My Thoughts On George Lucas

After watching the documentary on Star Wars, I think I've gotten a better grasp of what George's vision was and what he wanted to achieve. The documentary sometimes portrayed him as being arrogant or cocky, but I think he has the right to do so. I really applaud him for following his own vision. He must have gone through many trials since the movie industry is so large and can be overwhelming. I thought it was also very interesting to see where he got his storyline from. I would have never imagined that the Star Wars story had kind of a "cookie cutter" story line to it. It is also very astounding to me how awesome the visual effects were for what it was worth. Of course it is nothing compared to the technology we have today, but I still think its pretty darn good for what they had back then. I think I could also understand his frustration when the major movie corporations meddled with his work. I think the significance of Star Wars to George Lucas was that the project was the one thing that gave George the freedom to create the movie as he imagined it. To have, perhaps his only chance to make a truly independent film, taken away by a major corporation, which he disliked in the first place should have been very frustrating, even if its only five minutes. Also, it could be that those five minutes could have had a big significance to George Lucas, so even taking out something small could have meant something big for George. George Lucas was a pioneer in his techniques and his vision for filming. I believe his ambition and motivation got him to where he is, and his innovation kept him where he is now.

Who Cares About the Blues?

Speaking of artists that inspire us, and being a guy who plays guitar, I am heavily influenced by the blues genre of music. I am sad to see that not much of it is played in the radio these days. I frequently hear on the radio raunchy rap songs (although I do respect some rappers), and poppy boy bands. There has been a rise of popularity of electronic, clubby, dance music as well I believe. I guess it's selfish in saying that people should listen to what I like to listen to, but I don't think these blues musicians are getting the recognition they deserve. Describing what the blues is different for everyone, but I think what separated the blues from any other genre is that blues musicians pour out so much of their emotions and hearts into their playing and their singing. I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but I'd definately listen to a 50 year old man singing about his life experiences, rather than be at a sold out boy band concert in which I can't relate to. I know that the music industry is very vast, and I'm sure there are pop stars out there that sing about their life experiences, but I just can't relate to them. Perhaps its the fact that they don't write their own lyrics, or the fact that they lip sync on stage, but there's just something about it that I can't come to accept. I'll admit rap, rock, and even pop is pretty catchy, but I don't think they have the significance or soul behind their music as blues musicians do.

Creators and Creations that Inspire Me

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. Jimmy Page
4. Derek Trucks
5. John Mayer
6. B.B. King
7. Albert King
8. Freddie King
9. Tom Morello
10. Star Wars
11. The Usual Suspects
12. Anchorman
13. Pulp Fiction
14. Kill Bill
15. The Matrix
16. Spiderman 2
17. The Lord of the Rings
18. The Departed
19. The Ring
20. The Prestige
21. Drunken Master
22. Saving Private Ryan
23. 300
24. Black Hawk Down
25. Band of Brothers
26. Enemy at the Gates
27. Ocean's Eleven
28. Naruto
29. Bleach
30. One Piece
31. Soul Eater
32. Cowboy Bebop
33. Full Metal Alchemist

Analysis of lucasfilm.com

I analyzed the "Inside Lucasfilm" portion of the website. Just from the introductory page, I noticed how animated and how lively it was. The introductory page as well as the "Inside Lucasfilm" portion has a white background, which leads me to believe that rest of the website's background is white. I think the color white shows sophistication yet maintaining its purity in this context. The introductory page is composed of a shining Lucasflim trademark with water colored movies characters around the logo. Moving the mouse over these characters makes them animated along with a sound effect. The animation and sounds shows that the website is designed to encaptivate the viewer since it is interactive. The "Inside Lucasfilm" page itself takes up only about 1/6 of my screen. The font is gray with a lighter shade of gray for the background. There are watercololred movie characters on the right, a short paragraph about Lucasfilm in the middle, and real life pictures of George Lucas, a Yoda statue, and a meeting room. It is very interesting that there is little information about Lucasfilm. I would think that there would be more information on the subject since it is the main idea for the page. The text is small and sans serif. I believe this was done to portray professionalism instead of being portrayed as being "fancy" or "snobby". The page overall is very professional looking, yet has a hint of George's creativity and childish like features that is shown in the cartoons and interactive animations.