Director J.J. Abrams And His Wife Katie McGrath
Director J.J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath pose at the Children's Defense Fund-California 24th Annual "Beat the Odds" Awards in Culver City, California December 4, 2014. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

During his acceptance speech at the Visual Effects Society Awards, J.J. Abrams admitted he was thrilled to have worked on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” He said it’s been a thrill working on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The director also expressed his gratitude for Lucasfilm for making his lifetime dream of working on the movie a reality.

According to Deadline, J.J. Abrams was especially grateful for head of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy for giving him the opportunity to direct the movie. “I want to thank Kathy Kennedy for saying the words, ‘Do you want to direct Star Wars?’ and actually being in a position to let me direct Star Wars,” he said.

Abrams revealed that the past couple of years he’s spent working on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “in the world of light sabers and tie fighters,” has reportedly been “absolutely challenging” for him. The movie has suffered numerous leaks in the past, from plot details to leaked concept art. However, this has not stopped the director from keeping mum on production details. Yet even with these challenges, J.J. Abrams admitted that working on the movie has been a “dream come true.”

J.J. Abrams was awarded by the Visual Effects Society for his contribution on various movies including the three “Star Trek” films, two “Mission: Impossible” movies, “Cloverfield,” “Super 8,” “Lost,” “Fringe” and “Alias.” He was especially honoured for bringing back “Star Wars” to the big screen. During his speech, the director credited his award to the credible VFX artists he’s worked with who inspire him to work in the movies.

In an interview with Collider, Abrams revealed that some scenes or concepts in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” used computer-generated practical effects. However, Abrams said an “old school” approach was done on the CG effects. The director revealed that more CG effects were done to remove things instead of adding them. Abrams said he credits this capability to the numerous tools available during this “age of filmmaking.”

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” relied heavily on visual effects and the creation of actual sets in order to produce a tangible and realistic interpretation of the galaxy. Oscar Isaac once said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly that J.J. Abrams actually built the sets during filming so viewers can be treated to a real galactic experience in the movie.

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