WEEK 2 Readings

These articles look at the growth of the George Lucas "empire". Pay particular attention to the conversation with George Lucas gives us some first-hand insights into his value system.

Publish at least one original post/week to the GDES 3B40 course blog. Your post should react to or build on the themes in the Readings - feel free to make connections to other fields.

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To make a post select "New Post" from the column on the left. In the "Project" field immediately beneath title, scroll down to and select "GDES 3B40".

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Julie_Thompson's picture

George Lucas loves himself, and there's nothing wrong with that!

"His desire to make these prequels came from his obsession with getting his vision on screen, and bringing the story to the conclusion he envisioned."

After reading all that I have about George Lucas, what stood out most to me was the pride and ownership associated with his work. I can relate to this point of view.

I believe that he created Star Wars for nobody else but himself. And I'm fine with that. In fact, all the power to him. Star Wars is in a sense an extension of George Lucas the man himself. It would not exist if not for him, so who's to say what it should or should not be except for him.

The fact that he was unwilling to let anybody else direct his movies makes complete sense to me. Giving up that sense of ownership would be like a great artist handing over the paintbrush to somebody else, or giving a poem to an editor. Not to say that this doesn't happen but it is quite understandable that when somebody has such a deep connection to something they would not be willing to let go.

As a designer (if I would be so bold as to call myself that), I feel that at some point in my career, I am going to have to take somebody else's vision and make that a reality. With this comes a great responsibility. There will definitely be great doubt as to whether what I will create will actually be what that person desired. I guess I will just have to figure out ways to SEE other people's vision through my own eyes/mind.

As for my own vision, still haven't quite figured out what that is.. but I'm working on it. What I do know, is that like George Lucas, I will very much be attached to it and will no doubt want to control every aspect of it.

ana.catarina2007's picture

A Personal Creation

After reading the articles, they made me appreciate Lucas as an unforgettable movie director, producer and screenwriter. I am not a Star Wars fan but he is an interesting person. I applaud him for being opinionated and not allowing the movie industry to influence him into straying from his original vision of star wars. One thing that surprised me was that he hated directing, and only did it because he didn’t trust the prequels to any outside director and therefore he made the "sacrifice" of directing them himself to keep the purity of his intentions. In the article George was described as being self-centered, but that could be seen as a strategy for survival in the industry. George is a smart and determined, never compromising his vision on screen and bringing the story to the conclusion he envisioned and even so Star Wars was a gigantic success. In the chat with Dale Pollock he stated, “He (Lucas) doesn't care what the fans treasure, he cares about his original vision and his frustration in not having the technology available to realize that vision in the 1970s and '80s. He is a very self-centered person and he considers the entire STAR WARS saga as his personal creation; therefore it has to meet his high standards. He reserves the right to go back and change any element of any of the six films, as his whim dictates. As an artist there is nothing more liberating than being able to do what you want, when you want and how you want. Lucas is one of the few artists that have been able to stand up in what they believed in, even in the midst of all the criticism and obstacles.

petey's picture

George Lucas = Success or Failure?

In “A Conversation With George Lucas” by Richard Corliss of Time magazine, the author pointed out that most of the blockbuster pictures of the pre-Star Wars era “made their money slowly, playing first runs, then gradually reaching the smaller towns and theaters; the theatrical life of one of these crowd-pleasers might be a full year.” This is in large contrast to how movies are produced and played nowadays. The process of producing and manifesting movies is only going to get faster – thanks to George Lucas and his empire.

Thanks to Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic initiatives, digital technology has now made it possible to revise everything from the color of the sky to an actor’s facial expressions. Furthermore, both of the articles have discussed Lucas’ desire to issue a rerelease of all six Star Wars chapters in 3D. The thought makes me squirm in my chair. Why do we need to see them revamped in 3D? I can’t help to think that it’s only born out of Lucas’ incessant desire to tweak and bestow complete ownership of his works.

“Simone” is a movie that came out a couple of years ago that features Al Pacino and a digitally simulated actress. The movie is essentially about Al Pacino – a faltering director in Hollywood – who stumbled across the opportunity to digitally create a CGI animated actress who was at his complete control. She helped him manifest his visions as a director but also wrought havoc later on.

In the bonus sections of the DVD one of the associates of the film envisioned that in 10 years we will no longer need anymore actors – most of them will be replaced by digitally generated characters; we will no longer be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t.

