What happened in Vegas… I’m actually happy to share with you

It’s late here in Denver, and I just realized I’m already way behind on my updates. I drove straight from Vegas to Denver yesterday on my way back from LA, and I’m now busy reviewing some of the footage we shot, fan submissions, and a handful of other goodies I’ll have to write about at a later date.

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Picking up where I left off, our last couple of days in California were simply unbelievable. We got a chance to talk to Eric Stough, Director of Animation for SOUTH PARK, and we talked at length about the infamous Crystal Skull episode that aired last year. He told us a story about Steven Spielberg hosting a SOUTH PARK party for his kids and their friends, and apparently THE episode played that day (I kid you not!). You can only imagine the rest of that story… Don’t worry, if it doesn’t make the final cut, I’ll do my best to add it as a DVD extra or an Easter egg somewhere.

Jabba the Hutt in 10 seconds

Jabba the Hutt in 10 seconds

We were also treated to a special performance by Mark Reilly and Michael Cornacchia (of STAR WARS IN 30 MINUTES fame)–okay, it was still an interview, but I call it a performance. The play was inspired by Tom Stoppard’s 15-minute Hamlet, and it basically became a worldwide stage hit. Mark was even flown to the Ranch to perform it for George. And Michael’s Jabba impersonation was absolutely off the charts! You can read more about their work at the following link:

STAR WARS in 30 Minutes

Nerdlebrity Chris Gore with his prized GL action figure

Nerdlebrity Chris Gore with his prized GL action figure

We started our final day with Film Threat über geek Chris Gore, and capped it off with an insightful conversation with John Venzon, who edited FLUSHED AWAY, and, most recently, the soon-to-be-released ASTROBOY. John was extremely thoughtful and mostly pro-Lucas, and his perspective as an editor was truly invaluable. We did, of course, chat about some of the nuances between the original films and the Special Editions. To this day, he still looks at the 1977 cut of STAR WARS as the most perfectly paced film of all time, and he admits to watching it every now and then for inspiration. He didn’t bash the Special Editions–far from it–but he did address the subtle nuances of pacing that didn’t seem to work as well for him as in the original cut. A slight disturbance in The Force, if you will.

Spent the night at the Vegas Motel 6–something I haven’t done in years–and I was surprised to find a really nice mod room with plasma TV for the whopping rate of $39.99 plus tax! Went to the MGM Grand and Hooters Casino to watch people throw their cash out the window, glad to see that Vegas remains Vegas in this economy, and that the next bigger and better casino is indeed surrounded by working cranes. I received an email that night from someone who compiled 3 1/2 hours of media reactions to REVENGE OF THE SITH (before and after the film’s release), and kindly offered to share them with me for additional evidence. The support and tips we’ve received from people around the world continues to be the best thing about this documentary. It’s a vibrant community I feel truly blessed to be a part of, and that’s all the incentive I need to make a great flick. I realize I won’t be able to please every fan out there, but I sure as hell will continue to give it my best shot. I keep going back to the fact that this is an important film for the fans, so rest assured that we’re all working very hard to make it as compelling and thorough as possible. So thanks for all the support; and by all means, keep it coming!

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Indiana Jones in love

Thanks to the amazing Jonathan London, we were fortunate to schedule an interview with Chris Strompolos days before the UK premiere of his extraordinary RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION. Now, I haven’t yet had a chance to watch the film (I will soon), but this one-of-a-kind cult classic is quickly building a reputation as the greatest kid movie of all time. Indeed, it was at the tender age of 10–shortly after watching RAIDERS for the first time–that Chris and one of his buddies took it upon themselves to remake the film with whatever means they had available to them at the time. Armed with Betacam and VHS equipment, and using the Lawrence Kasdan script as their bible, it took them seven years to complete this tour-de-force of a feature, which Chris then shelved for years (he thought no one would ever want to watch it, and didn’t even tell his wife he’d made it!). As fate would have it, the film was somehow rediscovered by Eli Roth, and eventually made its way to the desk of Steven Spielberg, who was so enthralled by it that he sent Chris a letter to congratulate him on his accomplishment, and tell him how much he was inspired by it. Chris showed me the letter. It’s warm, genuine and affectionate–in short, it’s everything you’d expect coming from SS.

