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Star Wars Prequels Media Movies

Star Wars Episode III: Behind the Scenes Webcam 319

Posted by CmdrTaco from the bet-it-crashes dept.
securitas writes "Soon Star Wars behind-the-scenes webcam goes live when shooting for Episode III begins in Australia. 'The webcam will be moved every day, shooting live for 12 hours and then replaying in a loop while the cast is sleeping.' Of course it's only free until next week when you will have to join StarWars.com's newly relaunched site to view the cam as part of a package of services that includes online chats, outtakes and deleted scenes." I'm not sure if it's worth $20, but it's worth something....
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Star Wars Episode III: Behind the Scenes Webcam More

Star Wars Episode III: Behind the Scenes Webcam

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  • You thought all of your favorite Star Wars characters were wild before, but now they're even wilder!! Presenting Star Wars Gone Wild!!!

    See what happens when the cameras shut off, but the webcam stays on!! Exposed!! Uncensored!!!

    Natalie Portman, Jar Jar Binks, and George Lucas, like you've never seen them before!!

    All this for $19.95, and if you order now you'll also get Lord of the Rings: Doggy Style!! See what happens when we sent Snoop Dogg out with the Hobbits, it's steamy!!!

    Call NOW!!!

    Mike

  • Who is planning on paying for this? (Score:4, Funny)

    by alen ( 225700 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:53AM (#6104695)
    Only George Lucas would even think of making fans pay for advertising.

  • What it's worth... (Score:5, Funny)

    by EpsCylonB ( 307640 ) <eps&epscylonb,com> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:53AM (#6104697) Homepage
    I'm not sure if it's worth $20, but it's worth something....

    Ignoring ?

    • Re:What it's worth... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by curtisk ( 191737 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:19AM (#6104870) Homepage Journal
      Ignoring ?

      Perfect response!

      Lucas , you have to give him credit for more -or-less starting(or refining) the whole mass-merchandising thing, but its so spun out of control and just tired

      This scam may have nothing to do with him, but its unlikely. How many more "new editions" of Episode 1-5 releases are we gonna see after 6 comes out on DVD....with new,new,new deleted never before seen footage or something.

      But, if you're willing to pay, thats your loss... besides, Star Wars was cool when I was a kid, yeah the effects are slick, but the movies themselves are truly pretty weak, even the old ones, but again I was a KID then.

      • Lucas , you have to give him credit for more -or-less starting(or refining) the whole mass-merchandising thing, but its so spun out of control and just tired

        Actually it's completely out of Space Balls. That's the only thing I can think of.

        "We're looking at now, sir."

        Then the Yogurt merchandizing hall...
  • It could be worth a lot for the webcam if some really dedicated viewer is able to piece together the plot, or other spoiling elements. Although you could just wait for the DVD, which will probably have all the thousands of hours of webcam footage included.

    • Re:Could you figure out the plot? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Eric Ass Raymond ( 662593 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:55AM (#6104710) Journal
      That's unlikely since even the actors had hard time understanding the plot in Eps. I and II. Why? Because of the excessive use of blue/green/whatever screens during filming.

    • Re:Could you figure out the plot? (Score:5, Funny)

      by gosand ( 234100 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:07AM (#6104791)
      It could be worth a lot for the webcam if some really dedicated viewer is able to piece together the plot, or other spoiling elements. Although you could just wait for the DVD, which will probably have all the thousands of hours of webcam footage included.

      I am still trying to piece together the plot from that highly complex, mind-bending story called Attack of the Clones.

    • Re:Could you figure out the plot? (Score:5, Informative)

      by I am Jack's username ( 528712 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:23AM (#6104907)
      Nope, from TFA [washingtonpost.com]:
      behind-the-scenes footage [...] no audio [...] "Star Wars" buffs won't be treated to actual scenes being shot, but they probably will watch Darth Vader eating in the cafeteria, space-station sets getting hammered into place and makeup artists touching up the face of Obi-Wan Kenobi. [...] There are a lot of things we can do with that webcam and not spoil the excitement of the film for fans

    • Re:Could you figure out the plot? (Score:5, Funny)

      by giminy ( 94188 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:54AM (#6105089) Homepage Journal
      Plot. Hm. Let me take a guess. *Spoiler warning*.

      Anakin has two kids with Amadala. She think he's repulsive in his mechanical suit though, and runs away. Anakin is heartbroken and becomes Vader. He and palpatine take over the empire. The rebellion forms. It gets mostly crushed somehow, before it even gets off the ground. Darkness ensues. Cue the lights and closing credits.

