Manx For The Memories!

Well, I got it. The final episode of the STAR WARS saga (as far as we know) on DVD. I watched as much as I could and then flipped on the special features. Granted I wasn't very impressed with the story telling but after watching much of the extras, I fully appreciate the work of the talented artists and technicians who worked many hours just for one scene, one shot. A lot of thought went into each frame. I'm sorry that I didn't like the movie, but as a whole I still do love the saga. It's what influenced me to become a filmmaker. It has influenced and continues to inspire generations. Beneath all the flashy and brilliant SPFX, the messages of myth are still there. The extras on the DVD paint George Lucas as a great teacher and looking back on my own experiences, he has been a great teacher of mine, even though I've never met the guy. (He's been only a short distance away as I visited a friend at the Ranch. Just upstairs meeting about Episode Two, in fact.) But, if it were not for him "pushing the envelope" of technology in order to make the job just a little bit easier and more efficient for the artist to convey his or her ideas... we wouldn't be able to do so with such ease as we are today. Today, you can actually go out and buy an HD camera, shoot some footage, import it onto your laptop, edit it and spit it back out onto a DVD and bingo, you created something in a manner of minutes. Very cool. I remember dreaming about this in college and being promissed that in "5 years" it'll be ready and out there for the public. Well 5 years has come and gone and all the cameras have gotten smaller... pretty soon we'll be able to record our dreams and store them in a grain of sand. Blah blah blah...


Darth and ME. There's Anakin Skywalker checking my pulse as I'm about to pass out at the site of the Sith Lord. I was actually lucky enough to work on a commercial pomoting the first trilogy's re-release. A very good friend of mine (Tony) was crazy enough to leave me in charge of making some creatures (not pictured) they barely show up in the final product, but hey, I got to be choked by Vader!


C3PO, R2D2, Terry, and Vill after a hard day of shooting. Still on the set of the commercial. R2 was running around beeping and bopping (just like Clint does today- I miss that. Everytime I hear R2, I think of Clint) we finaly got permission to take a "family" photo with the icons of Star Wars.


Big Group Shot: After the final shot, the ILM group where kind enough to let me and Terry get in the picture. They were very cool. We all had fun "geaking out" on that shoot.

So, it's very sad that this saga has come to and end of sorts. Much like Finley Fire Truck project slowely coming to a close. Granted there is still much work to be done by the other tribe in India (may the Force be with you, Bob!) But as far as the IOM crew... well you guys on the island know better than I how it is. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you to see it end. But driving in the hot sun feels pretty darn good lately. Stopping by the local sushi shop for a bite. Mexican food. Gi-normous Ralph's, Best Buy, AMC!.... Wait what was I talking about? What are your names again? Oh, yeah. Joe, Cathey, Mike, and Emily all the crazy stuff is here waiting for you.

So Enjoy the IOM as much as you can. It may not seem like it, now but you will miss it.

I leave you with the wise words of Yoda... "Do or do not. There is no try" and "There is another..."