Lucas also mentions the Pre-Vi system where you can make a movie very quickly – basically a moving storyboard. Just like how Alex’s son self-published a book on lulu.com, I suspect that in the near future, technology is going to empower 11 yr old kids to compose their own movies.

What does that mean to us?

Never the less, George Lucas is the genius who brought unforeseen change to how films are created. He is a visionary, yet egoistic. Perhaps he is also the one to blame for film pirating. It will be interesting to see if the movie industry truly benefited from his ingenuity.

petey's picture

George Lucas = Success or Failure?

In “A Conversation With George Lucas” by Richard Corliss of Time magazine, the author pointed out that most of the blockbuster pictures of the pre-Star Wars era “made their money slowly, playing first runs, then gradually reaching the smaller towns and theaters; the theatrical life of one of these crowd-pleasers might be a full year.” This is in large contrast to how movies are produced and played nowadays. The process of producing and manifesting movies is only going to get faster – thanks to George Lucas and his empire.

Thanks to Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic initiatives, digital technology has now made it possible to revise everything from the color of the sky to an actor’s facial expressions. Furthermore, both of the articles have discussed Lucas’ desire to issue a rerelease of all six Star Wars chapters in 3D. The thought makes me squirm in my chair. Why do we need to see them revamped in 3D? I can’t help to think that it’s only born out of Lucas’ incessant desire to tweak and bestow complete ownership of his works.

“Simone” is a movie that came out a couple of years ago that features Al Pacino and a digitally simulated actress. The movie is essentially about Al Pacino – a faltering director in Hollywood – who stumbled across the opportunity to digitally create a CGI animated actress who was at his complete control. She helped him manifest his visions as a director but also wrought havoc later on.

In the bonus sections of the DVD one of the associates of the film envisioned that in 10 years we will no longer need anymore actors – most of them will be replaced by digitally generated characters; we will no longer be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t.

Lucas also mentions the Pre-Vi system where you can make a movie very quickly – basically a moving storyboard. Just like how Alex’s son self-published a book on lulu.com, I suspect that in the near future, technology is going to empower 11 yr old kids to compose their own movies.

What does that mean to us?

Never the less, George Lucas is the genius who brought unforeseen change to how films are created. He is a visionary, yet egoistic. Perhaps he is also the one to blame for film pirating. It will be interesting to see if the movie industry truly benefited from his ingenuity.

ssirant's picture

Owning Your Vision

Every creative person is subject to analytical scrutiny and floodings of emotional outpour from fans/critics. This is clearly the case with George Lucas and his Star Wars legacy. People love thinking and talking about him...some goe as far as dedicating their working and/or personal lives to this pursuit. Whether or not his "vision" suits my personal tastes in movies/film ( it doesn't), or that he has strayed from my perception of what his vision was in the early sixties, ( I prefer his older films to his more recent vision for Star wars films) is not a worthwhile point of contention.
Its his vision! - not my thoughts on what his vision ought to be. I myself resent when people assume that one's vision should be compromised in order to please the critics. So many great "visionaries" were originally criticised for diverging from other peoples expectaions of their genius, and then later praised for their ground breaking ... the late work of Picasso comes to mind.

Perhaps Lucas is a poor director as some of his critics claim ( this is also my opinion), however his passion is less for great emotional direction than for technological innovation and invention. He may not be pushing the limits of what my heart feels - but I am grateful that he has pushed the limits of what my ears have heard and will hear in the future (via TMX), what my eyes have seen and will see in the future (via ILM, Pixar) and what I can contribute to his vision of the future via engaging with TAP. May the Force be with you George Lucas.

-Stephanie Sirant

Julie_Thompson's picture

Its his vision!

However famous George Lucas may be, he's still a person... and people as we know are supposed to be allowed the freedom to express themselves and their beliefs. Beyond that, people are different.. VERY DIFFERENT. But whose to say what's right and what is wrong. When Stephanie said that "its his vision! - not my thoughts on what his vision ought to be" I couldn't have agreed more. Luckily, his vision involves make believe and not real life.

Throughout history, great turmoil and disaster has occurred because of people with opposing beliefs of the way that things should be. What happens is that a person or group of people, believe so much in "their" vision that they begin to impose it on other people. What we have to realize is that people are rightfully entitled to their own opinions and can share them with whoever they want... but when human beings are endangered because of someone's vision a line has been crossed.

