Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/997235
www.postmagazine.com 16 POST JUNE 2018 SUMMER MOVIES the whole goal the entire time was to make the sequence feel as grounded as possible, just as believable as possible, as if it had been shot in the '70s. So when you see helicopter shots, even though we were shooting with a gyro stabilizer chopper that was very modern, and very high tech, and very high-quality camera, we also shot with vintage lenses and we put on a camera shake that we actually were inspired by the camera mounts that they used in Apolocypse Now, because that was the kind of era that we were going for. We, of course, pulled that off using the latest software, the latest innovations, but were able to get the creative feel we were looking for." Greatly contributing to the previs work that ILM completed for the film was The Third Floor. "They set up in London so I could work with them very closely and they were instrumental in previs'ing a number of sequences in the film, particularly the big set pieces with the train heist and then later the Kessel," says Bredow. "Those were big se- quences that they did a lot of heavy lifting on and they were great partners on this film." [See next month's issue for full Third Floor coverage] In all, Bredow spent around two-and-a-half years working on Solo, at first in London, prepping for photography and doing photography, and the rest of the time in San Francisco and LA — going back and forth. He says now, it "feels surreal that it's drawn to a close." While he admits that he's worked on some big movies in the past, he says "there's nothing bigger than working as the visual effects supervisor on Star Wars. When the team asked me to come on, there was some trepidation because of the scale of the work and the quality bar that Star Wars has consistently hit over the years. I definitely walked in very excited and looking forward to it, but also, very aware that I was working on a Star Wars movie and wanting to maintain that high bar and push the envelope in terms of innovation and quality. Looking back, having now finished it, I'm really proud of the wok that the team was able to do and I was able to participate in a way that even exceeded my initial expectations. I was welcomed into the editorial sessions, and the concept ses- sions for the big set pieces in the film in a way in which I could only have dreamed. Ron Howard is a very collaborative director and really welcomed great ideas from everywhere. He made all the calls, it was clear he was in charge, and he put the film together, but it was really a very collaborative environment and I benefited from that and got to participate in the film in a unique and special way. "It was such a privilege to take fans into the Star Wars universe and visit a point in time which, while familiar, will be wholly new to them...We en- deavored to utilize the best combination of mod- ern technology and a 1970s' filmmaking aesthetic. It's one of the things that makes Solo so unique." Bredow The Third Floor provided previs. More than 1,200 artists contributed to the VFX.