New 'The Force Awakens' iTunes Bonus Feature!

By: Dominic Jones

A new bonus feature is now available to fan who buy, or have already bought, Star Wars: The Force Awakens on iTunes.  The new feature, titled "Dressing the Galaxy", features costume designer Michael Kaplan discussing his work designing the costumes for Kylo Ren, Rey, Finn, Han Solo, and General Leia.  The new feature is over six minutes long and also features interviews with director JJ Abrams, actors Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, and Harrison Ford.  Check out a preview of "Dressing the Galaxy" below,

It's really cool to see that Lucasfilm is continuing to put out new content for fans who have already bought the film on home media.  JJ Abrams said recently that he thinks more deleted scenes will be made available digitally, and based on this it looks like iTunes might be a reasonable place to expect to see those.  Regardless, hopefully they continue to release more content like this to supplement the features that were available upon the film's initial release.

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Michael Kaplan Discusses Creating The Costumes Of 'The Force Awakens'

By: Benjamin Hart

One of the most iconic elements of any Star Wars film are its costumes. Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced a plethora of costumes, both for returning characters and brand new faces. Costume Designer Michael Kaplan was the man in charge of creating all the amazing costumes seen in the film, and recently IGN caught up with him to discuss his work. In addition, they also revealed some previously unseen pieces of concept art from the film. You can check it out some highlights below:

Kaplan first talked about improving on previous costumes that were bothersome to the wearers:

"Everybody who was coming back had some complaints about their previous costumes, so it was my job to correct those issues. There were shirts collars for Harrison that would drive him crazy, boots that were uncomfortable, and C-3PO’s costume was a nightmare to get in and out of and pinched as well. So, it was an honor to be able to go back and adjust those things."

He also discussed the development of Rey's costume:

"We knew she was going to be in a world of men doing things like climbing and dealing with rocket parts and living this Spartan life, so we had to make her practical, but we also wanted a glimmer of femininity about her. I also knew there were going to be sandstorms and dust, so I wanted the character to be in light colors. It also felt right for her emotionally and for the desert. It also felt very Star Wars especially when you look back at Luke and Leia."

"We eventually gave her a wrap, which could protect her face against dust storms. Everything is there for a reason, but it gives her a very beautiful image when all the pieces are put together. Rey wears the costume throughout the film, although we had 25 copies made and about 12 pairs of boots."

And he also details Finn's look once he sheds his Stormtrooper armor:

"We started by thinking about what a stormtrooper would wear under their armor. In the original movies, they wore leotards but that’s not something we want our leading man running around in, so we ended up with a black jean pant and more of a shirt than a leotard. But we didn’t want him all in black, so thankfully the desert covers everything with dust and makes the white shoes dark and the clothes dusty. Then when you put on the leather jacket, you have a very different look."

"We painted on red patches of acrylic paint [on the leather jacket] and then wiped them back so they got ingrained in the leather to give it more depth and character. Then we put it through various washes, adding oils and wiping them off. We’ve also added a solution of permanent dust as, of course, normal dust would fall off."

Kaplan further reveals the daunting process of creating Kylo Ren's costume, along with the Resistance and First Order garb. You can read the full interview here, as well as see all the new concept art!

Source: IGN

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Video: 'The Force Awakens' Crew Q&A After Academy Screening

By: Dominic Jones

Many key members of the crew of Star Wars: The Force Awakens took part in a special Q&A with The Hollywood Reporters' Scott Feinberg after a screening of the film at the Academy.  The crew members present were, director JJ Abrams, producer Kathleen Kennedy, co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, VFX supervisor Roger Guyett, editors Mary Jo Markey and Maryann Brandon, cinematographer Daniel Mindel, costume designer Michael Kaplan and co-production designer Rick Carter.  You can check out the video below,

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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'The Force Awakens' Costume Designer Michael Kaplan Talks About Leia's New Costume

By: Dominic Jones

The costumes of Star Wars have always been one of the many iconic aspects of the franchise.  Michael Kaplan is the man tasked with continuing that tradition in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Kaplan spoke with People Magazine recently for their special Star Wars issue ava about his work on the new film including the new costume he designed for Princess Leia.  

Via People,

Costume designer Michael Kaplan was very hands-on with his work in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, whether outfitting space captains or princesses turned generals turned ... princesses again?

"Initially we see Leia in a working environment, and [director] J.J. Abrams liked the idea of dressing her for that situation," Kaplan told PEOPLE of Leia's conservative garb as general in the Resistance. "Later on we do see her looking a bit more regal."

Kaplan originally thought a career in costumes would lead him to making "pretty dresses," so he's surprised as anyone that he's become the go-to sci-fi designer, from Blade Runner and Star Trek to Dec. 18's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. "There are a few dresses in Star Wars," he reveals, "but I wouldn't call them pretty."

Actually, Kaplan's favorite Star Wars costume from the original trilogy belongs to "C-3PO, no contest." And he got to go all-out on new designs like Captain Ithano, the red-helmeted character seen in Maz Kanata's castle and appearing in a Star Wars spinoff book called The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku.

He also had the chance to craft mature looks for Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

"I wanted Han's costume to feel familiar, since Harrison Ford is the same actor playing the same character," Kaplan says. "Of course he's older, but he's still in terrific shape. I wanted it to seem like Han was still choosing his own garb. As for Luke, I'm not sure. Let me know what you think on Dec. 18."

