Help us Fan movies - you're our only hope
March 14, 2005 9:26 PM   Subscribe

Star Wars Revelations (13 MB QT file) A new, lush looking Star Wars fan movie. The CG looks (I think) close to the real deal. The production Web site is hammered at the moment. But here's an article with background on the production [via slashdot]
posted by Dag Maggot (56 comments total)
 
I'll be the first to say that all Star Wars movies since the first three have been pretty awful, but that trailer is simply excremental. Poorly delivered dialogue coupled with BBC class special effects? Somehow, it fails to impress.
posted by sindark at 9:33 PM on March 14, 2005


And check out that prosthetic chin!... oh that's a prosthetic...
posted by Robot Johnny at 9:36 PM on March 14, 2005


er, that is to say, that's not a prosthetic...
posted by Robot Johnny at 9:37 PM on March 14, 2005


Sindark, uhhmm .... did you see the part about this being a fan film? read - made by a bunch of adults living in their parents' basements.

With that in mind, I think it's a pretty good effort. I agree that the dialogue is fairly crappy, but production level looks good.
posted by Dag Maggot at 9:38 PM on March 14, 2005


Special Effects: A+
Costumes: A+
Acting: F


Ugh.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:38 PM on March 14, 2005


I thought some of all all-CG shots of the ships fighting were great, but yeah the blue-screening shots are a bit "BBC class" but still impessive for a fan film.

The casting and dialogue and lighting though, meh...
posted by falconred at 9:40 PM on March 14, 2005


i love these fan films based on star wars.
ok the acting is poor, but give this director 100 million and lets see if he can do any better than george
posted by nola at 9:41 PM on March 14, 2005


I've got tickets to the premiere at the Historic Senator Theatre. Got 'em by working on a short indy film with one of the Revelations filmmakers. Guess I won't be seeing any of you losers there.

(j/k)
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:58 PM on March 14, 2005


...[M]ade by a bunch of adults living in their parents' basements.

Wait, we're still talking about Lucasfilm, right?
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:59 PM on March 14, 2005


As someone who has been involved in amateur film in a small way - I'd like to say that making any kind of movie is f*cking hard. I can't imagine what a sci-fi like this would be like to create. Lots of toil. I commend their dedication.

Of course its always easier to tear something down from the outside. I'll be looking forward to Robot Johnny and Mr. Sindark's collaborative film debut: "Revenge of the Dipshit Critics"
posted by Dag Maggot at 10:01 PM on March 14, 2005


the cg was good. the acting? not so much.
posted by puke & cry at 10:06 PM on March 14, 2005


It's a noble effort, in its own way, but the actors are sort of forgettable, which is sort of ironic since (in my opinion) the worst aspect of the new movies is the crummy acting. It looks like it was shot on something other than chemical film, too, which really gives it the intrusive feeling of a student or amateur production. This, really, is anathema more than anything else to the Star Wars fiction, since the films are self-consciously epic in nature.
posted by clockzero at 10:11 PM on March 14, 2005


Jesus Christ. I wonder what the budget on this was. Yes, the acting was bad, but the people doing the CG and production are probably also the actors. Acting is a skill, it's definitely not something anyone can do, and even just judging from this trailer I'd say these people could probably make an awesome movie if they had enough money to actually hire professionals.

Impressive all around, I'd say. Definitely the best looking fanfilm for anything I've seen.
posted by borkingchikapa at 10:11 PM on March 14, 2005


Special Effects: A+
Costumes: A+
Acting: F


So... not much different than Episodes 4,5 and 6.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:18 PM on March 14, 2005


I never imagined I'd see anything that made the acting in Lucas' pukequels actually look good. Talk about shitty dialogue, bad editing, and poor sound quality combined... jeez... actually it gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling of being back in middle school farting around with the camcorder with my friends and our GI Joes.

Bad lighting too. But yeah, the CG stuff is sweet. It's clear where the talents are in this crew. Duality was a better film overall, IMHO, but the animation here may be better.
posted by scarabic at 10:25 PM on March 14, 2005


Duality was a better film

Which is to say, of course, that it was a film. I don't get why so many fanflicks are mock-previews.
posted by scarabic at 10:26 PM on March 14, 2005


Special Effects: A+
Costumes: A+
Acting: F

So... not much different than Episodes 4,5 and 6.


you mean 1,2, and 3.....right?
posted by puke & cry at 10:32 PM on March 14, 2005


The fan film movie is the desktop publishing revolution of for the '00s

I especially like the continuing voyages of the Starship Exeter (QT Mov) The amount of trouble they went through to create the original '60s Star Trek set is fairly impressive - and the acting, if not fabulous, is at least acceptable
posted by Dag Maggot at 10:37 PM on March 14, 2005


I never imagined I'd see anything that made the acting in Lucas' pukequels actually look good.


Yeahhhh, except . . . George Lucas is a billionaire. I know it's true 'cause I saw it on 60 minutes.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 10:41 PM on March 14, 2005


I watched that last night, too. My favorite moment:

Q: So you've said you're going to spend the rest of your career making these art films that no one will want to see.

