Star Wars 30th Anniversary

Today is the 30th anniversary of the opening of Star Wars. To celebrate this I went out and bought the boy’s (and my self) the new Star Wars stamps from the Post office. I also wrote a blog last year about me and Star Wars. Check it out here. One just has to look around and you will find the influence Star Wars has had on every thing in our life.

MARKETING B.S.W.: Hit movies had to attract all ages. A.S.W.: Films are made for
kids, especially teenage boys. Since this is also the fast-food target audience,
chains like McDonald's jump at tie-in campaigns.

THE FRANCHISE
B.S.W.: Movies were one-offs; there was no Gone With the Wind II. A.S.W.:
Studios swing for the fences to get a mega-hit action film that can win
name-brand recognition and be profitably cloned for years to
come.

SPFX B.S.W.: Special effects were mostly mechanical toys and
puppets. A.D.: Computers made movies "virtual."

TOYS B.S.W.: The
big tie-in was Mickey Mouse watches. A.S.W.: Every kid has to have Star Wars
action figures, lightsabers, key chains, books, etc. Lucas all but created the
market for collectibles.

VIDEO GAMES B.S.W.: Pong. A.S.W.: The
video-arcade biz booms with Star Wars games and rip-offs, and the huge
home-video market is full of space themes.

THEME-PARK RIDES B.S.W:
Most Disney-style rides were slow and staid. A.S.W.: Here comes Space Mountain
(a Star Wars race in the dark), Lucas' own Star Tours and Indiana Jones rides.
Many Universal and Disney attractions are film franchises at warp
speed.

SOUND B.S.W.: Movie houses were mainly monaural, far below
home audio quality. A.S.W..: Lucas' THX loudspeakers, paired with the Dolby
system in the projection booth, brought clear, supple stereo sound to movie
theaters. THX is now in some 2,700 theaters.

MUSICAL TRACKS B.S.W:
Musicals. A.S.W.: the sound track has become an important part of just
about every movie made in the past 30 years. Can you say John Williams.

POLITICS B.S.W.: The cold war not much in the public eye. A.S.W.:
Inspired the political rhetoric of the cold war, when President Reagan proposed
a missile shield to protect the US against an "Evil Empire", which he called the
Star Wars program

I sure there are more things that I have missed. But still may the force be with you