From the moment a creative idea is chosen, going through planning and preparation until entering the production stage is already difficult—but that's only the beginning of the "battle." During the production stage, many problems still exist. The filmmaking process is essentially a process of organized production: one must stay true to inspiration while also emphasizing management.
Throughout the entire shoot, Duke repeatedly emphasized the importance of on-set safety.
A film crew may consist of as few as a dozen people or as many as hundreds. For a production like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it often required thousands of people to participate. When all these people gathered at the same location for shooting, if proper preparation and precaution were not made in advance, any lapse in order could easily lead to accidents.
Besides being the director, Duke was also a producer. As both the investor and the production lead, he knew clearly that if a safety accident were to occur, it would mean a huge loss of profits for him.
Therefore, in addition to thorough advance safety management, safety responsibility agreements were signed with all key personnel, specifying detailed accountability. The production team of Star Wars: The Force Awakens also established a dedicated safety group to ensure on-set safety.
Safety on set not only included personal, fire, electrical, traffic, financial, and equipment safety but also required preparation for unexpected circumstances such as sudden weather changes.
The most typical example was accidents caused by props. Duke still remembered a tragic incident from the mid-1990s: Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, died accidentally in 1993 during the filming of The Crow. The cause of the tragedy was shockingly simple—the prop gun had real bullets loaded in it, and no one had checked the gun before it was fired.
A series of oversights ultimately led to the tragedy. Brandon Lee was only twenty-eight when he died.
Such safety issues are undoubtedly fatal to any film crew.
The crew also purchased insurance in accordance with project needs. Common Hollywood insurance types included accident liability insurance, group personal accident insurance, property damage insurance, vehicle insurance, equipment insurance, and insurance for props, sets, and costumes. All these were fully prepared.
For a film crew with many explosions, action scenes, fights, and flying sequences, some money could be saved—but some money absolutely could not.
The filming in Iceland went smoothly. After ten days, all scenes there were completed. A portion of the crew, led by Anna Prinz, returned to Los Angeles to shoot in the hangar studio at Hughes Aircraft, while Duke led the main team to Ireland to continue filming exterior scenes.
During the entire journey, all filmed reels and copies were kept under the strict care of personnel personally appointed by Duke, to prevent loss or leakage.
There could be no carelessness in this matter, as even a small mistake could turn the crew's efforts into nothing.
Although rapidly developing digital technology had greatly reduced filmmaking costs, it also brought the issue of how to properly store and preserve the vast amount of footage. There had already been Hollywood crews that carelessly lost hard drives containing their film materials while traveling.
For example, after MGM digitized The Wizard of Oz, they discarded the original film copy. Later, when they wanted to remake it in 3D, they discovered that 20% of the digital files had been lost. Fortunately, UCLA had preserved the original negatives, allowing them to rescan and produce the 3D version—narrowly avoiding disaster.
Imagine if a project were shot on film and the negatives weren't properly preserved—what kind of consequences would that bring?
In addition to film, Duke's crew also used digital footage. Digital material faced issues of format conversion, so to prevent accidents during conversion, backups were also required.
Moreover, regular inspections were necessary. Some crews stored digital materials on solid-state drives and then ignored them, only to find files missing when reopening them later.
Keeping records, backing up promptly, maintaining and checking materials—these sound simple, but in practice, the team must follow the correct workflow and never fear the extra trouble.
After arriving in Ireland, Duke only gave the crew one afternoon of rest. Filming on location would begin early the next morning. Even though he was the project's investor, the schedule could not be delayed.
This was something every director had to pay attention to.
This didn't mean rushing the director to produce sloppy work, but rather completing the film within a controlled framework—because once the schedule slipped, a chain reaction would follow: maybe the money would run out, maybe the season would change, maybe a good release window would be missed… What would be lost wouldn't just be time, but also real money.
The best way to maintain progress management was to prepare a detailed shooting plan during pre-production. With Duke's accumulated experience, the average daily shooting pace was about two to four pages of the script, which gave a clear understanding of the overall schedule.
