Even though Snoke is a CGI character, cinematographer Daniel Mindel shot on set with Serkis and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. “It’s not a complete green-screen environment,” Mindel says. “Therefore, we have atmosphere. We have texture that we’re putting [Snoke] into, that is physical. Sometimes, from the outside it would seem absurd to just walk in and look at how we do that. On the other hand, there’s a great amount of method to it. In that particular theme, we had Andy Serkis interacting with Adam. Andy himself brought a massive amount to the scene.”
To further make Snoke blend in with the actual actors and sets, costume designer Michael Kaplan created an outfit for Snoke and fellow CGI character Maz Kanata. “Even though they were to be CGI, there were initial costume sketches and then actual costumes were built,” Kaplan says. “This helps the CGI technicians realize their final effect and know precisely how the fabrics will move.”
Or at least, that’s likely what the audience will think. Serkis will only say, “He has a very distinctive, idiosyncratic bone and facial structure.”
