From the pages of Blue Harvest Episode Sixteen
Winter 1998 1998

Interview: Jeff Cioletti
by Mary Jo Fox
and
Are We Spoiled Rotten?
by Mary Jo Fox


Millennium Countdown:
An Interview with SW Documentarian Jeff Cioletti
By Mary Jo Fox
For over a year now Jeff Cioletti has been documenting the final months of waiting, hoping and anticipating the release of Star Wars Episode I:  The Phantom Menace.  His self-financed project, entitled Millennium's End:  The Fandom Menace, is being shot on Hi8 video.  So far, he's talked to a number of fans nationwide, all of the web site bigwigs (the guys at Jedinet and The Force Net, T'Bone Fender of starwarz.com, and AICN's Harry Knowles), and some well-known folks such as Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta and Anthony Daniels.  But it's fans like you and me who are the focus of the documentary.  In fact, both James and I were interviewed!  The New Jersey-based Cioletti kindly took time out of his busy schedule to chat with BH about this project.

BH:  How did this project come about?  How did you get the idea to make this documentary?
JC:  Well, about 14 months ago, I, like most SW enthusiasts, read all the fan sites religiously in an effort to always be on top of the latest news.  At times, I couldn't contain my excitement for Episode I.  I needed to know every step of the production process.  I was even dreaming about it (I know it sounds pretty pathetic).  Then one day, as I was staring at the computer screen, the idea just came to me to channel my excitement into something creative.  I had always wanted to do a documentary, given my interest in film, but I was never inspired by any particular topic.  Well, needless to say, Star Wars inspired me.  I then decided to go for it and sink whatever resources I had into it.  Fortunately, at that time, I had close to two years to work on it (I'm finishing shooting on opening weekend), so I could spread the work and the costs out over time.

BH:  What's your educational/professional background (communications, film, t.v., etc.)?  Any previous projects?
JC:  I double-majored in journalism and political science at Rutgers University.  After I graduated, I took various filmmaking and screenwriting workshops, and did a little intern work in independent film.  But to financially support myself, I have worked in journalism and public relations since I graduated college four-and-a-half years ago.  This is my first full-length project behind the camera.  I've done feature screenplay writing, but nothing's been produced yet.  Once the documentary is complete, I hope to eventually shoot a film based on my first script.

BH:  How many interviews have you conducted for Millennium's End so far?
JC:  It's hard to say.  I've compiled a number of interviews since I started shooting.  I'd have to go through all the footage for an exact number, but a rough estimate would be somewhere around 25 or so at this point.  I could be off.  Some are longer than others.  In addition to interviews, I've shot various SW events.  I've compiled about 20 hours of footage so far.  Of course it will all be edited down to feature length (90-120 minutes probably).

BH:  Generally, where have you gone to do interviews?  Have you had to travel extensively?
JC:  Where have I done interviews?  All over.  I recently traveled to DragonCon in Atlanta where I got quite a few done.  I really want the documentary to have a national scope, so I'm trying not to keep it regional.  Originally, I was keeping it to the region between Boston and Washington, but then I decided that in order to do the subject justice, I had to travel all over.  I'm in the New York metro area, but only a small portion of the footage I've shot reflects that geographic region.  I'll be in Chicago next month doing some shooting, and I'll be in L.A. in the second week of December.  Travelling is one of my favorite aspects of the project.  I get to meet all sorts of people from around the country.  I can't emphasize enough the importance of incorporating a wide range of perspectives from the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western parts of the U.S..



BH:  Aside from interviewing "big name fans" (e.g. TFN, AICN, Jedinet), how were you able to find subjects?

JC:  Mostly through e-mail.  T'Bone Fender's Star Wars Universe (www.starwarz.com) posted a blurb about my project telling fans how they can contact me.  Initially, I went to sci-fi related stores to find fans.  I no longer have to do that because fans are now coming to me.  I'm actually at a point where I have to turn some people away because I'm pretty booked.  It's insane.  I look for the fans who can really wow me with an intriguing story.

