Firing the still photographer was just a trivial matter for Duke. In the past, his crews never even had a dedicated still photographer. The only reason this position was created this time was because Sofia Coppola had recommended a well-known still photographer from the independent film circle. But once again, practice proved that someone capable of handling independent films was not necessarily suited for a position in commercial filmmaking.
After that photographer named Jack left the crew, Duke once again assigned this aspect of the work to John Schwartzman's team.
In fact, the purpose of still photos is simple—to make potential moviegoers think, "Wow, this movie has something I like. I have to go see it!" That's the goal. Still photographers usually don't have the ability to judge what content interests the audience or what has news value. Therefore, the work of a still photographer must follow strict requirements.
Before filming began the next day, Duke specifically called John Schwartzman over.
"John, the publicity for this film will be different from before." Duke looked directly at the cinematographer standing in front of him and said bluntly, "While emphasizing the newsworthiness of the stills, we must also maintain confidentiality."
"I understand," John Schwartzman nodded.
Duke continued, "I only have four requirements for the stills. First, each scene must have no fewer than three to five usable stills. Second, every shooting day must yield at least ten usable stills. Third, the total number of working days for still photography must account for no less than eighty percent of the film crew's shooting schedule, and after retouching, there must be no fewer than three hundred usable stills. Fourth, all stills must be shot horizontally, meeting the requirements for news photography."
These were numerical requirements—each scene, or rather each key scene, must have three to five usable stills. Sometimes, actors' expressions during filming may not look great, so there needed to be options to choose from. But every important moment had to be captured.
Having worked with Duke for years, John Schwartzman naturally understood his meaning. "Don't worry, Duke," he said. "I'll keep a close eye on it."
Later, John Schwartzman found a very ordinary photography assistant to take on the still photography duties. Compared to the fired Jack, who was famous in the indie film world, this person was practically an unknown newcomer.
Such situations are not uncommon in Hollywood.
When producers look for still photographers, they naturally prefer those with an impressive portfolio. But sometimes, when filming begins and the producer actually reviews the photographer's work, they suddenly realize the photos are nowhere near expectations—half of them are unusable.
At this point, the producer is both surprised and furious, thinking the photographer isn't serious about the job. Meanwhile, the photographer gets upset too, feeling that their work hasn't been respected.
In truth, it's quite simple—just like what happened between Duke and that still photographer. There's often a huge difference in how each side understands filmmaking.
Many still photographers from the independent film world tend to see themselves as artists creating their own works. This mindset is absolutely unacceptable. A still photographer is not a portrait or art photographer; a still photographer is more like a photojournalist.
Moreover, a still photographer should not actually belong to the film's production unit but rather to the publicity and marketing departments.
Unlike art photography, still photos largely serve the purpose of movie marketing—they are among the most powerful tools in film promotion.
Within the film industry, a production crew is often compared to a "taste test."
Stills, posters, and trailers—these so-called "materials"—are the tools used to promote a movie. When audiences don't yet know what a film is about or how good it is, these materials give them an initial impression. If they find it interesting, they'll look deeper—or go see the film. That's how a sale happens.
The production team must ensure that the stills can catch the viewer's attention and make them feel, "This is exactly my type of movie."
Of course, the "taste test" must match the actual product in quality—it's just a sample of the restaurant's signature dish. There's a core marketing principle here: a movie must attract audiences who like its genre. For example, if you run a Chinese restaurant but serve Western food as the sample, people who like Western food will feel deceived once they order, and those who prefer Chinese cuisine won't even step inside after seeing your sample. This is why marketing must match the product's identity—it's not about tricking people.
Movie stills and other materials are as important as a first impression when meeting someone new. The film's quality, key content, and actors' performances—all leave the audience's first, most direct impression through the stills. To a large extent, this determines whether they'll want to watch it.
Sometimes that first impression comes from a poster or trailer. But in today's visual culture, videos come with more viewing restrictions, while posters and stills are the most widely spread and easily shared image formats. In fact, compared to stills, posters have even broader reach. That's why people can instantly recognize a foreign movie just from its poster, even without understanding the language.
