The BFI Film on Film Festival opened with a very special screening of the original, 1977 print of Star Wars with two screenings allowing 900 very lucky attendeees the chance to see Star Wars exactly as it appeared almost 50 years ago, but before that screening there was The Star Wars Influence panel, hosted by Filmumentaries, ILM.com and SkywalkerSound.com writer Jamie Benning with guests Doug Weir and Paul Collard, a fascinating conversation you can listen to here.
Episode 129 – The Star Wars Influence: Live at the BFI’s Film on Film Festival In this special live episode, I join Doug Weir—Remastering Lead at the BFI—and post-production veteran Paul Collard on stage for a panel titled The Star Wars Influence, recorded at the BFI’s Film on Film Festival. Curated and hosted by Doug, the panel explores how George Lucas’s frustrations with the Hollywood studio system led to a wave of technological innovation that forever changed the filmmaking landscape. From the creation of ILM to the invention of motion control, EditDroid, SoundDroid, and digital cinema tools, we look at how Lucas empowered a generation of problem-solvers and helped pioneer the digital workflow we now take for granted. This conversation took place just before a rare screening of Star Wars from a 35mm Technicolor dye-transfer print—an experience I’ll be covering in more detail in a bonus episode coming soon. Topics include:
• Lucas’s break from the traditional studio system
• The founding of ILM and the Dykstraflex motion control rig
• VistaVision, optical printers, and visual effects R&D
• The origins of EditDroid and non-linear editing
• The value of Technicolor dye-transfer prints
• Lucasfilm’s wider influence on Pixar, Avid, and beyondThanks again to Doug and Paul—and to the BFI for hosting such a thoughtful and inspiring event.
