Last week, September 22nd to be exact, saw the opening of the LUCAS MUSEUM OF NARRATIVE ART to the general public. It had been, quite literally, decades in the making. I’ve missed George. Missed hearing him, seeing him and all he has to say on storytelling, films and life in general.
The Museum looks exquisite and I can’t wait to make a trip there when in LA next Spring for Celebration. Seeing George doing the rounds of interviews was fantastic and the Museum just seems to be the next in a long line of unparalleled achievements.
George has done so much. So, so much. Let’s take a moment to pause, reflect and look at what George has achieved through his vision, resilience and work that lies outside of Star Wars.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
This television series is often overlooked but its production paved the way not only for the Star Wars prequels but also for modern filmmaking as a whole. Producer Rick McCallum gave a wonderful interview on the Young Indy Chroniclers some time back and I promise you that it’s worth your time.
This wasn’t just some TV show that George thought would be fun and cute. It had clear vision and was used to trial many techniques that would go on to play huge parts in getting the prequels made. This is not just a show; it’s a blueprint for what modern Hollywood would be over the next three decades. Things have changed now, but from the late nineties to only ten years ago, Young Indy made it all happen.
ILM, THX and EditDroid
The following technological revolutions are on display to see in their glory in the greatest documentary ever made, The Empire of Dreams. Without Lucas and his merry band of digital pioneers, cinema would not have advanced like it did.
ILM was set up in order to complete the first Star Wars, THX gave us unrivalled sound and EditDroid enabled filmmakers to stop waiting for days or weeks on end and helped see the dailies on the day. Initially some were reluctant, now however, the idea of shotting on film would raise the eyebrow of any studio exec.
Attack of the Digital Clones
Lucas wanted The Phantom Menace to be shot entirely on digital, but it just couldn’t be done so the mantle was passed to Episode II. Now, take a moment to think, and, any child, teen or budding filmmaker can now pick up their phone and shoot a film and learn their craft. All this, of course, thanks to vision of George.
The George Lucas Educational Foundation
“Education is the single most important endeavour of the human race.”
So said the great man himself and Lucas started this philanthropic programme back in 1991. As the foundation itself states, it is dedicated to transforming education of those from pre-kindergarten all the way through to twelfth grade through innovation and new technologies.
Lucas himself, as he puts it, had a disappointing experience at school and was never a great student. The programme is still going strong across all of America and is thriving. Let’s not forget, also, that Lucas dedicated vast majorities of the 2012 Lucasfilm sale to Disney (worth $4.05 billion) to his foundation.
On average, each year, the foundation provides $10M in support to specific educational sectors across the USA.
Further information can be found at www.edutopia.org
But he’s not done yet …
The Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation
This second foundation is private philanthropic endeavour that Lucas shares with his wife, Mellody Hobson.
The foundation’s focus is that of grants to charities across North American and occasionally outside of the confinement too. It supports organisations in many sectors but mostly focuses on arts, culture, education and the humanities.
Any charity can apply for a grant, and the foundation holds a net worth of roughly $1.2B in assets that it distributes. For example, outside of film and the arts, the foundation gave $25M to AFTER SCHOOL MATTERS, an organisation that supports inner city children in some of the Chicago’s most deprived areas.
This was just a snapshot. But I think it’s clear that the world will forever be a better place thanks to George Lucas.
The LUCAS MUSUEM OF NARRATIVE ART is open to the public now and tickets can purchased online.