Making a movie

Hi, I've recently begun scripting and budget planning for a movie I hope to film early next year. I've filmed a few movies before, but they've all been very short and not very well done. (ie. muzzle flashes drawn in photoshop and screened over the video) I've never made a whole movie that was storyboarded completely, so this one will hopefully be an amazing success compared to my previous attempts.

The movie is set in the future and I have always liked lightsabers so I will be using some hilts I made. Since I want this movie to be original I'm changing the design as much as possible. I'm going to give them a whole different set of sound effects, a different name altogether, and I will change the effect from white center, colored glow to red center, red glow for both sabers in the movie. The tips of the blades will appear to have energy diffusing from them that would streak behing, creating a kind of streamer appearance. (my main reasoning behind this, besides an interesting look, is that the story takes place only about 100 years from now and i don't believe the technology to perfect a lightsaber will be around then, so the blade will sort of "leak")

So my question is if that is enough change to make them my own and not have any copyright infringement.

 

I think, really, as long as you don't call them, "lightsabers," and don't use LF licensed hilts in the movie, you'll be fine. Those are the only 2 ways you'd be infringing on copyrights.