Next big ‘Star Wars’ project: video of the fans

McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON

Ever since “Star Wars” hit theaters in 1977, fans have felt passionately about the series. For many, it broadened their horizons, excited their imaginations and provided new friends.

Lucasfilm, George Lucas’ production company, has started a project aimed at capturing — and promoting — the ongoing obsession with the “Star Wars” brand. Called the “Stories Project,” the effort consists of videotaping fans’ memories of how the six-film saga has touched their lives.

“Everyone’s got a story; we’ve been hearing them from fans — and sharing them amongst ourselves internally — for years,” said Josh Kushins, 32, the head of Lucasfilm communications, who was born a year after “Star Wars” debuted. “We are dedicated to collecting as many as possible. ... It’s really eye-opening to see how ‘Star Wars’ has affected people’s lives throughout the years.”

Kushins will be taping at the mega-Star Wars convention Celebration V, Wednesday through Aug. 15 in Orlando, Fla.

Lucas, the creator of the series, recognized what an icon “Star Wars” has become in the prologue of a new book, “Star Wars: Year by Year.”

“‘Star Wars’ has become so ingrained in the cultural psyche that world leaders have defined themselves with reference to it,” he said in a statement that would seem egomaniacal if it weren’t true.

Some fans remember vividly when the movie first came out. “I saw it in June 1977, saw it on a Saturday,” said Brian Mix, 49, then of San Diego. He became a huge fan with “The Empire Strikes Back,” the 1980 sequel.

Kushins said that Lucasfilm hadn’t decided yet what it intends to do with all the video it was collecting of fans. “The project’s still very much in its early stages,” he said. “Right now, we are focused on speaking with fans and gathering their stories.”

There will be a market for their stories, if only among those fans for whom anything “Star Wars” is worth time and money.