With less than a month to go before the third and final episode in George Lucas’ sci-fi saga, this fan-produced tribute film couldn’t have come out at a better time. Obviously, I haven’t seen it (less than a thousand people were around for its big-screen premiere last week), but I can appreciate the crazy dedication that went in to putting this US$20,000 40-minute movie together.
"The most striking thing in watching the film is its technical competence. The computer graphics are easily as good as most TV science fiction programs, with complex spaceship battles and cinematic camera work. The sound is crisp and unmistakably Star Wars. The soundtrack is wholly engrossing.
"Most of this work was done by an ever-changing roster of 30 to 40 volunteers online, drawn from around the world, most of whom Felux had never met until the first real-world screening of the movie in Baltimore last week. The soundtrack was written from scratch by a British composer sounding very much like John Williams."
Open-source filmmaking at its finest.