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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Star Wars Stories Project...what happened?

Discussion in 'Lucasfilm Ltd. In-Depth Discussion' started by BowtiesAreCool, Aug 29, 2013.

  1. BowtiesAreCool

    BowtiesAreCool Jedi Padawan

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 2012
    I'm sure many of you are familiar with something Lucasfilm was working on starting in 2009 called the Star Wars Stories Project. A booth was set up at San Diego Comic Con 2009 where fans could line up and each get some time in the spotlight to talk about what Star Wars meant to them and maybe tell a personal story about the saga. I participated in this at Comic Con and it was really fun. In 2010 Lucasfilm set up a similar booth at Celebration V to gather even more stories. They must've recorded hundreds and hundreds of these fan videos.

    ...and that was the last we heard of it.

    We knew Lucas and his company wanted to have all of that footage for the official Lucasfilm Archives and use it is some sort of documentary. But we haven't heard a peep about it since. Aside from one promo showcasing testimonials from high profile people like Seth Green and Dennis Muren, none of us have seen any the footage. Not cut together in a trailer or individually...nothing. Zilch. Nada.

    Does anyone here remember doing one of these videos and/or remember this project? Does anyone know happened to it? I suspect the Disney deal shuffled around priorities at Lucasfilm but honestly some news about it would be nice.

    Here's a Screen Rant article talking about it. It was one of the last articles that mentioned it:
    http://screenrant.com/star-wars-stories-project-benk-73216/
     
  2. Lord_Archivaria

    Lord_Archivaria Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Jun 23, 2011
    I recorded a story with them at Celebration V. My biggest memory is of not really knowing what to say and babbling something about the prequels. It only lasted five minutes, maybe less. Afterwards I asked the lady behind the camera what would become of it and she said they didn't really know. It didn't sound like they had any direction and the interviews probably ended up sitting on a hard drive somewhere. Possibly the project was the brain child of one person who left or became too busy to continue and the whole thing was forgotten. Also, the material could have been lost in the shuffle of the acquisition by Disney.

    However if you are intrepid enough it may be possible to find out. Lucasfilm has, as of January 2012, a sizable research library open only to its employees. Such things are not unheard of in the business world. GE for example had at one time a large library. There is an interview here with the manager of the Lucasfilm Research Library. Based on my limited reading of the article it sounds as if it is also the actual Lucasfilm archive so Star Wars Stories Material may be stored there. The article has an e-mail address at the bottom for the library. You should note, however that this is a wild guess. The videos may be on a server somewhere, a random employee's computer, in a records manager's office, or have been deleted. But as a librarian myself this feels like a good place to start.