      I haven't watched the last two though, so I could be wrong.

      • Don't forget about the volcano! (Score:5, Funny)

        by RatBastard ( 949 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @12:23PM (#6106357) Homepage
        Don't forget the part where Anakin and Obi Wan have a huge fight (probably at what a bad kisser Anakin has become lately) on the edge of a giant volcano in which Anakin gets tossed in like some crappy old ring and struggles out all burned and battered and is turned into a cyborg (who travels back in time to kill Sarah Conner, but I digress).
      • This is why when people complain about the plots of the prequels, I take them with a grain of salt. We know what's going to happen - I doubt that there are going to be any great surprises.

        It's Saturday afternoon kids' fare - so don't worry about the story, just sit back and be amazed by the effects.

        myke

  • Just $20? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hogwash McFly ( 678207 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:54AM (#6104702)
    News just in George Lucas has plans to introduce a special edition webcam for only 10 bucks more.
  • If it's like the reality TV show Big Brother count me out!

  • Will there be... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Black Parrot ( 19622 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:55AM (#6104713)


    Will there be an action figure for the guy who moves the webcam?

  • Hmmmm... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Vengeance ( 46019 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:56AM (#6104716)
    Pay to watch them shooting a movie I probably won't bother bringing myself to pay to see?

    Not bloody likely.

    Star Wars was hot in the '70s, cool in the '80s, retro in the '90s, and turned into a joke by the Phantom Menace. When I first saw that they were setting up a webcam, I thought it was mildly interesting. The pay thing is the final proof I needed though, that the SW franchise has had enough of my attention.


    • > Star Wars was hot in the '70s, cool in the '80s, retro in the '90s, and turned into a joke by the Phantom Menace. When I first saw that they were setting up a webcam, I thought it was mildly interesting.

      You did???

      > The pay thing is the final proof I needed though, that the SW franchise has had enough of my attention.

      Ah, TPM did that for me. I found it mildly interesting, but not enough to pull me back for more.

    • Re: Hmmmm... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Black Parrot ( 19622 )


      > Pay to watch them shooting a movie I probably won't bother bringing myself to pay to see? Not bloody likely.

      It would be nice to have a poll to find out how many /.ers actually skipped AotC.

    • Re:Hmmmm... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Timesprout ( 579035 )
      I think this is a very very clever way of generating even more revenue from a movie, not to mention getting the cash up front to offset production costs.

      I would imagine we can expect to see a lot more of this shortly on different movie sets. The sad fact is that a lot of people are prepared to pay for it to get a look at their 'heroes' and what happens on the set.

      It will ony be a question of time before the 'acting' extends to the web cam and we can have staged scenes to generate interest in the movie

  • Live Webcam? (Score:4, Funny)

    by LordYUK ( 552359 ) <jeffwright821@noSPAm.gmail.com> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:56AM (#6104718)
    Whats the point of watching a programmer digitally animate characters for 12 hours a day exactly?

    Or is this for the 12 minutes of actual real live people footage we get.

    Ep 3 will suck just like Ep 1 and 2. My only hope is that Jar Jar remains a senator until Ep 4...

    "But what of the Imperial Senate?"
    "The Emperor has dissolved it permanently"

  • Hmmm.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Verteiron ( 224042 ) * on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:57AM (#6104726) Homepage
    You know, after viewing both The Phantom Plot and Attack of the Special Effects, I haven't the faintest desire to spend a dime on anything involved with Star Wars anymore? Lucas has killed it... it's gone.

    I seriously doubt I'll be seeing episode 3, much less spending time/money watching a "behind the scenes" webcam that you know is going to be scripted and rigged just like all "Behind the Scenes" specials are.

    • Re:Hmmm.. (Score:4, Funny)

      by the gnat ( 153162 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:05AM (#6104784)
      I haven't the faintest desire to spend a dime on anything involved with Star Wars anymore

      I'll go for the groovy special effects, and nothing else. I thought Attack of the Clones was really cool when I saw it in theaters three times, cool enough to buy on DVD. Oops. I don't go to the movies drunk any more.

      • Re:Hmmm.. (Score:5, Funny)

        by Pxtl ( 151020 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:54AM (#6105094) Homepage
        I'm sorry the Mario^H^H^H^H^H Foundry scene was just the most childish insult to the audience I'd ever seen. I was half expecting to see Anikin start jumping on Goombas.

