While we wait

The Real Fans Of The Saga – A Star Wars Fan Reality Show

We love fan projects and this one looks like a great one. A fun look at four different passionate Star Wars fans and how their fandom effects not only family life but everyday life. Here is a very fun project that most Star Wars fans will find exciting. The Real Fans project was filmed at the start of 2015 and followed 4 completely different fans (that are friends)  to Celebration Anaheim all through well over a year (including leading up to The Force Awakens and after it’s release). Each Episode will be 15 – 30 mins (actual time per episode TBD after editing) and there will be approx 12 – 17 episodes total (again, TBD while editing) This will be the 3rd project that Filmmakers Cris Macht http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5277601/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 and Ian Vacek http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3051870/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 produced together. Why do they need your help? “The Risks and Challenges are always financial. When you don’t have enough….you can only do so…

Read More

Fan Film: Star Wars: Amulet of Urlon

We love fan films here. This one is under 5 minutes so it’s not an extra long watch. You can sit down on a work break or in between playing or studying and give it a quick watch. We don’t want to go into too much detail about plot since it is such a short film. It’s far better to just watch it for yourself and get the full experience. That said, it’s an interesting and new story idea, the character is intriguing and the film is done well. There’s nice use of lighting and other effects and we hope to see more from them along these lines. If the music sounds familiar, you probably played Star Wars Commander and clothing and props were also very well done. All in all, it’s good stuff for a fan film. We’d love to see a longer version of this to carry out more of…

Read More

BAD PILOTS – Star Wars Fan Film

We love Star Wars fan films. If you are a Star Wars fan, there’s a good chance you love fan films too. They really speak to the fan inside all of us and often bring out the details of the original films we love the most. This is why we love sharing them with you so much. Even the silly, the dark, and the parodies will make you smile when you think of how they remind you of the films that started it all. So with that in mind, here’s another great, fun fan film: Bad Pilots. It’s Episode 1: Holy Guacamole and it’s so worth the watch. At just about 30 minutes long, it’s like a quick episode of a sitcom and we’re hoping there’s more to come after Ep 1 because this was a lot of fun. “Three useless Tie Fighter Pilots feel the full power of the…

Read More

EXILE – A STAR WARS FAN FILM (2016)

You know we love Star Wars fan films. It’s probably obvious from the fact that we post about them nearly every time we find them. So here’s another and it’s definitely worth the watch. This is Exile Episode 1, a Star Wars Fan Film 2016. The production quality is great on this one and the story interesting. Some may think certain themes steer a little from the traditional feel of Star Wars but as a fan film, I think they get a little leeway for such things. If you love Star Wars and you love fan films, this is just one more to add to your watch list. ““Jedi around the galaxy are being viciously hunted and killed by the evil Galactic Empire. Aware of the imminent danger, Jedi Master Boemana Tora and her Padawan Makal Lori, flee to the outer rim systems close to the planet of Lothal.” So…

Read More

Do or Do Not. There Is No Try

One of the most iconic quotes from Star Wars is this one from Yoda himself: “Do or Do Not. There Is No Try”  Would you like to learn more about Yoda? This Yoda documentary by Jamie Benning (@jamieswb) is just what you need. The story of how Yoda was brought to life on the big screen is really interesting and a lot of fun. This is well worth the watch if you’re a fan at all.  Here’s a little about the project from Jamie: “During the production of my Jabba documentary short, Slimy Piece of Worm Ridden Filth, I was put in contact with Toby Philpott’s colleague and Jabba’s right hand man. Literally, his right hand man, puppeteer Dave Barclay. Dave helped us, along with Toby (Jabba’s left arm), Mike Edmonds (tail) and John Coppinger (animatronic engineer) to reconstruct just how it was inside that filthy Hutt. And of course…

Read More

DARTH MAUL: Apprentice – A Star Wars Fan-Film

Here we have an awesome Star Wars fan film for you. This is a non-profit, unofficially fan film that was created just for fun but we gotta say, it’s one of the best we’ve seen so far. The running time is under 20 minutes so it’s a fairly quick watch that packs a big punch. It’s creative, well acted, has great sound and a professional quality look and feel. It also has a good story that we can really get into. If you’re a fan of Darth Maul, we really think you’ll love it. It even has a lightsaber duel in the first four minutes and it just gets even better after that. Awesome! The quality is top-notch and the excitement is high level and the suspense is intense. The musical background plays this all up even more and all in all, it’s just a fantastic short story. It will…