Wow, i kinda got off topic there, but I would say that when creating Star Wars, George Lucas obviously made it the way he wanted.. and there's nothing wrong with that.

There's a certain sense of ownership that goes along with creating "art". I can see why Lucas wanted to direct the films himself. Think of some of the world's most famous paintings, do you really think they would be anywhere close to what they are if the artist had handed over the brush to someone else and said "this is what I want it to look like"

ana.catarina2007's picture

I agree...

I agree with you. I have actually never heard anything negative regarding George Lucas and Star Wars prior to this weeks readings.
No matter what was written it fails to overshadow Lucas, Starwars and his contributions to the film industry including, THX/THX Surround EX system, ILM, Pixar, etc.

petey's picture

Uncompromised.

Prior to the readings assigned for this week, I've only heard good things about George Lucas and his Star Wars saga. It's interesting to know the perspective from both sides.

I do have to give Lucas credit for being a trailblazer in the movie industry and pursuing his own vision. Perhaps his movies are less emotion driven, yet I've always enjoyed watching the awesome special effects that may not be where it is had it not for being Lucas' pursuit of his own dream regardless of what critics say. Perhaps it is another formula of recipe for success.

shlee's picture

Possibility...

Lucas is constantly critisized for being a bad writer and director. In my opinion these criticisms are correct. He has never been one to use his actors abilities to their fullest extent. However, he has been far more succesful in his career as an innovator to the film industry. His ability to imagine beyond what was available, allowed him to create new FX techniques, sound advancements and now possibily a new form of film distribution. He sees the possbility of imagination and is driven to finding ways to make his vision realized. It is this drive and passion, that fuels his innovtive film making techniques. In otherwords, Lucas doesn't work traditionally by taking the current technologies that were/are available at the time and make a movie. He imagined a world that he wanted realized and worked at finding a way to make it as true to his imagination as possible. He never settled for the current norm of film making, which would have comprimised his initial vision. He created an experience, a product and a service while making just one film.

ssirant's picture

"A good idea in search of a story"

I just read your post and have similar opinions of Lucas' talents. He isn't really intersted in being a "good" director. He is concerned with innovating and inventing...

I found the following quote quite intersting and relevant to anyone dealing with design challenges (as most of us in GDES 3B40 are):
"Basically, we would paint ourselves into a corner, and then we would have to invent ourselves out of it," he says. "Every day we were doing something that hadn't been done before." The idea of being painted into a corner reminds me of all the constraints one becomes limited by, but that it is possible to invent your way out of it.

I also feel that most designers are people with "good ideas in search of a story"

-Steph Sirant

jonwheeldon's picture

Lucas

It is quite remarkable how Lucas brought movie making forward, and introduced digital film making. However I don't think that cellulose film will ever disappear, those who love it, really do. It's an art form and has a very hands on approach. Though digital technology, especially in editing, allows more control and is faster, the manipulating of photographs manually is skill and isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Theresa Lu's picture

Believe your imagination

No matter we're Star War 's fans or not, the one thing I think we cannot deny is: Lucas is one of the unforgettable movies director, producter and screenwriter. The Star War series are the representative famous one; it not only shows us it is full in digital technology, also the movies show the audiences Lucas's imagiantion.
Furthermore, from one of the articles which is the conversation with Lucas, personally, I figure out that he is a confident person through his particular insight of making movies and predicts; also, as a filmmaker, he has his own style and he was persist in his way to makes whatever movies he want.
Star War movies let people enjoy this full of imagination sci-fi stories, therefore, people realize Lucas's style and he became the unforgettable filmmake. In this way, in my opinion, he is a successful person in his field.

Grace Park's picture

What I learned from Lucus

I learned three things from Lucas.

One, dream big. Do not limit yourself to what you already know and what you already have. Unfold your imagination.

Two, do not give up your dream because of limitations you are facing. Often we laugh at our own ideas because they are impossible to come true with current technology or current culture. But, Lucas did not abandon his dream. He tried to find a way to make it happen.

Three, continually improve yourself. Lucas kept changing and editng his movies even after a huge success. There is always room for improvement in anything we design and make.

Everytime I read about successful people, a commom theme is always the fact that they had passion for something and they did not give up.

