Back when Duke still lived on the other side of the Pacific, he had read quite a few articles observing Hollywood from afar. Those articles often described Hollywood stars as playthings that could be toyed with at will as long as someone threw them a little bait, or as lowly performers with pitiful status in the old days. Perhaps back in the 1930s and 1940s, even during the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, such situations indeed existed. But as Hollywood's commercialization evolved to what it is today, just like how a highly paid corporate executive plays a crucial role in a company, no one can ignore the importance of stars in an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
To a certain extent, Hollywood stars, like businessmen, are indeed a group of people who pursue fame and fortune. But to assume that by simply throwing them a few roles or scripts, these top Hollywood superstars would drop their pants or skirts and let others do whatever they please—such a thought is far too naïve.
Stars in Hollywood are absolutely a unique existence. For an investor like Duke, who never acts without profit in sight, to be willing to offer Harrison Ford a salary of twenty million dollars is proof enough of their status and value.
It's no exaggeration to say that, just like Chanel or Versace, a star's name represents a dazzling brand. And among Hollywood stars and the teams behind them, few are true fools. After establishing a strong brand, they continue to carry out the necessary promotion and publicity.
Within this massive industry, a star's brand is built through constant reinforcement. However, branding only fulfills the commercial symbol value of a star; what becomes even more important afterward is brand expansion.
When an already established brand is applied to another category of product, "brand extension" occurs.
Similarly, when Hollywood stars step away from the roles or professional fields that made them famous, they are also expanding their star brand. This kind of expansion takes several forms and can generally be divided into two categories: innovation-value expansion and business-value expansion.
Innovation-value expansion refers to the extension of a star's familiar image into other creative works. When a star's new role aims to transcend his or her familiar on-screen persona and successfully opens up new "acting territory," that is innovation-value expansion.
For example, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and other hilarious comedies quickly cemented Jim Carrey's identity as a comedy actor. But later, in The Truman Show and The Majestic, he began turning toward more direct dramatic roles. These films shifted Jim Carrey into a different "product category."
However, facts proved that Jim Carrey's transition into the realm of serious acting was a wrong path. This shift directly caused him to fall out of the ranks of A-list superstars, with no chance of returning.
Therefore, some stars take a more cautious approach—expanding into creative fields through other related professions. A large number of "actors-turned-directors" are vivid examples of this.
The most typical case is Ben Affleck. When his acting career was on the verge of collapse, he timely crossed over into directing, thereby saving himself.
Hollywood stars' business-value expansion mainly takes two forms. The first is another implementation of professional expansion—actors forming their own independent production companies, thus moving beyond acting into production management. Examples include George Clooney's The Ides of March and The Monuments Men.
The second form lies in the high commercialization of the star system itself. When a movie star's net worth is used to promote products outside the film industry—in simple terms, when a star endorses a product—business-value expansion is achieved.
By branding the characteristics of stars and carrying out brand expansion, Hollywood's star industry has maximized the symbolic value of stars and extended it into the broader commercial world beyond cinema.
The Hollywood star brand serves as a medium to help the public build awareness of movies.
Through the prism of a star's branded identity, a film is positioned amid the fine lines between similarity and difference within the market. Therefore, a star's brand must embody a special meaning—one that carries distinctive symbolic features to generate commercial value.
This is precisely the purpose of Hollywood's star business rules. Economic value always stands at the core. The group of stars represents the elite among bankable actors—in other words, the elite of this highly commercialized society.
As the press conference drew to its conclusion, Duke once again became the center of the media's attention.
A reporter from The Los Angeles Times asked, "You've said elsewhere that this film will convey a strong spiritual power. During filming, did you ever feel the presence of the Force?"
The presence of the Force? Of course not.
However, Duke still gave the answer most beneficial to publicity: "One day, Harrison Ford was hit by a prop door—it struck his left leg. It was a serious accident. You'd be terrified, and the outcome could have been terrible, but he was lucky to pull through. God bless him. We all felt very fortunate."