Just three days to go...

Source: People

 

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Michael Kaplan Reveals Behind The Scenes Photos & Info About The Costumes Of 'The Force Awakens'

By: Benjamin Hart

It seems you can't swing a Lightsaber these days without hitting a brand new piece of info relating to Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. Even though all will be revealed in just a few weeks, it's still fun to dig into this movie and learn more about the nearly finished production. Today Wired released an interview with The Force Awakens' costume designer Michael Kaplan where they discussed the development of some of the costumes in the film. In addition, they revealed a collection of behind the scenes photographs showcasing some of the now iconic helmets and armor of First Order, such as the Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers, Flametroopers and Captain Phasma. You can see highlights from the interview and some the photos below.

First off, Kaplan discusses designing the new Stormtroopers and mentions that, as many fans have jokingly pointed out already, the sleek design draws inspiration from Apple products. He went on to discuss how the new armor differs from Stormtrooper costumes of the Original Trilogy:

"The original stormtroopers were vacuum-formed. That process required a much thinner plastic to be heated and molded. These are much harder [cast in polyurethane], so they don't crack. They're much tougher materials, plus they have more flexibility."

He also mentioned Kylo Ren, adding that Dark sider's mask is meant to emulate the character's apparent idol, Darth Vader, while also appealing to children, by request of director J.J. Abrams. He also discussed fellow baddie Captain Phasma, whose design almost didn't make it into the movie at all:

"I loved the idea of taking a stormtrooper into the world of armour, It was just something I had in my head. The concept artist took my sketch and came up with a really beautiful illustration. I loved it and I hung it on the wall of our design room... One afternoon [producer] Kathy Kennedy came by and pointed at it and exclaimed, 'That is fantastic.' JJ loved it as well, so he created the role of Captain Phasma to wear it."

Be sure to head over to Wired to read the full interview and the rest of the awesome photos!

Source: Wired

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Costume Designer Michael Kaplan Discusses 'The Force Awakens' With Vanity Fair

By: Benjamin Hart

Apart from the incredible photos that were recently revealed, the latest issue of Vanity Fair featured an extensive interview with the creators behind Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Along with it VF has released a series of interviews available exclusively online. One such interview is a very revealing one with Episode VII's costume designer Michael Kaplan.

First off, he talked briefly about his earlier film career, which started with the 1982 classic Blade Runner:

"I learned a lot on Blade Runner, just my love of grit and texture and things being overly aged.... I learned from Ridley [Scott] how great it is to re-use things and make new things out of things that already exist in a way, where you’re kind of not even recognizing the object that you started with. I like digging around in thrift shops and I don’t know if that’s a signature but it’s something that I’ve done a lot in my work. Or maybe it’s just the films that I’ve been on that have required that."

The conversation quickly turned to Star Wars. Here are some highlights from that discussion:

"Did you actually re-use any old Star Wars costumes? Are there like racks and racks of old stormtrooper uniforms in some warehouse up at Lucas Ranch?
We didn’t use anything, but I went up to George Lucas’s archives—huge building—and just spent a day going through sketches and looking just to get the tone of the movie, you know, in my guts and veins so that when I went to London I felt equipped and inspired, which I certainly did.

But the old stormtroopers uniforms would not be usable. Audiences of today have become so sophisticated that a lot of things you could get away with in the past, you can’t anymore. So the new uniforms are much heavier. Also, the action in the film required them to not be “VacuFormed” [like the old uniforms] as those all broke and cracked. These new ones are much more heavy-duty, but they are redesigned, too, they’re not the same stormtroopers.

How did you tweak them?
Everything was a conversation with J.J., of course. He wanted to hold on to the uniqueness and not get too far away from the stormtroopers, keep that iconic look, but still have 30 years of difference. I mean, it would be a little odd to have the same stormtroopers this much later when Leia and Han are so much older.

What other old looks did you update?
I remembered when I saw the original movie I was a little bit confused by the warring factions, because the uniform colors kind of overlapped—both [the rebels and the Empire] had some khakis and olive, and I kind of thought, Now I’m in a position to do something about this. So I made two very, very clean-cut palettes. The Empire is in very cold blacks and grays and metallics and teal blues. The Rebels are in khakis and olives and some oranges—warmer colors. So there are very clear separations and you know who you’re looking at when you see them. Also, the lines of the costumes. The Rebels are kind of wools and natural fibers, cottons, and the Empire is very hard-lined, almost like Thierry Mugler. Very kind of edgy. The haircuts are these three-quarter parts, which were big in the 1930s, so that’s kind of recalling something from the past.

Tell me about designing for Leia and Han and Luke. They’re such iconic characters and they had such iconic looks. Do you reference what we’ve seen in the past, or not at all?
A lot of it had to do with what was right for the story and the action, but a lot of it was also, you know, people have a way of dressing. I wouldn’t really be doing my job if I thought, Hey, let’s redesign this character totally and put them in colors they’ve never worn. It just wouldn’t make any sense. But you also want new, interesting things to look at. You want enough change to be there."

Be sure to read the full interview on VanityFair.com!

Source: Vanity Fair 

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