George Lucas's Student Film Changed The Game 

It would put a smile on my face if you shared this video with everyone on Earth. Y'know, if you have time. Thanks.

He started so low and is now on the high ground...

It's amazing he saw such an opportunity in a small assignment. That's inspiring in times where a lot of people just care about passing, getting money, or beating a deadline, that quality, dedication and creativity still matters more than everything else. I even like how George Lucas allowed fan works to become part of the canon before Disney bought Star Wars. I hope his creative spirit will live on in filmmaking.

Didn't know about his first short. Good stuff.

When you realize that a car accident almost rewrites history.

Crazy how immediately he found his style, literally a minute exercise and you can see parallels to the rest of his career

I think the biggest take away from this is that Lucas didn't look at the assignment and think, "what can I do to make MY project stand out against everyone else." I think Lucas looked at the assignment and said, "How can I tell a story with this." My biggest beef with today's social media and over-abundance content creation is that 99.9% of it is the former rather than the later.

When he crashed the car god said wait a minute i need to watch star wars

So Lucas went from a car guy to making one of the biggest nerd properties of all time

Only like 30 seconds in and this guy is a master of video essays seriously. Can't handle it! Look at those cuts!

I did an 8 page essay on THX 1138 in my film class two months ago, it was an incredible experience and very inspiring to any film buff or aspiring filmmaker.

Everyone else: How far do you want to push the limits of filmmaking? George Lucas: *Yes*

I’m from Modesto. I go to the same high school Lucas attended. He’s still very legendary in my hometown. I had a sub once who grew up with Lucas and his brother hit their tree with their car.

George Lucas is pretty much a living legend

George Lucas was obviously living on as George Lucas before star wars

I was 8 years old when the first Star Wars came out. He made that movie for our generation and now it lives on forever.

on the subject of star wars... there's only one character that said "MEesA caLLEd JAr JaR BinKS" Jar Jar Binks May 16th, 1999-1999

Good to see you go back to these niche like documentaries

I remember seeing this short film in some kind of documentary and he was talking about it as an assignment on how to use the camera, and then they played it and I was like “this is the greatest thing ever” and meanwhile he was like “people liked it” ☺️. His student film version of THX1138 was great too.

Marvelous work went into this. The research about his youth is accurate, the descriptions of Lucas' creative talents are enlightening, and the history of how he avoided the Hollywood 'A-List blood contract' system is essential to those who look up to him as a person.

“His astute business strategy in merchandising” Fun fact he actually made a terrible deal with the toy merchandising and lost millions as a result. “The toys that made us” episode on Star Wars was really interesting

We do as we are told and then some I just finished my first semester of 3D and animation. For my next three semesters I’ll make sure I remember this video. You don’t go to shool to Get good grades, school is just a game where the goal is to get a job you want. So maximize the opportunities you’re given. Use those assignments to build a portfolio, and build experience. Grab attention, tell a story.

THE FACT THAT THE CHORDS FOLLOW THE HEART BEAT AT 2:22 !!! As a person who’s studying on film composition this is such an awesome little thing. Such a good video too

"it's like poetry, it rhymes."

When George learned his car was totaled in the accident: NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I had never heard of "Look at Life" until now. It was...interesting to say the least! 😆

Hey, George shares the same birthday as me!!

This is a wonderful video. I’ve a lot of respect and admiration for George Lucas and what he’s done, so this wasn’t just informative, but a real pleasure to watch. Thank you for this.

Any "Star Wars" without Lucas isn't Star Wars.

As a film student about to finish undergrad, the message of this video really struck a chord! So, in the spirit of going one step further-and putting my degree to “real world” use-I think it’s important to mention that Lucas’s first short is heavily inspired by the style and techniques of the NFB animator, Arthur Lipsett aka the creator of “21-87”-the short that gave Lucas the idea for the Force. For me, it’s kind of reassuring that even George Lucas found his voice by imitating his inspiration’s first. Love your stuff, Austin, cheers to a new year :)

How can we advance filmmaking today when it seems like everything has been done before

At 2:52, when you talk about George applying to USC, you show a picture of UCLA haha. Pretty much USC's biggest rival and where other filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola went, but not George

Sometimes, I forget the greats came from nothing. As someone who's passion comes from filmmaking. It came from such a young age, and I'm always afraid of not being able to truly show my true passion. To tell my own stories. Thank you Austin, for reminding me that I can tell my own stories.

I read the title of the video and thought you would just talk about Thx1138, like every RU-vidr has done before, but I still clicked on it. That's something that I actually didn't knew about.. I'm impressed Austin. You never fail to deliver..