Read More

Star Wars Fan Film: Retribution

It’ll be a while until the next Star Wars movie hits theaters, so in the meantime Star Wars fans can watch a half-hour movie created by… a college football player. Called Retribution, the film was written and directed by Georgia University student Chris Conley, who started work on the short video last November. While Retribution doesn’t have the same cast and budget of actual Star Wars movies, it’s actually quite good, even though it was filmed in Conley’s University surroundings. With a simple plot, decent sound and visual effects as well as plenty of shooting and fighting (light saber action included), Retribution shows what can be done with the right amount of Star Wars passion and proper gear. Published on YouTube on Saturday, Retribution has already passed 200,000 views and it’s likely the number will go up as more Star Wars fans discover it. You can watch the fan-made flick…

Read More

Fan Film: Ruins and Reckoning

Lightsaber duels, planets in ruins, the force… this Star Wars fan film has it all! In a galaxy far far away, a descending belt-wave has threatened life on our featured planet. While Republic armies are desperately trying to aid in evacuating the planet, one misguided Jedi, a general of the Republic, will not bend the law to allow prisoners the same favored fate as those fortunate enough to escape. Our rival Jedi, who has a deep affinity with one of the prisoners has little restraint in expressing his objection against his fellow Jedi. Ruins and Reckoning is a not for profit Star Wars fan-film produced in Atlanta GA

Read More

Fan Film: Star Wars: Threads of Destiny

Here is a nice fan video to watch on a lazy sunday. 94 years after The Battle of Yavin, the New Republic has been resurrected and democracy once again rules the galaxy. The Jedi Order is reestablished on the planet Yavin 4, and has continued to train new Jedi Knights in the art of peace and justice. But all is not peaceful in this new world. With the fall of the Dark Empire, the ancient Skenvi Empire now comes out of the shadow to make its move. The Skenvi now oppose the New Republic for control over the galaxy with their aggressively growing empire. The Skenvi seek to seize control of all the galaxy’s most valuable resources to cripple their enemies. And if a planet refuses to join them, they have been known to take very aggressive actions. Caught in between this struggle over the fate of the galaxy is…

Read More

Star Wars Fan film: Star Wars Armies of the Fallen

Star Wars: Armies of the Fallen

If you are a follower of our blog, you know we are huge fans of Star Wars: fan movies. Back in the summer of 2010 we featured a movie by Martin Klekner called “Star Wars: Shadows of the Past” Now he is back, and deserves a tone of support for the awesome job his is doing. Check out his Concept Teaser for his upcomming star wars fan film Star Wars: Armies of the Fallen. Plot: Several years have passed since the end of Shadows of the Past. War has been raging ever since. Fallen’s revolution changed the whole Empire, it turned the Master’s realm to shreds. Fallen’s armies, though weak and unorganized at the beginning, were forged into a deadly and unstoppable weapon. Now all that’s left is to strike a final blow and confront Master directly. Created by: Martin Klekner Music by: Tomas Zemler Voiceover by: Austin McComb

Read More

TOR TV: Star Wars The Old Republic Cinematic Trailer – Hope – In real life.

A bunch of French fans did the “Hope” trailer In Real Life! Not only is this movie awesome, It also shows the dedication of Die Hard Star Wars fans. I went sith warrior because vette is such an awesome companion but every time I watch the hope trailer I want to go back to my trooper even though he is on a deserted server! Watching this movie was like watching 10 hope trailers at once. Say what you will about the prequel trilogy… but you have to admit the new sound effects it introduced to the SW universe are awesome. One thing I’ve never understood about “Hope” is they have a great ambush position on a ridge and they all jump down Now you’re probably asking why they got a dude to play Satele Shan, but in the youtube comments, they state that they got some breack dance famous guy to play “her”,…

Read More

Fan Film: Dark Resurrection Vol. 0

As fans of the medium, and of Star Wars – which seems to give birth to a disproportionate amount – sometimes we have a bit of fun with some fan films that fans have cobbled together in their bedrooms, enjoying them exactly for the short-term thrills they are. But then, there are some productions that don’t really seem to fit in with that categorisation of a “fan film”, because their production quality and general execution make an absolute mockery of most that has come before. Italian film Dark Resurrection was one such production: released back in 2007 (and featured on this very site two years later), it ran circles around most other fan-made films that had captured our attentions up until that point. And now, excitingly, we can bring you the follow-up, which is not, as expected Volume 2, but a prequel, entitled Volume 0. Originally conceived as a prologue…

