{"id":116271,"date":"2019-07-05T06:00:34","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=116271"},"modified":"2019-07-01T13:31:04","modified_gmt":"2019-07-01T18:31:04","slug":"when-filmmaking-creativity-goes-unchecked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/when-filmmaking-creativity-goes-unchecked\/","title":{"rendered":"“The Lucas Effect”: When Filmmaking Creativity Goes Unchecked"},"content":{"rendered":"

The original Star Wars<\/em> trilogy crosses cultures and stands the test of time. So, what happened with the prequel trilogy? I call it “The Lucas Effect.”<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s talk about Star Wars<\/em><\/a> for just a moment. The original trilogy is arguably amazing. The deepest story? No. However, the groundbreaking effects and excellent sound design, a wide array of characters, beautiful action, and good character arcs make it an enjoyable and beautiful trilogy. And George Lucas<\/a> was lauded for it \u2014 both critically and financially. And rightfully so!<\/p>\n

So what happened with the prequel trilogy? Well, an in-depth analysis is beyond the scope of this article, but in summation, what happened is what I call “The Lucas Effect.”<\/p>\n

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Creativity Unchecked<\/h3>\n

The Lucas Effect is wild creativity with reckless abandon. It\u2019s not knowing how to edit your story, not realizing when you\u2019ve gone too far \u2014 or if you\u2019ve crammed too many characters and subplots into one story. The Lucas Effect is not knowing when to say “no” to an idea that probably won\u2019t work. This often happens when a creator is given too much freedom. Too much freedom can be happenstance, as in seemingly endless resources to do as much as you want, or self-imposed, as in refusing to take any criticism or refusing to collaborate with others.<\/p>\n

I think people sometimes forget just how George Lucas was involved in the original films. Many think he had complete control, but he didn\u2019t. In fact, he only solely wrote and directed Star Wars: A New Hope<\/em><\/a>. With other talented people in control, they took his marvelous, grandiose ideas and focused and refined them into something great.<\/p>\n

So, when Lucas comes back and says, “Hey, I\u2019m gonna make those prequels now,” everyone is so excited that no one thinks he can do wrong. It\u2019s bound to be a success. So, he got huge funding, and no one challenged his vision or ideas. However, I don\u2019t think Lucas realized something very important about himself, and why the original series worked so well (despite its problems). In the previous films, he had a system of checks and balances (unknowingly) in place. Due to production issues and financial and technological limits, he had to step aside from directing and writing to be the producer, to ensure the completion of his story. So, he brought on other writers and directors to work with. For the prequels, he didn\u2019t. He wrote and directed all three himself. No one was there to tell him “no,” to separate the good ideas from the bad ones. He had too much freedom, and he went off the rails with it. As a result, the films were critical failures. As film producer Gary Kurtz<\/a> put it, “I think one of the problems . . . is the fact that [Lucas] doesn\u2019t have more people who really challenge him.”<\/p>\n

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Folding Under Pressure<\/h3>\n

You can also see this in the Indiana Jones<\/em><\/a> series. Steven Spielberg <\/a>acted as the gatekeeper for Lucas\u2019s grandiose \u2014 often absurd \u2014 ideas for the first three films. As the series grew, Lucas\u2019s ideas got even crazier. Thankfully, Spielberg managed him, kept him in check, and was able to tell him “No.”<\/p>\n

For Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull<\/em>,<\/a> however, Spielberg practically gave up and just let Lucas take control. “When I was done with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade<\/em><\/a>, there was a reason I invented the shot of Harrison [Ford<\/a>] riding a horse into the sunset,” says Spielberg, \u201cbecause I thought that brought down the curtain on the trilogy, and then we were all gonna move on and mature into other aspects of filmmaking, and I never thought I would see Indiana Jones again . . . It was fine with me at the time. But there were some people it wasn\u2019t fine with.” Spielberg \u201cwas done with this series. It was great! Let\u2019s walk away!\u201d<\/p>\n