"After Harrison recovered, I felt that the entire cast and crew had become a family, because we experienced something truly horrifying—a real test of life and death."
Although the leading actors of the crew were neither strangers nor enemies, they were nowhere near as close as Duke claimed. In fact, outside of work, the actors had very little interaction. Yet such details were never something Duke would tell the media. "Especially after Harrison's return, everyone was filled with a kind of energy and passion. The contrast between light and darkness felt sharper, making us stronger. I've always loved the Force—its non-religious spirit. I think we can all feel a power that connects us. You could say that's a kind of Force."
Words like these not only benefited the film's publicity but were also exactly what the media and public wanted to hear.
As for the real infighting that existed within Hollywood crews—who would care about that?
A reporter from China also set his sights on Duke. "Director Rosenberg, you have an excellent eye for discovering new talent. How did you choose Daniel Wu and Daisy Ridley?"
"We followed the normal casting process," Duke replied calmly, "but to find the right people, we expanded our search widely. Both roles required particularly distinctive personalities."
Knowing what those Chinese journalists wanted to hear, Duke continued unhurriedly, "I think Daniel is great. I've seen his works like New Police Story—I know he has a wonderful sense of humor and a strong feel for characters. Daisy was trickier, since we didn't know much about her and she didn't have many previous works. But when we met, I found her personality outstanding. There's a sense of strength in her that made me feel she was perfect for the role of Rey."
After the interview, the crew resumed filming at the Black Forest set in Dublin. A visual-effects supervisor from Industrial Light & Magic also arrived in Ireland, responsible for overseeing the effects used during filming and delivering some completed VFX shots for Duke's final review.
When shooting Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Duke could command every possible resource to tell the story. There was great enjoyment in deciding which scenes could be achieved through practical effects and which would rely on CG in post-production—those were precisely the things a director like him had to control.
This film would feature massive visual effects sequences—grand and astonishing effects of incredible scale. Of course, many of them could not possibly be completed through practical effects alone. However, in order to evoke a sense of nostalgia and stir the emotions of Star Wars fans, Duke and his crew insisted on using practical effects whenever possible.
Among the completed shots brought by that VFX supervisor were several scenes featuring the new droid, BB-8. Its striking and lifelike presence on screen was precisely because two puppeteers had controlled it on set during filming. Later, the post-production team digitally removed the puppeteers, wires, and mechanical supports, sometimes enhancing the look of real sets and props, but very often simply using directly captured footage.
All of the effects—both completed and in progress—were magnificent. Some of the film's visuals were truly unprecedented, employing simulation technologies developed specifically for the production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
It was no exaggeration to say that the entire Star Wars: The Force Awakens crew operated according to Duke's rhythm.
Following the director's lead is a universal value in the film industry—just as "following your feelings" has become a popular and overused motto in today's society.
A saying once circulated through Hollywood: "James Cameron is responsible for revolutionizing film technology, while Duke Rosenberg is responsible for transforming mainstream commercial cinema." In the 120-year history of film, every true leader of the art form has been a director. Without great filmmakers such as James Cameron, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg, world cinema would never have entered today's golden age.
The director is the dominant profession in the entire film industry. Every year, millions of film workers dream of becoming one, yet the path of a director is never smooth.
Even Ang Lee once spent six years as a stay-at-home husband before his breakthrough; even Quentin Tarantino was once an unknown clerk at a video store; and even Duke today still gives his utmost effort in the shooting and production of every film.
All roads lead to Rome—though the paths to becoming a successful director may differ, there is always a universal truth hidden within: sufficient effort and absolute focus.
Duke's filming at the Black Forest set in Dublin lasted for quite some time. There, he shot a large number of practical scenes featuring the Millennium Falcon and X-wing fighters. It wasn't until mid-July that Duke finally wrapped up shooting in Ireland and led the entire crew back to Los Angeles.
He needed to prepare for the San Diego Comic-Con, which could be described as one of the most important large-scale promotional events before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It would also be the first occasion to unveil a substantial amount of new material to attract the attention of movie fans.
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