Read More

A Light in the Darkness Completed

Great news Star Wars fans: The Star Wars fan film we told you about last year is now completed and available for your viewing online. This is an excellent film that I enjoyed very much. I don’t want to give away spoilers but you really need to see the full thing for yourself. I’m not the only one who was impressed. Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge 2011 – A Light in the Darkness (Part One) won two awards from Atom.com in 2011 for “Best Fan Fiction” and “Audience Choice.” Renovation Film Festival – Best Fan Film 2011 This film was created for the love of filmmaking and also for the love of Star Wars. It was a volunteer effort by cast and crew and is an excellent high quality, low budget film that faced many challenges to create but came out on top. It’s well worth your time to see…

Read More

Returning To Jedi: The Best Ever Fan Edit?

There are a nuumber of great Fan Edits available for the Star Wars films – the most famous of which is probably The Phantom Edit which righted the many wrongs of George Lucas’ first prequel film (chiefly by removing Jar Jar Binks influence), but by far the best, in terms of the effect the edit has on the viewing experience of the original film has to be Jambedavdar’s Returning To Jedi. The edit is effectively a ‘commentary documentary’, combining existing behind the scenes footage with a newly created audio commentary and text facts, and despite not having all of the details released as part of the Complete Saga blu-ray release (yet) it still stands as one of the most in-depth and informative companion pieces to the entire Star Wars universe. And the good news for all Star Wars fans is that Returning To Jedi is now available in its entirety…

Read More

Star Wars Fan Movie Spirit of Fandom Award Winner: The Tentacle Trap

I can’t resist sharing these Star Wars Fan Movie Awards winners, so I won’t. This latest addition to the winner’s gallery is that which walked away with the Spirit of Fandom Award, and was made by Caribbean-based filmmaker James Austen. The Tentacle Trap tells the tale of a small band of Clone pirates who are captured by a foe far worse than Darth Vader while on a treasure-hunting trip to a leafy planet. Anyway, here it is… Austen spoke to the Official Star Wars blog about the specific difficulties presented by working with stop-motion and Lego: Remembering not to be a clumsy oaf was the biggest challenge to overcome! Halfway through a scene I’d often knock the camera or the set and have to start all over again. I lost hours making that mistake. And surprised with the software that is now available, and the help, advice and resources online….

Read More

Star Wars Fan Movie Best Comedy: “Solo Forever”

More news from the Star Wars Fan Movie Awards now, as we can announce the winner of the Best Comedy category to be filmmaker Trey Albright’s film Solo Forever. The Los Angeles-based waiter was presented the award by Lucasfilm and Atom at San Diego Comic-Con, and having watched this video a good few times now I whole-heartedly endorse the choice. Solo Forever charts one fan’s attempts to break the cycle of addiction to his Star Wars toys, which brilliantly he draws on a parallel to class A drug abuse, via a Se7en reference or two and a genius Viking style sea-burial for his prized possession. Watch it, love it, share it… For anyone who missed the competition, here’s the low-down from the official Star Wars blog: The Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge is produced by a long-running partnership between Lucasfilm and Atom, to celebrate the best in fan made videos…

Read More

Star Wars Fan Movie Winner: Unlimited Power

Comic Con 2011 was a veritable moving feast of delightful nerdery – from new toys an merch unveilings to those over-subscribed panels and sneak peeks at upcoming films and games. And in amongst the cosplay devotees and the casual dorks alike, the winner of the Star Wars Fan Movie Awards’ prestigious George Lucas Selects Award was chosen and congratulated by a host of nerdy on-lookers. This year’s winner of the award, presented by Lucasfilm and Atom, was Los Angeles-based filmmaker Eliot Sirota for his film, Star Wars: Unlimited Power. The film isn’t your usual fan-made fare in that it doesn’t seek to tell a story of a different part of the Star Wars universe to those shown in both trilogies, preferring instead to take the fake marketing approach that serves many fan poster-makers so well. And it was a deserved winner in my book: The film-maker spoke to The Official…

