Star Wars: Dave Filoni Opens Up About George Lucas’ Impact on Him as a Filmmaker

Star Wars creative team guru Dave Filoni talked about how George Lucas mentored him. It’s no secret that his filmmaking style has been heavily influenced by the Star Wars creator. Comicbook.com‘s Brandon Davis talked to Filoni at Star Wars Celebration 2023. During their chat, they talked about the upcoming film being helmed by the Clone Wars veteran. But, one topic that kept bubbling to the surface is how Lucas helped pave the way for all the exciting announcements that fans have been cheering this morning and will continue to unpack throughout the weekend. Check out what he had to say right here and watch it up top. 

“Now, all the lessons that George [Lucas] taught me are true. That’s what I’ve learned,” Filoni began. “You know, I still apply the same things that he taught me in Clone Wars. You know? It’s interesting, I always use the word ‘concrete.’ Things you shoot in live-action are very concrete. Where in animation, I can go back and kind of tweak a performance. Not so much in live action. To a greater degree than you would have in the past. I will say, when you watch the documentary, like Magic and George talks about the things that he needed to make the films that he wanted to make and the way that the integrated digital technology in the editing process.” 

He continued, “Not just about visual effects, but in the way you make and put a film together. We have all benefitted from the way that he and his creative team pioneered that. We are able to do very flexible things now with film in a way that was impossible. So, when you look at older films, when you go watch The Seven Samurai, you really understand the genius of what’s going on there because how did he capture what he captured? It makes you appreciate older films and the details that they would pay attention to. That they had to just get right on the day in the moment. Those are things I’ve learned going forward that I still like to try to operate that way.”

Setting The Stage For Ahsoka

Rosario Dawson spoke to StarWars.com about the inspiration for this new journey. “I think someone who always does the press for Star Wars saw it and forwarded it to [Ahsoka creator and The Mandalorian executive producer] Dave Filoni, who said, ‘Interesting. Yeah. She looks like she could be her. That’s cool,’ and then followed me,” Dawson says. “They ended up having the Star Wars account follow me. And that became a whole thing. Like, ‘Wait, did something just happen?’ And I got really excited. ‘Wait, did something just happen?’ And then nothing happened. [Laughs] Nothing happened for a very long time.”

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