mverta said:
Legacy isn't about you or me; it's not about what we have or don't have. It's about honoring Star Wars and preserving history. It's done for Star Wars' sake; for history's sake. That should be a unifying cause. But when it really comes down to it, a lot of so-called fans don't actually care about protecting Star Wars in any meaningful way. They just want the film for themselves, and if they can't have it, they throw a tantrum. They don't rejoice in the fact that such a beautiful piece of work is safe. All they really want to know is what they get or don't get out of the deal. And the irony is, that is the exact attitude which keeps them from having what they want, ultimately.
If someone came to you with the materials to do a Star Wars restoration beyond anyone's wildest dreams, on the condition that you may never share it publicly, what would you do? And if they came to you precisely because of your commitment to keeping it private; to the film itself; to history itself; because of your trustworthiness... what would you do? Turn down the opportunity, or worse, betray that trust and guarantee no future prospects? Doubtful. You'd probably do what I did, which is enjoy the rewards of honor and principle, and let the future - the completely unknown future, by the way - play out as it will.
I document the process for education, entertainment, and celebration of Star Wars. And while this concept seems foreign to some people, it can be gratifying to watch good work happen even if you have nothing directly to gain from it. If you head over to scifi-meshes.com you will see talented 3D artists building amazingly accurate models of Star Wars ships (among other things) which nobody in the end will have any access to. Nobody "gets" anything out of the deal, beyond enjoying the show, celebrating the craft, and learning a lot along the way. For those for whom this concept is foreign and valueless: tough shit. There are plenty of good restorations out there, anyway, so stop whining.
It's not my first rodeo. When I was hired by Lucasfilm to do a new CG R2-D2, I went absolutely nuts with accuracy and detail - measuring, photographing, and documenting original units in the Lucasfilm Archives, and recreating every nuance possible in my CG model. It took, ultimately, 4 years to do. In the end, while it makes its appearance wherever it needs to, nobody "gets anything" for that, either. But I'm proud of the work, grateful to have been given the opportunity, and honored to have made any contribution to the world of Star Wars. That has always been enough for me.
_Mike
Mike, thanks for taking the time to reply to us. Now I understand.
After learning your perspective, it sounds like you're probably doing the right thing. If I were in your shoes, I guess I'd do that too: just do what I can for the present, and hope that the future will get to see my efforts.
It sounds like you're in a difficult position, but if you were able to state some of these things on your site, it might help people understand your decision on distribution. Just something like "I hope one day I will be able to share my completed project with everyone. But unfortunately, because of certain sources, I doubt that will happen."