The Road to Episode VII - Fan Documentary (Looking for participants!)

Hi, this is my first post, so be gentle. I proposed this documentary idea a few months ago and didn't get too much response to it, so in a last ditch attempt to get it running and off the ground, I'm posting here to see if there's any interest elsewhere! Feel free to bombard me with questions if you have any, otherwise, please take the time to read my pitch for this project! Cheers.

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Hi! I’m Luke Ryan aka RazorwireReviews on YouTube, a channel I’ve been running for over four years. I review films, upload vlogs, and make all kinds of different videos. This post is all about another different kind of video, and will hopefully materialise into something really special!

What is The Road to Episode VII?​

The Road to Episode VII is a web series I created on YouTube in February of 2013, not long after the announcement was made that Disney had bought LucasFilm, and new Star Wars films would be made. I decided I wanted to chronicle the years of waiting for a new Star Wars film I never thought I’d ever get to see: Episode VII. When I began the series there wasn’t a director attached to the film, nor were there writers, any cast members new or old, just the promise that we would see the film in 2015. Every time a major piece of news came out about the film, I made a video talking about my thoughts on it to camera, in a low key, conversational manner.

On occasion I would include more in depth, edited videos that generally celebrated my Star Wars obsession, such as a look back on all of my favourite LucasArts games, after it was announced that the company was being disbanded. Now, a mere three months away from that special day when we’ll all get to journey to a galaxy far, far away once again, my series is over 65 installments strong.

So, why do you need me?​

Well, after I released my reaction video to the latest and second teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, it went viral. Not super viral, but as far as the scale of my YouTube channel goes, it was pretty viral, and the video received over 40 thousand views. I watched other reaction videos and revelled in the bringing together of the online YouTube community to celebrate our love for these films, and our excitement of seeing a new one.

So I thought it would be interesting to capture this feeling, from many different people, and in some cases different feelings, to compile a feature length documentary on the anticipation of this monumental event. 15 years ago I watched a fan film about the anticipation of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and it was a fascinating look into the frenzy of Star Wars fans at the time.

I want you to take part in this documentary because you are a Star Wars fan, for better or worse, and to take the simple format of YouTube videos, and put it into something a little bit bigger. I don’t have the resources necessary to go out and interview people, so my proposal is to make more of a “vlogumentary”. A documentary about all of our hopes, expectations and even trepidations of the The Force Awakens, edited and molded by me, but made by all of us.

What would I need to do? ​

The idea is to split the film up into sections, with various topics covered including all the key moments leading to the buildup to The Force Awakens, the road to Episode VII. But also other topics will be featured if possible, beginning with stories of how we all got into Star Wars in the first place, and if we ever thought there would be a sequel to Return of the Jedi. I’d also love to feature people showing off and/or talking about their collections whether it be of the films themselves or any of the endless merchandise that most of us fans have a fair amount of.

You would be required to record an initial session of video covering all the topics of which I would send you a list with specific instructions, though the key would be displaying your passion and interest in Star Wars, so delivering me a professional level video is not obligatory. My only requirement would be that your submitted videos be of decent quality, with clear lighting and good audio. You could do it all on your phone if you wanted to!

Further effort is also not mandatory but would be welcomed with open arms, say you filmed some footage of queueing up outside the cinema to see the film with other fans, or went to a convention to meet someone from the Star Wars films, or maybe you have something even more unique you’d like to share for the project. I want this to be as collaborative and fun as possible!

What if I’m not a “YouTuber”?​

I don’t want to limit this documentary to being purely created by YouTubers, though that will be a driving force behind it. I’d love to include other people who may be interested in getting involved, for example I plan to have my young brother in the film as I can show how the excitement feels from a completely different generation. If you feel like you can add to this even if you don’t make YouTube videos per se, it’d be fantastic to have you on board!

How will the documentary be released, and will I get paid?​

The goal would be to release the film through YouTube for free, and it will not be monetised. This is purely a for fun, non profit project that aims to celebrate Star Wars fandom, so at no point will money ever enter the equation! I wouldn’t rule out a DVD/Blu-ray release either, but that’s a bridge to be crossed if it ever becomes a reality.

How will I be credited?​

However you want! You can be credited with your full name either in the credits or on screen during your interview, or you can choose to remain anonymous and have only your YouTube alias used. I will also consider including a link to either your website or Twitter page underneath your name for a few moments also if you’d like.

How many people will see it?​

In honesty, I would keep low expectations around the few hundred mark. While my reaction video garnered tens of thousands of views, this isn’t likely to capture the moment quite as well. That being said, with proper promotion through the right channels, word of mouth and being presented at the right places at the right times, it could be viewed by a few thousand people or more!

What’s the deadline for getting footage in?​

If all goes to plan I’d like to get some initial footage from people by the end of the summer, to cover everything up until that point. After that I’d want follow up footage for perhaps reactions to the final theatrical trailers, and the last few weeks of buzz before the film’s release. I haven’t decided whether or not reaction to the film itself will be a key feature of the documentary, but that may be an option also.

So, if you would like to get involved, please get back to me as soon as possible so we can discuss your participation and get the ball rolling like BB8 on this!

Click the picture above to see the full playlist of my Road to Episode VII series!​

There are a variety of ways you can contact me, whether it be through Facebook (where you can add me as a friend and message me), Twitter, or my email address, but email is my preference to keep things organised.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RazorwireReviews
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RazorwireRyan
Email: skip_2_the_end@hotmail.com

I hope to hear from you soon, thanks for reading, and may the Force be with you!

 

Thanks everyone for the great response! Really appreciate it and I've already had quite a few emails I need to reply to.

@Fartkraum - Thanks!

@The Last Crusader - Good point, definitely something I'll take into consideration and your idea re: using the prequels as a jumping off point is a really good idea, thanks. As for Kevin Smith, I don't think he'd be interested in something this low key, or if he would fit the feel of it even, though it might help get some more eyes on it, who knows.

@Ooobly Jooblies - Cheers, I'll get back to you on FB asap!

@walnut the wise - Thanks, I'll get back to you soon, appreciate it.

@Snazel - Thanks!

@Jar Jar Christensen - Sounds great, I'd love to include that if possible, but either way link me to it, as I'd like to see it in general. That's basically the spirit of this thing, capturing the feeling of this moment/s/

@Darth Lexor Kai - I will try my best! Wait, no. I will do it.

@ig89 - Good to hear! I agree completely, and yeah, maybe not a swarm of people on here who would want to participate, but it was worth throwing the word out there it seems!

@ArynCrinn - I know! I'd love to see endless hours of docs on this film, but I think right now they're saving that stuff for later on down the line. I can only dream for a Peter Jackson style treatment of documentaries when TFA comes out on Blu-ray, but I get the feeling it will be the typical, 5-10 minute featurettes thrown on that are almost designed to sell the film when you've already bought it!

@Lord Phanatic - Great! Contact me if you haven't already!

@Wayne - Thanks! This will be released on YouTube, so I don't think getting it on IMDB would be much of a possibility, and it will be very low fi in terms of production, so again, not sure if it would even be worth it, but thanks for the offer, you never know! Would be very cool for sure.

 

I am sending out questions for this NOW, there's a week left for anyone to get involved! Please email me at skip_2_the_end@hotmail.com, thanks!

 

I'm mainly interested in people's candid thoughts on how they feel about the build up to, and reaction to the film, but any footage of stuff like that would just be a very cool added bonus! Email me and I'll send you more details, thanks!