Back in the very early 70's I went up to USC's Open House event and saw Lucas' student film 'Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138 4EB' along with several other student films in the film school's small theater. I'd just seen the theatrical version starring Robert Duvall, which I loved. Getting to compare the modest student film to the studio version was a good learning experience.

I love to know how great things begin, and Lucas's effect on film has been a great thing. Thank you for posting and analyzing this!

I love your content Austin, the videos you make have such a solid and quality feel to them, keep making videos about stuff that I didn't know I'd love

It was the 1997 Special Edition VHS Star Wars Original Trilogy Box Set with BTS that inspired me to become a filmmaker. Now, after many years making shorts, i'm currently writting my first feature film script.

I just entered the same cinema school where Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki studied. This video was just... Perfect. Thank you, Austin. I've learned so much with you. I say hi from Mexico.

I had a film assignment at school, shoot a roll of 16mm, use only "in camera" cuts, but then apply a soundtrack that "was opposite" to the images. Everyone picked a location someplace, nature, school campus, city, someplace else, and filmed their shots. I did 2 locations. First half of the roll I filmed static shots from a park, oak trees, meadows, in a canyon. My soundtrack was of Ted Nugent yelling at the crowd from his Double Live Gonzo Album, song Hibernation. 2nd half of the roll started with a passenger jet flying right over head as it came in for a landing, panning with the plane, then shots of the freeway or handheld shots walking around down town. The sound started with a burst of thunder as the plane flew over head, from then on, was the sound of steady rain.

I live in modesto and went to the same elementary and junior high school as george lucas, and now im in the high school he went to!

The best 12 minutes of the year. Austin you are so talented

There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back.

His student film of THX-1138 needs your attention. Please keep going.

God I love this man. Mostly because I’m such a huge Star Wars fan, but he’s just so awesome

glad to see another upload, great production

Ten seconds. We were on the verge of greatness. We were this close.

Holy crap Austin! I was just wondering about this this morning! I watched an interview with Alex Guinness talking about how Lucas was an "up and coming director" at the time so I was wondering why that was so. Thank you man!

I've missed you!! This is the first recommendation I've seen in ages

I used to manually edit concert videos and weddings using SVHS and VHSC source material before digital was available to me. I can attest to the fact that building this stuff from scratch takes hard work and dedication. While, as you said, Lucas has his detractors, there are aspects of his ethics which caused him to be the icon he is today.

Welcome back Austin! Never plan on leaving the channel!

Anyone who liked this I HIGHLY recommend you read George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. That book really showed me what he has contributed to the world. I firmly believe that no one since Hitchcock has done so much nor been so influential.

This is pretty cool to see, I live in Modesto and I went to mjc. Austin is on of my favorite RU-vidrs so it’s cool to see him talking about my hometown.

Thank you for making this video. George Lucas has always been my greatest role model, and I am glad someone has brought his origins to light. I have many videos in a playlist that I listen through to remind me of his journey. Now this one summarizes the beginning in a nutshell!

You left out that George Lucas was responsible for industrial light and magic and what was to come Pixar. He founded both.

Literally the first time behind the camera and he spits out an award winning masterpiece!

Though i feel that this piece is interesting and has some good points. what i really think have made the difference for George Lucas and his first film as a stand out (and his approach in general), was his interest in the possibilities of the medium. I don't think that he set out with a mission to try to push the boundaries of the medium, but that he, because of his knowledge of, and interest in the medium, had a vision for what to do, and therefore he pushed the boundaries. not because he wanted to push it but rather because he couldn't help explore the medium. That being said, i enjoy your videos. keep em coming (please) :)

I love how even though I'm subscribed to you, I still find gems like this in my Recommended

Lucase's dialoque is million times better than "im the spy" and "Somehow Palpatine returned"

Congrats on 1 Million Subscribers!

A few quick observations.. 1. As a fully heterosexual male I think we all have to admit, young George Lucas was a good looking guy. A bit surprising. 2. That short film he did truly highlights the raw yet meticulous talent he had even earlier on. What a visionary. 3. Austin shares this ability/talent, as this was extremely well done and like Lucas, Austin maximizes the time he has even when very short, with quality/stimulating visuals. 4. How Austin ended this piece with a commercial also reminded me of the downfall of Lucas and film in general nowadays, over-commercialization. Still brilliant work.

The technology is my favorite part of his, the progressiveness is great. I love CGI and the special effects revolutionalized the entire film industry.

