Try not to take this quote out of context, they were saying that they
don't want to support films which add to the Star Wars storyline (which
is constantly evolving according to Mr. Lucas's whims) in a Lucasfilm
Sponsored contest where the applicants will be shown to the fans at the
Convention next week, why support something which you will eventually
contradict. If they did show these films it could be interpreted as
'canon' which is something Star Wars people are fanatical about. Debates
about Canon vs EU (expanded universe) are endless. There's no reason to
support all the creations made by fans, there's some really weird stuff
out there, easily construable into endless problems/debates, they would
rather not support. yah it's more fun out of context... anyone got the
DC Phantom Edit Ver1.4?
But make your own decision about the stuff mentioned in the article:
Star Wars Gangsta Rap
http://noneinc.com/StarWars/StyleVariety/swgangstarap.swf
Dark Redemption
http://theforce.net/theater/shortfilms/darkredemption/index.shtml
There are many many movies of various quality, style, humor, anything in
theforce.net archives (this is the stuff which rises to the surface). If
you got the bandwidth check some of them out.
Lucasfilm has been very accepting of these fan movies, several of the
creators have gone on to work for Lucasfilm or have been given jobs
elsewhere in the industry.
and for completely off the wall check out the UltraCheese's "When
Senators Attack IV" http://ultracheese.com/
Peter A (wannabee SW geeky dork fanboy) Lopez
yes i need to get out....on the 16 to see the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anullATenteract.com wrote:
>from the new york times. this quote caught my eye:
>
>"We love our fans. We want them to have fun. But if in fact somebody is using
>our characters to create a story unto itself, that's not in the spirit of
>what we think fandom is about. Fandom is about celebrating the story the way
>it is."
>
>
>'Star Wars' Fan Films Come Tumbling Back to Earth
>
>WHEN word began circulating on the Internet in December that Lucasfilm would
>be a co-sponsor of a "Star Wars" contest for fan-made films, to be judged by
>George Lucas himself, members of the growing digital underground felt as if
>the Force was finally with them.
>"How cool is this?" read the first of many messages on TheForce.net, the home
>to more than 50 amateur films inspired by Mr. Lucas's "Star Wars" series.
>But when the winning entries are announced on Friday in front of some 20,000
>fans expected at a "Star Wars" convention in Indianapolis, many of the most
>popular online movies will not be among them. As it turned out, they were not
>even eligible for consideration.
>Citing a need to protect its copyrights, Lucasfilm limited the contest to
>spoofs and documentaries, shutting out some of Mr. Lucas's most ardent fans,
>many of whom have reinterpreted his famous storyline to create online
>comedies, dramas and light-saber duels of their own. Under the contest rules,
>"Star Wars Gangsta Rap," a retelling of the original "Star Wars" trilogy in
>rhyme, is eligible, while "Dark Redemption," set two days before "Star Wars:
>A New Hope," with a girl Jedi, is not.
>"We've been very clear all along on where we draw the line," said Jim Ward,
>vice president of marketing for Lucasfilm. "We love our fans. We want them to
>have fun. But if in fact somebody is using our characters to create a story
>unto itself, that's not in the spirit of what we think fandom is about.
>Fandom is about celebrating the story the way it is."
>The restriction has created a backlash. Some followers say Lucasfilm is
>shunning the fan-made films that are most dedicated to the spirit of "Star
>Wars." The fans say they just want to share their own "Star Wars" fantasies,
>not to dilute the mythology that inspired them or the revenue that Mr. Lucas
>derives from it.
>"The galaxy is a big place," said Mazen Malawi, 27, who is boycotting the
>Indianapolis convention because his $675 "Star Wars" homage, "Seeds of
>Darkness," was excluded from the contest. "We're not asking for money, just
>recognition."
>Mr. Malawi, a computer technician in Warren, Ohio, who estimates that he has
>seen "'Stars Wars -- Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" (1999) at least 60 times,
>said Lucasfilm had previously turned down a request from PBS and a European
>magazine to showcase portions of "Seeds," his drama set between the first and
>second "Star Wars" trilogies.
>Using digital cameras, personal computers and sometimes music, sound effects
>and characters from the original movies, fans have created more than 100
>parallel "Star Wars" universes, some complete with their own trailers and
>"making of" documentaries. In part, these fans take their cue from Mr. Lucas,
>an evangelist of digital filmmaking who has led the way by using computers to
>produce low-cost special effects in his blockbuster movies. "Star Wars:
>Episode II: Attack of the Clones," which is to be released on May 16, was
>produced entirely in digital format.
