George Lucas Essay

No other 20th century filmmaker has had a greater impact on the film industry than George Lucas. His zeal for innovation forged a new relationship between entertainment and technology that revolutionized the art of motion pictures. His uncanny business acumen turned film licensing and merchandising into a multibillion-dollar industry. And his â€Å"Star Wars† trilogy ushered in the era of the Hollywood mega-blockbuster. Slide 2: In 1967, Lucas re-enrolled as a USC graduate student in film production. Working as a teaching instructor for a class of U.S. Navy students who were being taught documentary cinematography, Lucas directed the short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, which won first prize at the 1967–68 National Student Film Festival, and was later adapted into his first full-length feature film, THX 1138. Lucas was awarded a student scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe and work on the making of a film of his choosing. The film he chose was Finian’s Rainbow (1968) which was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who was revered among film school students of the time as a cinema graduate who had â€Å"made it† in Hollywood. In 1969, George Lucas was one of the camera operators on the classic Rolling Stones concert film Gimme Shelter. Slide 3: Lucas was born in Modesto, California, on May 14, 1944. As an adolescent who, as he says, â€Å"barely squeaked through high school,† Lucas aspired to be an auto racer. He changed his mind about a racing career, however, when a near-fatal accident crushed his lungs and sent him to the hospital for three months just days before his high school graduation. The experience changed Lucas. â€Å"I realized that I’d been living my life so close to the edge for so long,† he says. â€Å"That’s when I decided to go straight, to become a better student, to try to do something with myself.† Lucas enrolled at Modesto Junior College, where he developed a fascination with cinematography. Deciding on a career in film, he applied to the prestigious University of Southern California (USC) film school. USC was a milestone for Lucas. â€Å"Suddenly my life was film-every waking hour,† he says in a 1997 Playboy interview. He concentrated on making abstract science fiction films and mock documentaries, which caught the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola, who invited Lucas to sit in on the shooting of â€Å"Finian’s Rainbow.† Coppola also persuaded Warner Bros. to make a film of one of Lucas’ student movies. The full-length feature, â€Å"THX-1138,† a bleak Orwellian tale, was released in 1971 to modest reviews and a lukewarm reception at the box office. But studio executives were impressed with Lucas’ obvious talent. Slide 4: â€Å"THX-1138† had earned Lucas a reputation as a skilled but mechanical filmmaker devoid of humor and feeling. Founder Lucasfilm and released his second film, â€Å"American Graffiti,† which was based on his own coming of age in Modesto, would change that. Filmed on a shoestring budget of just $780,000, the film became a smash hit soon after its release in June 1973 and eventually grossed $120 million. The film got rave reviews and made Lucas a Hollywood sensation. It also proved to be a defining moment for Lucas, as both a filmmaker and a businessman. Studio honchos pulled rank and made changes to Lucas’ final version. The changes were minor, but the scars were lasting. â€Å"I’m very aware as a creative person that those who control the means of production control the creative vision,† he says. â€Å"It’s not a matter of saying ‘You’re going to let me have the final cut,’ because no matter what you do in a contract, they will go around it. Whereas if you own the cameras and you own the film, there’s nothing they can do to stop you.† And that’s exactly what Lucas set out to do. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which he created in 1975 when he couldn’t find an outside company to do special effects for â€Å"Star Wars.† ILM’s first breakthrough was a motion-control camera, which could revolve repeatedly around stationary objects while remaining in constant focus, thus simulating flight. To generate cash, Lucas turned ILM into a service company. Having created a market for special-effects-laden films, he began taking on work from other filmmakers. This way he could keep developing techniques while other people funded his research. Charging up to $25 million per movie, ILM was almost immediately profitable, supp lying the special effects for such blockbusters as â€Å"Jurassic Park† and â€Å"Twister.