The rest, as they say, is history. RAIDERS: THE ADAPTATION is finally gaining the momentum it deserves, and one can only hope that it will eventually be released on DVD. It’s an extraordinary achievement in the art of perseverance (and, yes, filmmaking); and something that should be preserved for future generations as an example of what a couple of kids with no resources and a burning passion can achieve. Needless to say, our interview focused primarily on Indiana Jones, and we chatted a great deal about Crystal Skull and the state of the franchise.

You know... FOR KIDS!!

You know... FOR KIDS!!

That same afternoon, we also had the privilege to interview Joe Nussbaum, director of GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE–probably the single most discussed and famous SW-related fan film to date. He had wonderful stories to share, including that of an impromptu handshake with George himself at the Telluride Film Festival. But when Joe disappeared for a few minutes and came back to show us a 10-page stapled booklet of the STAR WARS story that he illustrated when he was five years old, we all simply melted. Not to mention that I’m really excited to use these early sketches to introduce Joe in our film.

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A special day indeed, filled with stories of love and admiration for a creator whose existence we should all be grateful for. Both Chris and Joe have had extraordinary journeys as filmmakers, and both acknowledge that they wouldn’t be where they are today, or wouldn’t have done what they did, if George hadn’t inspired them to become filmmakers in the first place. On days like these, I simply couldn’t care less about the abomination of Dexter Jettster, or the Midichlorians. On days like these, I realize that George’s legacy lives on in magical ways that he himself could never have foreseen. On days like these, all I can say or think is: “I love you, George!”

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Jedi Hell

Hell indeed freezes over!

Hell indeed freezes over!

After an 18-hour drive from Denver to Los Angeles (forced to take the southern route–long story), we kicked off another round of interviews bright and early Monday morning, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start! Jeff Bond (Geek Monthly Editor-in-Chief) answered a range of questions about the unique dynamic between George and his fans, and Geekscapist extraordinaire Jonathan London speculated about the origins of geek culture’s disappointment with George’s latest works, in his truly unique style. He gave us numerous classic moments, but none better than his on-the-spot realization that THE CLONE WARS, in its glorification of Anakin Skywalker, might be akin to the release of HITLER: THE ANIMATED SERIES! For some strange reason, the same topic resurfaced this afternoon in San Diego, during our interview with Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning sci-fi heavyweight David Brin (STAR WARS ON TRIAL). We met David at his beautiful house, and he, too, discussed the moral implications of not only glorifying Anakin, but redeeming him at the end of ROTJ. For him, the ghosts of Yoda, Obi-Wan and Anakin at the end of the film is a vision of what Jedi Hell might look like; and to those of you already familiar with his thought-provoking deconstruction of Yoda, all I can say is: wait until you see how he delivers it in person! It was a true performance and a real treat. David is one of the most extraordinarily witty subjects we’ve had the privilege to interview to date, and I simply can’t wait to cut his best and most relevant sound bites into the film. He also couldn’t have been a most gracious host. He let us pick oranges from the trees in his yard (they were delicious!), and gave us chocolate-covered coffee beans for the road. Thank you, David!

Eye of the beholder: David Brin for the prosecution

Eye of the beholder: David Brin for the prosecution

Long, but exciting day tomorrow. We start with Chris Strompolos (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION) in the morning, and then Joe Nussbaum (GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE) and Doug Jones (Senior Programmer for the Los Angeles Film Festival) in the afternoon. We had to reschedule our interview with Chris Gore to Saturday, but we chatted with him for an hour or so in the lobby of G4, and there’s no doubt he will be a lot of fun. He basically didn’t expect us to show up with a crew of five and so much equipment, so we’ll relocate the interview at his house, which is great, because it sounds like he has quite a few collectibles to show us. I’m particularly intrigued to see the George Lucas action figure he purchased on Ebay. I’ll have to post pictures, for sure.

