. This all adds to the feel that this movie is a war film more than just another fantasy movie filled with magic.