† Lucas funneled ILM profits into related businesses that sprang from his research. Skywalker Sound emerged as the industry’s top audio post-production company, then branched out to providing a digital sound system for theaters and homes under the name THX (in honor of his first film). And with the founding of LucasArts Entertainment, Lucas moved into video games, producing such top-sellers as the â€Å"Star Wars†-inspired Rebel Assault, X-Wing and Dark Forces. When negotiating with 20th Century Fox in 1975 for his next movie, â€Å"Star Wars,† Lucas cut his directing fee by $500,000 in exchange for things Fox regarded as nearly worthless: ownership of the film’s merchandising and all sequel rights. It turned out to be a brilliant move, one that assured Lucas the real independence and creative control he’d been seeking. â€Å"Star Wars† shattered all box office records, earning Lucas about $40 million in its initial release-merchandising would later bring him tens of millions more. Most important, Lucas owned the sequels, and thus a franchise. To maximize its value, he financed his first sequel, â€Å"The Empire Strikes Back,† himself, borrowing heavily to cover the $30 million production costs. Given the success of â€Å"Star Wars,† it was a good bet, but a huge risk-if the film bombed, Lucas would be bankrupt. â€Å"Empire† did exceptionally well, however, as did the third film in the trilogy, â€Å"Return of the Jedi,† which Lucas also financed. â€Å"Everybody has talent. It’s just a matter of moving around until you’ve discovered what it is.†-George Lucas No other 20th century filmmaker has had a greater impact on the film industry than George Lucas. His zeal for innovation forged a new relationship between entertainment and technology that revolutionized the art of motion pictures. His uncanny business acumen turned film licensing and merchandising into a multibillion-dollar industry. And his â€Å"Star Wars† trilogy ushered in the era of the Hollywood mega-blockbuster. Lucas was born in Modesto, California, on May 14, 1944. As an adolescent who, as he says, â€Å"barely squeaked through high school,† Lucas aspired to be an auto racer. He changed his mind about a racing career, however, when a near-fatal accident crushed his lungs and sent him to the hospital for three months just days before his high school graduation. The experience changed Lucas. â€Å"I realized that I’d been living my life so close to the edge for so long,† he says. â€Å"That’s when I decided to go straight, to become a bette r student, to try to do something with myself.† Lucas enrolled at Modesto Junior College, where he developed a fascination with cinematography. Deciding on a career in film, he applied to the prestigious University of Southern California (USC) film school. USC was a milestone for Lucas. â€Å"Suddenly my life was film-every waking hour,† he says in a 1997 Playboy interview. He concentrated on making abstract science fiction films and mock documentaries, which caught the attention of director Francis Ford Coppola, who invited Lucas to sit in on the shooting of â€Å"Finian’s Rainbow.† Coppola also persuaded Warner Bros. to make a film of one of Lucas’ student movies. The full-length feature, â€Å"THX-1138,† a bleak Orwellian tale, was released in 1971 to modest reviews and a lukewarm reception at the box office. But studio executives were impressed with Lucas’ obvious talent. â€Å"THX-1138† had earned Lucas a reputation as a skilled but mechanical filmmaker devoid of humor and feeling. His second film, â€Å"American Graffiti,† which was based on his own coming of age in Modesto, would change that. Filmed on a shoestring budget of just $780,000, the film became a smash hit soon after its release in June 1973 and eventually grossed $120 million. The film got rave reviews and made Lucas a Hollywood sensation. It also proved to be a defining moment for Lucas, as both a filmmaker and a businessman. Studio honchos pulled rank and made changes to Lucas’ final version. The changes were minor, but the scars were lasting. â€Å"I’m very aware as a creative person that those who control the means of production control the creative vision,† he says. â€Å"It’s not a matter of saying ‘You’re going to let me have the final cut,’ because no matter what you do in a contract, they will go around it. Whereas if you own the cameras and you own the film, there’s nothing they can do to stop you.† And that’s exactly what Lucas set out to do. When negotiating with 20th Century Fox in 1975 for his next movie, â€Å"Star Wars,† Lucas cut his directing fee by $500,000 in exchange for things Fox regarded as nearly worthless: ownership of the film’s merchandising and all sequel rights. It turned out to be a brilliant move, one that assured Lucas the real independence and creative control he’d been seeking. â€Å"Star Wars† shattered all box office records, earning Lucas about $40 million in its initial release-merchandising would later bring him tens of millions more. Most important, Lucas owned the sequels, and thus a franchise. To maximize its value, he financed his first sequel, â€Å"The Empire Strikes Back,† himself, borrowing heavily to cover the $30 million production costs. Given the success of â€Å"Star Wars,† it was a good bet, but a huge risk-if the film bombed, Lucas would be bankrupt. â€Å"Empire† did exceptionally well, however, as did the third film in the trilogy, â€Å"Return of the Jedi,† which Lucas also financed. Lucas further increased his fortune in the 1980s by producing the three Indiana Jones movies, for which he earned well over $100 million. Then, at the very top of his game, he largely abandoned moviemaking and poured his fortune into digital experiments that, he sensed correctly, would transform the movie business. Slide 5: * He quit an early career when he realized it wasn’t right for him (he wanted to be a race-car driver†¦until he almost got killed in a crash) * He made a type of product he loved and cared deeply about (movies) * He made–and learned from–lots and lots of different products (There were many Lucas movies before Star Wars) * He evolved (Lucas’s early movies were artsy non-commercial films) * He studied and learned from the best mentors (Francis Ford Coppola, among others) * He became friends with other extremely talented people in the industry (Steven Spielberg, among others) * He was shrewd (He sold his directing services to Fox Studios for Star Wars for cheap–but kept all the merchandise, licensing, and sequel rights, which Fox didn’t want) * He was very, very patient (Unlike many of today’s entrepreneurs and investors, Lucas wasn’t looking for a â€Å"quick flip.† Lucasfilm was founded in 1971, 41 years ago) Slide 6: There are three lessons to take away from reading about how George Lucas achieved success. One, grow a thick skin and be prepared for criticism and early failures. Every time you start a business, risks will be involved and sometimes things do not go your way. The key to a successful entrepreneur is how that person responds to the situation. Does he persevere through the tribulations? The second lesson is that every entrepreneur should know his or her strengths and weaknesses to give him or her the best chance at success. Knowing what skills need improvement will help limit potential pitfalls for you and your small business. The third lesson†¦just as Mr. Lucas was innovative in bringing out-of-this-world special effects to his films, entrepreneurs should also work hard to be innovative. What special effects can you use to amaze your customers?

Jesse Jame

Jesse James Paige Riley College Prep English Ms. Engel Works Cited 1881, with authorities growing suspicious, Jesse rented a house in Saint Joseph, and Missouri. â€Å"Jesse James – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. † Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. <http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Jesse_James â€Å"Jesse James Biography. † Biography Base Home. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. <http://www. biographybase. com/biography/james_jesse. html>. Bio True Story Jesse James Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography. om . † Bio True Story Famous Biographies & TV Shows – Biography. com . N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. <http://www. biography. com/people/jesse-james-9352646>. Green, Carl R. , and William R. Sanford. Jesse James. Hillside, N. J. , U. S. A. : Enslow Publishers, 1992. Print. Triplett, Frank, Joseph W. Snell, and Jerry Valez. The life, times and treacherous death of Jess e James. Chicago: The Swallow Press, 1970. Print. Stiles, T. J.. Jesse James: last rebel of the Civil War. New York: A. A. Knopf, 2002. Print. Jesse JamesThesis: Jesse James was definitely a rebel of his time. He was an adventurous outlaw who wasn’t scared to give the law a run for their money. Outline: I. Frank and Jesse a. Who they were b. What caused their rebellion acts II. Rebellions c. What caused them d. Who helped them Riley 1 Jesse James was the living and his younger brother, Frank were always partners in crime. The brothers got themselves in trouble on a regular basis. Running from the law was a typical thing for the James brothers. Jesse and Frank James always seemed to take the law into their own hands.The actual date Jesse James became famous is known to be December 7th, 1869. *DOC* Jesse James was definitely a rebel of his time. He was an adventurous outlaw who wasn’t scared to give the law a run for their money. Jesse killed eight men in a one day once. After the war, he returned to his home and was the leader of one of history's most notorious outlaw gangs. He was hurt while surrendering at the end of the war, and later said he had been forced into becoming an outlaw because his family had been punished for nothing in the war. The brothers were surprisingly liked all over the US.People looked at the James brothers as a type of ‘Robin Hood’ taking from the rich and giving to the poor, even though there was no real evidence to prove they did. They started robbing banks and trains, quickly spreading their popularity throughout the nation. The James gang was the most feared outlaw gang in history. There are reports that say the gang was estimated to of stolen around $200,000 from all of the bank robberies. Jesse was a very violent man. If he suspected someone to be an enemy, he would kill them right on the spot.Jesse was once reported to be getting change for a $100 bill once and shot a man in the heart because he though t the man was responsible for killing Bloody Bill. *DOC*3 Despite their criminal and often violent acts, James and his partners were much adored. Journalists were almost always excited to sell stories people of the East with tales of a wild West, exaggerated and romanticized the gang's adventures, often making James as a Robin Hood. James did mess Riley 2 with railroad workers who took private land for the railways. The