Star Wars Short Film help

Panda7227

New Member
Hey guys,

This is my first post, so I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong spot. I want to make a short film based off the Jedi Civil War around the fall of Revan. I was wondering if there was some good resources about the Jedi Civil War. I also want to make the sith trooper armor as close to how the original storm troopers were made, if there are any good resources for that as well.

Thanks guys,

Panda



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Let's start at the beginning...

Have you searched the RPF forum, via the search feature?

Have you Googled your general request?

Often you'll find Google will find results from the RPF better than the RPF can......I know it sounds weird but it's often true.

If your short film is CGI then there is a wealth of information online.

If your short film requires real world props, then you will need time and money.

If you want to make something....a movie, a movie prop, you have to focus........the sharper your focus, the better the result.

Your post is super vague....so I did my best to assist you.
 
Thanks Yaris,

I'm sorry for how vague my post was. The film will be live action, with some CGI models added (unless I figure out how to build spaceships, lol). My biggest problem is that there aren't a lot of references out there for the sith trooper, at least not for the KOTOR, trooper, no one really cosplays it. I can easily build saber hilts, and I can find good tutorials on how to make decent props and clothing aside from the trooper. As far as the script goes, the only sources that I know of are the game and then the Star Wars Wikia (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Civil_War). There are a couple people on Youtube who have covered the civil war, but they don't go into very much detail. Are there any books that focus around the war, I know there is the Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan book, which I am going to read, but it focuses at the time between KOTOR 1 and 2. I want to make the film based around his fall to the dark side before KOTOR 1.

Panda
 
Hi Panda7227,

and welcome aboard ... it sounds like you'll have a lot of freedom to come up with your own interpretation of the characters and time period you want to cover ... when not much is available online or written down. That's a plus ... because than you'll be able to really step up and fill the void that George Lucas left behind and create your own anthology STAR WARS story.

To get a feel of the ins and outs of the character of Darth Revan it would be wise to read your aforementioned book and I just googled Kotor Trooper as suggested by member yaris and got a lot of pictures, again, if there's not much reference you seek you're free to come up with your own design slightly based on whatever trooper you fancy and as long as it looks used and weathered you're good to go for any STAR WARS fanfilm :)

Chaim
 
Thanks guys,

I wish there was at least a little more info about the civil war, but like you said, I can create my own interpretation on the story.

Panda
 
Currently my budget is $0 just because I'm switching jobs and I took 2 weeks off for my honeymoon, so we're recovering from that, but my new job will pay at least $10/h for a full 40. The film is currently in the planning stages and script writing which I'm doing myself so that won't cost me anything.......yet, lol.
 
Well tbh-- having a budget in mind when you write can save you some heartache down the road. If it were just to write, I'd say the sky's the limit-- but if you want to make it, I'd try to really think about what you'll have to do, make, secure, craft, steal, etc.
 
Thanks Seth,

I am trying to figure out a budget but I'm not too sure how much it will be since I've just started the writing so I don't quite know what I need. Once I get a decent trailer made, I plan on trying an indiegogo or a kickstarter for it. But I do need fund just for the trailer alone. I'm saving a decent chunk since I'm doing the editing and effects. That bit can get expensive if outsourced.

Panda
 
What I would do is make a list of stuff you know you can get your hands on-- be it props, locations, cosumtes, etc. Somewhere near where you live look like an alien planet? Is there a building that could be an outpost? Anything slightly otherworldly?

Start there and write to that.

Remember that a lot of props can be done cheaply-- painted Nerf Guns work great as blasters as long as they don't have dedicated close-ups. The force.net has a some great tutorials and tips for fan films.
 
Don't underestimate writing a good script with a decent storyline ... it's going to be 2 steps forward 1 step back ... apart from your budget it's best to determine how long your movie will be ... that will help with the writing if each page i.e. represents 1 minute of film. There's also movie-script writing tips from the best authors + tutorials and software floating around, do some extended research before turning your attention to that first blank page :)

Chaim
 
Thanks Sym,

I have a program on my computer and phone, they link online, called celtx. I've played around with it and I really like it, I just need to figure out how to format the script properly. I have a copy of the original Halo film from a while ago, and I have been studying that.
 
Celtx is great and free, and perfectly fine for doing stuff on your own. That said, if somebody ever wants to go pro with something software related I always like to encourage going big. Final draft is industry standard for scripting, and a snap to learn. It's an investment, but if you ever want to write professionally knowing it as early as possible never hurts.

Most any screenwriting program will do the formatting for you. Pick up any book on writing to learn how to use that format best.


Again though-- if it's just for yourself, do whatever works for you.

As for HOW to write, http://www.wordplayer.com taught me everything I know, moreso than any film school I went to. I'm currently on my 31st script, and my 6th actual production, if that tells you anything about trying to be a screenwriter...
 
Is your location available to be shared?
You may find people that are willing to lend a hand in costume/prop building and or loaning/renting.
I have often wondered what kind of a project could be achieved if just a hand full of these got together.
-Robert
 
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