        • Re:Hmmm.. (Score:5, Insightful)

          by the gnat ( 153162 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @11:05AM (#6105621)
          I'm sorry the Mario^H^H^H^H^H Foundry scene was just the most childish insult to the audience I'd ever seen.

          One reviewer compared it (unfavorably) to the pie-machine scene in Chicken Run. A good example of how effects can't make up for plot - Aardman does more with clay than ILM can with thousands of computers.

  • Let me guess.... (Score:4, Funny)

    by stephenry ( 648792 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:58AM (#6104735)
    Let me guess, next year they'll be releasing a digitally enhanced DVD of the webcam recording.

    Steve
    • And of course a subscription on a webcam recording showing the production of the digitally enhanced DVD that contains the original web cam recording of the movie.
  • OK, so now we can pay more than the price of the movie to watch the movie being made, without the benefit of all that editing and such that makes the movie so "good" (hypothetically). This is just nuts!


    We can take this one more step meta and pay $40 to watch the guys installing the web cam. Maybe $80 to watch the guys filming the guys who are installing the webcam?


    Eventually, we'll be paying oodles to watch ourselves watching.

  • 12 hours? (Score:5, Funny)

    by hackwrench ( 573697 ) <hackwrench@hotmail.com> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @08:59AM (#6104742) Homepage Journal
    They sleep for 12 hours? Wow!
    • They sleep for 12 hours?

      You would too if you had to ruthlessly clamp down on all your acting ability for 12 hours straight, to keep it from being evident on film.

  • Spend Your Money You Will, Yes. (Score:5, Funny)

    by AnswerIs42 ( 622520 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:00AM (#6104745) Homepage
    <yoda>Greed is the path to the dark side.</yoda>

    • Re:Spend Your Money You Will, Yes. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by benwb ( 96829 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:03AM (#6104765)
      Shouldn't that be "Path to the dark side, greed is"
      • Shouldn't that be "Path to the dark side, greed is"

        No.

        Yoda didn't invert *all* of his sentences, which is something the script writers in I and II should have noticed. The lines in those episodes sound as if someone wrote a bunch of bland sentences and inverted them. His lines in Empire and Return of the Jedi, OTOH, reflected genuinely the concept of a character who is approaching English (or whatever their "common tongue" really is -- linguistics is rarely addressed in the Star Wars saga) as a second language.

        This is pretty much the only Yoda quote in the movies that sounds authentic, probably because it was not artificial constructed:

        "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to blah blah blah [Yeah, I could look up the exact quote, but bored am I]"

        So the original quote is correct. Compare it to this monster (in Episode II):
        "Threatened the very Republic is, if involved the Sith are."

        No no no no no no no! Horrible, horrible! If I were Lucas at this point, this is what would have happened:

        Screenwriter: Ah! My Lord Lucas! I have written the Yoda dialogue and I feel that -- gurk gurk gurk --

        Lucas: You have failed me for the last time.

        And then...

        Lucas: Ah! My dear Star Wars fan! I am near complete in issuing the original episode on DVD, special edition of course, and very soon -- ack ack ack

        Fan: You have failed us for the last time, Lucas. Director Smith!

        Kevin: Yes my lord.

        Fan: Make ready to release all three initial episodes on DVD. In their original format. Greedo must not shoot first.

        Kevin: Thank you, Star Wars fan.

  • I'm waiting for... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Alpha_Nerd ( 565637 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:00AM (#6104748)
    the Natalie Portman shower cam :D

    Or maybe a beowulf cluster of them??

  • Good Riddance (Score:5, Interesting)

    by AttillaTheNun ( 618721 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:02AM (#6104757)
    As a fan since I saw A New Hope at the drive-in as a 6yr old, I have to say I'm disappointed at how George finds new lows in which to sink. Instead of embracing his incredibly huge and devoted fanbase, he has decided to milk it for all he can (once again). The Wachowski Bros. and Peter Jackson have left this sorry franchise in the dust anyhow (I haven't gone back to the special features disc from AOTC since I watched the 4-disc LOTR set and witnessed a cast and crew that was incredibly devoted to telling a compelling story first and using all the effects at their disposal to bring it to life). AOTC was a lame, convoluted story with wooden acting and nothing but effects that will simply not last the test of time. The original trilogy, even with it's relativley immature effects and puppets still outlasts the prequels, which will be mostly forgotten except for the most desparate fans (who will likely be paying for this site for years to come in hopes of yet another useless tidbit on how 99.9999% of the movie was digital.
    • I was five when I was at the drive-in watching ANH, and I feel exactly the same way about the original trilogy. I know that there are alot of people who feel this way.

