The Force 2.0: 'Star Wars' site launches video mashups
As part of the 30th anniversary for the classic sci-fi movie, Lucasfilm has licensed movie clips for fans to use and remix.
On Friday,
Licensed remix tools have become popular promotional campaigns in recent months: not only are they essentially free advertising, but they also allow fans to play around with video and audio footage with a reduced potential for copyright infringement lawsuits. The remixing platform for the Star Wars Web site was created by Eyespot, which has also created remix tools for a number of pop singers, comedian Stephen Colbert, and the Broadway musical Spring Awakening.
But the new video-centric Star Wars site goes beyond mashups. Additionally, StarWars.com--operated by Lucas Online, a division of Star Wars parent company Lucasfilm--will be adding a library of hundreds of Star Wars-related video clips. These include official documentary-style videos, selections from the Star Wars Fan Movie Festival over the years, and user-generated videos inspired by Star Wars like the "Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager" Web sitcom. Created by Matt Sloann and Aaron Yonda, "Chad Vader" imagines what would happen if Darth Vader had a less successful younger brother who worked in a grocery store.
In a press release Thursday, Eyespot also hinted that StarWars.com will be rolling out more multimedia features over the coming months, including more games and social-networking features.