Fan Films aren't new. They've been around as long as home movie cameras have been available. From Super-8 recreations of Close Encounters of the Third Kind to MiniDV epics featuring original Star Wars tales. Whether shot-by-shot recreations such as Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation (coming to this year's Calgary International Film Festival), or original spin-off stories such as the moody Batman: Dead End and the highly-amusing Troops, which features Star Wars Stormtroopers in a Cops-style spoof, fan films are made by fans for fans. Since legally, they could be considered copyright violations, and thus can't turn a profit, the films are often made with miniscule budgets and distributed freely over the Internet, on DVD, and VHS tapes.
While many of the films are made for nothing more than a few hundred dollars and a bit of fun, others are created with larger scale budgets in the hopes of attracting the attention of Hollywood's powerful decision-makers and talent seekers. Some opponents may argue that the larger budgets cancel out the 'fan' aspect and that lower budget films are usually much more closer to being called a true fan film. They also argue that original films and filmmakers deserve the recognition directed towards fan films since it generally require more effort to come up with original properties. However, even skeptics can't discount the determination and effort required to 'homage' our favorite films.
One such filmmaker, Edmonton's Mark Twitchell has commenced shooting his feature-length fan film at the Northern Alberta Institue of Technology recently. The Edmonton Sun reports:
The 27-year-old Edmonton director begins shooting a feature-length independent Star Wars spin-off film at NAIT Saturday (July 29), and has amassed $60,000 to bring his dream to life.Check out the full article at the link above. Another article on the film can be found at this link on TheForce.net.
“I’m the only guy crazy enough to do this, because I’m not allowed to turn a profit. The film is for hardcore fans who miss the character development of the original trilogy.”
The film, titled Secrets of the Rebellion, is set in the days prior to the original Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope.
Actor Jim Siokos of Davenport, Iowa, will re-create Harrison Ford’s Han Solo character, as he wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian. The film will delve into the the downfall of the Jedi, the theft of the Death Star blueprints, and the Empire’s efforts to reclaim them.
“We’ve taken (Lucasfilm-approved) storylines and expanded them, to fill in the gaps between Episode III Revenge Of The Sith, and the original,” Twitchell said. “It’s for the fans.”
We wish Mark Twitchell and his crew the best of luck on the production in Alberta.
Star Wars, Star Wars Logo, and related characters © Lucasfilm Ltd.
1 comment:
Don't wish this asshole any luck. He's a piece of filth
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