      The question is this after going to opening night of every other film, and seeing all of the many times, and owning 2-3 copies of each film;

      Can I bring myself to buy the ticket for epIII?

      Am I going to contribute to opening weekend $?

      Is it going to suck more than every one before?

      I already know the answer to these questions, but at least I
    • If you have an open mind, why not read one of the better academic reviews [brightlightsfilm.com] of the new episodes?

      You're probably right that Lucas isn't worried about losing his fan base though. I can't see anyone who really cares about commercial success making a series of films so intensely intellectual.

  • I wonder if (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    It will suck more than Matrix:Reloaded or not.

  • /. pool? (Score:4, Funny)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:09AM (#6104803) Homepage Journal

    We should get a /. pool going:
    "What is Lucas Eating Now?"
    Everyone throws in a buck. Winner takes the pot. Updates every 15 minutes or more often as George gets another plate of food.
  • And you'll also get the 14 volume double-sided DVD set of George Lucas, in a continuous monologue, defending Jar Jar Binks.

  • I know, I know (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Monkeylaser ( 674360 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:10AM (#6104810)
    It's somewhat flameish to just decry this as another whore for money from Lucas, but it seems that the star wars license has gone from something nearly sacred to the developement of geeks to just another schlocky blockbuster, only with more questionably wooden acting than most, and a more disturbingly loyal fanbase.

    But paying for a webcam, and deleted scenes? C'mon now guys. When you've merchandised everything else in the movies already, watching the blue screen work that presumably these actors are going to be doing really doesn't sound like much fun to me.

    A question posed to the other slashdot readers here. How many folks are just a little bit more disillusioned with one of our childhood geek heroes (Lucas) every time we see a news post about the prequel trilogy?

    It's become something of a car-crash phenomenon for me. I just can't look away. But I will balk at paying 20 bucks. It leads one to wonder if this is a result of the nature of Hollywood, for creating larger, more expensive, less true to the original concept material, or if it's the nature of man as the director, when they start believing their own hype.

  • The Matrix, our new Sci-Fi trilogy? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Mish ( 50810 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:11AM (#6104819)
    It only fully hit home when discussing "The Matrix Reloaded" with a few friends a few weeks back, but "The Matrix" has a good chance at being "The New Star Wars".

    If the Wachowski Brothers can pull off 'something special(TM)' with the third Matrix movie then it'll live on for quite a long time as a classic cult sci-fi/fantasy trilogy, something the latest set of Star Wars films show no sign of doing.

    I (as did most of us) loved the original Star Wars films; I still watch them from time to time. I've watched the first Star Wars film (TPM) about three times and may never watch it again, it lacks something... the same unfortunately goes for the second, which has left me with no desire to be there on opening night for the third Star Wars film.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this will happen, maybe the third Matrix movie will fall flat on its face and fail to deliver, but its set up for a way better chance than what looks to amount to another shallow CG laden Star Wars movie, hell rewatching the older Star Wars movies recently I was surprised by how good the old spaceship models look when compared to the new CG versions.

    I think the best quote I've ever seen about the whole "Star Wars vs. Matrix" situation was by a Matrix crew member who summed it up perfectly with:

    On a basic level, though, "The Matrix" was simply good storytelling. "I've heard the 'Star Wars' people boast about shooting frames that are 97 percent digital, and lo and behold, the movies are soulless," says John Gaeta, visual-effects supervisor for all three "Matrix" movies. "They traded the whole idea of depth in filmmaking for this supertechnological hype. It helped us focus our own philosophy: the story drives everything."

    I agree wholeheartedly.
    • but "The Matrix" has a good chance at being "The New Star Wars".

      Interesting, I've never thought about that before. I would have agreed that The Matrix could have become the new SW, but after seeing Reloaded, it just wasn't good enough for the whole series to become a cult. Don't get me wrong - I really enjoyed Reloaded but if you look at Empire Strikes Back, it was (IMO) much better than SW and that was what made the whole series so good. I can't think of many series since where the sequel surpasses the o

    • Re:The Matrix, our new Sci-Fi trilogy? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @10:28AM (#6105344) Homepage
      I (as did most of us) loved the original Star Wars films; I still watch them from time to time. I've watched the first Star Wars film (TPM) about three times and may never watch it again, it lacks something... the same unfortunately goes for the second, which has left me with no desire to be there on opening night for the third Star Wars film.

