‘The messier, the better': How ‘Andor' created the epic, heart-shattering Ghorman Massacre
For the heart-shattering episode of Andor titled 'Who Are You?,' which brings to screen the Rebellion-galvanizing Ghorman Massacre, editor Yan Miles' mantra was: 'The messier, the better.' What begins as a peaceful protest among the people of Ghorman turns into a slaughter incited by the Empire. Screams pierce through as flares, smoke, and death consume every chaotic, yet controlled frame.
As roughly 350 extras fight for their freedom and lives, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) attempts to assassinate Imperial officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough). 'The whole thing unravels in front of him,' Miles tells Gold Derby. 'He's not there to protest. He knows these people, he knows what happened before — but now he becomes the witness. He becomes us. The plaza is a circle. You could call it a clock face. People go around, people go in and out of buildings. Cadets come out. People sing. It was always moving, but Cassian stayed centered.'
More from GoldDerby
'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst': 'Overcompensating' breakout Wally Baram on making her acting debut, defiling prop toilet
The case of Leslie Abramson vs. Marcia Clark: Ari Graynor and Sarah Paulson on 'defending' their characters
In Pixar's 'Elio,' Easter eggs are literally written in the stars - will you be able to spot them all?
Lucasfilm
In the chaos, Miles creates both emotional and visual clarity — often in a matter of seconds. 'There's a nice example of it where it's less messy,' the editor said. 'There's a [shot of a] group of Ghormans coming through with the flares, going underneath the colony now; we're sort of with them. And then we cut to the guy in the café, the waiter, seeing people walking past behind the glass, all moving in the same direction. Then a profile shot of an oblivious stormtrooper, turning his head and watching the Ghormans go by. It's three shots.'
Lucasfilm
Another impactful sequence concludes Imperial lackey Syril Karn's (Kyle Soller) arc — all without any lines of dialogue. Amid the mayhem, Miles shifts to slow-motion, an out-of-the-ordinary but fitting stylistic flourish in the otherwise grounded Tony Gilroy-created series. 'He's witnessing it — it's gone beyond the beyond,' Miles said. 'Lasers going past, people being shot, but he's just standing there like he's bulletproof. He's lost in it all. He doesn't care anymore. Everything's just gone.'
Then the question becomes for Syril: 'Who are you?' It's posed during his hand-to-hand brawl with Cassian, the man he's spent years chasing. 'In the scene with 'who are you?,' there was a lot of debate on set,' Miles shared. 'Tony wrote it, 'Who are you?' Tony, [director] Janus Metz, Diego, and the people around asked, 'Are there any other versions where Cassian does remember Syril?' We did a cut where he does remember and says, 'It's you,' and then Syril lowers the gun.'
Lucasfilm
That debate was quickly resolved in post-production. 'I told Tony I have the other version,' Miles said. 'He went, 'No, no, no, no, it is, 'Who are you?' Andor doesn't know this guy. This guy's a nobody. It's the worst thing that could happen to any of us, isn't it? You could be doing something for years and years and one day you wake up and you're like, 'Who the hell am I? What am I doing?' That's life itself. Tony's words were, 'Who are you?''
Gilroy joked to Miles that if he didn't use that line, then he couldn't keep the slow-motion shot of Syril. 'Tony's genius is, if you're going to do something bold — like a slow spin shot or a poetic line — you have to earn it,' Miles added. 'Otherwise, it doesn't belong in this universe.'
After Syril's death, his former partner, Dedra, displays startling vulnerability. She is alone and out of control — perhaps her greatest fear. 'Denise did lots of different stuff in that scene, which I was going to show all in one shot,' Miles explained. 'But then I gravitated toward three or four shots. It starts when she raises her head — just the vulnerability to it. In the next shot, she's focused on her neck — which is Syril, what he did to her earlier, the grappling. Then I jumped to where she goes to the wall and does that thing with her hand — there's fear in it, and then she stops it. She controls it. Then I hard cut to her straightening her jacket — imperial, composed. It's the beginning of her demise.'
Lucasfilm
Miles continued to tell the story of 'Who Are You?' even as the credits rolled. When the Ghorman anthem is first sung, it's like angels singing in the quiet before the storm. But in the aftermath, a lone voice remains. 'We were finishing the episode,' the editor recounted, 'and I had this solo recording from one of the assistants. She sang the anthem right there in the cutting room, on a USB mic. The most amazing voice. I thought, 'Why not put her voice over the credits [as temp music]?' A year later, I watched the episode on Disney+ and there it was. I'd forgotten I'd even left it in. Gave me goosebumps.'
