all about the fans

For good or ill, the "final" Star Wars film will be coming out soon. Will I see it? Of course I will. The magic that the first movie held over me is still present, but so is the disappointment I felt over the most recent flicks in the Star Wars saga. (Am I the only one who remembers reading an interview with Lucas back in the 1970's where he stated that his ultimate goal was a trilogy of trilogies and the first three movies were the middle portion?)

What amazes me the most about a franchise such as Star Wars, and Star Trek as well, is the devotion and passion of its fan base. Yes, we know that these fans can be extreme in their fanaticism, but I'm impressed by the way some of them devote their time, and money, to express their appreciation for these movies and television programs.

MSNBC recently did a short news spot about one such fan and his film, Star Wars: Revelations. That spot was replayed on MSN.com (which is where I happened to see it).

It seems that this one fan spent $20,000 to produce his own, 40 minute Star Wars film, with the story-line that he imagined would (or should) be taking place next. Amateur special effects artists from around the world worked on creating the FX, and would send their results via email. Amazing.

But even more amazing, to me, is that when I went in search of this film, I discovered that there is a whole world out there of fan-made films (Star Wars and Star Trek are the most popular, but there are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dr. Who and Hulk fan films as well).

Part of me wants to say that this is an incredible waste of time and money, but is it? These people, who might have 'regular' jobs in education, business, or work as policemen and EMTs, are expressing, not only their devotion to a novie or show, but their creativity as well. Yeah, the scripts are generally pretty cheesy, and the acting no better, but I give these people a lot of credit for their efforts. For some, it's a learning experience and may result in a career in entertainment. For others it's a fun way to spend their "off" hours.

Maybe I'm impressed because I know that if I were younger, I'd be making fan films. I remember all too well my days with my 8mm film camera (not even Super 8!), trying to make my friend Kootch look like he was a flying superhero.

If you're interested in these fan films, check out the fanfilm link to the left.