Lucas student film
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pandatrooper
Well-Known Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
This car served as inspiration for Milners car in American Graffitti and Anakins stolen speeder in AOTC.
This car served as inspiration for Milners car in American Graffitti and Anakins stolen speeder in AOTC.
Colin Droidmilk
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
Much of the shot framing resonates through to SW. The rebel pilots donning helmets in their cockpits are framed very similarly etc.; similar framing also on the landspeeder shots.
As a film it has a wonderful abstractness. Above all, it makes me cry out for the return of the locked-off shot! That shot of the car curving past the static verticals of the road signs was so refreshing after all the constantly moving camera and phoney cgi POV we're relentlessly subjected to these days.
Much of the shot framing resonates through to SW. The rebel pilots donning helmets in their cockpits are framed very similarly etc.; similar framing also on the landspeeder shots.
As a film it has a wonderful abstractness. Above all, it makes me cry out for the return of the locked-off shot! That shot of the car curving past the static verticals of the road signs was so refreshing after all the constantly moving camera and phoney cgi POV we're relentlessly subjected to these days.
franz bolo
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
I love it! Reminds me of when I was a kid.
FB
I love it! Reminds me of when I was a kid.
FB
Prince NEO
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
It reminds me of Racer X's car from the original Speed Racer
,
It reminds me of Racer X's car from the original Speed Racer
,
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
:thumbsup
I love the very graphical composition of the shots. Very architectural. And we all know that he is an architecture nut, although I don´t like what happened in the PT architecture wise :rolleyes
The movie also has a very commercials like aesthetic. And we too know that GL loves commercials
THX1138 has a lot of that, too. Another testament of what GL really was good at.
:thumbsup
I love the very graphical composition of the shots. Very architectural. And we all know that he is an architecture nut, although I don´t like what happened in the PT architecture wise :rolleyes
The movie also has a very commercials like aesthetic. And we too know that GL loves commercials
THX1138 has a lot of that, too. Another testament of what GL really was good at.
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
Did anyone else hear the driver yell POODOO!!! at 03:40?
Did anyone else hear the driver yell POODOO!!! at 03:40?
darth_myeek
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
It's not fair to bash a student work, especially when we don't know what the exercise was about.
That said....
My favorite part was the engine note. My least favorite part was Lucas' lack of rhythm with his camera pov being all over the map. Outside the car, inside the car, reflecting from the mirror, behind a sign, in front, just behind, and from a distance. Kinda spasmodic for a short bleak film. Then Lucas "pulls out" at the finish line by bringing the a action to halt before the finish line when he switches to a still camera.
Question vintage race aficionados. What was the red bar which always pointed to 60 on his instrument panel? Is it jus a visual queue for the a racer to keep his speed up above 60?
It's not fair to bash a student work, especially when we don't know what the exercise was about.
That said....
My favorite part was the engine note. My least favorite part was Lucas' lack of rhythm with his camera pov being all over the map. Outside the car, inside the car, reflecting from the mirror, behind a sign, in front, just behind, and from a distance. Kinda spasmodic for a short bleak film. Then Lucas "pulls out" at the finish line by bringing the a action to halt before the finish line when he switches to a still camera.
Question vintage race aficionados. What was the red bar which always pointed to 60 on his instrument panel? Is it jus a visual queue for the a racer to keep his speed up above 60?
JediG60racer
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
Shift point on the tachometer. Aka the "red line". Spec built race cars use off the shelf gauges that didn't have a pre-printed redline; you add it yourself after you determine either the ideal shift point according to gear ratios, or the engine's maximum safe speed.
Shift point on the tachometer. Aka the "red line". Spec built race cars use off the shelf gauges that didn't have a pre-printed redline; you add it yourself after you determine either the ideal shift point according to gear ratios, or the engine's maximum safe speed.
darth_myeek
Sr Member
Capn_Jack_Savvy
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
Sounds like Anakin's speeder!!!
Sounds like Anakin's speeder!!!
Commander Max
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
There were a few good shots, but the timing was very poor. The cuts were more of a distraction than a help to the story. Nor did I get any true sense of tension that can be associated with a time trial. It looked more like a guy driving around a track, and he was being timed occasionally. Nothing pulled me in.
It's consistent with what I have seen from George Lucas(with the exception of SW). Mostly imagery, lacking on substance.
It is very fair, after all that is the point of making it. To be critiqued, thus help the student improve his work(In this case look back at a professional's work). Besides we are not going to be anywhere as harsh as his teachers(I've been through the killer crits, where you just want to go crawl under a rock). Besides your not going to make a small film without it being criticized on all levels, regardless of the exercise.
There were a few good shots, but the timing was very poor. The cuts were more of a distraction than a help to the story. Nor did I get any true sense of tension that can be associated with a time trial. It looked more like a guy driving around a track, and he was being timed occasionally. Nothing pulled me in.
It's consistent with what I have seen from George Lucas(with the exception of SW). Mostly imagery, lacking on substance.
