Since some people appear genuinely concerned about this documentary, here are some answers that the director gave on fanedit.org's forum to the questions we had for him:
peoplevsgeorge said:
1- Will your documentary be totally "against" Lucas oriented, or is there room for kind words about him here and there?
PvsG isn’t a Lucas-bashing exercise. Instead, I’m on a journey to explore a cultural phenomenon like no other. Let me explain. A few years ago, I made a documentary about Klingon speakers, and I was exposed to STAR TREK fandom, which I think is very different from STAR WARS fandom in many ways. I don’t want to generalize, of course; but there’s a strong sense to me that STAR TREK fans, almost universally, tend to idolize Gene Roddenberry--not in a sectarian sense, of course; but you don’t really hear STAR TREK fans complain much about Gene Roddenberry’s legacy.
George Lucas fans, on the other hand, tend to have mixed feelings about him. Put two of them in a room together, and they’ll start arguing about the Special Editions, Boba Fett, the Midichlorians, whether or not George owes them a DVD release of the restored Original Trilogy, INDIANA JONES 4, HOWARD THE DUCK, you name it! George Lucas fans love to argue and complain about George Lucas. Google the words I hate Gene Roddenberry, and you’ll find only four search results. Google I hate George Lucas, and 1,240 hits come up! That’s a staggering stat; but how does one explain it? There’s definitely a sense out there that Lucasfilm has turned into a kind of “evil empire”; and I think that George Lucas has given the fans plenty of reasons to complain, so we're talking about a unique and fascinating cultural phenomenon, which I felt needed to be explored in a documentary. As you probably know, not too long ago, Trey Parker and Matt Stone dedicated an entire SOUTH PARK episode to the rape of Indiana Jones by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Whether you’re talking about parody, satire or serious commentary, that kind of material is out there. And it’s absolutely worth investigating as a singular cultural phenomenon.
Here’s the thing: I can clearly understand both sides of the argument, and that’s why I’m so passionate about making sure that they are equally heard. This is a very complex subject matter, and it goes far deeper than why a great majority of people from my generation seem to hate Jar Jar Binks with a passion. It’s about pop culture. It’s about stardom and fandom. It’s about whether or not an artist should have the right to alter his work once it’s been legitimized by the public as an integral component of our world heritage. It’s about the transformation of a young, idealistic filmmaker into the most powerful mogul in movie history. It’s about the transformation of a creative genius, the influence of fame and fortune on his work, and the complex relationship between a man who once could do no wrong and his polarized fans. So you can expect a final product that will go much deeper than our catchy title suggests, and I believe it will shed light on the numerous controversies that people around the world seem eager to discuss on a daily basis. And, yes, I'd like fanedits to be an integral component of the film.
2- What made you think about including a fanedit part in your documentary?
The simple fact that there are so many talented editors out there willing to "take matters into their own hands", so to speak, intrigues me a great deal. I'm sure some of you do it for sheer love of the SW movies; but it appears that some of you do it to improve upon the movies that disappointed you. Either way you look at it, it all relates to how you feel about George and his work, and that's why I believe there should be a segment about fanedits in our doc.
3- Do faneditors have to appear "on camera"? How much anonymity are faneditors allowed to have?
If you'd rather be anonymous, feel free to appear backlit, wear a mask, or distort your voice. I really don't mind. The important thing is the content of the interview, and I want all faneditors to be 100% comfortable with the process. I realize how legally tricky fanedits are for their creators, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize you in any way. That said, you should know that we’re hoping to bring Stanford Law on board our project (they specialize in Fair Use); and while it may not be legal for faneditors to distribute their work, it may be perfectly legal for a documentarian like myself to show excerpts from fanedits to make a point in our documentary (and, therefore, to indirectly show your work to the world). But understand this: I WILL NOT use ANY excerpts from your or anybody else’s fanedits in our doc UNLESS we get legal confirmation that they are safe to use AND if the faneditors themselves grant us permission to use their work. So you really have nothing to worry about.
4- What elements about fanedited SW films are you looking to cover (Jar-Jar Binks, Midiclorians, "Losing the will to live", etc)?
We're really looking to cover all relevant aspects of fanedited SW films, so I wouldn't want to give you any restrictions. Obviously, our doc is about George Lucas, and I'm curious to know how fanedits are a reflection of how you feel about his work. Specifically, why did you make the edits and changes you made?
5- Is there a deadline to send you videos or things like that?
Yes, the deadline is September 30, 2009. Just go to our website (http://www.peoplevsgeorge.com) for submission information, and don't hesitate to email me directly if you have any questions. Needless to say, the earlier I receive your submission, the better for me; as I'm already sorting through hundreds of hours of footage!
6- Will the "Howard the duck" embarrassment of a movie be discussed in your movie?
You can count on it! :D