"FILMMAKER: A DIARY BY GEORGE LUCAS" (1968)

In 1968, George Lucas, while still a student at USC, directed "Filmmaker: A Diary By George Lucas," a documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Rain People." 

According to "Skywalking," Dale Pollock's biography of Lucas, it was Lucas who came up with the idea of making the documentary and Coppola readily agreed.  The film was paid for, using funds from Coppola's still photography budget. 

Armed with $12,000 and an unused production camera, Lucas filmed and recoded sound for the documentary himself.  Then, he and his future wife, Marcia Griffin, edited "Filmmaker" in the home they shared. 

The results were so professional-looking that the documentary was used as a textbook example of first-rate documentary filmmaking by USC's Film School for many years afterwards. 

Should any of you happen to be interested in some of Lucas' early work and/or a behind-the-scenes look at Coppola's early work, I've posted the documentary below in four parts. 

Enjoy,

-Dax

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2qqIzwjiIQ&feature=related

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8gSFejlhdw&feature=related

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5by1E8gWG50&feature=related

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9BZtBLa2VY&feature=related