A: I've enjoyed enough success that I've earned the right to fail for the rest of my life. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Q: That's some ambition

A: Yeah, well, um-

Q: I mean, that's a little weird.
posted by scarabic at 10:54 PM on March 14, 2005


First off, props to these guys for getting out there and probably spending what little savings they have doing something they enjoy.

But...

The problem with all these fan-film-preview projects is that they don't convey any sense of story.

I'm reminded of the Batman/Superman fanfilm and the Grayson fanfilm... they were basically just some scenes that someone thought would look cool kind of spliced together without any sense that they were connected in any real way.

Now, that makes sense, given that there wasn't any real movie or screenplay there, but from reading the site about this thing, it appears they actually DID write and film an entire movie. So, maybe they could have done a better job with this preview to let the audience know what this was about besides the rather generic "searching for an artifact" and "somebody betrayed somebody else."
posted by papakwanz at 11:31 PM on March 14, 2005


I'm sorry, make that guys & gals.
Don't want to be a chauvinist.
posted by papakwanz at 11:32 PM on March 14, 2005


you mean 1,2, and 3.....right?

No.
posted by eyeballkid at 12:08 AM on March 15, 2005


I think that Hayden Christensen makes the perfect Anakin, now that I've had time to think about it. It makes sense that he spawned that whiny fuck Luke.
posted by eyeballkid at 12:11 AM on March 15, 2005


papakwanz nailed it. Just like George, they've missed the point of storytelling... telling a story.

Speaking of great storytelling, is Irvin Kershner still alive???
posted by basicchannel at 12:25 AM on March 15, 2005


And yes, I know it's just a preview. But did you honestly have any sense of the story whatsoever from said preview? I mean... any at ALL?
posted by basicchannel at 12:26 AM on March 15, 2005


"So... not much different than Episodes 4,5 and 6."

You are comparing Harrison Ford to these people?
posted by furiousxgeorge at 12:37 AM on March 15, 2005


And Alec Guinness?
posted by furiousxgeorge at 12:38 AM on March 15, 2005


Special effects are cheap these days, acting is not.

I put up a mirror for the trailer: click me.
posted by homodigitalis at 12:50 AM on March 15, 2005


It baffles me that someone would spend so much time and effort on something so unoriginal.
posted by dydecker at 1:41 AM on March 15, 2005


and use such fugly actors.
posted by dydecker at 2:05 AM on March 15, 2005


Oh my gosh. Does *that* suck! I do applaud the effort, but it really wasn't very good. I was impressed by the effects but, you know, had everything been good *apart* from the effects I'd feel a lot more understanding. They should have put the technical skills to use making a shit-hot 3 minute dog-fight -- that'd still require pacing, rhythm, direction and even narrative: things that all need development by the looks of this. Once they've nailed those perhaps they can move on to dialogue, casting, acting, lighting and sound recording. Fake trailers suck. A story first and foremost. If no story, you'd better be prepared to absolutely excel in other areas.
posted by nthdegx at 2:16 AM on March 15, 2005


Harrison Ford is not exactly a good actor. Alec Guinness regretted Star Wars. Everyone else in the first trilogy (4,5,6) sucked. The first trilogy is great fun, and ahead of it's time, but the acting (and writing, for that matter) are really pretty bad.
posted by graventy at 3:31 AM on March 15, 2005


Blasphemers! All of you! Anything George has done has been great! (Except Ep. 1 & 2 (squandered my childhood dreams, buttmunch) and that Graffiti movie.)
posted by sexymofo at 3:49 AM on March 15, 2005


As someone who has had to match a lot of lighting between shots while editing, I can say with confidence that they knew a fair amount about lighting and about editing. No pro, but more than your average hobbyist, to be sure. No, it ain't Citizen Yer Mama, but it took a lot of work, and I enjoyed watching it, if mostly in an open-mic kind of way.
posted by squirrel at 4:07 AM on March 15, 2005


Alec Guinness regretted Star Wars.

Really? When did he tell you that?
posted by Witty at 4:09 AM on March 15, 2005


Witty: Here ya go.
posted by alumshubby at 4:28 AM on March 15, 2005


Website slammed? Try the torrent! (Also via Slashdot)
posted by rkent at 6:23 AM on March 15, 2005


I don't get why so many fanflicks are mock-previews.

Simple. That way one needn't be encumbered by such things as...oh, say...a plot.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:26 AM on March 15, 2005


Wow, you guys being critical of this trailer sound like the comic book guy from the Simpsons.

The fact that a bunch of fans put together something that looks better than most shows on the SciFi channel is incredibly impressive. And the acting is about on par with the last few Star Wars films, so maybe they're just really good imitators.
posted by gwint at 7:44 AM on March 15, 2005


I thought it was good overall, and the special effects were great. I'd like to see what these people could do with an original script and $100,000.
posted by Outlawyr at 8:47 AM on March 15, 2005


If you read the FAQ on the web site you learn some interesting thing:

1) This guy wants to break into the indy movie scene.
2) He chose a Star Wars fan fiction because it would get noticed and it was technically hard.
3) This is a preview of a 40 minute film that will be released next month.

