It’s awards season. That means we’ll be getting a bunch of behind the scenes reels featuring peeks behind the curtain of how some of our favorite magical movie moments get made. Featured here is a behind the scenes look at the effects that make up Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Right up front, because I know you’re wondering: yes, BB-8 is featured in this reel in a few places. Yes, they were digitally added to a few of the chase shots on Jakku. Yes, this means Neil deGrasse Tyson may have had a point, but do keep in mind that there was a real BB-8 rolling around in the sand. Just maybe not as fast as one might think they were rolling around.

While it’s true that The Force Awakens placed a strong emphasis on real, practical effects, there were (of course) plenty of digital effects that really helped contribute to a whole, complete, strong presentation. The side-by-side comparison is incredibly intriguing to watch. There’s plenty of green screen effects shown off here, but the real live environment composites are especially fascinating.

Moreover, being able to see which parts of a scene were digital versus which parts of a scene were fully built out sets really sheds some light on the staggering scope with which these movies are created. A great example of this is the TIE Fighter that Finn and Jake Poe crash land on Jakku–the whole damn thing is a real, practical set. There were only a few digital elements added on afterwards.

Definitely take a look at this reel, if only just to gawk and admire The Force Awakens a little longer. I mean, who wouldn’t want to do that?

(via io9)

—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—

Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

The Mary Sue