As the winners for the Best Fan Fiction: Drama & Audience Choice Award with their film Forced Alliance for the Fan Movie Challenge presented by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms, filmmakers Randy Bookman and Gerry Santos discuss what obstacles and surprises they had making a film that showcases an impressive lightsaber battle as the Jedi and Sith clash in a far away cantina.

What prompted you to make a Star Wars fan film? How has George Lucas and his films influence your work?

Randy Bookman: The intent of Forced Alliance is to get it to the creators of the new Star Wars television series and use it as our calling card. We want to be a part of the creative force (no pun intended) making the show.

What is the backstory regarding your film? Where did you get your idea?

Randy Bookman: Throughout all six Star Wars films, the balance between good and evil has been a major theme. Yet a true balance is never fully realized. Can there be a middle ground? Or is there only good and evil? The real world reflects otherwise. Like the original Star Wars film, our story has undertones of the current social-political issues that the world deals with today. It’s a little darker and at the same time there is hope for what could be.

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As the winner for the Best Animated Movie Award with his film IG-88: The Dancing Robot for the Fan Movie Challenge presented by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms, filmmaker Anton Bogaty mixes clever animated characters with a catchy soundtrack from friend Ollie Glatzer (aka Mr. Zillion). The Seattle-based filmmaker chats about why bounty hunter IG-88 just so happens to have some skills on the dance floor with a little help from Mixmaster Lobot.

What prompted you to make a Star Wars fan film? How has George Lucas and his films influence your work?

I wanted to try and make a music video using some of the electronic music my friend Ollie Glatzer (aka Mr. Zillion) produces. The first idea was a more original piece starring a nameless robot but I think it was Ollie who started to push for a Star Wars-oriented idea. I figured that I would just try and get all of my Star Wars appreciation out into this one video and then swear to never desecrate Lucas’ creations ever again. I was a little kid when the original trilogy was released and it was clearly obvious even to a five-year-old that the Star Wars films were just so full of amazing artistic detail and love for cinema that only the living dead could escape their influence. American Graffiti is still a film that I watch over and over again. I just make nonsense cartoons but that movie is basically a two-hour film school education for my soul. It’s just an amazing movie.

What is the backstory regarding your film? Where did you get your idea?

For some reason Ollie and I became fixated on the IG-88 character. Along with the Snowtrooper, he was the action figure to have back in 1980. It might have been because he came equipped with two blue guns. As cool as he was, he still came across as a bit awkward. It’s hard to really imagine him truly doing action moves in the heat of battle, having toasters for feet and all. But he compensated by wielding two guns I suppose. Ollie’s music was a solid dance beat so the idea quickly became IG-88 trying to hang out in an Imperial night club of sorts. We fixed on the idea of trying to make the film in early April of this year. I knew of the Star Wars fan film contest and we found out its deadline was May 1. It quickly became a challenge of sorts to do the whole thing in a month’s time. I’m always one who enjoys working under a tight deadline, doing the best I can and living with the results, I guess. Again, I figured that I would never get to make another Star Wars-themed video ever again so I stuffed it with everything I appreciated and could remember regarding the franchise.

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As the winner for the coveted George Lucas Select Award with their film Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager, filmmakers Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda never realized that their viral cult classic series of the Dark Lord of the Sith (or at least his brother) who works in a grocery store would be seen by the Maker himself for the Fan Movie Challenge presented by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms. The Wisconsin-based filmmakers chat about their hit series, and how hard it can be to use the Force to move produce and stay awake under fluorescent lights at 3 a.m.

What is the back story regarding your film? Where did you get your idea for your film?

Aaron Yonda: The original idea for Chad Vader came from a friend of mine named Tim Harmston. I had a one-page script in my archives he and another friend of mine had written about Darth Vader who works in a convenience store, kills his employees, and basically acts like Darth Vader would. Matt and I had seen a lot of Darth Vader fish-out-of-water ideas in the past and wanted to changed this idea a little so we made it Darth’s little brother, who has the same look and powers but not the same confidence or backbone to use those abilities. And we gave him a heart. Chad doesn’t really want to kill people, he just wants them to like him, but he’s got a lot of inner conflicts. Once we had created a unique character out of Chad we became really excited about the idea and we started trying to find a way to make the film.

I really liked the idea of Darth’s younger brother working in a grocery store. It’s as if his younger brother never left the small town they grew up in and has to live in the shadow of his more successful older brother. We make a lot of short films but I was really excited to wear the Darth Vader costume. And once we had a good imitation of his voice down things really came together.

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