Going above and beyond for a skillshare sponsor, just like Lucas would have done. I see what you did there, tied it all together. Nicely done!

The most boomer thing I’ve ever heard his how George Lucas got into film school “on a whim”

Thank you for this video. I went to film school inspired by Mr. Lucas. And this video reminded me why I admire him so much. Thanks you so very much again.

He was and he still is such a handsome man!!!

love this video, keep creating dude, you are super good at this :)

I haven't watched the ole Austin in a while now, good to be back

It’s wild how detached I have to become with my current reality to be able to appreciate the effort that George put in his first film. It’s so easy to take everything for granted when in this current landscape, I could re-create “Look at Life” in less than 20 minutes.

I've read the biography on George Lucas by Brian Jay Jones. He became friends with Francis Ford Coppola around after USC and travelled with him making films with him. Coppola even helped teach Lucas how to write stories and dialogue.

That was a great use of a soundtrack from the film, Black Orpheus..

Thank you man, you made my day

Excellent video Austin! I only recently found your channel and really appreciate your emphasis on inspiring up-and-coming creators.

Well this got me hella motivated so thanks I guess! Also that was a super smooth ad transition

Very inspiring well edited video. Thank you for this.

The best in celluloid. LOL George Lucas's vision was awesome. Nostalgic and very well woven.

You will get out of anything the work you put into it: Ever since I heard about George Lucas making a 20 minute long student film (the original THX 1138) instead of the assigned 5 minute long one, I've tried to take that same attitude and apply it to my own work. I can confidently say from experience that if you really try and work hard, you will get the recognition you deserve! Keep in mind there will 100% be someone or something trying to stop you along the way. My advice is to acknowledge those barriers and blow right through them, it is a really good base to build up your other achievements on plus you teach yourself a lot by doing it. Not just with film but also with art, writing, and anything else you might love doing. Even as a film student in the modern day I was assigned the same 1 minute project in my film class. The goal was to simply show images through different camera angles, no sound, actors, or story were expected: so I did all of those things anyway. I was able tot turn that simple project into an entire western stand-off around a foosball game full of music, acting, and mise-en-scene. The professor hadn't seen anything quite on that level for such a simple project before and asked to use the short for reference in his future classes and to show to students what they should be aspiring to do, even with basic projects. I had created new standards for the class. For the final class project, the assignment was a 5 minute short film. We made our film almost 15 minutes long. The other group films were all about college kids, and a boring suburban life; so we decided to go an even extra couple of miles and made ours a detective film set in the 1950's. Needless to say, it stood out from the others and we got the recognition we deserved for the work we did. *It is important to collaborate with people too* This video is 100 times better than the interview snippet I saw which explained George Lucas making a 20 minute film out of a 5 minute one and I really loved watching it! It for sure boosts my confidence and gets the creativity working whenever I see something like this.

Congrats on one million subscribers 🥳

congrats on 1 million subs!

Hey, the movie you show isn’t the whole film! It’s edited down. The full film has about fifteen seconds more, and available on RU-vid.

Lucas being a car guy explains so much of American Grafitti.

Wow man just from that one minute film I was getting serious chills bro whoa

If he had died that day, the world would be a different place.

When your back's to the wall & you're not motivated by anything other than making your craft matter, you create gold. That matters more, because wether or not you make those millions (or billions in George's case), you'll inspire others to make their own craft matter, and turn it into art.

This was great! It really gives me a deeper appreciation of Lucas' talent. Thank you!

Note of the story: George Lucas is one of the luckiest guys to ever live

3:03 PEAK BOOMER! Take entrance exam on whim and be accepted!

His little short film gave me chills.

Pretty smooth transition to the ad. Nice.

When he said “his car flipped several times and rapped around a tree” I felt that 😞

I went to Modesto Junior College, they have a huge mural of George and his characters in the AV area of campus

great video thanks x

With George’s background in street racing American Graffiti suddenly makes a ton of sense for him to make. Also I miss Really Weird Star Wars, please do more of those someday.

Very inspiring, thank you for telling us this story so nicely

I love how simple his first film was and won so many awards. I have always been interested in film and making videos but always felt I wasn't very good at it. (No support from family) Now I make Minecraft videos and always try and tell a story in my episodes. I long for filmmaking and always have.

American Graffiti - 1973 directed by George Lucas first starred Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Suzanne Somers and Wolfman Jack.

I saw the polished version of his earlier student film THX1138 at the London Film Festival back in the seventies. I thought to myself: he'll go far.

Pretty cool thing to see right after work. :)

That's the motivation we need

This is so very true! Great video Austin!