Tomorrow night, I’m going to watch Star Wars The Force Awakens.

Will it at least be better than Return of the Jedi?  Where is Luke Skywalker?  Is Star Wars “back”?  Who is Snoke?

I grew up on George Lucas’s original trilogy.  The films made me feel like I could do anything.  If Luke Skywalker could leave Tatooine and see the universe so could I!  They sparked a sense of awe and creativity that was hard to contain in an 8 year old boy. The Force truly ‘awakened’ my inner director, introducing me to the magic of film and ultimately influenced what I do today.

I even wrote to George Lucas asking him if he needed help writing new movies!  (He politely declined, but sent a nice letter and bookmark thanking me for the offer.)

Recently, I came across a home video of a “Star Wars film” my friends and I made at that time.  It was 1987.  We used flashlights as lightsabers.  My brother was in a cardboard box as R2-D2.  Blankets, wicker chairs and a couch made up our Millennium Falcon.  With our parents as the audience and my friend’s Dad armed with a camcorder, he captured us in Lucas’s world.  I’m sure there are thousands of videos just like this one. That’s the amazing thing about Star Wars. It’s mythology has sparked the creative actions of thousands–now across generations.

As funny as that home video film is to watch, it’s a reminder of the boundless imagination that Star Wars elicited in so many of us.  When seeing the trailer for The Force Awakens  I was overwhelmed.  This was no easy undertaking and I’m sure JJ Abrams felt the weight of my (and every other lifelong Star Wars fan’s) expectations.  It was something that he and Lawrence Kasdan recently  spoke about the film’s need to evoke delight. 28 years after seeing the original Star Wars, I was back holding that flashlight playing Luke Skywalker in the basement.

This summer Door Knocker Media was fortunate enough to produce  two spots for  licensed Star Wars products made by  3DlIghtFx. They make these cool LED lights that mount on your wall with characters and vehicles from the series, including BB8 and the Death Star! Although we weren’t making  Episode 7, it was probably some of the most fun I’ve had creating content. I was thinking about that home video film  from 1987 and how lucky I was almost 30 years later to be having so much fun making content for Star Wars fans. To top it all off the spots helped triple 3DLightFX’s web traffic and all of their retailers keep coming back to them for orders!

At this point, I don’t really need to to see The Force Awakens. The lead up has been enough of a reminder to keep my imagination wide.  My only hope is that thousands of young people are inspired the same way I was. That feeling that anything is possible. That it’s ok to look to the stars and have fun along the way.

Matt Finlin

Star Wars The Ultimate Collector | dir. Matt Finlin from Door Knocker Media on Vimeo.

Young Jedi | dir. Matt Finlin from Door Knocker Media on Vimeo.