BH:  What are some of the best stories you've heard so far from fans?
JC:  One of my favorites comes from a guy who married his wife on May 25, 1997, the 20th anniversary of the release of A New Hope.  They didn't want it to be any other date.  And, of course, the Star Wars theme was playing as they entered the reception.  Another comes from Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News.  It's a tradition for him and his father to go to the first possible showing of EVERY Star Wars film together.  He said it'll be no different for Episode I.  (Of course, knowing him, he'll probably be invited to the premiere!)  Another comes from a guy I'm yet to interview.  He e-mailed me with an interesting story.  He said he drew a Raiders of the Lost Ark poster, and "decided to have some fun with it."  By fun, he meant he drew a Tusken Raider face with the fedora on, whip, etc..  He called it "Tusken Raiders of the Lost Ark."  He sent it to Lucasfilm or some fan magazine and forgot about it.  Years later, he attended a sci-fi con in Anaheim, CA and was watching the Lucasfilm slide presentation and up came his drawing from years ago.  He started yelling, "Hey, that's me.  That's my drawing."

BH:  As far as I know, this is the first documentary of any kind to focus exclusively on Star Wars fandom.  Why do you think Star Wars fandom has been "invisible" for so long as opposed to Trek fandom?
JC:  Once again, I'm probably going to be crucified for saying what I'm about to say.  I was interviewed by E!  News Daily yesterday and gave a similar response-I'm already going to be burned on national t.v. so what the hell.  And I apologize if you're also a Trek fan.  Many Trek fans, not all, of course, but many, have nothing else going on in their lives.  I mean, come on, they've translated the Bible into Klingon for crying out loud.  There's something seriously twisted about that level of fanaticism.  So, they obviously get all of the press.  But, if you look at the movie grosses, the top-grossing Star Trek film was Star Trek IV, with something like $109 million.  First Contact did something like $93 million for a close second.  Now, compare that to the grosses for Star Wars.  Just because a few Trek fans make the most noise by having a few too many disturbing quirks, doesn't mean Trek has a bigger following.  I like to think Star Wars fans have a higher level of sophistication, which, in the mainstream media's eyes, isn't as interesting as a Bible-or Shakespeare for that matter-translated into a language that doesn't even exist!

BH:  There are Star Wars fans of every age, race and social background, male and female.  Why does the mainstream media seem to believe Star Wars fandom is solely made up of white twentysomething men?
JC:  I think it's because that's what the average Trekkie or other sci-fi fan is like.  Media outlets like to generalize and lump SW fans in with those groups.  They don't understand how Star Wars crosses the race, gender and other demographic lines.  It's actually kind of insulting when those types of generalizations are made by the media.  It shows a real lack of research.  Of course, I'm not helping the cause much, since I'm a 26-year-old white male.  But I am in no way representative of fandom as a whole, and I hope the mainstream media people don't think that.

BH:  Have you received any kind of feedback or response from Lucasfilm?  Are they even aware of the project?
JC:  No response yet, but I'm pretty sure they know about it by now.  Lucas himself may not know about it, but I'm sure some of his cronies read the fan sites where they would have seen something about my project.  I was also quoted in Spin magazine, which mentioned my project.  If any Lucasfilm employees read it, chances are they've seen my name.  Additionally, I was quoted in an article in today's USA Today, right next to (Lucasfilm publicist) Lynne Hale.  So, I'm pretty sure Lynne has read that article.  But if no one at the Ranch knows about it yet, the E! segment (whenever it runs) will probably give someone there the heads up about the documentary.

BH:  The focus of the documentary is fan anticipation of Episode I.  What kind of responses have you been getting from people?
JC:  There's been a lot of cautious optimism.  A couple of the people I've interviewed have (allegedly) read the script.  They've said such things as, "It can either be the greatest film ever or it could really suck, depending on how it translates to the screen."  Many have been fairly apprehensive about Jake Lloyd's performance, but overall, they're happy with the casting decisions.  Very few people believe the 40 percent blurred footage rumor.  Most of them plan to take time off from work/school on opening day and the days leading up to it to camp out for tickets.  But I can safely assess from what I've gotten so far, there's been no film in the history of cinema, that has been more eagerly anticipated than Episode I.  So, you can see, no one really wants to be disappointed.  But most don't expect to be.  It is Star Wars, after all.

