Originally posted by: Jumpman
When you put that kind of money into a film (his OWN money) and the future of your company and independence (which he greatly desires above all things), you get anxious about it working. That's totally understandable, in my eyes.
And it's not like the quality suffered for it once Episode V was released. You can make the argument that the quality suffered once he got to Episode VI but that's subjective. It was the end of the trilogy anyway. Alot of that film was dictated by the previous film and the lack of technology to accomplish things he wanted to accomplish in Episode VI.
If he really wanted to make sure Episode V made more than the previous film, he would've made the exact same film over again. Clearly, he did not. He wanted to take the world he created in a new direction on all fronts. Sure, he was worried about the financial aspect of the project and how it relates to his grand plans of having his own filmmaking studio up in San Fran., but he clearly wanted to take the storyline and the quality of film to new heights.
That's part Kershner. No doubt about it. But, Kershner's film doesn't work without Lucas' draft of the script before Kasdan got there. That's where the foundation started for Episode V. You take Lucas' contribution to that film on all fronts, and you don't get the Episode V. That's just fact.
Uh, what are you responding to in my post?
First, I talked about how George actually said that he was more interested in Star Wars (Empire at the very least) as a way to make him money than as a work of art. That's not to say the artistic end wasn't important to him (I never said that), but that the money-making franchise end of it was more important to him. He clearly wanted realize his experimental film dreams by using Star Wars and I don't criticize that. I just find it interesting and it was actually in the interview in this thread. There's nothing to debate on this point:
AA: You've always acted on that kind of faith, haven't you?
GL: Well, most of this filmmaking effort is so I can create a dream, a dream I've had for a long time, which is to build a research retreat for film. The amount of money needed to develop a facility like that is so enormous that the money I have doesn't amount to anything. You need millions and millions of dollars to build such an operation. The only way I can do it is to create a company that will generate profits.
There's a world of difference between the money making abilities of corporations and those of individuals. For an individual to make two or three million dollars is a big deal. He'd feel very wealthy and secure. But most corporations have to make thirty or forty million dollars a year in order to feel secure. No matter how much money I make individually, I don't think I’d ever have enough to compete on a corporate level. To take care of just the overhead of a company, to pay all the employees every year, costs several million dollars. I couldn't direct enough films fast enough to pay all those people. So I had to develop a company.
AA: Although you've diversified, the Star Wars films are at the heart of it all
GL: Yes, they are the core, which is why I have to concentrate on them. I don't want to spend the rest of my life making Star Wars pictures, but I do want to get them set up so that they'll operate properly without having to get completely involved in all of them. They've got to be self generating to support the facility.
When you put that kind of money into a film (his OWN money) and the future of your company and independence (which he greatly desires above all things), you get anxious about it working. That's totally understandable, in my eyes.
And it's not like the quality suffered for it once Episode V was released. You can make the argument that the quality suffered once he got to Episode VI but that's subjective. It was the end of the trilogy anyway. Alot of that film was dictated by the previous film and the lack of technology to accomplish things he wanted to accomplish in Episode VI.
If he really wanted to make sure Episode V made more than the previous film, he would've made the exact same film over again. Clearly, he did not. He wanted to take the world he created in a new direction on all fronts. Sure, he was worried about the financial aspect of the project and how it relates to his grand plans of having his own filmmaking studio up in San Fran., but he clearly wanted to take the storyline and the quality of film to new heights.
That's part Kershner. No doubt about it. But, Kershner's film doesn't work without Lucas' draft of the script before Kasdan got there. That's where the foundation started for Episode V. You take Lucas' contribution to that film on all fronts, and you don't get the Episode V. That's just fact.
Uh, what are you responding to in my post?
First, I talked about how George actually said that he was more interested in Star Wars (Empire at the very least) as a way to make him money than as a work of art. That's not to say the artistic end wasn't important to him (I never said that), but that the money-making franchise end of it was more important to him. He clearly wanted realize his experimental film dreams by using Star Wars and I don't criticize that. I just find it interesting and it was actually in the interview in this thread. There's nothing to debate on this point:
AA: You've always acted on that kind of faith, haven't you?
GL: Well, most of this filmmaking effort is so I can create a dream, a dream I've had for a long time, which is to build a research retreat for film. The amount of money needed to develop a facility like that is so enormous that the money I have doesn't amount to anything. You need millions and millions of dollars to build such an operation. The only way I can do it is to create a company that will generate profits.
There's a world of difference between the money making abilities of corporations and those of individuals. For an individual to make two or three million dollars is a big deal. He'd feel very wealthy and secure. But most corporations have to make thirty or forty million dollars a year in order to feel secure. No matter how much money I make individually, I don't think I’d ever have enough to compete on a corporate level. To take care of just the overhead of a company, to pay all the employees every year, costs several million dollars. I couldn't direct enough films fast enough to pay all those people. So I had to develop a company.
AA: Although you've diversified, the Star Wars films are at the heart of it all
GL: Yes, they are the core, which is why I have to concentrate on them. I don't want to spend the rest of my life making Star Wars pictures, but I do want to get them set up so that they'll operate properly without having to get completely involved in all of them. They've got to be self generating to support the facility.
Secondly, I then simply stated another fact that George thought fluff-stories and action make more money in film. He has actually said that in the past. He used the first Indiana Jones movie as his prime example in the quote I heard.