A poster is essentially the film's advertisement—it can represent the entire movie, its core content, tone, and style. But there's one big difference between posters and stills: posters can be created or edited later—essentially fabricated—while stills cannot.
That's precisely why Duke placed such importance on still photography during production.
Stills must carry a sense of newsworthiness. Among the three types of materials—posters, trailers, and stills—the first two can be heavily edited or re-created, but stills cannot. They're very similar to news photos, though not exactly the same. The main function of stills is to introduce the film, and they are usually released through news outlets or official announcements. Therefore, they must meet journalistic standards—they can't be tilted, distorted, heavily Photoshopped, spliced, or fake.
Since stills cannot be created in post-production, they must be shot alongside the film itself. When filming ends, the stills are handed over to the marketing team. If any issues arise, there's almost no room for correction. As a result, Hollywood often faces problems like substandard stills, poor quality, insufficient quantity, or missing key scenes.
Compared to its predecessors, Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a much larger production scale. However, Duke did not intend to adopt any of George Lucas's suggestions. Instead, he planned to return to the roots—to make a new trilogy.
Duke wanted this film's style to move away from the prequels' aesthetics and feel like a continuation of the original trilogy. This was crucial. The Force Awakens had to capture the purity of Episode IV, while also incorporating, when appropriate, the drama, beauty, and shadows of The Empire Strikes Back. He wanted the visual texture to be based on IMAX film and real locations—to feel tangible and authentic.
The art department of the crew also went back to the source for inspiration, following Duke's directive to recreate the "analog" look and feel of the classic films. Sets were designed and built by Hanna Selina for practical use; some incorporated actual displays, with CG holograms later enriching certain scenes.
These sets mostly relied on 2D camera perspectives, rather than green screen or large-scale digital extensions.
When a stage of filming came to an end, Duke gathered the core members of the production team, including Anna Prinz, Hannah Selina, and John Schwartzman, to once again emphasize key shooting precautions.
Several people stood around the director's monitor, with Duke positioned at the center.
"We know how to make the image gradually fade so that the background naturally recedes, avoiding unnecessary criticism," Duke's voice was clear and firm. "Designing with depth of field in mind will help, and I also require an extremely high tolerance for on-site textures and surfaces…"
At this point, he turned to John Schwartzman. "Shots captured with IMAX must embody the stylistic traits of the original trilogy."
John Schwartzman responded with confidence, "Both the Death Star and Millennium Falcon IMAX cameras are fitted with Panavision's custom anamorphic lenses. I've designed many retro shooting techniques based on them."
As he spoke, he walked to the director's monitor, pressed the playback button, and a previously filmed shot appeared on the screen.
When everyone had gathered around the monitor, John Schwartzman explained, "These shots will have the filmic texture of the late 1970s while retaining some of the modern qualities we know and love. I wanted to preserve that era's high contrast, so I asked Panavision to add an additional layer of lens coating. On the other hand, it also makes the lenses feel softer."
Some films from the 1970s used filters to achieve a softer look. At that time, John Schwartzman was working in the UK as an assistant cinematographer, and he was "very aware" that placing a stocking in front of or behind the lens could help offset some of the flaws of film.
Therefore, during the early preparation phase, John Schwartzman had people purchase a large quantity of Dior #10 stockings—almost buying out the entire Los Angeles Dior boutique—and conducted extensive on-site testing.
The short meeting did not last long. At the end, Duke asked Tina Fey to hand each person an iPad.
Duke had stored a digital booklet on the iPads, allowing everyone to see the characteristics and unique visual qualities required for each shot.
In the past, due to factors such as color temperature, contrast, and other variables, cinematographers had to spend a great deal of time matching shots. Now, with advancements in technology, such issues could be previewed and processed through computers.
Therefore, if the colors of different shots did not match—something that might have been a major issue in the past—it was no longer a problem now, as Duke had made full preparations.
Star Wars had a vast fan base, including many celebrities. During the filming process, numerous Hollywood stars made cameo appearances, such as Charlize Theron.
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