>But Mr. Lucas has not always been as enthusiastic about the power of digital
>technology when wielded by his fans. Lucasfilm took a dim view of "Star Wars
>1.1: The Phantom Edit," which began circulating on the Internet soon after
>the release of the "Phantom Menace." In the name of improving the pace, Mike
>Nichols, a freelance film editor in Santa Clarita, Calif., removed most
>scenes featuring the much-reviled character Jar Jar Binks. The company took
>steps to stop the distribution of the fan's cut and said that Mr. Lucas would
>not look at it. This prompted Mr. Nichols to speculate on his Web site that
>"Attack of the Clones" might inspire "Star Wars II.1: Attack of the Fans."
>Except for parodies, which are protected under the First Amendment, it is
>entirely within Lucasfilms's legal rights to stamp out films based on its
>copyrighted material. But the tension between Mr. Lucas and his filmmaking
>fans may underscore a digital-age conflict that transcends the letter of the
>law.
>Some cultural critics see the emergence of fan films as a return to a
>participatory form of culture that existed before creative works came to be
>so tightly protected by copyright. Moreover, in an age when mass media
>provide the basis of common experience, "Star Wars" and a handful of other
>cultural icons may have become a kind of shorthand form of communication.
>"It's not just about 'Star Wars,' " said Henry Jenkins, director of the
>comparative media studies program at the Massachussetts Institute of
>Technology. "It's what's going to be the relationship between media consumers
>and producers in this new interactive age."
>Now, as Lucasfilm seeks to stir fan interest in the new movie -- the
>convention, called Celebration II, is being produced by the company with the
>official "Star Wars" fan club -- some fans say they feel betrayed.
>"I feel like they're partially exploiting what we're doing to their gain,
>without any real reward back," said Chris Hanel, 21, who continues to field
>complaints about the contest on his "Star Wars" Internet radio show at
>http://www.digitalllama.com. "If you're going to honor fan films, do it
>right."
>New creative works have always been built on top of old ones, from Homer's
>repackaging of twice-told tales in "The Iliad" to Mr. Lucas's own openly
>acknowledged pilfering of Joseph Campbell's writings on mythic archetypes for
>his original "Star Wars" trilogy. Fans photocopied their own "Star Trek"
>stories in the 1970's, and fans regularly publish unauthorized "Buffy the
>Vampire Slayer" episodes on the Internet.
>What is different now is that digital tools make it easier for fans to
>produce more sophisticated works and to distribute them to a worldwide
>audience. This has heightened anxiety among copyright holders, who fear they
>will lose control of their creative vision. Some of the special effects in
>"Star Wars" fan films are more convincing than those from the original
>trilogy.
>Given the accessibility of the technology, some digital devotees say fans
>should simply work harder to come up with their own material: "Make you OWN
>FILM," Kevin Rubio wrote on TheForce.net discussion board. "Use your OWN
>CHARACTER. AND STOP PLAYING WITH GEORGE'S! Some of you may find the result's
>even more rewarding"
>Mr. Rubio helped found the fan genre with his 1997 film "Troops," which
>featured storm troopers handling domestic disputes in the manner of the
>reality television show "Cops." He allowed that the "Star Wars" convention
>audience could be "cheated out of a lot of great works" because of the
>contest restrictions.
>Jessica Litman, author of "Digital Copyright," argues that more give and take
>could make for a richer culture without depriving creators of their financial
>due. She points to jazz as a modern art form that has thrived on a tradition
>of riffing on others' creative themes.
>The fate of fan films will depend largely on how strictly media companies
>enforce their copyrights. Lucasfilm, for example, may simply be trying to
>protect its "Star Wars" vision without cracking down on fans. One fan film,
>"Darth Vader: The Rudy Pirany Story," was accepted by the contest after its
>director, Victor Martin, agreed to edit out scenes in which his protagonist
>-- an actor with a permanent Darth Vader mask who can't find work after "Star
>Wars" -- buys cocaine from Yoda and takes a role in a pornography movie.
>Mr. Martin, 37, a graphic designer in Culver City, Calif., said it was worth
>it to qualify for the $5,000 prize and to have his film shown with 44
>finalists at www .atomfilms.com. But, he added, "I thought it was funnier
>before."
>
>
>
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