Read More

Knights of the Old Republic: Shadows of Corruption

Here at SWTORStrategies, we love fan-made movies, and today we can share a particularly fine Star Wars related offering from ridiculously talented young film-maker Seaich, who has made a Knights of the Old Republic film called Shadows of Corruption and blown my space boots off in the process. The guy’s younger than 20. How can this be fair? I’m pushing 30 and I’ve never so much as made a cartoon. Not that I’m particularly bothered – it’s far more appealing to hide behind a computer screen and sarcastically comment on other people’s work instead. Anyway, here’s the film: And here’s the official synopsis from the film-maker himself: Darth Revan continues his rule of tyranny in the galaxy. Conquering system after system the Sith Lord comes across the discovery of an ancient Sith artifact. He swiftly aims his resources to recover it in hopes to gain the advantage in the ever…

Read More

Fan Film: Hughes The Force Trailer

The world of fan-made films is a world scorched by the explosive crapness of some of the work released by people who think owning a camera and the ability to make your mother laugh qualifies you as the next George Lucas. So, when something actually good-looking arrives, it deserves a marching-band led parade of honour. Hughes The Force is one such film, which quite brilliantly looks to meld the universes of Star Wars and John Hughes (a match made in Heaven, I think you’d have to agree). And we now have a trailer for it: Looks like a gem. Here’s the synopsis, from the film’s official site: Simon and Henry, two teens tortured by jocks and rejected by girls, are invited to the epic end of the year high school party, but there’s a catch. In order to get in, they need to bring just one hot girl. Unable to…

Read More

Star Wars: Building “Empire” by Jamie Benning

A fan documentary like no other on the planet, Jambe Davdar  brings us “Building  Empire” via YouTube in one huge, insightful project that is more than worth the time it takes to watch them. The result of eight months of hard work, author Jambe Davdar ( or Jamie Benning which is his real name) brings us a collection of all the material from “Star Wars : The Empire Strikes Back” in one epic fan documentary that beats the documentary included in the Bluray boxed set by a longshot. Davda’s labor of love gives us Star Wars fans an extensive look at the making of Episode V with deleted scenes and more background story than you’ve ever heard before. The documentary contains rare alternate takes, production audio, on-screen facts, cast and crew commentary, re-created scenes, storyboards and behind the scenes footage that you will not believe. As you watch, on the top or…

Read More

While we wait: Amazing Fan Made STAR WARS Documentary

YouTube user ‘jambedavdar’ has crafted together -possibly the greatest ‘Star Wars’ documentary ever made! I don’t know how the documentary included with the ‘Star Wars’ blu-ray disk release can top this one. He includes video clips, audio from the cast and crew, alternate takes, bloopers, and text facts/insights into the development and creation of one of the greatest films ever made. As a lifelong Star Wars fan who has seen and heard countless interviews with the filmmakers and cast, I cannot believe how comprehensive this doc is. As you watch, on the top or bottom of the screen it’ll say where the video/audio comes from and he mixes in footage that I’ve never seen. And on top of all that, it’s not some ten minute short. It’s over two hours! Again, if you’re a Star Wars fan, hit the jump to be impressed:

Read More

While we wait: Ryan vs. Brandon 2

The Complete, official version of Ryan vs. Brandon 2 is done. I must say it’s entertaining. This was an awesome way to spend a few minutes before seeing the clone wars tonight. The video has great production value; the swordplay was very creative and the FXs seemed professional to my untrained eyes. The actors/fighters were pretty good and their performance was, IMO superior to many fights we’ve seen in the prequels notably. Only downside I can notice is that, like with the SW sextology, most of the strikes do not target the opponent but are simply made so that they can be acrobatically parried. There’s not efficiency to it. It’s one of the most annoying things about the prequels (that Anakin vs. Obiwan swinging contest gif that was on reddit a couple of weeks ago illustrates this perfectly). If the prequels were to be remade I wish the swordplay would…

Read More

Star Wars Fan film : 3 Minutes

Short, Sweet and action packed. Graduate of San Diego State University’s film program Ross Ching, put together a small 3 min fan film. It’s not really a star wars movie, but it got lightsaber combat and sweet moves. I liked the idea of this short story called “The Most Dangerous Game” so I adapted it back when I was in film school, but when I made it back then I didn’t have many people to help me make it so it didn’t turn out too great. After being in the industry and living in LA for a few years now, I got a chance to make new friends and really take advantage of their professional talents. The producers of the piece, George Wang and Don Le were in talks with Harry Shum Jr. to collaborate on something when I met them. They brought me on the project, and were initially…

Read More