Check out this fan-made rendition of Return of the Jedi in pixels!
Archive for ‘Fan Films’
May the Pixels Be With You
January 26, 2012
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Fan Films | 
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Posted by bonniegrrl
Darth Vader/The Great Dictator Speech Tribute
December 7, 2011
words: Bonnie Burton
Every once in awhile, a dedicated fan creates a video tribute to Star Wars that makes one pause and consider the full story of Darth Vader on a deeper level. The Star Wars Saga has always been about the story of Anakin Skywalker at its core. The films and The Clone Wars animated series show exactly that — the tale of a hero who lost his way and eventually found redemption.
This fan-made video tribute shows Anakin Skywalker’s final moments as he recalls the days of The Clone Wars in the arms of his son, Luke Skywalker. The video is narrated with Charlie Chaplin’s famous speech from The Great Dictator alongside clips from The Clone Wars.
This rousing speech, which was made famous from a film released during the early ’40s that bravely condemned Adolf Hitler, fascism, and the Nazis, works all too well juxtaposed against footage of the Emperor and the destruction he caused through the manipulation of the people during The Clone Wars.
WATCH VIDEO: Darth Vader’s Greatest Speech Ever Made
(via YouTube)
5 Comments » | Fan Films, fan fun | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Back to Space-Con Premiere
March 14, 2011
Words: Pete Vilmur
Anyone who’s followed my articles on StarWars.com knows that I’ve got a soft spot for Star Wars’ first fandom – that is, those early fans who pre-empted the official costumes, books, and other merchandise in the months following A New Hope’s May ’77 release and created their own homespun papier mache masks, fanzines, bumper stickers and buttons to share their enthusiasm for the newfound faraway galaxy.
Luke Skywalker costume from a ’70s Space-Con
The appeal of those often clumsy, awkward early days lead me to a small premiere screening at Michaan’s Theater in Alameda this weekend, a somewhat forgotten early century movie palace nestled along the edge of San Francisco Bay near Oakland, California. A new documentary was debuting on DVD celebrating the history of Space-Con, a series of Star Trek/science fiction conventions that got their start at a Bay Area high school in 1975 and made seven more successful runs through 1980, becoming a fondly-recalled facet of Bay Area fandom thereafter.
No Comments » | Fan Films, Retro, conventions, events, fan fun, in the media | Permalink
Posted by pvilmur
Minnesota Trench Run
January 19, 2011
Fan Mike Nelson filmed this short clip to make the most of the Minnesota Hoth-like blizzard. FX artist Aaron Dabelow turns Mike’s snowy “Minnesota Trench Run” into an impressive fan film.
WATCH VIDEO: “Minnesota Trench Run”
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SOURCE: Great White Snark
3 Comments » | Fan Films, fan fun | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Glee Goes Geek in 3 Minutes
January 11, 2011
Glee’s Harry Shum Jr. shows off his lightsaber skills against Stephen Boss in this short film directed by Ross Ching.
WATCH FILM HERE: 3 Minutes
4 Comments » | Celebrities, Fan Films | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
“Tatooine” Tune Has Strong Influence on the Geek-Minded
October 6, 2010
Boingboing updates today with a catchy little ditty called “Tatooine” by Jeremy Messersmith — a short two-and-a-half-minute piece which recounts the entire original trilogy in a Paul Simon-like song illustrated with paper cut-out animation.
Be warned — you might find yourself whistling this one all afternoon.
Check it out here.
UPDATE: Wired has just posted an interview with Messersmith that you can read here.
3 Comments » | Fan Films, fan fun | Permalink
Posted by pvilmur
Star Wars Shout Outs in “G33k & G4M3R Girls” Music Video
September 10, 2010
Words: Bonnie Burton
Move over fellas, the geek gals & gamer girls are in the house! The ladies of the award-winning Star Wars fan film Saber are back with a few of their friends including actor Seth Green, comics legend Stan Lee and Starbuck herself Katee Sackhoff — in a music video to celebrate geek girls everywhere.
“G33k & G4M3R Girls” — sung to the same tune as the hit song “California Girls” by Katy Perry — features Team Unicorn which includes actresses Michele Boyd (The Guild, How I Met Your Mother, Cold Case, Sons of Anarchy), Clare Grant (Walk the Line, $5 Cover, Black Snake Moan, Saber), Milynn Sarley (EA, TheGamerChick, LTA, Street Fighter High School), Rileah Vanderbilt (Hatchet, Frozen, Saber), and actor Seth Green (Robot Chicken, Family Guy) remind us all why geek girls rule!
There’s plenty of shout outs to Star Wars, Doctor Who, Marvel comics, Halo and more!