I say, give the poor guy a break, he's actually being original - especially with the manner in which he produced the special effects.

B.
posted by digibri at 8:53 AM on March 15, 2005


Grayson...

Heard about it a while back, but I've been completely unable to find a copy. Well, that and World's Finest.

Any help out there?
posted by Samizdata at 9:41 AM on March 15, 2005


Check out the Fan Films section of TheForce.Net for copies of Grayson and World's Finest.
posted by JT at 10:28 AM on March 15, 2005


If 4, 5 and 6 had bad acting, then 1, 2 and 3 aren't even eligible for the scale.

"I don't like the sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating--not like you. You're soft and smooth"

::shudder::

By the by, this fan flick trailer is very impressive.
posted by slf at 11:10 AM on March 15, 2005


JT -

Thanks. They weren't working last time I checked.
posted by Samizdata at 11:41 AM on March 15, 2005


slf: Actually I am coarse and rough and irritating. kthxbye
posted by Sparx at 12:40 PM on March 15, 2005


"Shane Felux" almost sounds like a Star Wars character name in its own right.

I respect these people for their dedication and their accomplishment, even if it's not Hollywood caliber. Given some of the crap I've seen on SciFi Network, some competently done fanfic will be welcome.

I'm wondering what kind of torrent session I'll need to download a 40-minute film at any kind of quality. That'll probably equate to nearly a gig of hard-drive space.
posted by alumshubby at 3:37 PM on March 15, 2005


alumshubby, a 40 minute film encoded with Divx would only be around 250 megabytes.
posted by Dag Maggot at 4:48 PM on March 15, 2005


Alec Guiness regreted he would be remembered only for star wars when he also did a bunch of other classic movies, but that doesn't mean his acting was low quality.

...to compare it to these independent unoriginal hacks is just insulting.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 4:57 PM on March 15, 2005


Never quite understood why Lucas for all his talent is so unwilling to turn over the dialogue to a real writer. Clearly he wouldn't turn over any of the technical stuff to a hack, so why this insistance on his own scripts? It's not as if the product wouldn't still have his name all over it. Hollywood answer, I suppose, is, everybody thinks they got a sense of humor and everybody thinks they can write good.

Of course, he's a billionaire in part because of what he wrote and here I am giving it away for free. Or my cut of that twenty bucks and change.
posted by IndigoJones at 5:18 PM on March 15, 2005


Only 250 meg? I was worried; this preview clocks in at 2:33 and 13 meg. I'd thought this preview was a bigger download, but that means about 6.5 meg per minute of screen time x 40 minutes = 260 meg, so you're approx right and that's not so bad.

I didn't realize anyone was seriously attempting to compare Sir Alec to a bunch of amateurs, but then, these people arguably have invested more of themselves and their lives in this production than a classically-trained British actor coming out of retirement to phone in a supporting role in one movie, a minor scene in another, and a dialogueless cameo in a third, all of which he turned on and poor-mouthed. Hmmmm....what's insulting to whom again?
posted by alumshubby at 5:24 PM on March 15, 2005


Yeah. But at 250mb, the actual release would have to have resolution quality similar to the trailer. So assuming relatively high-res and XviD (preferred over DivX these days), at the very least, 300mb. Which isn't a long torrent session at all. :)

Sparx: I don't get how I warranted that. :(
posted by slf at 9:37 PM on March 15, 2005


alumshubby, i'm gonna take you to task on the whole alec guinness thing.
note that article you linked to only talks about guinness' attitude during filming. (apparently, the original star wars was treated with universal derision from most of the actors and crew members, who thought they were making a flop space opera.)
i seem to recall alec guinness being very charitable towards the star wars franchise; i believe he said that his take from the star wars movies was more than the rest of his film career combined, and that therefore he'll never have a bad word to say about them.
posted by Silky Slim at 2:44 AM on March 16, 2005


Huh. Well, Silky Slim, if you say so...it's your "I seem to recall" versus mine. It sounds to me like he hated the process but liked the paychecks okay, so he flip-flopped and stopped biting the hand that was feeding him.

I vaguely recall being surprised by an article I read online that's mighty short on quotes and references an interview in Talk magazine that I have yet to find -- the talkmagazine.com link isn't working.

That's my two cites to your ISTR. Batter up....
posted by alumshubby at 4:28 AM on March 16, 2005


Wow, you guys being critical of this trailer sound like the comic book guy from the Simpsons.

The fact that a bunch of fans put together something that looks better than most shows on the SciFi channel is incredibly impressive. And the acting is about on par with the last few Star Wars films, so maybe they're just really good imitators.


Thank you LISA SIMPSON.
posted by scarabic at 9:02 PM on March 20, 2005


« Older Save the Plaza   |   Make me feel good inside Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments