Not So Far, Far Away

It all starts with the script. “Usually there is a very bare-bones description of the environment in the script,” explains Phil Szostak, a creative art manager at Lucasfilm, the production company for Star Wars. Artists will use the script to make concept art, or illustrations of what is described in the script.

Sometimes artists will suggest filming locations based on research they did while designing their concept art. Using the script and the art team’s suggestions, the location scouts research and visit potential places to film. “The challenge comes from finding places that are not only beautiful but also accessible for the crew to arrive and shoot at,” Szostak says.

It all starts with the script. “Usually there is a very bare-bones description of the environment in the script,” explains Phil Szostak. He’s a creative art manager at Lucasfilm, the production company that makes Star Wars. Artists will use the script to make concept art. These illustrations show what the script describes.

Artists often do research to help with their concept art. Sometimes they suggest filming locations based on what they find. Then location scouts study the script and the art team’s suggestions. They research and visit potential places to film. “The challenge comes from finding places that are not only beautiful but also accessible for the crew to arrive and shoot at,” says Szostak. 

Sometimes choosing a filming location comes down to the wire. “Since The Force Awakens was the first Star Wars movie in 10 years, director J.J. Abrams wanted to ground the audience in classic Star Wars,” says Szostak. He wanted the planet Jakku to remind fans of Tatooine. Tatooine is the desert planet where Luke Skywalker grew up. Much of the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies take place there. But Abrams was torn between Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Wadi Rum, Jordan. He chose Abu Dhabi only 18 weeks prior to shooting. Luckily, a resort nearby was the perfect place to house the film crew with such short notice.

“Abrams wanted an endless ocean of desert,” says Szostak. “He found that in Abu Dhabi.” The city is home to the largest sand dunes in the world, some of them more than 1,000 feet high!

Sometimes choosing the right filming location is difficult. The Force Awakens was the first Star Wars movie in 10 years. Director J.J. Abrams wanted to remind the audience of classic Star Wars movies, says Szostak. He wanted the planet Jakku to look similar to Tatooine. Tatooine is the desert planet where Luke Skywalker grew up. Many scenes in the earlier Star Wars movies take place there.

But Abrams was torn between two filming locations: Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Wadi Rum, Jordan. He chose Abu Dhabi only18 weeks before crews started shooting the movie. Finding a place for the crew to stay on such short notice isn’t easy. Luckily, a resort nearby was the perfect place.

“Abrams wanted an endless ocean of desert,” says Szostak. “He found that in Abu Dhabi.” The city is home to the largest sand dunes in the world. Some are more than 1,000 feet high! 

Not every filming location is as remote as Skellig Michael or as harsh as the Abu Dhabi deserts. Canto Bight, the capital city of the casino planet Cantonica visited in The Last Jedi, might look familiar: It’s actually the medieval city of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Many other TV shows and movies have been filmed there.

“It’s really important that when we film on location, we choose somewhere that people will not associate with Earth,” says Szostak. “The closest we have gotten to something like that is Dubrovnik.”

Once filmmakers start shooting in a city or an existing temple or ruin, making sure the landscape still feels alien can become tricky. “We can’t have any real recognizable cultural elements from our planet,” says Szostak. Part of the Star Wars movie magic is maintaining the illusion that the story is unfolding a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—even if the action is filmed right here on Earth.

Not every filming location is as remote as Skellig Michael or as harsh as the Abu Dhabi desert. Canto Bight is the capital city of the casino planet Cantonica. Star Wars characters visit it in The Last Jedi, the second movie in the trilogy. But it might look familiar: It’s actually the medieval city of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Many other TV shows and movies have been filmed there.

“It’s really important that when we film on location, we choose somewhere that people will not associate with Earth,” says Szostak. “The closest we have gotten to something like that is Dubrovnik.” 

Shooting in a city or an existing temple or ruin can be tricky. Filmmakers have to make sure the setting still feels alien. “We can’t have any real recognizable cultural elements from our planet,” says Szostak. Part of the magic of Star Wars movies is the illusion that they’re happening a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—even if the action is filmed right here on Earth.