WATCH VIDEO: “G33k & G4M3R Girls Song”
StarWars.com chats with the ladies of Team Unicorn (they answer as a single unit cause that’s how they roll) about their awesome music tribute to geek goddesses everywhere!
(Milynn Sarley as Psylocke, Clare Grant as Lara Croft, Rileah Vanderbilt as The Baroness and Michele Boyd as Han Solo)
Why did you decide to do such an awesome remake of Katy Perry’s song “California Girls” but as “Geeks and Gamers?”
We’d all become friends because of our shared love for geeky stuff and bonded even more cosplaying as Sailor Scouts during Comic-Con this year. Milynn, Rileah and Michele actually all play in the same guild in World of Warcraft!
Milynn and Michele were on the way back from the beach when they started singing along to the Katy Perry song and had the idea for the parody! We all know geekery the best, so it seemed a natural idea for the new version. They started coming up with lyrics in the car and then got Rileah and Clare involved, and it all snowballed from there!
10 Comments » | Celebrities, Fan Films, fan fun, gaming | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Fan Movie Winner Profile: Star Wars ’70s Animation
August 30, 2010
Words: Bonnie Burton
At this year’s Star Wars Fan Movie Awards presented by Lucasfilm and Atom at Celebration V in Orlando, Florida, Star Wars ’70s Animation won the Spirit of Fandom Award.
Starwars.com chats with California-based filmmaker John Kolesar about his award-winning film.
What is your background in film? Did you study it in college? Did you make films as a youngster/teen?
No film background. I made this Star Wars film back in the ’70s with the help of my younger brother Jim and friend Anthony. I also made a few other stop-frame animated films using clay animation, modified plastic models and other fun stuff.
What prompted you to make a Star Wars fan film? How has George Lucas and his films influenced your work?
We were creative kids, and my parents let us use their video camera. Once the Star Wars figures and ships started appearing in stores, I guess we thought it would be fun to make a film using those things. I read all the sci-fi magazines back then, and found the “making of” and special effects articles fascinating.
What is the backstory regarding your film? Where did you get your idea for your film?
We had quite a collection of figures. Our film is loosely based on a few scenes from Star Wars. We added some characters, modified some scenes, added new ones, etc.
No Comments » | Celebration V, Fan Films, Fan Movie Challenge | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Fan Movie Winner Profile: The Unconscious Sith
August 26, 2010
Words: Bonnie Burton
At this year’s Star Wars Fan Movie Awards presented by Lucasfilm and Atom at Celebration V in Orlando, Florida, The Unconscious Sith won George Lucas Selects Award.
Starwars.com chats with Texas-based filmmaker Adam White about his award-winning film.
What is your background in film? Did you study it in college? Did you make films as a youngster/teen?
I have been making movies my whole life. I studied film in college, my degree was called Media Production at the University of Houston. I now work as a freelance video editor and I write and make short films as often as my schedule allows.
What prompted you to make a Star Wars fan film? How has George Lucas and his films influenced your work?
I have been a huge Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember. My first memory of being at a movie was seeing Star Wars at a drive-in. I’m guessing it was the summer of 1978 for the first re-release as I had Star Wars figures in the station wagon with me. George Lucas’ films have been a huge influence on me, particularly the fun and lighthearted tone of many of his films. I have found that many of my films have tried to emulate this aspect of his films.
No Comments » | Celebration V, Fan Films, Fan Movie Challenge | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
Fan Movie Winner Profile: The Solo Adventures
August 24, 2010
Words: Bonnie Burton
At this year’s Star Wars Fan Movie Awards presented by Lucasfilm and Atom at Celebration V in Orlando, Florida, The Solo Adventures won Best Animated Feature.
Starwars.com chats with Florida-based filmmaker Jeff Scheetz about his award-winning film, The Solo Adventures.
What is your background in film? Did you study it in college? Did you make films as a youngster/teen?
I grew up making Super 8 movies in my backyard with Star Wars action figures. I vowed to one day become a visual effects artist. I was an early adopter of CGI on the Video Toaster and my first job was on Babylon 5, then Star Trek Voyager. In 2000, my wife Anne and I opened an animation school at Universal Studios Orlando called The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School. We have been training visual effects artists and animators for 10 years. Our grads have worked on Avatar, Battlestar, Kung Fu Panda, and at Disney, DreamWorks, Sony and ILM!
What prompted you to make a Star Wars fan film? How has George Lucas and his films influenced your work?
We produce four films a year as part of our curriculum. The instructors write and direct and the students work on the films as they would if this were a production studio. We have made 33 films in 10 years. It was inevitable that we would eventually make a fan film, the questions was when. The answer came with the news that Celebration V was coming to home town Orlando.
5 Comments » | Celebration V, Fan Films, Fan Movie Challenge | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl
