[ THE MOVIE ] : ^ “The Star Wars” – A video using the original 45 rpm storybook as the soundtrack and the original Kenner action figures along with the Atari 2600 version of “Star Wars” to recreate a puppetesque retelling of the movie with plastic dolls. ^
[ THE SCOOP ] : ^ We combined the 45 rpm record story version of Star Wars with the action figures and sets to recreate a version of the original story from how we remembered playing out the movie as kids. Even adding the Atari 2600 video system for the battle sequence. ^
[ BUDGET ] : $35 ^ [ SCHEDULE ] : Downtime ^ [ STATUTS ] : Complete ^
[ WHY DID YOU MAKE IT? ] ^ Because we found each other, I mean, we found that we had both had the idea of making it, and for me, finding someone else with like ideas was reason enough to do it. I also think that we both needed something to work on and something to laugh at. We both had enough free time, and were slack enough that some kind of project was needed to divert us from our chosen diversions. Troy had a girlfriend and was at USF working on his degree and we both were working at a record store, but we both weren’t really doing much. I remember that we did some mountain biking swamp style and getting’ stoned right around then, it seems so long ago now, not long, long ago but long ago. ^
[ WHAT SACRIFICES DID YOU MAKE ALONG THE WAY? ] ^ I lost my girlfriend at the time. We had to steal and borrow, so we could have gone to jail. ^
[ WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FILM? ] ^ Originally, Lance and I just wanted to watch it ourselves, regardless if anyone else liked it. But as we started putting the sequences together and screening it to friends, everyone freaked. We held a screening at a renegade film space in Ybor City, FL, The Gallery Filmhouse. We entered it into a couple of festivals in Orlando, FL, Brouhaha and The Central Florida Film And Video Fest, where Jason Neff, the CFF&VF creator, scheduled a Q&A for us to screen the video and answer questions for the film students at UCF. The Q&A was a warped episode in itself. We also had screenings at the Necronomican in Tampa, FL and the Dragoncon in Atlanta, GA. We then contacted surf band Man or Astroman? To let us show the video before their live show at The Rubb, in Tampa. The Astromen thought it would work great, with Birdstuff calling the Star Wars “a work of genius.” From there “The Star Wars” and Pez D. Spencer joined the Astromen on their tours of the U.S. and Europe during 1997. Also allowing Pez D. to create a multi-16mm projector found footage piece as the back drop for the astro show. The future? Maybe an article in Film Threat, or another tour with our version of Planet of the Apes. (Dave Crider of Estrus made us swear to do it.) ^
[ ANY PEARLS OF WISDOM? ] ^ We hope people will watch our movie, and have flashbacks to their childhood. We also hope that if George ever sees it, he will see it as a homage and not sue us. ^
[ WAS IT WORTH IT? ]] ^ Jello Biafra actually paid for a copy.
To find out more, surf over to: www.cas.usf.edu/lis/lis2002/spring96/durret~1.html
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