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Originally posted by: D0CT0R_W40
Rattlehead, I think I'm going to have to disagree with you. The direct problem is that Lucas isn't releasing the original trilogy, yes. But at the root of that problem is the fact that George Lucas is the number one man at Lucasfilm. He's the number one man at Lucasfilm because he took too much credit for Star Wars.
No, he's the number one man at Lucasfilm because he owns the company! The company was founded by him and is named LUCASFILM, not MurenFilm or BurttFilm or KurtzFilm or anything like that.
And regardless of how much "credit" someone takes, the film traditionally "belongs" creatively to the director, sometimes producer as well. Of course Lucas complains about Studio interference, and I agree with him there, but this isn't about credit, it's about preservation. I think our position should be that we don't care if he wants to fiddle with the trilogy, and tweak it until the cows come home and every five minutes offer the new version for sale---AS LONG as he keeps the original version available. I think that will be the most reasonable position that will appeal to both SW fans and film preservationists alike.
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I do see where you're coming from. You think that if we focus on all that stuff, it'll end up being a jumbled mess. Trust me, it won't. All that stuff comes together to answer the "why" questions. If we don't have a "why," all this will be is a few star wars fans whining and complaining.
There are plenty of film preservationists out there who aren't star wars fans. Those are the ones we need to get a hold of. If we don't give them solid reasons to disagree with Lucas, they aren't going to care one way or the other.
I think that my approach addresses the concernes of the film preservationists perfectly without unneccessary insults, name-calling and, seemingly pointless, Lucas-bashing. Remember we don't want to come off as a bunch of bitter, disgruntled, Star Wars geeks just venting their anger towards Lucas. That approach won't win many friends, and will TOTALLY turn Lucas off, eliminating any chance we had (however infintessimly small) of swaying him.
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It may sound like it will be taking on too much, but it really isn't.
If we do what you suggested, we'd only really have what you pointed out. That one quote concerning the colorization of The Three Stooges, and clips to show the differences between the OT and the '04 dvds. That's enough to tell people "we're star wars fans and we want the original trilogy." With all due respect, I think we need to convey a stronger message than that, such as "George Lucas has taken more credit than he deserves, and is a disgrace to filmmakers everywhere."
It's not just that your approach will muddy our focus and clutter the argument, its that it is unneccessary and counterproductive. When on the one hand you are so passionate about films that this man made and on the other are calling him "a disgrace to filmmakers everywhere" you come off as schizophrenic and kooky to the general public, including film preservationists who may otherwise agree with our main grievance of the suppression of the original cut, but don't identify with eccentric sci-fi fans. With all due respect, I really think that that is the wrong way to go. There's always time later for a bitter, scathing attack on Lucas, but aren't we trying to acheive something with this project?
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Perfect 5th, that sounds great, thanks! If we could have it translated to French, that would be awesome. And what are your music composing & recording capabilities?
One last thing, Rattlehead, I don't recommend buying a generic brand computer for doing anything creative or professional. It will work, but you're limiting your options. Personally, I'd get an Alienware if I wanted to use a PC http://www.alienware.com/main_creative_pro.aspx. Think about it this way: Generic brand companies are targetting their products at home users who are interested in getting started, while the expensive companies offer what professionals actually need because they know professionals won't be scared away by the price. If you're comfortable with using a Mac (most people aren't for some reason) I highly recommend a PowerMac G5.
Thanks for the input on the computer, but a Mac just isn't an option for me right now. I won't be being employed as a video editor and don't have the money to get a mac just for that reason (and Macs are expensive too). Maybe in the future if I have enough disposable income, I'll get a Mac just to be dedicated for tha purpose. The Alienware, while an awesome computer, is just too expensive. I just don't have the money to buy computers that "start" at 3K right now. I wasn't planning on getting a "generic" brand either. I was planning on getting a name brand, either Sony Vaio, or Hewlett Packard. Those are both decent products, and right now my choice is basically narrowed down to the "media center" versions of those two brands. I really just need to know the pros and cons of each so I can choose between them. Thanks everyone for the advice on the comps, but so far they are way out of my price range, so telling me to get a PowerMac or an Alienware is like saying "Get an Avid." It's just not a viable choice right now. I'm aware that when I get a factory-configured consumer model I will not have the ultimate video editing machine, but that's fine, because that's all I have the money for, and it's not like video editing is my job, I just need to know the best choice of the models that are affordable to me.