Earlier this week, director/writer J.J. Abrams and his co-writer Lawrence Kasdan appeared at the Director's Guild Of America for a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Some of the quotes from JJ and Kasdan talking have come out of the 32 minute question and answer session that followed this screening. And thanks to the DGA, the entire half hour long Q&A is now online for everyone to watch.
The conversation between Kasdan and Abrams is mostly geared towards people working within the film industry, talking about the development and directing process (after all, it is for the union members of the DGA), but there are quote a few Force Awakens bits and stories relayed here. Watch the Force Awakens DGA conversation now after the jump.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens DGA Question and Answer Session
Here is a breakdown with timecodes for those who don't want to watch the whole thing:
0:00 Abrams talks about the discovery process and trying to discover "the better idea".
5:00 Kasdan on trusting the audience
7:30 Abrams on how a shot from Force Awakens that came out of spontaneity
9:45 What haunts JJ Abrams about production
11:00 JJ Abrams on the importance of the clarity of story
12:30 Why JJ Abrams shouldn't take 13 takes to film some scenes
14:00 Abrams on the influence of Star Wars on his life and how directing a Star Wars movie was different than his previous films and tv shows
19:00 The excitement of a strong woman at the center of a Star Wars movie
20:30 Abrams on the three shot sequence at Maz's Castle
22:00 The magic of the creature department
22:40 How you film costumed creatures in 122 degree heat
23:25 Abrams Praising the effects George Lucas pioneered
25:20 Abrams dream jobs vs. paying work and the struggles of saying "yes" and "no"
27:00 The story of an HBO Pilot Abrams directed that didn't go forward
28:00 Abrams on the importance of setting the moral compass at the beginning of production
30:00 Working on the forest scenes for the film
31:40 How Harrison Ford set the tone for the new actors