gang was always a hot topic in newspapers everywhere.People feared Jesse James but at the same time he was known as a respected legendary rebel. James married his cousin in 1847. As feared as they were, the James brothers were both known as loving husbands and a good family man. Jesse and his cousin had two children. Jesse had plenty of money and a loving family yet he still continued his life of crime. Some people say Jesse had a â€Å"Love affair with crime† *DOC* band he just couldn’t stop because of the thrill it gave him. James and his famous gang robbed their way across the Western Frontier.They focused on robbing stagecoaches, banks, trains, and even stores. Out of all of the rebellious things Jesse did, he must have been very good at what he did considering he was never captured while doing them. In 1873 the James gang robbed a train, stealing over $3,000 which is equivalent to over $60,000 today. They tried to throw off people by wearing white masks, pretending they were from the Ku Klux Klan. This robbery made James the most famous of the former Guerillas. To show a symbol of threatening centralization the brothers derailed the Rock Island train in Adair, Iowa.Of all the train robberies the James Gang was responsible for they never were reported of stealing from the passengers. Even though they were feared outlaws the gang was surprisingly adored. Journalists and writers were always anxious to interview the gang members, especially Jesse James. The gang wasn’t afraid to go out in public and show themselves. Not st ealing from the passengers is where the Riley 3 idea of Jesse being a â€Å"Robin Hood† because he stole from the train itself, not the innocent people. The downfall of the gang began in September 1876 when they attempted to rob the First National Bank in Minnesota.After a manhunt and the robbery only Frank and James were left un caught and alive. Many of the gang members had been drinking before the robbery and this is what caused the robbery to fail. Two of the gang members were guarding the doors of the bank and this made the citizens suspicious. The cops were soon called and a manhunt began killing and capturing all but Frank and Jesse. After this tragic event Jesse had to recruit people to help him rob the Platte bank which was his last known robbing. *DOC* The James brothers were mostly involved in their gang for a ten year period from 1866 to 1876. DOC* 1 The James brothers were always moving around, avoiding the law. With his brother Frank James and other ex-Confedera tes, with Cole Younger and his brothers, the James gang robbed their way across the Western frontier aiming towards banks, trains, stagecoaches, and stores from Iowa to Texas. Escaping and hiding from even the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, the gang got away with thousands of dollars. James is believed to have carried out the first daylight bank robbery stealing over $60,000 from a bank in Liberty, Missouri.The community always protected them but they were still always on the move. Jesse and Frank planned to do one more robbery alongside Charlie and Bob Ford. Little did the brothers know that the Governor had offered a reward so big that it made the Ford’s turn their backs on the James brothers. Riley 4 On April 3rd, 1882 *DOC* 3 Bob and Jesse were talking a crooked picture on the wall in Jesse’s house. When Jesse turned to straighten the picture Bob shot him in the back of the head, immediately killing Jesse James. The shooting of Jesse caused quite the uproar i n Missouri.The community considered it â€Å"a cowardly assassination† and they were â€Å"outraged at the method used†. *DOC* 3 Frank James soon turned himself in to the police after the death of his beloved brother and partner in crime. The juries did not convict Frank of any of the crimes he was apart of and so Frank walked as a free man. After the tragic death of Jesse James the Ford brothers were hated by everyone. They were known as cowards and traitors. Frank and James had been friends with the Ford brothers for a long time and it was not expected of Bob to shoot Jesse.Bob Ford collected the $10,000 reward for the capture of Jesse James after the murder. The Ford brothers were sentenced to hang for the murder, even though there was a reward for the capture of Jesse before they killed him. The governor of Missouri pardoned the Ford brothers and gave them no punishment for the death of Jesse. Some people say the death of Jesse James was all a hoax and Jesse lived many years after his faked death. It was reported Jesse James ended up living to the age of 103, which was very old, especially back in the 1900s.Ford never admitted to killing James and this left suspicion among the people and Jesse’s loved ones. Many years after the burial of Jesse James the body was tested and it was over 99% likely to be the real Mr. James. The body of the man suspected to be the real Jesse was supposed to be tested at the same time but the bodies were switched and it never did Riley 5 get tested. Even after all of the murders and crimes Jesse James was a part of he died a feared but respected man. He truly was the living definition of a rebellious outlaw!