Carson Dyle
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
I suppose it was inevitable that our appetite for Lucas-bashing would eventually lead us back to his student films.
:rolleyes
Forgive me for asking, but what does that even mean?
Films are imagery, and American Graffiti is one of the most substantive coming-of-age stories ever filmed (just to pick one example).
One may not always agree with Lucas' directorial/ editorial choices, but his films are consistently rich with themes and ideas. Despite being a lot of fun to look at (and listen to) they are always "about" something. The same cannot be said of, say, the films of Michael Bay.
I suspect Lucas would be the first to agree that his early student films are far from perfect, but that's not the point. As the term "student" implies, Lucas was learning, experimenting, playing around to see what worked.
As a USCinema grad who once-upon-a-time spent a painful amount of time making and watching lame student films I can assure you 1:42:08 was, in its day, several cuts above the rest.
I suppose it was inevitable that our appetite for Lucas-bashing would eventually lead us back to his student films.
:rolleyes
Forgive me for asking, but what does that even mean?
Films are imagery, and American Graffiti is one of the most substantive coming-of-age stories ever filmed (just to pick one example).
One may not always agree with Lucas' directorial/ editorial choices, but his films are consistently rich with themes and ideas. Despite being a lot of fun to look at (and listen to) they are always "about" something. The same cannot be said of, say, the films of Michael Bay.
I suspect Lucas would be the first to agree that his early student films are far from perfect, but that's not the point. As the term "student" implies, Lucas was learning, experimenting, playing around to see what worked.
As a USCinema grad who once-upon-a-time spent a painful amount of time making and watching lame student films I can assure you 1:42:08 was, in its day, several cuts above the rest.
slave1pilot
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
That's Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond CA
It's been there for almost 60 years now.
That's Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond CA
It's been there for almost 60 years now.
Commander Max
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
Which is just an opinion, which we all entitled to.
Besides none of us were there to hear the crit Lucas got. Like I said before I'm sure he got railed.
Forgive my architectural academic background, but one of the things that wasn't the intention of my statement to bash Lucas. But to critique a piece of his work, with the exception of having his film career to reflect on the student piece as a basis of what projects followed. There are aspects of the subject that followed him through his film career. My statement is that he has a very good eye, but that in relation to communicating the overall idea of the film is lacking. I simpler terms he failed to make it interesting.
Which is just an opinion, which we all entitled to.
Besides none of us were there to hear the crit Lucas got. Like I said before I'm sure he got railed.
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
I wonder if that's the car that flipped off the road and hit a tree trunk on the drivers seat, seconds after his seat belt broke and threw him free? It made him think about the force that did it.
On another site they say Lucas supposedly saw a car just like Milners in his home town and copied it for Graffiti.
Scanned this from a book I have. He worked for Shelby American but got canned, it says. I wonder if it's yellow as well.
EDIT; Found the pic.
I noticed one editor was Mike Padillo. One of the Pharoahs was Manuel Padillo.
I wonder if that's the car that flipped off the road and hit a tree trunk on the drivers seat, seconds after his seat belt broke and threw him free? It made him think about the force that did it.
On another site they say Lucas supposedly saw a car just like Milners in his home town and copied it for Graffiti.
Scanned this from a book I have. He worked for Shelby American but got canned, it says. I wonder if it's yellow as well.
EDIT; Found the pic.
I noticed one editor was Mike Padillo. One of the Pharoahs was Manuel Padillo.
Last edited:
JediG60racer
Sr Member
Re: George Lucas, student film. Yellow Race car. Familiar?
Changed quite a bit though! I can only recognize the track by the surrounding landmarks... the track itself has been changed and built out over the decades.
What he's driving on is currently called Big Willow, or WSIR... but its condition in this film reminds me of the modern day track next door to it, which is called Streets of Willow. I race that one pretty frequently. Even that one has been rebuilt and changed over the past 10 years.
There's also a third track now, up on the hill behind it, called Horsethief Mile.
Changed quite a bit though! I can only recognize the track by the surrounding landmarks... the track itself has been changed and built out over the decades.
What he's driving on is currently called Big Willow, or WSIR... but its condition in this film reminds me of the modern day track next door to it, which is called Streets of Willow. I race that one pretty frequently. Even that one has been rebuilt and changed over the past 10 years.
There's also a third track now, up on the hill behind it, called Horsethief Mile.
Familiar theme of vehicles in George Lucas' life
He was pit crew at Laguna Seca with this Cobra 289
His first student short featured this Lotus 23
The 32 Deuce Coupe we all know...
The speeder from the Attack of the Clones....The sound was sampled from a V8
Quite by accident I acquired my car with a similar styling theme to the Lotus above....
He was pit crew at Laguna Seca with this Cobra 289
His first student short featured this Lotus 23
The 32 Deuce Coupe we all know...
The speeder from the Attack of the Clones....The sound was sampled from a V8
Quite by accident I acquired my car with a similar styling theme to the Lotus above....
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