BH:  What are your opinions re Episode I?
JC:  As I stated in my answer to Question One, I've actually lost sleep in anticipation of Episode I.  I have never been more excited about a single film in my entire life.  And, of course, now with the documentary, I have a lot more riding on it.  I, too, have fears that it could suck.  But I highly doubt it.  I expect to be blown away come May 21.  Just remember this:  a bad Star Wars film is still better than some of the best Hollywood films.  I can't wait.  I know in my heart that we won't be disappointed.

BH:  What's your opinion re spoilers and rumors?
JC:  I actually ask that question to most of my own interviewees.  I try to avoid spoilers because I want there to be some level of surprise when I finally see the film.  But it takes a great deal of willpower to resist.  I already know more than I'd like to know, and it's going to be even harder to steer clear of spoilers as the release date approaches.  As long as web sites respect fans' wishes to be surprised and give ample warning before running spoilers, there's no problem.  For those who aren't into being surprised:  knock yourselves out!  Have fun reading the spoilers, but remember to take them with a grain of salt.

BH:  Aren't you bothered that there are fans out there who may have already seen the script?
JC:  I wouldn't say "bothered."  I would just say that I don't envy them, and I really can't identify with them.  I like being surprised.  We all know how the prequel trilogy is going to end up, and that Anakin eventually becomes Vader.  So that's no surprise.  But I'd like everything else that happens before that to be a surprise.  After all, we really don't know the fate of Qui'Gon Jinn.  He was never mentioned in Eps. 4-6.  We don't know the true fate of the Young Queen, either.  I mean, Leia said her mom died when she was very young.  But did she really?  Leia would have been too young to know what really happened.  But hey, if they want to have the script, that's their business.  Personally, I wouldn't want to piss anyone off at Lucasfilm by contributing to some employee' s delinquency.  I mean, they all signed non-disclosure agreements.  We should all respect that.  I see those agreements as being in the best interest of the fans.  Or at least the ones who don't want anything spoiled.  People who manage to scam a script from someone are violating the wishes of George Lucas.  I would never want to do that.

BH:  What have you learned about Star Wars fandom from this project?
JC:  I've learned a lot about passion and devotion.  It's not a fanatical passion, though.  Most fans I've interviewed are pretty down-to-earth and know where to draw the line.  Star Wars has given fandom something to believe in.  It's also given most fans hope that all blockbuster movies coming out of Hollywood don't have to be dumbed-down, prefabricated pieces of fluff.

BH:  What's ahead in completing Millennium's End?
JC:  As I said earlier, I have a couple of interviews to complete this month, and then I'm off to Chicago in October.  I've scheduled some interviews out there.  In November, I'll be covering the hysteria surrounding the trailer (hopefully) and the start of the big merchandising push.  I'm heading to Los Angeles Dec. 8-13 to capture the fan base out there.  I understand, from much of the e-mail I've received, SW has quite a following in the City of Angels.  I'm looking forward to giving the project a West Coast flavor.  I'll finish shooting on the weekend of May 21.

BH:  If you're busy shooting opening weekend, when do you plan to see it for yourself?  And where?
JC:  I'll make time.  People are going to be waiting in line, and I'm going to be one of them!  I'm there on opening day!  I'll probably see it at Loews 18-screen multiplex in New Brunswick, N.J..  That's kind of been the plan all along.  I actually shot an interview in front of that theater.  It provided an interesting backdrop.

BH:  How and when will Millennium's End be released?
JC:  How will it be released is still up in the air.  I've received messages from various distribution outlets interested in seeing a finished product.  It all depends on what kind of offers I get.  The documentary should be finished some time next summer.  I'm going to start editing before I actually finish shooting, probably in February.  The final part of the video will take place in the days leading up to the release and reactions to the film.  Since that's going to be tacked on as an epilogue, I hope to have much of the earlier footage edited by then.