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And so it begins…

Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil?

Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil?

With a year (or so) to go before our film’s release, we decided it was high time to start a blog–or rather a production/post-production diary of sorts–to keep you guys regularly updated about our progress, discoveries and setbacks. Even if this beast of a project eats up most of my conscious time, I personally pledge to update this blog at least once or twice a week; and I’m sure that our producers will also chime in from time to time, so please check in with us often, post comments, send us suggestions, etc. No death threats, please. I mean, come on, guys, it’s only a documentary! Right, and STAR WARS is but mere entertainment. I’ve actually asked that question (is SW only a movie?) to most of our interviewees so far, and you wouldn’t believe the range of answers I typically get on that one. It’s actually a very complicated question to answer. As a documentarian, I have to consider both possibilities. There’s no doubt that STAR WARS is good, clean fun for the whole family; and no doubt that it’s also come to represent much, much more than that. I mean, to dismiss it as just a movie, you’d have to be pretty jaded, considering that it’s next to impossible to spend an entire day without stumbling upon some kind of SW reference. This reminds me of those who dismiss our doc, because (they say) who cares about what George Lucas did or didn’t do, should or shouldn’t have done? Right? I don’t think so. George Lucas is a towering figure in the world of entertainment. His legacy speaks for itself, and some of what he’s done is, no doubt, questionable. People talk, blog, write about him. All the time. He incites more virulent criticism from his fans than W from Camp Casey, or Obama from the newly born Tea Party. It’s a significant cultural debate, and it’s about so many things that it literally makes my head spin. That’s why I’m so passionate about making this doc, and why I’m starting this blog. So I can start ranting and venting as well; and don’t be surprised if I accuse the man one day, and defend him the next. I’m ambivalent as all hell about George. And I want to share this inner journey with you, because when the time comes for us to edit this thing, I’m going to have to be as objective as possible and leave my personal feelings on the cutting room floor (at least to the extent that they might cloud my better judgment). Also, this is a way to chat freely about all things George, so let’s not take this too seriously, shall we..? If I put my foot in my mouth, so be it. I’m just going to speak from the heart.

Tomorrow, I’ll be driving to Los Angeles (from Denver) to meet the rest of the crew (most of them are flying), because we have interviews scheduled in California pretty much through the rest of the month. We start with Jeff Bond (Editor-In-Chief of Geek Monthly) on Monday; Joe Nussbaum (GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE), Jonathan London and Chris Gore on Tuesday; and then we’ll drive to San Diego on Wednesday to interview David Brin (STAR WARS ON TRIAL) and talk to the folks at Comic Con (that’s if they’ll talk to us!) Etc., etc., etc. It’s a long list, and I’ll do my best to write a quick report after each interview. Looking forward to this trip. Not looking forward to adding dozens of hours of footage to the 300+ hours we already have. Oh, well. Nobody can say we didn’t bring this upon ourselves.

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Official Blog

We’re delighted to announce that the official Blog for THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS is finally available! With less than a year of production ahead of us, it is now THE place to go for all the latest scoops and up-to-date information about the project. Please visit us often!

First California Tour Announced

The PvsG crew is ready to embark on the first of several California production trips at the end of April. Our packed schedule includes interviews with Eric Stough (Director of Animation for SOUTH PARK), screenwriter Richard Walter (who wrote the first two drafts of AMERICAN GRAFFITI), Joe Nussbaum (director of GEORGE LUCAS IN LOVE), famed sci-fi author David Brin (editor of STAR WARS ON TRIAL, and winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards), Doug Jones (Senior Programmer for the Los Angeles Film Festival), editor John Venzon (FLUSHED AWAY, SHARK TALE, KUNG FU PANDA: SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE), and Geek Monthly Editor-in-Chief Jeff Bond.