In Hollywood, script breakdown is the fundamental tool for determining the shooting schedule. It analyzes all the elements within the script and converts them into a shooting plan and budget. Doing so allows the director to identify early on those ambitious, costly, and potentially difficult parts of the script, thus staying alert to possible challenges. It also helps organize and find segments that can be shot collectively, improving overall efficiency.
When conducting location scouting before filming begins, both the director and producer should remember to bring along the heads of various departments such as cinematography, lighting, and art direction to listen to their opinions and suggestions. After all, these are experts in their respective fields. The visuals a director imagines in his mind still rely on these experts and their teams to be realized.
Furthermore, plans often fail to keep up with changes, so a plan should be as precise as possible while leaving room for flexibility. This is not only a technical skill but also an art — the technical aspect comes from professionalism, while the artistic aspect comes from experience.
Although no two projects are completely identical, problems encountered in the past become valuable lessons for the next time.
Starting with the filming in Ireland, the most prominent star in the entire crew, Harrison Ford, joined the production. He was also the highest-paid actor in the cast. To bring him aboard, the production team paid a hefty sum of twenty million dollars.
Although Duke decided to have Han Solo die to prevent Harrison Ford from appearing in future sequels, the atmosphere between the two during filming remained relatively cordial. He was no longer the young director he once was; even a well-established figure like Harrison Ford had to show sufficient respect on set.
As for what Harrison Ford did privately, Duke didn't care at all. To him, their relationship was purely a business collaboration, and Harrison Ford had every reason to earn his twenty-million-dollar paycheck.
His presence in the crew wasn't just for filming but also for coordinating with the film's publicity efforts.
Shortly after Harrison Ford arrived in Dublin, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens production made major headlines that instantly reignited media and fan enthusiasm.
TMZ, under Warner's banner, was the first to release an exclusive report about Harrison Ford.
"At 71 years old, veteran actor Harrison Ford injured his ankle while filming Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Ireland on June 22 local time. The situation doesn't look optimistic, and a fracture is possible. He has been sent to the hospital for treatment. During his recovery, filming will continue as planned."
"Reportedly, during shooting at Black Forest Film Studios in Dublin, a hydraulic door accidentally fell and struck Harrison Ford's ankle, causing a serious injury with possible fracture. Interestingly, the door in question belonged to the Millennium Falcon, which suggests that Harrison Ford's character, Han Solo, will once again pilot this iconic ship in Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
"Duke Rosenberg's spokesperson, Tina Fey, has confirmed Harrison Ford's ankle injury, though details regarding its severity and the timeline for his return to set remain unclear. However, she stated that filming will proceed as scheduled during his recovery…"
Naturally, the main publicity work of the production shifted toward the actors.
Harrison Ford's injury drew massive fan attention, but such deliberately generated news couldn't last long. Just eight days later, Harrison Ford reappeared on set for filming.
Once again, Warner's affiliated media outlets launched another round of promotion.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues filming this week at the Black Forest Studios in Dublin, Ireland. Previously, production paused briefly due to Harrison Ford's injury. On June 22, he twisted his ankle during filming. Given his age, doctors advised a week of bed rest…"
"After recovering, Harrison Ford wasted no time and immediately returned to the intense shooting schedule."
Meanwhile, Duke also recorded a video on set, which was released to the public by Lucasfilm and Warner Bros. In the video, he announced that the Star Wars: The Force Awakens crew would give fans an opportunity to visit the Dublin and Los Angeles sets. The lucky winners would not only meet the film's all-star cast but also appear in the movie as extras.
This fan competition was tied to a charity event called "Force for Change." Those wishing to enter had to donate to the "UNICEF Innovation Labs," an organization dedicated to helping children around the world.
Additionally, participants who didn't win the on-set visit would still receive Star Wars: Episode VII–themed T-shirts and posters.
As time went on, the film's promotional campaign grew increasingly intense. In addition to Duke and Harrison Ford—the two biggest names in the production—the rest of the cast also made frequent media appearances.
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