      I'll let you in on a secret.... Star Wars was the FIRST movie to do a Space based SCI-FI with lots of semi believeable special effects. The sci-fi movies before it sucked because the effects were lame.. and felt like a kid playing with the super-8 in the back yard with holloween costumes and fireworks.

      Star wars was a hit because nobody ever saw anything like it before.. it was the first, fresh, and brought them in because of that.

      Matrix... DITTO! the same thing. people are getting tired of the same crap over and over and over and over.. now comes the Matrix.. it's "fresh" and has a plot that is innovative.

      in 20 years when they make 3 prequels to the matrix you will feel as poorly about it as you do about starwars now.
      • Well, I'll bite. You're argument has so many holes you might as well have titled it "Swiss Cheese".

        Star wars was a hit because nobody ever saw anything like it before.. it was the first, fresh, and brought them in because of that.

        Matrix... DITTO! the same thing. people are getting tired of the same crap over and over and over and over.. now comes the Matrix.. it's "fresh" and has a plot that is innovative.

        Yes, but while Star Wars had a Space Opera effect going on (and those 1970's effects were unbeliev
        • Watch Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress." It's the EXACT SAME STORY as Star Wars, only in feudal Japan.

          I suggest you do, as it's not. While the characters of Obi-Wan, Leia, and the droids have obvious parallels in 'The Hidden Fortress', the structure and plot are completely different. However, ever since Lucas admitted to being partially inspired by it, legions of fanboys have been running with the rumour that it's a direct copy. Completely ignoring the minor problem that Leia spends half of Star Wars in a

    • Re:The Matrix, our new Sci-Fi trilogy? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by dswensen ( 252552 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @12:34PM (#6106488) Homepage
      I think you're right about The Matrix being the new Star Wars. After all, when the Slashdot story reviewing the sequel was posted, people came out in droves to say how much it sucked and wasn't worth their time, and how it was a brainless, empty exercise in excessive (and let's not forget crappy) digital effects. The original Matrix, on the other hand, retroactively became a revolutionary epic which produced an effect that could never be repeated by any further expansion of the story.

      Yup, sounds like the heir to Star Wars if ever I saw one.

  • Jar Jar Cam (Score:5, Funny)

    by dfn5 ( 524972 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:13AM (#6104826) Journal
    Me'sa horny.
    • I guess that would be the only reason to pay $20. I want to see the cast and crew take that long tongue and tie it to doorknobs, maybe tie him up with it. I guess tossing it in a blender would be pretty cool too.

      Or better yet, get that gecko glue and stick the tongue onto a moving prop...

  • Sin(g)s of the time ? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Is Lucas a representative of the times we live in ?
    Well, the Star Wars trilogie - toghether with "The Godfather" - was one of the masterieces of the 20th century. Like Romeo & Juliet or Beethoven's ninth symphony in centuries before.

    Now, starting with phantom menace, all we get is teletubbies on special effects.

    So I wonder, wether he is just a mirror of the society we live in that has no style or any sense for subtleness anymore.
    He killed his own legend for a few dollars more(tm). Isn't that our ideal
    • Star Wars? A masterpiece? Are you kidding?

      I think what happened is that all of the geeks who worship Star Wars do so because they saw the movies when they were 8 to 10 years old and therefore love the movies like any other thing they have a "childhood fascination" with. Fast-forward 20 years and those children who are now (hopefully) more mature adults think the new Star Wars movies are garbage because they are adults watching new movies that, like their predecessors, are targeted at young children. Th
      • I think it's certainly true the majority of hardcore Star Wars fans today were kids when the original(s) came out, but it certainly wasn't just kids who embraced them back then. Go back and look at reviews for them in their original releases, particularly the original - remember, this was the movie Time called the "best movie of the year" before the year was even half over, a movie that won or was nominated for eleven Oscars including Best Picture, and a movie that was seen multiple times even by plenty of

  • will there (Score:5, Funny)

    by teemu.s ( 677447 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:19AM (#6104874)
    .. be any special edition of all the webcam material on dvds?