Julie_Thompson's picture

Possibilites are Endless

Great insights Grace. When Lucas was faced with the option to settle for what existed or create something new, he went for the second choice and the world benefited. A lot of us could learn a thing or two from this. We always seem to limit ourselves to what exists, never thinking that we can be the ones to change that or that something different is even possible.

Also improving on something is never a bad thing. I think a true designer is never satisfied because they usually realize that nothing is perfect.

When you think of life in terms of the way George Lucas did, the possibilities are endless.
Be the change!

Kimberley's picture

SURPRISE

I love all of the Star Wars episodes and I couldn't believe the things that people say about Lucus. With everything taken in consideration.

I don't think it's enough to have a vision or an idea. You have to be able to see everything through even if you may not like it. Or if it's difficult try to improve, make your weaknesses your strengths. Or just deal with it, it's part of the job. Be open mind to others and consider all options. If your not passionate about what your doing you shouldn't do it at all.

sw03ae's picture

Imagination

Through much aggravation and power-hunger to keep the "empire" to himself and the many people who he worked with hating him behind his back Lucas still managed to keep his imagination as a key insight to the success of the Star Wars movies. The reason for him being the way he was trying to hold on to his dream was because I think he wanted to keep his "image" of his movies the way he foresaw them and have a sense of purity to them. In my opinion, Lucas should credit his "Empire" to his ability to dream, imagine and to have the ability to make all of that happen.

-Selina Ann Wong 2183994

ana.catarina2007's picture

He did it...

For some reason I don't believe that Star Wars would have become the empire it did if George Lucas compromise his "vision", listening to people around him and what they wanted. Like you have mentioned people who have had an opportunity to work with him hated him, but what does that matter when you were able to dream and have the strength to make your vision a reality.

aw07er's picture

Star Wars is it's own little

Star Wars is it's own little universe that's loved and loathed but one that endured many rough patches throughout its lifetime and all the credit to Lucas for fully believing in his own silly space story.

Some others have commented on his rigidity and difficulty in receiving criticism for his work, but that's the entire reason behind the charm of the quaint Good vs. Evil motive behind the films. While it might have been a treat to see a David Lynch directed "Return of the Jedi", I don't think I'd be able to stomach a David Lynch Star Wars after his sci-fi directorial debut of Dune.

Kimberley's picture

Can't believe it

I completely agree; who knew that some one could be so loved and hated at the same time. For me personally, it came to me as a surprise. I thought that George Lucus was praised for the Star wars trilogy.

If he had so little interest in directing why is he in the film business. None of the explainations that was provided was enough to satisfy me.

Overall, I found the back ground info about Lucus to be surprising and hard to swallow.

squid_food's picture

Georgie Porgie, pudding pie.

The way Star Wars came about reminds me of Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal" in the sense that the story was born from a need to create an altar universe (well, Henson really started off with just the Gelphling character. But only nerds would care about that.) There is no real story that Lucas wanted to get out... no need for expression. But it worked for him. Personally speaking, I am a fan of the first trilogy (not to mention, the Ewoks cartoon series.) though the other two trilogies didn't really need to be made. But Lucas saw an audience who would gladly continue the journey, wookies or not, with him. And he cashed in on it... along with the subsiquent lunch boxes, battery operated light sabres and Pez dispensers.

I understand creative vision as well as skill being born out of necessity, but a time comes when we, as artists, must allow others to care for our offspring. Whe must be honest with our short comings. We hire directors, illustrators, composers, who are both capable of seeing our vision and executing it with the eloquence and skill that we lack in a particular medium. This is something Lucas' monolithic ego seems to be incapable of, as demonstrated by how he whittled Portman's and Nieson's acting ability down to that of say, Keanau Reeves. Woo-den.

There also comes a time when one must set down the brush, step back and be happy with their creation. To go back and re-tweak and re-edit at whim is not only selfish, it's neurotic. A work needs to breath for it's self. I'm just picturing, 15 years from now, Chewie being replaced with Jar Jar Binks in "Return of the Jedi". Lucas' obsession with bigger, faster, stronger is causing him to bastardize his own creations and he doesn't seem to see it. George Lucas is an innovator, it's true. And all the criticizim in the world can't take Lucasfilms or Avid or Pixar or THX or ILM away from the man. A spin off, made for T.V movie, staring Jar Jar Binks could cost him his life though. I really hated that thing.

