Say what you want about the last 2 Star Wars films, few people have influenced and effected the way movies are made as much as George Lucas has. Not only is he the mastermind behind Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but his work and promotion of the technical aspects of film making has changed everything. From his Industry leading Industrial Lights and Magic, to Skywalker Sound (where most movies do their audio), the development of THX sound… the list goes on and on. Despite everything else, I still say he is the most gifted pure story teller in the business today (even if I think he can’t actually direct anymore). Forget the last 2 Star Wars films… George Lucas is THE MAN. Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard have both called him “The single greatest filmmaker of our time”, and I believe it too (once again… just don’t let him actually DIRECT anymore). And now the American Film Institute is giving him their highest honor… the Lifetime Achievement award. Few deserve it more. The good folks at Coming Soon chime in with this:
George Lucas has been selected by the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Board of Trustees to receive the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film, it was announced today by Sir Howard Stringer, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “George Lucas is a master storyteller, but he is first and foremost a moving image pioneer,” said Stringer. “He has advanced the art of the moving image like few others, and in the process has inspired a new generation of filmmakers around the world. AFI is proud to present him with its Life Achievement Award.”
A well deserved honor for a man that has changed the way we watch the movies, and how film are made today. Love or hate Star Wars, you gotta give the man his props for everything he’s done for movie making.
I completely agree with your comments, John. Lucas is true visionary in an entertainment world where vision is severely lacking.
Don’t forget about the fact that Pixar began as part of Lucasfilm, a little tidbit that I wasn’t aware of until I watched the new documentary on the trilogy boxed set.
Marc Bowker
Alter Ego Comics
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Also, don’t forget that Lucas was an early adopter of electronic, non-linear editing for film and his company created the “edit droid” which was later sold and rebuilt (over many iterations) into what is now the Avid technology. This surly paved the way for the Premieres and Final Cut Pros of the world.