Star Wars 501st Film : Heart of an Empire
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I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
Published on November 13th, 2006, 8:47 am Rift: Arts |
They say life imitates art, and even sometimes art imitates life, but in the case of Greensboro's latest claim to fame, the line between fiction and reality is that of a beating heartbeat. First there was Star Wars the fictional movie, then there was the South Carolina based authentic costume group, and now the documentary that looks at the individuals that make up a worldwide organization called the 501st. Greensboro filmmaker and director Jay Thompson, has made it his passion to document these heroes of reality as they attempt to change the community, and better the world, with their fictitious Star Wars persona's and the very real hearts their organization reaches out to.
The yet to be released film called "The Heart of an Empire" from Thompson's film company "Forsaken Sun Productions" & Emmy award winning producer David Finleyson, chronicles a group of 2500 individuals from their participation in marathons to Children's charities, dressed in authentic Star Wars costumes.
Interestingly enough, when Thompson set out to make his first documentary film, he hadn't quite decided on the subject. At the same time, he had made a decision to stop spending money on Star Wars memorabilia -- which included a stormtroopers replica that made him a member of the 501st by default -- and instead funnel the money into film equipment and pre-production costs for his first film.
"As a prop replica enthusiast, I owned a storm-trooper replica and by default was a member of the 501st," Thompson says. "I was never a very active participant so I ended up selling all my possessions including the replica to buy the necessary film equipment. I called the 501st president and founder Albin Johnson to inform him that I would be getting out of the club. Being the guy he is, he encouraged my dream and asked if I would come to a hotel he would be staying that weekend with the local 501st garrison and hang out with them. When I got to know them I noticed a whole different side of the group than what I came to expect. I realized, if I was this close to the group and didn't see the special camaraderie they shared, the average Joe certainly didn't."
Thompson asked Johnson for his permission to gather footage and shoot interviews for a small documentary on his club, which later led to more interviews that took Thompson across the United States, and around the world to document this special group of fans.
Source
The buzz about the movie is beginning to grow as it begins to receive attention and reviews. It's latest is from Reel.com which can be read here.
Thompson goes beyond the expected to get a fuller understanding of the people behind the masks.
Here's a film that Greensboro can get behind and help promote. The films website, has T-shirts and posters available to help promote the movie, and support it's release. Finally Greensboro can get behind something, and this is it.
But although this might be one the more prominent projects to come out of the Triad's Independent Film Network, Greensboro has always been a secret soceity of camera touting, film producing, artists. This group of of individuals meet locally on a monthly basis at the Green Bean Coffee House.
The point is, as odd as it sounds, we seem to be born with some sort of internal demeanor, some sort of prechosen path that will dictate the way we live. I'm not sure if it's socialization or genetics, but it is a phenomenon we live in. A fact of nature that seems to make the world always be at odds with itself; as if, good and evil might actually be some scientific equation capable of overshadowing physics, science, and everything we as a society take for fact. Could it be, that there really is a battle of Good and Evil? God & Devil? Or is it merely a fictional movie based on a story that has been around alot longer then the invention of Star Wars?
I hereby proclaim that ^^ as the most brilliant and creative post ever written on "Greensboring".