  • I think it's worth the money (Score:5, Funny)

    by buckhead_buddy ( 186384 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:20AM (#6104881)
    I'm not sure if it's worth $20, but it's worth something....

    $20 would help pay my monthly internet access charges. So if I only have to watch for an hour each month, I'll take the money. Of course their checks need to come regularly and on-time.

  • Are We Idiots? (Score:5, Funny)

    by WC as Kato ( 675505 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:22AM (#6104896)
    ...said Jim Ward, head of Lucas Online and vice president of Lucasfilm Ltd. "To our fans nothing is mundane; every morsel is savored and analyzed."

    Raise your hand if you feel like you've just been called an idiot.

  • I Love The Haters (Score:5, Interesting)

    by blinder ( 153117 ) <blinder...dave@@@gmail...com> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:25AM (#6104912) Homepage Journal
    First off, anyone who pays attention (and I do NOT expect that here on /.) knows that I am NOT a "fanboy" as I was around when EP IV was released (the first time).

    But I must say, whenever there is a story on /. about SW, all of the George Lucas haters just crawl out of the woodwork to expose the depths of their naked jelousy and dreadful envy in the most disgusting and pathetic manner: by hauling personal attacks on George Lucas.

    Its truly pathetic. You are truly pathetic. George Lucas, in my estimation, is a genious. He has managed to pull bits and pieces of mythology and form it into a cohesive and compelling universe that has enchanted millions for nearly 30 years! Lets see any of you do that, you little twerps.

    I loved EP I, can't get enough of EP II (I probably watch the DVD once or twice a month, including the bonus footage, I can't get enough of Ben Burt's documentary) and I am eagerly waiting for EP III, and I will, with a big huge smile on my face, happily pay for the new SW site. Why many of you cry? Because there is real value for me, because I can see the joy, creativity and genious behind this franchise, instead of just being consumed by jelousy and envy.

    If you *hate* George Lucas so much, why do you spend so much time expressing that hatred? I was tempted to just let this topic go, follow my own advice and ignore the comments in this topic, but when I see some people calling GL names and conducting personal attacks... it sickened me. You people make me sick.

    I understand *legitimate* criticism of work, especially in creative works, and I have some of my own regarding Star Wars, but what I have been reading here reads more like hate and not thoughtful criticism.

    • George, is it you?
    • The Lucas haters come out of the woodwork because there are so many who have felt their childhood memories being raped by shoddy prequels and one bloody merchandising ripoff after another. He hasn't created a compelling and cohesive universe for 30 years at all. The first three films were compelling and cohesive but the prequels feel like strap on movie franchises with wooden acting, boring script, CGI everywhere, implausible coincidences and a complete lack of suspense or action. The first three were epic

      • Re:I Love The Haters (Score:5, Interesting)

        by greenhide ( 597777 ) <`moc.ylkeewellivc' `ta' `todhsalsnadroj'> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @10:27AM (#6105333)
        I'd also point out that true fans were hugely mistreated when the "Special Edition" versions of the original episodes came out.

        They kept on saying, "You've seen these movies on a dinky TV for years! Now you get to see it full screen, as it was intended!"

        And yeah, most of each movie were great. But then Lucas had to stick his big greasy fingers into our childhood memories. Most of these movies we knew by heart. And although the special editions weren't profoundly different, they *were* different in many ways. It might be as simple as removing the cute scene on Dagobah where R2 barfs out a slew of water and fish, or as extreme as turning the Xarlac into something out of Little Shop of Horrors. And yeah, some people complain about Greedo shooting first, but come on! That didn't really have any effect on the overall movie, oh -- except for the fact that now Han loses his whole outlaw persona.

        The point is, it's clear that the one thing that saved Star Wars (and yes, it was Star Wars when it started out, not New Hope) was the simplicity and limitations on Lucas' special effects. Sometimes a tight budget makes a movie better -- just look at the Godfather, which barely was made, and where Coppola nearly was fired.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re:I Love The Haters (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Mwongozi ( 176765 )
      > I am NOT a "fanboy"
      ...
      > I probably watch the DVD once or twice a month, including the bonus footage

      Right...

  • Real world vs. Lucas world (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sabu mark ( 205793 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:40AM (#6105003)
    Real world: Behind-the-scenes shorts are a form of preview, designed to whet the audience's appetite.
    Lucas world: Behind-the-scenes shorts are a saleable product, offered at twice the price of the actual movie being made.

