One look at Dan Mindel’s IMDb page will assure you that he’s a guy who knows a thing or two about shooting blockbuster movies. Not only has he been the DP (director of photography — pardon the jargon) on films ranging from Enemy of the State to Star Trek but he was also the DP for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Being a cinematographer, it only makes sense that he’d perfectly capture the odd life of working on one of the biggest sets in movie history through photographs. Luckily he’s chosen to share some of these shots with us commoners via his Instagram which Yahoo! then grabbed.
NOTE: if you’re sensitive to anything that could possibly be a spoiler (or to something that could “ruin the magic”), it may be best to turn away after this humorous reworking of a no smoking sign:
https://www.instagram.com/p/9qlyiuvKyB/
Dan Mindel/Instagram
Chewbacca just hanging out at video village… like you do…
Dan Mindel/Instagram
Sadly, this is almost as much screen time as she gets in the movie. (Episode VIII?)
Dan Mindel/Instagram
Oh look — BB-8 found some remote controls. I wonder what those could be for…
Dan Mindel/Instagram
This is a great example of how movie magic is made. Doesn’t look quite as exciting beyond the lens, does it? Except for those lightsabers, that is.
https://www.instagram.com/p/9qwIhNvKz0/
There’s no saying for sure that this is actually from the Star Wars set (come to think of it, I guess the Ewok sign could have been anywhere too, but…). However, if you haven’t been to a real IMAX to experience the larger and even more awesome escape from Jakku scene, that should shoot to the top of your New Year’s resolution list.