If there's one thing that never gets old, it's learning the secrets behind the visual effects and sound design of movies, and yesterday at the annual NAB trade show I had the pleasure of moderating a panel about the making of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In front of a crowd that was so packed that people were huddled on the floor, visual effects supervisor Pat Tubach, visual effects art director James Clyne, and supervising sound editor Matthew Wood broke down their work on the film from conception to the finished film.

There's been a lot written and read about this movie, but the creative team revealed a slew of fresh information and details, including an Easter egg hiding in the Falcon chase, how they created the look and sound of Kylo Ren's new lightsaber (yes, I happen to be interested in lightsabers), and the way Bill Hader and Ben Schwartz really made BB-8's voice.

Those in attendance also got the chance to see several special visual effects breakdowns, and while we can't reproduce those here, don't worry: the magic is in the insight of the artists themselves. And the battle droid impressions.

Building the ultimate lightsaber