It’s our pleasure to welcome Michael Koepff, producer, co-screenplay writer and human Swiss army knife behind the epic new Star Wars fan film, Wingman – an X-Wing Story.
FT: Congratulations on the launch of your new live action Star Wars fan film, Wingman – an X-Wing Story. Could you share your earliest experiences of Star Wars fandom?
MK: My earliest experience of Star Wars was watching the original trilogy back in the 90s when it was broadcast on German TV. Since then, Star Wars has remained a firm favourite, however my interests also include other sci-fi such as BattleTech, Madman, and Cyberpunk, and of course aviation.
I played PC games back and forth, Star Wars was one amongst others. When the Star Wars original trilogy special editions released cinematically, it was pretty cool to experience these films on the big screen for the first time. For me, the prequel trilogy didn’t feel right for me. I’m one of those guys who don’t need an explanation for everything. I enjoy the mystery and forming my own head canon.
I was hyped for the sequels and was more than disappointed. I haven’t watched Episode IX yet and I have no intention to change that. A friend then invited me to play the game X-Wing miniatures, I was hooked on Star Wars again…
The Wingman – an X-Wing team celebrate 7 years of hard work at their premiere launch at the Schauburg movie theatre 17th December 2023.
FT: Do you have a favourite Star Wars film or TV series?
MK: For me it is Return of the Jedi. I know A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are better films, but Return of the Jedi entertained me the most when I was a boy. I also really enjoyed Rogue One and some of The Mandalorian, Rebels, and of course Andor.
FT: What inspired your transition from Star Wars fan to fan film producer?
MK: I’ve always been a creator and had my own thoughts about how I’d shape characters, worlds, and the stories I would focus on. One day I discovered the fan film Starwars: Destroyer on YouTube, and thought to myself, “this is something I’d like to do as well…”
FT: The costumes and props used in your film are impressive, most impressive! Were any Star Wars fan bases involved in production such as the Rebel Legion or their Imperial counterparts, the 501st Legion?
MK: No, not at all. I had no former connection with any fan groups. However I love creating these props and it was one of the main reasons I started this adventure in the first place.
FT: The dialogue, acting delivery, visuals, and editing maintains a beautifully immersive experience. Who are the team behind and in these scenes?
MK: For the first four years of this journey, taking my first steps into CGI and animation, I operated pretty much as a one man army. Then my best friend Martin Bührer, switched from spectator to co-screenplay writer. I completed the props, however for the cockpit sets, two other friends joined me. Unfortunately progress was impacted by the arrival of COVID. This made it difficult for us to share the same workspace, so we finished the sets in each of our own workshops/basements.
For filming the live action, my friend Alex, who is a professional photographer, joined the team as cameraman. On set we became a crew of 22 in total, composing of myself, co-screenplay writer, and 2 set builders, we were joined by a further 18 friends to perform acting duties. Everyone was dedicated to their assignments, however as with all great teams, everyone was always up for taking on any tasks behind the camera.
Post filming, it took me a further two years to complete the CGI, editing and SFX. All further post production such as colour-grading, cinematography, and audio mix was completed by Alexander Woydich and his wife Christina.
FT: Were any physical model props used for external shots?
MK: No, all external and even some internal shots are CGI.
FT: The CGI model rendering on this project is wonderful. What software, processing power and processing time were required to create these visuals?
MK: Thank you, that means all lot because I am all self-taught and had no former CGI experience. This was all completed on my home PC. The hardware was supported through an Intel i5 processor, 32 GB RAM and 2 x GTX 1070 GPUs. The software was blender 2.79.
FT: How large was the creative team and what skillsets were needed to bring this project from concept to reality?
MK: Small… It was me and later my friend Martin who worked with me developing the screenplay. The only skills we had were ambition, perhaps a good eye for visuals and some crafting skills. Alexander then joined the team and he brought his knowledge of lighting and camerawork. And of course Angela Hinz-Marica and Subhang Narasimham who both produced the soundtrack. They knew their craft very well.
FT: Wingman – an X-Wing Story emanates the adrenaline and excitement of the Yavin and Scarif space battles from A New Hope and Rogue One respectively. Were these episodes an influence for your fan film?
MK: Definitely, but not just Star Wars content. Top Gun, Skycrawlers and Dunkirk were influential.
FT: Star Wars reading fans have enjoyed the Expanded Universe aka Legends captivating X-Wing: Rogue Squadron novel series penned by Michael A. Stackpole. Unfortunately, those who prefer their content through visual form, or readers hoping for silver screen translation, were sadly dealt a blow when Patty Jenkins ‘Rogue Squadron’ was cancelled by Lucasfilm. Was Rogue Squadron an influence on Wingman – an X-Wing Story?
MK: Although I have only read some of the Star Wars novels, which might disappoint some people. I am not biggest fan of those. Mostly as I believe most of the victories they had were too easily achieved, and with luck seemingly always on their side.
FT: How long did this project take from inception to release?
MK: This project took around 5,000 hours of work over a period of 7 years.
FT: Was this fan film a labour of love through a limited budget?
MK: Yes. The promising feeling that this might turn out quite good made me keep going. The budget was around 3,500 euros, with 1,000 euros as pocket money for the composers, the remaining 2,500 euros went into crafting materials and providing food for the crew on set. This was a labour of love, everyone donated their time and work for free, otherwise this project could easily have cost at least a quarter of a million euros to complete.
FT: Have you produced other work and where can we view it?
MK: Nope, this is my first tentative steps into the world of film making.
FT: With such an accomplished debut, I hope we have opportunity to experience further productions from you and supporting team. Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?
MK: Yes, we are planning on producing another film. To the disappointment of some, this will be not be Star Wars related. Working this hard without possibility to earn at least a little financial revenue is something I can’t afford a second time. My new project concept will be set in an alternative timeline of 1940. No Axis or Allies, but with prop driven Warbirds, Machine guns, and again with lots of dogfighting action. At least that’s the plan.
FT: Many thanks Michael for sharing your experience with us, and we look forward to experiencing your future productions adventures. Check out more Wingman – an X-Wing Story images, including behind the scenes here.