BH:  Any chance of a sequel for Episodes II and III?
JC: Not likely.  It would be kind of redundant.  Besides, there won't be the same build-up.  We're talking 16 years of anticipation vs. only three.  It's certainly not the same.  And, 16 years prior to the release, no one was sure if and when there would be another one.  I'm sure no one thought then that it would take 16 years.  After everyone sees Ep. 1, they'll know they have another one to look forward to in three years.  I may revisit Star Wars in some other way, if I can think of a new and original way to do it.  (Hopefully by then I wouldn't have to finance it myself!)  But right now it doesn't look like it's going to happen-hey, maybe I'll do a prequel to it.  OK, just kidding.



Editorial:  Are We Spoiled Rotten?
By Mary Jo Fox

First I'm going to discuss The Title and The Trailer briefly, then I'm going to discuss the whole issue of spoilers.
 I had this whole editorial statement planned out for The Title.  No, I wasn't one of those people who hated it.  I was going to tell you how during the summer of 1997, as Episode I was being filmed, a number of new character names "leaked" out to the fan-run web sites.  The newsgroup wags couldn't resist registering their dismay.  I remember meeting this one girl, a RASSM regular, who scoffed, "What stupid names!"  I just told her to remember that at one point "Chewbacca" and "Obi Wan Kenobi" must have sounded pretty silly to an awful lot of people.  By late 1998, everyone more or less got accustomed to the names and now it's like, "Dude, I can't wait to see (insert name here) in action!"

 I was going to connect that anecdote with how the peanut gallery had a tizzy fit when the Official Web Site revealed to the world the title of Episode I:  The Phantom Menace on September 25, 1998.  I was going to tell you that I expected that reaction no matter what they called it.  The fans on RASSM and other such fora never considered for a second that the titles they'd debated for months (i.e. Balance of the Force or Knights of the Republic) were never anything more than rumor or speculation.  The fans were counting on something more obvious and "Star Warsy."  But then I was going to tell you, a little surprise is good!  Most of the guys running the spoiler-rich web sites were really glad that for once they were surprised too.

 Then I was going to provide you with this little history lesson to keep it all in perspective.  First I was going to remind you the SW titles thus far (TESB, ROTJ) have always been directly on point with what's in the film and I don't expect TPM to be any different.  So what if it sounds like a 1930s Republic serial?  I think it's cool for that exact reason!  Have you forgotten that SW's roots lie in Flash Gordon serials, pulp fiction and--yes--comic books?

  I can remember watching a "Rona Barrett's Hollywood" segment on "Good Morning America" in early 1979.  Rona's sitting there dishing out news from Tinseltown when SW comes up.  She announced that the title of the "sequel to Star Wars" was “The Empire Strikes Back."  My gut reaction was, "That's what it's called?!  You're kidding!"  To me, it was a mouthful.  It didn't strike me (har har) as "catchy."  Then I saw it a year later, and of course I thought it ruled.  The title then made complete sense and Mary Jo lived happily ever after.

 Here's another story I was going to tell you.  In 1972, when George Lucas was pitching American Graffiti to Universal, the studio tried twisting his arm into changing the title.  They thought audiences wouldn't know what "graffiti" meant.  They were also worried audiences would think it was a foreign movie and stay away.  George stuck to his guns and proved 'em all wrong when American Graffiti  became a critical and commercial success.

 Here's yet another story I was planning to share.  In 1976, when George Lucas was pitching this strange science fiction movie called "Star Wars," the executives at Fox weren't too wild about the title.  Their market research showed that women wouldn't see a movie with the word "war" in the title--not to mention the peaceniks and no-nukers who were still plentiful in the mid-1970s.  Again, Lucas refused to back down.  The name stuck and the rest is history.

 I was going to pooh-pooh the conspiracy theorists who believed The Phantom Menace was a phony or working title a la Blue Harvest or Revenge of the Jedi.  I was about to say it wouldn't make any sense to come up with a "smokescreen" title if they'd successfully kept it secret this long.