Cyrus Yan's picture

Good that you are stubborn

It seems that George Lucas' refusal to make compromises in making the film the way he wants it to be is what made Star Wars so influential. His unrelenting passion in creating the world he envisioned led him to the development of innovations like ILM and THX.

Dale Pollock talked about how self-centered George Lucas was and how it made Lucas a despicable figure among some of the actors and directors who worked with him. But interestingly, I think it is this self-centered nature and his stubbornness that led to all the success and innovation which stemmed from the trilogy.

shlee's picture

Self centered but funny...

I agree that Lucas is self centered but not in a negative fashion. I believe he driven by his desires, but it ultimately benefited the movie industry at large. Also, someone who is self centered would not be inclined to make fun of himself. Such is the case of lending his voice to the comedy show "robot chicken" or even last night's Family guy episode. (which by the way were both hilarious! )

Sdf.Gdry's picture

oh well

its ironic.most of the people who are considered to be self-centered or stubborn are the ones who create something truly unique. But i think this adds to the flavour of this business or otherwise cinema would be extremely dull and repetitive.

Grace Park's picture

Isn't everyone self-centred?

I think everyone is self-centred. It's a matter of degree.
In some situations we need to be self-centred to make things happen.
Of course being overly selfish or sttubborn can be the cause of downfall as well.
I guess the key is to know when to be stubborn and when to compromise.

sw03ae's picture

I agree.

I think you have a good point there. Star Wars wouldn't be the same if Lucas went along with everyone else and submitted to their ways of doing things. Lucas simply had a greater picture in mind and didn't stop or cared for those in his way until his vision was created. In his time, before innovations like ILM and THX, Lucas must've looked like a Maniac trying to re-create cinema and theater as we know it to his fellow colleagues, yet his perseverance served him well.

Kimberley's picture

It could be good or bad

I'm glad that he was stubborn; but it always good to be flexible and open minded. What he lacks in directing, he mores then makes up it for imagination. He also needs to understand that the movie isn't just for him, but for his fans. People invest a lot into Star Wars; plus they are giving him a free critique. Use it to his advantage

mtampilic's picture

The success of George Lucas

It seems to me that George Lucas' success is a result of him following HIS visions. No matter what you think of the first SW trilogy or the second SW triology, the fact is, they made a crap load of money. People can hate on the 2nd trilogy all they want, but it was still a (commercial) success. (note: the original Star Wars movies weren't initially a great critical success).

I find it ironic that Lucas is greatly criticized for ruining peoples vision of the Star Wars universe. When he created the universe (all 9 episodes) for himself, with his vision. And despite him making the movies for himself (ignoring fan criticism and input), ALOT of people still watch his movies.

Also, from the success of Star Wars he was able to pioneer many technologies and innovations through ILM. These innovations are mainstays in industry and continue to dictate the advancement of film.

Love it or hate it, Star Wars was and is much bigger than just Star Wars movies.

Sdf.Gdry's picture

well you know this is what

well you know this is what some people get paid for and earn a living out of. criticism. each is to their own and in the end, its all about personal taste.

sw03ae's picture

"I find it ironic that Lucas

"I find it ironic that Lucas is greatly criticized for ruining peoples vision of the Star Wars universe. When he created the universe (all 9 episodes) for himself, with his vision."

I completely agree. Everybody seems to want to be a critique these days even when it's not necessary. I don't think Lucas had envision the criticism and the cynicism that would come of his Star War movies. He created the "Empire" for his own sake. He wanted to tell a story the best way he knew how and wanted to. There was no deeper meaning or huge character development, simply cause it wasn't meant to be movies about that. I think most people would agree that Star Wars is pretty darn entertaining and that's all that matters.

Grace Park's picture

I agree. Some movies are

I agree. Some movies are meant to be more meaningful and some aren't. It's nice to have movies that tell you something. But sometimes we just need pure entertainment. It's nice to be stupid and not think at all sometimes.

Kimberley's picture

Agree

I fell the same way. I'm not trying to be a movie critic, but what do you expect. Anyone who watches a movie has to have an opinion, it's just human nature. Maybe we've already made up our minds before the movie finishes; maybe we're amateurs. I don't know. All i know in some sense we critic the movie based upon personal bias, if it doesn't suit our taste we don't like it. Unlike actual movie critics; they base it on principles, rules, guide lines.

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