Force Material Episode XC: Phil Szostak on The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Lucasfilm Creative Art Manager Phil Szostak takes us inside the creative process of The Rise of Skywalker and the sequel trilogy!
Phil Szostak is one of the few people who was involved with the development of the sequel trilogy from the beginning to the end, both in his day job as Lucasfilm's Creative Art Manager, and in his role as the author of The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and his latest book, The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The man responsible for documenting the making of the sequel trilogy joins us to talk about:
The designs that were too secretive to be included in The Art of The Rise of Skywalker
Why sticking to a 'roadmap' can be a dangerous thing
The influence of George Lucas and Dave Filoni on the sequel trilogy
The influence of Akira Kurosawa and Studio Ghibli on the Lucasfilm visualists
The hardest secret he's ever had to keep at Lucasfilm
Defining the visual aesthetic of Star Wars
His favourite fan theories
And much more!
At the time of recording this episode, we had just heard that Charles Lippincott, the man behind the marketing of the first Star Wars film, had been hospitalised for a heart attack, which led to a brief discussion of his contributions and legacy. Sadly, Lippincott passed away shortly after this episode was recorded. He was 80.
The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, published by Abrams Books, is available now wherever books are sold.
Force Material is a podcast exploring the secrets and source material of Star Wars with hosts Rohan Williams and Baz McAlister. Listen and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Stitcher, PlayerFM and Castro; stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and support the show by browsing our range of shirts, hoodies, kids apparel, mugs and more at TeePublic.