 However, George doesn't need me to make these points.  The Trailer spoke far more volumes in his defense than I ever could.  (Would you like barbeque sauce to go with that crow?)


& <>

The overwhelmingly positive (dare I say ecstatic?) reaction The Trailer received just proved how unfair and premature it was to trash the title.  The wags were looking at it completely out of context.   All of this nonsense over the title was complete, utter overreaction.  Who the hell cares what it's called?  I'd take a great movie with a goofy title any day over the opposite.  My brother also made this point:  "It doesn't matter what the title is; everyone will still call it Star Wars."

 Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
This editorial absolutely, positively will not give away anything from The Phantom Menace.  I have declared it safe and 100% free of spoilers so all may be able to read it.

 Now that I've cleared that up, I will talk about spoilers themselves.  There's nothing more controversial in fandom today than the whole issue of "Phantom" spoilers and it's gotten pretty emotional at times.  Readers--albeit a small number--have cancelled subscriptions to the Star Wars Insider over this issue; we're talking about SWI, for God's sake.  They're not telling you anything of substance.  All they're showing you is stuff like a few scraggly extras.  The interviews with the cast don't reveal much, if anything at all.  And these people are upset over that?!?  Some are so extreme they don't even want to see the trailer!!

 Then there are the kids who cannot wait until Christmas and must peek at all of their unwrapped gifts.  They feel an overwhelming need to find out everything they can, spoilers be damned.  Worse yet, they are compelled to share what they know with anyone who can't run fast enough in the other direction.

 Like most of you out there I don't want the entire movie given away for me before I go see it.  I know what it's like to have been exposed to one spoiler too many.  Back in 1983, about two or three weeks before ROTJ came out, Marvel made the moronic mistake of shipping its comics adaptation too early.  The press got its hands on the comic and the good ol' "Miami Herald" splashed the Luke and Leia twin plot twist on the front pages.  Never forgave 'em for that.  Even though I loved ROTJ when I finally saw it, the only "surprise" I was looking for was to see who didn't survive the final body count.  What should have been a big shock and an unexpected turn of events similar to the "I am your father" revelation in TESB lost its punch, because I had greater "insight" than Luke did!  I don't want that to happen again.

 On the other hand, I find nothing wrong with wanting a little information here and there about new characters, planets, vehicles, etc..  They're like appetizers or hors d'oeurves.  They hold you over until dinner time and make you hungry for more.  I can't imagine going two or more years without seeing, reading or hearing anything at all about the new movie.  I'd go crazy.  Not only do the tidbits make me more excited to see the final product, I also find them reassuring.  For one thing, you can see there's actual progress being made in the production.  It establishes that the new film isn't just fantasy, rumor or speculation, it's real.  After 15 years, it's incredible to see pictures--even if they're of things totally inconsequential like background droids or extras.  I think, "Cool, this is really happening!"  I can also be somewhat reassured that this is a quality production and a serious effort to live up to the SW legacy.  I can see from photos and production art that it still has the familiar "look" of the SW universe.  I can read from news items that because John Williams is doing the music or that Ben Burtt is doing the sound, there will be consistency with the existing films.  If there was little to no information available on the new movie, I think there would be even higher expectations, a lot more crazy rumors and a hell of a lot more worry.  Jon Bradley Snyder in his SWI editorial also made an excellent point about how total secrecy around the new Godzilla backfired.  He said it's better for fans to debate "old SW vs. new" now and get it overwith, so we can watch the movie on its merits when it comes out.

