Benton Jew on Star Wars and Martial Arts Movies

06/08/20 • 66 min

Benton Jew joins us to talk about storyboarding the Duel of the Fates in The Phantom Menace ,illustrating The Glove of Darth Vader ,and the martial arts films that influenced George Lucas!
Dave Filoni recently made headlines when he explained why the lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace is actually one of the most important scenes in all of Star Wars – and this week, the man who storyboarded that epic sequence joins us on the podcast.
A professional illustrator, storyboard artist and comic artist who spent 13 years at ILM, Benton brought his extensive knowledge of Hong Kong martial arts movies to his work on The Phantom Menace.
This episode, we talk to Benton about the art of storyboarding; the martial arts films that influenced The Phantom Menace; the unlikely Hong Kong stars who were considered for the role of Darth Maul; and his work on The Glove of Darth Vader – the illustrated novel that hooked me on Star Wars in the first place!
To see more of Benton's incredible work – which includes storyboards for Wonder Woman, Logan, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the upcoming live-action remake of Mulan and more – visit bentonjew.com and follow him on Instagram!
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.

Previous Episode

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!

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.

Next Episode

Jake Lunt Davies on designing BB-8, Porgs and more

Jake Lunt Davies – the concept artist behind the sequel trilogy's most iconic droids and creatures – talks creativity, inspiration and design.
Jake Lunt Davies has worked on every Disney Star Wars film so far. This episode, we talk to Jake about:

The inspirations and creative processes behind all of his most iconic designs, including:
- BB-8
- Porgs
- Caretakers
- D-O
- Rey's speeder
- Rathtars
- Kylo Ren's repaired helmet
- Constable Zuvio
- The Aki-Aki
- Boolio
- The Eye of Webbish Bog
How he came to work for Lucasfilm
How concepts evolve from page to screen
Stepping into the Snaggletooth suit for The Rise of Skywalker
His future in the Star Wars galaxy
And much more!

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.