Best of GoldDerby
Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews
Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews
'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin')
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jimmy Kimmel Takes Off For The Summer, Jokes About Rudy Giuliani, Prince Harry & Mel Gibson Guest Hosting
Jimmy Kimmel has taken off for his summer holiday, paving the way for a swathe of celebrity guest hosts. Deadline revealed yesterday that the likes of Anthony Anderson, Kumail Nanjiani, Nicole Byer, Chris Distefano, Fortune Feimster, Alan Cumming and Jelly Roll would be guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!. More from Deadline 'Jimmy Kimmel Live! Reveals Summer Guest Hosts Including Diego Luna & Jelly Roll 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming '9-1-1: Nashville': ABC Spinoff Unveils Explosive New Teaser The comedian joked that there were some other, more controversial guests, lined up as well including Rudy Giuliani, Prince Harry, Mel Gibson, the 1000lb sisters and the comedy team of Bill Belichick and Jordan Hudson. 'Tonight, is my last show until labor day, I'm going to be off for the summer. I don't want to go either, they put it in my contract, I have to go to fat camp every summer. The truth is I'm going to spend the bulk of my summer at the Newark airport this year. I want to leave on a high note, that's why Seth Rogen is here. I'm going to gone for the next couple of months but rest assured if Donald Trump does anything monumentally crazy or anything that requires an emergency response, I will be in a canoe, ignoring it,' he joked. He then swore in Diego Luna, asking him to swear on a book of meat that he would uphold Kimmel's standards including making jokes about 'your President'. It marks the fifth year that Kimmel, who baked his summer break into his ABC contract, has taken off the summer, starting in 2020 with no shows during the summer of 2023 as a result of the dual labor strikes in Hollywood. Luna will kick off proceedings on Monday June 23 with guests including Patton Oswalt, David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Emma Stone, Adria Arjona, Alan Tudyk, Ariela Barer, Heidi Klum and Dolores Huerta as well as musical performances by NEZZA, Hermanos Gutiérrez, and Good Charlotte. The show, which films at the El Capitan Entertainment Centre on Hollywood Boulevard, is produced by 12:05 AM Productions, in association with Kimmelot and 20th Television. Kimmel, Erin Irwin, Molly McNearney, Jennifer Sharron and David Craig serve as executive producers with Douglas DeLuca and Danny Ricker as co-executive producers. [youtube Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Geek Tyrant
3 hours ago
- Geek Tyrant
ANDOR Fans Say the Show Reframes a Major Cassian and Jyn Moment in ROGUE ONE — GeekTyrant
'Andor has truly increased the depth and meaning of anything it touches.' That's how Star Wars fans are describing the emotional ripple effect Andor has had across the galaxy, especially when it comes to one key moment in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story . Rewatching the film after Andor Season 2 has been a revelation for many, casting old scenes in a new, much heavier light. Specifically, fans are pointing to the moment when Jyn Erso confronts Cassian Andor aboard the stolen Imperial ship after escaping Eadu. It's the heat of the moment, her father Galen has just died in her arms, and she's furious to learn Cassian was sent to assassinate him. But now, through the lens of Andor, this clash hits differently. One fan posted on Reddit: 'Rewatching Rogue One for the first time since finishing Andor S2. The scene where they escape Eadu in the stolen Imperial ship and Jyn confronts Cassian about her father's death reads so differently to me with the context of the show. Before I thought Cassian was in the wrong, and his indignation at Jyn's accusations further proved that. 'But now it feels like Jyn is naive, and Cassian has just gone through the most intense few days of his years as a rebel, and he's had it. Both of them partially right and both of them a bit wrong. But Cassian in particular has sacrificed too much at this point to be lectured, not when the stakes are this big and so close. Anyway, I love that it feels like Andor has truly increased the depth and meaning of anything it touches.' That shift in perspective seems to be widely shared. Another fan chimed in: 'I had a similar reaction rewatching Rogue One after Andor. His speech helped me see how our experiences shape the way we feel moments. 'That's what made Cassian so mysterious at first watch I'm thinking —what had he lost, what weight was he carrying? At first, it seemed like Jyn had the darkest past, but Andor shows that the Empire takes from everyone.' That's been one of the coolest things about Andor , its ability to shade in the corners of the rebellion and give emotional weight to the political. The same Reddit thread also points out how both Jyn and Cassian share similar trajectories, despite coming from different worlds. 'Jyn basically goes through a condensed character arc that's the same as Cassian—aka wanting to avoid the rebellion before realizing they have no choice but to fight.' Another agreed: 'This right here is one of my favorite parts of RO and Andor. That Jyn and Cassian have been through a similar journey. It makes RO even better for me.' Andor hasn't just deepened Cassian's story, it's retroactively elevated Rogue One. The choices, the trauma, the urgency, all of it carries a sharper edge now that fans know what came before. All episodes of Andor Season 2 are now streaming on Disney+. So if you haven't already… it might be time for a Rogue One rewatch. Just don't be surprised if it hits you a little harder this time.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hollywood director filming in Glasgow dines at city centre Italian
HOLLYWOOD director J.J. Abrams has been spotted at a city centre restaurant. The Starwars director dined at Italian restaurant Sarti on Bath Street last night (June 19). A post shared on Facebook by the restaurant along with a photo of Abrams with staff read: "We had the pleasure of welcoming JJ Abrams to Sarti Bath St last night. "He's in Glasgow filming his new movie Ghostwriter and popped in for some proper Italian hospitality." READ NEXT: Abrams is currently in Glasgow directing upcoming movie Ghostwriter, which stars Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega and Samuel L Jackson. The film is rumoured to be a retro 80s throwback about a writer whose fictional world turns out to be real. The Glasgow Times previously reported some city centre streets have been dramatically transformed for the filming, with Powell and Abrams having been pictured on set around Bothwell Street. READ NEXT: (Image: Gordon Terris) Abrams daughter singer Gracie Abrams is coming to Glasgow next month as she is set to perform at TRNSMT. The singer-songwriter will take to the main stage on Sunday, July 13.