 And it's not as though there's no precedent in publishing information or pictures from an upcoming movie.  There was pre-release publicity for ANH, some of it going as far back as mid-1976.  Nobody cared then, but there it was.  Just right before ANH was released, I'd seen plenty of pictures and read a few articles about the movie, and nothing was spoiled for me when I finally got to see it.  In retrospect, the tidbits I gathered made me psyched to see the film, but none of it prepared me for the impact it would have.  The old Bantha Tracks newsletters carried about as much pre-release info on TESB and ROTJ as SWI does now, and no one complained about it.  Did a shot of Luke on a Tauntaun give away everything from TESB?  Of course not.  Or how about the Boba Fett action figure giveaway in 1979?  Did that ruin his onscreen coolness?  Nope.  And neither will the Mace Windu action figure.  Trust me, SWI, SW Galaxy Collector, and the Official Web site have given away nothing important.
 The trouble is that today, Lucasfilm cannot control the flow of information the way it did 15-20 years ago.  Today we have maverick web sites with extras, crew and set-crashers as contacts (or at least those claiming to be such) ready to dish out whatever they can learn.  Paparazzi have gone to bizarre lengths as well; a German team of photographers actually rented out a hot air balloon so they could fly over the Mos Espa set in Tunisia and take pictures.  It's damn near impossible to stop all of the leaks because there is such a demand for information outside of the official channels.

 Are all of the "leaks" and other kinds of unofficial information bad?  Not necessarily.  Some of it eventually turns up in official reports, some of it is pretty minor stuff and some of it is proven false over time.  Admittedly, there are gray areas.  For example, some web sites recently got "spy" photographs of the first wave of action figures.  This was the first "main character" wave.  I decided to look at them, figuring this wasn't any different from seeing a production still-or a trailer for that matter.  What's an action figure going to give away?  Certainly not the entire plot.  I'd already seen pictures of the Mace Windu figure and other preview toys.  No big deal.  For the record, the figures look great and the pix did more or less confirm some rumors as truth.  But they also (ahem) raised a new question or two.  I faced a similar dilemma when one web site purported to have a blow-by-blow transcript of The Trailer.  Should I read it or should I wait?  The information could be inaccurate or completely bogus, but what if it's true?  (It was true, verbatim.)  Is it so bad to have the trailer "spoiled" for me as opposed to the actual film?  Don't worry, I'll say no more.  But my point is there is some information that may not give the whole thing away, yet still may be beyond the "comfort level" for many fans.

 As a fan and as someone who disseminates both official and unofficial information, it can be a tough line to walk.  Where do I back off in reading or seeing stuff for my own knowledge and where should BH back off in publishing prequel news and rumors?  Prequel Watch is mostly James's department, but I'm certain he's also thinking the same questions.  There are times where I didn't read things in Prequel Watch because it may be too much for me, while not a big deal from James's viewpoint Prequel Watch is now 100% spoiler-free, and I explain why in an intro similar to this editorial.  Normal Prequel Watch avoiders may read this issue’s installment without fear. - JA .

 The real danger is in the coming months as production is completed and more people--including "spies"--will have access to the film.  And when it's screened for test audiences next year, you know reports will be all over the Internet and then possibly the mainstream media.  Personally, if I could make a humble suggestion to George Lucas and Rick McCallum, I would say follow X-Files creator Chris Carter's example and do NOT test the film with an outside audience.  Carter refused to screen Fight the Future for an outside test audience because, according to director Rob Bowman, "we don't want the whole thing all over the Internet."  Remembering what happened with the Special Editions and how everything was leaking out left and right in the weeks before its release, I plan to maintain "radio silence" with regard to unofficial prequel web sites, newsgroups, and bulletin boards as of February or March.  Maybe even earlier!

 Right now most people have a basic idea of the story, but they don't know everything, and even those who think they know a lot could still be wrong and/or inaccurate.  Scenes that were reportedly shot could end up on the cutting room floor a la the Biggs/Anchorhead scenes from ANH or the big sandstorm in ROTJ.

We all want some element of surprise when we go see the movie.  But short of putting yourself on Pluto for the next few months, you're going to find out something.  You must face the reality that we will never be taken completely by surprise like we were in 1977.  To be honest, I found that knowing a little bit about the new characters, locales, etc. very helpful when I saw The Trailer and I think I appreciated it a little more as a result.
So for the next five months, you can either bury your head in a sand dune, you can wantonly hoard every bit of info you can so that you know TPM backwards and forwards by the time you make your first screening, or you can be somewhere in the middle.  The choice is yours.


©1998 Blue Harvest

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