    Real world: Buying the VHS or DVD is like owning the actual print of the film, in a cheaper format.
    Lucas world: There is no such thing as the print of the film. Films are like operating systems; a new version is released avery year or so, and the customer base must pay to replace their DVDs with the latest version.

    Real world: The special effects exist to serve the story.
    Lucas world: The special effects exist to improve sales of the upcoming Xbox title.

    Real world: A franchise goes downhill when the original creators are replaced.
    Lucas world: The franchise went downhill when the original creator came back.

  • Green screen (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Junior J. Junior III ( 192702 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @09:49AM (#6105054) Homepage
    Since 99% of the new Star Wars movies are digital animation anyway, won't the cam just show you a few actors in costumes standing in front of a green screen? Seems kinda pointless...
  • And now morally bankrupt.

  • There are some folks who will eat this up. I'm not one of them. Although I am innately superior to folks whose tastes are different than my own, I'm not judgmental. If George Lucas can give those folks a little happiness in exchange for $20, more power to him. Those who don't want to watch it don't have to.

    Viewers are likely to discover just how exciting and glamorous the movie business really is. I think there must be some Law of Conservation of Monotony. To create a film that beguiles the time for two h

  • I mean seriously, how many loved classic epic films have the budget to actually get things done that the fan base did ask for, though it be 20 years ago. This is the aspect I think is wonderful about Mr. Lucus actually doing ep 1, 2, and 3. I think it's great. How many of us waited after return of the Jedi for that exclusive next star wars film?

    But we forget the fact that it's a prequil... we already know the ending, so your average watcher isn't going to enjoy it all that much. What we are paying to s

    • Re:Lucus gets points (Score:5, Insightful)

      by greenhide ( 597777 ) <`moc.ylkeewellivc' `ta' `todhsalsnadroj'> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @10:35AM (#6105389)
      Do I plan to see Episode III... yea, but not at prime time rates, or perhaps on bittorrent. I enjoyed a new hope, empire strikes back, and return of the jedi. I don't plan to be first in line, I don't plan to trade a laptop for tickets as seen with episode 1. I won't drive up to canada to see it first.

      Actually, I plan to go to the midnight showing. Way I figure it, I probably will go to see it while it's in the theaters, and if I do I may as well see it when it's fresh and new and see it surrounded by the most hardcore geeks possible, who will laugh at all the inside stuff, if there is any, and who will cheer really loudly at the end, so I can at least fool myself into believing that I enjoyed the film.

      My profound hope? It's unlikely, but maybe Lucas will think, "Hey, this is the *last one* I can do! I'd better marshall any talent that I, the actors, my dialogue writers, and my special effects crew have to make this the best one ever! All of my fan base really have bitched about episodes 1 and 2. Maybe I should take a look at Empire and see just what it was that made it so successful (Answer: tight editing, interesting philosophies, exciting interstellar chase scenes, genuine humor -- "It's not my fault" still the greatest line of all time, and realistic emotional connections between the characters)"

      But not very likely, really.

      If only there was someone to put Harrison Ford back into the movie. Man, he was the glue that held it all together.

  • Can we... (Score:5, Funny)

    by 5strangers ( 610850 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @10:31AM (#6105360)
    call in and vote off the characters we don't like?

  • Sleeping (Score:3, Funny)

    by greenhide ( 597777 ) <`moc.ylkeewellivc' `ta' `todhsalsnadroj'> on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @10:42AM (#6105432)
    while the cast is sleeping

    Does Lucas realize how much money he could charge if there were webcams of that?

  • Episode III - YAWN (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jhylkema ( 545853 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2003 @11:44AM (#6106020)

    Okay, so Queen Amidala bangs Anakin and has twins. Anakin goes to the dark side and Princess Leia goes into hiding. BFD. Riight. I'm going to pay $8 for this.

    Now, if I get to see Natalie Portman naked . . .

  • 8AM George Lucas is in bed.
    10AM Still in bed.
    12PM Still in bed.
    12:30PM Gets up, eats breakfast.
    12:45PM Shower.
    1:00PM Sits down to write Episode III script.
    1:30PM Finishes script.
    1:30-8:00PM Creates wacky alien creatures.
    8:00-9:00PM C-3PO / R2-D2 humor relief puns to use during heated battle scene.
    9:00-10:00PM Skewing Yoda's grammar so every line can rival the infamy of "Around the survivors, a perimeter create!"
    10:00PM Bed time!

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